TINHIFI P1 Max II

Intro:
This IEM arrived together with the tin t5s which was also sent by the Tinhifi Serve team
In terms of packaging, there is a picture of an anime panda on the front cover. Yes, this tinhifi is trying to go against the flow, instead of getting bored looking at anime waifu, it's better to look at cute pandas.

The packaging of the p1 max 2 is considered minimalist, and perhaps the most economical compared to other planar iEMs. Because there is no case and the cable is not a modular cable. Luckily the cable quality is good, and matches the sound of the iem. Doesn't make us look for another cable to unlock the iem's potential, like Letshuoer's planar...

In the box there are 3 pairs of gray red eartips with a slightly bright character, 3 pairs of plain gray eartips with a balanced character, and a pair of foam tips with a warm character. In this review, it's clear that I used the plain gray tips. The fitting of the P1 Max 2 is quite comfortable and the housing is also light, not heavy like a whale

Oh yes, this iem is a bit heavy to tow. Not as heavy as the KZ PR2 or S15, but not as light as the MP145. It's in the middle, and I still recommend a minimum source dongle of 500 thousand and above for a P1 Max 2 crane.

OK, now on to the sound impressions...

Bass:
This IEM is tuned towards a slightly warm harman shape. The bass has just enough quantity. The bass is slightly dominant in the sub bass with quite deep extension. The rumble from the sub bass is quite pronounced.

As for the mid bass, it feels quite punchy, even though it doesn't give the bouncy sensation like the dd bass. The bass texture is quite good for a planar iem, on the same level as the mp145.
As for the bass decay, it just feels medium, it doesn't wear off quickly, the decay is like the previous planar2 of the timeless era.

The bass also feels clean, controlled, and has a fast speed typical of planar iems. No bleber2 club.

Mid:
One of the sectors that is leading on p1 max 2. Its position is just a little bit back compared to the bass. The vocal weight feels right, not thin or thick. The mid feels clean, open, and quite energetic because the upper mid is boosted quite high.
It feels thicker and more natural compared to the mid of the MP145. It also feels a bit cleaner and more open.

The mids have a fairly even portion between male and female vocals. Although the female vocal position feels a little more advanced because of the uppermid boost.
Apart from that, the mid feels sweet and has good emotion. The mid presentation is similar to Heyday, with a slightly more forward position, a little cleaner, and more interference-free from the bass.

The mids also feel swingy with a fairly natural timbre, although the planar timbre of the mids is still a bit pronounced here. The acoustic guitar and piano beats are still natural.
Typical of planar iems and it seems difficult to get rid of it, the sibilance is still quite noticeable on p1 max 2. Although it's still not that annoying to my ears.

Treble:
The treble presentation on the P1 Max 2 feels like the cymbal ringing is just right and not as aggressive as other planars. It feels quite smooth and quite natural, although the planar timbre is still quite pronounced.

The treble body is just right and not that thin, with a good treble extension. Even though it's not as good and airy as the treble extension of the MP145. The grainy and peak treble are quite minimal, so it is still safe for long use.

Technical:
The most superior thing about the P1 Max 2 is the technical aspects. I can say that the stage is one of the widest compared to other planar iems I've tried. The depth and height of the stage are also quite good. The stage feels slightly wider than the MP145 with more precise imaging instruments.

The detail, resolution and micro details are at the level of an MP145 and above the average IEM for its price. The separation is also good with the layering feeling separate.
In yungblud songs, which are mixed up, the bass can be enjoyed with good separation.

The transient speed is fast, typical of planar, although it's not as fast as the transient speed of MP145. For metal and rock songs, you can clearly keep up with the speed. The clarity is clear, and doesn't give a dull impression to the sound.

Outro:
The P1 Max 2 feels like it is following in Timeless's footsteps as an all-around planar device that is comfortable and safe for various song genres.

In my opinion, the existence of the P1 Max 2 could also be a link between planar timbre haters, because to my ears I feel like this timbre is quite safe for single DD lovers or multi driver lovers.

At the current price of 150$, I can't deny this P1 Max 2 is one of my favorite IEMs. The only thing I can complain about it is the accessories, since it is not as complete as other planar IEMs from its price range.
There's no modular jack and there's no case, it's really a hassle

That's all my impression.

Source:
Tempotec v3
Akliam pd4 plus
Custom amp
Custom m2m cable
Custom 4.4 cable

TONALITY: 7.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8/10
TIMBRE: 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8/10
IMAGING: 8/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 7.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8/10
SOUND VALUE: 7.5/10

Tinhifi is a well known IEM maker from China that has released very popular budget IEMs like the Tinhifi T2 and T3plus as well as a good amount of planar IEM.

I still consider their P1plus as the best sub-200$ planar for technical performance, but the housing design makes the fit cumbersome so I don’t tend to use it often for this reason.

The first P1max improved the design ergonomy for smooth fit and comfort but chose a warmer neutral tonality than the more vivid and resolved P1plus.

Today I will review the P1max successor humbly called P1max 2.

Priced 140$, the P1max II is supposed to use an upgraded 14.2mm planar driver and promise a ‘’wider soundstage, clearer sound and crystal clear note’’.

Let's see in this review if these planar earphones offer a worthy musicality and performance among the numerous other planar offerings under 200$.


CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN



The construction is made from 3D printed high precision resin plastic. It’s lightweight and very smooth. The ergonomics are very same as the first P1max but use a different back plate design which is really beautiful.
The nozzle is on the short side which means no deep insertion possible.
On top of housing we have a non recessed 2 pin connector that feels solidly embedded.

The included cable is of nice quality but comes in single ends which isn’t the best choice for planar IEM that benefit from extra power or balanced output. It’s a 4 strands silver plated braided cable that fits well the overall IEM look.



In terms of packaging, it’s cute and minimalist. The accessories are minimalist too since we don't have carrying case. So we have the cable and 5 pairs of silicone eartips and 1 pair of memory foam. This is OK for the price but a carrying case would have been appreciated.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS



Overall tonality can be described as bright V shape with thick thumpy bass that feel speedy and round, forward upper mids that favor presence over substance but doesn’t sound overly thin and sharp, vividly crunchy treble that add sense of air but don’t offer a lotta sparkle and clean brilliance.

This is quite a big departure from smoother and more warm neutral P1max and crisper more analytical, clean and lean sounding P1 Max.

In fact, we are in rather common V shape territory here, since the Max2 sounds very similar to Letshuoer S12 and doesn't offer anything new or particularly special to planar games which feel stagnant lately. Yet, it doesn’t mean these are bad, technical performance is still excellent for the price and they are easier to drive than S12 as well as a notch bassier, more dynamic.

So, we have a fast euphonic bass boom that offers both punch and speedy rumble. It’s not the cleanest bass since we have hints of warmth that glue kick drum and bass line in the same sound envelope. This adds slam weight and dynamic heft, which is very weighty and tactile.
The sub bass is vibrant, a bit compressed in extension which make bass line thick but not very accurate in note release extension, which is more an issue for double bass with lean reverberation that will go suddenly louder and more boomy than cello which will earn lushness and appealing density to it’s attack sustain.
Simply put, the bass favors the impact over its fine resolution and positioning, the kick drum sound colored in timbre but gain in punch, so these are good contenders for rock, pop, R&B.

The mids are warmed by bass, this makes male vocals full sounding while it steals air and definition edge sharpness, yet both male and female vocals are still bright and edgy enough due to upper mids boost that forwards their presence.
This can make female vocals a notch intense in loudness and borderline shouty. But at least it doesn’t sound thin and it’s abrasive in texture, which impacts transparency negatively. We have a bit of planar fuzzy grain that adds noise to air.
There is no clean air around the instrument which affects positioning clarity.
Tenor instrument and vocal will sound more natural and lush, cello being at top of its game here as well as saxophone while for violin planar timbre and harmonic intensity affect timbre fullness by favoring the attack bite.


The treble is focused on the lower part and boosts mostly the presence grain and edge of instrument and percussion without achieving proper snap and sparkle or a clean crispness that will add a well perceived variety of timbre polyphony.
Past 10kHz, the treble seems to roll off rather fast, so highs offer more thick attack crunch than fine speedy snap and bite that would sharpen attack lead impact and add macro dynamic amplitude variety. In that regard, P1max 2 sure isn’t feeling W shape, dynamic has 2 steps to it, bass in package+upper mids and highs in package.
Think about balanced armature highs and you get similar attack sustain-release as well as diffuse euphonic timbre. It’s no end game in terms of treble refinement here and shows to what price range this planar IEM belongs.


The soundstage is very wide, average, tall and not deep. It’s not very holographic and open sounding and acts like a wide sound tapestry with lively dynamics that go towards center stage, where all sound info concentrates to the point of stealing all air in the space.

This means imaging is average too, instruments lack proper clean space between them but can be layered fastly without mixing in overtone (apart bass). Classical quartet is easier to read than Symphony which goes blurry in fine instrument cutting, percussions can get lost in the mix due to sustained blur, bass is warmed by its impact which make it hard to pinpoint precisely too. In other words: these aren’t adequate for monitoring purposes.


COMPARISONS



VS NICEHCK F1pro

The F1pro is more W shaped and bright, the treble is spikier and airier, the timbre is more noisy and typical planar like…

The bass is more boomy and resonant, less round and warm and thick than Max2 which has more vibrant and colorful rumble too with less scooped upper bass-lower mids so transition into mids is warmer and more natural. Max2 has more mid bass punch and weight and it's less boosted in sub bass, less resonant and wide in slam, thigher but warmer too.

This means P1max feels more mid centric even if balanced V shape and darker on top, we don’t have this extra treble edge that negatively texture balance and put harmonic overly forward, this makes both male and female vocal smoother, lusher and more natural and bodied. F1pro mids are thinner but crisper and more open sounding, it can’t handle a wide variety of vocal style due to scooped lower mids so it's more about bright presence boost, this makes resolution and layering cleaner, less colored with warmth that affect transparency of Max2 more. Edgier and harsher are the mids of F1pro, smoother and wider and denser in presence and as well as more weighty in note impact is the Max2.

Treble is smoother, leaner and more organic in balance but not as sharp, airy and crunchy. Percussions are thinner, brighter and more spoil with planar timbre with F1pro, it sounds half cooked while round and full but not as upfront with the Max2. Highs are spikier and harsher with F1pro, it tends to add unwanted sound info in mids instruments too. Treble heads will prefer F1pro while those seeking lush balance and fluid musicality will prefer Max2.

Soundstage is wider and deeper with F1pro, in that regard Max2 feel intimate and overly compressed in center stage, you are into music with Max2 while center stage is more recessed U shape way with F1pro.

Imaging is superior with F1pro, sound layering is more transparent so macro dynamics don’t feel as mushy and dark.

All in all, musicality and warm tonal balance as well as timbre naturalness go to Tinhifi P1max2. NiceHCK F1pro is more technical but more unpleasant musicaly, timbre is thinner, dryer and harsher, vocal can be sibilant more easily and percussions are overly forwards due to spikier treble response.

VS HIDIZS MP145

The MP145 is more U shape, crisp and airy in tonality, what hit first is how more open and gigantic the soundstage is and how cleaner and more holographic the imaging is.

The bass is faster and thinner, more transparent, less thick and more energy in slam and punch which is wider, more transparent and resonant. Bass lines are better articulated and deeper. Their less lower mids warmth and slam is better layered. Max2 feels quite muddy bass wise compared to those and the mid bass definition is more mushy.

The mids are edgier with MP145, timbre is thinner and brighter, less smoothen in sibilance, less lusher and warm than darker and thicker mids of Max2 which again feel mushy and lacking in air and proper definition but we have more lower mids and male vocal are more upfront and fully bodied with the Max2, that's about only advantage it got since mids are more open and crisp yet not too thin with Mp145.

The treble is notably airier, sparklier and snappier with the MP145, percussions are sharper in definition and more energetic in attack, we have more micro details and texture info, we have more air around instruments, we have more attack lead accent and well everything feel less dark and foggy.

The Soundstage is way wider, taller and deeper, no competition here.

Imaging is superior due to more space between instruments as well as more transparency and space between sound layers levels, again non competition here.

All in all, the MP145 is superior in both tonal balance and technical performance and feels from another league as if MP145 was mid tier planar and Max2 an entry level one.

CONCLUSION



The Tinhifi P1max II are more than decent sounding planar IEM but come a bit late in the game and doesn't represent consequent performance upgrade among other planar offering.

If you were hoping for a more V shape and energic sounding P1max, this could be the musicality sidegrade you were waiting for.

As well, the wide soundstage promise aren't achieved by this IEM, so if you seek very open and spacious musicality, it's not the IEM I would suggest, for that regard, Hidizs MP145 still is the benchmark.

The P1max2 is a fun and bassy sounding earphone with thick bass and mids and a well rounded tonality that is cohesive and free of harsh spike, and at 130$ it might not be as competitively priced as Artti T10 but still is a valuable contendor for audio enthusiast.

Semi Recommended.

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PS: I want to thanks Tinhifi for sending me this review sample. As always i'm not affiliated in any form to this company and these are all subjective audio impressions and opinions.

Introduction:
TinHifi is one of the old players amongst many chifi brands. They were known for selling iem at quite an affordable pricing, as well as experimenting with a lot of different tunings.
There are quite a few products from their catalog that manage to earn the recognition of many audiophiles as well as casual music enjoyers like their 1 dynamic driver lineup: The T2, T3 Plus, C2, C3 as well as their planar lineup: The P1, P1 Plus, P1 Max.
And now, after 2 long years, they have release their latest planar creation: The P1 Max II. P1 Max II is said to be the successor or upgraded version of their P1 Max, which was released back in 2022 and was known for its near neutral yet still musical tuning.


I would like to give a special thank to TinHifi for providing this unit of P1 Max II in exchange for an honest reviews. This will not affect my evaluation of this iem. Everything i said in this review is my subjective opinion only.

Packaging

The P1 Max II comes in a relatively simple box.
Together with the iem, it comes with a few pairs of eartips (6 pairs of silicone tips + 1 pair of foam tips) and a really nice quality cable.


Truth be told, I wish they could've included a small case in the accessories, especially for the 140$ price tag.

Design/Build quality/Comfort

The P1 Max II has a 3d printed resin shell in a black color way, with a 14.2mm planar driver housing inside of it. The iem feels really light in the hand, 3.8 grams according to the marketing material, yet it doesn't feel flimsy.

The faceplate on the other hand looks really nice. It has this sort of 3d wavy design in a gray-ish color way with actual depth to the pattern. The faceplate looks simple and minimal enough yet still looks great upon closer inspection.

Comfort wise, i think it’s alright. It’s not too small nor too big. It doesn’t have the most ergonomic design ever (no bulbous, rear wing design) but it does provide decent isolation.

The cable is a 4-strand silver plated OFC cable with a 3.5mm termination. It feels quite nice in the hand, soft and supple, has no memory and no microphonics. It’s quite a decent cable for the price.

As for tips, the provided tips did not provide me with sufficient seal as well as sound performance. I have opted for the Divinus Velvet tips instead. The following sound impression will be made with the Velvet tips.

Sound impression:

*Test gear:
Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop
DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D, Hiby FC6
Eartips: Divinus Velvet
Cable: Stock

Tonality: Mild V-shaped

Bass: 7.25/10

It’s fast, punchy, rumbly, has good extension. It’s subbass over midbass as the graph would imply. The midbass slams are easily felt with good heft to it and it’s not weak by any means, nor is it too boomy. Like the characteristic of planar driver, the bass has a very quick attack and decay characteristic however that “quickness” of it do makes me miss that lingering sense of the dynamic driver. As a trade off, that quickness gives the P1 Max II a very well defined bass notes during complexed tracks.

Personally, i’d enjoy a bit more midbass for the additional thumps and hit. Drums and bass guitar would have more body to it. Stock bass is absolutely fine, but because this is planar, i do think the P1 Max II would benefit from a bit more bass to compensate for that quick decaying nature of planar.

In “Strong and Strike” of Naruto OST, the drum hits, although sounding quite distinct, do lack that very bit of oomph to it. Or during many more fast pace tracks, the P1 Max II can keep up with no problem.

Mids: 7/10

With how the bass was done, the midrange is a bit on a leaner side. Even with the so-called “bass bleed” on the graph, the midrange actually sounds clean. It’s on the bright and energetic side yet doesn’t sound shouty at all. Vocals are relatively forward sounding, nor is it too recessed. Male vocals like Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra sounds fine, though like i said, they do lack that very bit of weighty sense to their voice.

With female vocal like “All by Myself – Celine Dion”, her voice sounds vibrant yet not harsh sounding. The high notes hitting from 2:30 onwards just sound emphasized enough.

Or for example with “Nee – Maiko Fujita”, her voice sounds just as angelic and lively as ever. Her voice does stand out more from the mix compared to the rest of the instruments.

At a high volume though, female vocals in general does sound more intense and fatiguing.

Piano and violin sounds natural in tone, but not exactly satisfying in its note weight

Treble: 7/10

The treble part is... fine. I didn’t get wow by it. It is crisp, airy and well extended. Together with the boosted bass, it gives me this slight V-shaped sense to the whole tonal balance.

In “Caravan – John Wasson” , cymbals and hihats has its basic properties like the attack and the shimmering decay. However, the decay or the tail notes of those percussion instruments sort of disappear a bit too fast, like it’s not lingering around or emphasized enough.

There is also some weird sense of sibilant to it. I do notice this at higher volume.

Tech: 7.5/10

Soundstage wise, it’s actually quite decent. Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles and Wandering sounds great with the P1 Max II. I can feel the spatial cues hitting me from left to right and back and forth like it should. However, the height is quite subpar to my ears with the P1 Max II, which makes the soundstage quite flat.

Dynamic is also good with the P1 Max II, although i’d say microdetails aren’t its greatest strength.

Layering is nice, although it doesn’t have the sharpest layering between instruments.

Source pairing:

From my limited amount of DAC/Amp, i enjoyed the Chord Mojo and Hiby FC6 the most with the P1 Max II.

The Mojo has the best synergy with the P1 Max II as it has the best control over the planar driver, which in turn provides a very dynamic and full sound reproduction.

The FC6 on the other hand provides a bit of warmth and musicality with their R2R tech. The bass seems to have a bit more lingering sense to it, which makes the P1 Max II sounds more organic.

The DC04 Pro on the other hand was a bit too neutral and the E1DA 9038D was definitely too bright for the P1 Max II

=> Conclusion: The P1 Max II does benefit from a bit more current/power from a better and maybe a bit warmer DAC/Amp.

Comparison:

Vs 7hz Timeless

The 7hz Timeless was one of the first planar iem that manage to capture the hearts of many comsumers as well as started the first “Planar war”. At the time, it was famous for its technical performance and the value it brings. So how does the P1 Max II, a three years later product, different from the first planar iem king?

Comparing the two, the 7hz Timeless has a full aluminum housing, have better accessories, which includes a full metal carrying case as well as better stocking tips. The stock cable looks higher quality too. But this is to be expected since the retail price of it was 200$, comparing to P1 Max II’s 139$

As for sound quality, the P1 Max II has many improvements compared to the Timeless. The Timeless sounds brighter than the P1 Max II, yes. But the midrange on P1 Max II sounds way more natural with better texture. The Timeless’s midrange sounds more uneven in comparison.

The timbre is wayyyyyy better on the P1 Max II because of this. The P1 Max II has nearer timbre to a dynamic driver, whereas the Timeless still has that famous planar timbre. The timbre on the Timeless has this metallic and almost aggressive sense to it.

Detail wise, the Timeless does have more details than the P1 Max II, but in hindsight, the detail on the Timeless feels a bit too artificially boosted and almost fake, whereas the P1 Max II sounds more natural and less harsh.

Vs Hidizs MP145

Hidizs MP145 is one of, if not the most widely enjoyed, allrounded planar i’ve ever seen. At the point of its release, it has captured the heart of many audiophiles around the world due to its almost unprecedented performance for the price, which is around 100$ when it was first released on KickStarter.

So as a new planar contender in the planar iem market, the P1 Max II from Tinhifi does have a big shoe to fill. What does it have in its arsenal to go up against the MP145?

Well first is the price. The P1 Max II has a retail price of 139$, as opposed to the MP145’s current retail price of 159$. Outside of sound, the MP145 does provide a better overall package, which includes a better cable, more varieties of tips and a carrying pouch. The iem shell is of higher quality too. So MP145 wins in terms of overall package

Second is the sound. To my ears, the MP145 has a warmer overall tonality, more bass centric with smoother vocals and better treble. Instruments sound more dense with the MP145. The treble on the MP145 sounds more emphasizes, airier and crisper. The timbre is more natural on the MP145.
The P1 Max II on the other hand sounds leaner, brighter and more vocal/treble centric.
Female vocal sounds noticeably more forward and energetic.
Stage wise, i think the P1 Max II has better stage. On Yosi Horikawa’s songs, i heard and felt spatial cues better with the P1 Max II. Many people have commented on the MP145’s giant stage, but i personally didn’t hear it, part of which i think is due to the third part: The SIZE.

The P1 Max II is definitely smaller and easier to fit than the gigantic shell of the MP145. Even if the MP145’s sound more align to my liking and perhaps to a lot more people’s liking, i sold the MP145 in a heart beat due to how uncomfortable and hard to fit it is.

If you like a warm, bassy planar set with great technicality AND a big set of ears, the Hidizs MP145 would be a better choice. However, if you like a brighter leaning set with great stage as well as having an average size ears, the Tinhifi P1 Max II would be a logical choice.

Conclusion

Is the P1 Max II a great iem? In short, yes. I would say it is definitely a successful product from TinHifi. However, it does not stand out much compared to the rest of the market. It does compete with them, but not outstandingly so. It is not a truly “for everyone” type of product and it boils down to your preference and your library.

Library wise, i think the P1 Max II is suitable for US/UK Pop, K-Pop, orchestra and maybe some EDM. Rock and metal doesn’t sound the best with the P1 Max II. But this is of course just my personal taste, as i’m usually more of a soft bass head.

If you’re looking for a neutral iem, or iem with a warm, dense noteweight, relaxing treble, or you’re the type of person who listen to iem at a higher volume, then the P1 Max II might not be the iem for you. However, if you’d like a colorful, energetic sounding planar iem, yet still maintain a reletively balance tonality, then the P1 Max II is a great option for you to choose.

That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.