I've got both the S12 and Timeless. The S12 has stronger bass slam but can be quite sharp on the top end, the cable and even its tips have been a hustle for me. The weirdest thing is I was worried with the Timeless fit but it's basically one of the best fitting IEMs in my collection, it sound great, its cable is much better in use (in fact its a wear and forget) even though it does not feel as substantial and impressive as the S12's one at first encounter. Also the variety of tips that comes with Timeless has enabled me to find the best fit, I've even taken from the Timeless' ear-tips collection for use on the S12.
After listening to P1, P1 Max, Timeless, S12, and Hook X, I must say IMHO P1 Max and Hook X are the best plannar IEM. P1 Max is the only one that is easy to drive directly from smartphone, although with amplifier it will shine even more, however it's the nost satisfying on smartphone listening. Hook X is just precise audiophile experience. Mark, did you notice P1 Max is the only one that play sound as the source dictates. Meaning P1 Max plays music the way DAP/Player sounds like. Which makes P1 Max an interesting IEM to keep.
@@SuperReview mate I have to disagree with you. Any UA-cam reviewer without atleast two proper dacs is no proper reviewer in my opinion. You are basically bottlenecking the iem with shit source. Planar iems are very similar to their bigger brother. They require a good amount of power to sound right. Also the the dacs matters as well( dacs are tunned differently) . Iem hubby is no longer plug and play you need proper equipment for any good iem to shine. If you are running a planar iem on cellphone you are bottlenecking the iem. I own tin p1max when I ran it on my cell phone the soundstage, resolution, layering and micro details sounded like shit. But when I gave it a clean source and power it sounded magnificent.
Hi Mark, Is the HookX review coming up? I am wondering how is the soundstage on those and please compare it to Blessing 2 just to know where it stands on technicalities.
Time HiFiGo started offering a 25% discount package deal on this foursome, will solve the “which one should I get” conundrum 😑. That said I have the original P1 and Hook X. Always enjoyed the neutral tuning of the former, but the Hook X… decadence, I couldn’t stop listening to them for hours after they arrived💙 PS. Couldn’t get a decent seal on either set initially but after doing a lot of tip rolling, the Final Type E just hands down the best seal, helped both sets no end.
I want to upgrade from p1 max and meizu live quad, what do you recommend? What I'm actually looking for is transparency, detail and fidelity to the original. I'm not a basshead either. By the way, I'm curious about truthear hexa.
Thank you for the great review. Aside from the very different tonality, would you say that the p1+ is on par with the 14. ….mm planar memes (timeless, s12, p1 max, hook) in terms of technicalities? And specially in terms of raw midrange resolution? Thank you.
I have just noticed that S12 in this video has different cable than in its review. Perhaps pre-production S12 had different cable than production version?
@@abdulahsan3121 These being IEMs, Yes absolutely! With planars in particular sub bass boosting is hit or miss depending on their design with regards to attack and slam. However all planar designs can take well to bass boosting with regards to bass amount/ rumble. As there is very little harmonic distortion and no worry of clipping as long as you have a powerful enough amp.
Proper amping might be a positive aspect for all planar IEMs. My Shuoer S12 delivers very tight bass and tactile synergy while amped by a dedicated headphone amplifier. Also seems to open the soundstage or maybe burn-in effects? Just my 2 cents.
BTW Mark, my Timeless don't sound the way you describe yours, I had to figure out the set up...but they sound crystal clear, no sibilance, love listening to Alice in chains, Faith no More, some metal like Sepultura, it's hard hard hitting and resolving beautifully biting in treble...hmmmm🙋♂️😁
Mark Ryan I'm kinda confused after watching your review. You kinda didn't really pick which of the planar iems you mostly would like. Is it because none of them you really like at all? Which of the planar iem you reviewed here would be ranked 1 if your are to rank them from 1-4 being 4 your lease impressed planar iem and 1 being the most pleasing to you?
Apart from both being planars, there's not much in common. I wouldn't think of this is as an upgrade from P1+, but one of thousands of different IEMs that may or may not be what you're looking for... depending on what you're looking for. squig.link/?share=Super_Review_Target,Tin_Hifi_P1_Plus,Tin_Hifi_P1_Max
Pretty interesting comparison. Been considering P1 Max, but now I'm afraid these might be a bit too smooth for my taste. I've had S12 Pro and I've liked them quite a lot, but don't know how different those are in comparison with S12. Anyways, P1 Max seem smoother than both of Letshuoer iems, with less sub bass extension which is a bummer for me. Other thing is the fit... I've been thinking only S12 Pro have issues with rather shallow and not so secure fit, but it seems all of those iems suffer from this and that's also a bummer...
Just a suggestion I just watch your review on 7Hz Dioka, your review is too long cos you kept repeating yourself Many Times, watch it yourself again. Keep your review concise and straight to the point is preferable.
I just choose P1 Max over the Kato ... P1 Max it's very sweet and musical... not everyone enjoys tons of detail an treble like Kato to destroy my brain In my opinion bass vocals and treble are better than Kato !
A Good Seal, if it means inserting the ear tips far into the ear, so that it blocks out most sounds, is highly overrated. The treble needs to breathe also. Music shouldn’t sound like it’s being listened to- under water 💦 muffled, like heavy blankets, are thrown on top of it. You should be able to hear your surroundings clearly. Shoot for a balanced neutral seal, so that both the bass, and treble can flourish. Lets Go!
@@timekeep3r Most people assume that because the ear tips are small and circular, shaped-somewhat like your ear holes, that they should be shoved into the ear canal, I hate the booming non quality! muffled bass sound this technique causes, it also interferes with detailed treble sound. The incredible Sennheiser IE800 inadvertently-actually lends itself to giving the perfect seal, its very hard to fit/insert the tips. I have the best of both worlds, I can hear my outside surroundings very clear, it doesn’t sound like I’m going deaf, and I also get “amazing sounding music”. I can’t stand muffled, underwater, sounding music. Takes one second to fit my ear tips, placed perfectly outside the ear canal. Sennheiser IE800s (Not s model) are a “ENDGAME” set! Let’s Go!
@@SuperReview I have not even received my IEMs Yet Which Are The CCZ MELODY which I bought a portable amp as well . I plan to plug my Z FOLD 3 Into the Amp and my CCZ MELODY INTO THE OUTPUT For watch videos and Netflix at work on breaks - music will be secondary
Audience Q&A sesh: ua-cam.com/video/n9PQPuDhcU4/v-deo.html
I've got both the S12 and Timeless. The S12 has stronger bass slam but can be quite sharp on the top end, the cable and even its tips have been a hustle for me. The weirdest thing is I was worried with the Timeless fit but it's basically one of the best fitting IEMs in my collection, it sound great, its cable is much better in use (in fact its a wear and forget) even though it does not feel as substantial and impressive as the S12's one at first encounter.
Also the variety of tips that comes with Timeless has enabled me to find the best fit, I've even taken from the Timeless' ear-tips collection for use on the S12.
Comply foam tips did the trick for me with the S12. No more harssness in the upper regions.
Great review again, thank you !
🤙
Seen a few of your vids and liked them, but crinacle+ suggested your channel so now I'm subscribed.
Welcome aboard, thanks Crin!
After listening to P1, P1 Max, Timeless, S12, and Hook X, I must say IMHO P1 Max and Hook X are the best plannar IEM. P1 Max is the only one that is easy to drive directly from smartphone, although with amplifier it will shine even more, however it's the nost satisfying on smartphone listening.
Hook X is just precise audiophile experience.
Mark, did you notice P1 Max is the only one that play sound as the source dictates. Meaning P1 Max plays music the way DAP/Player sounds like. Which makes P1 Max an interesting IEM to keep.
How do these memes start? They all sound fine on a phone and sound the same no matter which source I use.
@@SuperReview mate I have to disagree with you. Any UA-cam reviewer without atleast two proper dacs is no proper reviewer in my opinion. You are basically bottlenecking the iem with shit source. Planar iems are very similar to their bigger brother. They require a good amount of power to sound right. Also the the dacs matters as well( dacs are tunned differently) . Iem hubby is no longer plug and play you need proper equipment for any good iem to shine. If you are running a planar iem on cellphone you are bottlenecking the iem. I own tin p1max when I ran it on my cell phone the soundstage, resolution, layering and micro details sounded like shit. But when I gave it a clean source and power it sounded magnificent.
@@ifebigold mate, you're a donut.
@@SuperReview Totally agree with you dacs and amps are meant to be FLAT anyway if it's not is not a good dac amp
Have Hook sorted out the issues? It seems the most interesting of the bunch.
That said, the s12 may be more similar to my t4 target
Hi Mark,
Is the HookX review coming up? I am wondering how is the soundstage on those and please compare it to Blessing 2 just to know where it stands on technicalities.
No separate review for Hook. Soundstage on Hook and Blessing 2 are average.
Please recommend an IEM (open back) with open sounding like open back headphones.
Time HiFiGo started offering a 25% discount package deal on this foursome, will solve the “which one should I get” conundrum 😑. That said I have the original P1 and Hook X. Always enjoyed the neutral tuning of the former, but the
Hook X… decadence, I couldn’t stop listening to them for hours after they arrived💙
PS. Couldn’t get a decent seal on either set initially but after doing a lot of tip rolling, the Final Type E just hands down the best seal, helped both sets no end.
The 7hz is awesome .I just wish the nozzles are longer .
I want to upgrade from p1 max and meizu live quad, what do you recommend? What I'm actually looking for is transparency, detail and fidelity to the original. I'm not a basshead either. By the way, I'm curious about truthear hexa.
Depends on what you want to spend. Moondrop Blessing 3 is excellent for transparency and detail perception.
@@SuperReview This was the answer I was looking for. Thank you. Closeness to the original creation is important to me.
Thank you for the great review. Aside from the very different tonality, would you say that the p1+ is on par with the 14. ….mm planar memes (timeless, s12, p1 max, hook) in terms of technicalities? And specially in terms of raw midrange resolution? Thank you.
16:50
@@SuperReview Thank you. But I was wondering about the p1/p1+ ? Not the p1 max.
ua-cam.com/video/Eg9I4bpIspg/v-deo.html
How’s the isolation on the hook X? I know a lot of people are questioning sound leakage, but I’m curious how they would be for air travel?
A bit below average, but not very different from the rest of these.
I have just noticed that S12 in this video has different cable than in its review. Perhaps pre-production S12 had different cable than production version?
Yep, it’s pre production.
Hi. I really like your videos. Could you please recommend a DAP for only my own music? So no streaming service. Thank you.
Hiby R5
Walkman zx300 or cowon
Cayin n3pro. No wifi. With tubes
Thank you for the answers. I will have a look at them.
@@SuperReview 🙏 You are speaking about the Hiby R5 2nd Gen?
These take REALLY well to Bass eq! Bump the sub bass at 40 hz by 3db. Holy crap. Nice and clean
Does eq help with slam and rumble?
@@abdulahsan3121 These being IEMs, Yes absolutely! With planars in particular sub bass boosting is hit or miss depending on their design with regards to attack and slam.
However all planar designs can take well to bass boosting with regards to bass amount/ rumble. As there is very little harmonic distortion and no worry of clipping as long as you have a powerful enough amp.
@@abdulahsan3121 In this case the EQ does wonders. With proper isolation and enough power these are some of the best IEMs in the sub 200 category IMO.
Any IEM recommendation under $200 for a hip hop listner that like bass?
Binary Chopin
Just curious if you are still updating the "Best under $200' playlist?
No, but I should. I use this now: squig.link/list/?price-zone=4,5
Proper amping might be a positive aspect for all planar IEMs. My Shuoer S12 delivers very tight bass and tactile synergy while amped by a dedicated headphone amplifier. Also seems to open the soundstage or maybe burn-in effects? Just my 2 cents.
ant that just about every headphone?
Memes.
what iem for the price of the p1 max has the most neutral sound signature in your opinion?
Hexa
@@SuperReview, is hexa planar?
@@woka_kawanua-hw2hj No.
of all those 4 which one is the best for competitive fps gaming?
This is not a question with useful answers.
@@SuperReview thats not a useful answer.
@@SileDevil I dont think IEM models matter for gaming. The DAC/AMP is more important for surround sound and delay.
I can get the og P1 for $129 should I go for it? I have Timeless love them but lookin also for different planar experience...✌️ 🔆
P1 is definitely more different from Timeless than P1 Max is.
BTW Mark, my Timeless don't sound the way you describe yours, I had to figure out the set up...but they sound crystal clear, no sibilance, love listening to Alice in chains, Faith no More, some metal like Sepultura, it's hard hard hitting and resolving beautifully biting in treble...hmmmm🙋♂️😁
at time this video was made, the heyday and the s12 pro not yet out, now is end of Nov 2023 many planars already coming exist!
I'm looking into trying a planar now. Which ones do you mean? These P1 Max's are pretty cheap now. 7hz Timeless 2 are sold out.
Can I plug an IEM into my portable Bluetooth receiver and go untethered
Not sure which amp you have, but probably that is the purpose, yeah.
Mark Ryan I'm kinda confused after watching your review. You kinda didn't really pick which of the planar iems you mostly would like. Is it because none of them you really like at all? Which of the planar iem you reviewed here would be ranked 1 if your are to rank them from 1-4 being 4 your lease impressed planar iem and 1 being the most pleasing to you?
24:40
if I owned P1+ do you recommend me buying P1 Max?
Apart from both being planars, there's not much in common. I wouldn't think of this is as an upgrade from P1+, but one of thousands of different IEMs that may or may not be what you're looking for... depending on what you're looking for. squig.link/?share=Super_Review_Target,Tin_Hifi_P1_Plus,Tin_Hifi_P1_Max
Pretty interesting comparison. Been considering P1 Max, but now I'm afraid these might be a bit too smooth for my taste. I've had S12 Pro and I've liked them quite a lot, but don't know how different those are in comparison with S12. Anyways, P1 Max seem smoother than both of Letshuoer iems, with less sub bass extension which is a bummer for me. Other thing is the fit... I've been thinking only S12 Pro have issues with rather shallow and not so secure fit, but it seems all of those iems suffer from this and that's also a bummer...
At 99 dollars the p1 max are a steal!
they respond so well to EQ that you can make them much sounding more energetic, sharp. They will be still very clean sounding.
Is original P1 worth buying nowadays?
Yeah it’s a unique, bright, midsy FR.
Hope Dioko's review comes soon..
Just a suggestion I just watch your review on 7Hz Dioka, your review is too long cos you kept repeating yourself Many Times, watch it yourself again. Keep your review concise and straight to the point is preferable.
can u reveiw the Tin Hifi buds 3
Not a full review but some notes here: ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxwQw6YqRUeKfmeuYkOEC_WtMpzov6da0j
I just choose P1 Max over the Kato ... P1 Max it's very sweet and musical... not everyone enjoys tons of detail an treble like Kato to destroy my brain
In my opinion bass vocals and treble are better than Kato !
@Super* Review ... up
No bass no buy. No bass no pass my test.
The elusive double burrito target.
@@SuperReview end game iems should feel as good as two burritos after a 20 mile hike. 👀
Goated
A Good Seal, if it means inserting the ear tips
far into the ear, so that it blocks out most sounds, is highly overrated. The treble needs to breathe also. Music shouldn’t sound like it’s being listened to- under water 💦 muffled, like heavy blankets, are thrown on top of it. You should be able to hear your surroundings clearly. Shoot for a balanced neutral seal, so that both the bass, and treble can flourish. Lets Go!
...
Bro, what??
@@timekeep3r Most people assume that because the ear tips are small and circular, shaped-somewhat like your ear holes, that they should be shoved into the ear canal, I hate the booming non quality! muffled bass sound this technique causes, it also interferes with detailed treble sound. The incredible Sennheiser IE800 inadvertently-actually lends itself to giving the perfect seal, its very hard to fit/insert the tips. I have the best of both worlds, I can hear my outside surroundings very clear, it doesn’t sound like I’m going deaf, and I also get “amazing sounding music”. I can’t stand muffled, underwater, sounding music. Takes one second to fit my ear tips, placed perfectly outside the ear canal. Sennheiser IE800s (Not s model) are a “ENDGAME” set! Let’s Go!
So A Phone Will Drive These Or No
Yeah. Why people always ask power questions with planar IEMs, who started this meme.
@@SuperReview I'm new to IEMs so I just don't know
@@SuperReview I have not even received my IEMs Yet Which Are The CCZ MELODY which I bought a portable amp as well . I plan to plug my Z FOLD 3 Into the Amp and my CCZ MELODY INTO THE OUTPUT For watch videos and Netflix at work on breaks - music will be secondary
2 letters for you:
EQ
Two letters for you:
Na
@@SuperReview I heard it makes quite a difference. EQ works more smoothly on planar than on DD. You can find videos on how to adjust EQ in UA-cam.
no French translation too bad
Try getting hold of The fantastically amazingly- superb IE 800! it’s an off the charts “ENGAME” set. Let’s Go!
@Text me on telegram Super Review 😎
$99 on linsoul now for those interested