hYdrociTy
Banned
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2007
- Posts
- 1,485
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Ok so I first heard these little buds at the NYC meet, 82 days later, I finally feel Ive spent enough time with them to share my impressions.
I bought these used, and they seem to be an earlier model for there were no "L" and "R" markings.
The burn in issue has definitely been settled as I have rotated these with my other cans at night for a good two months now, so it is over 250 hours.
When inserted into this chain-- FLAC-> m-audio a192-> LDII+-> PK1
(I left out the newly acquired dac and sacd player because Ive not spent enough time yet <100 hours and have not yet fully analyzed and appreciated the great benefits) I have used the LDII+ straight out of the m-audio card for a very long time and it is what I am using as a reference.
I remember the first extended listening session I had with them on, and still to this day, my thoughts remain firm that these buds have a sound that is most comfortable to me.
Oh and these things aren't the most efficient things in the world, and would be much happier with a good amp.
Synergy? Well Ill put it this way- It sounds marvelous with my LDII+, especially with the Mullard M8161 tubes (tuberolling impressions comin in another thread). The portaphile? Here is where it gets tricky. IMO, the PK1's have a sound signature that closely resembles what the v2^2 imparts onto other cans! In other words, the PK1s are the very headphonication of the amp. It multiplies the articulate and honest bass, the transparent midrange, and the detail retrieval in the highs sans sparkles. I feel it would be a great advantage if these buds were used at work at a desk with a tube amp, and from what I hear, it would pair well with a punchy warm hornet.
Ill begin with the highs. The detail is there, liquid and smooth without being overly harsh- it blends in very well throughout the whole experience. Compared to the super.fi 5 pros, I think the PK1's definitely triumph in this category. Against the K501, its a different story, though the 501s are not as balanced as the PK1's. When listening to Björk’s Vespertine, I find that tracks 5-7, Pagan Poetry, Frosty, and Aurora sound particularly atmospheric. The airy sound is there, detail is there, soundstage in the highs there, and what wasn’t there were the peaks which sometimes can be fatiguing.
Mids are very strange sounding. The whole experience suggests a rather large soundstage for a bud, but the energy is still there. Again, I would say that they sound very liquid unlike the K501's. I love the grado/ksc75 mids, and am quite happy that these buds stack up nicely in that you get a taste of the excitement of a midrangy can like the 225s yet am not detracted from the holistic approach it takes to the sound. Of course not as finely revealing as the 225's but then gain more than my ksc35, which happened to be a victim of its own bass. There is a nice balance that was lacking in the ksc75's. There seemed to lack gradients between the mids, highs, and lows- the transitions, which is somewhat existent in these buds and that makes for an enjoyable listen.
The lows strike me as amazingly textural and refined. There is no hump, added presence, or any other kind of gimmick here. All I hear is bass that reflects as much of the recording as possible. The second track of Oakenfolds Bunkka, Southern Sun, there is a bass loop that is very unusual. The bass is there in two situations- very poor headphones which reproduce it in flabby booms, very fine headphones like the HD580s which IMO DO have bass. The PK1 falls in the latter category. The bass background came through as a deep vibrations yes with each note you could actually tell a difference in timbre, as you could did on my 580/dac/amp setup.
The whole picture? When I hear the crack of a drum, I don't hear some monotone poof, fart, or vibrating plastic noise, but rather I am presented with the whole picture, from the crisp attack, articulate low end thump, and finally an almost transparent decay(obviously since they are buds and exhibit very little vibration). I particularly enjoy the layering, especially with my classical cds. It lets the ADD recordings come alive (especially Beethoven's 5/7th,kleiber, DG) which formerly sounded poor, almost unbearable with the super.fi's. I know that I enjoy the KSC35 the most with that recording, but then again, only with resistors which totally color the sound. Since they react to amplification quite noticeably, it would also mean you could tailor the sound to your tastes later on.
The most interesting thing about this little pair of buds is that it fills in a niche usage area that I really don't believe anything else could. These buds cannot be used satisfactory without an amp, there is no isolation, the soundstage is not as proficient as some full sized headphones, and well, they are expensive and don't look sexy. So what got me excited? Well, Ive discovered that most of the daytime working purveyors of fine headphones have office jobs, are students who frequent the library, or those that stay at home. Usually we don't want any type of isolation that could detract us from an important call, someone entering the office, etc. Students who are in a library or dorm room(except during "happy hour") have little need for isolation too. They don't want ostentatious full sized luxury looking cans to attract potential robbers and pickpockets. During these times, and amp and a decent source is readily available. They will give you a hifi-y feeling with the balanced sound in the majority of your waking hours, which in my book offers value against its initially high price tag.
In the end, I would say it sounds balanced. I perceive detail without grain, a coherent midrange and soundstage, and very importantly, a bass that is present, textural, and not at all overwhelming.
I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try now that TTVJ is selling them! Do give these buds a chance, because they might just be your thing, even if they are not, you still would lose nothing as you have gone up against the vanguard of earbud technology.
I bought these used, and they seem to be an earlier model for there were no "L" and "R" markings.
The burn in issue has definitely been settled as I have rotated these with my other cans at night for a good two months now, so it is over 250 hours.
When inserted into this chain-- FLAC-> m-audio a192-> LDII+-> PK1
(I left out the newly acquired dac and sacd player because Ive not spent enough time yet <100 hours and have not yet fully analyzed and appreciated the great benefits) I have used the LDII+ straight out of the m-audio card for a very long time and it is what I am using as a reference.
I remember the first extended listening session I had with them on, and still to this day, my thoughts remain firm that these buds have a sound that is most comfortable to me.
Oh and these things aren't the most efficient things in the world, and would be much happier with a good amp.
Synergy? Well Ill put it this way- It sounds marvelous with my LDII+, especially with the Mullard M8161 tubes (tuberolling impressions comin in another thread). The portaphile? Here is where it gets tricky. IMO, the PK1's have a sound signature that closely resembles what the v2^2 imparts onto other cans! In other words, the PK1s are the very headphonication of the amp. It multiplies the articulate and honest bass, the transparent midrange, and the detail retrieval in the highs sans sparkles. I feel it would be a great advantage if these buds were used at work at a desk with a tube amp, and from what I hear, it would pair well with a punchy warm hornet.
Ill begin with the highs. The detail is there, liquid and smooth without being overly harsh- it blends in very well throughout the whole experience. Compared to the super.fi 5 pros, I think the PK1's definitely triumph in this category. Against the K501, its a different story, though the 501s are not as balanced as the PK1's. When listening to Björk’s Vespertine, I find that tracks 5-7, Pagan Poetry, Frosty, and Aurora sound particularly atmospheric. The airy sound is there, detail is there, soundstage in the highs there, and what wasn’t there were the peaks which sometimes can be fatiguing.
Mids are very strange sounding. The whole experience suggests a rather large soundstage for a bud, but the energy is still there. Again, I would say that they sound very liquid unlike the K501's. I love the grado/ksc75 mids, and am quite happy that these buds stack up nicely in that you get a taste of the excitement of a midrangy can like the 225s yet am not detracted from the holistic approach it takes to the sound. Of course not as finely revealing as the 225's but then gain more than my ksc35, which happened to be a victim of its own bass. There is a nice balance that was lacking in the ksc75's. There seemed to lack gradients between the mids, highs, and lows- the transitions, which is somewhat existent in these buds and that makes for an enjoyable listen.
The lows strike me as amazingly textural and refined. There is no hump, added presence, or any other kind of gimmick here. All I hear is bass that reflects as much of the recording as possible. The second track of Oakenfolds Bunkka, Southern Sun, there is a bass loop that is very unusual. The bass is there in two situations- very poor headphones which reproduce it in flabby booms, very fine headphones like the HD580s which IMO DO have bass. The PK1 falls in the latter category. The bass background came through as a deep vibrations yes with each note you could actually tell a difference in timbre, as you could did on my 580/dac/amp setup.
The whole picture? When I hear the crack of a drum, I don't hear some monotone poof, fart, or vibrating plastic noise, but rather I am presented with the whole picture, from the crisp attack, articulate low end thump, and finally an almost transparent decay(obviously since they are buds and exhibit very little vibration). I particularly enjoy the layering, especially with my classical cds. It lets the ADD recordings come alive (especially Beethoven's 5/7th,kleiber, DG) which formerly sounded poor, almost unbearable with the super.fi's. I know that I enjoy the KSC35 the most with that recording, but then again, only with resistors which totally color the sound. Since they react to amplification quite noticeably, it would also mean you could tailor the sound to your tastes later on.
The most interesting thing about this little pair of buds is that it fills in a niche usage area that I really don't believe anything else could. These buds cannot be used satisfactory without an amp, there is no isolation, the soundstage is not as proficient as some full sized headphones, and well, they are expensive and don't look sexy. So what got me excited? Well, Ive discovered that most of the daytime working purveyors of fine headphones have office jobs, are students who frequent the library, or those that stay at home. Usually we don't want any type of isolation that could detract us from an important call, someone entering the office, etc. Students who are in a library or dorm room(except during "happy hour") have little need for isolation too. They don't want ostentatious full sized luxury looking cans to attract potential robbers and pickpockets. During these times, and amp and a decent source is readily available. They will give you a hifi-y feeling with the balanced sound in the majority of your waking hours, which in my book offers value against its initially high price tag.
In the end, I would say it sounds balanced. I perceive detail without grain, a coherent midrange and soundstage, and very importantly, a bass that is present, textural, and not at all overwhelming.
I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try now that TTVJ is selling them! Do give these buds a chance, because they might just be your thing, even if they are not, you still would lose nothing as you have gone up against the vanguard of earbud technology.
