Doboly S16

| Dynamic Driver |

? The Doboly S16 are not as oddly designed as the Doboly Q18 (which we reviewed in the past), instead Doboly opted for a more classic bullet form factor and leveled up the construction materials by selecting metal to build the housings of the Doboly S16. The metal material adds durability to their housings but do not expect a heavy duty, thick and bomb-proof construction, yet they are well built and designed. The form factor has a bullet shape with 2 different pieces that are stacked together. The cables are rounded and very rubberized, which will help against tangling issues. The cable has a black and silver pattern that looks attractive (see it on the photos below and make your own judgement). A microphone/control is found inline which also has a volume slider and a compatibility switch; the compatibility switch should allow to change the compatibility mode for the button of the control while the volume slider is universally compatible with any personal device, smartphone, tablet or computer. The mic/control is also the cable bifurcation section and is constructed in plastic. You can buy the Doboly S16 only in the coffee-gold color combination, the main issue is that their stock and availability comes and go. So, our recommendation is that if at the time that you look for them you see them in stock, do not think it twice or your opportunity could be gone for a while.

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Doboly S16 - Review

Tests & Scores

Weight

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Accessories & Packaging

Doboly packed the S16 the same way that they did with the Doboly Q18, which is a very simple packaging; in fact, the earphones come packed inside a branded zip bag with no accessories at all.

^_2/10

Bass & Sub Bass

The Doboly S16 have a well balanced bass with a good mid-bass and sub-bass relation which is able to provide enough punch and depth for any music genere without being too bassy, boomy or invassive. At the same time, their bass does not risk to sound anemic or lacking energy at any time. With an EQ some extra enhancement is perceived but nothing radical with mainly more punch than depth increment. Under our extreme bass tests with a custom basshead EQ and using a Fiio E12 Mont Blanc set to high gain and with it’s bass boost turned on, the Doboly S16 handled 47% of the Fiio’s maximum power. The results were a massive augmentation of punch and depth but still no basshead impact or rumble was achieved. Do not expect the basshead level of the Doboly Q18, Vots QT100, Xiaomi Mi Pro HD and even less like the Plextone X41M, Sony MDR-XB50AP, Sony MDR-7550/EX800ST, Xiaomi Mi Quantie Pro Hybrid, KZ ZS2, KZ ZST, Senfer 4in1.

^8_/10

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Mids & Vocals

Mids are warm and smooth overall with some lower mids and lower vocals recession but not extremely; higher mids are never harsh and yet not rolled off. Applying an EQ, lower vocals get every trace of recession removed while they become a bit boxy and higher mids start to sound somewhat harsh.

^7.5_/10

Highs & Treble

The highs of the Doboly S16 have enough brightness, no detail and no sibilant nor piercing highs. Overall, the combination is not bad for non- audiophiles. Using an EQ there is a high increase in brightness and detail; piercing highs remain under control and some sibilance comes up.  

^7.5_/10

Sound Leak

Sound leak performance is excellent, the level of sound is highly reduced and will be only heard by nearby people if you set high volume levels and are using them in particularly silent places.

^8.25_/10

Sound Isolation

The Doboly offer a noticeably above average sound isolation allowing to set your music volume within safe levels for your hearing health and still isolate pretty effectively. If you require a total isolation, though, you will have to make use of higher levels of volume.

^7.75_/10

Comfort

The Doboly S16 are small enough, very light and shaped with a standard bullet form factor; these aspects combined add great comfort and fit to them with no risks of getting fatiguing or painful to your ears.

^8_/10

Response to Equalization

The response to EQ was noticeably good showing great improvement of most audio frequencies despite enhancing some issues. Bass was probably the least drastic changing audio frequency but still depth and punch was enhanced. Mids and mostly the lower vocals range benefited from a total removal of recession while some boxy sound was introduced. Highs gained a huge amount of brightness and a fair detail level with only a slight degree of sibilance added.

^8.75_/10

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Scores

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Photos

Doboly S16

7.7

SCORE

7.7/10