TinHifi P1 Max II's Review - Upgrade in sound and Comfort

 

Intro

TinHifi is a company that needs no introduction in the Chi-Fi space.Whenever anybody mentioned T2 Plus,they are well aware that TinHifi is the company that produces them.When it comes to Planar,they do have several offering as well,i have not had the chance to try them out previously,namely the P1,P1 Plus,both which receive quite positive feedback from the reviewers,albeit with some cons such as hard to drive. However, I have tried and reviewed the OG P1 Max and they are very good with some minor con. Today I have the P1 Max II, with me,with a completely redesigned shell and different tuning from the P1 Max first gen

Packaging/Build

The packaging is the usual TinHifi style kind of packaging.A hard box with the IEM itself,and generous sets of eartips provided.I’m not going to show the picture of it as I believe there are several reviewers who took a lot of photos of the packaging. The stock cable is quite good in terms of build quality as well as sound.

In terms of build quality,the shell is smaller compared to the OG P1 Max,it is made out of plastic.It is comfortable and fits my ear well.No weird edges that cause discomfort throughout my listening session. It is very very light weight.

Gears used for this review

• Fiio Q15

• Aune S9c Prol

• Hiby FC6

• Macbook Air M2

• TinHifi P1 Max II Stock Cable and Eartips

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression

Compared to the OG P1 Max, i would say the sound signature is completely different and the P1 Max II seems to offer better technicalities, i would say the signature is slightly v shaped and the mids are not that recessed. It scales very well with power as well. Note weight lies in between thick and thin, depending on your own definition or preference, to me, the note weight is alright as i mentioned earlier.

Bass

• Bass on the P1 Max II has good texture to it and has good slam and punchy

• Sub bass rumble is good but no where near basshead kind of quantity

• Bass is fast,tight,clean and not at all muddy,very good quality bass i would say

• I like the bass presentation on P1 Max II overall,of course your experience might vary

• The bass is done just right to my ears,balanced transition from sub to mid bass

Mids

• Both male and female vocal has got good texture and not thin sounding at all

• Vocal positioning is not laidback and not too intimate sounding. Just nice for my preference.I would put it as “not so in your face” kind of positioning

• Mid range is slightly recessed but still retain plenty of details in this range

• Upper mids are not boosted and remained pleasant even at higher volume,hence it will not give you that kind of sensation “shouty”

Treble

• I complained about the treble response of OG P1 Max, P1 Max II seems to have that fixed, plenty of air and presence, good resolution as well

• Detail retrieval is good, micro details can be picked up easily compared to the OG P1 Max

• Depending on tracks, the treble on the P1 Max II can be a little hot sometimes 

Soundstage/Imaging

• The soundstage is rather wide and big, good width, depth, and height perception 

• Imaging is rather good as the instruments can be picked up easily due to good separation

Drivability/Dac Amp Pairing

• The P1 Max II is not hard to drive, but it does benefit and scale with better source

• Fiio KA11’s dongle can drive the P1 Max II without any issue, however, when the P1 Max II is connected to desktop setup, it sounds very alive (better dynamics as well as good control on the bass)

Comparison (OG P1 Max)

• The shell of the OG P1 Max is slightly bigger and in terms of fitting, not so comfortable for me, but the weight is more or less similar compared to P1 Max II

• The sound signature overall is warmer and thicker note weight than current the OG P1 Max

• Bass is more on mid bass for the OG P1 Max rather than sub bass hence, it doesn’t hit or rumble that hard compared to P1 Max II

• Mids are slightly forward compared to OG P1 Max and thick

• Treble is where the OG P1 Max fall short, lacking resolution and extension, P1 Max II does a lot better in the treble region

• OG P1 Max also fall short in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval, it presents just slightly out of your head kind of perception for soundstage, imaging does suffers a little when the track gets complex

Final Thoughts

All in all, P1 Max II is a definite upgrade over the OG P1 Max, in terms of detail retrieval, resolution as well as soundstage and imaging, of course, it is not always rainbows and butterfly, some compromises had to be made in terms of tuning(note weight, and mids), this is very normal and considering the price, i’d say it is fair. If you’re in the look out for your first planar IEM or even an upgrade from your current IEM, do not hesitate to grab this.

*P1 Max II was sent over by Linsoul for this review.I am in no way compensated/influenced in any way to produce this review.All thoughts and words are of my own.

If you are interested in getting one,head over to Linsoul’s store below:
P1 Max II - Non Affiliated