Finding the Holy Grail of audio is much like the eternal quest for the religious item, as it is never-ending and it has made use of a wide variety of methods. One such method is using different materials to manufacture the diaphragm, with companies experimenting with things like cellulose, kevlar and carbon nanotubes, as well as beryllium and magnesium. The Hidizs MK12 Turris are the first earphones to employ diaphragms made of 91% magnesium, which makes them exceptionally stiff – a very sought-after characteristic.
Disclaimer: I received an advance unit from Hidizs for the purpose of this review. The MK12 Turris retails for $199, but it is available on Kickstarter for $129 for 300 “super early birds” on launch (10th of June 2025, when this review went live).
TL;DR: recap
| Pros |
Cons |
| + Very comfortable
+ Almost-neutral tuning + Great technicalities + High level of detail + Easy to drive |
– Slightly bumpy treble
– Almost no passive isolation |
Rating: 8.8/10
Packaging & Accessories
The Hidizs MK12 Turris come with a large variety of accessories which includes a small faux leather pouch, the cable (with a velcro strap to keep it tidy), a small plastic box with two nozzles as well as three sets of silicone eartips in three sizes.
Design & Comfort
The name of the Hidizs MK12 Turris comes from a genus of jellyfish called Turritopsis, of which the so-called “immortal jellyfish” (Turritopsis dohrnii) is a part. It is therefore not surprising that Hidizs went the route of organic-looking design for the MK12 Turris, whose faceplates could be seen as similar to the structure of a jellyfish (though they actually remind me more of trilobites).
The shell is entirely made of aluminium, which is smooth and coloured black, though there are also a silver and a sea blue version.
One feature of the MK12 Turris is that it comes with removable nozzles. You can just unscrew the factory-fitted one and screw in one of the other two. The filters come in gold (which is the stock one), silver and red.
In terms of comfort, the earphones fare really well as they remain comfortable for hours, thanks to the ergonomic shape and to the low weight. In fact, I barely feel them in my ears at all, although this is a very personal and subjective matter, so your mileage may vary. One thing I like is that you can wear them both deeply and shallowly into the ear canal, so they are comfortable with both wearing styles.
Although they are made of pure aluminium, the MK12 Turris offer little isolation; in fact, they offer almost none. I have tried using them in various conditions, from my quiet office to a high-speed train, but they can’t even reduce the modest noise made by my mechanical keyboard, much less the rumble of the train. I found it impossible to use the earphones in a high-noise environment without raising the volume to unsafe levels. These are earphones that are meant to be used in a quiet environment.
The cable is quite thin, owing to the fact that it uses two cores. They are twisted between the 4.4 mm jack and the Y-split, and then there’s a single core between that and the earphones. The cable is very lightweight and malleable; I never get the feeling that it is weighing on my ears.
Sound & Specs
I tested the Hidizs MK12 Turris with a few different devices, including an SMSL DO400, an SMSL C200 Pro and an IKKO ITX-01.
Hidizs MK12 Turris |
| Frequency response | 10 – 45,000 Hz |
| Impedance | 32 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 111 dB |
The impedance is relatively low at 32 Ω, while the sensitivity is 111 dB; combined, they make the earphones very easy to drive, so that you won’t need an amplifier – in fact, using the C200 Pro and the DO400 I had to lower the volume to the minimum allowed and then further reduce it via software because it was otherwise too high.
The defining feature of the MK12 Turris is the fact that it uses a single dynamic driver with a diaphragm made of 91% magnesium. At least in theory, this confers it exceptional rigidity, which in turn helps reduce the distortion and to produce faster, more physical transients. The theory does translate into practice, as we’ll see shortly.
The three filters change the sound of the earphones; the gold one is the stock one, whereas the red one tones down the upper mids and lower treble while raising bass as well; the silver one further emphasises treble. I find the gold and silver ones to emphasise upper mids and treble too much, while the red one strikes a much better balance. The following analysis was done using the red filters.
The soundstage presented by the MK12 Turris is both wide and deep, with good extension in both dimensions that make it sound like you’re in a large space – not quite a hall, but a very large room. Imaging is very convincing, with instruments placed in specific spots across the whole stage. Instrument separation is excellent, even at low volume; you can always discern the various parts and follow them individually, even in complex and layered tracks.
One of my favourite test tracks for bass is Carbon Based Lifeforms’ Central Plains, as it has deep and highly textured bass – and it is rendered masterfully by the MK12 Turris. Not only is there significant depth which extends into sub-bass territory, but there is also good overall balance paired with amazing technicalities. Mid-bass is a tad more abundant than in a perfectly neutral ideal, but this only adds a small amount of warmth without disrupting the overall balance or becoming invasive. What I really like is that bass is physical, with impacts (e.g. from drums) and other transients that convey a clear physical sensation, and that it is very fast, so that those transients are quick and immediate; in turn, this makes bass very detailed, with minute details emerging clearly from the mix.
Midrange is overall quite balanced, with some slight emphasis on both the lower and the upper end. It is actually the upper area which receives the most emphasis, although – once again – this is gentle and gives a bit more energy to high-pitched instruments (such as electric guitars, violins and trumpets) as well as female vocals without becoming disruptive. The overall balance that Hidizs has achieved is quite close to neutrality and doesn’t tilt the sound in one direction or the other, which means that the MK12 Turris sound great with all genres. Again we find the same high level of detail and physicality that we found in the bass section, which help make music more lively.
Treble is close to what I’d consider perfect: it’s clearly audible in the mix and it holds the right “weight” in it, as it is never aggressive nor overbearing; in fact, it is very “tame” and people who like some zest to their sound will find it a bit lacking. There are, however, multiple spikes in the middle and upper region which are clearly audible and add quite a bit of “zing” to many tracks. If you are especially sensitive to treble like I am, these spikes will be noticeable and will sometimes be a bit aggressive; from a more objective standpoint, however, they are not that significant and they will just add a bit of colour to your music. One thing I really appreciate about treble is that it is very detailed and these details – sometimes minute – are always clearly audible, which adds a layer of depth and complexity to the sound. As an example, take Snarky Puppy’s White Cap: the cymbals are always clearly audible and offer a lot of detail.
Final Thoughts
Technical innovation is always positive as it makes previously impossible things possible, or at the very least makes things which already existed a little bit better. That is the case with the Hidizs MK12 Turris, too, as their magnesium diaphragm really does make a difference. The difference is not of the “night and day” kind, but it is clearly noticeable.
I’m very surprised by the MK12 Turris. They’re very competent earphones. Not to sound exaggerated and overly “hypey”, but they have no right to sound as good as they do at the price they retail for. They’re tuned to a neutral target which works well for anything you throw at it, and they pair this up with significant technical ability which makes listening to them a real pleasure. This is especially true if you want a more relaxed treble area while keeping bass and midrange impactful and enjoyable.
Overall, my judgement is very positive. The Hidizs MK12 Turris are very enjoyable whatever you listen to, they’re comfortable, they’re very well-built and they offer tuning filters as well. There’s nothing not to like here.
