Simgot EA500LM Review

Simgot is back again with an update to their EA500 IEM with a new one with the LM designator -- the EA500LM. The LM stands for the new Lithium-Magnesium diaphragm on their new dynamic driver, and it provides a nice update to Simgot's growing list of very comparable and competitive IEMs.

The EA500LM was provided directly by Simgot for review and is available at many retailers for $89 USD. 

As with all the recent Simgot products, the EA500LM is an all-metal shell with screw-on tuning filters. In this set, there are 3 pairs of filters (gold, red, and black), with subtle changes to the frequency response, which is presented from my measurement rig later in this review.

The metal shell is lightweight and small, and should fit fairly easily with most ears. I found them very comfortable to wear and you can hardly feel them in my ears. The Chrome-mirrored look is also very pretty. There are also 2 vent holes on the backside of the shell, with the large hole featuring a screen, assumingly to prevent dust ingress. 

The stock cable is quite thin and light. It's actually 4 wires, but a single copper and single black wire are encapsulated within the sheathing material, and so it is wound like a 2-wire cable instead. This does give a really nice look of interweaving black and copper though. The cables terminate with 2-pin connectors and a 3.5mm jack.

Simgot also includes a set of tips and a black zippered carrying case.

Sound Impressions

The EA500LM has a very standard balanced U-Shaped sound signature that is tasteful with the right amount of elevation in the bass and treble range to not sound too weighty or too bright, but keeps the sound flavorful and tame. 

In my listening and measurements, the gold filter with red o-ring sounded and measured the same as the silver filter with red o-ring. The black o-ring filter did have a sharper and more forward upper mid-range that I did not prefer, as it can lead to a little bit of a shouty sound when listening to heavy vocals or piano jazz music.

I listened to a variety of tracks starting with the National's Laugh Track record. The popular track, "Weird Goodbyes" featuring Bon Iver, sounds perhaps too dead-on neutral at times. The vocals are presented forward and up close, and the drum track is tight and well-controlled, but perhaps a little too sterile and clean than a natural analog sound. In this rock track, I think the EA500LM sounds fine, but perhaps a little too tame for this track's grandest moments.

In Maeta's "Cool Cat", the EA500LM sounds fresh and clean. The kick drum has tight control and perhaps a tad one noted though. Maeta's vocals are very clear and precise, but does border on the fine line of being too bright. I would prefer a slighted muted treble range to tame her high-pitched vocal moments. 

The EA500LM is presented below next to the original EA500, and the more recent EA1000. As you can see, the EA500LM strengthens the bass range with more subbass, but also balances it with a little more treble. This is going to be a taste thing, but I do like the extra boost to the opposite ends of the spectrum for a bit more dynamic sound, but as stated in the selected song listening, I do think that perhaps the treble is a little too elevate and that can cause female vocals to be a tad strained, and the delivery of the overall music presentation to be thin at times, despite the extra bass boost.

The EA1000 has a very similar tuning to the EA500LM. The EA500LM does have a small amount of subbass quantity over the EA1000, but for the most part, they do sound relatively similar in tonality in actual listening. I did find the EA1000 to have better dynamics and resolution over the EA500LM though, but it does come with a price tag that is over double the price ($219).

Final Thoughts

The EA500LM is another nice addition to the Simgot lineup. It can be sometimes a little lean and bright, but in general, it works well for most genres. It is a nice balanced monitor that I enjoyed, but it does face tough competition from the likes of Moondrop and Tin Hifi for similarly priced products that are a little warmer in presentation.

For those who prefer a vocal-centric and slightly brighter sound signature, this is a nice choice at $89. For those who want a bit more weight for vocals and are going for a more laid-back sound, you may want to look at other options, including the EA500 from Simgot.

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