Today I share my review of the $2200 priced InEar ProMission X high-end Universal IEM.
Disclaimer: InEar ProMission X was provided by a fellow audiophile for testing. This review doesn’t have any connection to InEar. Chord Hugo 2 was used as a source mainly, and Labkable Samurai III was used as the cable. This particular set is from headphoneauditions, an audiophile shop from Netherlands. It is from dark burlwood material which is exclusive to headphoneauditions.nl.
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About InEar
InEar is a German IEM brand as some friends from the past would probably remember. In the past, we got to know them with IEMs like the SD3. As far as I know, they were the first to emerge with a “semi-custom” shape and that has been a big success on their part. Also, as someone who has used both SD2 and SD3 personally, I still clearly remember the company’s build quality and semi-custom fit performance. In terms of sound, the SD2 had a very good presentation for its price for that particular period of time.
In the following years, the company released the models SD4, SD5, and finally the Prophile 8. I also had the chance to listen to SD5 and PP8 later when I joined Canjam London. The SD5’s slightly warm and yet high-quality technical performance was impressive, while the PP8’s studio-style reference presentation and very high detail and resolution capability were impressive.
Now, I have experienced the InEar ProMission X, the most impressive and top-notch IEM the company has ever released.
InEar ProMission X
Design, Build Quality and Fit
The overall production quality of IEM includes tremendous durability and rigidity. PMX is a monitor made of wood material. The result in this regard is perfect considering the difficulty of processing wood for such a product.
The two-piece shell structure is so well combined that the PMX feels like a work of art. The nozzle parts are also perfectly connected to the shells. Obviously, there is nothing that can be said negatively about the build quality of the PMX. It is certainly a wonder.
The semi-custom structure that we are familiar with from their past products, welcomes us again. With a very smooth transition, the optimally shaped shell structure fits the ear perfectly. Since I use many custom IEMs, I can clearly say that it feels almost the same as a custom fit. I can also say the same for isolation. Fit can be questionable if you only have very small ears, yet otherwise, the PMX offers a fabulous fit.
In terms of design, the monitor looks great. I had the chance to try wooden shells of InEar company with SD5 before. This one also looks great and artistic. In the meantime, I had the opportunity to try both acrylic and wooden models of the SD5 model in Canjam before. While the wooden shell warmed the sound by making it a little thicker and adding a full-bodied approach, the acrylic shell gave rise to a more sterile presentation. In other words, the choice of the wooden shell is not only for appearance or build quality but also for sound. At least that was my experience.
InEar ProMission X
Sound Quality
The InEar ProMission X is like a Hi-Fi system brought to IEM dimensions. The technical performance of this monitor is at least as impressive as its presentation and represents one of the top ranks in the IEM class.
Overall, PMX is an IEM that is on the warm side. However, the IEM’s performance in definition, separation, note size, tonality, and resolution are all unmistakably top-notch. So the PMX is one of those monitors that doesn’t need a flat or reference sound to achieve these qualities.
Bass
The PMX is very controlled in terms of bass response and has a very solid body and warm presentation in the midbass region. Texture performance is high in this part and although the definition of midbass is quite distinct, there is no jump from here to the mid-region. The bass resolution of the IEM is also very successful.
InEar ProMission X
In general, although the PMX has a generous attitude to the bass with respect to the record, I haven’t witnessed it giving a bass that was not there. Bass is very tidy, controlled, and has no problem with attacking. The recovery after the bass hits has also been achieved at a high level. Overall I can say that the PMX ranks between reference and warm in the bass, but closer to the warm side in midbass area.
I can also say that this kind of bass performance and quality among Balanced Armature drivers is quite unusual. I can only think of the Lark Studio LSX in that regard.
The review continues with mids, treble, technical performance and conclusion on page 2.
