Intro
TinHifi is a company that needs no introduction in the Chi-Fi space.Whenever anybody mentioned T2 Plus,they are well aware that TinHifi is the company that produces them.When it comes to Planar,they do have several offering as well,i have not had the chance to try them out previously,namely the P1,P1 Plus,both which receive quite positive feedback from the reviewers,albeit with some cons such as hard to drive. Today I have the P1 Max with me,with a completely redesigned shell, a lot easier to drive as suggested by TinHifi.
Packaging/Build
The packaging is the usual TinHifi style kind of packaging.A hard box with the IEM itself,and generous sets of eartips provided.I’m not going to show the picture of it as I believe there are several reviewers who took a lot of photos of the packaging.
In terms of build quality,the shell is rather big,it is made out of plastic.It is comfortable and fits my ear well.No weird edges that causes discomfort throughout my listening session.
Specifications Driver Unit Φ14.2mm Planar Magnetic drive
Sensitivity 98±3dB @1kHz 0.126V
Frequency Response 10-20kHz
Impedance 16Ω±15%
Rated Power 5mW
Max Power 10mW
Max Distortion 3% @1kHz 0.126V
Interface Gold-plated 2P connector
Plug 3.5mm gold plated plug carbon fibre tube
Source
Foobar2k -> TRI TK2 -> P1 Max
Foobar2k -> Onkyo DAC HA200 -> P1 Max
Windows 11 Tidal -> Questyle M15 - P1 Max
Foobar2k -> Moondrop Dawn -> P1 Max
Sound Impression
I have not heard any Planar IEM or headphones before so I don't exactly know how planar driver based IEM/headphones sound like. Until now,this is my first time hearing a planar driver IEM,to be very honest,I have a very positive experience with P1 Max.My listening impression is with the sources i mentioned above. P1 Max does benefit from a slightly colored source which provides a little extra flavour up top(treble).
P1 Max’s tonality is leaning towards neutral to slightly warm. The timbre sounds naturally and has a good note weight to it.
Bass
Bass on the P1 Max has got good texture to it,thick and good slam
Sub bass rumble is a little lacking but it is there when it is called for
Bass is fast,tight,clean and not at all muddy,very good quality bass i would say
I like the bass presentation on P1 Max overall,of course your experience might vary
The bass is done just right to my ears,balanced transition from sub to mid bass
Mids
Both male and female vocal has got good texture and not thin sounding at all
Vocal positioning is not laidback and not too intimate sounding. Just nice for my preference.I would put it as “not so in your face” kind of positioning
Mid range is quite lush and details in this range are good. Instruments in the midrange has got good texture and note weight
Upper mids not boosted and remained very pleasant to even at higher volume,hence it will not give you that kind of sensation “shouty”
Treble
This region perhaps is the weakness of P1 Max,don’t get me wrong,the treble isn’t bad,just slightly lacking in terms of resolution
In terms of air and sparkle,i would say they’re average at best
Detail retrieval not bad,micro and macro details can be picked up,i would say source pairing will indirectly detail retrieval capability for P1 Max
I would say the treble region is smooth and slightly laidback,not sibilant nor harsh,very easy to listen to for long hours
Soundstage/Imaging
The soundstage is rather intimate. Everything sounds pretty centred or rather in your head,average width and depth
Imaging is rather good as the instruments can be picked up easily
Drivability/Dac Amp Pairing
As claimed by TinHifi,they are rather easy to drive,i plugged it straight to my 4th gen iPod Touch,at less than half of the volume,it is already plenty loud to listen to
However,this is not to say that it will not scale with better source of course,changing the source to Moondrop’s Dawn,Questyle M15,P1 Max is an entirely differently beast
Moondrop’s Dawn kind of open up the sound of P1 Max,it gives the perceived enhanced resolution to P1 Max due to the Dawn’s slightly bright tuning
Going from Dawn to Questyle M15,soundstage is going from centred to slightly better width,height is still average,P1 Max becomes a little more dynamic to my ears
Final Thoughts
I do not have any other Planar IEM to compare P1 Max with and that’s a bummer.However,if you ask will i recommend P1 Max,my answer is yes. Despite the shortcoming in terms of technical capability,tuning wise,P1 Max is not bad.Lets put it this way,P1 Max is not for critical listening,it is an IEM where you plug in and you just want to listen to music instead of being critical.
*P1 Max was sent over by TinHifi F.O.C in exchange for this review.I am in no way compensated/influenced in any way to produce this review.All thoughts and words are of my own.
If you are interested in getting one,head over to TinHifi’s Aliexpress store below: P1 Max Store Link (Not Affiliated)
