Softears RSV Unboxing & Quick Review

Softears might be a new name in the western market but they are a well-known premium IEM manufacturers in Mainland China. They are also associated with Moondrop sharing some R&D teams, so some type of collaboration between them. While Moondrop is a very well-known HiFi IEM manufacturing brand covering all different price segments, Softears focuses primarily on the premium market. Today I am gonna share my unboxing and initial impressions for one of their stunning Multi-BA IEM, The Softears RSV. So, let’s begin.

Softears RSV:-

Softears RSV is a premium multi-BA pair of in-ear monitors featuring stunning looks with handcrafted faceplates. Faceplates here are made with satin fiber fragments and gold foil, providing the pair a glamorous look. As the name suggests, Softears RSV brings a five Balanced Armature driver configuration on both sides with efficient frequency division. It is the younger brother to the RS10 flagship from Softears that is equipped with 10 BA drivers on both sides soon I will also share my unboxing and impressions for the RS10 model. The RSV has a price tag of 729.99$, you can check out more details about it from the HiFiGo store here.

Unboxing & Accessories:-

Softears RSV comes in very very simple packaging. It is a simple plain cardboard box with RSV and Reference Sound Five(Full name of RSV) printed on the front along with a big V branding logo of the RSV. There’s a Softears branding logo on the side, while on the back we just have the technical specs of the pair written in a corner. Other than this the entire package is plain black.

Upon opening the lid first thing we notice is a leather carry case on the right portion. It is a hard leather carry case with Softears branding on the top. This carry case holds both the RSV earpieces in separate cloth pouches. There’s also a cleaning cloth in this carry case. On the right portion of the packaging is a black cardboard box that contains the bundled cable, ear tips, user guide, warranty card, and a cleaning brush. Everything is presented very neatly, like different types of tips are kept in different pouches inside the cardboard box. Overall the packaging design is quite rich and premium, It is plain yet elegant. Super impressed here. You can also check my unboxing video on the HiFiGo YouTube channel below.

Package Contents:-

>One pair of Softears RSV earphones with their separate pouches.

>One 4-wire braided cable with 2-pin connectors.

>Six pairs of silicone tips.

>One carry case.

>Cleaning cloth.

>Cleaning brush.

>User guide.

>Warranty card.

Design & Build Quality:-

Talk about well-built, exquisite earphones, and you get the Softears RSV. The pair has an excellent build quality with unique hand-crafted face panels made with satin fragments and Gold material for a shiny, glittery finish. They are made up of high-quality resin material with a universal fit design and lightweight aesthetics. On the top, the earpieces have recessed 2-pin connectors, Right earpiece has RSV branding on the face panel while the right earpiece has Softears branding logo printed on the face panels. Build quality of the earpieces here is top-notch, no complaints there. In fact, they look tremendously beautiful with a glittery finish on the face panels.

Included accessories such as the Cable, ear tips, and carry case also have fantastic build and look premium and rich.

Fit & Noise-Isolation:-

Softears RSV earpieces have a universal fit design and lightweight aesthetics with a skin-friendly resin material build. The earpieces are neither too big nor too small. They cover my entire ear canal(I have medium-size ears) and provide a very comfy fit for long music sessions. Covering the entire ear canal also lets the pair achieve a great level of surrounding noise isolation.

Driving the Softears RSV:-

The Softears RSV is an extremely sensitive pair with an extremely low impedance of just 8 ohms and a high sensitivity of 125dB/Vrms. It can be driven easily off regular smartphones without any trouble. Though I personally prefer using Hi-res players and HiFi Desktop DAC/AMP systems for best performance. For this blog, critical listening is done with FiiO M11 Pro Digital Audio Player. The synergy between the M11 Pro and RSV is amazing, with great extensions, wide dynamics, and more than adequately loud at just 35% of the volume.

Sound impressions:-

One thing that instantly catches the attention with RSV is its tonality and timbre. It just doesn't have that artificial BA timbre in fact it sounds natural and engaging with a neutral sound profile. What is a neutral sound profile you might ask me? In my opinion, something, where everything sounds properly balanced with no emphasis on any particular frequency, is what sounds neutral. And the Softears RSV has that smooth, transparent signature with every frequency getting good exposure with proper balance. The pair itself has good resolution with amazing clarity and vocal performance. While the lower mids are slightly recessed the upper mids sound forward bringing the vocals in the front and making the pair sound balanced and natural. Treble has an inoffensive smooth profile with great extensions. I personally loved the transparent and intimate signature of the RSV. Overall I love the neutral and smooth approach to my music with the RSV. Here is the frequency-wise sound description.

Lower End:-

Don’t think a BA can do good bass? Well, hear the RSV drop tight, punchy bass that makes your toe groove to the beats of your music. The lower end is extended well and produces an excellent sub-bass rumble. It is controlled well within its region showing no signs of leakage or muddiness in the mids portion. The bass punches are quick and snappy delivering every drum kick with good precision and speed.

Midrange:-

Softears has tuned the RSV to provide an accurate, airy midrange with high-resolution clarity. The pair excels in presenting the users with well-detailed acoustic instruments and rich, lovely vocal presentation. Both the male and female vocals showcase the emotions bringing a rich experience for the users. Vocals have an intimate profile yet they don’t sound shouty or harsh at all.

Treble:-

Softears RSV has a well-extended, detailed, and transparent treble response. As I stated earlier no frequency sounds particularly emphasized, treble in RSV provides a smooth experience while retrieving good details from the music. Violins, Trumpets, and other instruments have good clarity with no signs of sibilance or harshness. This provides a non-fatiguing response allowing the users to enjoy high-quality music for long hours. It is not bright, but I can’t call it dull either, The pair has good enough sparkle to make the output lively and engaging for the users.

Soundstage & Imaging:-

Softears RSV has an intimate sound output, but this doesn’t mean it lacks anywhere in the soundstage department. The soundstage has good enough width with decent depth and height characteristics providing ample space for our music to shine on. With amazing clarity and decent detail retrieval, the Softears RSV has well-detailed instrument separation with decent imaging and layering dynamics. It is always a fun and enjoyable listening session with the RSV.

Final Impressions:-

What Softears RSV delivers is a very interesting and enjoyable experience for its users. Right from the beginning with its unboxing to the end-user experience is rich and premium, like the product itself. I am a fan of Moondrop’s tuning and it's evident from RSV that they share the R&D Team as the output is engaging and keeps us hooked to the pair. For sound, The pair presents a neutral sound signature with quality detailing and clarity. With its smooth treble response, it presents the user with a highly resolving relaxing musical experience. It is one of my favorite pairs of 2021 so far!! You can check out technical specs and more details of RSV here.