[Sam L]

I have been scouring this site for the last few weeks for any information on the pinnacle p1's. I am seriously considering these iem's and I just don't know if there is anything that competes in terms of price/performance, especially now after they've been out for a while. Price limit is 200 and I will be using these with my ibasso dx80. Other iem's that I have and like are ath-im70 (a little too dark up top), kz zst (really like the sound signature of these), kz ate (not nearly as good as the zst's imo), monk ve + (good sound but virtually no sub bass and somewhat uncomfortable). Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. The bundle I'm looking at on Amazon includes the P1's and a fiio A3 amp for $200. Thanks!

What kind of signature do you gravitate towards? Maybe give some examples of earphones you like currently or in the past?

I'm not completely versed in the $200 market, but up to about 6 months ago I read every review on every earphone between the $99 to $300 range. And what I noticed, and suspect is still the case, is that the $200 market is kind of a limbo zone. It might be more worthwhile to stay in the $100 range rather than creep up to the $300 range, especially considering all the recent chi-fi offerings.

That said, the P1's are easily at the top of my recommendation for $199. But if you're looking for price/performance, in my collection these all equal the P1 in that area: 1more triples, vsonic gr7 bass ed., trinity delta v1, re400.

 

[Audiotistic]

What kind of signature do you gravitate towards? Maybe give some examples of earphones you like currently or in the past?

I'm not completely versed in the $200 market, but up to about 6 months ago I read every review on every earphone between the $99 to $300 range. And what I noticed, and suspect is still the case, is that the $200 market is kind of a limbo zone. It might be more worthwhile to stay in the $100 range rather than creep up to the $300 range, especially considering all the recent chi-fi offerings.

That said, the P1's are easily at the top of my recommendation for $199. But if you're looking for price/performance, in my collection these all equal the P1 in that area: 1more triples, vsonic gr7 bass ed., trinity delta v1, re400.

I tend to gravitate towards neutral signatures, or as neutral or as flat as I can find/afford. I'm not big into overly bright or overly dark, I do like bass but too much and it can get fatiguing, especially if it's bloated or boomy. My daily full size headphones are Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 80 ohm and I know them like the back of my hand. I've bought many pairs of them over the years and I really like the sound signature, even though it's not neutral at all. I just recently picked up a set of Samson sr850's, which sound good as well, especially for the price.

I'm very new to iem's and my first pair were the ath-im70's. I really liked the way they sounded, even if the top end isn't as bright and clear as I like. It's a fun sound signature that has its place in some of the music that I listen to. I upgrade the cable to a Luna shops silver cable and it fixed a lot of the issues I had with them. The treble opened up and the sound signature became more inline of what I was looking for, even if the bottom end is a little bloated.

After that I went on a little spree and bought some ve monk +'s along with some kz ate's shortly after. The monks are fun and sound great for ear buds, although since they aren't iem's they leave a lot to be desired (don't seal and a little uncomfortable).

The ate's were really dark and a little muddy, until I switched out tips and found a a good match. I got a much better seal and it opened up the top end and became a lot clearer. Since they were so cheap, I looked around and decided to pick up some kz zst's. So far I think I like the sound signature of those the best, might be a tad bright, especially in the cymbal frequencies of some songs, but closer to what I'm looking for. I would call them balanced or at least more balanced than any of my other iem's.

Shortly after I got the zst's, I read about the zs5's and they were about to be released. So of course I had to put a pre-order in for them and they are on the way as we speak. Really excited to try out them out, from what I've read it sounds like an improved zst.

If you can't tell, I'm a fan of kz so far, even though I'd love to get into the TOTL market there's just something about spending $19 on a pair of iem's that sound fantastic that I can't get over. Even if I could afford anything from 1964 audio, campfire audio, etc, I would constantly be asking myself if it was worth the ridiculous price. A lot of these chi-fi's are getting surprisingly close to much more expensive gear and it's hard to justify dropping boat loads of cash on anything.

 

[Sam L]

I tend to gravitate towards neutral signatures, or as neutral or as flat as I can find/afford. I'm not big into overly bright or overly dark, I do like bass but too much and it can get fatiguing, especially if it's bloated or boomy. My daily full size headphones are Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 80 ohm and I know them like the back of my hand. I've bought many pairs of them over the years and I really like the sound signature, even though it's not neutral at all. I just recently picked up a set of Samson sr850's, which sound good as well, especially for the price.

I'm very new to iem's and my first pair were the ath-im70's. I really liked the way they sounded, even if the top end isn't as bright and clear as I like. It's a fun sound signature that has its place in some of the music that I listen to. I upgrade the cable to a Luna shops silver cable and it fixed a lot of the issues I had with them. The treble opened up and the sound signature became more inline of what I was looking for, even if the bottom end is a little bloated.

After that I went on a little spree and bought some ve monk +'s along with some kz ate's shortly after. The monks are fun and sound great for ear buds, although since they aren't iem's they leave a lot to be desired (don't seal and a little uncomfortable).

The ate's were really dark and a little muddy, until I switched out tips and found a a good match. I got a much better seal and it opened up the top end and became a lot clearer. Since they were so cheap, I looked around and decided to pick up some kz zst's. So far I think I like the sound signature of those the best, might be a tad bright, especially in the cymbal frequencies of some songs, but closer to what I'm looking for. I would call them balanced or at least more balanced than any of my other iem's.

Shortly after I got the zst's, I read about the zs5's and they were about to be released. So of course I had to put a pre-order in for them and they are on the way as we speak. Really excited to try out them out, from what I've read it sounds like an improved zst.

If you can't tell, I'm a fan of kz so far, even though I'd love to get into the TOTL market there's just something about spending $19 on a pair of iem's that sound fantastic that I can't get over. Even if I could afford anything from 1964 audio, campfire audio, etc, I would constantly be asking myself if it was worth the ridiculous price. A lot of these chi-fi's are getting surprisingly close to much more expensive gear and it's hard to justify dropping boat loads of cash on anything.

If you're into a neutral signature, then the hifiman re400 would be right up your alley. They're going for $49 now. At that price, it's as good as anything out there for the sound profile you describe.

 

[Audiotistic]

If you're into a neutral signature, then the hifiman re400 would be right up your alley. They're going for $49 now. At that price, it's as good as anything out there for the sound profile you describe.

I saw the re400 and I would love to try out some hifiman stuff. I will probably be picking these up in the near future, but I still think I'm gonna go for the P1's right now. I have read too many glowing reviews to pass on them. If I don't like them, I'll just return them to Amazon and get some re400's and a pair of 1more triples. Thank you for your suggestions, it really helps me a lot.

 

[Tommy C]

Anyone got a chance to do a P1 vs. re400 or re600 comparison?

 

[YCHANGE]

I tend to gravitate towards neutral signatures, or as neutral or as flat as I can find/afford. I'm not big into overly bright or overly dark, I do like bass but too much and it can get fatiguing, especially if it's bloated or boomy. My daily full size headphones are Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 80 ohm and I know them like the back of my hand. I've bought many pairs of them over the years and I really like the sound signature, even though it's not neutral at all. I just recently picked up a set of Samson sr850's, which sound good as well, especially for the price.

I'm very new to iem's and my first pair were the ath-im70's. I really liked the way they sounded, even if the top end isn't as bright and clear as I like. It's a fun sound signature that has its place in some of the music that I listen to. I upgrade the cable to a Luna shops silver cable and it fixed a lot of the issues I had with them. The treble opened up and the sound signature became more inline of what I was looking for, even if the bottom end is a little bloated.

After that I went on a little spree and bought some ve monk +'s along with some kz ate's shortly after. The monks are fun and sound great for ear buds, although since they aren't iem's they leave a lot to be desired (don't seal and a little uncomfortable).

The ate's were really dark and a little muddy, until I switched out tips and found a a good match. I got a much better seal and it opened up the top end and became a lot clearer. Since they were so cheap, I looked around and decided to pick up some kz zst's. So far I think I like the sound signature of those the best, might be a tad bright, especially in the cymbal frequencies of some songs, but closer to what I'm looking for. I would call them balanced or at least more balanced than any of my other iem's.

Shortly after I got the zst's, I read about the zs5's and they were about to be released. So of course I had to put a pre-order in for them and they are on the way as we speak. Really excited to try out them out, from what I've read it sounds like an improved zst.

If you can't tell, I'm a fan of kz so far, even though I'd love to get into the TOTL market there's just something about spending $19 on a pair of iem's that sound fantastic that I can't get over. Even if I could afford anything from 1964 audio, campfire audio, etc, I would constantly be asking myself if it was worth the ridiculous price. A lot of these chi-fi's are getting surprisingly close to much more expensive gear and it's hard to justify dropping boat loads of cash on anything.

Interesing comments. I also own the Dt 770 80 pro and the kz zst. I really enjoy the zst with my cowon player. The p1 and zs5 are also iems I'm interested in but I'm definately content with my zst for everyday listening but the curiousity is always there to here different signatures.

 

[Audiotistic]

Interesing comments. I also own the Dt 770 80 pro and the kz zst. I really enjoy the zst with my cowon player. The p1 and zs5 are also iems I'm interested in but I'm definately content with my zst for everyday listening but the curiousity is always there to here different signatures.

Aren't the zst's great? I was really surprised at how good they sounded, especially compared to my much more expensive audio technica ath-im70's. Kinda makes me regret buying those first. My girlfriend really likes the im70's though, so I will keep them for both of us.

I ordered the P1's and they get here tomorrow, so I will let you know what I think of them. I'm also hoping my zs5's get here relatively soon, they were at the shenzhen airport on thursday awaiting inspection.

 

[TwinACStacks]

I'm personally not that impressed with the Zs5. It's okay but there are other iems in its price range that slay it. It is uncomfortable, has a narrow soundstage loose bass and has some artifacts in the treble. I will do an in depth review in the near future.

TWIN

 

[Audiotistic]

I'm personally not that impressed with the Zs5. It's okay but there are other iems in its price range that slay it. It is uncomfortable, has a narrow soundstage loose bass and has some artifacts in the treble. I will do an in depth review in the near future.

TWIN

Have you listened to the ZST's? If so, how did you like them and how do they compare to the ZS5's?

 

[TwinACStacks]

Unfortunately the ZSTs are a sore spot with me. I got one of the original problematic pairs. Simply the 2nd worst pair of iems I have ever heard. But I have a hunch they are WAY defective based on the general reviews I have read about them.

TWIN

 

[fabduf69]

The P1 is great with the shangling M1. It's a very good combination for the price. I don't like the P1 cable .I replace by a Silver copper It's amazing

 

[Audiotistic]

Interesing comments. I also own the Dt 770 80 pro and the kz zst. I really enjoy the zst with my cowon player. The p1 and zs5 are also iems I'm interested in but I'm definately content with my zst for everyday listening but the curiousity is always there to here different signatures.

I got my P1's in and I am very impressed with the sound signature, build quality, isolation, comfort, pretty much everything. Sound is impressive across the entire frequency range, very balanced with great extension down low and up high. Smooth is the word I would use to describe it, I don't see these ever being fatiguing. It's bright but a controlled bright and very transparent with a good soundstage. I've read others talking about how these sound closer to a set of over the ear headphones, and I would have to agree. Not quite as spacious, but closer than the other iem's I own without a doubt. If you like the ZST's and have the budget, I highly recommend grabbing a set of these.

 

[caspadan]

So no comparisons between P1 and Titan 3?

..I see Mee Audio have a hybrid now (M7Pro).

 

[Tommy C]

So no comparisons between P1 and Titan 3?

..I see Mee Audio have a hybrid now (M7Pro).

Now the M7 Pro definitely looks interesting.

 

[Sp12er3]

I got my P1's in and I am very impressed with the sound signature, build quality, isolation, comfort, pretty much everything. Sound is impressive across the entire frequency range, very balanced with great extension down low and up high. Smooth is the word I would use to describe it, I don't see these ever being fatiguing. It's bright but a controlled bright and very transparent with a good soundstage. I've read others talking about how these sound closer to a set of over the ear headphones, and I would have to agree. Not quite as spacious, but closer than the other iem's I own without a doubt. If you like the ZST's and have the budget, I highly recommend grabbing a set of these.

Can you offer a more direct comparison between the P1 and your IM70? ive been pondering on whether to upgrade my daily IEM to the P1 for a while, but still haven't decided to pull the trigger yet... how's your opinion on the change?
the best aspect of the ATH IM series for me is the mid forward vocal presentation, as female vocal songs are in my most played tracks they are important for me.