[tinyman392]

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Got a question for y'all who have experience with the 232 as well as the older 121 version of the PFE.
 
Over the past few months or so I've sold off all my IEM's (including the SE530 which I really loved) due to ongoing comfort issues I have with IEM's, and repurchased the 121's... as thus far they have been the ONLY IEM's that I can tolerate in my ears, when worn with grey silicone tips. It seems like my sensitive inner ear canals can no longer deal with the any sort of foam tips (as they put pressure into my canals when they expand), and silicone tips such as Shure's are also way too hard on these sensitive pair of ears... 
 
Anyways, so the PFE 121's are the only IEM's that I can wear comfortably, and luckily I do like its overall sound signature. But as the 232's are now available, I'm thinking of a possible upgrade to it. So two questions for you guys:
 
1) Is the comfort factor of the 232 exactly the same as the 121's with the grey tips? Are the tips of the same size and softness? Unfortunately I don't think I can make any compromises here in comfort.. 
 
2) I love the overall sound of the 121's with the grey filters and the silicone tips, especially the crystal clear and well balanced mids. The only reason why I'm even considering the upgrade is because I can admittingly do with bit more bass. Will 232's with the grey filters and the silicone tips give me roughly the same sound as the 121's with better quality and quantity bass (not looking for overly more, just slightly more)?
 
Thanks in advance for any advice.

1. the size of the housing is slightly wider from the side.  However, the black plastic (that faces your ear) is the same size.  Tips are the same, just come in a nice black color
 
2. The 232s offer a V-shaped signature which differs from the 121s.  With grey filters, they are closer to the signature of the 121s with black filters.  Except, the mids are slightly more clear with much better detail retrieval.  On the high end, there is no competition, the 232s will destroy just about any IEM I've put them up against in terms of highs.  The bass is strong, with great quality, but also a bit of quantity.  At first, the mids will sound slightly veiled by the lows, but this does change with burn in.
 

 

[K_19]

Thank you for the reply. Hmm, so there will be some compromise in the mids compared to the 121's then I guess? Something to think about first (the price of these keep them from being an impulse buy...). Great to know that the comfort factor seems to be around the same though.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Thank you for the reply. Hmm, so there will be some compromise in the mids compared to the 121's then I guess? Something to think about first (the price of these keep them from being an impulse buy...). Great to know that the comfort factor seems to be around the same though.

Yes, there will be some compromise in the midrange.  The 121s are actually analytic (I can see myself classifying them as such) while the 232s are definitely a V.  If you have any other questions, let me know. 

 

[olear]

How do the PFE's compare with EX1000?

 

[Bokyung]

PFE232: Better seal, everything sounds tight and fast.
 
EX1000: Seal's not as good, airy and smooth sound signature.
 
It's hard to pick and choose which is better since they are like polar opposites. PFE232 generally has thicker bass, and unmatchable highs. EX1000's soothing bass is spectacular, so is their mids, these qualities matches the "airy"  sound signature ver well.
 
In the end, both are extremely well sounding IEMs.

 

[vert]

Still have my 232s. Never liked IEMs before but the fit on these is weightless. I added an Altmann Tera Player and I think I could live with this combination for awhile. 

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Still have my 232s. Never liked IEMs before but the fit on these is weightless. I added an Altmann Tera Player and I think I could live with this combination for awhile. 

I'm just curious, but why didn't you like them?  Again, I'm just curious.  I can see plenty of reasons to not like the 232 (like all IEMs, they aren't for everyone)

 

[vert]

Oh, I love the 232s, especially now with the Altmann Tera player. Just never liked IEMs until the 232s.

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

Oh, I love the 232s, especially now with the Altmann Tera player. Just never liked IEMs until the 232s.

Oh, I read your post wrong /facepalms himself/  It's good to hear you found an IEM you like  

 

[Pianist]

I read on a different forum that PFE232 is not technically better than PFE121 - just different in sound signature. At least two people agreed on this.Thoughts? At ~4 times the price of the single driver model, the dual driver better be an improvement. Have any of you AB'ed it with the single driver PFEs?

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

I read on a different forum that PFE232 is not technically better than PFE121 - just different in sound signature. At least two people agreed on this.Thoughts? At ~4 times the price of the single driver model, the dual driver better be an improvement. Have any of you AB'ed it with the single driver PFEs?

Value and sound quality are two complete different things.  Going down the line, the 232 will destroy the 121 technically in bass and treble while the 121s will beat it technically at mids.  However, value-wise, the 121 is a much better value.  BTW, you can get the 121 to have the same (or similar signature as the 232) by putting on black filters (so you can get it so the sound signature variable is removed).

 

[Pianist]

Quote:

Value and sound quality are two complete different things.  Going down the line, the 232 will destroy the 121 technically in bass and treble while the 121s will beat it technically at mids.  However, value-wise, the 121 is a much better value.  BTW, you can get the 121 to have the same (or similar signature as the 232) by putting on black filters (so you can get it so the sound signature variable is removed).

 
I think treble is one area where 121 does lack somewhat - the treble has great detail, but it is a little peaky and there is a resonance from the plastic housing I believe. The bass sounds fine to me on 121 though - really good in fact. I think the quantity is just about right with the grey filters and the quality is very high with very good detail, definition and clarity. What exactly does the PFE232 improve upon the PFE121 in the bass and treble in your opinion?

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

 
I think treble is one area where 121 does lack somewhat - the treble has great detail, but it is a little peaky and there is a resonance from the plastic housing I believe. The bass sounds fine to me on 121 though - really good in fact. I think the quantity is just about right with the grey filters and the quality is very high with very good detail, definition and clarity. What exactly does the PFE232 improve upon the PFE121 in the bass and treble in your opinion?

Bass: mainly the body and presence is improved.  Although the detailing is ample with the 121, they can tend to get lost in thicker, more complex songs/parts of songs.  The black filters do improve this on the 121, but the bass then veils the mids too much in my opinion.
 
Highs: The 121 may be a bit too aggressive and peaky to my ears.  It also lacks some delicacy to it.  The 232s to my ears are the exact opposite, although greater in quantity, it does better in quality by not being as peaky and aggressive.
 
Mids: The 121 defeats the 232 in clarity and energy (even though the 232s do have energy).  Both have great dynamics and timbre though.  The 121 can be veiled with the black filters while with the greys they are amazingly analytical.  The 232s are a warmer midrange sound while still maintaining good energy and detailing without becoming analytic and sterile. 

 

[Pianist]

^ Fair enough. I also found my PFE 012 with grey filters lacking some delicacy in the treble, but that's compared to headphones like HE-500 and DT880. Compared to headphones in its price range, the PFEs have wonderful highs. They just can't quite compete with the best in this area. As for bass, I find them just right for me when amped with my Fiio E11 or out of my HM-601 and detailing is great like you said.
 
BTW, does anybody know which drivers PFE232 uses?

 

[tinyman392]

Quote:

^ Fair enough. I also found my PFE 012 with grey filters lacking some delicacy in the treble, but that's compared to headphones like HE-500 and DT880. Compared to headphones in its price range, the PFEs have wonderful highs. They just can't quite compete with the best in this area. As for bass, I find them just right for me when amped with my Fiio E11 or out of my HM-601 and detailing is great like you said.
 
BTW, does anybody know which drivers PFE232 uses?

I'll agree with everything here, however, I still believe the 232s possess much better quality over the 121.  The 121 still remains the better value though (qualityrice ratio).  No clue on the drivers though.