drp
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2003
- Posts
- 699
- Likes
- 11
I am a self-proclaimed IEM guy. Starting with Etys (crap, ~9 years ago), I've been through Shure E2s, Shure E5s for 1.5 years, and two years with the very excellent Sensaphonic 2X-S.
For business travel and work, I've been using highly modified KSC-35s (recabled, resistor mod, driver cover perforated to H and back). I use these instead of IEMS so I can hear flight announcements, phone ringing, and to prevent headband hair, to which I am very prone. I was in the market for something smaller and easier to use, but with good SQ. Enter the PK1.
I was, like all posts I've seen so far, skeptical, but I also trust that Tod, or Tood, or even Todd, wouldn’t carry crap, so I decided to give them a whirl. This was a week ago. Current rig for on-the-go is an iMod and a RS Tomahawk (that's burin' in nicely).
The net net is that I am completely blown away by these earphones. I am hearing detail and clarity that I hear with my Sensas, though not to as high a level. Soundstage is remarkable; much closer to full size cans than IEMS.
Learning curve - At first, I was using the foam pads and trying to wedge the driver into my ear canal, pointing straight in. Yes, I am an ear bud noob. Through experimenting with placement, I finally figured out that they actually just hang on the ear, following the natural groove/curve in front of the earlobe, so that the driver is practically suspended just in front of the ear canal. Fine tuning is the key. This allows some of the sound pressure to travel around the outer ear groves, just like natural sound. The sense is that of micro vibration, which lends to the feeling of a larger soundstage. It also makes them extremely comfortable to wear, and easy to insert or remove. Can and do wear them for hours, and they just disappear. Oh, and no foam pads.
Efficiency – They are driven well by the Tomahawk, but the real surprise came when I hooked them up to my Ear+HD-Opus 21 combo. These little buds scale up just like the big boy headphones. The Mapletree adds more headroom, increased resolution, and clarity.
SQ/Fun factor – I can only describe the performance (to my ears) as being like (but not quite in the same league) an Ety in resolution and neutral presentation, and a mid-level Grado in midrange reproduction and downright fun. Bass is tight, dynamic, and right. As I was listening to them plugged into the Mapletree, I kept reaching for the pause button so I could compare to other cans. I would then wait and listen to another song. This went on for over two hours. I actually never got to doing an A/B that night; they were too much fun to stop, which speaks volumes in my book (which this is turning out to be . . sorry).
Construction – The PK1 does not use a J style cable; each driver lead is the same length. The longer cord length makes it possible to move freely around my 6-foot drafting table, which holds my computer, headphone rig (center of it all), solder/tinkering station. Etc. Yes, the housing is plastic, but sturdy. I don't think machined aluminum would make them more impressive, or really sturdier; I think they are sturdy and fine as they are.
Bottom line is that I have a new favorite portable headphone for when the Sensa's isolation doesn't make sense, and so far, just because I love to listen to them. For nighttime use, they are my new "closed cans". I still reach for PS1s or Sensas for critical listening, but while surfing or typing run-on sentences, the PK1s get the duty.
I highly recommend them.
For business travel and work, I've been using highly modified KSC-35s (recabled, resistor mod, driver cover perforated to H and back). I use these instead of IEMS so I can hear flight announcements, phone ringing, and to prevent headband hair, to which I am very prone. I was in the market for something smaller and easier to use, but with good SQ. Enter the PK1.
I was, like all posts I've seen so far, skeptical, but I also trust that Tod, or Tood, or even Todd, wouldn’t carry crap, so I decided to give them a whirl. This was a week ago. Current rig for on-the-go is an iMod and a RS Tomahawk (that's burin' in nicely).
The net net is that I am completely blown away by these earphones. I am hearing detail and clarity that I hear with my Sensas, though not to as high a level. Soundstage is remarkable; much closer to full size cans than IEMS.
Learning curve - At first, I was using the foam pads and trying to wedge the driver into my ear canal, pointing straight in. Yes, I am an ear bud noob. Through experimenting with placement, I finally figured out that they actually just hang on the ear, following the natural groove/curve in front of the earlobe, so that the driver is practically suspended just in front of the ear canal. Fine tuning is the key. This allows some of the sound pressure to travel around the outer ear groves, just like natural sound. The sense is that of micro vibration, which lends to the feeling of a larger soundstage. It also makes them extremely comfortable to wear, and easy to insert or remove. Can and do wear them for hours, and they just disappear. Oh, and no foam pads.
Efficiency – They are driven well by the Tomahawk, but the real surprise came when I hooked them up to my Ear+HD-Opus 21 combo. These little buds scale up just like the big boy headphones. The Mapletree adds more headroom, increased resolution, and clarity.
SQ/Fun factor – I can only describe the performance (to my ears) as being like (but not quite in the same league) an Ety in resolution and neutral presentation, and a mid-level Grado in midrange reproduction and downright fun. Bass is tight, dynamic, and right. As I was listening to them plugged into the Mapletree, I kept reaching for the pause button so I could compare to other cans. I would then wait and listen to another song. This went on for over two hours. I actually never got to doing an A/B that night; they were too much fun to stop, which speaks volumes in my book (which this is turning out to be . . sorry).
Construction – The PK1 does not use a J style cable; each driver lead is the same length. The longer cord length makes it possible to move freely around my 6-foot drafting table, which holds my computer, headphone rig (center of it all), solder/tinkering station. Etc. Yes, the housing is plastic, but sturdy. I don't think machined aluminum would make them more impressive, or really sturdier; I think they are sturdy and fine as they are.
Bottom line is that I have a new favorite portable headphone for when the Sensa's isolation doesn't make sense, and so far, just because I love to listen to them. For nighttime use, they are my new "closed cans". I still reach for PS1s or Sensas for critical listening, but while surfing or typing run-on sentences, the PK1s get the duty.
I highly recommend them.
