The Smabat M1 Pro is a high quality earbud featuring a large 14.2mm diameter dynamic driver with a composite diaphragm, MMCX removable cables and a unique Maze bass enhancement system inspired by transmission line speakers.
The packaging is clean, simple and neat. A simple white box with the Smabat logo contains the earbuds with the silver-plated MMCX cable attached. Also included are two pairs of foam covers, one pair of rubber covers, three pairs of ear hooks and an instruction manual. All in all, this is a good presentation.
The earpieces are very well made from metal and there is a double vent on the top of the housing which is the output for the Maze chamber. This channels the bass output of the driver along an extended path in order to supplement the bass response, and it works very well (see text below). The supplied MMCX cable is of high quality silver-plated copper with a straight 3.5mm brushed aluminium plug and a matching Y-split barrel. A clear plastic chin slider is also provided.
The M1 Pro was used with a Hifi Walker H2 DAP via line out with a Fiio A5 amplifier for evaluation with a wide range of music across various genres, and a burn in period of 100 hours was carried out.
Having used IEMs for at least the last eight years, the different presentation of an earbud took a little acclimatisation. Getting a good seal was the key to maximising the potential of the M1 Pro, and I achieved this by using the supplied foam covers and earhooks. The lack of isolation was another difference and this was compensated for by increasing the volume. In fact I found the M1 Pro particularly power-hungry and the best results were obtained with the amplifier volume increased by around 25% compared to my regular IEMs.
First impressions were of a very wide and deep soundstage with an unusually good depiction of height. Detail retrieval was exceptional, especially in the treble, which was very extended and clear. The overall balance was neutral with a very linear profile in the bass, which also showed good extension and superb texture. Imaging was also above average. The overriding impression was one of “naturalness”, with the effect similar to listening to high quality speakers. That “intimacy” found when listening to IEMs with a perfect seal was replaced by an airy, relaxed and open presentation. In more detail:
Bass
With the Maze bass enhancement being a USP of these earbuds, I was keen to hear what the bass was like, especially since my home speakers employ a transmission line bass system. I am pleased to report that it is a success, with the bass having a very natural, unforced quality with excellent extension. Sub-bass was deep and beautifully textured and resolution was top class. The powerful bass drums in the beautiful 88KHz Reference Recordings issue of Rachmaninov’s “Symphonic Dance No.1” performed by the Minnesota Orchestra provided a perfect example with great immediacy and impact underpinning the impressively wide and expansive orchestral arrangement. Electronic music also benefited from this with the deep synth bass tones of “Music from the Sky” by Charles Crevier and Francois Kiraly reaching down effortlessly to the nether regions! Mid bass carried on in a linear fashion to the border with the midrange with no undue emphasis, lending a very neutral quality to this region and allowing all the detail to come through.
Midrange
The midrange, like the bass, was neutral in character and again showed an open, transparent quality, enabling details to be heard which other transducers fail to resolve. There was no sense of a recessed midrange. The wealth of detail on offer here was certainly surprising and I was able to hear things I had not noticed before, even in familiar recordings. The guitar and percussion elements in Chris Spheeris’s “Lovers and Friends” from his album “Desires of the Heart” came over more clearly than I have ever heard, providing extra detail and producing a very “live” effect which was very enjoyable. The transient response was very incisive and lent an attractive immediacy to everything I played. Geoffrey Bush’s “Music for Orchestra” performed by the LPO under Vernon Handley displayed this perfectly. This is a piece written in 1967 showcasing all the instruments of the orchestra in a lively, modern composition and the M1 Pros revelled in it, showing excellent natural timbre and giving a dynamic, enervating performance.
Treble
The treble was exceptionally clean and clear with a remarkable extension. There appeared to be very little roll-off even in the highest frequencies which allowed the finest detail and elusive harmonics essential for accurate timbre to be resolved. This was very impressive for a single dynamic driver. Such resolution is normally to be found in multi-driver units with dedicated HF BA drivers. As a result of this, electronic music fared particularly well. Andrew Forrest’s latest album “Freefall” is a set of three long electronic pieces featuring an impressive array of keyboards and electronic effects. The crystalline high frequency details in the first part displayed a wealth of detail with the various textures clearly differentiated and the complex arrangement showing excellent separation of the different elements. George Deuter’s “Petite Fleur” from his “Land of Enchantment album similarly impressed with all the delicacy of the percussion sounds coming over cleanly and precisely. Orchestral strings were also well-resolved with the high violin parts in the second movement of Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes”, “Sunday Morning”, beautifully rendered and presented with verve and animation.
Soundstage
The soundstage on the M1 was exceptionally wide, deep and high, much more so than any IEM I have heard, and it resembled the stage of a full-size pair of headphones. It was also reminiscent of listening to high quality speakers in a large room with a spacious and airy quality. Imaging and separation were also very good, with positioning of orchestral instruments very well portrayed. The deep brass accompaniment at the beginning of Liadov’s “Enchanted Lake” in a recording conducted by Charles Gerhardt displayed a wonderful sense of depth and distance with the horns and harp occupying opposite sides of the image and the percussion section rumbling menacingly in the background, all of which combined to convey a wonderful live quality. Pink Floyd’s “Cluster One” from the “Division Bell” album also impressed, with Rick Wright’s keyboards and Nick Mason’s drums spread across the stage, complemented by Dave Gilmour’s moody guitar solo placed high in the centre of the image to great effect. “Antarctic Echoes” from Vangelis’s soundtrack to the Kurosawa film displayed a cavernous acoustic punctuated by the evocative synth elements which possessed an impressive decay which added to the atmosphere of the piece.
Conclusion
It is many years since I last used earbuds, it goes back to when I used a portable cassette player. The M1 Pro is the first earbud I have tested after discovering IEMs around nine years ago and I have to say it was a revelation. The presentation is different from an IEM with a more open perspective. Coming from a V-shaped IEM, the initial impression was of a bass-light and mid-centric sound, but with further listening, a beautifully balanced neutral or “flat” response emerged which enabled music to be heard the way the artist (or producer) intended. Bass was in fact, well extended with excellent texture.
Comparisons, therefore, are difficult, but the closest-sounding IEM I have in my collection to the M1would be the Tin T3, which has a similar neutral character with a somewhat bright upper range. If you are looking for a transducer capable of accurate and musical reproduction, then this M1 Pro should be high on your shortlist.
The packaging is clean, simple and neat. A simple white box with the Smabat logo contains the earbuds with the silver-plated MMCX cable attached. Also included are two pairs of foam covers, one pair of rubber covers, three pairs of ear hooks and an instruction manual. All in all, this is a good presentation.
The earpieces are very well made from metal and there is a double vent on the top of the housing which is the output for the Maze chamber. This channels the bass output of the driver along an extended path in order to supplement the bass response, and it works very well (see text below). The supplied MMCX cable is of high quality silver-plated copper with a straight 3.5mm brushed aluminium plug and a matching Y-split barrel. A clear plastic chin slider is also provided.
The M1 Pro was used with a Hifi Walker H2 DAP via line out with a Fiio A5 amplifier for evaluation with a wide range of music across various genres, and a burn in period of 100 hours was carried out.
Having used IEMs for at least the last eight years, the different presentation of an earbud took a little acclimatisation. Getting a good seal was the key to maximising the potential of the M1 Pro, and I achieved this by using the supplied foam covers and earhooks. The lack of isolation was another difference and this was compensated for by increasing the volume. In fact I found the M1 Pro particularly power-hungry and the best results were obtained with the amplifier volume increased by around 25% compared to my regular IEMs.
First impressions were of a very wide and deep soundstage with an unusually good depiction of height. Detail retrieval was exceptional, especially in the treble, which was very extended and clear. The overall balance was neutral with a very linear profile in the bass, which also showed good extension and superb texture. Imaging was also above average. The overriding impression was one of “naturalness”, with the effect similar to listening to high quality speakers. That “intimacy” found when listening to IEMs with a perfect seal was replaced by an airy, relaxed and open presentation. In more detail:
Bass
With the Maze bass enhancement being a USP of these earbuds, I was keen to hear what the bass was like, especially since my home speakers employ a transmission line bass system. I am pleased to report that it is a success, with the bass having a very natural, unforced quality with excellent extension. Sub-bass was deep and beautifully textured and resolution was top class. The powerful bass drums in the beautiful 88KHz Reference Recordings issue of Rachmaninov’s “Symphonic Dance No.1” performed by the Minnesota Orchestra provided a perfect example with great immediacy and impact underpinning the impressively wide and expansive orchestral arrangement. Electronic music also benefited from this with the deep synth bass tones of “Music from the Sky” by Charles Crevier and Francois Kiraly reaching down effortlessly to the nether regions! Mid bass carried on in a linear fashion to the border with the midrange with no undue emphasis, lending a very neutral quality to this region and allowing all the detail to come through.
Midrange
The midrange, like the bass, was neutral in character and again showed an open, transparent quality, enabling details to be heard which other transducers fail to resolve. There was no sense of a recessed midrange. The wealth of detail on offer here was certainly surprising and I was able to hear things I had not noticed before, even in familiar recordings. The guitar and percussion elements in Chris Spheeris’s “Lovers and Friends” from his album “Desires of the Heart” came over more clearly than I have ever heard, providing extra detail and producing a very “live” effect which was very enjoyable. The transient response was very incisive and lent an attractive immediacy to everything I played. Geoffrey Bush’s “Music for Orchestra” performed by the LPO under Vernon Handley displayed this perfectly. This is a piece written in 1967 showcasing all the instruments of the orchestra in a lively, modern composition and the M1 Pros revelled in it, showing excellent natural timbre and giving a dynamic, enervating performance.
Treble
The treble was exceptionally clean and clear with a remarkable extension. There appeared to be very little roll-off even in the highest frequencies which allowed the finest detail and elusive harmonics essential for accurate timbre to be resolved. This was very impressive for a single dynamic driver. Such resolution is normally to be found in multi-driver units with dedicated HF BA drivers. As a result of this, electronic music fared particularly well. Andrew Forrest’s latest album “Freefall” is a set of three long electronic pieces featuring an impressive array of keyboards and electronic effects. The crystalline high frequency details in the first part displayed a wealth of detail with the various textures clearly differentiated and the complex arrangement showing excellent separation of the different elements. George Deuter’s “Petite Fleur” from his “Land of Enchantment album similarly impressed with all the delicacy of the percussion sounds coming over cleanly and precisely. Orchestral strings were also well-resolved with the high violin parts in the second movement of Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes”, “Sunday Morning”, beautifully rendered and presented with verve and animation.
Soundstage
The soundstage on the M1 was exceptionally wide, deep and high, much more so than any IEM I have heard, and it resembled the stage of a full-size pair of headphones. It was also reminiscent of listening to high quality speakers in a large room with a spacious and airy quality. Imaging and separation were also very good, with positioning of orchestral instruments very well portrayed. The deep brass accompaniment at the beginning of Liadov’s “Enchanted Lake” in a recording conducted by Charles Gerhardt displayed a wonderful sense of depth and distance with the horns and harp occupying opposite sides of the image and the percussion section rumbling menacingly in the background, all of which combined to convey a wonderful live quality. Pink Floyd’s “Cluster One” from the “Division Bell” album also impressed, with Rick Wright’s keyboards and Nick Mason’s drums spread across the stage, complemented by Dave Gilmour’s moody guitar solo placed high in the centre of the image to great effect. “Antarctic Echoes” from Vangelis’s soundtrack to the Kurosawa film displayed a cavernous acoustic punctuated by the evocative synth elements which possessed an impressive decay which added to the atmosphere of the piece.
Conclusion
It is many years since I last used earbuds, it goes back to when I used a portable cassette player. The M1 Pro is the first earbud I have tested after discovering IEMs around nine years ago and I have to say it was a revelation. The presentation is different from an IEM with a more open perspective. Coming from a V-shaped IEM, the initial impression was of a bass-light and mid-centric sound, but with further listening, a beautifully balanced neutral or “flat” response emerged which enabled music to be heard the way the artist (or producer) intended. Bass was in fact, well extended with excellent texture.
Comparisons, therefore, are difficult, but the closest-sounding IEM I have in my collection to the M1would be the Tin T3, which has a similar neutral character with a somewhat bright upper range. If you are looking for a transducer capable of accurate and musical reproduction, then this M1 Pro should be high on your shortlist.