[kkcc]

  I have to post this because I was going to write off the Tral. 1 plus 2. I just received my Silver Dragon cable that I had reterminated with the balanced connector that fits the HIFIMAN 901. I like the sound much better. It is fuller and not as lean, compared to the silver gold cable that came with the 1 plus 2. This headphone is very cable sensitive. It may be that the 901 sounds better balanced.

 
I wasn't too sure the change from SE cable on balanced amp to balanced cable on balanced amp would be a night and day difference....  but either way glad you find a combo that works for you

 

[lee730]

  I have to post this because I was going to write off the Tral. 1 plus 2. I just received my Silver Dragon cable that I had reterminated with the balanced connector that fits the HIFIMAN 901. I like the sound much better. It is fuller and not as lean, compared to the silver gold cable that came with the 1 plus 2. This headphone is very cable sensitive. It may be that the 901 sounds better balanced.

 

   
I wasn't too sure the change from SE cable on balanced amp to balanced cable on balanced amp would be a night and day difference....  but either way glad you find a combo that works for you

 
I found the older silver cable to most definitely make the sound thicker overall and more bass heavy. I also liked this sound but it wasn't as detail oriented or neutral as with the gold cable. The difference between these two was great enough to totally offset synergy between some of my portable devices. Overall the gold cable is more revealing of the source including the source material and the devices used. This can be a good thing and a bad thing depending on the situation. In the end I found it a good thing because it opened my eyes up to weaknesses in my sources.

 

[Jwm48324]

I said I am using the silver dragon cable not the original silver cable that came with the 1 plus 2.

 

[Jwm48324]

  I said I am using the silver dragon cable not the original silver cable that came with the 1 plus 2.

This cable is from Moon Audio.

 

[zenpunk]

Considering getting one of those cable. Is it  light, flexible and comfortable to use with iems as it looks quite thick?

 

[lee730]

  I said I am using the silver dragon cable not the original silver cable that came with the 1 plus 2.

 
Case in point I made that comparison to what you said vs the gold cable with the silver dragon cable. Both the original silver cable and the silver dragon cable are silver cables are they not?

 

[Jwm48324]

No, just because it is silver does not mean they sound alike. Wire sound is determined not only by the conductor but by the dialect and strands of cable and whether its litz configuration, solid core, etc. If the signature was the same, I don't think there would be 100's of cable companies out there. Cardas cable which is copper sounds nothing like audioquest or kimber wire. Zenpunk the cable is very flexible and light. The Tralucent 1 plus 2 phones actually fit better in my ears compared to stock cables. The connectors on the Silver Dragons are way less bulky and don't seem to get in the way with my ears. I can actually push the 1 plus 2 in deeper in to my ears. The left phone which was loose before is now tight.

 

[lee730]

Well I've tried 3 different silver cables. 1 being from zeroshoe and the other two being from tralucent. In regards to the overall sound signature they are more similar than different. I did notice however with the higher rating of OCC as well as more material used in the latter cables did improve the sound.

 

[a_recording]

I'm on the Australian listening tour for the 1Plus2 with  and it just landed in my lap today!
 
I've been listening casually for a few hours on my ODAC / Objective 2 using green Sony foam hybrid tips. Apart from my beloved Sony MDR-EX1000 and now a Audio Technica ATH-CKM1000 I do not own any other IEMs that approach the price of this unit. Here are my first impressions.
 
The build quality of this IEM does not correspond with the price tag. There are plastic joining seams on the cable connectors that I would not expect to see on a $1K+ product. The cable is not very supple, though it seems durable. The 3.5mm jack looks literally as if someone has attached a banana plug speaker terminal to the wire. The build seems very boutique-fi.
 
I currently also have a demo unit of a Null Audio Rooth Elpis in my possession which is a 3D printed universal hybrid 'custom' IEM that offers basically the same build quality for about $250. I imagine complexity of engineering must be similar between the two (though the Elpis I have is a version prior to a recent revision) so at least in terms of build the 1Plus2 is disappointing.
 
In terms of sound the 1Plus2 is technically very impressive. In terms of signature they actually remind me of my Sony MDR-7550 except that bass extension and emphasis is more visceral and extended. Everything sounds very clean and definition within the soundstage is startling. The bass also lends everything a sense of scale and probably stands out to me as the best feature of the sound.
 
I understand that out of head soundstaging is meant to be a strong point of the 1Plus2, but to my ears it sounds a bit more intimate in width and spaciousness compared to the EX1000 and 7550. This is to be expected since the EX1000 and 7550 are partly earspeaker designs.
 
Definition and clarity within the soundstage seems a bit better on the 1Plus2 because the TWFK drivers do not have a lot of decay. By the same token (and I generally always feel this way about TWFK's and BA's in general) the timbre is a bit off and feels just a little tacky at times to me in the highs.
 
There is some forwardness to the upper vocals or the lower treble that pops up in a few tracks (particularly more recent studio recordings) that gets a bit grating for me. Generally though on most tracks vocals are smooth and have a delicate detail to them that I quite like.
 
Sometimes I get the impression that the sub-bass sounds a little 'blunted' or 'ragged', but I'm still trying to work out if this is just because sub-bass extension is so low. (Will do some more comparison with the XBA-40 to check later).
 
All in all my first impressions are very positive - I think these sound fantastic. However I do not think the sound is as transcendental as the price tag would suggest. Diminishing returns, putting a price tag on a subjective experience, yadda yadda.

 

[goodvibes]

Try the supplied silicon tips. The Orto/Grado tips work well.

 

[Gintaras]

I'm on the Australian listening tour for the 1Plus2 with  and it just landed in my lap today!

I've been listening casually for a few hours on my ODAC / Objective 2 using green Sony foam hybrid tips. Apart from my beloved Sony MDR-EX1000 and now a Audio Technica ATH-CKM1000 I do not own any other IEMs that approach the price of this unit. Here are my first impressions.

The build quality of this IEM does not correspond with the price tag. There are plastic joining seams on the cable connectors that I would not expect to see on a $1K+ product. The cable is not very supple, though it seems durable. The 3.5mm jack looks literally as if someone has attached a banana plug speaker terminal to the wire. The build seems very boutique-fi.

I currently also have a demo unit of a Null Audio Rooth Elpis in my possession which is a 3D printed universal hybrid 'custom' IEM that offers basically the same build quality for about $250. I imagine complexity of engineering must be similar between the two (though the Elpis I have is a version prior to a recent revision) so at least in terms of build the 1Plus2 is disappointing.

In terms of sound the 1Plus2 is technically very impressive. In terms of signature they actually remind me of my Sony MDR-7550 except that bass extension and emphasis is more visceral and extended. Everything sounds very clean and definition within the soundstage is startling. The bass also lends everything a sense of scale and probably stands out to me as the best feature of the sound.

I understand that out of head soundstaging is meant to be a strong point of the 1Plus2, but to my ears it sounds a bit more intimate in width and spaciousness compared to the EX1000 and 7550. This is to be expected since the EX1000 and 7550 are partly earspeaker designs.

Definition and clarity within the soundstage seems a bit better on the 1Plus2 because the TWFK drivers do not have a lot of decay. By the same token (and I generally always feel this way about TWFK's and BA's in general) the timbre is a bit off and feels just a little tacky at times to me in the highs.

There is some forwardness to the upper vocals or the lower treble that pops up in a few tracks (particularly more recent studio recordings) that gets a bit grating for me. Generally though on most tracks vocals are smooth and have a delicate detail to them that I quite like.

Sometimes I get the impression that the sub-bass sounds a little 'blunted' or 'ragged', but I'm still trying to work out if this is just because sub-bass extension is so low. (Will do some more comparison with the XBA-40 to check later).

All in all my first impressions are very positive - I think these sound fantastic. However I do not think the sound is as transcendental as the price tag would suggest. Diminishing returns, putting a price tag on a subjective experience, yadda yadda.

nice reiew mate.

one thing i would disagree is sony mdr7550, i have this IEM for listen from fellow headfier and all i can sony is one of the uninspiring IEMs which i would not compare to 1p2 because 1p2 sounds so much better to my ear. all i could find on Sony was bass... major setback for me was very lean mids, i mean lacking bodily impact, voices are dull and trebles are simply not what i am used to, no air, congested and artificial for the most. but the biggest mistake i find on Sony is stage and imaging, instruments are often wrong placed and singers hiding behind ... i already posted my impressions on the mdr75500 board and after several more attempts i put it in the drawer waiting for the owner to collect it back.

 

[vwinter]

nice reiew mate.

one thing i would disagree is sony mdr7550, i have this IEM for listen from fellow headfier and all i can sony is one of the uninspiring IEMs which i would not compare to 1p2 because 1p2 sounds so much better to my ear. all i could find on Sony was bass... major setback for me was very lean mids, i mean lacking bodily impact, voices are dull and trebles are simply not what i am used to, no air, congested and artificial for the most. but the biggest mistake i find on Sony is stage and imaging, instruments are often wrong placed and singers hiding behind ... i already posted my impressions on the mdr75500 board and after several more attempts i put it in the drawer waiting for the owner to collect it back.

The upper treble on the 1Plus2 is arguably pretty boosted. The midrange is also pretty lean on the 1Plus2. The way you describe the 7550 vocals is very much how I heard the 1Plus2 vocals. The whole sound is very aggressive and there is a lot of room-like air movement, but there was very little engagement. I mainly just sat in awe at the tuning of the presentation. I don't think I caught my toes tapping once in my audition of the 1Plus2 which was
Cuz you know, music and all.

 

[Gintaras]

vwinter, let me disagree but i will not go into discussion on this. for me mids and vocals are richer and more right on 1p2, but like i said my biggest complain about mdr7550 was stage and imaging, here i hated sony a lot. you can find my comments on mdr7550 board if you want talk more in depth about this, we can continue there.

 

[vwinter]

Oh no sorry, I wasn't talking about the 7550 in comparison to the 1Plus2. I was just talking about the 1Plus2 in general.

 

[music_4321]

There are several MDR-7550 (MDR-EX800ST) threads. Gintaras posted his impressions on this particular thread one week ago:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/679045/review-sony-mdr-7550/45#post_9815050
http://www.head-fi.org/t/679045/review-sony-mdr-7550/45#post_9816601
http://www.head-fi.org/t/679045/review-sony-mdr-7550/45#post_9816667
 
My very short post after those posts:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/679045/review-sony-mdr-7550/45#post_9818339
 
We don't all have to agree, that's for sure, but having read many impressions of the 7550s in the last two years—practically all of them being very, very positive—none seemed to be quite as negative as Gintara's—and by quite a margin.