getclikinagas
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That said, my P1 sound pretty close to how Hisoundfi's measurement would suggest, noticeably rolled-off in deep bass, with its bulk of bass energy concentrated in the mid/upper bass region. Then a downsloping warm-ish midrange with rather laid-back character, before they pick up emphasis again towards the upper mids. Beyond that, pretty laid-back lower treble throughout the sibilance range, and finally a distinct surge of energy above 10kHz.
To clarify my point, I don't think that the P1 sound bad... it's just that I didn't expect that kind of sound signature at all. The lower half of the spectrum sounds very much like a dynamic driver based equivalent of my Westone W4. And the high mids and treble sound not unlike my IE800, albeit a good deal smoother. I've done A/B comparisons to both IEMs and the similarities are pretty obvious. Will post some music examples later, to illustrate a few points that stand out to me on the P1.
As for the Titan 1 and Ostry KC06, I've done quick A/Bs and both sound more forward and clearer, but also less refined in the upper ranges. The DUNUs sound even extremely analytical and bright in comparison, while the Ostrys are a little more v-shaped with overall slightly more bass impact, but also deeper reach. The P1 are significantly more laid-back and smoother overall, but a little veiled in the lower ranges and thinner in treble, due to their 10k+ peak.
Actually, the P1's tuning is an interesting one and reminds me of something I've written about the PFE232 a looong time ago. Not to say that these sound similar (it's single DD vs. dual BA after all), but the note-weight balance between bass and treble is somewhat reminiscent of the Phonaks in my book:
Bass tuning:
Contrary to many other dynamic driver based IEMs, the P1's bass is overall well-controlled and not overpowering, which is a good thing. However, the distribution of bass energy across the low range is far from linear to my ears, with its main emphasis in the mid/upper bass region and a distinct roll-off in deep bass.
This isn't quite a big deal as long as bass is just part of the rhythm section, and even provides a good kick without making the sound overly bassy. But whenever bass is played as a lead instrument and tackles its lowest range, the downside of such tuning becomes obvious. Here's an example, listen to the short bass solo starting at 2:35, which ends at 2:45 with a down-slide to about 50Hz. While this effect sounds awesome on IEMs with good bass extension, only the first half of the slide is actually audible on my P1, followed by a quick fade-out at around 100Hz:
Bass vs. treble note-weight:
While bass on the P1 has its main emphasis in the 100-200Hz region that defines punch, the lower treble range is a little laid-back as compared to the higher range around (and above) 10kHz. As a consequence, bass and drums have pretty substantial note-weight, whereas high-range instruments like cymbals tend to sound light and airy. This kind of tuning is actually pretty clever, as it creates the illusion of an IEM that packs a good punch on the one hand, but can still sound very detailed and subtle on the other hand. However, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and in case of the P1, the downside is a disparity in note-weight between bass and treble.
Thanks for the impressions James. It does sound like an IEM I would appreciate.....to an extent
The Ostrys to me, had substantial bass note weight but sounded a little rolled off in the sub bass(which was a niggle). The Titan 1 on the other hand had a slight midbass bump but did not roll off(which I liked).
But you feel the Ostry had "deeper reach" compared to the P1, which has slightly diminished my interest in the P1.
Now to decide between the Rockets and P1.
(Graph is only to show difference in sub-bass)