[woody88]

hello all,
 
I was wondering, for those that own the set, can you tell me what is the housing made of? I had tried to search the thread but did not have any success. Trying to see if it is made with some kind of metallic, or is it plastic casing a la Westone. Thanks in advance!

 

[DrSheep]

  hello all,
 
I was wondering, for those that own the set, can you tell me what is the housing made of? I had tried to search the thread but did not have any success. Trying to see if it is made with some kind of metallic, or is it plastic casing a la Westone. Thanks in advance!

Plastic.

 

[bobajoul]

They don't specify, feels like plastic

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

On April 23rd I added this to post #1 as an update:
 

 Jason tells me that they switched from a softer PVC plastic that was used in the pre-production to a harder polycarbonate shell, which appears to have improved the sound.

 

[a_recording]

I actually received my review unit Primo 8 today! Been listening for about an hour with some brief A/Bing against the Sony XBA-H3. 
 
Firstly, in terms of physical design: I initially found the ear guides very stiff, but I actually quite appreciate it once I realised that once they are bent into proper shape (with some force) they will stay that way. They feel quite secure against the ear in a way that I don't find the floppy / gummy H3 earguides do.
 
The rest of the earpiece is decently built, but not particularly special for $499. I'm concerned about the use of plastic given that the thinness of the nozzle, but I guess we will see over time.
 
In terms of sound, I think on first impression I would agree with HeadphoneAddict's impressions. I am a little surprised at how mid-forward these are (maybe coming off listening mostly to the Amperior / H3). They aren't mid forward in terms of mid bass, but something a bit higher in between upper mids and lower bass - something seemingly pretty broad between male and female vocals. I found the silicone eartips are a bit more comfortable and fill in the mid-bass a bit. The comply foam tips seem to make the sound a bit more linear and leaner overall (maybe some more treble extension?), though I would still characterise it as mid forward. They kind of make me think of how my old AD2000 could sound at times. I think I kind of prefer the silicone tip sound.
 
The whole earphone sounds clean as a whistle. Actually the tonality reminds me of a whistle. There is a certain brassy quality to the sound seemingly due to the mids. Everything sounds extremely cohesive and clean, and though I don't have anything to compare I think this is the cleanest sounding quad armature I've heard except for maybe the UE900. The transients are, like they say on the box, the most surprising aspect of the sound. Lightning fast on the vocals. Crispy clean and crunchy on guitars.
 
Just compared to the H3, I think I still prefer the H3's bass feel because it feels a little more natural to me in terms of decay. But that IEM is hardly linear. The Primo 8 and the H3 seem like good comparisons since they are quite opposite in terms of signature (U shape vs N shape to my ears).
 
Overall my first impressions are quite positive. I think vocal lovers will be quite pleased with these.
 
EDIT:
 
Here's my unboxing vid!
 

 

[a_recording]

Have to ask, does anyone know if Rin's analysis was done with the preproduction version or the final version of the Primo 8? I'm assuming pre production.
 
Just using the Primo 8 between different sources I noticed that it seems pretty sensitive. On the Sony ZX1 it picks up quite a lot of hiss compared to the iPhone 5S. It sounds great out the Objective 2 / ODAC and actually sounds tighter and bassier, though I have to do some more rigorous A/Bing to be sure.
 
I'd be really curious to see if there were any changes to the impedance characteristic of the earphone with the production version.

 

[tomscy2000]

  Have to ask, does anyone know if Rin's analysis was done with the preproduction version or the final version of the Primo 8? I'm assuming pre production.  
Just using the Primo 8 between different sources I noticed that it seems pretty sensitive. On the Sony ZX1 it picks up quite a lot of hiss compared to the iPhone 5S. It sounds great out the Objective 2 / ODAC and actually sounds tighter and bassier, though I have to do some more rigorous A/Bing to be sure.
 
I'd be really curious to see if there were any changes to the impedance characteristic of the earphone with the production version.

 
Well, he took pictures of the retail packaging and everything, so I have to assume it was done with a pilot production unit.

 

[a_recording]

I think I've settled on the silicone tips. I don't believe the comply foam tips are actually sealing properly in my ears and they are quite uncomfortable for me.
 
I'm starting to think that the stiffness of the earguides Nuforce has chosen is causing unnecessary microphonics - the earguides make quite a lot of noise when they tap against the back of your ears. The earguides on the XBA-H3 are silent. I think Nuforce should revise the earguides to make them just a bit softer. Just a bit, because the stiffness helps them retain shape during storage, which I think is a plus.
 
Still very pleased with the sound. It still doesn't quite seem to have the cleanest leading edge compared to my beloved dynamic drivers. There is a bit of fuzziness in the way it renders strings and pianos, though nothing as bad as something like the Westone W4R. It's a really articulate and sprightly sound nonetheless, and imaging is nicely detailed and holographic. I think sometimes on some denser tracks the mid-forwardness can start to sound a little shouty. Overall though this is definitely one of the better quad BA's I've heard.

 

[tomscy2000]

  I don't believe the comply foam tips are actually sealing properly in my ears and they are quite uncomfortable for me.

 
How does that happen? o.O
 

  Overall though this is definitely one of the better quad BA's I've heard.

 
How many quad-BAs have you heard? 4R, UE900.... and... ? BTW, are you on that AF180 tour down under?

 

[a_recording]

   
How does that happen? o.O
 
 
How many quad-BAs have you heard? 4R, UE900.... and... ? BTW, are you on that AF180 tour down under?

 
Something about the length of the tip seems to be rubbing up against my inner-ear. I've never had much luck with Comply in the past either. To be honest I'm not absolutely sure if it's sealing or not because isolation is still good with the complys, but the bass response doesn't feel right - and I'm well aware of my own skewed standards in this regard.
 
XBA-40 is the last quad BA. I don't think so for the AF180...

 

[imackler]

I'm interested in the Primo 8. I saw on one website there was a 1 year warranty. Has anyone read or heard anything if they do out of warranty service? Half a grand is a lot of fazolis, though one year warranty is fairly industry standard.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I can ask Jason about out of warranty service and report back.
 
Some companies will do a repair and some will do a discounted replacement, and some won't do anything.  
 
If you look at it this way, you are paying about $1.37/day to use the Primo 8 if they didn't do anything after the year is up.

 

[tinyman392]

  I'm interested in the Primo 8. I saw on one website there was a 1 year warranty. Has anyone read or heard anything if they do out of warranty service? Half a grand is a lot of fazolis, though one year warranty is fairly industry standard.

 
This may be a question better directed an NuForce CS rather than here. 

 

[imackler]

   
This may be a question better directed an NuForce CS rather than here. 

 
I thought it'd be the kind of think people would want to know or had asked already. I have emailed them, too, though. 

 

[tinyman392]

   
I thought it'd be the kind of think people would want to know or had asked already. I have emailed them, too, though. 

 
Ah, gotcha'.  Well, I do think others would like to know the answer to this as well.  Let us know what they say