SymphonyX7
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
- Posts
- 74
- Likes
- 18
I've had my Pistons 2 for nearly a week now, with around 40 hours burn-in time already. I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much from the Pistons, but I'm underwhelmed. They are phenomenal for the price (at least compared most IEMs available at your local shop) but to me they're still not as good as HeadFi's perennial budget favorite, the Philips 3580. I also have the Sony MH1C which is very similar to the 3580 and likewise the Pistons, and Pistons sound are like an inferior version of both. They're similar in spite the fact that they're all V-shaped, but the Pistons seem to be tuned to sound more energetic rather than accurate. On the Pistons, bass is boomier, mids less recessed, treble sparkly and with an airy presentation (wider than MH1C, but not as wide as 3580). But sub-bass and mid-bass detailing is clearly inferior on the Pistons, and they just don't dig as deep. I'm also not happy with the mid-bass bleed.
It doesn't really do anything bad as it's already superbly tuned out of the box, but I feel like they should've left more headroom for EQing, as the Pistons relatively aren't as receptive when EQed. For instance, adding a forward peak starting from around 7 Khz would normally widen the soundstage, brighten treble and smoothen bass a bit, but the Pistons react to this change by hollowing the entire spectrum and making the highs very shrill (possibly because of the chamber composition? The Pistons are metal).
Either way, I'm in no way saying they're bad, but they're very hyped. They're a jack of all trades and is the perfect upgrade for the not so discerning. It doesn't pick any genres, it just sounds good regardless. You can tell by all the people who bought it recently and think the Pistons 2 are the best thing they've ever heard. But since it can't even match the clarity and detail retrieval of the old (and cheaper) 3580, I say it isn't as good as it was hyped. Anyone who's jumped into the Vsonic train two years ago, or already have a 3580 won't find an upgrade in the Pistons 2. Not unless they need a mic.
Anyway, at least I can thank (or curse) these Pistons 2 purchase for making me interested in portable audio again. I've since ordered a KZ ED Special Edition and TTPod T1E, both of which are supposedly V-shaped too. I'm getting a Havi B3 down the line, but I'm not really too eager to get one asap since my coworker has one and I already know how great they sound (they're better than the GR07 BE and RE-400 imo, and for only $60 too!).
It doesn't really do anything bad as it's already superbly tuned out of the box, but I feel like they should've left more headroom for EQing, as the Pistons relatively aren't as receptive when EQed. For instance, adding a forward peak starting from around 7 Khz would normally widen the soundstage, brighten treble and smoothen bass a bit, but the Pistons react to this change by hollowing the entire spectrum and making the highs very shrill (possibly because of the chamber composition? The Pistons are metal).
Either way, I'm in no way saying they're bad, but they're very hyped. They're a jack of all trades and is the perfect upgrade for the not so discerning. It doesn't pick any genres, it just sounds good regardless. You can tell by all the people who bought it recently and think the Pistons 2 are the best thing they've ever heard. But since it can't even match the clarity and detail retrieval of the old (and cheaper) 3580, I say it isn't as good as it was hyped. Anyone who's jumped into the Vsonic train two years ago, or already have a 3580 won't find an upgrade in the Pistons 2. Not unless they need a mic.
Anyway, at least I can thank (or curse) these Pistons 2 purchase for making me interested in portable audio again. I've since ordered a KZ ED Special Edition and TTPod T1E, both of which are supposedly V-shaped too. I'm getting a Havi B3 down the line, but I'm not really too eager to get one asap since my coworker has one and I already know how great they sound (they're better than the GR07 BE and RE-400 imo, and for only $60 too!).
