Thanks for the kind words! 
Yeah, if you can get an opportunity to listen to the Cad 12 it is worth the time invested to see if it suits your listening preferences.
The sub bass has good rumble and strong presentation on tracks that call for it. I found it didnât give the perception of pulling extra low in the head stage, nor did it permeate across the headstage over riding the mids and highs.
Itâs there, but well mannered.
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Man, that sounds like the kind of bass that knows when to make an entrance, powerful when called for but never overstaying its welcome. Gotta love that balance! Now youâve got me even more tempted to hunt down a demo. Might just have to âaccidentallyâ end up with a pair in my collection.
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Accidentally of course. LOL 
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Glad to see the Tino love 
Funny a brand you would associate gear with making such wicked IEMâS, I love both the Tino and my ME600.
You Would see more shilling bit for the fact Shanling doesnât give out free samples much.
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Incoming BGVP Phantom Year Of The Snake Edition 
These look baller!
While I work on my Szalayi Review and The Triton
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ND Audio Planet â Elbows Up
PREAMBLE:
ND Audio is an entity that previously I was not familiar with. They produce a number of reasonably priced earphones and accessories. The Planet is not their least expensive model, but at $15usd is not a wallet burner for most.
The Planet sports a single Beryllium-Plated 12mm dynamic driver housed in a plasticky feeling resin shell. The tuning is marketed as to follow the Harmon Curve but upon listening it probably follows an earlier Harman tuning and even then does deviate from it enough to be different, in a good way.
The ND Audio Planet is easy to drive, being comfortably powered from numerous devices. I still prefer a better quality front end but was happy driving this iem off of the EPZ T35 dongle, which actually sounds pretty good IMHO, with great results.
Performance wise, I canât hate on the Planet. I didnât know to expect and was pleasantly surprised. The Planet is overall a clean performer that will make many looking in that price range happy. It does perform better at moderate volume levels as listening at high levels does expose some of its weaknesses. It can offer a full sound with good note weight combined with commendable soundstage and imaging. There is a roll off in the upper treble but it is well managed and balanced out fairly well.
FIT/FINISH:
The ND Audio Planet has a nice look to it. The shell is transparent and the DD, I have the blue model, housing comes in different colours. It is styled to look like a planet, but strangely enough does actually look like an eyeball. The shells have a budget look and feel but are fairly solid nonetheless.
The Planet of medium sized and its shape will allow a good fit with great comfort. Nozzle length is also moderate aiding comfort even more. Retail packaging is colourful and the included accessories are commensurate with the asking price, that is barebones and nothing to write home about. The cable is a 3.5mm thin wired, mine though had the inline mic and player controls, seen in many budget iem packages. There is also an additional set of generic eartips included to round out the package.
At its low asking price my expectations were not high. ND Audio has , given price constraints, what they could do and offer an attractive iem with just enough accessories to get one listening right away.
SOUND:
Bass:
The ND Audio Planet offers a full bass that is surprisingly agile at lower to moderately high levels. This while not being the most detailed low end Iâve heard, is notable for itâs snap and thickness.
On âCircumstanceâ by Wayman Tisdale the bass had that nice thickness not being lean at all. âAngelâ by Massive Attack was played back with authority, but lacking the absolute texture detail and tightness present in some more expensive earphones. One thing of note is that the bass in this track was never heard to cloud the rest of the frequency range.
The Achilles heal of the Planet is made apparent at high volumes levels where the bass can become less controlled and at times even overbearing being a distraction to the rest of the frequency range.
Midrange:
The ND Audio Planet has surprisingly capable midrange. It has a more balanced approach even if vocals are just slightly recessed. Macro details are the name of the game here though some micro details are heard. The midrange is more relaxed than many earphones in this price range, which all too often have a prominent V-Shaped presentation. The Planet can boast a full sounding midrange with pleasing note weight.
The pinna gain is also kept in check which reinforces the balanced nature of the mids. Layering and separation is also something that the ND Audio Planet gets done better than the majority of other iems in this price bracket and even many higher priced examples. âBeautiful Lieâ by Vick Lavander is an extremely busy track and the Planet handled it surprisingly well, albeit at low to moderately loud levels.
With respect to transients and dynamics the Planet also made a good showing with sharp attack and acceptably natural falloff. This was heard on âInside Stuffâ by Wayman Tisdale which is a dynamic track that sounded pretty good through the Planet. Timbre is acceptable but does better than most I have heard which are direct competitors.
The ND Audio Planetâs midrange is arguably the star of the show. At less than $20 ND Audio have achieved a midrange that punches well above itâs low asking price. The main caveat is that the sound quality does tend to take a nosedive at loud volume levels. Keep the volume reasonable the the ND Audio Planet makes for some good listening.
Treble:
The treble is only moderately well extended although there is falloff at top. The Planet is not a dark sounding iem and there is enough air and sparkle to keep the music from sounding closed in. This is not a treble rife with micro details, although there are enough details present to keep things interesting, but is clean and expressive enough to not detract from the overall sonics.
The treble should please many listeners, even those who may be treble sensitive. There is little if any harshness, when not pushed over the top, and has a pleasing tone
SOUNDSTAGE/IMAGING:
The ND Audio Planet offers up a soundstage that is moderate in size. This is a more in the head type of presentation. This is not a negative though as the music never sounded constrained. There was still an openness to the sound probably in no small part due to the decent layering. Listening to âVanston Place 12amâ by Ronny Jordan, I caught myself marveling at how good the Planet sounded on this track. In particular with how open it sounded even with the soundstage limits. Imaging within the soundstage was stable even given the confines.
CONCLUSION:
ND Audio have produced an interesting IEM in the Planet. While some have lamented the look and feel, in the honest opinion of this reviewer itâs all about the sound. At $15 you would be hard pressed to find a more well rounded iem. The Planet provides a pleasant cohesive sound the does belie its asking price.
There is a caveat though. The sound quality does take a dive when listening at higher sound levels. The Planet is best enjoyed at low to moderately loud levels to really appreciate what $15 brings to the table these days.
Is this a âPivotalâ release that will upset the balance in the iem space? Is the ND Audio Planet a âGiant Killerâ ? Does it compete against earphones 5x or more its price? I would have to say not really, although there are going to be a few examples of iems that do cost more but donât sound better. As I said before, you would be hard pressed to find something better in this price range. The planet more than a few times surprised me with its sound quality and as such does get a recommendation. If you are looking for an iem at or around what ND Audio is asking for the Planet, then this iem should be on your shortlist.
3 Likes
great write up! The ND Audio Planet defo punches well above its price point! Possibly a good recommendation for budget-conscious buyers. I think it makes sense that remains clean and enjoyable at moderate volumes usually at this price range aything in full volume exposes alot of their weaknesses
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Great review on the eyeballs, I still havenât listened to my set LOL
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Ok on Stock Cable and eartips and running off my $60 used iBasso DX90 the Planet sounds pretty damn good.
The cable and eartips are the choke points but damn ND Audio impresses me again with thier second release.
These are smoother than I was expecting.
1 Like
ND - Planet
Single Dynamic Driver
12mm Berylium plated dynamic driver.
32 ohm Impedance.
112 dB Sensitivity
20Hz - 40kHz Frequency Response.
3.5mm copper cable
Preamble:
Thanks go out to Garcia Kate and ND Audio for providing the Planet review sample in exchange for an honest review.
Each member of Canucks Audioholics received a review unit. Watch for Bennet and Tone Deaf Monkâs thoughts in this one as well.
Pros and Cons:
Price $18-20 usd, shipped, on AliX.
(Prices vary by store, and likely by region)
Plastic shells are basic but fit my ears well. They are comfortable for longer listening sessions, and anchor and seal well.
Pure copper oxygen free cable terminated 3.5mm is commensurate with other iem in this price range.
Good bass presentation, deep and bit thick.
Lower mids are rolled off a little more than my liking which affects imaging.
Upper mids and vocals recover nicely, and present somewhat forward.
Bit of a bump at the top end adds some sparkle to cymbals, and bite to electric guitar.
At higher volumes the DD starts to reveal its limitations. Some distortion and the frequencies start to loose cohesion.
Fortunately I get adequate listening levels at moderate volumes and have no need to go there.
Source Devices:
I auditioned 4 source devices.
2 âbudgetâ daps, Tempotec V6 and Hiby R4.
2 âbudgetâ dongles connected to iPhone 16, EPZ TP35, and Colorfly CDA M1.
All devices powered the Planet adequately and sounded good in their own right.
The more powerful Daps had an edge over the dongles offering up a tighter bass presentation, and a more energetic mids/vocals presence.
Additionally, I was able to take the volume levels to higher levels without distortion.
In the end I choose to do the critical sound evaluation on the iPhone 16 and EPZ TP35.
It came in âmiddle of the packâ so to speak with respect to balancing warmth with detail.
And, I felt a dongle on a phone would be a more likely pairing for many enthusiasts considering this IEM.
Equipment:
** ND Planet IEM aged 60-70 hours.
** iPhone 16 streaming Qobuz.
** EPZ TP35 dongle, 3.5mm out.
** Stock ND pure copper 3.5mm cable.
** Penon liqueur black ear tips.
My music sources:
Qobuz, and, FLAC and DSD files stored on the SD cards of my daps.
My music genre are primarily Rock, Blues, Jazz, Symphonic, Country, Rap, R&B, Pop, Electronic.
(For this evaluation only Qobuz used)
Sound:
Sub bass can pull low with good rumble on tracks that call for it.
Mid bass has reasonable punch/thump but is easily over ridden by sub bass, i.e. not a lot of sub/mid bass definition.
Overall the bass is warm and pleasant to listen to on most tracks in my library, stepping up with good sub bass rumble when asked.
Lower mids are recessed, upper mids and vocals recover, they present forward and moderately elevated, and have decent macro detail.
Vocals are mostly accurate, especially male and female vocals that have some husk to them, Ray Charles, Diana Krall, Liz Wright. However female vocalists like Youn Sun Nah lack bite when she takes it high.
Highs are carried mostly by the upper mids, with a bit of a recovery in the upper treble that adds reasonable sparkle to cymbals, and a some bite to electric guitars and other strings.
Never harsh or sibilant in the upper end.
Staging stays mostly between the ears, although on some tracks I hear some artifacts just outside the ears.
Height and width are just average.
Overall the stage âjust nicelyâ fills the head space.
Lacklustre imaging and staging fail to add any extra sense of openness or spaciousness.
So thatâs my critical listening evaluation.
The Planet is not a master of detail and resolution.
Conclusion:
Listening for simple enjoyment I find the Planet to be very enjoyable. Warm and kind of smooth, with enough mids and upper energy to add a bit of pizazz.
I can listen for long sessions without any fatigue or desire to stop listening.
In short, unless you are critiquing, I find little fault with the Planet.
Not everyone will like any given IEM, so Planet wonât satisfy everyone, which is understandable and expected.
But IMO,
Another stand out budget offering from ND audio.
PS. For those who like a tighter bass and a bit more energy and clarity in the mids and highs, try swapping on a silver plated DSP cable, or standard SPC cable from other budget IEMâs.
I found it made a welcome difference.
Enjoy your music.
3 Likes
Nice one I liked it as well but for $4.99 the Venus is on sale 
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Mail call from MusicTeck in like record shipping speed of light!
Unique Melody Stardust
$799 2 DD 4 BA
And OH what a frequency response curve this is!
I use the IBasso Audio DC Elite for my measurements as I have yet to find a cleaner uncolored device.
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Of course the Stardust is delivered at the speed of lightđ
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Xduuo XP-2BAL 
Donât listen to ASR comments âThe DAC chip is so old mimimiâ this is one of the best and cleanest DAC/AMPs i have heard.
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That curve is looking good!
The openings on the design of the shellâŠare they functional or just a design element?
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Just a design I wish it was done abit better to be honest overall I prefer the esthetics over the Jet Black.
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Agreed. The aesthetics are good but definitely would be better if it also served a purpose i guess
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