ND Audio Planet

Disclaimer: The Planet was supplied by ND Audio

PREAMBLE:

ND Audio is an entity that previously I was not familiar with. They produce a number of reasonably priced earphones and accessories. The Planet is not their least expensive model, but at $15usd is not a wallet burner for most.

The Planet sports a single Beryllium-Plated 12mm dynamic driver housed in a plasticky feeling resin shell. The tuning is marketed as to follow the Harmon Curve but upon listening it probably follows an earlier Harman tuning and even then does deviate from it enough to be different, in a good way.

The ND Audio Planet is easy to drive, being comfortably powered from numerous devices. I still prefer a better quality front end but was happy driving this iem off of the EPZ T35 dongle, which actually sounds pretty good IMHO, with great results.

Performance wise, I can’t hate on the Planet. I didn’t know to expect and was pleasantly surprised. The Planet is overall a clean performer that will make many looking in that price range happy. It does perform better at moderate volume levels as listening at high levels does expose its weaknesses. It can offer a full sound with good note weight combined with commendable soundstage and imaging. There is a roll off in the upper treble but it is well managed and balanced out fairly well.

FIT/FINISH:

The ND Audio Planet has a nice look to it. The shell is transparent and the DD, I have the blue model, housing comes in different colours. It is styled to look like a planet, but strangely enough does actually look like an eyeball. The shells have a budget look and feel but are fairly solid nonetheless.

The Planet of medium sized and its shape will allow a good fit with great comfort. Nozzle length is also moderate aiding comfort even more. Retail packaging is colourful and the included accessories are commensurate with the asking price, that is barebones and nothing to write home about. The cable is a 3.5mm thin wired, mine though had the inline mic and player controls, seen in many budget iem packages. There is also an additional set of generic eartips included to round out the package.

At its low asking price my expectations were not high. ND Audio has , given price constraints, what they could do and offer an attractive iem with just enough accessories to get one listening right away.







SOUND:

Bass:

The ND Audio Planet offers a full bass that is surprisingly agile at lower to moderately high levels. This while not being the most detailed low end I’ve heard, is notable for it’s snap and thickness.

On “Circumstance” by Wayman Tisdale the bass had that nice thickness not being lean at all. “Angel” by Massive Attack was played back with authority, but lacking the absolute texture detail and tightness present in some more expensive earphones. One thing of note is that the bass in this track was never heard to cloud the rest of the frequency range.

The Achilles heal of the Planet is made apparent at high volumes levels where the bass can become less controlled and at times even overbearing being a distraction to the rest of the frequency range.

Midrange:

The ND Audio Planet has surprisingly capable midrange. It has a more balanced approach even if vocals are just slightly recessed. Macro details are the name of the game here though some micro details are heard. The midrange is more relaxed than many earphones in this price range, which all too often have a prominent V-Shaped presentation. The Planet can boast a full sounding midrange with pleasing note weight.

The pinna gain is also kept in check which reinforces the balanced nature of the mids. Layering and separation is also something that the ND Audio Planet gets done better than the majority of other iems in this price bracket and even many higher priced examples. “Beautiful Lie” by Vick Lavander is an extremely busy track and the Planet handled it surprisingly well, albeit at low to moderately loud levels.

With respect to transients and dynamics the Planet also made a good showing with sharp attack and acceptably natural falloff. This was heard on “Inside Stuff” by Wayman Tisdale which is a dynamic track that sounded pretty good through the Planet. Timbre is acceptable but does better than most I have heard which are direct competitors.

The ND Audio Planet’s midrange is arguably the star of the show. At less than $20 ND Audio have achieved a midrange that punches well above it’s low asking price. The main caveat is that the sound quality does tend to take a nosedive at loud volume levels. Keep the volume reasonable the the ND Audio Planet makes for some good listening.


Treble:

The treble is only moderately well extended although there is falloff at top. The Planet is not a dark sounding iem and there is enough air and sparkle to keep the music from sounding closed in. This is not a treble rife with micro details, although there are enough details present to keep things interesting, but is clean and expressive enough to not detract from the overall sonics.

The treble should please many listeners, even those who may be treble sensitive. There is little if any harshness, when not pushed over the top, and has a pleasing tone.



SOUNDSTAGE/IMAGING:

The ND Audio Planet offers up a soundstage that is moderate in size. This is a more in the head type of presentation. This is not a negative though as the music never sounded constrained. There was still an openness to the sound probably in no small part due to the decent layering. Listening to “Vanston Place 12am” by Ronny Jordan, I caught myself marveling at how good the Planet sounded on this track. In particular with how open it sounded even with the soundstage limits. Imaging within the soundstage was stable even given the confines.





CONCLUSION:

ND Audio have produced an interesting IEM in the Planet. While some have lamented the look and feel, in the honest opinion of this reviewer it’s all about the sound. At $15 you would be hard pressed to find a more well rounded iem. The Planet provides a pleasant cohesive sound the does belie its asking price.

There is a caveat though. The sound quality does take a steep dive when listening at higher sound levels. The Planet is best enjoyed at low to moderately loud levels to really appreciate what $15 brings to the table these days. In fact when I was not in "Critical Listening Mode" the Planet did offer enjoyable extended listening sessions.

Is this a “Pivotal” release that will upset the balance in the iem space? Is the ND Audio Planet a “Giant Killer” ? Does it compete against earphones 5x or more its price? I would have to say not really, although there are going to be a few examples of iems that do cost more but don’t sound better. As I said before, you would be hard pressed to find something better in this price range. The planet more than a few times surprised me with its sound quality and as such does get a recommendation. If you are looking for an iem at or around what ND Audio is asking for the Planet, then this iem should be on your shortlist.