It's been more than a year since MEEAudio released its P1 model, which received the proud code name Pinnacle. P1 embodied the maximum of the company's achievements, offering an excellent appearance, quality assembly and an unusual, very interesting sound. Having collected the cream from the audiophile market, MEE decided to release a younger model designed for "broad masses", it became Pinnacle P2.
Let me remind you briefly what differed P1. In addition to the stylish design (zinc alloy body, two wires in the kit, a chic box), the P1 also offered an unusual sound. A special resonator is housed in the headphone housing, providing an untypical IEM length for HF. This is what has become the main feature of the model that determines its sound. P1 sound fairly neutral, voluminous and with good detail, but these most extended HF did not like everyone, especially those who were not satisfied with the music were poorly recorded and the owners of the players did not control HF in the best way.
In MEEAudio, these reviews are taken into account and made P2 more traditional in sound. Also, we worked to reduce the price, in order to fit into the most mass niche market "plugs". The case has been replaced with a plastic one, and the package with packing has been simplified. This allowed to set the price for P2 exactly 50% lower than the "big brother", that is, $ 100.
Specifications
- Emitter: dynamic, 10 mm
- Frequency range: 17 Hz - 20 kHz
- Impedance: 16Ω @ 1 kHz
- Sensitivity: 100 ± 3 dB / mW @ 1 kHz
- Microphone: omni-directional, sensitivity -40 ± 3 dB, frequency range 100 Hz - 5 kHz
- Cable: interchangeable, with MMCX connectors, 1,3 m
- Plug: 3.5 mm TRRS, angled
- Weight: 4 g without cable, 21 g with cable
Packing and delivery kit
A smart box with a double lid remained the lot of the older model, in P2 the packaging is more traditional, but still - quality cardboard, printing at the level. The box contains headphones themselves, as well as a cable with a headset, a clothes clip for fixing the wire to the clothes, 6 pairs of nozzles (1 three-flange, 2 two-flange and 3 single), a pair of Comply foils, a snake bag and an adapter for 6.3 mm connectors.
In general, the package was simpler, but it was still quite extensive.
Design and comfortable wearing
In form P2, P1 is completely repeated, but instead of zinc alloy, their bodies are made of glossy plastic, surprisingly not very sticky. On the one hand, plastic, of course, is not metal, but on the other - the weight of headphones has decreased, and this has gone to the comfort of wearing. The build quality is still very good, everything is adjusted neatly, and thanks to the unusual shape, the headphones look interesting.
In principle, P2 can be worn and lead down, but the main variant of their landing is still behind-the-ear. Due to the thoughtful form and the absence of sharp corners, the headphones sit well and do not cause discomfort. Sound insulation is slightly above average, especially with multi-flange nozzles.
Perhaps the main stumbling block of this model is the cable. In pursuit of the durability of the developers have made it quite thick, hence the problems with the inflexibility and the presence of rustling from the friction of clothing. Of course, there are a lot of wires with MMCX connectors on the market, including budget models, but the complete P1 wire on this background is remembered with nostalgia (although at a price it almost reaches half the price of P2). In general, the situation with the microphone effect can be successfully leveled with the help of a slider separator and behind-the-shoulder wearing.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- Yulong DA9 and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2016 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Lotoo PAW Gold, theBit OPUS # 2 and iBasso DX200 and others as portable players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours, noticeable changes in the sound was not observed.
For its "more mass" model, developers have chosen the same "mass" sound, and the mass one is not in the bad sense of the word. Interesting, partly analytical delivery of P1 is more suitable for audiophiles and lovers of neutrality, and in P2 they decided to "bend" the AFC, giving it accents, and they were expected to be on LF and HF.
The P2 bass is a little stressed out in the midbass area. On the one hand, almost any review of modern headphones can begin with these lines, and on the other - where without it? Models without a small lift in this region sound fresh, and most listeners do not accept them. Thus, the main task of the majority of developers is to make this very accent moderate in number and adequate "by location". With both tasks in MEEAudio coped. Lifting up here is exactly the way you need to give weight, but less than what would have been given by pressing low frequencies. The speed of the bass is not the greatest, but for this price category is not bad, so the headphones well convey the character of the instruments and please texture. LFs are not the most biting, especially in areas lying below "mid" (nevertheless "deep" areas are recouped), but they have enough weight with a margin. The low heat characteristic for the LF of this model extends to the lower half of the mid-range, giving the sound the effect of wholeness and fusion.
MF is perceived here quite interestingly, because of the slight lowering of the lower half of this range, the upper MFs appear slightly more advanced and have a slight touch of aggressiveness, which, however, is achieved not by hard peaks of the frequency response, but in contrast to the regions lying lower. Thanks to this feed, the headphones are very well managed with not very high-quality recordings, while remaining quite emotional and detailed. In general, if you find fault, you can note a small lack of texture at the lower midrange, but this is more a feature of P2 supply than a real problem. The imaginary scene is somewhere medium in size and slightly less than the average in depth, which is typical for models with a combined feed, however, the instruments are well separated horizontally. The division of plans into the depths is not hard, they move into each other more smoothly, which "lays down" in the general manner of filing this model.
HF in P2 is given in a fairly straightforward manner, with a slight touch of aggression, but the nature of the feed is very different from the same P1. If the "big brother" the main features of the HF consisted in their length, but in P2 it is just accentuation of the lower part of the HF range. I, perhaps, did not call this accent strong, it does not, in my ear, give special sharpness (while the addition of "clarity" from it is obvious), but it is better for HF-sensitive people to listen to P2 before buying. The resolution for HF is good for this price category, well, attacks and attenuation are also quite at the level of competitors.
Of course, the review will not do without several comparisons.
Pinnacle P1 . The older model offers a more "audiophile" pitch with extended HF and lower accents for LF and lower HF. They sound somewhat "boring", but at the same time, their sound can be called "more adult". In general, the division of models is performed very correctly, their target audiences do not overlap.
Fiio F9 . Fiio hybrids offer more weighty lower midrange, slightly less "delicious" bass and are characterized by a more pronounced high-frequency peak, lying, however, slightly higher in response. They sound a bit more detailed on the MF (still hybrids), but their "upper part" is more lightweight and less suitable for HF fobs.
Ostry KC09 . The headphones from the hitmakers from Ostry offer a different feeding style compared to the P2: softer HF, more detailed MF and more elastic bass with more pronounced deep layers.
Magaosi K3 HD . Interesting hybrids from a not very well-known company differ from P2 by a less rigid HF range and a slightly higher emphasis on LF and MF, which are slightly more detailed, but more lightweight, the effect of "warmth" is less pronounced.
Compatibility
Developers have significantly reduced the impedance of this model, which makes them the optimal load for various smartphoneplanes, however, the stock of quality for the model will be enough for the player of the initial / initial-middle level, the main thing is to pick up a not very noisy model, because the impedance here is only 16Ω.
Strongly expressed genre preferences in this model is not, but in essence they tend to music that benefits from a small LF accent. I will not list everything, the range is wide enough, from soul music to electronic styles. The sensitivity to recording quality is moderate, the main thing is to avoid very poorly recorded HF. On a 10-point scale of "capriciousness" I would have estimated them somewhere at 7.
Traditional sample tracks
Pink Floyd - More Blues . When the "Pinky" takes up the creation of the track - be sure that something will turn out fine from the point of melody, and in terms of quality. In "More Blues" is very interesting light bass line, registered as a background in the right channel, of course, P2 wins it at the proper level, like the rest of the track.
Robert Plant - Slow Dancer . That's what you can not refuse to Robert, so it's in the flair of the era. His solo projects always corresponded to the current fashion in the world of music (naturally, with an amendment to Plant's own style). So it became with this track, the time of its recording (the beginning of the 80's) is easily determined literally for 10 seconds, chosen from any place, however, what is Plant, you can understand for a second for 3. The composition is quite saturated, with a very beautiful " background ", and P2 are well suited to emphasize its strengths.
Postmodern Jukebox - What is Love . Project PMJ has repeatedly proved that any the most worn out pop track can be turned into a masterpiece, just a rehash in jazz style, if, of course, to attract great musicians and vocalists. "The song about Wladyslaw" was no exception, it turned out very vividly and fervently, and the recognition of the melody in combination with the P2 feed immediately makes it tread.
conclusions
MEEAudio for many years produce a wide range of mass models of headphones, it's no wonder that they know this market perfectly and do not hesitate to use their knowledge. If the Pinnacle P1 was a model for audiophiles and connoisseurs of refined and neutral feed, the P2 are their opposite, offering a "folk" sound at a good price.
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment