There are so many good earbuds available now that you really can’t even dare to make a list of them. While searching for a perfect earbud, ShoonTH ESEP-01BL / Explorer L arrived for review and no doubt it’s going to stay in my personal collection in future. I would like to thank Penon Audio for this unit and I have tried to cast my honest impressions on this particular earbud.
Maybe ShoonTH doing earbud for the first time but it seems they are pretty serious about their business because 4 of their products, starting from 27$ to 219$ available now and all of them look like work of professional hands. Let’s discuss what they have managed to bring within 27$. I let ShoonTH Explorer burn-in for 150 hours before any serious listening with donuts foam tips.
Specification
- Cell Size / Driver: 15.4mm Dynamic,
- Frequency Response: 10Hz-22kHz,
- Impedance: 32Ω,
- SPL: 110db,
- Wire: 4N OFC silver-plated,
- Cable Length: 1.2m,
- Plug: 3.5mm Gold plated .
Buying Link – Here
What’s inside the Box?
- ShoonTH ESEP-01BL earbud,
- 3 pairs of foam tips,
- 1 Carry pouch.
Source
ShoonTH ESEP-01BL / Explorer L very easy to drive and most of the device can run it easily. I have used my Iphone SE and Fiio M3k to test it most of the times.
Tracks/ Albums used
- Adele – 21
- Adele – 25
- Bob Marley & The Wailers – Kaya (40th Anniversary Edition)
- Eagles – Hotel California (40th Anniversary Expanded Edition)
- Eric Clapton – Unplugged (1992)
- Don Henley – I Can’t Stand Still
- Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
- Michael Jackson – Thriller
- Devin Dawson – Dark Horse
- Sting – The Best Of 25 Years
- Bruno Mars – 24K Magic (MQA)
Presentation, Design & Build Quality
Unboxing experience is straightforward, nothing fancy. Everything is packed inside a tiny 3” X 4” brown recycled paper box. Brand name printed on top of the box, bar code on the left side and rest relative specs back of the box.
The naming scheme of whole ShoonTh lineup is a bit unusual but at the time of writing this review they changed them with some fancy names so no complaint now. Inside the box; Earbud itself, 3 pair of foam, a carry pouch and a tiny paperwork packed with care using some soft foams.
For 27$ the design is simple and stylish. Surprisingly all of ShoonTh earbuds share of same kind of Shell. Black glossy shell with a silver ascent on top of them, and yes they look quite stylish. ShoonTh marked left and right earbud using their logo printed red and blue instead of ‘R’ and ‘L’ symbol.
Cable quality is decent. I am not a big fan of this kind of glossy cable because they create a lot of noise when walking and you can hear those noises inside your earbuds. Overall build quality is decent and should last long.
Sound
As soon as I received this earbud , gave it a try and don’t know the reason I feel disappointed but in case of earbuds I prefer them burn-in first before trying so let it sit with my laptop to burn-in.
After a month I discovered that now I am a dull boy because ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ due to heavy work load in my office. To be smart again I started listen this earbud and realized what I missed for couple of weeks. So how it’s sound?
Bass
Being 15.4 mm dynamic drivers, ShoonTh Explorer L should capable of producing good amount of Bass but it seems that the material used in this drivers different from other same sized dynamic drivers available in market. In a single word bass is not overpowering, just right amount of bass. Both quality and quantity of bass is perfect. The amount of sub-bass is above average still you can hear the rumble. Bass is fast and packed with good energy.
The entire song ‘24K Magic’ by Bruno Mars with this earbud is fantastic, the energy is there and fun to listen. The opening of the song ‘One of These Nights’ by Eagles the rumble of drums is also there, and you can notice whenever it playing in background. The song ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac and those simultaneous drum hits are prominent and enough for even someone who love extra bass.
Surprisingly, this erabud is performing really according to its source. When I paired it with my Topping NX3s the increase of sub-bass is quite noticeable. So you can play with it to create the best synergy according your taste.
Mids
No doubt that ShoonTh Explorer L is tuned keeping Mids in mind. It’s clear that there is no bass bleed in mids and the whole mid range is a bit forward. Upper mids are more focused than lower mids. Vocals are crisp and clear. Female vocals are much more articulated than male vocals. Mids on ShoonTH ESEP-01BL / Explorer L is rich and lush.
Tracks like ‘Remedy’ by Adele and ‘When We Were Young’ by Adele sounds very resolving. Every note is crystal clear. ‘Old Love’ by Eric Clapton with ShoonTh Explorer L is a really good experience. So much emotion is there. ‘Running on Faith’ is like never ever so beautiful before in earbuds. The track ‘All on me’ by David Dawson seems much wider and open. Piano in tracks like ‘Talking to the Moon’ by Don Henley is mellow and just wonderful.
Treble
Upper frequency is well extended and no such bump/spike noticed. Treble part is airy and adding enough crispiness when it needed. No Sibilance is there at all. Someone who really like bright sound signature, may miss the sparkle but for most of the people the amount and speed is enough.
For example the song ‘ Billie Jean ‘ by Michael Jackson, where from start to end both lower frequency and higher frequency plays an important role , ShoonTh explorer L performed well. Very controlled treble .
Soundstage & Imaging
Soundstage of 01BL is quite good, not super wide but wide enough to maintain the stereo effect. Vocals a bit forward and instruments like just behind the artist. Imaging is actually very good and accurate; it performed with busy and complex tracks very well.
In the song ‘I don’t want to Know’ by Fleetwood Mac, the clapping sound in left ear creates the illusion that someone really clapping behind your right ear. Instrument separation is also very good.
Comparison
Willsound Mk1 rev2 vs ShoonTH ESEP-01BL / Explorer L
For almost similar price point of 30$- 35$ , willsound buds are very famous. While comparing ShoonTH 01BL with Mk1 rev 2, 01Bl surprised me by its quantity of sub-bass and speed. Willsound mk1 may have a bit extra sub-bass but its slow where 01Bl is fast and rumble was there.
In mids ShoonTH 01BL nailed it; mids a bit laid-back in Willsound Mk1 rev 2. Both treble and soundstage is similar in both this two earbuds, still ShoonTH 01BL performed well with almost all music genres. Instrument separation is also better in ShoonTH 01BL. Fancy braided cable and carry case may attract buyer towards Willsound Mk1 but I strongly recommend ShoonTH 01BL if music is only concern.
Conclusion
For 27 $ ShoonTH ESEP-01BL / Explorer L can be your perfect entry into the Earbud Verse, and it won’t disappoint you. Punchy bass, rich mids and relatively well behaved treble in ShoonTH ESEP-01BL is enough to rock your playlist. If you like vocals then ShoonTH ESEP-01BL is a must have and definitely mids were never ever so good before in earbuds that I have before 01BL.
Graphic Designer by Profession, and Music is my hobby. Can’t recall when I had started digging the Audiophile rabbit hole, but this Website was created in 2019 to showcase my passion for music. I am not an Audiophile, I call myself a Music Enthusiasts and my goal is to pass that enthusiasm to my readers.