Introduction:
TinHifi is one of the old players amongst many chifi brands. They were known for selling iem at quite an affordable pricing, as well as experimenting with a lot of different tunings.
There are quite a few products from their catalog that manage to earn the recognition of many audiophiles as well as casual music enjoyers like their 1 dynamic driver lineup: The T2, T3 Plus, C2, C3 as well as their planar lineup: The P1, P1 Plus, P1 Max.
And now, after 2 long years, they have release their latest planar creation: The P1 Max II. P1 Max II is said to be the successor or upgraded version of their P1 Max, which was released back in 2022 and was known for its near neutral yet still musical tuning.
I would like to give a special thank to TinHifi for providing this unit of P1 Max II in exchange for an honest reviews. This will not affect my evaluation of this iem. Everything i said in this review is my subjective opinion only.
Packaging
The P1 Max II comes in a relatively simple box.
Together with the iem, it comes with a few pairs of eartips (6 pairs of silicone tips + 1 pair of foam tips) and a really nice quality cable.
Truth be told, I wish they could've included a small case in the accessories, especially for the 140$ price tag.
Design/Build quality/Comfort
The P1 Max II has a 3d printed resin shell in a black color way, with a 14.2mm planar driver housing inside of it. The iem feels really light in the hand, 3.8 grams according to the marketing material, yet it doesn't feel flimsy.
The faceplate on the other hand looks really nice. It has this sort of 3d wavy design in a gray-ish color way with actual depth to the pattern. The faceplate looks simple and minimal enough yet still looks great upon closer inspection.
Comfort wise, i think it’s alright. It’s not too small nor too big. It doesn’t have the most ergonomic design ever (no bulbous, rear wing design) but it does provide decent isolation.
The cable is a 4-strand silver plated OFC cable with a 3.5mm termination. It feels quite nice in the hand, soft and supple, has no memory and no microphonics. It’s quite a decent cable for the price.
As for tips, the provided tips did not provide me with sufficient seal as well as sound performance. I have opted for the Divinus Velvet tips instead. The following sound impression will be made with the Velvet tips.
Sound impression:
*Test gear:
Source: Poco F3, Dell laptop
DAC/Amp: Chord Mojo, Ibasso DC04 Pro, E1DA 9038D, Hiby FC6
Eartips: Divinus Velvet
Cable: Stock
Tonality: Mild V-shaped
Bass: 7.25/10
It’s fast, punchy, rumbly, has good extension. It’s subbass over midbass as the graph would imply. The midbass slams are easily felt with good heft to it and it’s not weak by any means, nor is it too boomy. Like the characteristic of planar driver, the bass has a very quick attack and decay characteristic however that “quickness” of it do makes me miss that lingering sense of the dynamic driver. As a trade off, that quickness gives the P1 Max II a very well defined bass notes during complexed tracks.
Personally, i’d enjoy a bit more midbass for the additional thumps and hit. Drums and bass guitar would have more body to it. Stock bass is absolutely fine, but because this is planar, i do think the P1 Max II would benefit from a bit more bass to compensate for that quick decaying nature of planar.
In “Strong and Strike” of Naruto OST, the drum hits, although sounding quite distinct, do lack that very bit of oomph to it. Or during many more fast pace tracks, the P1 Max II can keep up with no problem.
Mids: 7/10
With how the bass was done, the midrange is a bit on a leaner side. Even with the so-called “bass bleed” on the graph, the midrange actually sounds clean. It’s on the bright and energetic side yet doesn’t sound shouty at all. Vocals are relatively forward sounding, nor is it too recessed. Male vocals like Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra sounds fine, though like i said, they do lack that very bit of weighty sense to their voice.
With female vocal like “All by Myself – Celine Dion”, her voice sounds vibrant yet not harsh sounding. The high notes hitting from 2:30 onwards just sound emphasized enough.
Or for example with “Nee – Maiko Fujita”, her voice sounds just as angelic and lively as ever. Her voice does stand out more from the mix compared to the rest of the instruments.
At a high volume though, female vocals in general does sound more intense and fatiguing.
Piano and violin sounds natural in tone, but not exactly satisfying in its note weight
Treble: 7/10
The treble part is... fine. I didn’t get wow by it. It is crisp, airy and well extended. Together with the boosted bass, it gives me this slight V-shaped sense to the whole tonal balance.
In “Caravan – John Wasson” , cymbals and hihats has its basic properties like the attack and the shimmering decay. However, the decay or the tail notes of those percussion instruments sort of disappear a bit too fast, like it’s not lingering around or emphasized enough.
There is also some weird sense of sibilant to it. I do notice this at higher volume.
Tech: 7.5/10
Soundstage wise, it’s actually quite decent. Yosi Horikawa’s Bubbles and Wandering sounds great with the P1 Max II. I can feel the spatial cues hitting me from left to right and back and forth like it should. However, the height is quite subpar to my ears with the P1 Max II, which makes the soundstage quite flat.
Dynamic is also good with the P1 Max II, although i’d say microdetails aren’t its greatest strength.
Layering is nice, although it doesn’t have the sharpest layering between instruments.
Source pairing:
From my limited amount of DAC/Amp, i enjoyed the Chord Mojo and Hiby FC6 the most with the P1 Max II.
The Mojo has the best synergy with the P1 Max II as it has the best control over the planar driver, which in turn provides a very dynamic and full sound reproduction.
The FC6 on the other hand provides a bit of warmth and musicality with their R2R tech. The bass seems to have a bit more lingering sense to it, which makes the P1 Max II sounds more organic.
The DC04 Pro on the other hand was a bit too neutral and the E1DA 9038D was definitely too bright for the P1 Max II
=> Conclusion: The P1 Max II does benefit from a bit more current/power from a better and maybe a bit warmer DAC/Amp.
Comparison:
Vs 7hz Timeless
The 7hz Timeless was one of the first planar iem that manage to capture the hearts of many comsumers as well as started the first “Planar war”. At the time, it was famous for its technical performance and the value it brings. So how does the P1 Max II, a three years later product, different from the first planar iem king?
Comparing the two, the 7hz Timeless has a full aluminum housing, have better accessories, which includes a full metal carrying case as well as better stocking tips. The stock cable looks higher quality too. But this is to be expected since the retail price of it was 200$, comparing to P1 Max II’s 139$
As for sound quality, the P1 Max II has many improvements compared to the Timeless. The Timeless sounds brighter than the P1 Max II, yes. But the midrange on P1 Max II sounds way more natural with better texture. The Timeless’s midrange sounds more uneven in comparison.
The timbre is wayyyyyy better on the P1 Max II because of this. The P1 Max II has nearer timbre to a dynamic driver, whereas the Timeless still has that famous planar timbre. The timbre on the Timeless has this metallic and almost aggressive sense to it.
Detail wise, the Timeless does have more details than the P1 Max II, but in hindsight, the detail on the Timeless feels a bit too artificially boosted and almost fake, whereas the P1 Max II sounds more natural and less harsh.
Vs Hidizs MP145
Hidizs MP145 is one of, if not the most widely enjoyed, allrounded planar i’ve ever seen. At the point of its release, it has captured the heart of many audiophiles around the world due to its almost unprecedented performance for the price, which is around 100$ when it was first released on KickStarter.
So as a new planar contender in the planar iem market, the P1 Max II from Tinhifi does have a big shoe to fill. What does it have in its arsenal to go up against the MP145?
Well first is the price. The P1 Max II has a retail price of 139$, as opposed to the MP145’s current retail price of 159$. Outside of sound, the MP145 does provide a better overall package, which includes a better cable, more varieties of tips and a carrying pouch. The iem shell is of higher quality too. So MP145 wins in terms of overall package
Second is the sound. To my ears, the MP145 has a warmer overall tonality, more bass centric with smoother vocals and better treble. Instruments sound more dense with the MP145. The treble on the MP145 sounds more emphasizes, airier and crisper. The timbre is more natural on the MP145.
The P1 Max II on the other hand sounds leaner, brighter and more vocal/treble centric.
Female vocal sounds noticeably more forward and energetic.
Stage wise, i think the P1 Max II has better stage. On Yosi Horikawa’s songs, i heard and felt spatial cues better with the P1 Max II. Many people have commented on the MP145’s giant stage, but i personally didn’t hear it, part of which i think is due to the third part: The SIZE.
The P1 Max II is definitely smaller and easier to fit than the gigantic shell of the MP145. Even if the MP145’s sound more align to my liking and perhaps to a lot more people’s liking, i sold the MP145 in a heart beat due to how uncomfortable and hard to fit it is.
If you like a warm, bassy planar set with great technicality AND a big set of ears, the Hidizs MP145 would be a better choice. However, if you like a brighter leaning set with great stage as well as having an average size ears, the Tinhifi P1 Max II would be a logical choice.
Conclusion
Is the P1 Max II a great iem? In short, yes. I would say it is definitely a successful product from TinHifi. However, it does not stand out much compared to the rest of the market. It does compete with them, but not outstandingly so. It is not a truly “for everyone” type of product and it boils down to your preference and your library.
Library wise, i think the P1 Max II is suitable for US/UK Pop, K-Pop, orchestra and maybe some EDM. Rock and metal doesn’t sound the best with the P1 Max II. But this is of course just my personal taste, as i’m usually more of a soft bass head.
If you’re looking for a neutral iem, or iem with a warm, dense noteweight, relaxing treble, or you’re the type of person who listen to iem at a higher volume, then the P1 Max II might not be the iem for you. However, if you’d like a colorful, energetic sounding planar iem, yet still maintain a reletively balance tonality, then the P1 Max II is a great option for you to choose.
That’s it for my review and thank you for reading.