Well if the size of the Meteor means they might fit me, it would matter to me 
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Ohh sorry I miss read. Gotcha 
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Hey guys! We’re talking about the P1 Max today - or Pandas, and I gotta admit, I love them. They probably have my favourite treble until the Meteor and Variations, and they’re just sooo smooth and relaxing. It’s like I’m being cuddled in a warm blanket by the fireplace, or napping under the warm sun. But ya, let’s just jump into it.
Starting with the low-end, well, it has Planar bass so it’s not going to have that physical feeling of a DD, but it’s still punchy and the extra mid-bass gives the Panda their signature warm feel. There is some sub-bass, but I wish it was more audible or better textured. The Pandas also aren’t the cleanest separation wise and other Planars like the Timeless, S12, and HeyDay have better clarity, but they’re separation is still competitive to other $100 IEMs like the Olina and EA500. The bass also doesn’t feel the sharpest when it comes to the attack and speed, making it feel softer when you compare it to the EA500’s authoritative mid-bass - and although warm it’s not thick and meaty. Now, all this may sound bad on its own, but the Pandas turn into a different beast when you add on the airy treble and laid back vocals.
But let’s talk about the mids first. There’s definitely masking in the lower-mids and the warmness does bleed into the rest of the mid-range. Again, it’s not as clean as the HeyDay, nor is the bass impactful as the EA500. The vocals on the other hand are laid back, and less forward compared to the EA500 and Galileo, but around the same distance as the Olina - so not recessed nor forward. But, the added mid-bass does affect the vocals and make them less open and clear compared to the Quarks DSP, and with the decreased uppermids the Pandas do lack the last bit of extension and micro-nuance in the Vocals. Now, the warm tonality is very obvious on the Panda, and normally this would be not so great since it affects clarity and midrange timbre, but the sparkly and airy treble really changes the game, and combined together gives Panda its own unique colour and listening experience.
The treble is forward leaning, but never in your face or fatiguing, giving energy to balance out the warmness of the low-end, and it’s also incredibly smooth, but still maintaining the micro-nuances and air. The Pandas remind me of the sun glistening over the waters on a warm day, or a beautiful orange sunset, and this combination of warmthness and sparkle creates this nostalgic, cozy, and comforting listen like you’re in a state of daydream. It’s similar to the Meteor except the bass on the Panda is less in your face and more laid back like the rest of its signature, and I highly recommend listening to it at higher volumes.
At $100 and even right before the Variations/Meteor, the Pandas probably have my favourite treble - smooth and effortless. But if you do want more note sharpness then the Dioko or OG Olina is the better pick (although I wouldn’t recommend). Low-end wise the best is still the EA500 with its slamming bass and heavy note-weight, and if we’re talking pure mid-range and vocals then the Galileo is my favourite there.
Now, there are sets like the Hexa and Quarks DSP that have better clarity and separation, and more “correct” sounding - but they sound a bit boring and thin and don’t bring out the same emotions and enjoyment as the Pandas. So, although the Panda’s aren’t an all-rounder set, they do still work very well with most genres and perform even on busier tracks like Strangest Thing, Model, and Flower Town - but maybe aside from ballads since the warmness does get a bit much in Natalia’s voice on Pasan Los Dias.
So, although it’s not “objectively” the best planar (Clarity/resolution goes to HeyDay), the Panda is still my favourite since it’s so different from other sets I’ve heard, and really melts you in the music. Thanks for reading!
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I like the P1Max, but I think I like the Talos more. I should A/B them one day.
S12 pro and timeless left me completely cold. They didn’t trigger anything in me.
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Not heard the new ones but Timeless if driven well 
is a baby Z1R… Niche? then og P1 on a hybrid tube source with even more that does some amazing shiz
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And no one will take her from me or they’ll be some gun slinging!!!
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S12 OG with pure cooper cable.
Letshuoer worked magic on my EJ07M. It has a lovely fast mid-bass, controlled, punchy, with a very good amount of textured sub-bass, velvety and tireless mids, close and clean vocals, amazing bite on the guitars, very wide soundstage with good depth, separation it is very good, powerful and textured drums, treble extension is done professionally, without excessive shine, but present in a good amount and not tiring and one more thing - Letshuoer have done very well with timbre and coherence, they sound 95% like DD, the images…oh God!!! 
I wonder how the Cadenza will be, given that these IEMs make such a sound. Just amazing! And it’s not a honeymoon, I have enough IEMs to evaluate this one. If you have the chance get a KL resin with FR more bass!
At this price, the Cadenza remains in my dreams for now 
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I want to thank Letshuoer for the wonderful musical experience 
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Heyday. All day 
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Don’t blame you for that. Those IEMs + that cable will put you down alright!
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Hey guys. Happy Wednesday my dudes. Today we’re talking about one of the highest regarded vocal IEMs - the OG Oracle. It was a long wait, but it was worth every minute. And before we start, I’d like to shout-out RealAudioReviews for letting me borrow his set - go check him out, he has some fire reviews. But with that said - let’s just jump into it.
So, the overall sound signature of the Oracle is incredibly clean, natural, slightly airy, and with no masking or colouring in the midrange. But with those characteristics there’s naturally going to be a hit to the bass. So, the low-end is well separated, punchy, with no smearing in the bass notes, and is overall inoffensive and on the tamer side of things. BUT, it does lack the tacticlity, physicality, impact, and overall thickness and meat to the slam. Which makes sense because the low-end is clearly not the main focus of the show unlike the UP and the Meteor, which is completely fine, because the Oracle shines in other areas, and portrays the sound it’s going for perfectly.
Now, because there’s less focus on the low-end and less mid-bass, this in-return allows the vocals on the Oracles to be open, clean, and naturally flowing without feeling congested, closed off, or being too distant and thin sounding like the Variations for example. There’s just enough mid-bass for male vocals and proper note-weight, avoiding the in-famous scoop, but also not too much to the point that it affects vocal timbre and clarity, making singers sound muffled or honky.
Vocal placements are at the perfect distance with a slight airiness and shimmer to the final extension of notes, and the Oracle’s has one of the most balanced and natural vocals I have ever heard - they remind me of a clear, gentle, refreshing waterfall in spring. Similarly its midrange clarity is top tier as texture from piano keys, guitar strings, flutes, are very easy to pick out with no instruments getting in the way of the other, and layering is also well-done and similar to other sets like the RSV, SA6, EJ07M, and the Oracle handles busier tracks like Traces of Time (Rainie Yang), Flower Town (Hua Chen Yu), and House In Nebraska (Ethel Cain) with ease.
Now, normally this clean signature would already be very enjoyable and “correct and good”, but the extra little bit of well-controlled treble air really changes the game and brings that uniqueness and sweetness that the Oracles are known for. The treble isn’t overly boosted like the U12T or the MK2 version, but very subtle and tastefully done. The lowered gain region from 1.5K to 3K pulls the vocals slightly backwards and leaves enough distance for the treble to shimmer on top and not sound sharp and fatiguing combined with the rest. I listened to them at mid and high volumes and have not run into any issues with fatigue as the dynamics on the Oracles are very smooth and even. Imaging and staging is similar to other sets like the RSV, SA6, the MK2 version, but not “grand” as the EJ07M.
So, the Oracles are definitely in my top 5 vocal IEMs of all time, behind the RSV and OG Tea, which both are more forward, engaging, and immersive in their presentation which I prefer more. But, it’s very hard to rank the Oracles after that. Probably tied for third place with the OG EJ07, Monarch MK2 and Dark Magician. And speaking of the Dark Magician, the Oracles are actually very similar to them vocal wise - it also has that airy shimmer to them but are cleaner and laid back, whereas the DM is more intimate with heavier note-weight and more engaging. So, it’s really a toss-up depending on the song and the mood I’m in. If I want to relax and chill with a R&B or Acoustic track then I’d take the Oracles, but if I wanted something more engaging and emotional then it’s the DM. So, they’re on the same level for me personally - and ya, they’re much better than the MK2 versions which just sounds artificially boosted in the treble, too sharp, fatiguing, and with poor scaling.
So, in conclusion. I highly recommend the OG Oracles. Their vocals live up to the hype and praise, and it’s worth the full retail price for me (but I mean if you can find it on sale then that’s even better). But ya, that’s all for now. Vocal Tier List coming soon… Thanks for reading!
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Hey guys, I hope everyone’s enjoying their weekend. We’re talking about the OG Monarchs today, and wow are they clean. Probably one of the most technical sets I’ve heard, and up there with the MK2 version, the MEST, Z1R, and U12T. But let’s just jump into it.
Starting with the low-end the Monarchs have a very satisfying sub-bass rumble with complete, clean, extension to the notes. You can feel the rumbling in your ears on certain songs like Time, and Good Kid Mad City, and the texture to the sub-bass is well-defined with natural note-weight. The mid-bass on the other hand is extremely well-separated with great speed and no smearing towards the other frequencies, but it does lack the impact, slam, thickness, and the overall authoritative feeling when compared to the UP, Meteor, or even none-bass sets like the RSV, and DM. The mid-bass scoop is less noticeable than the Variations but still on the lighter side - and it also depends on the unit since there are some with even less mid-bass. So you should definitely avoid it if your library has a lot of hip hop and lower-end instruments since they’ll feel too distant, boring, and light.
But, because of the tamer mid-bass there is zero masking in the Monarch’s midrange. Instrument separation and layering is phenomenal, and the best I’ve heard under and at $1K. The clarity is endgame level, allowing you to hear the little details of guitar strings, lingering of piano notes, and micro-nuances from electric guitars and violin strings. Instruments are never congested, appearing and decaying cleanly with great speed and tactility from each other as they layer around you. Vocals are clear, clean, and slightly energetic. They’re very open and extended, but can sound a bit distant, making them thin and less emotional, as well as getting spicy at higher volumes.
For example, although Rainie’s voice sounds transparently clean and the overall presentation of the song is wonderfully layered, her voice can get thin and be buried away by other instruments. Male vocals can also sound light in busier tracks like Model, and the uppermids and early treble especially can get spicy on cymbal crashes and notes from higher frequency instruments. This isn’t an issue at mid-volume, but at higher volumes I think the fatigue mainly comes from the 5K peak and elevated 10-15K region, making it a bit much combined with the lack of mid-bass to off-set this. But with that being said, the treble overall is very well-extended giving that slight sharpness to the overall sound and air for cymbals, flutes, and violins.
Personally I still prefer the EJ07M or OG Oracles more since they’re a lot smoother with better dynamics and more natural vocals, but you’re not going to beat the performance and transparency of the Monarchs at around $500-600 even with sets like the Variations. Tech wise the Monarch is a beast and fitting of its name, trading blows with endgame sets, with the only exception being maybe the SA6 Ultra, but that’s also discontinued. So, it’s a rec from me to anyone who listens to tracks with a lot of instruments - so genres like Rock, Metal, orchestral since the Monarchs do an amazing job at holding together the busier passages, separating them, and then delivering the details of the recording as transparent as possible to the listener.
The best analogy that comes to mind is that the Monarch is like a piece of glass - very clear, clean, and transparent…but, also a little sharp on the edges. Thanks for reading 
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Thanks, but of the tribrids I’ll stick to my EJ KL2 
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I did not understand the timbre of the guitars, how? Do they sound like guitars or do they sound like saws? 
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Talking about clarity of the guitar notes and the Monarch’s layering performance
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Great review as always. Love the analogy to glass. I’ve never heard the OG but, the MKII could have been described the same for me. At the end of the day it’s exactly why it wasn’t for me. Just a bit to clean and sharp. I guess piggy backing of you I like my music more like sea glass. Smooth around the edges and colored.
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Instruments have timbre, saws have timber.
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Hahahaha
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Great analogy, and ya, agreed. Scaling was an issue on most tracks but was very “technical”. Probably will end up selling them later, but it was good to experience it nonetheless
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No!! 
Sometimes IEM also have saws called BA with bad FR! For example, B2 OG has a saw-like guitar timbre, and KL2 has a natural guitar timbre close to DD. But since you are not musicians, I understand you .
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