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I'll be posting more impressions in the next couple of days, picking my impressions out of my volumes of feedback and comments that were sent to Nuforce while this was being developed. As Kenz said above, they're very surprising at how natural and transparent they sound.
I'll give away a little bit of my secrets right now before I post more detailed impressions - with what I remember off the top of my head. I was very surprised in finding that the Primo 8 can make my un-amped Westone 4 sound a little too laid-back and more veiled in direct comparison, similar to when comparing a more neutral and detailed HD 600 or HD 800 to the HD 650 which needs a more powerful amp to "wake up" and not sound dull. The RE-600 un-amped are even more laid back than W4, almost to the point of being dull in comparison. Things do improve when the W4 and RE-600 are amped.
Or, the comparison might be like comparing a HiFiMan HE-500 to an original LCD-2 rev1, where the LCD-2 rev1 is a bit more laid-back than HE-500 - the HE-500 and newer LCD-2 rev2 are just more vibrant, alive, and present with vocals and acoustic instruments (like Primo 8) than the HD650 or LCD-2 Rev1.
The Primo 8 sounds more alive than most universal fit IEM that I've tried. While the UM3X is closer, it's more forward sounding and less spacious sounding. I also find myself wanting more warmth from the UM3x with many amps or sources, but I don't find the Primo 8 lacking midrange warmth and fullness.
I get a similar vibe when comparing Primo 8 to an RE-600 that is not amplified. The RE-600 really need to be driven by the HM-901 balanced DAC/amp to shine and come close to the Primo-8. The W4 also wake up quite a bit with the HM-901, and sound very much like an amp'd RE-600 in that situation, but with the IPhone 5s or iPad Air headphone out the un-amped Primo 8 will excite me more.
A note on tips. I have been using Complys foam tips with the Primo 8, just like I do with Westone 3. I haven't tried other tips yet, but I do know the W3 frequency response can sound a lot more V-shaped with a vinyl tip, and more natural sounding with the Complys. I'll dig up some other tips for the Primo 8 to see how they handle that soon. Right now the Primo 8 and the Westone 3 complement each other perfectly when both are using the complies tips. I tend to prefer the W3 with older classic rock and the Primo 8 with jazz and acoustic, with a lot of overlap between the two with other genres.
Be back soon!
I'll give away a little bit of my secrets right now before I post more detailed impressions - with what I remember off the top of my head. I was very surprised in finding that the Primo 8 can make my un-amped Westone 4 sound a little too laid-back and more veiled in direct comparison, similar to when comparing a more neutral and detailed HD 600 or HD 800 to the HD 650 which needs a more powerful amp to "wake up" and not sound dull. The RE-600 un-amped are even more laid back than W4, almost to the point of being dull in comparison. Things do improve when the W4 and RE-600 are amped.
Or, the comparison might be like comparing a HiFiMan HE-500 to an original LCD-2 rev1, where the LCD-2 rev1 is a bit more laid-back than HE-500 - the HE-500 and newer LCD-2 rev2 are just more vibrant, alive, and present with vocals and acoustic instruments (like Primo 8) than the HD650 or LCD-2 Rev1.
The Primo 8 sounds more alive than most universal fit IEM that I've tried. While the UM3X is closer, it's more forward sounding and less spacious sounding. I also find myself wanting more warmth from the UM3x with many amps or sources, but I don't find the Primo 8 lacking midrange warmth and fullness.
I get a similar vibe when comparing Primo 8 to an RE-600 that is not amplified. The RE-600 really need to be driven by the HM-901 balanced DAC/amp to shine and come close to the Primo-8. The W4 also wake up quite a bit with the HM-901, and sound very much like an amp'd RE-600 in that situation, but with the IPhone 5s or iPad Air headphone out the un-amped Primo 8 will excite me more.
A note on tips. I have been using Complys foam tips with the Primo 8, just like I do with Westone 3. I haven't tried other tips yet, but I do know the W3 frequency response can sound a lot more V-shaped with a vinyl tip, and more natural sounding with the Complys. I'll dig up some other tips for the Primo 8 to see how they handle that soon. Right now the Primo 8 and the Westone 3 complement each other perfectly when both are using the complies tips. I tend to prefer the W3 with older classic rock and the Primo 8 with jazz and acoustic, with a lot of overlap between the two with other genres.
Be back soon!
I love nice leather cases 
Hopefully the case is portable as well though 
