Review : TinHifi P1 – Shiny and Chrome

Design & Build Quality

Shell

So yeah, the TinHifi P1 also wears a metallic suit, that’s TinHifi’s uniform after all. What’s the difference ? First and foremost, they are much, much more desirable. The shells are made of steel and they have been neatly polished. It even might be one of the shiniest IEMs I’ve seen up to this date. The closest model that I can think of are the Atlas and Comet from Campfire Audio, and that’s big praise.

If Mad Max Fury Road was to release an official earphone, I’m pretty sure it would look like this one. From tip to toe, it’s all aluminum. Even if my heart sticks to the acrylic shell, my eyes cannot stop leaning to the TinHifi P1. Audiophile rubber-necking.

The faceplate displays a very cool triangular shape, carved directly in the metal. If you’re a bit quirky, you’ll also find out that there is absolutely no right angle wherever your look. It looks like they are, until, your finger gently swipes around it, to unveil the truth.

All in all, it’s a big surprise. A very good surprise.

Build quality

Sure it looks good and all, but is it well-built ? Fortunately, it leans more towards German cars than Italian cars on this one: it’s built like a tank. A fashionable tank, but still a tank.

No shards, no little imperfections, clean cut on the nozzle, even gap between each hole on the filters. Yeah, it’s all good. Even the L and R, carved on the inner side, have been polished to avoid those sad little brittles.

The cable has gotten the same attention and displays some nice features too. The MMCX plugs are chrome-plated, not to break the overall momentum, and the copper alloy cable is one of the finest designed models on the market. In my opinion.

For the asking price, this is a great option. No visual flaws, a solid steel frame. If the sound matches the design, it might be a killer. Or not, we still have to check it out.

Bundle and Comfort

Inside the box

The TinHifi P1 comes in what could be a watch-box. Made of solid cardboard, filled by a grey soft velvet, it gives a smooth vibe once in hand.

Inside of the box you find :

  • the TinHifi P1
  • 6x pairs of silicon tips + 2x pairs of comply foam
  • 1x 3.5mm MMCX, 5N OFC mixed braid
  • 1x 4.4mm Pentacon to 3.5mm Jack
  • 1x 2.5mm TRRS Jack to 3.5mm Jack

Want more ? Ok. You even get a nice leather box to carry your IEMs, which close like a tiny, tiny, luggage. Ain’t that cool ?

Additional accessories

Out of curiosity, I checked Linsoul’s website to see what kind of accessories you could get with the P1. I was a bit disappointed, as the only “bonus” you could buy, would be the box.
The good news ? The MMCX socket allows you to plug in any cable you want, as long as it’s the same micro BNC plug.

But, to be fair, the provided cable is already pretty good, so I wouldn’t bother changing it unless you really need a microphone. The braiding is tight, each side gets a clean silicon sleeve, the plug gets a nice carbon plating, and above all, I really love the color of the cable.

Comfort

Comfort is good, but not perfect, alas. It fits right away in my ears, but the small form factor doesn’t fill my entire ear all the way, as the BGVP DMG does in example. It’s a first world problem, as smaller is always better in case of an IEM : you can always put a small earphone, although the reverse isn’t true.

That said, the rounded shape combined to the dense shell gives a strong sensation in the ear. Much like those luxury watches which don’t seem so different from the classic one, until you wear one. It’s a subtle feeling but I kinda like it.

TinHifi P1

Obviously, for the price, you can’t be picky. It’s just that some IEMs are even comfier, like the DM6 or DM7 for example.

Isolation

To my surprise, the TinHifi P1 holds its ground in this area. It’s not as good as acrylic-made IEMs, but it blocked the train growl without any issue. My previous experiences with aluminum made IEMs were not so convincing, and I was afraid the double vent would give me some trouble… but it did not.

The best isolation was achieved with foam tips, but I prefer silicon ones as foam tends to age a bit to fast. Obviously, steel is better than aluminum for isolation and for once, I can say I was not disappointed by a metal-made IEM.

So, time to check the specs !

Specifications

For the nit-pickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the other, you can just go to the next page to see how the P1 performs.

Planar magnetic drivers

The TinHifi P1 doesn’t use a dynamic driver, nor balanced drivers. No no, the P1 sports a planar driver. Yes, like the Audeze LCDi-4 or a iSine 20, no joke.

On paper, this type of driver shall give you the powerful lows of dynamics and the clean highs/mids of the balanced armatures. To achieve those feats, the P1 adopts an ultra-nano diaphragm, announced to be just 1 micron thick. This allows higher resolution, faster transient response, and a more coherent sound stage, at the cost of lower sensitivity.

TinHifi P1

Yes, the 96dB is real, so you better get your best amp and DAP ready. By the way, the 10mW max power announced is FAR from the reality, I tried it with the xDuoo TA-10 and trust me, this amp goes way beyond the 10mW. That said, the impedance is fairly low (20Ohms) so even a small DAP such as the FiiO M6 should be enough… or isn’t it ?

Stainless steel shell

OMG, the TinHifi P1 is not 3D Printed ? Yes, it’s just machine milled. So instead of creating fusing matters, you remove matters, to create the right shell.

The 304 stainless steel is said to be “food-grade”. So, if you want to eat with your ears, this is possible, even if I don’t want that and won’t do that. Why 304 ? because it contains 18% of chromium and 8% of nickel, whereas the 316 contains 16% of chromium, 10% of nickel and 2% of molybdenum.

So those shells won’t be as resistant to corrosion as 316 stainless steel, but you won’t sea-swim with the TinHifi P1. Or will you ?

The shells are hand-polished to “achieve superior appearance with mirror-like design”. Like a jewel, some guy/gal checked every corner of those ears, to ensure there’s no hidden flaw. I like this kind of dedication, even more, when it’s a sub 200$ IEM.

Full specifications

Before we get to the sound part, here are the full specs.

  • Full specs
  • Type : IEM
  • Style : Planar Magnetic
  • Drivers : 1x 10mm planar diaphragm
  • Socket : MMCX (detachable cables)
  • Cable : 5N OFC Copper Alloy + adapters
  • Shell : 304 Stainless steel
  • Frequency response Range : 10Hz – 40kHz
  • Sensitivity : 96dB
  • Impedance : 20 ohms
  • Channel imbalance between the two ears : 1dB max
  • Price : 199$

The article continues on Page Three, after the click here

4.2/5 - (39 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

21 Comments

  • Reply July 4, 2019

    David

    Any thoughts on the synergy with the Chord Mojo? I have a Mojo, thinking about buying a Fiio M11

    • Reply July 4, 2019

      Kevin

      I have a Mojo but I do not like the Mojo. It has excellent detail retrieval but at the cost of feeling closed/zoomed in to achieve it. The P1 needs all the help it can get in the soundstage & imaging department so It should be paired with something like the M11 because it has a more analytical and spaced out/distant presentation.

      It might seem less detailed than the Mojo because instruments appear to be further away, but at the same time that gives it room to breathe and appreciate each element of the song more on its own. With the Mojo the instruments are more pressed in your face and seem to be fighting for your attention in a smaller space. Couple that with the shallow soundstage of the P1, you get too much of a good thing.

      Get the Fiio.

    • Reply September 7, 2019

      Jason

      My Fiio M11 does not drive the P1 adequately. I use high gain and balanced, tight seal with foam tips and the sound is just adequate. I do not enjoy them through the M11.

  • Reply July 4, 2019

    Wonderer

    Wait…

    So these come with 4.4/2.5 balanced accessories?

    I am not sure I came across that fact from other previous reviews…

    Am I able to used balanced connection via stock cable?

    • Reply July 12, 2019

      Bill

      They don’t. They were included with the pre-release version but there were issues and they didn’t work as intended. Tin omitted them from the retuned retail version. I’m having a hard time trusting this review…

  • Reply July 5, 2019

    James

    3.5mm to 2.5/4.4 balanced players? Isn’t that meant to be very very bad? I thought you could only go the other way?

  • Reply July 5, 2019

    Loganaden Balakrishna VEERAPEN

    Nanotechnos on a few occasions you mentioned ‘balanced drivers’ – you know they are in fact called ‘balanced armature drivers’ right?

  • Reply July 5, 2019

    Aaron

    Where you using the p1 and the m11 with the balance output?
    is it better than using the 3.5mm output?
    thanks

    • Reply July 15, 2019

      DJ Core

      Balanced will always be better than 3.5 output.Wider soundstage as well.Look into the advantages of Balaced and you’ll appreciate it more.

  • Reply July 6, 2019

    David

    Anyone have both the Fiio F9 Pro and the TinHiFi P1s and have a preference (when paired to a Chord Mojo)

  • Reply July 7, 2019

    Ben

    I’d be interested in comparison to the BVGP DMS rather than DMG. Any listening experience?

    • Reply July 15, 2019

      DJ Core

      i have the DMG and skipped DMS.DMG is better than DMS and the P1’s resolution is 5x what DMG can do.DMG has more Bass which is good but sometimes muddies the lower Mids unless you have the Latest audiophile Filter which reduces that effect.

      P1 has redefined my appreciation for Music.You hear new things in music you’ve been listening too since you were a kid.Best buy for me.

  • Reply July 15, 2019

    DJ Core

    Received mine from Linsoul this past saturday July 13th.For the first time.The hype is Very very real.These sound like $1000 IEM’s.

    I’m hearing things i didn’t hear in a bunch of songs i’ve been listening to sinc i was a kid.Stuff with guitars,Sax etc sounds like it’s being played right there in the room.Stage is wide depending on source.Desktop DAC/AMP was the widest.ZX300 just sounds beautiful.I’m truly satisfied with these.

    They also respond well to EQ and actually do have just enough Bass when added.(Did +3b on the ZX300 on SE output 50mW+50mW and i was happy with the result) at 65% volume.should be significantly better on balanced 200mW+200mW which i’ll try today

    Didn’t tape any vents yet but will try it.

    Sounds ok too on my LG V35 but volume is at 90%.Will trick it into High impendance and see what happens.

    Won’t be buying any more IEM’s.Got others for HipHop stuff

    • Reply July 20, 2019

      pmnocturnal

      Hey, just here to ask, how did they do in the high impedance mode

      • Reply January 24, 2020

        boris

        I tried and now use them also with Lg V20 high impedance mode. It’s great! I also have fiio k3, hiby w3 and bravo audio v2. To me all sounds great! Best iems so far! Great for long listening too. Sub base is not really present, but to me that makes it more pleasant and comparable to open over ear headphones like hd600. They respond great to EQ. I am so happy with them I own two, just in case…

  • Reply July 16, 2019

    Michel

    NanoTechnos , which of these are better
    Fiio fh5 , etymotic ER4XR, Tin P1 ?
    For
    Details , transparency , separation , durability

  • Reply July 16, 2019

    Kurt Gingher

    Is it new technology for it’s own sake or is there a technical or at least intellectual case for this approach ?

  • Reply August 26, 2019

    Jason Banaszak

    I really am at a loss as to how you can think the M11/P1 combo is anything better than mediocre. Upon first listen I thought there had to be something wrong somewhere, the bass was so recessed and lacking any impact, the whole sound signature was dry and…meh. Plugged them into my desktop amp, and these issues vanished. I guess if you don’t have any basis of comparison you might think they sound good through the M11, but please check the P1 through better powered sources and you will discover how severely limited they are using a DAP like the M11.

  • Reply May 25, 2020

    Maurice Kaizer

    How would the p1 fair paired with astell and kern ak70

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