Today, we review the Hidizs MP145 Golden Titanium Edition, which is a limited-run 14.5mm planar driver IEM with Titanium Grade 5 housing. It is priced at $339.00.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to us in exchange for our honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. We thank Hidizs for their support.
To read more about Hidizs products we have previously assessed on Headfonics click here.
Please note, that this article follows our current scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
As its name suggests, the Hidizs MP145 Golden Titanium universal IEM is a premium version of Hidizs’s high-profile MP145 IEM launched in 2023.
Sporting the same ultra-large 14.5mm planer magnetic driver and whale-pleat derived design aesthetic at a significantly higher price point, its value proposition lies beyond the paper specs.
Built to commemorate Hidizs’ 10th anniversary, this rendition of the MP145 ditches the aluminum shell of the regular MP145 for a titanium shell with a gold-plated titanium finish. With just 199 pairs of these exclusive IEMs out in the wild, let’s see if all that glitters truly is gold.
Tech Highlights
The Hidizs MP145 Golden Titanium is a pair of planar magnetic In-Ear earphones making use of a unique and exclusive gold-plated titanium build.
Despite being a more premium iteration of the standard MP145, its tech specs remain mostly the same.
The main technical standout is the use of 14.5mm planar magnetic drivers. These drivers use a double magnet array with seven N52H magnets on each side, resulting in an impressive magnetic flux level of almost 1 full Tesla at the magnetic gap.
The MP145 Golden Titanium is tuned to the Harman 2019 target curve. There are pages upon pages discussing the validity of the Harman curve, but no one can deny that a Chi-Fi IEM at this price point attempting to follow a scientifically backed tuning curve is unique.
To appeal to as many ears as possible, the MP145 Golden Titanium comes with 3 pairs of tuning filters and an additional 3 pairs of different-sounding ear tips, enabling 9 different tuning variations.
Design
Without feeling the Golden Titanium version in hand or seeing its finish in person, one could easily mistake this for just another regular MP145, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
The build quality of the MP145 Golden Titanium is simply excellent. It’s constructed out of a separate body and faceplate, but the extremely tight tolerances of the titanium pieces almost tricked me into thinking that the entire IEM shell was carved from one piece.
Unlike many Chi-Fi IEMs, the faceplate is free from any overt branding, instead, letting its whale-pleat-inspired design be the sole visual standout.
The wave-like pattern of the MP145 Golden Titanium is met with “breathing holes” on the top and bottom of the main pattern. This not only serves as venting holes for the IEM but is also a nod to the breathing holes in whales.
This unique geometric pattern in conjunction with the polished gold titanium finish is simply stunning. The look and heft of the MP145 Golden Titanium are unlike any piece of consumer audio I’ve ever tried and are reminiscent of gold antique wristwatches one would find inside their grandfather’s drawer.
The shells have a printed “L” and “R” indicator, with “Hidizs X WDC” printed on top as well. The printing is faint enough wherein certain lighting conditions, the words aren’t visible because of the shell’s natural reflection.
The golden titanium finish chosen for the limited edition remained durable throughout my daily testing, however, it is undoubtedly a fingerprint magnet.
Aesthetics are inherently subjective, but nobody can deny the uniqueness of a gold-finished titanium IEM body.
Comfort & Isolation
Despite the ergonomic contours of the IEM shell, I still found the MP145 slightly uncomfortable due to the increased weight of the titanium shell.
The Golden Titanium version of the MP145 is almost double the weight of its regular counterpart. This weight difference is immediately felt in my hand, but having the IEMs in my ear exaggerates the weight difference even further.
The weight of the housing is not as much of a problem with desk listening, but I occasionally did feel like my head was being “pulled down” slightly during on-the-go listening.
Testing the MP145 Golden Titanium was the first time I took note of how IEM weight affects comfort since the weight of all the other IEMs I’ve tried never really bothered me.
The ergonomic shape of the MP145 does aid in improving its comfort, but I found that either the positioning or the angle of its 2-pin connector did cause some discomfort, with the crest of the ear guide touching the top of my ear directly instead of lying behind my ear.
For a vented IEM, the MP145 Golden Titanium did a good job isolating background hums from AC units and hushing down office chatter, but it wasn’t able to tune out conversational noise altogether.
Stock Cable
Unlink the standard MP145, the Golden Titanium version comes with both a 3.5mm and 4.4mm cable out of the box. The wiring and 2-pin connectors of both cables are identical, with the only differences being the aforementioned 3.5mm SE jack and 4.4mm Balanced jack.
Both cables are approximately 1.2m in length and are constructed out of four-core woven silver-plated crystal copper wire.
The metal cylinders used to encase the 2-pin connectors, the respective 3.5mm and 4.4mm jacks, and the chin straps are polished and compliment the overall aesthetic of not just the cable, but the IEMs themselves.
Throughout my mixed desktop and on-the-go testing, I did not observe any microphonics from either of the 2 cables.
Packaging & Accessories
The MP145 Golden Titanium comes in a black cardboard box with a golden Hidizs logo and the model name on the front. This cardboard sleeve can be lifted to show the plastic box presenting the IEMs and all other inclusions.
The massive golden IEM shells are the immediate eye-catcher, shining and reflecting light in almost any lighting condition.
You also get both a 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced cable, with two leatherette storage pouches. Additionally, the IEMs also come with 9 pairs of ear tips: 3 pairs of “balanced” tips, 3 pairs of “bass” tips, and 3 pairs of “vocal” tips (S/M/L sizes).
As previously mentioned, the IEMs also come with 3 pairs of tuning nozzles, each with easily distinguishable colors.
Lastly, the IEM also comes with a hand-signed and numbered card from the Hidizs CEO, as well as a commemorative 10th-anniversary plaque, highlighting the significance of this release for Hidizs as a company.
Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions were created using the FiiO K11, the 7Hz SEVENHERTZ 71, and the ddHiFi TC44Pro as both source and amplifier.
Bass
The MP145 Golden Titanium version sounds similar to the standard MP145, with a slightly darker and more spacious tonality.
With the default rose gold nozzle and the stock “balanced” ear tips the MP145 Golden Titanium has a U-shaped tonality, with a slight emphasis on the warmer side of the frequency response.
Bass notes, especially those on the sub-bass range are played back with very good authority and texture. The reverb in bass guitars and the large walls of sound in synths have an enveloping quality to them, making their presence felt throughout the entire mix.
I never found the bass quantity lacking. Bass drums hit with good slam and impact. This, alongside good texture performance, made different percussive instruments and drums easily identifiable from one another.
The lingering effect of the sub-bass did unfortunately slightly muddy up the mids. It is by no means a deal-breaker, but I did notice that string instruments toward the lower mids did not have the cleanest presentation due to the bass bleed.
Mids
The lower mids region suffers from some bass bleed, preventing it from having a transparent and clean tonality. Particularly in tracks where male vocalists let out a long drone, bass guitars tend to muddy up the vocals.
Even in more standard male and female vocals, the MP145 Golden Titanium left a lot to be desired. Vocals are presented with a comparatively recessed tonality which causes overall energy to suffer.
The way the MP145 Golden Titanium played back vocal nuances and depth left me wanting more. The vocal presentation would have benefited from some more air or the technical ability to play back vocals with better detail.
Some string instruments towards the lower mid-range were played back with good texture, however acoustic guitars and certain piano keys towards the mids came off as thin.
Treble
Being somewhat U-shaped IEM, the treble of the MP145 Golden Titanium has decent extension and detail without any peakiness or fatigue.
In 90’s rock and grunge, I was quite impressed at how the MP145 was able to play back the decay of crash drums, doing so without being sibilant but also maintaining a satisfying amount of sparkle throughout the decay.
Despite this, I found the treble energy of the MP145 Golden Titanium was a little bit less than that of the original MP145.
This is not inherently a good or bad thing and would entirely depend on the taste of the listener. However, it is important to highlight how the Golden Titanium version isn’t simply just a bedazzled version of the original MP145.
Imaging
The imaging of the MP145 Golden Titanium is decent, it can place individual instruments within a mix around the listener, but it doesn’t have the holographic sense of imaging that contributed to the pinpoint accuracy of other more technically proficient IEMs.
It does, however, have good sound staging performance. It is decently wide and was able to place faint chime sounds behind me, without drowning them in the mix.
The staging performance was one of the more identifiable improvements between the Golden Titanium MP145 and the standard edition.
Click on page 2 below for our recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
