Preamble:
Disclaimer: I got the 3.14 Flat myself directly from PaiAudio for the full retail price of $20. I am not affiliated to the company in any way and this review represents my honest opinion.
PaiAudio is a rather young company founded in 2014 and based in Shenzhen, China and has specialised in making In-Ear monitors. According to their information, the company that consists of totally 13 people has got national elite audio developers in their team.
The yet young company has currently four earphones in their product range, of these one is an earbud, one a dynamic In-Ear and two are Balanced Armature-based In-Ear Monitors, whereby all models except for the earbuds feature replaceable cables.
The company backs on direct distribution through ebay (
http://stores.ebay.com/paiaudio), Amazon (
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_1?ie=UTF8&asin=B00ZU89S6E&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A4X08XUDEJ1P3), AliExpress (
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1738335) but also Penon Audio (
http://penonaudio.com/Paiaudio-all-models).
In my review below, you can read how their entry-level model, the 3.14 flat, sounds.
Make sure you also check out the PaiAudio thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/781399/audio-pai-audio#post_11926956
Technical Specifications:
Transducer: 13 mm dynamic
Sensitivity: 110 dB (@ 500 Hz)
Range: 20 – 20000 Hz
Distortion: < 3% (@ 500 Hz)
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Rated Power: 10 mW
Maximum Power: 30 mW
Cable: 125 cm; straight 3.5 mm gold-plated connector
Delivery Content:
The earbuds come in a small, cylindrical, translucent plastic box that features the model designation and the technical specifications printed on a paper wrapper that is inside the box.
The earbuds are stuck in a block of foam, underneath are a shirt clip, two pairs of black sponge tips and one pair of red sponge tips that just differ in terms of colour but have the same density and sound exactly as the black ones, as listening tests later showed.
A carrying pouch or something similar is not included, but the translucent cylindrical plastic box can also be used for that purpose.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
The red cable seems quite sturdy and has got an excellent strain relief near the straight 3.5 mm audio jack. Something I somehow miss is a chin slider.
The transparent earbuds’ bodies feel extremely sturdy and are rear-vented; the large driver’s back can be seen through.
The side that is facing towards the ear canals has got a generously perforated metal disc to protect the driver and is bordered by a black plastic ring.
There are no flaws in build quality and zero sharp edges.
Comfort, Isolation:
As I have got fairly large conchas (= auricles), earbuds often don’t fit as good as expected, but the 3.14 Flat fits perfectly, just as the SoundMagic ES10. Due to the large diaphragm diameter and the black plastic ring, the earbuds sit very firm, just as if they were glued, and I can even do a handstand and they still stay in place, that’s how securely they sit in my ears. Due to this, I can guide the cables over the ears, which reduces microphonics, but they aren’t that much loud either when worn straight down.
With attached foam tips, fit is just as perfect as without, but identifying the sides is easier as one can attach the red sponge tip to the right side.
I guess I don’t have to say much about isolation, as it is, typically for earbuds, minor to non-existent, depending on how firm and close the earbuds sit in the auricle.
Sound:
Before I started critical listening, the earbuds received at least 50 hours of burn-in.
Sound was mainly evaluated with my iBasso DX90 playing FLAC and MP3 files. During my testing process, I used the earbuds with and without the sponge tips, as you can read below.
Tonality:
The following impressions grew out of a tight fit with the earbuds pretty much locking my ear canals.
Without sponge tips:
Sound could be best described as dark, bassy and full-bodied. The whole bass is noticeably emphasised, with a dominant midbass. There’s a slight bit of subbass, but it’s not worth to mention – these are still earbuds. Midbass, upper bass and the fundamental tone area are boosted and also bleed into the lower mids, making them sound warm and lush. Mids in general are emphasised, too. Presence area is recessed, which also enforces the mids’ warm timbre. Treble in general is recessed, though there are two peaks at 6 and 10 kHz, but they’re still below ground line, though they help the earbuds not to sound too muffled or dull. Overall, the 3.14 Flat’s tonality reminds me of the famous Koss Porta Pro (though I haven’t compared them directly).
Treble extension is quite good and reaches up to 16 kHz, but isn’t much noticed with music due to the recessed highs.
When I hang the earbuds just loosely in my ears, midbass and fundamental tone lose mightiness, though upper bass remains, thus mids and voices sound less warm and tonally more correct.
With sponge tips:
Compared to other earbuds, the included sponge tips don’t have a drastic influence on the 3.14 Flat’s sound signature, but have an influence on the bass:
Fundamental tone, upper bass and midbass gain some level (about 1-2 dB), along with sub-bass that gets more rumble between 35 and 40 Hz and is audible with music, although it still rolls off below, which is normal for earbuds, but ~35-40 Hz are quite decent for earbuds. Though, with the sponge tips, highs are slightly damped and sound a little diffuse.
Resolution:
The more expensive Apple EarPods are a bit higher resolving, but have got a totally different tonality.
As these are very inexpensive earbuds, resolution is fine and also good for not-so concentrated listening sessions, although I would take other models for more serious listening sessions. Many inexpensive In-Ears are higher resolving, but as In-Ears aren’t earbuds and are much easier to get a high resolution with constantly the same tonality as they have a consistent seal and position due to their entirely different structural principle, I’ll leave it to that.
As far as I can say, instruments sound fairly good and realistic for the price and treble is overall airy and precise, despite its recession.
Despite its emphasis, bass isn’t too boomy, but rather controlled with a soft and full-bodied impact.
With the sponge tips, sound gets somewhat diffuse and lows lose aridness and become spongier, wherefore I only recommend using the 3.14 Flat with the sponge tips if even more bass is desired.
Soundstage:
Soundstage reproduction is quite remarkable for the price, with a precise impression of spaciousness. Lateral expansion is very wide, but without neglecting depth. Instrument separation and placement are surprisingly precise for earbuds and even beat some $30 In-Ears.
Layering is good, though it could be just a tad more precise.
Conclusion:
For inexpensive earbuds, the 3.14 Flat are fairly decently sounding, with a bassy and warm sound signature with prominent mids and recessed treble. Fortunately, bass has got a quite good impact and isn’t too slow, wherefore it has no bloat. With a looser fit, mids lose some warmness and are tonally better.
Lows have an impressive extension for earbuds and even show some signs of subbass; soundstage is very spacious, airy and has got a good and precise instrument separation for the price.
Fans of the Koss Porta Pro will definitely like the 3.14 Flat, which even features the better soundstage.
Sound isn’t as good as with inexpensive In-Ears, but no earbuds can really compete with In-Ears in the same price range anyway and don’t even claim to do, but for earbuds, the PaiAudio 3.14 Flat are pretty decent.
