Spoiler: Click to show! I’m a 44 year old music and sound lover that changed my focus from speakers to headphones and IEM’s about five years ago. At that time I realized that it wasn’t realistic for me to have all the different setups that I wanted and still house a family of four children and a wife so my interest turned first to full sized headphones and later also IEM’s.



My preferences are towards full sized open headphones and I believe that also says something about what kind of sound signature I prefer (large soundstage in all directions, balanced and organic sound).



My music preferences are pretty much all over the place (only excluding classical music, jazz and really heavy metal). My all-time favorite band is Depeche Mode although I also listen to a lot of grunge/indie, singer/songwriter/acoustical stuff as well as the typical top 40 music.



I do not use EQ, ever.



I tend to value function over form within reasonable limits.



I’m a sucker for value for money on most things in life Head-Fi related stuff is no exception.



Housing

Plastic

Driver Unit

8mm dynamic driver

Frequenzy range

20Hz-20kHz Sensitivity

103dB Impedance

20Ohms Weight

10 g

Cable lenght

1.3m



This is a review of the Accutone Pisces HD IEM’s.The Accutone Pisces HD was sent to me from Accutone for the purpose of me reviewing it. I’d like to grab the opportunity to say thank you to Angus at Accutone for letting me try them out, THANK YOU!The Accutone Pisces HD is on sale at the Accutone web store and the price at the time of this review was $89:I’m not in any way affiliated with Accutone.Accutone Audio has been around for over 40 years but it’s only the last couple years they’ve started to produce consumer oriented in ear monitors. Before that they were fully focused on making speakers and professional equipment for call-centers and other similar business. This is what they say about themselves on their homepage:“We love music. Sometimes it feels like music is the only thing that really unites us. It is the medium which truly transcends culture, race, gender and age. Music is the most effective means to bring people closer. Although this may be good enough of a reason why we build headsets, it is definitely not the reason why we are able to build excellent headsets.Accutone has been making some of the world's best headsets for decades, and our goal has always been about bringing people closer. In the past, our focus was on providing the best communication tools for businesses in the form of telecommunication headsets for call centers and corporations. We know that in order to really bring people closer, we have to build headsets with great sound quality, reliability and durability. We are able to do so, because we are passionate about what we do, and we have the knowledge and experience of how to make the best headset.But we haven't forgotten why we started everything in the first place. We love music, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy music in the most accurate form as our beloved musicians intended. If we are able to do that, we will have achieved our goal of bringing the world closer.”The Accutone Pisces HD is an in-ear monitor featuring one 8mm beryllium coated dynamic driver.AFAIK it comes only in one flavor: in the color black with a microphone for Android.The detachable cable is round and flexible but still feels a bit on the cheap side. Although they’re possible to wear over the ears this doesn’t feel very natural to me so I’ve been using them straight down. Microphonic are present when moving around but it’s not any worse than on your average pair of IEM’s so not a big deal but it’s still there. Unfortunately they’re also missing a chin slider which is a shame to me since I love my chin slider, as usually I ade my own though (see picture below). The strain reliefs are in place but neither the housing nor the cable has any left/right markings so the location of the microphone is the only way to tell which side is which.The cable uses MMCX connectors but unfortunately Accutone has opted for a proprietary version of it and this makes getting replacement cables a challenge. The location of the connectors on the side of the houses does also makes me a bit worried about long term usage. The cable includes a microphone for Android products. Both the answer/end call (combined with the pause/play feature) works great as does the volume control. The quality of the microphone seems to be very good and the way that the microphone unit is shaped like a old style phone is a nice detail.The build in general seem pretty solid despite being a bit plastic fantastic. The housings are all plastic but still feel fairly well made and very solid and the Y-split is also solid despite being quite small. In total I’d say that the build quality is fine for the price but nothing spectacular.The retail package is very nice for the price point but unfortunately the accessories are quite spare and include the following:2 pairs Comply foam tips2 pairs of silicone tips (S/M, L)1 pouch to store them in when not in useThe Accutone Pisces HD is slightly harder than average to drive but still worked very well with all the sources I’ve tried it with including cellphones. I don’t find them to benefit significantly from a more powerful amplifier and they seem to work well with all the sources that I’ve tried them withThe design of the Pisces HD is certainly unique and I’ve got to admit that they look pretty slick. Despite being quite large, especially for a single dynamic, the all plastic built makes them very lightweight. The “bow” on the housings makes them fit only with shallow insertion for me this may not be true for everyone though. The Pisces HD are really comfortable for me to wear and I hardly even notice that they’re there.Both the included foam and silicone tips works well for me but the Pisces HD are quite sensitive on tips and fit (especially for bass reproduction) and I ended up using them with some RHA silicone tips for best combination of sound and comfort with my ear anatomy:Isolation is about average, maybe slightly over if using the included foam tips. With music playing I wouldn’t say that isolation is a big issue with them though.I’ve used them back and forward in the last month and they’ve played for well over 100 hours. I’ve used them both around the house and when out and about and I haven’t really found any significant weaknesses in the way they’re designed.I’ve used them mostly with my LG G5 phone and the bit Opus #11 but I’ve tried them with a number of other sources as well and they’ve worked very well with all of them.As already mentioned I enjoy the Accutone Pisces HD the most with RHA silicone tips.Mark Knopfler – Sailing to PhiladelphiaRøyksopp (Feat.Susanne Sundfør) – Save MeAne Brun – These DaysMichael Jackson – Dirty DianaMetallica – Die Die My DarlingThe Peter Malick Group – ImmigrantEva Cassidy – SongbirdThomas Dybdahl – A LovestoryNorah Jones – Don’t Know WhyCelldweller – UnshakeableJack Johnson – Better TogetherSeinabo Sey – Younger (Kygo remix)Dire Straits- So Far AwayPassenger – Let Her GoLupe Fiasco - DeliverMorrissey – Earth Is the Loneliest PlanetThe overall sound signature on the Accutone Pisces HD is a bit v-shaped with great clarity and resolution without ever getting fatiguing.The sub-bass extension is quite good and although there’s some roll off on the deepest notes there’s definitely enough depth and presence to give a good fundament will all kind of music. The layering in the lower bass is also good. Mid-and upper bass is also fairly well present without being too noticeable with bass bleed happening only on occasionally tracks. The quality of the bass is really good, especially for an IEM at this price point.The midrange is slightly recessed and feels very well balanced and controlled. The characteristic of the midrange is clean, natural and airy. Male vocals and string instruments has enough weight to feel natural and female vocals are very enjoyable and non-fatiguing. In total the midrange has great clarity and transparency and feels very enjoyable despite being a bit further back in the mix than I ideally prefer.The treble extension is pretty good and has it has enough richness that it manages to never get harsh or fatiguing. The charcter of the treble is neither fulla and lush nor thin and fatiguing but balance really good between the two making it very enjoyable and mixing in perfectly with the midrange.Clarity and micro details are very good for a single dynamic sub $100 offering and transparency is among the best I’ve ever heard I a single dynamic. Soundstage width is really great while depth and height is good.Please note that the comments in the comparison section are not in absolute terms but in comparison between subject A and B. This means (as an example) that if subject A is found to be brighter than subject B it does not necessarily mean that subject A is bright sounding in absolute terms. I hope this makes sense.These comparisons were done listening from my phone through the LG G5 with the Hifi Pus module installed.These two are actually not too different in the overall signature. The bass on the SIMGOT EN700 reaches about as deep and has about the same impact as on the Pisces HD while bass quality is also quite similar. Mid-bass is slightly more present on the HD’s and they’re also over all a bit fuller sounding making their presentation more similar across the frequencies. The midrange on the EN700’s is more forward but the HD’s have fuller presentation and vocals sound more natural with them. The EN700 has a lift in the upper midrange making them more hollow and shouty sounding in comparison.Treble extension is also pretty similar with a slight advantage to the Accutone’s, and once again the presentation is fuller on the HD’s. The soundstage width is a bit better on the HD’s and it also has the upper hand in height, depth, timbre to the notes and 3D presentation.I find the Pisces HD more comfortable, partly due to the memory wire on the EN700.I like the angled connector better on the Accutone’s but apart from that they both feel fairly well built with the cable being the worse part on both.They EN700 are easier to drive.Isolation is slightly better on the HD’s.These two does actually also sound quite similar. Both are pretty much equally v-shaped and have about the same amount of deep bass. The Titan 1’s has more mid-bass though making bass bleed more common with them. The midrange is also quite similar in characteristic on both but male voices a bit fuller on the Accutone’s while female vocals are brighter and potentially more strident on the Titans. The treble extension is also quite similar on both bot the HD’s are fuller and does never sound sibilant to me. The Titan’s are actually even slightly more detailed and has better clarity but they’re also more peaky with their exaggerated mid bass and upper treble so the HD’s sounds more relaxed and natural in comparison. The Titan’s does also have a more airy presentation and a touch wider soundstage while depth and width are quite similar, in total the HS’s feels better balanced and natural.Fit is excellent for me with both of these.Build quality is good on both but the Titan’s pulls ahead with their metal housings and better cable.The Titan 1 is slightly easier to drive.Isolation is better on the Pisces HD.I used the K1’s with the gun metal filters (most balanced) in this comparison. The bass on the K1’s reaches deeper and has more impact in comparison with the Pisces HD but it’s also a bit looser in its character. Mid-bass is also more present on the K1 but it’s still on the boomy side making bass blead a god deal more common with them than with the HD’s. Both have a slightly recessed midrange but the midrange on the HD’s blends more naturally with the rest of the frequencies making its overall presentation feel much more coherent. The K1 has a lift in the upper midrange making them more hollow and shouty sounding in comparison, to be honest I find the overall balance of the K1’s a bit off.Treble extension is also pretty similar with a slight advantage to the Accutone’s, and once again the presentation is more natural on the HD’s, none of them are prone to sibilance for me though. The soundstage width is a bit better on the HD’s and it also has the upper hand in height, depth, timbre to the notes and 3D presentation.I find the Pisces HD slightly more comfortable.The K1’s is definitely better built and it also uses standard MMCX connectors, which I find preferable.The K1 are easier to drive.Isolation is pretty similar on both.The Accutone Pisces HD is a very good single dynamic offering, I’d even go as far as to say that it’s the best sub $100 single dynamic I’ve heard so far. I would have preferred a more forward midrange but the overall presentation is still highly enjoyable to me. It has a great amount of clarity and transparency without ever getting fatiguing.So to sum things up we’ve got a combination of great sound, excellent ergonomics, acceptable isolation and a great Android remote control/mic unit combined with a design that stands out in the crowd. In total this sums up to a great IEM to use when out and about to me.