I wanted to share my brief(ish), casual impressions of this outstanding IEM. You will not find a full head-fi style review here but there's so little info about this IEM, I figured I'd put down my thoughts. I bought this IEM with my own money from the fine folks at MusicTeck. I live in NY and I really need to get over there to just play with all the toys they sell (they're based in NJ).
I've tried and owned a big chunk of all the top of the line IEMs and many mid and lower-tier IEMs. I used to be a headphone guy but the Elysian Annihilator pretty much reset the hobby for me. The Annihilator's rich delivery (especially in the highs) really put me on a whole new journey. I've bought, traded and sold off an embarrassing amount of gear and only a rare few have survived.
The Canpur CP74E is one of them. Here's a quick rundown of my impressions:
Packaging/Accessories. Canpur does it right: minimal, not too tacky but very impressive and high-end none the less. Very impressive all around. It's not that different than their other high-end gear (CP54E and CP622B). I'm not a cable guy so I won't get into that aspect of it. It's a custom Eletech cable.
Fit & Look & Feel. I've added a pic. They're beautiful. A really understated but not too minimalist design. The IEMs themselves are not too heavy. They are much less thick than the 622B. The fit is ridiculously good. It is one of the highlights of this IEM. It feels like a CIEM in my ears. Now mind you, these are my ears but still, they went for a particular impression and it works so damn well. According to their site, this is the result of producing thousands of moldings.
The sound. This is a 7BA+4EST IEM. This is pasted right from the spec sheet: Sonion 38D2XJ007Mi-8c/Sonion 28UAP01/Sonion2389/Sonion E500T0005/0/SonionEST650B01.
The sound is ethereal. It reminds me of the effortless mids and cotton candy highs of the Traillii. It resolves effortlessly and delivers an incredibly satisfying texture to the mids and highs. The lows are deep, satisfying but not rumbling (no DD here folks, move on). They are right up there with the latest excellent BA bass implementations. But if you're looking to go out clubbing, this isn't the IEM for you. If you care about a truly cohesive sound with stellar timbre, this is an incredible IEM. Think: brilliant Oriolus-style tuning + satisfying bass. It is really special.
Now I'm going to do some rapid fire comparisons of IEMs I own or recently owned:
vs. Elysian Annihilator. The Annihilator brings that delicious treble right to the forefront. It is so good and so satisfying but it is not a balanced sound in my view. One could argue it resolves better than the CP74E but I prefer the highs on this IEM. The detail is all there without trying too hard. With regards to the bass, The Annihilator 2023 bass is a bit too bloomy for my taste. It rumbles but tends to be a bit out of control. The CP74E bass is tight and incisive in comparison.
vs. CP54E. The little brother of the CP74E is...amazing. A fun, thicker sounding tuning. The CP74E is simply more refined, mainly due to the lush, textured mids and sparkly highs. It just takes the details up a notch. The CP54E is a warmer tuning. Both are excellent and worth noting that the CP74E is much more expensive.
vs. Oriolus Traillii. I have to guess that the kids at Canpur were messing around with the Traillii when they were tuning this thing. Its timbre and rich mids remind me of the Traillii a lot. The Traillii is one of those controversial IEMs due to its price and fairly rabid following. And for good reason: it's incredible. It is without peer in delivering certain genres (vocals, instrumental jazz, etc,) like it. The CP74E carries many of those traits, though I fear it doesn't go as far. But what it does bring to the table is bass. The Traillii bass is really chill and maybe too tame for some. The CP74E delivers a much punchier bass in comparison.
vs. 7th Acoustics Supernova. Not really a fair fight but here goes: I truly lov(ed) this IEM. I've since sold it. We hear a lot about diminishing returns in this hobby. The Supernova is an $800 IEM and it is great. Beautifully tuned. You can set it and forget it for hours. Vocals are stunning. And yet...it simply cannot compete with the CP74E. A whole other league. Is it 3.5x better? I'm not going to get into that debate. The Canpur is pricey. No doubt about it. But it is a truly special IEM.
vs. Canpur CP622B. Arguably also not a fair fight. The CP622B is an incredible IEM. It is Canpur's flagship and for good reason. It's an arena inside of an IEM. Big, audacious sound from bottom to top. Incredibly textured bass, spectacular mids and highs that reach across and tickle your brain. It's a big, audacious, muscular sound that is very satisfying. Next to the CP74E, it's just a bigger, fuller experience. Just as the Traillii would never compete with the Empire Ears Raven, the CP622B and CP74E wouldn't really compete either. They're both great athletes, but they play completely different sports. The CP74E is a smoother, more elegant experience. It's an all-rounder and if you want to something that confidently delivers without trying too hard, the CP74E is it. The CP622B is a beast. It brings the bass arguably without peer and brings the rest of the sound as well. It's great. Just different. Also worth noting, the CP622B is physically much bigger.
An exceptional IEM from Canpur
I never heard of Canpur until...last year? Even in the high end IEM space, it's getting insanely crowded, but man-o-man they are consistently hitting it out of the park. I've spent time with their entire professional line and their craftsmanship and tuning skills are some of the best in the business. If you can get a chance to audition the CP74E, don't pass on it. It's a stellar IEM.
