Hidition Violet Impressions
Time for a quick write-up of another rare IEM. This is South Korean maker Hidition’s 11BA flagship that will run you $3300.
Spoiler alert: The Violet is pretty great, but some ways off world-class. It follows a U-shaped tuning, the most distinctive part of which is its bass response. The Violet’s bass response is characterized by a clean, pronounced sub-bass lift that I can only describe as fun. Still, the Violet’s bass intangibles are where it really makes its mark. Most will know of my appreciation for the U12t’s BA bass, and if I didn’t know better, I’d be inclined to say the Violet uses the same drivers for the bass. The Violet has that slightly brushed quality to transient attack with exemplary macrodynamic ability, slam, and even a tad more thickness than the U12t. Admittedly, between the two for bass, I’d lean toward the Violet; it’s a benchmark setter for BA IEMs. The midrange of the Violet is flat throughout the lower-midrange, and then there is a minor upper-midrange suppression not unlike the U12t. It’s good, but I do feel that the Violet takes it a step too far here, particularly in the degree with which the pinna compensation has been pulled-down. It’s basically the complete opposite of how the Viento approached the upper-midrange. However, the Violet comes back to the Hidition “sound” in the treble. The Violet has good amounts of energy in the mid-treble, lending the Violet to a much more colored presentation. I enjoy this treble response, and the cherry on top is that it displays none of the dirty resonance that the Hidition Viento did.
Speaking of the Viento, the drivers the Violet’s using have to be completely different. Decay is fairly clean, more reminiscent of your typical BA monitor. I think I would say the Violet’s transients skew toward the middle in speed not unlike the U12t, perhaps a smidge faster. As a whole, the Violet’s certainly decently technical. But here’s the problem: It’s not really as resolving as I think it should be. The recession to the pinna compensation makes the Violet come off as somewhat dull; the treble sparkle isn’t sufficient to offset this perception. The staging and layering ability of the Violet are also not as good as the U12t’s, much less something like the Annihilator. In fact, I can’t help but find the Violet’s imaging chops somewhat unremarkable; they’re certainly not bad, but “not bad” doesn’t cut it for $3300. Macrodynamics, again, are a case of “it’s not bad,” but “hmm, I think this could be better”.
And that’s really the Violet’s biggest problem: The U12t exists. Sure, it’s got some selling points against the U12t, and I’d imagine those who want a more colored sound might even gravitate toward the Violet. But looking at the big picture? The U12t is simply more balanced and technical. It’s even harder to make an argument for the Violet when Hidition’s tried to establish it in another price tier altogether. In essence, this is an excellent IEM, one that I definitely prefer over the Viento (it doesn’t hurt that the Violet’s fit is more agreeable), but make no mistake that I think better can be had for less.
Score: 7/10