Peacock Audio P1

Disclaimer: Peacock Audio has graciously provided us with this sample unit in exchange for an honest review. The views discussed below are a reflection of Project A3's thoughts surrounding the product. The sample has been run-in for at least 50 hours prior to review in order to achieve an accurate representation of the product.

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Introduction:
Peacock Audio is a manufacturer from China, whose pitch is that they have a skilled group of artists hand-painting the shells of their IEMs leaving the opportunity to have a myriad of design options as well as having each unit being unique and slightly different from each other. The P1 is touted to use a resin material of the same type that is used for hearing aids and the P1 also comes bundled with a BT 4.1/5.0 cable that lets it pull double duty in terms of performing both wired and wirelessly. Priced at $199 it will be interesting to see if the performance can match the incredibly eye catching looks.


Specification:

• 7MM DYNAMIC DRIVER
• SENSITIVITY - 106DB
• FR 20HZ-20KHZ
• IMPEDANCE - 16OHMS
• SHELL MATERIAL - EGGER RESIN
• CABLE - 4 CORE 5N SILVER COPPER ALLOY 1.2M 3.5MM CABLE
• BT 4.1/5.0 CSR-8645
• IPX6 CERTIFIED AND 110MAH

Gear Used & Tracklist:
ifi xDSD | Hiby R6 | xDuoo Link | xDuoo XD-05 | Hidizs AP80 | FiiO Q1 Mk II |




Unboxing:
The P1 comes in a medium-sized box with a transparent window to showcase the hand-painted shells. Opening the package reveals the IEMs and a leatherette carry case that has a magnetic clasp. Underneath you find the middling and somewhat stiff 3.5mm cable, the Bluetooth cable and charging accessories, some ear tips, a leatherette cable cinch, and some documentation. Outside of the BT package nothing totally out of the ordinary. The unboxing experience feels pretty good, nothing too excessive but nothing too cheap either, seems about right for the asking price. If anything I do feel like the tips and cable at this price point could be a bit nicer, in the end, they aren't bad by any stretch and probably just seems that way due to the fact that Peacock put in extra effort in things like the (albeit impractical) cable cinch that you wish it stretched to the tips and cable as well.




Scalability:
Being something designed to perform equally well on Bluetooth as well as wired, it comes as no surprise that the P1 is incredibly easy to drive and really offers not a whole lot of difference or improvement from source to source no matter the driving capability. All of my gear from phones to entry dongles and DAPs to more powerful amps drove it fine, the included Bluetooth cable was no exception giving adequate performance if maybe a bit of a bass reduction, though I can't say for certain if the cause was power output as it could be anything from the connection to the BT chip inside.




Shell Fit and Design:
Probably the highlight of the P1 for me, the shell is gorgeous, you can tell the material isn't the usual acrylic material just by feel, there's a certain softness and smoothness to the shell that is incredibly apparent. Fit wise, it fits well enough, it's mostly compact since the driver itself is pretty small and while it won't lay flat on your ears, making it not suitable for laying down on your sides, it definitely isn't one that causes any obvious feeling of discomfort for my ears, and the molded shape should mean it should be comfortable for most people as well. Moving on to the shell design, the lines painted on the inside of the shell are gorgeous, clean linework, with an almost swirl like quality coupled with an inlaid Peacock logo, you can really appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of the P1.








The opening of the song most exemplifies the strength of the P1 especially for only a 7mm driver, it pushes out a lot of air and this leads to a pleasant experience as the thumps are heard and give the impression of being felt. The extension is sufficient contributing to the experience. However, as the song enters the chorus one can tell that bass takes a front seat in this signature, and while not exactly the historical flabby, bloated "basshead" IEMs it is easy to tell that vocals and mids are along for the ride.




The interaction of the mids and the other frequencies can be seen here well, there are some vocal focused runs as well as guitar riffs where the isolated mids can present themselves well and you won't notice much issue, except for the thinness of it. However. once the song really takes off in the complex sections, you can start to hear the mids being drowned out, and you can really start to see the mids struggle to keep up. This is something less common nowadays but you can really see the 7mm driver stretching its capabilities.




The energy of the treble provided a welcome lift to brass solos, giving a nice "punch" energy to it. However, the flipside of this is those cymbal overtones and some parts of the high frequency can end up being fatiguing and throw off the timbre a bit. However, if you're not particularly treble sensitive you will enjoy the lift this brings to the sound as a whole.




Here the P1 shows off a bit more of its technical proficiencies with this recording particularly highlighting the ability of the driver to produce a surprising amount of width especially for a small driver and a fairly small closed shell design. With the sound extending just a touch "outside" the periphery of my ears. On the other hand the depth and height of the staging aren't particularly noteworthy they aren't deficient either.




Playing this song it's quite notable how even as the pace picks up the low end is able to hold steady, while the treble, peaks and all manage to cut through the mix, however, this leads to the mids being crushed and juxtaposed against each other this feels very obvious.




The P1 shines when put up to the task of something like an electro fused pop song. With the synth instrumentation and rolling bass providing a good source of material for the tuning of the P1 to perform at its most excellent. It ends up being a fun and enjoyable listen where the bass really gets your feet tapping and the bright top end adding some energy to the experience. This does highlight that someone looking at the P1 for more critical listening will need to look elsewhere.




Linked to the midrange this is again not one of the strengths of the P1. The interplay with the vocals has an imbalance due to the boost in the upper mids making them more prominent than the lower mids, this coupled with the thin reproduction adds to the unnatural combination. This is most seen in vocal performances where one or all artists reach through the vocal scale and highlights the discrepancy.



This is less of a mixed bag compared to the vocals because the performance in the other frequency ranges helps buoy the instrumentation score up. Particularly the bass response leads to an overall good score when it comes to percussion and the boost provided in the upper midrange as well as the energy in the treble means good performance of instrumentation leading up that sonic register, like some string instruments, brass, woodwind and overtones, and harmonics respectively. Though the aforementioned energy can mean that some instruments in the high end can sound peaky at times.



In summary, the sound of the P1 is a fun V-Shaped affair that provides lots of listening pleasure as long as one isn't looking for the best of the best technical performance and instead is looking for something more to clap their hands and dance to. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's something of note for the audiophiles who either have critical listening on their minds or want the best technical performance they can squeeze out of their dollar.


Comparison Chart
How we compare: We chose other similarly priced earphones or similar offerings from the same brand that Project A3 has reviewed in the past, to ensure that we remain as impartial as possible in our comparisons.





Conclusion:
So all things said how does the P1 Fare? Well, it's complicated, the $200 dollar asking price means it's looking at a market of either people with deep pockets or those willing to shell out extra because they belong in the enthusiast zone. Now the tuning of the P1 doesn't necessarily align with what many in that zone can be looking for, especially if they don't have the luxury to have a collection. It's more fun-oriented sound means that those looking to get the maximum sonic performance for their money will be left wanting, however, the P1 is not without merit, the shell is top-notch in build, the design is eye-catching, unique, and offers enough options that there is likely a design that will fit everyone's tastes. It also boasts a bundled Bluetooth cable, very appealing to those who like to exercise with their earphones without having to deal with pesky wires getting in the way. All in all, I think the P1 as it is, is a work in progress, I feel like it functions fine and is by no means bad, however at this price tier, the value proposition is suffering from an identity crisis, almost as if its a compromise for the high-fashion audiophile, where it tries to do what both fashionable wireless(often TWS) items fulfill in the market while on the other hand trying to cater to the classic audiophile market as well, and that is something I feel it doesn't completely fulfill on either end. However, there is still promise, the P1 has all the markings of success, and I feel like if Peacock audio were to just rebalance their priorities as to what or rather who they are targeting with this, then they will find that winning formula that combines both form and function. For now, I can't help but be a little half-hearted, and just make sure that if you're looking at the P1 you aren't going in blind. Still if you're looking for something eye-catching and unique, high quality, and can dual duty, there's still few like the P1 at this price point right now.

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*All ratings are accurate as of date of publication. Changes in price, newer models may affect Project A3's views on the performance and value of the reviewed product.