Preamble:
Disclaimer: Before I start with my actual review, I’d like to thank PaiAudio and especially their Alex for providing me with a sample of the DR1 (price: ~ $37-47) in exchange for my honest opinion.
After I picked up their 3.14 “Flat” earbuds and the MR3 (I’ve also reviewed both) some time ago, here now comes my evaluation on the DR1.
I am not affiliated with PaiAudio in any way and this review reflects my honest thoughts on the product.
PaiAudio is a rather young company founded in 2014 and based in Shenzhen, China and has specialised in manufacturing 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 single-dynamic-driver model, the DR1, sounds for the comparatively low price.
Make sure to also check out the PaiAudio thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/781399/audio-pai-audio#post_11926956.
Technical Specifications:
Transducer Type: dynamic
Transducers per Side: 1
Acoustic Ways: 1
Sensitivity: 120 dB
Frequency Range: 20 – 20000 kHz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Cable: 120 cm; L-shaped 3.5 mm connector
Colours:
tan,
red,
orange,
blue,
shiny colours or
gold
Delivery Content:
Just like all PaiAudio in-ears, the DR1 arrives in the an identically designed packaging with the same delivery content.
The in-ears arrive in a plain black packing with a paper sleeve that has got a huge white “π” on top, which is PaiAudio’s signature feature. The actual package underneath the paper sleeve is just entirely black and has got a magnetic flap that unveils the In-Ear monitors when one opens it up. Apart from the In-Ears, a user manual, three pairs of white silicone eartips in different sizes (S/M/L) and a velvet travel pouch are included. I’d preferred to see a sturdy hard case or zipper case instead, but at this comparatively low price with these features (real MMCX connectors for less than $50 IEMs!), I don’t really mind at all and am very happy that something like that pouch comes included.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
The IEMs’ shells are relatively big and ergonomically shaped, but it generally doesn’t matter for me as my ears’ conchas are pretty big either.
Build quality is flawless as it seems and both halves of the shells are glued together very sturdily and pristine. Overall, the IEMs’ bodies seem valuable and convey the impression of being very sturdy.
For this price range very unusual, the DR1 uses an MMCX coaxial connectors system for its detachable cables, just as Shure does for example.
The flexible cable is greyish, semi-transparent and seems thick, sturdy and very durable, although it doesn’t have strain reliefs. The only thing I’m missing is a chin slider, but as the cable is replaceable, it isn’t a real flaw at all.
Through the shell, the dynamic driver-unit can be seen.
For just a small upcharge, the in-ear bodies can also be purchased in different colours, among a large selection of faceplates with shiny glitter applications (there are 13 glitter options available).
In my case, I chose “option 5” which has got wine-red in-ear bodies with glittery red faceplates. In my opinion, this design looks extremely nice, especially in direct light.
Comfort, Isolation:
As I already mentioned, the IEMs’ bodies kind of resemble the size of the ears’ conchas and are rather big, which is not a problem for my large outer ears, but it may be too big for people with very small ears.
In the beginning, I couldn’t manage to get a good seal with the MR3, but it changed with time, as I found out that I have to gently turn the IEMs forwards, which is due to a rather unconventional angle of the rather short nozzle. Then, seal is pretty decent for me.
Comfort-wise, I find the DR1 to be very pleasant, and the cable has got close to zero microphonics, which is very nice, though I wouldn’t mind having a chin-slider.
Although there is a tiny vent in each body, isolation is on a really good level and just very slightly below PaiAudio’s entirely closed in-ears MR2 and MR3.
Sound:
My main devices for evaluating the sound of the DR1 were the iBasso DX90, DX80 as well as the HiFime 9018d. Music files were generally stored in FLAC as well as WAV format, but also some MP3s were used.
Just in case, the in-ears were burnt in before listening tests started.
Tonality:
The DR1’s tuning could be described as bass-heavy.
With a mighty emphasis of around 13 dB, the lows are evenly emphasised from the sub-bass over the mid-bass, upper bass as well as lower fundamental tone. There is a good amount of sub-bass rumble and from about 150 Hz on, level starts decreasing into the lower mids, where it stops. Therefore, the fundamental tone is also clearly emphasised and adds weight and mightiness to the lows.
Surprisingly, mids are very correct and just a slice darker, but don’t really seem coloured or very warm. Though, brighter and female vocals sound a bit veiled, “normal” voices however do not and sound entirely good.
In the upper mids and lower highs, level is a bit pushed back. From 3 kHz on, level increases a bit and comes back with a narrow emphasis at 4.5 kHz.
There is a small dip at 5.5 kHz; the upper treble along with the super-treble above 10 kHz are in the background, but extension is good.
Due to the peak at 4.5 kHz, some instruments in the treble area have a somewhat metallic decay and sound slightly artificial – but overall, I find the treble to be better tuned than let’s say for example the Zero Audio Carbo Tenore (which however has got the better implemented bass tuning in my opinion).
+13 dB compared to the Etymotic ER-4S sound quite much, but the doesn't sound that bassy; it is rather a smooth, warm, fundamental tone oriented IEM like the Sennheiser IE 80.
Resolution:
Let me start with the positive things – overall resolution seems consistent and no area is worse than the other. For the price, resolution is neither bad nor extraordinary, but just quite good and appropriate (just like the Carbo Tenore’s as well). Despite the strong bass emphasis, lows are relatively fast and controlled, but that isn’t audible at first sight (/listening) because of the phat fundamental tone which makes the lows appear a bit blunted and even a bit woolly (the lows somehow appear to me like if a subwoofer was playing underneath a blanket). It is a bit sad, as elsewise especially the sub-bass is really controlled for inexpensive dynamic in-ears (and clearly more arid than the Carbo Tenore’s) – a slightly different tuning with a slower rising fundamental tone would have been more advantageous.
Although voices (even bright ones) are tonally quite correct despite the sound signature with the mighty bass, the fundamental tone along with the slightly pushed back presence area and the dip at 5.5 kHz make especially female voices appear a little veiled – lowering the fundamental tone and compensating the 5.5 kHz dip makes the veil (that is just a negative side-effect of the tuning and wouldn’t have been necessary) go away.
With a little better fine-tuning, the actual resolution would be much more obvious, although the DR1 is already on a good level and on Carbo Tenore-standards (slightly better and slightly worse in some areas).
Dynamic dual-drivers in about the same price range (like the Havi B3 Pro I or TTPod T1 (non-E) however outperform the Pai by about half a class.
Soundstage:
It seems like a good spatial presentation is something all in-ears from PaiAudio have in common, as the DR1 has got a wide soundstage with a nice depth (which is a bit more than half as distinct as the width). Instrument placement and separation are really good and the Pai clearly beats the Carbo Tenore in this regard. The generated soundstage is coherent and appears quite spacious.
Compared to the Havi B3 Pro I, the DR1 is just as wide as the B3, but the Havi has about 40% more spatial depth. However, both are on the same level of instrument separation and spatial precision.
Conclusion:
The PaiAudio DR1 are in-ears with a good price-to-performance ratio (notice that even real MMCX connectors are used and that the bodies are well built).
Technically, the in-ears are strong, but like a rough diamond that needs some final touch – which could be achieved by a little tonal fine-tuning in this case, as its (lower middle) treble is sometimes a bit too metallic in impact and especially female vocals appear a bit veiled due to the mighty fundamental tone along with the moderately recessed presence area and the peak at 5.5 kHz – that is acceptable for the price, but a bit more is possible.
The spatiality, sub-bass rumble and resolution are quite decent.
Who is looking for a very bassy sound with a clearly emphasised fundamental tone and a general signature that goes a bit into the direction of the Sennheiser IE 80 will find an IEM with a good price-to-performance-ratio as a quite inexpensive portable companion in the PaiAudio DR1.
In my opinion, solely the tonal tuning could have been better made, as it somewhat influences the perceived resolution and is currently probably not the most advantageous – but all in all, my overall résumé is actually quite good with 75% or 3.75 (rounded close 4) out of 5 possible stars.
