The Tin Hifi P1 Max II is the successor to the P1 Max (Panda), and features the latest planar driver with a 2 micron diaphragm and a price tag of $139. The P1 Max II review unit was provided to be directly from Tin Hifi.
The black resin shells have a pretty cool looking metal 3D structure below the resin-filled surface. It gives the faceplate a nice pop to it that is both unique and attractive. It is also a very lightweight and comfortable design to wear for hours without any pain.
The included cable features a black and white 4-wire braid that matches the shell design and is also comfortable, lightweight, and soft. It terminates in a 3.5mm stereo jack and 2-pin connectors. Also included are a series of tips, including Tin Hifi's signature foam tips.
Sound Impressions
This is probably the most balanced and well-tuned Tin Hifi product to date. It breaks a lot of Tin Hifi's previous models bright-flavored sets or ones where they try to go with a more laid back sound and end up losing subbass or upper treble. The P1 Max II, instead, doesn't have any abundant treble peaks, and instead has a fairly tame treble range, and a slightly elevated bass range. It's a genre-neutral IEM and something that sounds pretty good.
In GoGo Penguin's Kamaloka, the opening bass strums sound fairly neutral, and while it sounds accurate, I wished it had a little more slam and body. Drumming is very defined in this track, and cymbals and hi-hats and snares don't splash with intensity, and is very well controlled. This is a good thing, although, those looking for excitement may find this IEM a bit too constrained.
Female vocals seem to have a more forward presentation. On Maeta's Cool Cat, a soulful jazz-infused pop track, her vocals are very much centered and highlighted, maybe more so than on my other IEMs. This could be due to the elevated upper mid-range in the frequency response.
The kick drums and bass are, again, well-controlled and have good thump. Dynamics are pretty solid, although the bass is a little lacking in texture.
In terms of soundstage and imaging, the P1 Max II has an average IEM soundstage, with decent horizontal stage, while lacking a little vertical and expansiveness. It's intimate, but not so much that it becomes a wall of sound and claustrophobic. It also does not embody a holographic soundstage either, and more flat in presentation. That's typical in most IEMs I review anyway.
Final Impressions
I think this is one of the best Tin Hifi releases to date. It's a culmination of many, many IEM releases over the years and honing in their tuning. For those who liked their Diffuse Field-like tuning of the past in legendary products like the Tin T2, this is a farcry from that. It's more balanced with a U-shaped signature and focuses more on the midrange, than clarity in the treble.
I love the looks, the cable, and the overall comfort, and it has good tuning to boot. While there's a lot of heavy competition in this price range, this is a solid overall set that I think most people can be happy with.
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