Nici HiFi - Abyss Jade

Disclaimer

The Abyss Jade has been sent by Nici HiFi, a big shout out to NIWERADCI team for arranging the shipment of this unit for my review. I really appreciate their support to bring you content about their products.

All of my opinions are my own; I do not receive any payment to promote any product in an unethical manner. And this case was no exception.

My video review: SLP Abyss Jade

You can buy them directly on their Website:

Abyss Jade - Price $165-200 USD

Pros

• Elastic, punchy bass response

• Airy high frequency without being harsh

• Beautiful emerald green color

• Premium included cable

Cons

• Eartips could be better

• Vocals sound a bit thin

Accessories

6 pairs of Eartips

1 premium cable 120cm 3.5mm

1 carryng case

Quick start guide

Warranty certificate

Technical specifications:

Model name: Abyss Jade

Drivers: 1 Dynamic driver + 2 Balanced armatures

Frequency response: 10 Hz – 40 kHz

Impedance: 16 Ω

Design

As for the earbuds themselves, they feature 1 dynamic driver and 2 balanced armature drivers.

The dynamic driver handles the bass and midrange, while the balanced armature drivers handle the upper midrange and treble.

They have a seamless design between the faceplate and the housing; the interior is made of resin, and the faceplate features an emerald green color with a flaky pattern on the inside. It looks better in person than it does on camera.

They’re quite lightweight, and the nozzle is somewhat different from all the other IEMs I own; it has a curve that makes them slightly taller than other models, but they’re still quite comfortable, even though they protrude a bit from the ear canal.

And finally, the connector is a 0.78mm 2-pin plug.

Sound - How I perceive it?

The IEMs I’ll be reviewing in this video are easily among the best I’ve ever heard, thanks to their clean, punchy bass, well-defined midrange, and excellent high-frequency extension.

Nothing is perfect, but for the brand’s first headphone model, they clearly demonstrate that they know what they’re doing.

These are easily some of the best IEMs I've had the chance to try in this price range.

They have a V-shaped sound signature—though I wouldn't say it's overly pronounced, because while the mids are slightly subdued compared to the bass and treble, they still have a good presence.

But if you especially enjoy hearing and feeling the sub-bass, I can definitely recommend these Abyss Jade.

Bass

The bass is slightly boosted; at times, it can accentuate or “enhance” songs with a strong bass presence. It has excellent elasticity, is moderately fast, and delivers a powerful punch—yet you can still clearly distinguish the sub-bass, such as from an 808, without it getting lost in the impact.

You can hear how that sub-bass fades out, not because of the driver’s slowness, but because of its elasticity. It doesn’t have that prolonged rumble, nor is it that precise; I’d say it’s somewhere in the middle.

The sub-bass from this driver has depth; you can feel the kick in the center, while the sub-bass feels like it’s positioned slightly in the background.

Mids

The midrange is well-defined, but to my taste, it lacked a bit of volume and presence in the lower midrange to make it sound fuller and richer, especially in the vocals.

With a 1dB boost around 200–250 Hz, the vocals sound fuller.

Treble

The treble has excellent extension into the higher frequencies and isn't sibilant at all.

You can tell the balanced armature drivers are high quality; they still have that slightly unnatural tone on acoustic guitar strings, hi-hats, and vocals, but since they aren't sibilant, they're quite enjoyable.

They balance the bass very well; they’re far from being bass-heavy if you like very muddy bass, but they achieve a great balance thanks to their high-frequency extension.

Soundstage

As for the soundstage, it isn't particularly wide either horizontally or vertically.

Although the treble is well-defined, I don't feel like the soundstage has that kind of width; it isn't overly confined either, but if you're looking for something with a very wide soundstage, these might fall short.

It’s in the depth—especially in the bass and sub-bass—where this IEM really shines

For both competitive and narrative games, they won’t provide the most precise sound, but they work well; it’s in music where they really shine. You won’t be disappointed with them for gaming either.

Power requirement and pairing

As for power requirement and pairing, the sound does change depending on the source you use.

They aren't the easiest to amplify; when connected directly to a phone, they sound fine, but you have to turn the volume up a bit more than usual. However, the bass doesn't perform as well as when connected to a DAC dongle, no matter how basic it is.

With a 4.4mm cable, the difference depends more on the cable material you use than on the extra amplification that output provides, and also on the design; if you want to pair it with a different cable color, that’s another valid reason to use a different one.

Here, you could really just use the included cable as-is, and given its good quality, you wouldn’t be missing out on much.

Based on the V-shaped signature of these headphones, you can get an idea of the results you can expect depending on your sources.

If you want to clean up the treble even more, you can use it with something like the Fiio KA13 or a device with a Sabre chip, for example.

With something like the Fosi K7, which has an AKM DAC, the bass and lower midrange are slightly accentuated and the treble is rounded out. It would still be missing that dB in the lower midrange, but I’m telling you what my perception was with this type of DAC so you can get an idea.

Conclusion

I highly recommend them, especially if you can find them for around $160–180. They’re among the best IEMs I’ve had the chance to test since I started this channel—they have excellent bass that’s not quite basshead-level, but they offer a clarity, range, and depth I hadn’t heard before. Of course, I still have a lot more to explore. That’s also why I started the channel—to be able to test more headphones and tell you what I think of them.

I also recommend checking out their cables; they have options at every price point, and if you want something more customized, you can contact them directly via the chat on their AliExpress store.