It is sad to say but it does feel like summer is coming to an end. Luckily this is a beach bar. We don’t have to worry about such things. Here its summer all year round. And we will continue to bring the cocktails. We aren’t bound by calendars or restricted by celestial motions. We do our own thing our own way. So lets get to what was new this month. Lets get to the bartender’s July26 Summary.

July26 Summary – The New IEMs

This month just as last month I have reviewed three new cocktails. I am a little surprised I reviewed three cocktails as I also missed a week and instead wrote a piece of the overall score graph and what it means. If you are not familiar with the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar Rating Graphs you should definitely check out that post. This months cocktails were as follows:

• The BGVP Scale: 70.61% (The Happy Hour Specialist)
• The ND NX2: 53.32% (The Finest Pond Water)
• The QoA Bijou: 83.26% (Take Your Clothes Off Tequila)

I guess this month there have been 5 weekends well sort of. My original plan was always to post on Fridays with the last Friday of the month being a summary but recently I have been posting on Saturdays. I have actually been pretty consistent about posting on Saturdays. Very proud of my dedication. Anyway the out come for this month is that the July summary will be available from the 1st of August. I think I can live with that. Right, now the time travel is sorted and the diaries are all in order lets get back to the IEMs.

This months IEMs included the cheapest IEM I have ever reviewed and probably one of the cheapest of all time. I actually paid a little under £2 for this IEM which is crazy. Stepping across my doorway and leaving the house costs more than that. For the grand total of £2 you get a 10mm single dynamic driver and some noise. Its not necessarily great noise I would recommending spending a fraction more and getting the KZ Gale as its sound is much better but you could probably do worse than the ND NX2 and what ever you do it will cost you more.

The BGVP Scale is another budget IEM for which I paid £11. £11 for a dual dynamic driver is firmly in the KZ bit of the IEM world. But this is not KZ this BGVP (never play scrabble with IEM companies). This IEM is however a little different to the ND NX2 in that being cheap isn’t its primary goal. This IEM looks and feels more expensive and the sound is a pleasant warm bassy tuning. The price here is mainly driven by the fact it has been around a while and has a more successful brother in the form of the BGVP Scale Pro. At this price its really between the BGVP Scale and the TRN Dolphin and this is a really nice choice to have as these IEMs are opposites in every way. The BGVP Scale looks good. The TRN Dolphin is ugly. The Scale is a warm bass focused sound. The Dolphin is bright and resolves more detail. If you know you want a warm relaxed sound get the Scale. If you know you want a brighter sound get the Dolphin. If you can’t decide then get both. After all opposites attract.

The third IEM of this month was the QoA Bijou. This IEM was off to a good start before the review even begun. For a start is a tribrid using a dynamic driver, a balanced armature and a bone conduction driver, so its exotic. And secondly, (and most importantly) its named after a cocktail. As a cocktail beach bar and as a bartender it was always going to be hard not to like this one. But this the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar and its IEMs first and cocktails second so hopeful my appreciation for the name didn’t bias my rating too much. The Bijou has a tuning that emphasis the base and treble to give a fun and energetic sound but its the technicals that really set this one apart for me. The soundstage is massive and the imaging is impressive. Though not as bass heavy its presentation made me think of the KZ Decet. If you are thinking about getting the QoA Bijou then make sure you are okay with blue. This IEM is very blue. Its the sort of bright bold color that will dictate the rest of your wardrobe and has the potential to be trend setting or a fashion disaster.

As ever check out the Comparison Page to see how these IEMs and more compare. The Comparison Page is updated at the end of each month to include the IEMs reviewed in that month. Updates to the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar also now allow for comparison of performance by budgets, by driver types and by brands.

Easy Recommendation

For my easy recommendation I have gone with the QoA Bijou. The BGVP Scale will have its fans and its warm tuning without an aggressive forceful treble make it relatively unique in the ultra  budget IEM space but for me its the QoA Bijou that’s really worth a listen. Its tuning won’t win over everyone but its an immersive experience that many will appreciate.

My Favorite

The QoA Bijou is also may favorite and a lot of this has nothing to do with the sound. I think the bright bold blue color is so fun as is being named after a gemstone and a cocktail. They got a lot of things right with this IEM for me so I guess its no surprise that its my favorite of this month.

July26 Summary – The One To Beat

The idea behind this section is that at the end of each month my favorite is compared against the one to beat from the previous month with the winner staying on for another month. This comparison does not consider the price or the specifics of the sound. It is simply a new favorite vs my reigning favorite. And only one can survive to the following month.

The BGVP Feather recently claimed th crown as the one to beat. And for this month at least it will remain on top. It should be pretty obvious by now that I really do like the QoA Bijou but the Feather is still ahead for me. The Bass presentation of these IEMs is similar with both having a nice bounce and texture to them but the Feather has more bass which I like. The Feather also has a sharper more defined treble and sounds a lot more detailed. The Bijou is good but the Feather is still king.

July26 Summary – Upcoming IEMs

Its been a good couple of months to buy IEMs and my collection of ‘to be reviewed IEMs’ has grown. I have an interesting section of IEMs spanning approximately £5 to £100 so sticking in that budget space and dipping back into the ultra budget options. Amongst these IEMs I have several brands that will be new for the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar and some interesting driver arrangements. So I will get cracking with those reviews.

As ever if there is something more specific you would like or if you would like us to prioritize anything then just hop over to Instagram and let us know.

I should also probably mention that I have included loads more graphs dotted around the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar (have fun finding them). So I think I may also post some help on what they mean. Generally, I am aiming to transition to a more visual approach but I don’t want to say much now and I don’t want to promise anything. So I guess you , like me, will just have to wait and see.

And that about does it for the July26 Summary. As ever if you have enjoyed your stay at the HiFi Mai Tai Beach Bar then please subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Instagram.

Enjoy your cocktails!