MEE Audio Pinnacle P1 – initial impressions

Tech specs

Driver: 10mm dynamic with copper-clad aluminium voice coil

Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz

Impedance: 50 Ohms at 1 kHz

Sensitivity: 96dB +/- 3dB (1mW at 1kHz)

Cable length: 1.3 m

Connector type: MMCX

Plug type: 3.5mm right angle

Weight (earbuds): 13 grams

Weight (including cables): 29 grams

Unboxing

Build quality and ergonomics

Sound quality

General impressions on the sound signature

Highs

Mids

Bass

Soundstage/separation

Isolation

Amping

Comparisons

Overall conclusion

Many thanks to @Tony-Hifi from HiFiHeadphones.co.uk for adding me to the UK tour for these earphones – the impressions below are based on the time I got to spend with the tour pair and also some previous experience I had with these a few months back (I used to own a pair I subsequently traded on but unfortunately lost my notes prior to putting up any impressions, so I am very grateful to Tony for enabling me to spend more time with the IEMs and rewrite my ramblings!).About me: newly minted audiophile, late 30s, long time music fan and aspiring to be a reasonably inept drummer. Listen to at least 2 hours of music a day on my commute to work – prefer IEMs for out and about, and a large pair of headphones when I have the house to myself and a glass in my hand. Recently started converting my library to FLAC and 320kbps MP3, and do most of my other listening through Spotify or Tidal HiFi. I am a fan of rock, acoustic (apart from folk) and sarcasm. Oh yeah, and a small amount of electronica. Not a basshead, but I do love a sound with some body to it. My ideal tuning for most IEMs and headphones tends towards a musical and slightly dark presentation, although I am not treble sensitive in general. Please take all views expressed below with a pinch of salt – all my reviews are a work in progress based on my own perceptions and personal preferences, and your own ears may tell you a different story.As a brand, MEE Audio have previously been known for their “bang for buck” audio equipment, concentrating mainly on the budget and sports headphones markets. The Pinnacle P1 is the company’s first entry into the mainstream audiophile bracket, and it is obviously a well-considered one as it has taken almost two years to come to fruition. The packaging is definitely a step into the luxury end of the market, with a glossy sleeve adorned with the product logo and hi-res pictures of the earbuds concealing a thick black cardboard box which opens from the centre like a children’s reading book to expose the contents within. The first things you see are a nice faux-leather carry case with an embossed metal logo and unique serial number, the two solid zinc earbuds sat above it in their own moulded foam cutout and two slim cardboard boxed containing eartips and cables (nicely labelled as such). The packaging is certainly on a par with some of the quality presentation employer by the mainstream “high end” consumer brands, and sets the tone nicely that these are a quality piece of merchandise.The accessories provided reinforce the impression of quality, with MEE Audio including two detachable cables, one thickly braided “audiophile grade” silver-plated OFC copper effort, and one thinner cable offering a microphone and standard cable controls. The audiophile cable is a magnificent effort, with a thick quad-braided cable which screams quality, and practically no cable memory or microphonics. The microphone cable is nothing to be ashamed of either, but fades into the background in both aesthetics and audio quality when compared to the “main” cable. I am not a massive cable believer, but there does appear to be a small but noticeable difference in the quality of the sound between the two cables (which may in part be due to the microphone and controls in the signal path of the audio on the thinner cable), and the fact that two are included as standard puts MEE Audio in the same bracket as firms like Trinity Audio and Nuforce in terms of the quality and quantity of accessories provided for their IEM packages.Completing the accessory “load-out”, there is a shirt clip (standard), a nice gold plated 6.3mm adaptor and a pretty comprehensive selection of flanged tips (single to triple) and three different sizes of Comply foam earbuds. It is an old adage that you don’t listen to the box, but when it is as nicely put together as this one, it does give you something pretty to look at while you are stuffing the contents into your ears.As mentioned above, the cable provided is a high quality and thoughtfully designed piece of gear, so how does the rest of the package fare? Pretty well, in my opinion. The earbuds themselves are made of a solid zinc alloy, which the manufacturer claim has a higher impact resistance than aluminium but less weight than stainless steel, providing something that is tough enough to stand up to daily wear and tear without being uncomfortably heavy in the ear. The shape of the earbuds is also unusual, with a semi-teardrop design allowing for very snug fit in the bowl of the ear when worn with the cable up. The design also allows the Pinnacles to be worn with cable down as well (an intentional design feature, and an option that is all too often missing in higher-end in ear monitoring solutions). This will mean that the left and right cables will need to be switched, but as MEE Audio opted for a standard MMCX connection, this is easy enough to do on the move. When worn over the ear, the comfort level is excellent, with a reasonably deep fitting and the solid metal housing allowing the IEMs to block out a high amount of outside noise. In fact, isolation is easily on par with the Aurisonics “hybrid fit” 3D printed shells on their ASG and Bravo series, which claim to block out around 25 dBs of ambient noise, easily enough to sit in comfort on public transport or in a room with someone else’s choice of music playing without being distracted from the wonderful sounds being produced. Wearing the buds in “straight down” configuration makes the fit a little more shallow in the ear, with the stem running straight down and stopping the bud completely blocking the concha. With Comply tips (my preferred choice on these for both sound and comfort), they still offer plenty of isolation, and do allow those who aren’t fans of brain-violating insertion depth to wear these in a less invasive manner.The cable responds well to being worn in either manner, with zero in the way of microphonics when worn over-ear, and only a small amount of cable noise (easily removed by use of the attached shirt clip) when wearing straight. The Y-split and the 3.5mm plug are both made from sturdy plastic and look built to last, and the cable-cinch is also a robust plastic effort, adding to the classy overall look of the package. In terms of wearing comfort, I have been able to wear these for multiple hours with no irritation or discomfort, the secure fit and solid weight of the buds keeping the Pinnacles anchored through general day to day wear and also more energetic pursuits. Overall, these are a very well thought out set of in-ear monitors, showing as much detail in the design and usability of the product as in the sound itself.Test gear:LG G Flex 2 (via Neutron Player)Xperia Z3 Compact (via Neutron Player)Cayin C5 ampSansa Clip+ (Rockboxed)Microsoft Surface Pro 2 (straight from the output jack)Main test tracks (mainly 320kbps MP3 or FLAC/Tidal HiFi):Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – S.O.B. / Wasting TimeBlackberry Smoke – The Whipporwill (album)Slash – Shadow Life / Bad Rain (my reference tracks for bass impact and attack, guitar “crunch”)Slash & Beth Hart – Mother Maria (vocal tone)Richie Kotzen – Come On Free (bass tone)Elvis – variousLeon Bridges – Coming Home (album)Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (album)Rudimental – variousRodrigo y Gabriela – variousMavis Staples – Livin’ On A High NoteFoy Vance – The Wild SwanZZ Top – La FuturaChris Stapleton – Chris StapletonMaroon 5 – Songs About JaneThe Winery Dogs – The Winery DogsAs a single dynamic driver in the $200 price bracket, I was expecting quite a cohesive presentation and musical rather than analytical sound, and the Pinnacle delivers this in spades, utilising some unusual technological tricks in the process. The driver used is a proprietary design, with a copper clad voice coil being used to decrease the overall mass of the driver and increase the speed of the driver response. The housing itself has also been designed to shape the sound, with an acoustic diffuser being used inside the shell to enhance the accuracy and detail of the treble without increasing the overall sharpness of the sound. This all leads to a sound that is richer and more balanced than you would expect from a single dynamic driver, with a nice fullness to the bass and great extension to the higher range without any undue bias at either end. Musical neutrality is probably the best way I can think to describe it, with a delicacy of note and detail to the presentation that puts many multi-BA designs in higher price brackets to shame. The tone is quite smooth throughout the frequencies without losing any detail, and is firmly in the “non-fatiguing” bracket when put through extended listening sessions. Overall width and depth of the soundstage are impressive as well, with MEE’s claims of enhanced spatial cues (due to the acoustic diffuser) also holding true with more complex passages of music. Overall, a very smooth and sophisticated sound, and thoroughly enjoyable as well.The highs on the Pinnacle are an interesting mix of extension and smoothness, with plenty of detail thrown in just for good measure. There is a natural feeling to the presentation that manages to keep the detail and sparkle as it rises through the frequency spectrum, but smooths off just before you hit any screeching or sibilance with most sources. There is a good sense of space and air around the high notes, with cymbals crashing in a very organic manner and lingering just long enough in the back of the ear to sound real. Putting my usual high end testers through their paces, Slash and Myles Kennedy both came out with reputations enhanced, the Pinnacles retaining the soaring majesty of Mr Kennedy’s voice and Mr Hudson’s wailing guitar solos on tracks like “Starlight” without causing either to grate on the listener. Playing some Maroon 5, the silky smoothness of Adam Levine’s voice is well represented, gliding above the music with ease. Despite the smoothness, the detail levels for a single dynamic driver are very impressive, giving the sort of insight into some tracks that you would only expect from something a fair bit higher up the audiophile food chain, throwing micro-details and nuances into the air around some of my higher resolution like a very enthusiastic aunt tossing confetti at a family wedding. The detailed treble provides an excellent sense of openness to the sound, giving it the feel of playing inside a room with higher than normal ceilings (in my head, anyway).In keeping with the neutral overall tone, the mid range on the Pinnacle P1s is neither overly forward or recessed, with just a little bit of bite in the upper-midrange to add a little flavour to an otherwise flat sound. To say it is flat is not to say the mids are boring or lifeless, however – guitars and snare drums sound excellent on the Pinnacle, with plenty of energy and crunch when required, and more silky smoothness when a laid back tone is required. Listening to “Shadow Life” by Slash, the guitar takes on a life of its own, the fast paced riffing chopping the song into a constant rhythm of punch and counter-punch and emphasising the dynamics of the track excellently. The “bite” I talked about is most apparent in the vocal presentation, which seems to lean just a little further forward than the rest of the sound, as if the singer was a little closer on-stage than the backing band. I am a fan of mid-centric sounds like the Aurisonics ASG range so this tuning personally works well for me – as mentioned, the overall tuning is close enough to neutral not to alienate the vast majority of listeners out there, though. Another memorable aspect of the mid-range is the amount of detail the P1s retain, with guitars again one of the main beneficiaries. Complex guitar passages (both acoustic a la Rodrigo y Gabriela and electric a la Metallica) allow the listener to follow each thread with ease, and retain the small sounds of fingers sliding between frets and the deadened harmonics on the guitar strings to flesh out the main riffs very nicely. Electronic music also fares well with these IEMs, with the out of head presentation helping the pulsating synths and trumpet of Rudimental’s “Feel The Love” fill the listeners brain with the music, placing you right in the middele of the performance. The excellent separation of the P1 driver comes to the fore here, with the stage remaining uncongested no matter how many instruments are added. The overall sound feels tilted ever so slightly towards “warm” in my ears, but this is just an after-impression I get when listening to these rather than anything massively noticeable when they are actually in my ears.The bass on the Pinnacle is the area that some people on the forums here find most contentious, with some bemoaning the lack of sub-bass and extension and others commenting that there is a little too much low end to be considered truly neutral. In my personal opinion, both of those statements carry an element of truth – the Pinnacle does have a bass presence that feels on the full side of neutral, and never lacking to my ears. In terms of extension, it doesn’t extend quite as deep as some IEMs I have heard in this price bracket, and would never be described (by me at least) as a sub-bass monster. There is a nice mid-bass thump to proceedings that is more than enough to get most tracks kicking along nicely, with plenty of detail and tone to flesh out the notes. Listening to “Bad Rain” by Slash, the textured bass line that holds the song together can still get my toes tapping, even if this is more of a musically neutral take on it than something more bass heavy like the Aurisonics ASG 2.5 is able to provide. Switching to Sister Hazel, the oozing bassline of “Hello, It’s Me” still retains enough liquidity and thickness to coat the lower reaches of the song properly, filling around the snap of the snare drums and crunch of the guitars nicely. Drums are particularly well represented on this track, with the bass drum pounding along with a good sense of impact and speed, working as a good counterpoint to the smoother bass. The general speed of the notes in the lower ranges are excellent for a dynamic driver, with an excellent sense of liveliness and energy running throughout. “Elevate” by The Winery Dogs is handled with aplomb, Mike Portnoy’s (not he of Head-Fi fame, the other guy) pulsating drum fills rolling around the back of the soundstage behind your ears with precision, keeping each drum head impact separate and distinct in the barrage of notes. This IEM could never be described as a basshead’s dream, and may be lacking enough sub-bass to be truly satisfying if all you listen to is EDM, but there is more than enough presence in the lower end of the spectrum to stop the P1s from sounding lean, pushing them more into the natural / musical bracket for bass presentation without getting too warm or sloppy, so this works perfectly well for me.Soundstage is definitely larger than normal for an IEM in this price bracket, with the overall resolution of the sound helping drive the staging out from your head in all directions. Separation and layering are also top-notch, with the single dynamic driver able to keep multiple layers of music separate and distinct from each other, both in location and clarity. Listening to “Magnify” by The Temperance Movement, the track has two duelling guitars on either side of the soundstage which trail each other slightly throughout the first section of the song, which is captured perfectly by the Pinnacles. Each guitar is distinct and placed at the periphery of your head, bringing the simulated echo into focus sharply and allowing your brain to pick out the slight (and intentional) differences between the guitar licks on each side. This track also has some dense harmonies in the chorus, which the P1 does a good job of pulling apart just far enough to register as well as the guitar work. With some IEMs that have such excellent separation, some of the musicality of the song can be lost as the instruments are dissected and analysed – the Pinnacle does a good job of stopping short of that, staying just inside the musical side of the border.The all-metal construction and ear-filling fit both combine to give these IEMs a higher than normal isolation compared to a “normal” dynamic driver IEM. Even with the mandatory venting in the shell that usually compromises a dynamic driver earphone compared to the fully sealed shells of most balanced armature IEMs, the Pinnacle are up in my top 3 best isolators out of all universal in-ear ‘phones that I have tried. Adding Comply foam tips on top (my preferred tip for these due to comfort and the slightly warmer tonality) and these are IEMs that could quite easily get you run over by a dump truck full of cackling hyenas without giving you the slightest hint they were nearby, so please bear that in mind if you intend to use these for running or cycling (or around cackling hyenas with access to large transport machinery).Unusually for an IEM in this bracket, the impedance is set at a whopping 50 Ohms. Allied to the lower than average sensitivity, this means that these earphones were designed to take more power than average (it even suggests this on MEE Audio’s website). It is possible to run these perfectly well out of a smartphone, but please be aware that to get decent listening volumes (even factoring in the excellent isolation), you are likely to need to run these far closer to maximum volume than other earphones you may be used to using. With amping through smaller solutions like the Fiio E6 or more punchy options like the Cayin C5, the Pinnacle does respond very well to the extra juice, bringing slightly more detail and depth to the presentation and taking on any sound characteristics of the amp very well. These are IEMs that don’t strictly need to be amped, but will respond in kind if you do have the equipment to really pour some power through them.– this is a dual-dynamic setup which plays in a roughly similar price bracket so I have included it for reference. The tonality of the NS-U1 in either of the sound modes it offers (normal or “Natrosound”) provides a slightly warmer and more bass-driven sound, with a very wide soundstage and more extreme L/R separation of the individual instruments in the default mode. In terms of highs, the Pinnacle wins on smoothness and extension, with a greater impression of clarity than the NS-U1, but certainly not totally outclassing the very capable dynamic drivers in the Lear product. In the mid-range, the NS-U1 provides a warmer and slightly thicker sound with the Natrosound engaged, as compared to the more neutral and detailed soundscape of the P1 – neither are markedly superior, but the P1 pulls slightly ahead for me for my personal preferences with the excellent tone and separation, and the “crunchiness” of guitar based music. In terms of soundstage, the NS-U1 can feel a little bit laterally stretched sometimes when not playing in Natrosound mode, compared to the similarly wide but more real sounding stage presented by the P1. In Natrosound mode, the NS-U1 brings the music more in front of the user (attempting to mimic the sound field of a set of speakers set in front of the listener) – this provides a more “live gig” feel than the P1 for certain music, with the Pinnacles presenting a more classically IEM-sounding musical presentation centred around the confines of your head. Comfort is easily won by the very ergonomic P1 shells, as the NS-U1 share the same shell size as some 12-driver custom IEMs, without the accompanying custom fit. Overall, unless you are looking for the Natrosound feature, the P1s represent a more classical (and better executed) take on the dynamic driver sound for this price range.– This IEM is another filter based contender to the sub-$200 crown, with excellent build quality and a sharp “audiophile” U-shaped tuning across all three filters. Using the “bass” filter as my preferred reference, the overall character of the Finders is thinner and edgier than the smooth and fuller tuning of the P1, with the Finders having more bass slam but a more textured and colder lower end compared to the smoother and slightly fuller sounding P1. The P1 has a more neutral shape, with more fullness through the midrange and less sharpness up top – if you are a fan of crystal clear treble then the Finders will offer a more “treble-head” tuning in any of the filter configurations compared to the smooth and clear take of the P1s. Neither IEM exhibit any pronounced sibilance, so this will be purely down to personal preference, to be fair. The warmth of the sound on the P1 does make vocal harmonies and guitar parts seem a little fuller than on the Finder, with a larger soundstage as well. Even though the Finders have a slightly smaller soundstage, spatial cues are actually slightly more pronounced due to the thinner body of the mid-range, with both IEMs excellent at providing a sense of where each note is coming from. Detail is similar across both, with neither lacking in terms of micro-details. One point of difference is the percussion presentation, with the Finders providing more “boom” at the expense of some of the spatial positioning (soundstage coming very much into play here), with the P1s providing a more spread out and less thudding take on the backing beat. Cymbals are also more pronounced on the Finder, with the sharper treble tuning making these sizzle and splash with more energy than the more muted take of the P1. Ergonomics and build quality are a draw – the Finders are made of solid titanium and come with a cable (non removable) that would put the Linum BaX into a Weightwatchers program while still feeling strong enough to pull a truck, so no easy win for the P1s on that score. Overall, another close call – if you are after a sharper U shaped tuning with some laser-etched high notes, the Finder will pull ahead, losing out to the P1s if you are after a warmer and more neutral offering.– The latest offering from the growing stable of IEMs being produced by British manufacturer Trinity Audio, the Phantom Sabres are another dual dynamic driver setup, but this time set up in a push/pull configuration. The Sabres are a tuneable IEM, with multiple filters providing “manual EQ” options to control the frequency response. Using the orange and gold filters (orange being slightly V shaped and gold being more neutral), the Sabres have a bigger bass presence than the P1, with more slam to kick drums and more sub-bass extension, and using the gold filter (the neutral tuning most similar to the P1) there is still a nice bump in bass impact compared to the P1. The soundstage is similar in size, with the P1s offering the larger of the two, and giving a little more of an “out of head” feeling overall. The spatial cues on both IEMs are excellent, with the slightly larger soundstage of the P1 being noticeable here, but overall direction and “feel” are very similar. One area where the Sabre surprised me vs the P1 was separation of vocal harmonies, giving a slightly better feel of multiple voices in the same range working together compared to the P1, which seems to “blend” things a little closer together. Detail wise, both are excellent, with the push/pull dynamic drivers on the Sabre extracting a similar detail level to the single DD of the P1. The Sabres are considerably easier to drive, requiring approximately 25% less power through my usual sources to attain the same volume levels. Build quality and ergonomics are similar, with the Sabres offering an all-aluminium build compared to the zinc of the P1s, with similar quality detachable cabling and tip layouts. These are two pretty evenly matched IEMs – the Sabre offers more sound tweaking options and a slightly more aggressive “base” tuning compared to the smoother P1 (and different insertion lengths on the filters for those who need a shallower or deeper fit), and is also slightly cheaper overall at current exchange rates. The P1 offers a smoother and more spacious and refined sounding basic tuning, but neither would be a poor choice in this price bracket so again, this will be down to tuning preference as to which will work best for each listener.– These are technically in the next pricing bracket up at c. $350 new, but can be picked up second hand for a close enough price to be worth comparing. The FLC8S has 36 different tuning configurations, so for clarity I am comparing them using my preferred tuning of red-black-gold with Comply comfort tips. As a starting point, the FLC8S is considerably easier to drive from a mobile source than the more power hungry P1, although it can scale in a similar way if given more juice. The filter choice I use allows for more sub-bass and mid-bass presence, giving a slightly deeper “feel” to some music due to the rounding out of the low frequencies. The gold filter on the FLC8S has a slightly more liquid midrange presentation with vocals than the P1, although the P1 comes close enough to make it purely a preference call over which presentation you prefer. The mid range is also slightly thicker and less airy sounding on the P1s, with less air and a little more substance. In the high frequencies, there is a less “crystalline” sound up top for the Pinnacle P1, sounding more laid back and diffuse than the sharper and airier sound coming from the FLC8S. The FLC is overall a slightly more forward sounding IEM than the Pinnacle, pushing the music closer to the listener for a “larger than life” presentation compared to the Pinnacle’s more laid back and neutral positioning. Build quality is won by the solid zinc shells and rope-like cable of the P1s – the plastic shells of the FLC (while very ergonomic) don’t give off the same feel of durability or class, and the cable is an order of magnitude lower in terms of quality. Overall, the FLC8S wins out for my personal preferences, but on a technical level, both are very well matched, with neither having a massive advantage over the other in everything apart from sub-bass capability/overall tuning flexibility.– these are in a higher price bracket again (RRP is currently $500), so not really a like for like comparison. The reason I include these is for the tuning of the Nova, which is intentionally more “real” than technical or analytical, so it shares enough similarity in design philosophy for me to include here. The Nova has a much darker tuning, with less air in the treble and a thicker overall sound. Once you have adjusted to the darker tuning of the Nova, the detail level is similar, with a great feel of substance and clarity through the midrange down into the bass. The Nova has a thicker bass fundament than the P1, but rolls off only a little further down than the P1 when reaching down into the sub-bass registers. In terms of source, the Nova is much easier to drive, reaching the same volume as the P1 with less than half the output of any source I have hitcvhed it up to. The whole sound of the Nova is thicker and more rooted in a real/live presentation sound, compared to the P1’s neutral and spacious presentation, which will appeal more to fans of a lighter and more neutral sound. Soundstage has similar width in my head, with the P1 winning slightly on overall size. The midrange tuning of the Nova (reminiscent in some ways of the Audioquest Nighthawk) can sound “veiled” when switching directly between the Nova and the P1 until your brain readjusts. Overall, the P1 sounds cleaner, with a less thick and more refined sound. Build quality is won by the Novas, with the solid aluminium shells and high end cabling and case just pulling ahead of the P1s in terms of design and feel, as you would expect from an IEM costing 2.5x as much. The signatures are far more different than they are similar, so lovers of one would not necessarily love the other, but the easiest way to describe them is to say that the Nova has a dash of realism you get used to over time and come to admire, whereas with the P1 enjoyment is instant as it is more of a conventional “audiophile” tuning. In that regard, I would feel comfortable saying that a fan of the Nova would probably appreciate the Pinnacle, but a fan of the Pinnacle may not necessarily like the tuning of the Nova.This was an interesting review to write for me, as this is my second “bite” at the Pinnacle. Being honest, my thoughts on the IEM the first time around were mixed between admiration of the technical prowess and a little indifference towards the overall neutrality of the sound. A few months (and multiple IEMs) down the road, and the technical admiration remains, but the apathy I felt towards the tuning has been replaced with an appreciation for just how enjoyable it can be with certain types of music, and just how many genres of music can sound good when these are the gateway. Those looking for a more aggressive tuning in either bass or treble can find other IEMs more fitting to their preferences in the same price bracket, but if a technically excellent and smooth sound with just enough warmth in the mid-range and mid-bass substance to get it kicked out of the “true neutral” members club is what you are after, you will have to spend considerably more cash to get something that gives you the same experience as the P1. At this price point, this truly is a prince amongst in-ear monitors, and MEE Audio should be applauded for bringing something this good to the masses at a price this low. One final point on the rating – I have given this IEM 5 stars, but if someone asked me to rate this based on my personal preferences, it would probably come in at a 4 or 4.5 in my own internal scorechart – my preference for slightly warmer and darker tuning stops this from being 100% endgame material for me personally, but I can’t fault what MEE have achieved here (let alone for the price), so 5 stars is the appropriate rating to give.