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Tralucent Audio 1Plus2 IEM (Now With 'New' 1Plus2.2!) Impressions Thread
Oct 23, 2012 at 4:53 AM Post #483 of 6,404
Not much activity in this thread lately, any impressions or news?
 
Oct 23, 2012 at 4:59 AM Post #484 of 6,404
I actually had a try of the 1Plus2 in the Tokyo e-earphone festival this past weekend. Thanks to Musica Acoustics for bringing one over.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/632869/tokyo-e-earphone-portable-audio-festival-20th-21st-october-2012
 
It is a rather intriguing earphone and if I didn't have my UM Merlins I'd probably consider these seriously.
 
Oct 23, 2012 at 5:04 AM Post #485 of 6,404
Quote:
anakchan said:
I actually had a try of the 1Plus2 in the Tokyo e-earphone festival this past weekend. Thanks to Musica Acoustics for bringing one over.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/632869/tokyo-e-earphone-portable-audio-festival-20th-21st-october-2012
 
It is a rather intriguing earphone and if I didn't have my UM Merlins I'd probably consider these seriously.
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Any idea what the cable is on the pair you pictured in that thread?
 
Oct 23, 2012 at 5:41 AM Post #486 of 6,404
Quote:
elnero said:
Any idea what the cable is on the pair you pictured in that thread?
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Oh actually, I don't know! I never thought to ask that question. But I'm going to meet Musica Acoustics (distributor) and can ask them that question.
 
Oct 23, 2012 at 5:46 AM Post #487 of 6,404
Quote:
elnero said:
Any idea what the cable is on the pair you pictured in that thread?
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It's reminding me of that gold cable from the looks of it...
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Oct 23, 2012 at 5:51 AM Post #488 of 6,404
Oct 24, 2012 at 9:59 AM Post #492 of 6,404
 
[size=11pt]I have to admit I was a bit worried when I jumped onto the bandwagon and bought the IEMs. No offence to Tralucent as I was fairly confident they would be good so I bought them on somewhat of an impulse but it's these minute details (e.g. comparisons with other high-end IEMS, amp output impedance) that formed niggling background thoughts that continuously questioned my purchase...You know the ones where you go, hmmmm...this review mentioned some (possibly obscure) element lacking in the IEMs but I have already bought the IEMs....I wonder how that other major IEM mentioned compares to mine in my system...have I made a wrong choice?[/size][size=11pt][/size]
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[size=11pt]Would a lower output impedance on the amp make a flatter more natural sound? Will it actually make any audible difference? Am I chasing numbers rather than audio nirvana? (These three questions were put to rest since Lee mentioned the impedance of the amp was <1 ohm). And the questions go on… The usual thought processes of an audiophile, although I will never claim to be one myself. [/size][size=11pt][/size]
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[size=11pt]The worst worry was when one of the impressions was that perhaps the silver/gold cable combo made things subpar – and this was the cable I already ordered! So after a lot of delay (mostly on my behalf since I kept changing my mind and had ordered an extra custom RCA cable for my DAC) I have received my IEMs and the silver/gold cable (and T1 amp also btw). I still believe the silver/gold should be higher resolution than the silver but may require significant more burn in for that to become apparent so I decided to take the risk. The risk paid off IMO (more later) and confirmed my suspicion that I may hear something completely different.[/size][size=11pt][/size]
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[size=11pt]For comparisons, I can only see how it fairs against my full sized HE-500 (since this is what I own now), as I did recently sell my only IEMs (the Shure SE535s). So, unfortunately can’t compare to any IEMs anymore (and the Shures weren't what people here would call a high end IEM). Shane, Planx, GG, Lee and future demoers would have better things to say here on this (IEM) side of the spectrum on top what has already been said by them… [/size][size=11pt][/size]
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[size=11pt]Thought I might share a pic I just got. The packaging alone is pure sexiness (I realise Lee already has shown a pic). Click on pics for higher res.[/size][size=11pt][/size]
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
[size=11pt]And drum roll please....Ladies and Gentlemen, my 1Plus2:[/size]
 
 
 
 
 
 
[size=11pt]And some more pics:[/size]
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
[size=11pt]Initial impressions:[/size]

 
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[size=11pt]As you would I went immediately to bass heavy songs by Usher/Akon (etc) to see how the bass handled (followed by other songs without so much bass information). This showed me some of the bass impact and depth mentioned earlier here but surprisingly not as great in quantity as I expected. I feel that is probably somewhat akin if not exactly expectation bias, whereby I was expecting a fair amount of bass. In fact I was worried that it would be almost like Beats audio phones my brother had before I suggested to him the ATH-M50…large in quantity and overpowering the whole spectrum. Ridiculous yes I know….call me paranoid. Things build up in my head like crazy![/size]

 
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[size=11pt]But just as previous reviews/impressions on this thread had stated – bass didn’t overpower but was very much in balance with the rest of the frequencies (except the slightly untamed treble). I believe that with a bit more burn in this bass will become tighter and richer (yes the amp is burning in as well). It started opening up a bit after several hours of listening so that is good news for future burn-in. By now the bass I could feel was more prominent compared to the limited IEMs I have listened to (only ever bought the Shure SE535s though but listened to some Sony ones and other cheapies so not gonna be much help here)…I didn’t feel there was any bleeding into the mids on this cable though. I will do more critical listening after more burn-in.[/size]

 
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[size=11pt]Midrange was lush, but not as rich as my HE-500. Vocals upfront and guitar solos twanging sweetly (listen to rock and metal and operas). Treble was slightly untamed and had a bit of sparkle/aggressiveness to it that I enjoyed. Slightly forward maybe even? (need more listening time - wasn’t overly in your face though) But still being smooth and not fatiguing (but yes like Lee said all detail is there).[/size]

 
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[size=11pt]Once my ears had got used to the sound, the signature was already changing after several hours of listening and treble taming somewhat but it apparently needs several hundred hours of burn-in to be fully tamed. I have to admit I did enjoy the treble though…[/size]

 
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[size=11pt]All frequencies were very clean and clarity was everywhere – no bleeding or sibilance that I could ascertain. I have to admit for the first hour I was listening for sibilance because I thought I had heard it immediately after putting the IEMs on for the first time. Fortunately, I could not notice this after further listening. Will test this more later.[/size]

 
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[size=11pt]The treble reminded me (from memory) of HD800s apart from the sibilance I heard from the Sennheisers for some reason. I think perhaps the IP2 treble slightly resembles the airiness of the HD800s but it’s been a while…anyone care to comment?[/size]
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[size=11pt]Some closeups (aluminium plate on the back):[/size]
 
 

 

 
 
 
[size=11pt]Hmmm forgot to remove my grubby fingers.[/size]
 
 
[size=11pt]Last but not least: The amp is a real beauty! I knew it was small but the size took me by surprise. Definitely easy enough to carry around without adding too much to my ipod at least (came with bands to strap to ipod and/or CLAS).[/size][size=11pt] [/size][size=11pt]At a quarter turn on the volume knob it gets way too loud for me. I am using Jplay with foobar plugin and WAV files and that player runs hot/loud so I don’t have to amp much unless I change overall bitperfect volume to -6dB or -12dB FYI.[/size]
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[size=11pt]For what it’s worth I even tried powering the HE-500s through the amp and it even powered that with ease. Had the volume knob at quarter turn (roughly 9 o’clock but this is also dependant on player used and software as mentioned). Only comparison I made is that the amp is slightly warmer on the sub bass frequencies compared to my beloved DACmini/HE-500s and not as tightly controlled bass but this should change with burn-in. Incredible performance! That is a crazy amount of power. Colour me impressed anyway. One thing I need to add is that you cannot listen to the amp while it is charging via USB.[/size][size=11pt][/size]

 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

[size=11pt]Overall I am enjoying my new purchase and am impressed so far. Can't wait to see how things turn out after a bit of burn-in because I did notice there were some changes. Once the IEMs settled in my ear and I got used to the sound - I enjoyed every single minute until I drained the battery...whoops! Hours fly by don't they. [/size]
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[size=11pt]I have to admit I am pretty sure Gavin and Chong from Tralucent Audio are sick of me already and are probably glad to be rid of me now that I have received my item. No more essays for emails asking a million questions. I think I have counted roughly 400  emails to them (a bit more than half sent from me and rest received). In fact after receiving the items today I sent about 15 short emails throughout the day. All replied to within a few minutes mind you. Probably since HK is close to AU timeline but still very good customer service! Or maybe I'm just lucky. Hmmm....gotta stop before I sound like I'm shilling. I've probably contradicted myself somewhere so please let me know...rush job.[/size]

 
Oct 24, 2012 at 12:43 PM Post #493 of 6,404
I wouldn't really say the vocals are upfront, but basically everything is on par with what I'm hearing.
 
I noticed, I think lee may have mentioned, that the T1 amp has a much more center-focused soundstage, which also adds depth as a result. This on top of a slightly less punchy mid-bass but more extension to sub bass makes this amp seem like a warmer amp, though not 'warm' by any means, it's close to neutral in my opinion. 
 
I still hear a bit of bass bleeding into the mids with the silver-gold cable + T1 amp, though it's gone with the silver cable.
 
 
Ps. I'm using an ODAC.
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 3:48 PM Post #494 of 6,404
Quote:
girls generation said:
I wouldn't really say the vocals are upfront, but basically everything is on par with what I'm hearing.
 
I noticed, I think lee may have mentioned, that the T1 amp has a much more center-focused soundstage, which also adds depth as a result. This on top of a slightly less punchy mid-bass but more extension to sub bass makes this amp seem like a warmer amp, though not 'warm' by any means, it's close to neutral in my opinion. 
 
I still hear a bit of bass bleeding into the mids with the silver-gold cable + T1 amp, though it's gone with the silver cable.
 
 
Ps. I'm using an ODAC.
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I still do hear the mids as being a bit upfront to my ears. I'd assume since you are use to the ES5s mid-centric sound that would make you feel different. Also considering the Tralucents have a large sound stage that can also make a perceived difference. I chose a combination of spacious and intimate over purely intimate. I'm not into the "In your head" sound. Gets old fast and invading :).
 
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:59 PM Post #495 of 6,404
Quote:
girls generation said:
I wouldn't really say the vocals are upfront, but basically everything is on par with what I'm hearing.
 
I noticed, I think lee may have mentioned, that the T1 amp has a much more center-focused soundstage, which also adds depth as a result. This on top of a slightly less punchy mid-bass but more extension to sub bass makes this amp seem like a warmer amp, though not 'warm' by any means, it's close to neutral in my opinion. 
 
I still hear a bit of bass bleeding into the mids with the silver-gold cable + T1 amp, though it's gone with the silver cable.
 
 
Ps. I'm using an ODAC.
Click to expand...

 
Hey thanks for the reply. I must admit I am not one of the heavy hitters like you and the rest of the guys reviewing here since you have more experience on the IEM side of things but thought I might give my thoughts. Good to hear feedback.
 
Possibly mids being slightly upfront as Lee mentioned may have been the reason why the vocals seemed "slightly" upfront. I do like how you say the amp has a more center focused soundstage (and yes it is deep) and I believe this brings my focus to the vocals very easily - and thus prompted me to just write the first thing that came to mind. And that is (slightly) upfront. Maybe I am using the wrong terminology. If it was anymore intimate I would not have liked it since the DAC I was using (the JKDAC32) already has quite an intimate soundstaging compared to the DACmini.
 
Also the warmth was comparing the sub bass to the DACmini amp with the JKDAC32 as source. Slightly warmer in comparison but still overall neutral (T1 that is) which seems to match the 1P2.
 
Ended up quickly testing this after overnight burn-in but using the DACmini as the source this time and switching been DACmini internal amp and T1. Can't notice any warmth in the sub bass region on the T1 anymore (or if I did at all in the first place!). In fact the DACmini has slightly more richness on the mids and possibly slightly more warmth on sub bass and approaching the mid bass region. Ever so slightly less sparkle on treble on the DACmini amp. The centre orientated soundstaging of the T1 seems to be bring mids out a bit more in front of me (and around me). Bass is clean but not as warm (please don't confuse this with muddiness) and everything is very much neutral (not to say the DACmini isn't overly neutral). Have to also note the DACmini doesn't have the 1 ohm output mod (not sure how much this affects things when I was testing the 1P2). I also tested this with the HE-500 to confirm quickly. 3rd and 4th tests were with the 1P2 and the HE-500 but with the JKDAC32 as the source to confirm comparisons about the amps.
 
The T1 amp is definitely neutral. Probably another reason why I am noticing the treble more.
 
Also compared the HE-500 and 1P2 on each of the amps on separate tests with the JKDAC32 as source (doing this test again). The HE-500 still had a bit more meatiness on the mids and was definitely richer, with less sparkle on treble, bass was slightly richer also.
 
P.S. I asked for medium silicon tips from Tralucent (white). I won't tip roll for now  until I get used to things on the 1P2
 
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