ND Audio Planet

EnemySpider

New Head-Fier
Hey y'all! I'm EnemySpider!

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Before I start this review, I want to say that this is not a traditional review. My review style is just me talking about what I think of the IEM. I do not recommend things.

I am a high-volume listener.

I listen to a wide range of music. I listen to uptempo hardcore (example: Enemy Of The State - Deadly Guns & Elite Enemy Remix) and older Latin pop (example: El Triste - Jose Jose) the most. I use Spotify for my listening.

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Enemy of the State El Triste
This will be a two-part review. A "Stock Review" and an "Upgrade Review."

My goal is to see if I like the IEM with no extra gear and if I can make the IEM sound more enjoyable with different ear tips and an external DAC/amp (dongles).

For the stock review, I use the stock ear tips, stock cable, and no external DAC/amp. The IEMs are connected straight into my workstation laptop.

For the upgrade review, I use different ear tips, a modular cable, and most of my external DAC/amps.

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^My graph^
Channel matching is ok!


I will be reviewing the ND Planet today!

It came with a basic cable and some short, wide bore tips. The wide bore tips are a rare sight to see as stock tips. Massive points from me.

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Stock Tips on Top - Whizzer SS20 on Bottom

Fit and comfort were fine. I wore it for hours with no problem. The planet did not build up pressure for me.

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Let's start with the Stock Review!

I found it to be an easy IEM to drive with no dongle on my laptop.

Sounds like a high Pinna IEM with a focus on the mids.

This IEM has smooth details with the below detail retrieval. Some of the microdetails were lost.

Imaging and separation are quite good. Just that everything sounds warm/dark. The sound stage is wider than usual due to the stock wide bore tips.

It has a warm/dark tonality to it.


Overall Technicalities Rating is a good 7/10.
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The Rating for Driver Configuration is a very solid 8/10.
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My Preference Rating for the ND Planet fully stocked is a 7/10.
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So this is a good iem but it's too dark/warm for me. The microdetails are kind of lost. The bass is good quality but lacks some of the punch I prefer. Also, it has a high pinna gain. I don't like that. I love how it comes with wide bore tips.

Did I enjoy this set? Yes. It was a unique listen.


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Moving on to the Upgrade Review!


So I found that Wide Bore (Stock Tips & INfiter IE45 PRO) and Medium Bore tips worked best with the Planet. So the small bore tips make for a congested and very muffled listening. Medium bore makes for very intense/sharp listening, BUT it brings out micro details more. Wide bore is the most open and refined listening.

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Stock Tips on Top - INfiter IE45 PRO on Bottom


I tested most of my dongles with the song Koi wa Explosion from "Love After World Domination." That song is great. The most refined-sounding dongles were the DawnPro and M12i. The best budget dongle was the Tangzu Yin. I noticed that none of the dongles sounded really warm. No dongle was the warmest way to hear the planet.

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^Dongles I tested^ ^Koi wa Explosion^

Did I change the stock cable? Yes. I changed to the QKZ Q1. Mainly because it's modular, and I wanted to use 4.4.

How does the Planet sound now? Now the planet sounds rather neutral, leaning bright. The high pinna gain makes for a very mid-focused listening. It is now leaning bright in tonality. Detail retrieval is still smooth. ISSS has improved, but only by a little. It was great stock.

Overall Technicalities Rating is a good 7/10.

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The Rating for Driver Configuration is 6/10.
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My Preference Rating for the ND Planet fully upgraded is a 6/10.
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Final Set Up: DawnPro (4.4) + QKZ Q1 Cable + Stock Tips 6/10


Budget Set Up: No Dongle + Stock Cable + Stock Tips 7/10


Did I enjoy the Planet? Yes, but I enjoyed it more fully stocked.


Did I enjoy it more than Stock? No. The warmth it had in stock is gone with every dongle.




That's it!

I found the ND Planet to be an okay IEM. I liked it more fully stocked.

I prefer CCA Polaris and KZ Castor over the ND Planet.


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!Mambo!

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EnemySpider
EnemySpider

This is not a 1 star! I was supposed to put 3/5!

Kingnubian

New Head-Fier
ND Audio Planet - Entry Level Niceness
Pros: Impactful bass
Balanced midrange
Midrange clarity
Layering and separation
Evenly presented treble
Non-offensive treble
Overall clarity at low to mid volume levels
Cons: Treble extension has roll off at top
Soundstage is in the head
Sonics suffer at higher volume levels
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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.


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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.

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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.

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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.
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