Mind taking a closer pic on the nozzle? That filter looks pretty nice.
I’d swap out my wax guards for those for sure if they could be bought different diameters like the pepperpot ones can be.
Closes I can get without going out of focus
Dam these like nice, now if only the graph could match the look
I just improved the mod for EA1000 I posted before, and it looks a lot like the Origin with more bass
EA1000 with this mod sound fantastic to my ears! Balanced, open, airy, wider stage, even better layering!
I am relistening to my music and it puts smile on my face from how good this sounds.
You have to have H570 tips. They lower and shift treble closer to 15Khz, and lower 5-8kHz area by 1 db. I thought wide bore tips would do opposite, but it surprised me.
Damn, that does look super solid! The only thing I would change personally is lowering the Pinna gain about 4-5 dB but other than that, I really like the looks of this one. Solid work
It is 8 db of pinna. I tried 6-7 and did not like it as much as this final tuning. Listening to a binaural recording and it’s insane how much better I can pinpoint instrument placements and overall stage. Now I finally understand what is 3D stage.
Hey guys, so, this is my new favourite IEM under $200, the Pula PA02. It looks like a monarch, comes with nice accessories, and most importantly the tuning is very nice:
VS NOVA & CHOPIN
Basically, it takes the best aspects of the Nova and LM, and adjusts the parts where people didn’t like as much. For example, a major complaint for the Nova was that it sounded a bit light and thin in the low-end which affected genres like hiphop and rock where the drums and bass-guitars feels pillowy and lacking in the impact and slam. The 02 fixes this by adding more low-end -and filling in the scoop, They sound more immersive in rock and alternative genres versus the Nova, although the sub-bass is still more pronounced on the Nova, but the 02 overall sounds fuller, more engaging, less thin, as there’s more authority and weight in the drums and bass guitars.
It also decreases the ear gain and uppermids from the Nova, and as a result of this change vocals sound fuller, more forward and engaging, but also not sharp because of the trimmed 3-6K region. I like the tamer ear gain in this scenario because you can crank the 02 more, with certain genres, more on that later, but overall they’re just a lot more immersive because artists are closer and you can hear more nuances in their voices, but admittedly because the ear gain and uppermids are tamer, female vocals will not sound as open on the 02 vs the Nova which sounds more extended and cleaner. Using the singing analogy again, the 02 has a solid chest because of the extra low-end, and solid falsetto as well because of the 10K boost in the air, however it lacks that last bit of extension or openness you get from the head voice.
Now with that said it’s not congested or bloated, still clean and extended, but just not as open versus the Nova. On the other hand the 10K boost of the 02 is a bit of a love/hate relationship. On one hand it adds a sense of liveliness and space without artificially boosting the resolution - Notes have that airiness to them at the end without being sharp, and Cymbals are splashy, you can hear the nuance in the decay, but sometimes the air is too much and things becomes hazy and creates masking around it, although without the 10K boost the 02 would have sounded too neutral and boring imo.
Depending on the genre the 10K will affect the timbre, and can get a bit jarring at times on some tracks. For example energetic kpop and jpop songs like Butterfly can feel wispy and sharp in the treble and cymbals and other high-pitched electronic elements, the 02 scales really bad on those genres, and I would not recommend it for POP/EDM or even hiphop… But on the other hand, the extra air does add a layer of nuance to indie and singer songwriter tracks - for example on “called you again”, which is a very simple song without any electronic elements, the 02 here sounds great, and the 10K that would otherwise be too wispy and jarring on Butterfly now gives off an airy and dreamy feeling that matches the musical tone of the song very nicely.
Similar with “A House in Nebraska”, this song actually has a good amount of electric guitars, but the 02 here again gives off that same dreamy feeling rather than being jarring. However, for the most cases the Nova with foam tips are going to be much smoother and more “correct” in general and more well-rounded, although it doesn’t click in the same way with certain songs that the 02 does. Separation wise the Nova is better, cleaner, you know less masking in the lower regions as well as the treble, and same with the resolution the Nova is overall clearer. Likewise, for the Chopin it’s a pretty similar story to the Nova since both are very similar in sound, but with the main difference being that the Chopin feels a little more resolving and energetic overall versus the Nova because of the boosted treble and sub-bass, giving it an ever slight harman/df v.
In-terms of bass texture the quality is around the same on all 3, not as good as the LM, and if I had to choose I’d place the 02 the last in-terms of low-end, it feels boomier and not as well controlled as the other two. As all-rounders, both Chopin and Nova will be better, smoother, better resolution, but again on certain genres I like the 02 more, it scales better, has more immersive vocals, and gives off that dreamy feeling that the Chopin and Nova doesn’t have
VS EA500LM & EA1000
Now, versus the LM and EA1000 the 02, Nova, and Chopin all fall behind in-terms of the low-end texture, they’re less impactful, and the bass reverb isn’t as extended and nuanced like the Simgots. The LM is the warmest out of the bunch and feels the heaviest with the most bass, and is overall the most coloured but still balanced for the most part. In-terms of vocals the LM is brighter, sparklier, and more laid back - it doesn’t scale as well as the 02, not as immersive and forward, but they are more open and extended, feels livelier, and falls into your traditional harman/df ear gain.
Similar story with the EA1000s, but the vocals are brighter than the LM, cleaner, more energetic, sparklier, and scales the worst out of the bunch, well depending on the genre, since the 02 also struggles in scaling when it comes to electronic stuff - And back to the singing analogy both the LM and Fermats have great chest and head voice, with the falsetto being extra strong. So, if you like more energy or just enjoy sharper imaging in general then the Fermats are still solid, their sparkliness strikes a nice balance on slower genres like indie, ballads, and acoustics, adding more life to the songs, but do try to get them on sale, and don’t blast them.
Treble wise the LM is smoother in general than the 02 and EA1000s, whereas both the LM and 02 are equal when it comes to the amount of air, although to me, the LM does feel bigger in the head stage because the vocals are further away creating that sense of distance. Resolution wise, it goes to the LM and Fermats, notes feel sharper and clearer, there’s more detail retrieved because of the boosted uppermids and treble combined, less treble masking, but the 02 isn’t horrible or anything, just not as good.
VS QUINTET
As for the Quintet it’s going to be more more resolving and pull out more detail, and follows your traditional harman/df but without the scoop, unlike the Nova and Chopin. Likewise, vocals also follow a similar traditional presentation with the ear gain at 3K, a little more open and laid back and less immersive and doesn’t scale as well. Low-end wise the Quintet is not as boomy, but not quite on the same level as the LM either, so just decent bass, although the treble is a bit metallic to me maybe because of the PZT drivers along with the 2 peaks, and more sharp and less dreamy/airy compared to the PULA. Even though it doesn’t have a 10K peak I wouldn’t say the Quintet is smoother either since it feels slightly grainy at times (PZT), but not peaky and sharp on energetic tracks vs the PULA. Overall though, if you don’t mind the slight metallic treble the Quintet will be the better all-rounder at around $200, especially for genres like pop & edm, but it just won’t give you that same dreamy feeling on certain genres like the Pula does (I still like the tuning of the Pula more).
Now, if you just want resolution and detail retrieval, then a budget planar would still be your best pick, something like the ARTTI T10 would still be the best value there. Or if you don’t want a planar but still want that value, then of course you have the LM and Nova as all-rounder alternatives especially for genres like pop/edm/hiphop - the LM being brighter with better low-end texture, and the Nova being your clean/traditional sound.
So then, who is the 02 for? Well, this heavily depends on the context, for example, testing aside I mostly listen to alternative, singer songwriter, slow rock, and the way I listen to music, aka loud, I like the tuning of the 02 the best. It fulfils my criterias the best when it comes to vocals, immersion, scaling for those genres, but on other stuff like kpop/jpop and electronics the 02 does have that treble sharpness/wispiness you should look out for… Which is why in general I would still take the LM for mid-volume when I’m doing work or something, and then I would use the 02 for the rest of the time for my library, and if you listen to more pop and energetic stuff then the Nova/Chopin would be the better pick there.
Overall the 02 is a sidegrade to some of the other existing sets like the LM, EA1000, Nova, and even Chopin, and a niche sidegrade at that. It’s not going to be the best value wise, but on certain genres I like the tuning more than all the other sub $200 sets as it’s got that dreamy feeling on indie and ballad tracks, and it’s also very bling bling if that’s your thing. But ya, mixed review aside here are the final rankings:
PULA PA02:
Tonality: A+/S-
Tech: A-/A
Overall: A
Thanks for reading
im getting brain fart by trying to remember if we shorten the Tanchjim Oxygen as the “o2” or the “02”.
Ya no mb I should’ve just said PULA instead of 02 LOL
After recording I was like, "am I dumb? Yes, yes I am "
DAM I DIDN’T KNOW THAT!!
Oh well… saves me from getting flagged I guess
We made fun of them back in the day when they first showed up with that name lol.
(literally the reason I remember them from back then.)
I missed the initial hype train unfortunately/fortunately?
They didnt have any hype train back when they first appeared. Not 100% if this was the first set I saw from them.
But it was from at least 2021.
The LM just continues to sound impressive in comparisons to IEM’s twice as expensive in some cases.
SO, Planars can be very confusing, especially with all the graphs looking the same these days, which is why I made this guide to try and address this, and more specifically, see where the newer sets like the F1 PRO falls into.
Basically, as of now, they can be grouped into 4 categories: #1 Bright and energetic, this includes sets like the OG S12 and the 7hz Dioko, with all of them having more treble and uppermids emphasis, so if you’re a treblehead you’ll enjoy these very much. Second, there’s the neutral, but bright leaning category, so sets like the HBB Heyday has a leaner bass-boost, but also isn’t too bright in context to the others planars. Then #3, you have the neutral-mid centric sets like the P1 MAX, and the OG F1 with the black nozzles/filters, they’re the least bright and most tame and easy on the ears out of all the planars. And lastly, we have the All-rounders, and these are what I would consider a slight V-shape in both the low-end and treble without barging into treblehead territory, so think S12 PRO, and the OG WU.
Now, with most of these planars you will experience “planar timbre”, a light or sizzly effect in the treble and uppermids region to certain degrees, and often times both light and sizzly. The only set that didn’t have this issue was the Letshuoer S15, although that is over $300, so not in the same price category… But the closest to the S15 in-terms of timbre would be the P1 MAX and the MP145, well, before they retuned the MP145 that is… If you guys didn’t know, there’s this whole ordeal around whether or not the MP145 has been silently retuned, or just very bad QC, Hidisz says it’s just QC, and claims a 2-4dbs is standard in chifi, OK BUDDY.
However, based off Mike’s video it seems like the “retuned” version sounds very different, understandably so, I mean they look like 2 different iems, sooo I’m not too sure where the MP145 stands as of now until we get more units graphs to compare. But if it is retuned, then the newer batch does seem more neutral, and more similar to the HBB HeyDay, so just a heads up if you’re looking to buy one right now.
Now, as for the F1 Pro, T10, and Klanar they all fall into the slight v-shaped all-rounder category, not as bright as the OG S12, but they’re definitely mid-volume sets for most categories. At mid-volume my favourite out of the 3 is the F1 PRO, it sounds the the cleanest and airiest because of the boosted uppermids and treble and decreased sub-bass, vocals just sound a little clearer, but the difference isn’t huge, it’s more down to unit variations than anything. On the other hand, the T10 and Klanar sound basically the same, my units at least, so I would just grab the T10 because it’s cheaper, and T10 vs F1 PRO wise the T10 is slightly less sharp and light, scales a little better, has a deeper sub-bass rumble, although neither are EA500LM levels of bass slam and texture, but vocals are just more enjoyable and more open on the F1 PRO.
And since neither of them scales very well (or most of the planars) you can’t make the vocals clearer on the T10 by just turning up the volume since it’ll just get fatiguing. I found tracks with a lot of cymbals or electronic elements to be too much at times like Model and Butterfly, too sizzly and energetic like most of the planars, which is why you can’t really listen past mid-volume on any of the planars aside from the S15 and pre-re-tuned MP145. Although this doesn’t mean they’re bad, just don’t blast them, the F1 PRO actually sounds very nice on slower tracks like “called you again” where the extra energy and air really helps open up the song and adds that extra sparkle to liven things up.
I found the elevated air brings a sweetness to female vocals with indie/alternative stuff, almost like the tracks are brushed over with a thin layer of gold color. However, they can be too light on busier pop and rock tracks, it can get harder to pick out, and this is similar with male vocals as well, there’s just not that much weight or huskiness behind them on both the T10 or F1 PRO. In other words using the singing analogy, all 3 planars have a good amount of headvoice, with the falsetto being more prominent, and this is focus on the air or falsetto combined with the weaker chest voice makes vocals feel lighter, open, but not as powerful, forward, or full sounding.
VS OTHER PLANARS
Now, in-terms of resolution, layering, and detail retrieval they’re all around the same, they use pretty much the same driver, a 14.5MM or 14.2MM variant with the main differences being the tuning altering how sharp the notes are perceived, or how much treble detail is pushed. If you want the most treble detail, the OG S12 still has the most, it’s the sparkliest and sharpest in its transients, but honestly the difference isn’t huge, I’d personally base my decision of the tuning… For example, if I want a cleaner but still bright leaning sound then the HeyDay is still great, looks dope as well, just enough energy without being too much. And if I wanted more bass and engagement, or more of a v-shape sound, I’d grab the Melody as it has the most low-end energy without getting bloated or congesting the sound, it’s still slightly sharp, but not as energetic in the upper mids and treble versus the other stuff.
And if you told me, “No Jay, I don’t want those bright sets give me something smooth!” I’d grab the P1 MAX or the OG NICEHCK F1s with the black nozzles, super neutral sets with a nice balanced sound. Then for all-rounders I would’ve recommended the MP145 before, but with the retune and QC fiasco, that’s now in the air until we get further confirmation, so I’d just grab the T10 for now since it’s the best value, you know very similar sound and tech as the others but cheaper, mess around with tips and it might even be better.
I mean any of them will work really, the F1 Pro, the Klanar, the S12 Pro, OG WU, they’re all very similar - I like the OG WU the best after the MP145, but just get whichever is the cheapest, or if money isn’t an issue go for whichever design and accessories you like the most since the difference is again very small, more down to unit variation than anything, I’m pretty your tips will make a bigger difference, so don’t lose sleep over it. This is giving me heavy budget harman clone vibes all over again, but I really hope that this isn’t the trend moving forward.
As for my personal favourite though, it would still be the P1 MAX before the s15 - it’s just the smoothest and least planar like planar out of the bunch. I’m not the biggest fan when it comes to bright sets which is why I love the Pandas, they scale extremely well, beautiful midrange, not as sharp in the resolution as the others, but hey, I’d take dynamics and tonality over sizzle and detail any day of the week. But ya, here are the final rankings:
ARTTI T10/F1 PRO/ KLANAR:
Tonality: A-
Tech: A+
Overall: A-