WillSound PK32 is quite different from the usual WillSound buds – a smaller Yuin shell and a vastly different sound signature from the rest of the WillSound lineup. These earbuds retail on Rholupat.com with 2.5mm and 3.5mm connectors and ship internationally. I have included the link below:
http://www.rholupat.com/custom-earphone/willsound-pk32-25mm.html
Build, fit and packaging
The earbuds have a nice, branded, zippered case which is shared across the WillSound family of buds and come with 4 pairs of dense, white foams. The foams are of good quality.
The housing is a Yuin shell, this time around. For those will smaller ears and those who struggle with the size of MX500 shells, the Yuin should offer some comfort. The shell material is of good quality. The cable and jacks are same as the MK1.
The cable has a nice pearlescent shine to it; doesn’t tangle easily and offers no unwanted microphonics. The Y-splitter and 3.5 mm jack lack the premium feel of the MK2 and MK3, but get the job done.
Note: There is already an updated version of the PK32 with a different cable and a slightly different tuning, but the driver remains the same. So characteristics exhibited in this review should might hold good for the newer version too.
Foam Matching
Foams are critical to get the right sound out of the Yuin shell buds and choice of foam have a greater impact on the sound signature.
Those with bigger ears, like me, who are quite comfortable with the MX500 shells, will not get a good seal with the PK32 and when used without foams, will have a sound that is devoid of the essential warmth and bass response. Those with medium sized ears, may have an advantage here when worn without foams.
The foams included are full and dense – offer more warmth than necessary while having an impact on the mids and highs. I did not prefer them.
With thin foams, the mids and highs were not noticeably impacted, but the warmth was still lacking.
Donuts were perfect for these, but I would recommend the use of a donut foam with a slightly larger hole to expose 2 of the 3 rows of vents on the faceplate. My foams were or medium density and added the right amount of warmth while having no impact on mids and highs.
The review to follow is compiled with these donut foams.
So how does it sound?
Here's the setup for my evaluation - FLACs (16/44.1, 24/48 and 24/96) on my LG G6 with ES9218p DAC SOC or Tidal Hi-Fi played bit perfect through the UAPP player.
I write this in most of my reviews - the key factor that is to be considered while reading my opinion below is that earbuds may sound different to different individuals based on the shape and size of your ears and how the earbuds fit and how they are positioned and your hearing sensitivity itself. More so in the case of PK32 where the seal depends on the size of the ears and the foams used. With donut foams, the sound signature for most users will be the same with just the difference in the amount sub 1KHz frequencies.
So, with all that said, let's get into the actual performance of the PK32.
The PK32 is one earbud where there is a noticeable change in sound signature after a good burn-in. I don’t believe in the concept of burn-in and haven’t noticed any significant change in the sound signature of most earbuds after burn-in, but if the maker recommends it, I do it prior to review. But I got to admit that the PK32 becomes better after burn-in. Willy recommends at least 100 hours of burn-in on these buds.
With the PK32, Willy has tried to satisfy lovers of most genres of music – the PK32 is quite musical sounding. According to me, the mids of the PK32 are quite good compared to the rest of the frequency range and they are impressive on acoustic tracks.
Breathe by Seinabo Sey shows the impressive rendering of vocals on the PK32 – reasonably forward and texturally rich mids. Sadly, there is some bass bleed into mids that is quite visible at around the 1:10 mark. This apart, the PK32 displays nice separation between the vocals and all the strings along with reasonable width and some decent kick drums. Another track to showcase mids is Cold Little Heart by Michael Kiwanuka, where the PK32 shows nice texture on the vocals, clean for the most part. What is also rendered well is the nostalgic chorus vocals that is presented with a good amount of width. Separation is just about average; instruments can use some extra air between them.
One thing which I have mentioned repeatedly on the both tracks above is the nice stereo width showcased by the PK32. This is quite noticeable on tracks like Decks Dark by Radiohead; the width on offer is better than what is seen on the WillSound MK series. What is noticeable again is the bass bleed into the vocals – there is some visible restraint on the vocals due to the accompanying bass guitar. Still the vocals sound almost realistic with good texture on this. At around the 4-minute mark, when the track gets busy, separation take a small hit – definitely could benefit from some airiness.
Changes by Faul & Wad Ad shows the range the small PK32 can deliver – impressive width, meaty, deep bass note, nice, clean vocals on the chorus. Though there is faint sibilance audible on the chorus vocals, they remain well separated from the bass and the saxophone. The saxophone has some bass bleed impacting its separation, but nothing to worry about. This track presents all key frequency ranges and the PK32 laps it up with ease; not like the MK2, but pretty well. That said, sub bass rolls off sharply below 60-70 Hz and can draw some blanks on tracks like Royals by Lorde.
Not just the width, the depth on offer is also quite good too; not like the levels seen on MK2 or MK3, but much better than MK1. Even on complex tracks like The National Anthem by Radiohead, the PK32 does reasonably well – retains the bass texture throughout the track, even during the complex passage at around the 3-minute mark when trumpets and pipes are blaring. What doesn’t impress is the ride cymbals that sound digitally compressed. But during the second complex passage at the 4:30 mark, it is quite evident that the PK32 definitely needs more airiness – the track feels claustrophobic, for the lack of fishing time for a better word.
Get Lucky by Daft Punk has enough bass texture on offer and the PK32 fumbles – the texture is not as clean as its cousins – the MK2 and MK3. The airiness on this track is better than others listed so far and micro details are ok for the most part and sometimes are hidden by the bass and vocals. Speed is good enough not to impact the tempo of the track.
On a track like Madness by Muse where various bass frequencies are served on a platter, the PK32 demonstrates a slight slowness on the bass notes that impacts the texture. Also, the vocals don’t stand out and shine like in the case of the MK2 and MK3. Layering is just ok; there is a slight overlap between the layers of music in play after the 3-minute mark and the track is more warm than what I usually prefer.
The History Song by The good, the bad and the Queen is another interesting track for imaging and bass quality. While the bass notes have a good weight, the texture is quite average. Nevertheless, the vocals are well separated on this track and instrument separation on offer is good enough for the track.
One last track which has featured in almost all WillSound earbud reviews is Shibuya by Covet. The PK32 takes a stroll in the park with this track – be it the bass guitar or snare drums or the ride and crash cymbals, the PK32 does a good musical rendering of this track. Definitely it could use some extra airiness, but it is well done for the most part. In fact, the cymbal decays are much better rendered on the PK32 than on the MK3, which excels in all other areas.
The biggest acid test for the PK32 was however the humble September Song by Agnes Obel. The track is characterized by fast piano notes across two different octaves. The lower octave makes is difficult for the PK32 as the track demands really fast bass response; separation of notes on PK32 take a hit.
Conclusion
The PK32 is the lesser known member of the WillSound family, and comes in a different packaging with the Yuin shells. These will have the most polarizing opinions as well as the sound highly depends on the foams used. Nevertheless, the PK32 are done right when it comes to musicality and sound reasonably big. These are definitely recommended for those into acoustic music, while others will be pleasantly surprised as well.
http://www.rholupat.com/custom-earphone/willsound-pk32-25mm.html
Build, fit and packaging
The earbuds have a nice, branded, zippered case which is shared across the WillSound family of buds and come with 4 pairs of dense, white foams. The foams are of good quality.
The housing is a Yuin shell, this time around. For those will smaller ears and those who struggle with the size of MX500 shells, the Yuin should offer some comfort. The shell material is of good quality. The cable and jacks are same as the MK1.
The cable has a nice pearlescent shine to it; doesn’t tangle easily and offers no unwanted microphonics. The Y-splitter and 3.5 mm jack lack the premium feel of the MK2 and MK3, but get the job done.
Note: There is already an updated version of the PK32 with a different cable and a slightly different tuning, but the driver remains the same. So characteristics exhibited in this review should might hold good for the newer version too.
Foam Matching
Foams are critical to get the right sound out of the Yuin shell buds and choice of foam have a greater impact on the sound signature.
Those with bigger ears, like me, who are quite comfortable with the MX500 shells, will not get a good seal with the PK32 and when used without foams, will have a sound that is devoid of the essential warmth and bass response. Those with medium sized ears, may have an advantage here when worn without foams.
The foams included are full and dense – offer more warmth than necessary while having an impact on the mids and highs. I did not prefer them.
With thin foams, the mids and highs were not noticeably impacted, but the warmth was still lacking.
Donuts were perfect for these, but I would recommend the use of a donut foam with a slightly larger hole to expose 2 of the 3 rows of vents on the faceplate. My foams were or medium density and added the right amount of warmth while having no impact on mids and highs.
The review to follow is compiled with these donut foams.
So how does it sound?
Here's the setup for my evaluation - FLACs (16/44.1, 24/48 and 24/96) on my LG G6 with ES9218p DAC SOC or Tidal Hi-Fi played bit perfect through the UAPP player.
I write this in most of my reviews - the key factor that is to be considered while reading my opinion below is that earbuds may sound different to different individuals based on the shape and size of your ears and how the earbuds fit and how they are positioned and your hearing sensitivity itself. More so in the case of PK32 where the seal depends on the size of the ears and the foams used. With donut foams, the sound signature for most users will be the same with just the difference in the amount sub 1KHz frequencies.
So, with all that said, let's get into the actual performance of the PK32.
The PK32 is one earbud where there is a noticeable change in sound signature after a good burn-in. I don’t believe in the concept of burn-in and haven’t noticed any significant change in the sound signature of most earbuds after burn-in, but if the maker recommends it, I do it prior to review. But I got to admit that the PK32 becomes better after burn-in. Willy recommends at least 100 hours of burn-in on these buds.
With the PK32, Willy has tried to satisfy lovers of most genres of music – the PK32 is quite musical sounding. According to me, the mids of the PK32 are quite good compared to the rest of the frequency range and they are impressive on acoustic tracks.
Breathe by Seinabo Sey shows the impressive rendering of vocals on the PK32 – reasonably forward and texturally rich mids. Sadly, there is some bass bleed into mids that is quite visible at around the 1:10 mark. This apart, the PK32 displays nice separation between the vocals and all the strings along with reasonable width and some decent kick drums. Another track to showcase mids is Cold Little Heart by Michael Kiwanuka, where the PK32 shows nice texture on the vocals, clean for the most part. What is also rendered well is the nostalgic chorus vocals that is presented with a good amount of width. Separation is just about average; instruments can use some extra air between them.
One thing which I have mentioned repeatedly on the both tracks above is the nice stereo width showcased by the PK32. This is quite noticeable on tracks like Decks Dark by Radiohead; the width on offer is better than what is seen on the WillSound MK series. What is noticeable again is the bass bleed into the vocals – there is some visible restraint on the vocals due to the accompanying bass guitar. Still the vocals sound almost realistic with good texture on this. At around the 4-minute mark, when the track gets busy, separation take a small hit – definitely could benefit from some airiness.
Changes by Faul & Wad Ad shows the range the small PK32 can deliver – impressive width, meaty, deep bass note, nice, clean vocals on the chorus. Though there is faint sibilance audible on the chorus vocals, they remain well separated from the bass and the saxophone. The saxophone has some bass bleed impacting its separation, but nothing to worry about. This track presents all key frequency ranges and the PK32 laps it up with ease; not like the MK2, but pretty well. That said, sub bass rolls off sharply below 60-70 Hz and can draw some blanks on tracks like Royals by Lorde.
Not just the width, the depth on offer is also quite good too; not like the levels seen on MK2 or MK3, but much better than MK1. Even on complex tracks like The National Anthem by Radiohead, the PK32 does reasonably well – retains the bass texture throughout the track, even during the complex passage at around the 3-minute mark when trumpets and pipes are blaring. What doesn’t impress is the ride cymbals that sound digitally compressed. But during the second complex passage at the 4:30 mark, it is quite evident that the PK32 definitely needs more airiness – the track feels claustrophobic, for the lack of fishing time for a better word.
Get Lucky by Daft Punk has enough bass texture on offer and the PK32 fumbles – the texture is not as clean as its cousins – the MK2 and MK3. The airiness on this track is better than others listed so far and micro details are ok for the most part and sometimes are hidden by the bass and vocals. Speed is good enough not to impact the tempo of the track.
On a track like Madness by Muse where various bass frequencies are served on a platter, the PK32 demonstrates a slight slowness on the bass notes that impacts the texture. Also, the vocals don’t stand out and shine like in the case of the MK2 and MK3. Layering is just ok; there is a slight overlap between the layers of music in play after the 3-minute mark and the track is more warm than what I usually prefer.
The History Song by The good, the bad and the Queen is another interesting track for imaging and bass quality. While the bass notes have a good weight, the texture is quite average. Nevertheless, the vocals are well separated on this track and instrument separation on offer is good enough for the track.
One last track which has featured in almost all WillSound earbud reviews is Shibuya by Covet. The PK32 takes a stroll in the park with this track – be it the bass guitar or snare drums or the ride and crash cymbals, the PK32 does a good musical rendering of this track. Definitely it could use some extra airiness, but it is well done for the most part. In fact, the cymbal decays are much better rendered on the PK32 than on the MK3, which excels in all other areas.
The biggest acid test for the PK32 was however the humble September Song by Agnes Obel. The track is characterized by fast piano notes across two different octaves. The lower octave makes is difficult for the PK32 as the track demands really fast bass response; separation of notes on PK32 take a hit.
Conclusion
The PK32 is the lesser known member of the WillSound family, and comes in a different packaging with the Yuin shells. These will have the most polarizing opinions as well as the sound highly depends on the foams used. Nevertheless, the PK32 are done right when it comes to musicality and sound reasonably big. These are definitely recommended for those into acoustic music, while others will be pleasantly surprised as well.