Non-Cloud Sound

Ratings

Pros

• Excellent bass performance, great behaviour and execution, although not very powerful.
• Great treble tuning, with good timbre and extension.
• Clear and transparent upper midrange.
• Small, ergonomic capsules.
• Great capsule construction quality.
• Excellent value for money, with very good accessories, build quality and sound quality.

Cons

• Guides over ears annoying.
• The first part of the midrange is somewhat thin and lean.
• Distance between the first and second part of the midrange.

Purchase Link

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/1005007064629670.html

Link to the Store

https://bqeyz.es.aliexpress.com/store/4997112

Introduction

BQEYZ creations never follow the general trend, but their own. In this case, the BQEYZ Cloud is the second IEMS in the Weather series. The first ones were the Wind and the next ones will be the Rain and Mist. At first glance, there is a clear aesthetic difference between the two models. Internally, the Cloud uses a dynamic driver with a 10mm LCP diaphragm and a 6.8mm passive radiator. The Cloud’s unique aerodynamic circulation system harnesses the power of the LCP diaphragm to perfect the internal air pressure. This synergy with the auxiliary diaphragm eliminates high-frequency prominence, enriching the separation of background music and imbuing vocals with exquisite delicacy and smoothness. The Clouds are manufactured from a lightweight and durable aluminium alloy using German 5-axis CNC technology. For the cable, a silver-plated monocrystalline copper coaxial conductor has been used. In its tuning, the idea presented with the Wind persists, although a little brighter and more neutral than with the Wind. But the idea of refinement around a curve that seeks clarity despite the name of the model prevails.

Specifications

• Driver Type: Dynamic driver with 10mm LCP diaphragm + 6.8mm passive radiator.
• Frequency Response: 7Hz – 40kHz.
• Sensitivity: 110dB.
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Jack Connector: Choice between BAL 2.5mm, SE 3.5mm, BAL 4.4mm
• Capsule connection type: 2Pin 0.78mm
• Cable length: 1.2m.
• Conductor Type: Silver plated single crystal copper mixed coaxial cable.
• Price: $169.

Packaging

The BQEYZ Cloud comes in a relatively small, elongated case, measuring 183x91x67mm. Unsurprisingly, the main side is sky blue. A picture of the capsule can be seen in the top left corner. At the top right is the brand name, at the bottom the model name in large letters and at the bottom a description of the product in several languages, all in white letters. The back side has a white background, the text is black and written in three languages are the product specifications. At the bottom there are the brand’s branding and various icons. After lifting the lid there is a white cardboard flap. Underneath is a white foam mould containing the capsules. On the second level there is a box with accessories and the brand’s classic zippered case. The tips come in a metal blister pack. There is also another pair of foam tips in a small plastic box. In summary, the complete contents are as follows:

• The two BQEYZ Cloud capsules.
• A metal blister pack with two sets of three pairs of SxMxL Reference and Atmosphere silicone tips.
• One cable with 3.5mm SE connector and 2Pin 0.78mm interface.
• One cleaning brush.
• One zippered case.
• A pair of foam tips.
• One user’s guide.
• One warranty certificate.

BQEYZ proves that you can sell small but complete packaging. One of the few brands that continue to accompany silicone tips. As always, a good zippered case, a good cable with three terminations to choose from. Finally, the colour of the capsules can also be chosen between black and cyan.

Construction and Design

BQEYZ has created a different design for the Cloud. It is a lightweight metal capsule in aluminium alloy whose external shape resembles a slanted rectangle with all corners rounded. It shies away from a more classic triangular shape, creating a smaller, flatter size. The outer face has two diagonal grooves. Although the colour is black, the bevel on the outer rim of the capsule is blue, giving a very elegant, as well as striking, touch. On the lower edge of each capsule you can read the brand name (left capsule) and the model (right capsule) in white letters. The upper edge has a small protrusion where the 2Pin 0.78mm connection interface is mounted. On that same face, at the end, reaching the edge, there is a small, elongated and narrow groove. The inner side is flat, barely shaped, with only a slight slope towards the nipples. In the centre is a white circle, inside which is the letter indicating the channel. Above it, on the way to the rim, there is a hole. The nozzles are made of a shiny, polished metal material and are mounted on a slightly inclined base. It has a conical shape at the start, a minor diameter of 5.1mm and a crown of 5.8mm. The approximate length is 5.3mm. They are fitted with a dense metal protective grille.
The cable is quite simple, consisting of two coiled strands with a transparent PVC coating. The conductor is silver plated and looks pure white. The plug sleeve is a straight grey metal cylinder. It is engraved with the brand name lengthwise. The plug of my model is a 3.5mm gold plated SE plug. The splitter piece is another smaller cylinder of the same shape and also engraved. The pin is a metal ring of the same type, with an oval hole inside. Its diameter is precise for a secure fit, as it does not slip easily, holding its position effortlessly. The sleeves of the 2Pin 0.78mm connectors are straight grey cylinders, matching the other parts of the cable. They have a groove near the cable exit, they are also rounded in this area. There is a circle inscribed with the letter informing the cable channel on each one. At the outlet there are guides on transparent ears. Finally, the cable has a black Velcro strap.
Elegant and subtle design of the capsules. More contained size, light weight and ease of use. The cable looks simple but effective. There is a choice of three terminations. I would have preferred a pure copper cable, rather than silver plated.

Adjustment and Ergonomics

The capsules are small and despite their metal construction, they are light. Although they have hardly any curved shape to suit our morphology, as the inner side is rather flat, the ergonomics are very good due to their small size and rounded edges. Also contributing to an excellent fit is the angle of the mouthpieces. It could have been slightly longer, with a narrower channel and the insertion could have been deeper. But the nozzles are relatively wide, so the insertion varies between medium and shallow. It is true that it may be necessary to look for the right tips to find the best fit. The shape of the capsules allows rotation until they are seated in the pinna. Once fitted, the capsules float on top of my ears. The critical point is the over-ear cable guide. At the exit of the connector, it has a sharp angle that rubs against my ears. A pity that ruins the good fit of the capsules.
On the other hand, with the right tips, the sound insulation can be quite good. Likewise, the fit can be fixed and durable for everyday use, even for light sport.

Sound

Profile

The BQEYZ Clouds have a rising W profile, with excited upper midrange, neutral bass and slightly controlled, but extended treble. You could say that they are predominantly mid-centric, but there are many similar profiles that are not purely mid-centric. Also, I can’t consider a profile with a polarised midrange like the Cloud to be mid-centric. At the moment, I am finding two main groups of tunings: the smooth and descending tunings, with noticeable bass presence, with upper midranges and smoothed trebles. On the other side are the more twangy and splashy profiles, with a clear difference between lower midrange and upper midrange. The Clouds are in that second half. Finding the balance within this frequency response depends on many factors, but 12dB of distance between the lowest and highest point of the midrange is enough of a jump to demonstrate such a difference.

Bass

The Cloud’s bass is relatively neutral in power. Slightly emphasised in the sub-bass, they have a fairly linear low end towards the midrange, but without too much power, maintaining a bit of energy, enough to stand out from the neutrality with some grace. It’s not at all a remarkable presence, though I can’t call it a skinny bass. The hit is very compact and dry, with a low roughness and smooth texture. As it is quite fast and fades very quickly, it does not linger long in the room, limiting the sense of volume and presence. It is not a very deep bass, but rather well centred and extended, allowing its timbre to be quite natural. Nor does it feel displaced or boxy, but is well represented throughout the entire range, something that enhances that realistic colour that allows it to complement the whole sound in the right way, demonstrating that neutrality is not only achieved with a midrange energy level, but with a correct and complete tuning of the lower range. As expected, the test of pure tones of very low presence demonstrates an almost perfect behaviour. The audible end is composed of a very realistic sensory and audible vibration, with a low undulatory character. It is light, but a very natural and pleasant execution is perceived, not at all forced, very well represented. The final result is almost reference-like, quite pure. The translation into real music allows for such a natural timbre, as well as a full and compact range, very well endowed technically. Thus, the bases are precise, dry, very well defined and completely delimited. In the dirty, unfiltered bass test, the Clouds transform the most complex passages into very well-defined and well-defined bass lines, turning them into controlled and unproblematic situations. The bass never seems to overdrive and always remains tight and tight, it can only sound a little more raw or rougher in texture, which makes it even more appealing, if that’s possible. It is adept at layering, layering bass lines and separating kick drums from the deepest of bases. Again, it’s an academic bass, very polite, slightly more powerful than neutral, but highly descriptive and complete. Too bad it doesn’t have more energy at this level of playing.

Mids

The midrange starts with a slight warmth that comes from the full bass range. That gives the Cloud a slightly broad harmonic base, which starts well from the bottom. However, that doesn’t detract from the fact that the first half of the midrange is light, relatively lean and presented in the middle distance. Thus, although the male vocals feel well-executed and full, they remain far from the forefront of the sound. Instrumentally speaking, this lack of presence contributes to a sense of hollowness, a lack of body and physicality. This perception does not disappear when the volume is turned up, as it increases the imbalance between the lower and upper midrange. This is how many nuances are superimposed on the elementary base of the instruments, sounding slightly unreal and forced, unbalanced in their presential position in the scene. As a result, elements with less weight in the music sound above the male voices. However, the timbre remains quite natural, although the portrayal is somewhat soft and lacks density. On the other hand, the women’s voices feel much fuller and better supported. On the other hand, oddly enough, this is not a completely splashy or excited sound, a certain softness and warm nuance persists. This manages to rid the sound of sibilance, adding a clear sense of musicality that counterbalances the fizz of the more volatile elements and details. But, the sound is distinctly eloquent, feeling projected, expressive and evident, offering a sense of dynamics of the more superfluous nuances and notes. I keep noticing that imbalance between the fundamental base and the details. There is clarity and separation, transparency and openness. But the midranges still seem soft to me despite the technical effort and richness of detail.

Treble

The top end is expressive, energetic but not overly pungent. Given the origin of a dynamic driver that is not very analytical, the thickness of the notes is mid-fine and, despite its elevation, the crispness is limited, controlled at that peak. This is because the treble is non-linear and alternating zones of control manage to counteract all the energy. However, the Cloud maintains a moderate extension of that power, stretching the treble into the air zone with ease. This results in a fairly realistic, even advanced, representation of the upper range that doesn’t sound nuanced or clipped. The Clouds achieve a good level of shimmer and sparkle without sounding piercing or deliberately sharp, keeping in line with the rest of the tuning, but sounding remarkably refined to demonstrate that the upper range is one of their best assets by sounding full, detailed, informative, explicit, full, natural and pleasing.

Soundstage, Separation

The Cloud scene is not very deep, nor elongated, it feels quite rounded. There are many elements close and others in the middle distance, generating a somewhat more intimate scene feeling, where details feel very volatile and vivid. The closeness of these elements, mixed with a gaseous spot, makes for an immersive sensation quite close to the head, where there is a persistent laterality and height, as well as an elevated zenithal sensation. The result is a bubbling scene close to the head, but open all around, achieving an overall perception close to 360 degrees.
The sound is quite clean, but not the first of its kind, not a purely analytical sound. There is a certain minimally cohesive level of musicality that makes it not so cold, detached or transparent. Thus the background is not so black, not so distanced, yet the level of detail is easily micro. The tiniest nuances can be easily observed because of this closeness. But they lack a little more depth and distance to obtain that full distance that separates all the notes more widely. Undoubtedly, it is a close, enveloping, surrounding, volatile image, where the elements feel close, although they have a certain gaseous representation, even very well defined and resolute.

Comparisons

Rose Technics QT9 MK3

As far as I have been able to see when comparing frequency responses, the most usual thing to do would have been to compare the BQEYZ Cloud with the Simgot EA1000 with the Red filter. But, I have seen that this comparison has been tackled by several reviewers before me. So I decided to make a comparison with another model: the Rose QT9 MK3. Priced at $186, the QT9 MK3 are 1DD+4BA hybrids that maintain a traditional shape within the QT9 saga. It is certainly the lowest bass model in the line-up. On the design side, the capsules of the QT9s are made of resin with an aluminium alloy outer panel. They are quite small, somewhat smaller in size than the Cloud and also lighter. Somehow, Rose Technics has rectified the situation and there is now a choice between MMCX and 2Pin 0.78mm interface, which I welcome. The QT9 accessories are numerous, including a number of tips, a good case, a 6.3mm adapter, grilles, clamps and even a dongle. The BQEYZ range is on the same level, in my opinion, because I find the cable better and the zipped case more practical. In terms of ergonomics, I like the slightly more floating fit of the Cloud, while the QT9s fall a little short in the size of the mouthpieces. This means that they fit more snugly in the bell, but the final fit is shallow, being on the borderline of sealing, depending on the tips used. The problem with the Cloud is the curve over the ear that the cable has, it bothers me and that is something that reduces the final comfort over time.
QT9s are more sensitive than Clouds. The QT9s are more mid-centric than the Cloud because of their lower bass presence and more limited treble range. Both have a clear emphasis on the upper midrange, but resolved in a different way, due to the QT9’s 1DD+4BA drivers coming into play versus the Cloud’s 1DD+1PR.
The Cloud’s bass is fuller, with a deeper, more perceptible sub-bass. The QT9s are more neutral, with less energy and less impact within the sound. Technically speaking, both are very good, but the QT9s feel more coloured, as opposed to the overall noticeable behaviour of the Clouds. The QT9s are a bit drier and more restrained, their neutrality gives them a bit more speed and control. But I prefer the colour and timbre of the Cloud, with a rougher and more pleasant textured feel. Good bass on the technical and skilled side of things, but with a naturalness better achieved in the Cloud.
Both Cloud and QT9 suffer from the same problem in the first part of the midrange: both are thin, lean and light in this initial range. The base has low physicality and body, the density level is low. However, there is a bit more warmth and fullness in this part of the Cloud, which makes the timbre more natural and less bright. The midrange behaviour, in general, is obvious. The QT9s are more technical, cooler and more analytical than the Clouds. The notes are thinner and sharper on the Rose, with the thinner, more crystalline timbre of the BA. The QT9s are more explosive and vivid in the midrange, something that is exalted in the upper mids and upper treble. They offer superior speed, more dynamics, greater transparency and distance, in the sense that their thinner notes are more distinguishable from each other, creating more distance between them. The Cloud sounds quieter, somewhat more musical, not as incisive or penetrating. They are somewhat more confident, but also less resolute, though advantageously less sibilant. The QT9s are demanding in these upper midranges and first highs, offering a great deal of information in a very short time, which makes them very explicit IEMS. That makes their level of detail very high. It is capable of shelling out micro detail by expanding it horizontally and separating it from the rest of the notes and nuances. The Clouds are pretty good at detail as well. But the level of exposure and the way they are rendered is very different. You notice that quietness that exists in the Cloud, as if everything is slower. The QT9s are energetic, everything is going faster, shelling out more music than there is. So you see those highs, a bit more natural on the Cloud, with a tuning that I find more appropriate. Whereas the QT9’s are more profiled, crisp, lifted, energetic and thin. There may not be as much extension. But the treble brightness is superior, as is their projection and incisiveness, giving that cooler, more crystalline feel.
The QT9 scene is close, with all that detail and sound coming in at speed. It’s also gaseous and volatile, generating that surrounding sensation. It’s not too deep, it’s a bit wider, so the result is more spherical. The Cloud have quite a bit of that, but they’re more sedate and deeper, something that gives them a bit more separation from the listener, taking a bit more perspective and middle distance. In this way, they also seem a little wider, though the separation isn’t as great, and they feel slightly more cohesive than the sharp, profiled QT9s.
You could say that the BQEYZ Cloud is the safe version of the Rose Technics QT9 MK3. Or that the QT9 MK3 are the analytical, cooler and more resolute version of the Cloud. These are two ways of looking at things, starting from a profile that is already, in itself, somewhat excited in the upper midrange and first treble.

Conclusion

The BQEYZ Cloud is the second IEMS in the Weather series that started with the excellent Wind. The brand continues in its line, shying away from current trends and remains focused on pursuing its own perfect FR. To do so, it uses the base of the Wind and excites the profile in the bass, upper midrange and treble. As usual, BQEYZ likes to experiment with drivers and although the current configuration is not new, the brand often uses that performance to guide it in its pursuit of interest. The Cloud uses a 10mm LCP dynamic driver + 6.8mm passive radiator, which has been directed to the second half of the sound, rather than boosting the bass. This results in a very clear, transparent sound, while maintaining musicality and a hint of warmth. All this far from the cloudiness that its name suggests. BQEYZ once again boasts a very clean, articulate, dynamic sound, with a good level of detail, great on stage and obvious in image. Without a doubt, the BQEYZ Cloud is a more neutral and explicit alternative, within the current trend, where softness, more bass and a darker profile persist, where performance, resolution level and the excellent quality/price ratio are other strong points, in addition to the sound, construction level, ergonomics and accessories.

Sources Used During the Analysis

• EPZ TP50.
• Tempotec V3.
• Burson Audio Playmate 2.
• Aune X8 XVIII Magic DAC + EarMen ST-Amp.