jdimitri
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2005
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This is a continuation to my first impression, after about 30 hours of burn in using pink/white noise, which I think is quite sufficient
Ordering: All the information is provided here: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=203373
Pretty easy really, after exchanging e-mails with the guy i paid using paypal and it arrived in a week and a bit
Looks & what’s in the box:
Not really much to say here, it looks very much like a standard earbud. It comes with a nice looking box, cylinder plastic case and a manual. The only thing that’s a bit different is that it comes with foamies that has holes on both sides- more on this later.
Oh and it comes with a chinese decoration thing as a bonus (?)
Comfort:
Very good for me, it's smaller than the ipod earbuds and fits my ears better than the ibuds. Can't say if it's going to be the same for other people though. I'd say if earbuds usually work for you, these should as well.
Sound: Compared to UM2, MX550, DT990, B&O A8, KSC75, ibuds (and other cans I’ve owned- from memory obviously)
Source: Straight out of the 5G ipod- no EQ, 89db on mp3gain if that counts for anything and out of Njoe Tjoeb 4000- great headphone out
Bass: They first thing I noticed was the bass. It was a defined textured sound instead of the usual earbud “doof doof” sound. And what’s more is unlike IEM’s bass (except maybe super.fi EB), you can feel the impact instead of just hearing it.. Definitely more bass than MX550, but not quite as much as DT990's.
Mids: It’s a bit forward.. It sounds fuller, much fuller compared to MX550. Compared to DT990, it’s quite obvious that the mids are quite a bit more forward. It’s now as ‘sweet’ sounding as DT990’s mids though.
Highs: This is where it gets a bit odd.. It sparkles but isn’t fatiguing or sibilant. Maybe there’s a bit of a decay there, but all in all, it’s quite enjoyable. I’d say it’s somewhere between the dark UM2’s treble and bright DT990’s treble..
Of course what will matter the most is how it will sound with your music. I’ll review it through different genres and what the PK1 sounds like while listening to them compared to other headphones.
1st: Inger Marie Gundersen- Make this Moment
This album is currently one of my favourite, it’s a jazz female vocal album on the slow side. The forward mids is apparent in this cd. It sounds very very nice, and sweet. PK1 extracted most of the details in this album, I wouldn't noticed any loss of details if i didn't compare it to the DT990. UM2 on the other hand, sounds a bit dark and hides much more details (eg sound of lips and instrument’s details).
2nd: Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
An album that most if not all jazz fans know about, so I won’t go into details. So What sounds buttery smooth, with all the instruments sounding like they should. Switching back to DT990, it was appearant that the mids on the PK1 was forward, but once i settled back into the sound of DT990, the more laid back sound took me in again. On this album, it's a matter of taste.
3rd: Radiohead- The Bends
My favourite Radiohead album, it contains ballads such as High and Dry as well as distorted guitars in songs such as Just and My Iron Lung. On this album and other non-amazingly mixed and recorded albums that i can say that i definitely prefer the PK1 to the rest of my headphones. It's fun. It doesn't reveal too much details. It's fun, makes me want to jump around and while i do it, it won't fall off unlike grados. Did i mention that it sounds fun?
4th: LCD Soundsystem- LCD Soundsystem
Bass is punchy and tight, the rest is very much like above, except I like it just as much on the DT990. It’s again different presentation than the DT990, both are good, just different.
5th: Sigur Ros- Takk..
Since they sound a bit like grados, but less congested and has a bit of soundstage, I put it up to listen to Sigur ros. Sigur ros’ albums were the reason that I had to move away from my SR225. Sure, it sounded great for rock, good for jazz but for ambient/alternative or whatever sigur ros is, it sounded like all the instruments are squished together. On PK1, from my memory it sounded better than grados, but still I prefer the DT990 by far on this album. Not sure why, but it’s probably because the DT990 are airier.
Overall sound: To put it in a nice easy way, PK1’s sound signature is a cross between DT990 and SR225’s sound. It’s DT990 with forward mids, less treble and a tiny bit less bass. It works well for all genres of music, from jazz to rock to electronic. A bit like the KSC75. Personally, I prefer its sound on almost everything to the UM2. It crushes MX550 and wins from A8 by a good margin. We don't even need to mention the ibuds.
Note that using the foamies with holes on each side, it makes it sound brighter than using the foamie with a hole on one side (the normal ones). I much prefer using the ones with 2 holes.
Cons: Obviously there’s no perfect headphone, and the level of overall enjoyment of the PK1 isn’t up to the level of DT990. Another is a very obvious one, it hardly isolates outside noise, stepping down from IEMs would depend on your need of isolation. Last, some people’s ears doesn’t work well with some earbuds..
Conclusion: I like these earbuds. A lot. It’s like a grado in a little earbuds (although not *quite* as good) with a little bit of soundstage thrown in. I think it has a very similar sound signature as a KSC75, although a bit more fun and detailed.
Unfortunately, earbuds has its limits. It hardly isolates any outside noises, so when I’m outside and comparing the UM2 and PK1, UM2 wins.. In a quiet environment though, no doubt i prefer the PK1, for all my music.
Also note that I still prefer my DT990 for most of my music, I’ll probably be bringing these along while i'm out with friends, where I can share music (ehem..
) and while listening to rock.
So, if you want earbuds to wear inside the house, or you can tolerate no isolation in earphones, I don’t think there’s a better choice.
Ordering: All the information is provided here: http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=203373
Pretty easy really, after exchanging e-mails with the guy i paid using paypal and it arrived in a week and a bit
Looks & what’s in the box:
Not really much to say here, it looks very much like a standard earbud. It comes with a nice looking box, cylinder plastic case and a manual. The only thing that’s a bit different is that it comes with foamies that has holes on both sides- more on this later.
Oh and it comes with a chinese decoration thing as a bonus (?)
Comfort:
Very good for me, it's smaller than the ipod earbuds and fits my ears better than the ibuds. Can't say if it's going to be the same for other people though. I'd say if earbuds usually work for you, these should as well.
Sound: Compared to UM2, MX550, DT990, B&O A8, KSC75, ibuds (and other cans I’ve owned- from memory obviously)
Source: Straight out of the 5G ipod- no EQ, 89db on mp3gain if that counts for anything and out of Njoe Tjoeb 4000- great headphone out
Bass: They first thing I noticed was the bass. It was a defined textured sound instead of the usual earbud “doof doof” sound. And what’s more is unlike IEM’s bass (except maybe super.fi EB), you can feel the impact instead of just hearing it.. Definitely more bass than MX550, but not quite as much as DT990's.
Mids: It’s a bit forward.. It sounds fuller, much fuller compared to MX550. Compared to DT990, it’s quite obvious that the mids are quite a bit more forward. It’s now as ‘sweet’ sounding as DT990’s mids though.
Highs: This is where it gets a bit odd.. It sparkles but isn’t fatiguing or sibilant. Maybe there’s a bit of a decay there, but all in all, it’s quite enjoyable. I’d say it’s somewhere between the dark UM2’s treble and bright DT990’s treble..
Of course what will matter the most is how it will sound with your music. I’ll review it through different genres and what the PK1 sounds like while listening to them compared to other headphones.
1st: Inger Marie Gundersen- Make this Moment
This album is currently one of my favourite, it’s a jazz female vocal album on the slow side. The forward mids is apparent in this cd. It sounds very very nice, and sweet. PK1 extracted most of the details in this album, I wouldn't noticed any loss of details if i didn't compare it to the DT990. UM2 on the other hand, sounds a bit dark and hides much more details (eg sound of lips and instrument’s details).
2nd: Miles Davis- Kind of Blue
An album that most if not all jazz fans know about, so I won’t go into details. So What sounds buttery smooth, with all the instruments sounding like they should. Switching back to DT990, it was appearant that the mids on the PK1 was forward, but once i settled back into the sound of DT990, the more laid back sound took me in again. On this album, it's a matter of taste.
3rd: Radiohead- The Bends
My favourite Radiohead album, it contains ballads such as High and Dry as well as distorted guitars in songs such as Just and My Iron Lung. On this album and other non-amazingly mixed and recorded albums that i can say that i definitely prefer the PK1 to the rest of my headphones. It's fun. It doesn't reveal too much details. It's fun, makes me want to jump around and while i do it, it won't fall off unlike grados. Did i mention that it sounds fun?
4th: LCD Soundsystem- LCD Soundsystem
Bass is punchy and tight, the rest is very much like above, except I like it just as much on the DT990. It’s again different presentation than the DT990, both are good, just different.
5th: Sigur Ros- Takk..
Since they sound a bit like grados, but less congested and has a bit of soundstage, I put it up to listen to Sigur ros. Sigur ros’ albums were the reason that I had to move away from my SR225. Sure, it sounded great for rock, good for jazz but for ambient/alternative or whatever sigur ros is, it sounded like all the instruments are squished together. On PK1, from my memory it sounded better than grados, but still I prefer the DT990 by far on this album. Not sure why, but it’s probably because the DT990 are airier.
Overall sound: To put it in a nice easy way, PK1’s sound signature is a cross between DT990 and SR225’s sound. It’s DT990 with forward mids, less treble and a tiny bit less bass. It works well for all genres of music, from jazz to rock to electronic. A bit like the KSC75. Personally, I prefer its sound on almost everything to the UM2. It crushes MX550 and wins from A8 by a good margin. We don't even need to mention the ibuds.
Note that using the foamies with holes on each side, it makes it sound brighter than using the foamie with a hole on one side (the normal ones). I much prefer using the ones with 2 holes.
Cons: Obviously there’s no perfect headphone, and the level of overall enjoyment of the PK1 isn’t up to the level of DT990. Another is a very obvious one, it hardly isolates outside noise, stepping down from IEMs would depend on your need of isolation. Last, some people’s ears doesn’t work well with some earbuds..
Conclusion: I like these earbuds. A lot. It’s like a grado in a little earbuds (although not *quite* as good) with a little bit of soundstage thrown in. I think it has a very similar sound signature as a KSC75, although a bit more fun and detailed.
Unfortunately, earbuds has its limits. It hardly isolates any outside noises, so when I’m outside and comparing the UM2 and PK1, UM2 wins.. In a quiet environment though, no doubt i prefer the PK1, for all my music.
Also note that I still prefer my DT990 for most of my music, I’ll probably be bringing these along while i'm out with friends, where I can share music (ehem..
So, if you want earbuds to wear inside the house, or you can tolerate no isolation in earphones, I don’t think there’s a better choice.
