MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Measurements

Discussion in 'IEM Measurements' started by purr1n, Sep 12, 2016.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Measurements

    Going to be posting measurements for now without much commentary. I've had a difficult time trying to make out the P1's sound signature: definitely are not neutral, but a fascinating play on neutral. At times they've sounded nasal, other times they remind me of Japanese Audio Technica headphones' with their midrange weirdness - or charm, depending upon how you want to look at it. Personally, I kind of like them for what they are.

    See general measurement notes before digesting the plots below: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/note-on-iem-measurements-changelog.2153/

    MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Frequency Response
    Pinnacle P1 FR.png

    MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Distortion
    Pinnacle P1 L HD.jpg
    Pinnacle P1 R HD.jpg

     
  2. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Not too far off the measurements I took a while back. I have a little less amplitude on the 3-5k elevation but otherwise pretty similar.

    I like your description of a fascinating play on neutral.
     
  3. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    OK good. I thought I had done something wrong. I re-checked the rig and got the same results. I'm semi-deaf to peaks in the 4-5kHz area, so probably why I find them interesting. Also, I've noticed that peaks from dynamic driver IEMs tend to be much less annoying than peaks from balanced armature driver - probably because less odd and higher order harmonic distortion.

    Finally the peaks do look a bit more exaggerated on the IEM plots compared to the headphone plots, as I compress the Y-axis more for IEM measurements.
     
  4. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    Tips made a huge difference with these for me. I thought that were sibilant and almost sent them back till I heard them with the comply tips, now I like them quite a bit and have been using them daily for months
     
  5. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I have zero treble issues also. Comply and Spiral Dot tips both work well for me. Only issue is that they are tough as all get out to drive. iPhone SE just barely gets the job done for casual listening. They need some decent power to sound their best IME.
     
  6. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    I really want to try Spiral Dots with these. Anyone have a spare set of Mediums they want to sell me?

    Running them out of my LG V10 and they sound fine. No issues with "peakiness".

    Really curious to try them out of a proper amp and see what I might be missing.
     
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I used large Comply tips to get a good seal. I normally use medium tips, but the nozzles dont go as deep with the Pinnacle.

    Never had any issues with treble, if anything, I felt the treble proper was laid back. As for the 4-5kHz peak, it did take me a second take to realize it was there. I suspect many people might be insensitive to peaks in this area as I am.

    Personally I like them: the wide broad bump that extends from the bass to the lower mids mated with the Audio-Technica'esque mids reminds me of the W3000. But I wouldn't be offended if people recoiled in horror after listening to them.
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2016
  8. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    What do you think about the price/performance ratio? I was surprised when I pulled them up at $200...
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Well, considering their metal construction, impressive! I honestly thought they were $450 or something that like.
     
  10. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    I agree. If it were anyone other than Mee making these, they'd easily ask ~150 or 200 more.
     
  11. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Would you consider these a worthy direct upgrade from Shure SE215? I am reasonably happy with the SE535 as a commuter headphone, but for some music, or on days when I am feeling fragile, I like to have a dynamic driver to avoid those fragile, splashy highs.

    I find the SE215 rather overpowered by their own plentiful but not overly-detailed bass. If I EQ a chunk of it out, the mids and highs come through a lot more and the perceived detail is a bit better. They're not all that detailed in general- not a showstopper when commuting, but more would be nice. Would I be indulging in senseless mid-fi purgatory shopping if I tried the Pinnacle P1, in your opinion?
     
  12. kepalafon

    kepalafon New

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    See my post regarding the SE215 and the P1 here http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...small-amount-of-money.2298/page-20#post-81262
     
  13. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    I hate comply tips as they have to be replaced so often, and take so long to put in/take out- a shame, as they often sound great.

    My P1 arrived a couple of hours ago. I have ordered a couple of different size Spinfits, and am using the rubber double-flanged tips for now. The olives didn't seal at all for me, and I had a horrible no bass moment. If the Spinfits don't cut it, I will crack and try the Comply tips in the box.

    So far so good though- I'll need more time with a good seal to draw firmer conclusions, but I am enjoying the "not quite but nearly neutral" sound. Reasonably clear highs without the BA brittleness is an interesting change of pace, too. First impressions are certainly favourable.
     
  14. Skyline

    Skyline Double-blindly done with this hobby

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    It took about a month of playing around for me (I'm new to IEMs) to really get their sound nailed down. Most of that was just exploring tips and figuring out what works. I really have a hard time finding fault with them. I don't use them for critical listening so that's probably part of it, but I find them engaging...lively and powerful without being brash or harsh. Enough low end impact for my tastes without overwhelming the rest of the sound and non-fatiguing highs. Pretty great bargain.

    The comply tips sounded great, but all ripped after only a couple weeks of use. Probably my fault.

    I finally settled on the single flange smalls and mediums. Both work pretty well for me.

    I'm dying to try some spiral dots, but don't really feel like having some shipped from Japan.
     
  15. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Yeah, seal is everything with IEMs, often. I'm looking forward to trying the Comply tips, they work reasonably well on my Shures. Annoyingly, Shures have a narrower nozzle (behave), so they're not interchangeable.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2016
  16. SoupRKnowva

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    Maybe I'm some sort of comply foam tip unicorn, but mine always seem to last somewhere between 2 and 3 months. I seem to be replacing once each school term.
     
  17. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Have you tried washing them with soap and water every month or so, then letting them dry out for a couple of days?
     
  18. muse

    muse Facebook Friend

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    Hold on, is this a legit method? I once accidentally doused two pairs of comply tips in tea and they were unusable afterwards even after washing and drying.
     
  19. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    I'd just assume spend the 5 bucks a month to put new ones on than take the time and space to wash and dry my disposable headphone tips...but maybe that's just me
     
  20. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    Yes it's legit. I keep comply tips for a very long time, but I also don't use them all the time. At any rate they can be cleaned and it will revitalize them.
     

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