Simgot King Wonder EN1000 Review

August 18, 2022 5:32 pm

Simgot is a name I have seen brought up a few times when discussing IEMs, but I have never gotten the chance to listen to them before now. I recently got my hands on the King Wonder EN1000 IEMs, one of their more cost-efficient earphones at $199. It seems like there’s a lot to this budget IEM, so let’s see if it’s worth checking out.

What You Get

EN1000 earphones
EN1000 3.5mm cable
- w/quarter-inch adapter
Two sets of silicone ear tips
Replaceable tuning plug
Storage bag
Warranty card

Look and Feel

When I first took the EM1000 out of the box, I was immediately shocked by its impeccable design. It has an awesome leaf pattern on top a stainless steel housing, establishing a very eye-catching aesthetic. The panel that holds the faceplate artwork together is made from transparent crystal glass that gives the earpieces a nice shine. This is definitely one of the best-looking IEMs I have seen for this price. Their fit isn’t too bad either and doesn’t add any extra pressure while worn.

Design

Inside of the EN1000 is a driver system made up of one 10mm dual-cavity dynamic unit with a DLC and beryllium-plated diaphragm. Everything is structured with Simgot’s 2-layer tuning cloth design which aims to provide a more precise tuning. The Daikoku voice coil is also implemented to achieve a more exact transient response.

Soundstage

On the EN1000, the soundstage has a stable width that helps flesh out the imaging to a full extent. It never reaches far past its linear presentation, but added airiness keeps the music constantly engaging to listen to. While some of the layering is well spaced out, this is mostly a left-to-right sound than front-to-back. That means the imaging mostly appears on the surface without a ton of wrap-around. However, it keeps its traditional sensibilities in check with clear and identifiable sound elements and an organized presentation. The most notable aspect of its response is how well certain elements showcase a present tail. It feels like there’s more emphasized air to reverbs and releases of instruments, and it is a characteristic of the EN1000 that I really enjoyed.

Low End

Most of the bass presence you are going to hear is going to be purely surface-level punch. Although not much comes out from underneath, the EN1000 still finds some clear vibration and natural energy in its lows. They’re highly dynamic and never overwhelm the mix. However, the tone of the frequencies doesn’t exactly lift up the timbre in a significant way. Some aspects of the bass don’t quite come out as full but continue to still sound natural and realistic. With the different tuning modules, I was only able to get either a bigger punch or a completely relaxed response.

Mids

The EN1000 has a few accentuated frequency bands in its midrange, helping to bring character to the sound signature. While possessing clear sound elements, I wouldn’t call it a clean tone. Rather, the EN1000 is heavily textured between its low-mids and upper-mids. This can keep the EN1000 from having consistent clarity throughout, but it livens up the timbre with a sharper focus on specific instruments and vocal performances. Upper-midrange extension favors certain vocal ranges and gives them more forward aggression that leaks a lot into the highs as well. The modules offer some more smoothness but don’t resolve any of my main gripes.

Highs

While the treble shows some overtly bright textures, its timbre isn’t actually all that developed. There’s little high-end sizzle to certain notes, weakening its tone as a whole. There’s some nice air to vocals and some reverberated instruments, but they have a clear limit to how much the sound can extend. Not much height is reached, but the spatial qualities are there.

Summary

I enjoyed many characteristics of the EN1000’s sound and appearance, but it also has its quirks that can be improved. For instance, I think if the soundstage came out a bit more in a not-so-linear way, and the bass was a bit more pronounced, I think the EN1000 would be more of a major player in its price bracket. As it is now though, I think it is one of the best artistic designs on an IEM, and the sound signature still has some enticing elements that can be easily enjoyed.