MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Earphone Quick Review by mark2410

MEE audio Pinnacle P1 Earphone Quick Review by mark2410

Thanks to MEE audio for the sample

Brief:  MEE takes aim at the big boys.

Price :  US$200 or £180 (though I did also spot for £155)

Specifications:  driver type moving coil (dynamic) with copper-clad aluminum voice coil, driver size 10 mm, frequency response 20 Hz to 20 kHz, impedance 50 Ohms at 1 kHz, sensitivity 96±3 dB (1mW at 1 kHz), Microphone Specifications, directivity           omnidirectional, frequency response 100 Hz to 5 kHz, sensitivity -40dB± 3dB, Product Details, ear coupling intraaural (in-ear), cable length 51 inches (130 cm), detachable, cable connectors MMCX, cable plug 3.5 mm, right angle, weight (without cable)             0.4 oz (13 g), weight 1 oz (29 g)

Accessories:  stereo audio cable, headset cable, shirt clip, silicone ear tips (6 pairs), Comply foam ear tips (3 pairs), ¼” adapter, carrying case

Build Quality:  It would appear to be rather excellent.  The buds look are feel very nice as do the cables.  Notable that the cables are all user replaceable so if you do manage to kill them, new cable and your away again.

Isolation:  Excellent.  For a dynamic, these isolate like a good BA does which is very, very rare in a dynamic based IEM.  You could easily use these for out and about, on a bus, a Tube commute or long flight.  Naturally that means you won’t hear the instrument of your death until its by bone conduction.  Remember people, you need to watch where you’re going near traffic.

Comfort/Fit:  Great.  Despite being sealed dynamics I had no driver flex, no air pressure issues, nothing.  In they went and I was done.  Happy to wear all day long.

Aesthetics:  They look pretty damn lush if you ask me.  Now I have seen prettier earphones but not many.  These look as good as they feel in your hard.

Sound:  Wonderful.  They are really rather generalist in their nature being able to turn their hand instantly, and with equal skill to anything.  They are very natural sounding in their balance, so that means they are boosted to compensate for human perceptions.  Never bass dominant though.  The mids are a little back a way but their clarity is outstanding, faintly dry, but their instrument separation makes them stand alone, so much direct clarity.  The space to breathe properly too, give such an open feel to vocals.  The treble, oh they do rather shine a bit here.  Not just because they like to be a smidge bright, they have that metallic enclosure and there is a highly crisp metallic bight to the initial note impact.  For me these while most impressive, was a little edgy, a little hard on my delicate ears.  So I felt the need to stick to slightly warmer sources and only to tracks with high bit rates and well mastered treble.  A bright source and low bit rate crap, yeah you really don’t want to do that.  However given their price you will want to be feeding them well anyway.  On that subject, you’ll also want to feed them lots of power.  These are high impedance for an IEM and relatively insensitive.  They still sound good out of your crappy phone but seriously, feed them well and you’ll be generously rewarded.

Value:  Lovely.  Sure they aren’t super cheap but you get a great bundle, a great product not just in its physical build quality but in its acoustic talents.  It is a very talented little thing and it can play on the same field with other earphones that cost considerably more.

Pro’s:  Sound Excellent.  Acoustically very multi-talented.  Look great.

Con’s:  That treble takes no prisoners if you feed it crap.  It’s power hungry.