Tralucent Audio 1Plus2

General Information

1 dynamic and 2 BA drivers in each side

Latest reviews

Kiats

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Quality bass; wide soundstage; good timbre in mids; controlled trebles; excellent details
Cons: More than 200 hours burn in; ruthlessly transparent; bass and soundstage not as deep as Ref1
As stated elsewhere, for the longest time I have been more familiar with Tralucent Audio as the makers of the Uber cable as well as its silver/gold cable. both of which I have terminated for Fitear customs. I have owned the 1plus2 for for more than a month now. My 1Plus2 comes with the silver/gold cable. As with its younger sibling, the 1Plus2 needs at least 200 hours to hit the sweet spot. One thing which all owners of the 1Plus2 never fail to talk about is the sheer soundstage of this IEM. This soundstage is apparent even from the outset. The other thing which owners constantly rave about is the tight bass of the 1Plus2.
 
Technical Details
 
The 1Plus2, as you may have guessed from its name, uses one dynamic driver with a pair of balanced armature drivers. It is a hybrid IEM.
 
First Impressions & a Second Meeting
 
I will be the first to admit that the first time that I met the 1Plus2, it was after a 15 hour flight from NYC and my ears were still recovering from the flight. Spkrs01 had very kindly met me on Boxing Day to hand me the Tralucent silver/gold cable for Fitears. Of course, he tempted me by whipping out  a Uber as well. But that is a story for another day...
 
Spkrs01 also produced a brand new 1Plus2 and asked if I would like to try. I put it on and listened to a couple of passages on my DAP. At that point in time, the 1Plus2 did not make me sit up and take notice. Blame it on the jet lag, ears not fully popped or having the Fitear 435 and AKG K3003. 
 
The second time I had a chance to listen to the 1Plus2 was again when I met Spkrs01. This time he had a fully burnt in one which had clocked well in excess of 200 hours. This time around, the 1Plus2 blew me away as I listened to DSD music on the balanced output on the AK240: That soundstage! The grip of the mids and the purity of the sig! I wanted it; and it was mine. That was how I came to own the 1Plus2.
 
Build Quality & Comfort
 
As I had indicated previously, by this time, I had stopped buying universals because I found that Fitear customs fit me so well and were so comfortable. As with the Ref 1, I was surprised how comfortable the 1Plus2 were. Unlike the Ref 1 (which I prefer with Spin Fits), I am very happy using the 1Plus2 with Ortofons. The interesting thing is that although there have been some complaints that the 1Plus2 is less comfortable than the Ref 1, I found that the 1Plus2 fit my ears much better. With the Ref 1, I actually have to do some adjustment. While with the 1Plus2, I plonk the tips in and that is it: perfect seal.
 
I will say that I am also happy with the build quality of the 1Plus2. No issues here.
 
The Tralucent silver/gold cable is perhaps unfortunate to find itself in the same family as the Uber cable. In any other company, the silver/gold would be the flagship cable. That it is not is down to not so much its lack of quality but rather because it stands next to the superlative Uber.  While there have been some concerns expressed about the ergonomics etc of this cable, I feel that the payback in terms of excellent sound quality far outweighs any inconvenience of a stiff cable. Of course, I will be frank and say that I can't say that it is any worse than the stock 001 Fitear cable. 
 
Music Genres & Sound Quality
 
I am blessed to have an abundance of riches insofar as my music collection is concerned: it covers a wide range of genres from the Tallis Scholars (medieval church music) to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, Stacey Kent, to Mandopop to Popera to K-pop.
 
The 1Plus2, with proper burn in, handles all the genres in my music repertoire very nicely. Of course, what is outstanding about the 1Plus2 is its unrivalled soundstage. It even has a 3D soundstage which is eclipsed only by the Ref 1. The 1Plus2 also has a very tight bass with deep impact. Again, this bass is eclipsed by the visceral sub bass of the Ref 1. Unlike some other IEMs with significant soundstage, the 1Plus2 does not suffer from being overly bright or harsh trebles. Once, burnt in, the 1Plus2 displays none of these issues which plague other IEMs: the 1Plus has smooth and clear treble. 
 
While I have seen the sig of the 1Plus2 being characterised as V shaped, I cannot help but wonder if too many of us have grown up listening to rather mid forward cans and therefore anything which is not mid forward is then characterised as having recessed mids. From my perspective, I find the 1Plus2 very balanced: everything is kept in the appropriate proportion to the other parts.
 
What I do like about the 1Plus2 is that the mids have great clarity and timbre. There is a great rawness in emotions I always feel when I listen to strings on it. The 1Plus2 is no slouch in terms of voices either. In fact, I do love the purity it renders on vocals. 
 
The 1Plus2 has one characteristic which may be good or bad depending on the quality of your chain: it is very neutral, detailed and transparent. If there are any shortcomings in the music files or sources, you can be sure that you will hear them. 
 
Pairing
 
The 1Plus2 is quite versatile with DAPs. In fact, it is fantastic with the notoriously finicky Tera Player. Other than the usual suspects like the HM 901, HM 802, Calyx M, and AK240, the 1Plus2 is also very good with the HM 801 and HM 603 which have what is commonly characterised as warmer sigs. Of course, my view is that they are more mid-centric than anything else. This of course plays right up to the strength of the 1Plus2 with its pure and emotive mids.
 
The lesson I learnt in my journey to the Tralucent 1Plus2 is that we should look beyond first impressions. I did and I have reaped the rich rewards of having the 1Plus2.
H20Fidelity
H20Fidelity
Still remains the best Universal hybrid I have heard! 1Plus2 sets the bench very high for any comptitiors. 
Kiats
Kiats
Haha! When I am just listening to it as I am right now off the HM603 and a well recorded and mastered album, the 1plus2 is without peer. the timbre and the soundstage...

a_recording

Member of the Trade: Lachlanlikesathing
Pros: Visceral bass, great sense of scale, smooth articulate sound, drivers well integrated
Cons: Disappointing build quality, lacks a little high frequency extension, vocals a little unengaging, extremely expensive
*Please ignore the audio quality / comfort / design / isolation / value sliders for this review. As far as I can tell, they seem broken*
 
This is a universal in-ear monitor with a two balanced armature drivers and a dynamic driver. This earphone costs $1250 IEM with a cable that costs about $800, or as a package together, about $1400. I'm part of an Australian listening tour for this earphone and I spent 2 weeks with it.

Let me say this first: I found this IEM really hard to review for a number of reasons, and all of them are related to the price of this earphone. 

The most expensive earphone that I own is a second hand pair of Sony MDR-EX1000, which at the time of release were something like $600 or $700. At that time, people were saying that this was a ludicrous price to pay for an earphone that was not a custom monitor.

In recent times it now seems that $1000 is the new starting price point for flagship universal in-ears. 

Whenever there is a high priced product released, there is a rehash of the same tired argument two sides. One side thinks this kind of high pricing is a cynical cash grab. There's another side which is willing to pay good money for what is hopefully an amazing aesthetic experience, and other people who would aspire to spend that kind of money.

Here's my perspective: I'm a student. I'm a believer in the free market. I believe that things are only worth what people are willing to pay for them, and as far as I know, no one is being forced to buy thousand dollar IEMs against their will.

Even putting a dollar price on sound quality is a bit odd because it is as much a subjective experience as a technical one. Buying high end audio is something like  evaluating a painting or a sports car. There are technical aspects to the performance of the product. But it's also a lot about how it makes you feel. It is never a completely rational purchase.

I'm actually very hesitant to even talk about pricing or 'value for money' in my reviews, because everyone's preferences and circumstances are different. I don't want to encourage the perception that more expensive things always sound better in audio, because it simply just is not true. At the same time I think it's condescending to say that people who spend X money on so and so product are suckers. It's the kind of knee jerk reaction that seems to start a lot of pointless and boring arguments.

At the same time when a product costs this much, I can't help but get extremely hyper - critical, because at this price point things that might be acceptable in a cheaper product start to seem unacceptable at higher prices.

The best I can do in a review is to compare what I think are similar products in terms of build quality, ergonomics and sound quality,  give a personal opinion, and hopefully people can use the information in my reviews and the reviews of others to come to their own decision.

In the case of 1Plus2, I can tell you that while I think it does sound really good, I would not be willing to pay $1250 for it. Here's why.

BUILD

Earpieces

I made a Youtube video that gives you a look at the 1Plus2 as well as some of my observations about the build quality which are also reiterated below in text. If you like my videos, please check out my channel.
 
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I place a lot of emphasis on build quality and design in my reviews, because I think build quality is a relatively objective thing that people can see and know what they are paying for.

Frankly, for the price of the 1Plus2, the build quality and design is embarrassing. It has a lot of 'boutique audiophile charm', which is another way of saying it seems amateurish.

Starting with the shells, they are quite large, bulky and made of acrylic. This is the material that they make custom moulded earphones with. Acrylic is fine for custom earphones because they are made on a case by case basis, moulded to an individual ear. It would be too expensive to make an injection mould for every individual customer, and the custom shape might be impossible to CNC mill or use some other manufacturing process.

But the 1Plus2 is a universal fit earphone. If you actually look at the internals of the 1Plus2 you can see most of it is empty plastic. I cannot think of any reason why it needs to be made this bulky or made out of this material, except that Tralucent wanted to make it 'look' like a custom moulded earphone and therefore charge the price of a custom for it.
 
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Edit: The intrepid Tomscy2000 (always a knowledgeable one) suggests this reason for the 1Plus2's bulk:
 
There is a reason for all that "empty space" behind the dynamic driver. I've actually heard a prototype miniaturized version of the old 1Plus2 aka Rhapsodio RDB V1 (or whatever it's called) that placed the BA receiver and the dynamic driver in a package the size of an RHA MA450 (no joke, the case is exactly the same, I think it's from the same mold) --- the sound was good, but the bass wasn't nearly as tight. The "empty space" is actually filled with speaker cabinet damping material (looks like clay-like goop and cotton/fiberglass), which is supposed to help adjust the bass response of the 1Plus2 to make it sound the way it does in the bass region.

 
If this is indeed the case I do retract what I say about the 1Plus2's bulk and apologise. I would still like to see it made out of metal though.
 
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Even then, I want to bring up another product I currently have a demo unit for: the Null Audio Elpis. This is a 3D printed hybrid custom earphone from a company in Singapore which retails for about $250 USD - one fifth the price of the 1Plus2. (I plan to have a review up of the Elpis soon).

I bring the Elpis up not because it sounds as good as the 1Plus2. It doesn't, but it sounds better than the price difference might have you believe. I mention the Elpis because it demonstrates that it is not particularly costly or complex to make a hybrid design with a dynamic driver and balanced armature drivers and print it out of acrylic. It also does not need to be this bulky. The 1Plus2 is only marginally better built than the Elpis and it is not a custom earphone. I don't see where the extra money went. 

 
Cable

Let's talk about the cable. The cable that I got on this listening tour is the silver/gold MK2 cable which bumps the price of the 1Plus2 up to $1400 or costs about $700 separately. Don't ask me how the maths works there.

I'm not personally a believer in cables making a huge difference in sound quality, but let's leave that to the sound science forum. That aside I have huge issues with the cable because for an $700 product it is very disappointing.

The cable is extremely stiff because it is clearly just heat shrink around a braided wire. The plastic on the connectors is ugly - you can see the mould seams. The connection itself is an older two pin connecter type. People on the listening tour have observed that the right earpiece on this unit will detach easily, and I have found this to be the case as well. 

I thankfully have not dropped it, but I would never take this earphone outside where an earpiece could detach and drop onto a hard surface. I would not take this earphone outside anyway, because even though it is comfortable and has okay isolation it is expensive and the bulky high profile design is clearly prone to wind noise.

On the other end of jack has no strain relief and is just a off the shelf part soldered onto wire. The lack of any kind of strain relief is extremely troubling. 

Conclusion (Build)

Simply put: I do not think the 1Plus2 feel like a $1250 product. What products feel like a thousand dollars? 

Let's take the Sony EX1000. It is a beautifully crafted piece of mag alloy. The cables are beautiful and supple and the connection terminal and strain relief is completely solid. Let's take the Bang & Olufsen H3. It is a beautifully crafted piece of aluminium with tiny vents milled at a precision I have never seen in an earphone. It is $250. How about the JVC FXD80-Z? It is milled out of stainless steel and feels like a tank. It costs $70. I can name any number of earphones that have amazing build quality,like the mag alloy Westone ADV's, or my friend's pair of titanium shelled Audio Technica CK100Pro's, or the AKG K3003.

I have held all those products in my hand and they scream craftsmanship.  Even if most of them cost a lot of money, they FEEL like a lot of money.

The 1Plus2 does not feel like that. Personally, I don't care how good a product sounds - at a certain point there is no excuse for a product this expensive not to have an amazing build. Or conversely, I would not feel right about pricing a product with this kind of build at this kind of price. It comes with the territory.

SOUND

Intro

Thankfully, I am much more enthused about the sound of the 1Plus2 than the build.

I did most of my listening on an Objective 2 / ODAC with a mixture of lossless ALAC and high bitrate MP3 / AAC files. I also did some listening on my iPhone 5 and found that that the 1Plus2 is quite easy to drive.

The 1Plus2 sounds quite amazing. I don't know if they sound $1200 amazing (if that even makes sense), but it's clear Tralucent has done a pretty good job of integrating BA + dynamic drivers. Overall, the 1Plus2 sounds clean and smooth, with articulate detail and speed.

Before I heard the 1Plus2 I was a little skeptical about Tralucent's approach of putting the dynamic driver right behind the BA units, because this would mean that the bass and high frequencies will never reach the ears at the same time without some kind of crossover or DSP magic. It doesn't seem like this arrangement has a negative effect on the sound. The 1Plus2 does have a pretty amazing sense of scale that may be an artefact of the tiny travelling time increase introduced to the bass frequencies.

Bass

Speaking of the bass, it is immediately the most standout aspect of the 1Plus2. It is exceptionally tight and fast and extends extremely low with great authority. The 1Plus2 actually seems somewhat emphasised in terms of sub-bass - lowest registers hit very hard which gives everything a very big sense of scale. 

Using the bass test at Audiocheck http://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_subwooferharmonicdistortion.php
I was able to hear that the driver is doing something audible at 14hz (may just be distortion) but is certainly present and accounted for at 20hz. 

At times the bass can feel a little too heavy handed, giving it a bit of a blunt quality on some tracks. The bass of the 1Plus2 suggests the thinking behind the hybrid approach: if you look at the the worst aspects of dynamic driver IEMs in small enclosures, like the SE215 and Westone ADV, they have amazing bass punch but can sound muddy and congested in the highs. Put in a known quantity like the TWFK and tweak a crossover and, hey presto, you have the bass everyone secretly (or not so secretly) loves with the treble that everyone demands.

Of course, the single high bandwidth single driver IEMs like the GR07, RE-400 and Yamaha EPH-100 demonstrate that the hybrid approach still doesn't seem all that necessary to get a powerful visceral bass response with clean treble. This is without all the phase and impedance interaction issues that crossovers introduce.

Mids / Vocals

Mids and vocals on the 1Plus2 do not make a particularly strong impression on me. Actually, the mids are perhaps somewhat recessed in the signature. They are smooth and articulate, but they don't have any particular texture or magic to them that you might hear on something like an Audio Technica CK100 Pro or Sony EX1000.

So vocals are not the star of the show. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The 1Plus2 just sounds measured and competent.

Treble

The treble again is smooth and has a kind of brittle sheen / shimmer to it that seems characteristic of TWFK treble. The treble is very fast, and lacks decay to the point of maybe feeling a little tacky at times. Again, all very inoffensive and hard to fault, but not the star of the show. I got the sense that the 1Plus2 lacks absolute treble extension of some of the better dynamic drivers like the RE-400 and GR07. 

I was able to confirm this with another test at Audiocheck.net http://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_frequencycheckhigh.php

I am 25 and I can hear the RE-400 and GR07 kick in clearly at the 18-17khz region, whereas the 1Plus2 only becomes clearly audible between 17-16khz. If you think only mosquitos listen to these tones, please keep in mind that the main argument for lossless tracks is that it preserves audio information resolution at these super high frequencies that would be discarded or aliased with lossy algorithms. 

If you want to try this test yourself, the site recommends that you download the file and play it to avoid aliasing artefacts from being played through the browser.

Soundstage

In terms of soundstaging, there is a lot said of the very wide soundstage of the 1Plus2, as if they were a pair of full sized headphones. While the 1Plus2 has very pin point accurate soundstage, in terms of sheer width I never got the illusion that I was literally wearing a pair of HD800's or something. 

I do feel that the massive sub-bass response grounds the sound and gives everything a sense of visceral scale and authority. Combined with the articulation of the TWFK units, everything does have a great sense of placement and presence.

In terms of the perceived space I would only go so far as to say that the 1Plus2 has a soundstage wider than most IEMs and about as wide as the Sony EX1000 / 7550, which have very wide soundstages thanks to their treble responses and odd ear hanger designs.

If I had the time to do extensive tip rolling with the 1Plus2, I could probably find a tip that would boost the high frequencies and thus create a wider sense of space. Playing around with the EQ I did find that boosting frequencies above 4khz did give a wider sense of space, but only up to a point.

Timbre

In terms of timbre, while the BA units make the 1Plus2 sound extremely clean, the fast decay and slight lack of treble extension meant that I still did not get the sense of texture or timbre that I get from good dynamic drivers like the GR07, EX1000, RE-400 or 7550.

I think the 1Plus2 sounds particularly amazing with electronic music, where the 1Plus2's strengths in terms of speed and resolution, as well as that visceral bass, really come into play. 

Maybe this is my personal preference, but I did not find the 1Plus2 as engaging with vocals or strings as I do with a lot of my dynamic driver in-ear collection.

CONCLUSION

As I stated before, I think the 1Plus2 sounds amazing, with a combination of characteristics - speed, articulation and bass slam, which make it a great listen. It is definitely one of the best IEMs I have ever heard, but the sound does have some flaws  My time with the 1Plus2 does not make me want to sell all my gear to buy one at $1250. After two weeks I did not enjoy the 1Plus2 especially more than my current stable of favourites, though it is very good.

Again, returning to that terrible bugbear of the price. What are you paying for with the 1Plus2?

Are you paying for an amazing build, a piece of quality craftsmanship that is beautifully functional and durable? No, not at all.

Are you paying for amazing R&D, some amazing technical innovation that wasn't just buying TWFK drivers off the shelf from Knowles and putting them in an acrylic shell with a mystery dynamic driver? No you're not. 

So you're paying for the sound, which is pretty great. I personally wouldn't pay $1250 for it, because it is impractical for outdoor use and in-doors I may as well buy a full-size headphone for better long term comfort.

But if you like it and are willing and able, then go for it and enjoy some music!

As we say on Head-Fi, sorry for your wallet!
SZY410700851
SZY410700851
Nice review! :)

Girls Generation

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Great balance, wide and deep soundstage, excellent imaging, good fit for uIEM
Cons: Price, shallow U shape less appealing to vocal lovers
Preface
 
Long time no see guys. It's been a while since I hung around here. I'd like to apologize to Gavin as he has shown only generosity to me but I haven't shown any in return. I also owe you guys an apology because I have failed to do my part in helping you guys have a better understanding of the IEM without listening first. 
 
I would like to at least post my review very late in efforts to make it up to you guys. I'm truly sorry; I was so caught up at work in construction then Assistant Manager at a hotel that I just couldn't find the peace of mind to gather my thoughts and express it in words. Then I decided to wait til my JH16FP +  JH3A arrive to really finish the review, but I had a hard time with the JH3A part... Also was waiting for the TH900 to arrive.
 
Notes
 
First, I'd like to let you guys know that I am not as romantic of a writer as those guys at Sixmoons. It also doesn't help that I've managed to lose my pictures that I've taken of the product. 
Also, please note that some of the comparisons were made from memory and notes of the past gear so do take them with a bag of salt. My purpose of this review is to give some insight as to how the IEM sounds by drawing comparisons to other generally known gear. This may help draw a reference point for the reader which may be the ultimate aid in realizing just what kind of sound the 1Plus2 retains. 
 
Also, since the 1Plus2 is a universal IEM, isolation will be as with any quality uIEM. Comfort is a subjective thing that depends on each person so this I won't comment on this.
 
Cables
 
For simplicity's sake, I will not elaborate on different IEM cables I have listened to. Instead I will say this:
The sonic difference between 6N+ OCC silver and copper is so minimal that it just doesn't matter to the average Head-Fier. If there is a difference I will say that copper adds body to the sound while silver gives a bit more treble sparkle and slight more detail. This however is extreme hyperbole and would be like trying to discern the taste of VOSS water and Vitamin Water. 
 
However, the introduction of gold into silver changes things. It alters the wire's conductivity negatively, but without worsening the sound. It smoothes some treble glare and makes the overall sound very sweet and full bodied. This is also hyperbole but is quite noticeable. Yes I have heard Tralucent's S/G and yes I have heard the Piccolino, albeit it was with the LCD2 rev2. I still have the same findings between the two instances. 
 
In conclusion, it's up to you to decide if the price is worth it to you. For those who have the resources and can afford it, by all means get the best that will satisfy you, because that's all that matters in the end.
 
Now to the meat of the course!
 
Setup
 
Transport: rMBP, iPhone 5, Audiophilleo 1, HiFace Two, iBasso DX50
DAC: Schiit Gungnir, ODAC, JH Audio JH3A
Amp: Triad L3, LLP, O2, Tralucent T1, JH Audio JH3A
Cables: Tralucent silver stranded, Tralucent silver/gold, DHC Symbiote Copper
Headphones: Westone ES5, JH Audio JH16 FreqPhase, Audeze LCD2, Audeze LCD3, Sennheiser HD800, Fostex TH900
 
Test tracks
 
Well recorded:
    - The Eagles - Hotel California 24/192 flac
    - Diana Krall - Live in Paris album 24/192 flac
    - Norah Jones - Come Away With Me album 24/192 flac
    - Claudio Abbado/Berliner Philharmoniker - Beethoven Symphonie No. 9 24/96 flac
    - Artur Pizarro - Chopin Sonata No 2 & 3 24/96 flac
    - Leonard Slatkin/BBC Symphony Orchestra - Bach The Conductors' Transcriptions 24/88 flac
    - James Horner - Becoming One With Neytiri (Avatar) 24/96 flac
 
Modern recorded:
    - BoA - Only One, Mayday 16/48 mp3
    - Hans Zimmer - Time (Inception) 24/96 flac




    - Back Street Boys - Show Me The Meaning 24/96 flac
    - Adele - Chasing Pavements 24/96 flac
 


Sound
 
    Bass: As expected with dynamic drivers, the bass was very impactful with a pleasant balance of mid to sub bass while maintaining texture and detail. It did not bleed into the mids though it felt slightly overwhelming on poorly recorded tracks, but this wasn't the case with good recordings. Overall, well balanced with good slam and sub bass. It's probably the best bass I've heard from an IEM.
 
    Mids: I personally listen to a lot of female vocals, jazz, and piano concertos. Because I enjoy sweet mids, I place a lot of emphasis and criticism on the mids more so than the other regions of the FR. In the 1Plus2's case, I had some mixed feelings. Because the 1p2's sound is U shaped, the vocals were less upfront than I would've liked. This however didn't mean it sounded that distant. It was adequate enough in that I was satisfied. You may find your own experience different than mine if you use a Silver/Gold cable. I used the silver stranded, and a full copper cable and had the same findings. There was no fuzziness or muffledness going on with the mids, it was clear and pleasant.
 
    Treble: I have very sensitive hearing, tested higher than standard at an audiologist, so I'm very sensitive to treble spikes. I'm also equally as sensitive to shelved treble. That said, the 1p2's treble was not peaky, nor shelved. It had the right amount of sparkle to it. It did reveal a lot of detail, more detail than your average cans. It didn't feel fake or weird like the AKG K3003i. 
 
    Soundstage: Hands down the best intrinsic soundstage I've ever heard from an IEM. Seriously, this is what impressed me the most. I love a large spacious 3D soundstage, but not to the point where it feels unnatural like the HD800. The 1Plus2 was spot on with the soundstaging. It still wasn't full sized open cans, but it was actually satisfying where usually I dislike IEMs for the congested feeling.
 
    Imaging: Along with the soundstage, the imaging was extremely precise and accurate. It was layered and reached far and wide. Very impressive. Sometimes, I felt it even beat the LCD2 amped in this part.
 
    Detail: Maybe it's because of the imaging and sparkly treble, but the details shone through. It wasn't HD800 level, but it was better than the LCD2r2.
 
    General peculiarities: The sound was overall very organic and nautral. There was nothing forced-sounding, nor was anything lacking. Clarity, transparency, and decay was very good. There was nothing I couldn't really pick out that bothered me. Everything was done right. It's just a very well engineered and tuned piece of work.
 
Physical features
 
    Build quality: As far as the build quality went, there was nothing particularly done wrong. It was a well built piece, but I'm unsure what material was used to build the housing itself. It didn't feel like acrylic. It didn't feel fragile but at the same time, it didn't have much weight to it either. The cable's plug was not exactly glued on properly so the solder broke loose and so I could not use the Silver/Gold cable much, unfortunately. This cable was an early production run so I'm sure the current ones are built well due to my experience's feedback.
 
    Design: For a universal IEM, the fit was pretty great. The design of the shell itself worked for me, and I'm sure it will work for the majority out there. Unless your ears are disproportionate, or extremely small, you shouldn't have any problems with the fit. The canals have a latch that locks the tips on so it doesn't fall off, but as with any universal IEM, if you yank or get the tip caught on something, you will most likely lose it.
 
    Accessories: The IEMs came with a small pelican case with padding and 3 pairs of silicone ear tips in small, medium, and large. Very standard, but not really missing anything. That said, I don't think I had the "production run" so it may not have come with other small stuff anyways.
 
Comparisons
 
    ES5: ES5 sounded more lush, with vocals very forward. Things sounded fuller. That said, it lacked the transparency, clarity, and speed of the 1Plus2. The bass was punchy on the ES5, but it had no where near as much slam as the 1Plus2. Sub bass reached much deeper on the 1Plus2. ES5 sounded muffled in comparison, and lacked soundstage width and depth. However, if one likes "intimacy" then the ES5 would be better on that part. While the ES5 sounded like the singer was there with you, the 1Plus2 sounded as if the singer was on stage infront of you.
 
    JH16 FreqPhase: Take a bag of salt on this one since I got my JH16 much later after I passed on the 1Plus2. This is all based off of notes and memory. The JH16 FP has a more "present" bass. Although it's not omnipresent, the 1Plus2 sounded more dynamic. The slam was better on the 1Plus2. However, the JH16's mids and vocals are more forward. They have the same amount of treble. However, the JH16 couldn't touch the 1Plus2 on soundstage and imaging. The 1Plus2 would be definitely more natural sounding. However, adding the JH3A into the mix, things change. The JH3A makes the JH16 sound like full sized headphones. The soundstage is very 3D, very wide and deep. The imaging is very accurate, and layered so well. The FR tilts to a more neutral sound with some vocal warmth. I couldn't tell you which was better on these fronts, but one thing I can say is the dynamic driver is a dynamic driver for a reason. The bass slam and depth still doesn't match the JH16 with the JH3A.
 
    LCD2/LCD3: I know it's unfair comparing full sized cans to the 1Plus2, but it gives a nice reference point for many people. I felt that the Audezes sounded more smooth, organic, and natural as it's an ortho. However, the 1Plus2 did have better imaging than the LCD2. The LCD3 has great imaging however but I'm not able to tell you which is better. The 1Plus2 had more treble than the LCD2r2 but I did not hear any sibilance. Those who favor buttery mids wouldn't really prefer the shallow U shape of the 1Plus2.
 
    HD800: The HD800s being detail and soundstage freak, it's obvious that the 1Plus2 wouldn't be able to match these in these aspects. However, the HD800 with Anax Mod 2.0 had much more sibilance and peaky treble that was uncomfortable to listen to for an extended period of time. It also lacked sub bass in comparison to the 1Plus2. Although the mids are organic sounding on the HD800, they both still don't really match the mids and vocals of the Audezes. If you were to ask me which one I would buy with the money, I would take the 1Plus2 since it's more versatile than the HD800, and the latter takes a lot more money to get right than the 1Plus2.
 
    TH900: Funny because I just got the TH900 but by memory and notes, it sounds almost the same as the 1Plus2: shallow U shape, with slightly pushed back vocals and mids, but not distant. Organic and smooth, with more treble sparkle than Audezes, but not sibilant nor lacking in detail. Imaging and soundstage is very 3D and open, with lots of depth and layering. Bass has lots of slam and sub bass but never bleeds. Doesn't overpower with well recorded tracks at all. Freaky how similar they sound. I couldn't tell you which I prefer nor which was better.
 
Conclusions
 
    If you like a can with a balanced presentation, sounds natural, and is very versatile with any genre, you will like the 1Plus2. The bass, soundstage, and imaging are really to die for. I have yet to come across an IEM that is intrinsically so good at these aspects. I also happen to suck at writing conclusions so I'll leave it here. A huge shoutout to Gavin and the rest of the members on tour who had to wait for me. Sorry for the trouble and thank you for the opportunity!
 
I will be back to add on to this review. Might get JH Siren Roxannes soon, or a JH13.
Girls Generation
Girls Generation
The treble on the K3003i sounded very strident and out of place. Some would call this incoherent. They did not seem to be in harmony with the music, but stuck out on its own. They were not silky or fluid like it is with some of the other IEMs I've heard at its price range. No I am not particularly sensitive to treble, nor is my hearing weird. I just like a natural sound, and the AKG's treble was not natural at all.
Aero Dynamik
Aero Dynamik
Thank you for elaborating. I have the AKG K3003 myself and feel it is my most well sounding and well balanced IEM (also having the FitEar ToGo 334, EarSonics EM6, and EarSonics SM3v1). For this reason and the fact that james444 (Contributor) describes the 1Plus2 and the AKG K3003 to be very similar sounding (http://www.head-fi.org/t/554628/akg-k3003-high-end-3-way-system-headphone/990#post_9520049) I was perplexed and still am as you describe the treble of the AKG K3003 as "strident and out of place". Trying to sort this out I must ask you, which filters did you use with the AKG K3003? Perhaps the "High boost filter" in combination with your "very sensitive hearing, tested higher than standard at an audiologist, and very sensitive to treble spikes" could be the explanation? Did you also try the "reference filers" which seems to be the preferred filters by most? Thanks!
Girls Generation
Girls Generation
They actually are similar sounding in terms of tonality and imaging though I remember the 1Plus2 having much more bass and larger soundstage. I believe I was using the reference filter but I'm not entirely sure since this was a very long time ago.

Just a FYI to anyone who reads, being sensitive to treble isn't the same thing as being sensitive to treble 'spikes.'

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