[rawrster]

If you can buy one used that would even the price difference. I've seen multiple ads in the $100-125 or so range. I bought mine at that price and consider it a good value. A lot of earphones have been released since the p1 was announced so these don't get as much attention as they used to.

 

[Justice86]

Hi everyone, new user here, and I just got these IEMs thanks to the almost unanimous appraisal of these.
I am currently using these with an iPhone 8 + Apple dongle, and they sound very good. They are also loud enough with the iPhone, used with Tidal Hifi / Spotify Premium.
I am wondering how much the quality improves with an external DAC/amp such as the FiiO Q1 mk2 as everyone seems to assert that to 'unlock the full potential' a DAC/amp is recommended.
How can this improvement by a DAC/amp be described? Is it a day and night difference such as switching from an inbuilt sound card in a PC to a dedicated one or is it a negligible improvement by, say, 10%?
I can hardly imagine which aspects could even sound better. I do not wish to improve the volume since the iPhone is loud enough, and these are meant for a portable setup. I also use the Sennheiser Momentum gen. 1 (no need to amp) and AKG 242 HD for music production with a Steinberg Audio-Interface (so that you know where I'm coming from). Do I need a DAC considering everyone says that the external flimsily feeling Apple dongle already is 'a very good DAC' on its own? I would appreciate any input!

 

[Blazer39]

I haven't heard the Pinnacles yet, I wish I would have picked them up from massdrop instead of the nuforce EDCs I bought in December though. I can tell you the IT01s sound great from my fiio X3ii as well as my note 4 LG G6 and laptop. I thinks the P1s would sound great from your X3ii and it should have no problem driving them, it powered my hard to drive for an IEM havi b3s easily on low gain and my son's 250 ohm DT770s on high gain.

while X3ii can power up P1 the sound to me is a bit hot in the treble, but then again i listen mostly to metal with sup-bar recording quality.

 

[Mouseman]

Hi everyone, new user here, and I just got these IEMs thanks to the almost unanimous appraisal of these.
I am currently using these with an iPhone 8 + Apple dongle, and they sound very good. They are also loud enough with the iPhone, used with Tidal Hifi / Spotify Premium.
I am wondering how much the quality improves with an external DAC/amp such as the FiiO Q1 mk2 as everyone seems to assert that to 'unlock the full potential' a DAC/amp is recommended.
How can this improvement by a DAC/amp be described? Is it a day and night difference such as switching from an inbuilt sound card in a PC to a dedicated one or is it a negligible improvement by, say, 10%?
I can hardly imagine which aspects could even sound better. I do not wish to improve the volume since the iPhone is loud enough, and these are meant for a portable setup. I also use the Sennheiser Momentum gen. 1 (no need to amp) and AKG 242 HD for music production with a Steinberg Audio-Interface (so that you know where I'm coming from). Do I need a DAC considering everyone says that the external flimsily feeling Apple dongle already is 'a very good DAC' on its own? I would appreciate any input!

The Apple dongle has a pretty lousy dac, and I'd consider just about anything as an upgrade with the P1s. I have an AccessPort and it's even an upgrade. A dedicated DAC/Amp will give you a significant sound upgrade, not just the volume level. The Q1 mk2 is night and day from the Apple dongle.

 

[willywill]

Hi everyone, new user here, and I just got these IEMs thanks to the almost unanimous appraisal of these.
I am currently using these with an iPhone 8 + Apple dongle, and they sound very good. They are also loud enough with the iPhone, used with Tidal Hifi / Spotify Premium.
I am wondering how much the quality improves with an external DAC/amp such as the FiiO Q1 mk2 as everyone seems to assert that to 'unlock the full potential' a DAC/amp is recommended.
How can this improvement by a DAC/amp be described? Is it a day and night difference such as switching from an inbuilt sound card in a PC to a dedicated one or is it a negligible improvement by, say, 10%?
I can hardly imagine which aspects could even sound better. I do not wish to improve the volume since the iPhone is loud enough, and these are meant for a portable setup. I also use the Sennheiser Momentum gen. 1 (no need to amp) and AKG 242 HD for music production with a Steinberg Audio-Interface (so that you know where I'm coming from). Do I need a DAC considering everyone says that the external flimsily feeling Apple dongle already is 'a very good DAC' on its own? I would appreciate any input!

It's more then loudness, you want better clarity and a fuller sound a DAC/AMP will get you there but the Q1 has hidden cost that your not looking at and some of your headphone won't take full advantage of the Q1.
The Q1 need to be 2.5mm balanced to get the best out of it. It's easy for the P1 a $20 cable will work but i don't think you can go balanced with the Momentum.

 

[behnawm]

thank you guys. i ended up buying a pair of Pinnacles. found a used one in a good condition (demo unit) and jumped on it. i had some concerns regarding the difference between the two justifying the higher price (just getting started into pricier stuff, coming from a beyrdynamic dx120s) and although i was leaning towards the P1s, this opportunity almost solved the issue.
really excited to receive them in a few days.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

So... is it possible to get the little filter on the nozzle separately? Because somehow mine managed to fall out and I don't know what happened to it.

 

[vessel]

So... is it possible to get the little filter on the nozzle separately? Because somehow mine managed to fall out and I don't know what happened to it.

Mine either came without them or they fell out/in before I got them, I contacted Mee and they mailed me replacements. They have surprisingly good customer service, I've dealt with them a few times now and they are always responsive and have immediately done the right thing without hesitation. They recently shipped me a replacement headphone, it came with the filter, which seems to have fallen into the headphone already. I think it's a design flaw personally and don't worry about it, I have used mine heavily and have yet to notice earwax or anything like that getting in there. I would say don't worry about the filters, but if you contact Mee they will definitely send you new ones free of charge.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Mine either came without them or they fell out/in before I got them, I contacted Mee and they mailed me replacements. They have surprisingly good customer service, I've dealt with them a few times now and they are always responsive and have immediately done the right thing without hesitation. They recently shipped me a replacement headphone, it came with the filter, which seems to have fallen into the headphone already. I think it's a design flaw personally and don't worry about it, I have used mine heavily and have yet to notice earwax or anything like that getting in there. I would say don't worry about the filters, but if you contact Mee they will definitely send you new ones free of charge.

I feel like they sound different without the filters, as well. The treble seems hotter.

 

[vessel]

I am wondering how much the quality improves with an external DAC/amp such as the FiiO Q1 mk2 as everyone seems to assert that to 'unlock the full potential' a DAC/amp is recommended.
How can this improvement by a DAC/amp be described? Is it a day and night difference such as switching from an inbuilt sound card in a PC to a dedicated one or is it a negligible improvement by, say, 10%?

I primarily use mine with a Cayin N3 and find it improves the sound over my phone (S6) in subtle but significant ways, even when just sending audio to it via bluetooth. I couldn't quantify it into a percentage, but generally speaking the audio tends to sound fuller and more detailed. It also can get a good amount louder than my phone which has to be on max volume to handle the P1 at what I consider acceptable, but even at approximately the same volume levels the N3 tends to bring out a depth in the audio that isn't there with my phone.

My advice, as a total nonexpert with limited experience, is to either be happy with what you have or evaluate whether a subtle improvement is worth money to you. The difference is not night and day, it's a real difference but if you can already drive your P1s well enough with your phone you don't "need" an amp. That said, I love my N3 and the utility it provides goes beyond just getting my P1s louder or the subtle improvements in sound quality it provides.

 

[vessel]

I feel like they sound different without the filters, as well. The treble seems hotter.

Interesting. I could not notice a difference between my new one when it had the filter and the one without, or the new one after the filter mysteriously disappeared.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Interesting. I could not notice a difference between my new one when it had the filter and the one without, or the new one after the filter mysteriously disappeared.

Hmmm. Quite possibly all in my head, then. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Regardless, the filters came in the mail, and I swear the treble calmed down a bit.

I do love these things. When I'm in the mood for a single DD I just can't get enough.

 

[bontaname]

just sent mine back for a refund. had them for about a month before they broke. strangely it wasn't the cable, as i tried swapping and the right iem was still dead.

off the v20 it was a pretty good all-rounder from what I heard, which is odd considering i usually dislike drivers that are good at making anything sound okay (audeze). the detail was there, just in the background and a little cluttered at times. i don't think i ever got it to fit properly though, my puny ear canals don't work with even the smallest tips

 

[Houmaan]

Some guy said p1 sounds better than se535. Im wondering about buying pinnacle except se535 and save the 250$ difference. My source is chord mojo and Im really looking for some clear sound and an amazing soundstage. What do you guys suggest?