Surf Monkey
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2011
- Posts
- 2,014
- Likes
- 7,289
I have the S12, the Muse Power, the Dioko, the Hook-X and the P1 Max.
At the moment I’d rate them:
S12
Hook-X
P1 Max
Dioko
Muse Power
The S12 is the most resolving and has the thickest bass.
The Hook-X is the best tuned with excellent timber and tone. It’s also the most unique in terms of sound stage and instrument placement. It presents an exceptionally lively representation of instruments.
The P1 Max sounds the most like a dynamic driver of this group. It has more thump and slam than the S12 in the bass section. It also has a nice forward mid section and subdued but detailed treble.
The Dioko is kind of a sleeper. At first it seemed too mids focused and lacking in overall energy. But after about 60-70 hours of run-in they’ve taken on a much smoother and energetic sound. This is by far the flattest sounding set of the group. It isn’t reference due to the clearly elevated sub-bass and upper mids but they sound the most like a studio monitor to me. They’re less “fun” than the others but more accurate in terms of detail.
The Muse Power has excellent bass and mids but the treble is confounding. It has a sharp, glaring tone and it has a weird scoop that leaves the high end sounding kind of hollow generally. I’m inclined to try the Kirin at some point since it appears to have a better tuned version of the same driver Muse is using.
As far as personal preference I’d say that it’s a dead heat between the S12 and the Hook-X. The S12 is just a fantastic performer across the board. It’s rich and responsive and can handle just about anything you play through it. The Hook-X lacks the raw technicality of the S12 but it’s a singularly unique sounding set. It has a visceral, less detailed but more emotional quality that isn’t present in the others and it excels at creating a large, 3D soundscape of sharply defined instruments.
My two cents in the planar war so far.
At the moment I’d rate them:
S12
Hook-X
P1 Max
Dioko
Muse Power
The S12 is the most resolving and has the thickest bass.
The Hook-X is the best tuned with excellent timber and tone. It’s also the most unique in terms of sound stage and instrument placement. It presents an exceptionally lively representation of instruments.
The P1 Max sounds the most like a dynamic driver of this group. It has more thump and slam than the S12 in the bass section. It also has a nice forward mid section and subdued but detailed treble.
The Dioko is kind of a sleeper. At first it seemed too mids focused and lacking in overall energy. But after about 60-70 hours of run-in they’ve taken on a much smoother and energetic sound. This is by far the flattest sounding set of the group. It isn’t reference due to the clearly elevated sub-bass and upper mids but they sound the most like a studio monitor to me. They’re less “fun” than the others but more accurate in terms of detail.
The Muse Power has excellent bass and mids but the treble is confounding. It has a sharp, glaring tone and it has a weird scoop that leaves the high end sounding kind of hollow generally. I’m inclined to try the Kirin at some point since it appears to have a better tuned version of the same driver Muse is using.
As far as personal preference I’d say that it’s a dead heat between the S12 and the Hook-X. The S12 is just a fantastic performer across the board. It’s rich and responsive and can handle just about anything you play through it. The Hook-X lacks the raw technicality of the S12 but it’s a singularly unique sounding set. It has a visceral, less detailed but more emotional quality that isn’t present in the others and it excels at creating a large, 3D soundscape of sharply defined instruments.
My two cents in the planar war so far.
Last edited:
but both do slam real gud on the lows.
