MEE Audio Pinnacle P1 - $199 Dynamic Driver Flagship *Reviews 2nd Post*
Mar 10, 2016 at 11:36 PM Post #527 of 3,265
 
i bought the Zn on impulse because I was enticed by the build but after careful listening the sound is underwhelming hence I sell it away.
The P1 is more of an audiophile iem as compared to the Zn.
There isn't any strength of the Zn apart from its build.
P1 is superior to Zn in all aspects maybe apart from the build imo
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p.s vmoda m100 is good though but zn fails to replicate or better it though it is unfair for an iem to can comparison. zn was one of my worst buy.
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X2!  Zn impulse buyers 
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  selling off my Zn for the P1. Way lot better
 
Mar 11, 2016 at 5:46 AM Post #528 of 3,265
X2!  Zn impulse buyers :beerchug:   selling off my Zn for the P1. Way lot better
the advertisement video showcasing the build quality of the zn just convinced me to get it and upon demoing it, I am busy admiring how well-built the zn is and completely disregard the sound. After a few days of using the zn, only to discover that the excellent build quality is a gimmick...
Sound is very underwhelming. Bass reproduction is not even close to their flagship m100. Details retrieval is poor. Treble is rugged. Soundstage is extremely narrow. Slightly recessed mids. It just makes my music sound boring. I am really disappointed with the Zn. Honestly, bought it on impulse because of the build quality which is day and night in contrast to the sound it delivers. Easily one of the worst buys ever for me . :frowning2:
Strongly recommend those who are interested in the Zn, do audition them extensively. Do not let the outstanding build quality convince you its good
I must say the advertising team did a marvellous job nonetheless.
Back to the comment regarding zn is comparable to p1, its akin to comparing KZ iem to Noble K10 (not saying the kz is bad just a comparison). In my opinion, K10 is superior to KZ regardless of the PRICE*
The same goes for P1 to Zn. Cheers
Well sound is subjective.Pretty sure there will be critics who prefer KZ to K10 haha.
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 3:01 PM Post #531 of 3,265
Mar 12, 2016 at 6:15 PM Post #532 of 3,265
Ordered my P1s on Saturday from the MEE website
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 6:18 PM Post #534 of 3,265
nope...emailed the store...MEE, they are notifying me when they are in stock
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 9:46 PM Post #535 of 3,265
gnarlsagan presents:
 
 
A Title Bout   
 
 
featuring two of the world’s greatest:
 
 
ETYMOTIC’S ER4S
AURISONIC’S ROCKETS
 
 
and a new up-and-coming contender
 
 
MEE AUDIO’S P1
 
 
in a Head-fi sanctioned
 
 
Triple Threat Ladder Match   
 
 
The rules are simple. Be better than your opponent. Get to the top of the ladder.
 
 
First Impressions   
 
 
The ER4S walks with cool calm collectedness towards the ring while Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma blasts with stunning clarity. Team Etymotic is still looking solid after over 20 years in this business. Let’s take a quick look at the stats. An extra long black cable, top quality construction backed by a two year warranty, and reports of people getting their pairs repaired to like-new condition years after purchase. The ER4S is the personification of reliability.
 
 
Suddenly Elton John’s Rocket Man breaks through the roar of the crowd. The Rockets are strutting confidently into the ring. Talk about reliability. I’m already second guessing myself. These things come with a 5 year warranty and a lifetime guarantee, practically begging for you to give them a beating. Moreover, the Rockets have faced the ER4S once before and walked away with the belt. But while every IEM bends to evolving technology and the indifference of time, the ER4S remains ageless. Have the younger Rockets aged with the same grace?
 
 
The lights go out…   
 
 
A single spotlight illuminates a lone figure in the rafters. It’s the P1. Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger thumps with foreboding heaviness. People are going nuts for this thing. And it looks good. Really good. The hype is unmistakeable. The P1 ziplines into the ring, and immediately the Rockets and even ER4S look spartan and boring. One cable isn’t good enough for the P1, which includes not only a long silver plated audio cable, but an additional cable with inline remote. Its barrels shine. It has tips for days, including real Comply. What a heartbreaker.
 
 
What is this?!?
 
 
THE P1 HAS ALREADY CLIMBED THE FIRST RUNG OF THE LADDER
 
 
Its one-two punch of incredibly sharp aesthetics, build quality, and swappable cables completely overwhelmed the more traditional attacks of the Rockets and ER4S. While built to last, they don’t have the versatility and brilliant showmanship of the P1. It’s cables are just as long as the ER4S; it has a chin slider; it’s more comfortable, hell it fits like a glove; the cables are EASILY swappable.
 
 
The Rockets, not to be forgotten, put up a good fight before succumbing to team MEE. Build quality might even surpass both of the other contenders. These things are waterproof, quad-anchor reinforced, with a damn kevlar sheathed cable and titanium housings. But the total package of the P1 is just too impressive. Out of the gate, the P1 wins every time.
 
 
But lucky for our two friends still on the mat, a ladder match is a long grueling test of more than just aesthetics and convenience. No, a ladder match with giants such as these requires endurance. And who has been fighting against the never slowing march of time longer than anyone? Battling countless enemies with relentless precision over decades, the ER4S has peered into the the icy black eyes of time… and laughed. A user recently posted pictures on Head-fi’s very own forum of his over 20-year-old pair, still in use after a single repair and going strong. The ER4S climbs the first rung of the ladder and reaches with slow self-assured determination toward the second rung.
 
 
To beat a giant, you must become a giant-slayer   
 
 
The Rockets land a frenzied hail of punches on the veteran fighter. It moves with deadly force past the ER4S toward the second rung. The P1, with its removable cables and solid metal construction, frantically fights to keep up with the two fighting juggernauts. After all, damaged cables are one of the most common types of damage, and the ability to remove them quickly and easily is a major point in the P1’s favor. However, early reports of MMCX connector issues keep it from advancing for now. The Rockets embody a strength rarely seen in this category. They’ve taken a straight shot from a hammer and survived. People have swung from its cable like a swing. James Bond could probably take out a small Soviet army with a single pair. Nothing, no one is stopping Aurisonics from claiming what it has earned.
 
 
THE ROCKETS MOVE TO THE SECOND RUNG OF THE LADDER
 
 
The battle is really only just beginning. Our contenders have postured and showboated for the crowds, but pomp and fluff don’t win wars. How do these audio aces fight?
 
 
Who will win the war?   
 
 
The ER4S employs a well known and predictable strategy. It doesn’t try to win over its fans with emotion. Pure unadulterated clarity is its claim to fame. Bass doesn’t wow with subwoofer-like thump. Soundstage doesn’t spread over you like the wide open air of a rock arena. The ER4S pulls it victims in, closer. No, CLOSER. You are in the studio. The air is dead silent. That is isolation untouchable. The only sound is your own breathing. Once the music starts you are already in that magical space separated from the noise and stress outside. Every note is heard. Vocals strike deep, with a realism and linearity seldom achieved. Treble stretches out endlessly over a flat plain. Bass, while lacking tremendous depth and sub-bass emphasis, maintains near perfect separation. This IEM is for hearing notes. For most tracks, nothing is missing. Because it employs such a flat Frequency Response (FR), no one note or instrument overpowers any other sound. The ER4S is a perfect democracy, with equal representation throughout the soundscape. One disclaimer however: as individuals HRTF (head related transfer function) differ, some may hear the ER4 as overly mid-forward. In a small way, red filters can reduce this effect, more prominently present in the stock green filters.
 
Despite some minor shortcomings, the ER4S is true stalwart of the audio industry. It has helped build an ever growing dynasty reaching into nearly everyone’s lives, bringing us closer to the music defining our past, present and future. How does one defeat this behemoth? As the ER4S reaches toward that nearing third rung, how can victory be possible?
 
The Rockets did it once. While aiming for a similar overall sound, the Rockets do excel where it counts. Bass, while mimicking that early ER4S roll-off, hits with more punch while retaining a near identical level of note separation. Detail is not lost, but low notes more organically present musical information. Timbre is somehow improved. Mids are very slightly reduced and given a hint of warmth, noticeably widening the soundstage while simultaneously maintaining pinpoint instrument placement within the widened space. The combination of flat FR along with TOTL neutrality make for one of the most satisfying listening experiences that money can buy. Add to that an ease of use afforded by a shallow fit, and the Rockets begin their strong ascent towards the third rung.
 
However, no technological feat is without its Achilles heal. The Rockets, while presenting glorious, neutral treble to my ears, can tend towards rolled off in the upper registers to many ears. This will depend entirely on one’s physiology, but can be improved by working towards a more shallow fit, which increases treble emphasis. This shallow fit definitely hurts overall isolation, effectively throwing open every door and window in that private studio so effortlessly created by the ER4S. Also, while bass does hit harder than on the ER4S, it’s easy to desire more. Some of us want to recreate that visceral feeling so palpable in live music. The fight for the third rung is a close one, only made closer by one of the youngest contenders to grace the ring.
 
The P1 pulls no punches. This sound is big. Much bigger than the quaint offerings of our neutrality heroes. Bass hits like the sting of cold water from an oasis at the end of a desert. After a lifetime of diffuse field leanings, jamming to deep house with deep bass just feels so right. Not to say it is all slam. While thumping harder than both the Ety and Aurisonics, there remains a semblance of neutrality. The P1 inhabits a lovely Middle Earth of IEMs, where bass hits hard enough to recreate the live experience and open the soundstage to the sky, yet not to the point that detail becomes an afterthought. Admittedly, there is less detail in the lower registers. The P1 doesn’t separate notes here like the ER4S and Rockets. Kick drums and bass guitars bleed together a bit more, potentially disappointing the detail freaks. Not that the P1 cares. This is about the experience, putting the listener in a world of sound. In this world, mids take a back seat. They’re present, but not in your face. In fact, a 5kHz peak cools them off a bit to my ears. Emphasis dies down a bit from 6-8kHz, rising sharply again at 9kHz, giving treble some bite with a shallow fit. Using the tri-flange tips tames the treble peak well enough, while not eliminating it. With this set-up, percussion and guitars bite hard, and vocals sing without sibilance.
 
This is all part of Mee’s master plan. It wields the v-shaped sound signature like a razor filed boomerang, slicing through more boring FRs currently fighting for the world title. It begs you not to perceive, but to feel; not to hear, but to listen. While dangerous in the ring, this approach carries considerable risk with more potential pitfalls. Like Casey Jones at the bat whose bigger swings led to bigger whiffs, bigger sound is a bigger risk. Playing with the FR dials creates shooting stars that burn hard and beautiful. We ooh and ah as they captivate our senses and reach towards that top rung. How long can they hold on? Will time erode their beauty, discarding them onto the pile of dead stars filling the hype train graveyard?
 
 
A final push   
 
 
One can’t deny the appeal of the P1. The package is incredible and intimidating. It is a sexy, roided-out freak of a good deal. It fights strong and it fights hard. On the way to the top of the ladder, it advances upward with devastating energy, the Rockets and ER4S maintaining constant pressure and eternal vigilance. Every inch gained is half an inch lost. Progress is slow…
 
 
The lights go out   
 
 
Suddenly they’re back on and AC/DC’s Back in Black is blaring. The Sony MH1 stands solemnly in the ring, gazing up at the P1.
 
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
 
For a moment time stops, and the crowd remembers. Here stands a fallen hero, a once burning star, back from the grave to remind them of what once was, and what may be to come. In a sudden motion, the MH1 lunges at the P1 with somehow calculated ferocity. It’s attack consists of a stellar combo of once forgotten assaults. Bass hits with same righteous authority. Less emphasis is placed on mid-bass, and more on mids. There is no 5kHz peak, and the treble peak, while centered on 8kHz vs the P1’s 9kHz, is about half that of the P1. This isn’t a fight, it’s a grudge match. The MH1, while arriving in the ugliest, cheapest, most spartan package available, and which requires an unwieldy adapter to be used with phones, and whose cable is one of the final stages of the 10 plagues, somehow still musters up the ability to sound better than even the most beautiful and hyped IEMs in existence. While its imaging is behind that of the ER4S and Rockets, it pumps out a wider soundstage, rivaling that of the P1, whose imaging is roughly in the same category to my ears. As total package, the P1 is superior, more usable and sexier to the Nth degree. But the MH1, tenacious and brutal, arrives like Aragorn, a king in peasant’s clothes, back to reclaim his lost kingdom.
 
The MH1 has only only one trick, but it’s a powerful one, and enough to distract the P1 long enough for the Rockets to slip past and upward towards the top of the ladder. With the ER4S on its back, calmly and methodically unleashing a hail of perfectly timed kidney punches, the Rockets never falter, and finally through copious amounts of blood and sweat (don’t worry they’re water proof) land on the top rung, victorious.
 
 
 
Afterword   
 
There are a lot of things to consider when comparing IEMs. Here are a few:
 
  1. Are they easy to use?
  1. Are they reliable?
  1. What kind of music do you listen to?
  1. What are you using them for?
  1. Are you sensitive to any frequencies?
 
The list goes on. For many people, the P1 will likely be the most usable and convenient option compared to the ER4S, Rockets, and definitely MH1. Usability is a huge factor. Even though the Rockets are a phenomenal sounding IEM, I find myself using the ER4S more often simply because it also sounds great and offers more isolation. While the P1 doesn’t fit my personal preference due to the small 5kHz peak and larger 9kHz peak to my ears, the sound definitely seems more approachable for most people, and in fact I already have a friend who bought them instantly after one audition. As an aside, I did get to compare my pair with his, and found no difference, which is a very good thing. Regarding the MH1 comparison, I truly find the MH1 to sound better overall. While I’d likely actually use the P1 more, just knowing that I prefer the MH1 sound-wise knocks the P1 down a notch.
 
Overall, the P1 really is a great package. However, mine will hopefully land in the hands of a more appreciative individual once they arrive back at Amazon. Thanks for reading.
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 10:08 PM Post #536 of 3,265
Very cool! A Comparo! Wonderful, thank you very much!
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 11:01 PM Post #538 of 3,265

Prrroobably the best review I've ever read. If I had the money to spend on all 4 sets like you, maybe I'd agree. I'm happy making P1 my main (only) IEM for now. At half the price of the ER4S, I'm happy with even just 80% of the performance.
 
Mar 12, 2016 at 11:52 PM Post #539 of 3,265
is mee audio stock cable good enough or an upgrade can increase the sonic performance?
 

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