Tin Audio, now Tin HiFi, made waves with the announcement of their first planar in-ear headphones, the Tin HiFi P1. The thing is, they had to postpone the launch as the first version needed improvements. The pictures you see portray the pre-production version, which is however aesthetically identical to the final version.
Note: the Tin HiFi P1 are now on sale through Drop (aka Massdrop) on this page at $149. The full price will be $169.
Also, second note: the full Tin HiFi P1 review is now out!
Now, a bit of backstory. When I received the Tin HiFi P1 back in late May I found them not to be up to my expectations: it sounded a bit dark, dull and muffled. This impression lasted for all the time I tried them. They lacked sparkle and vividness. Then I added 1.5/2 dB to upper midrange and lower treble through equalisation and boom, there it was. It sounded much, much better.
They asked for my feedback, so I got in touch with them and told them about my opinion and my ideas on how to improve the product. It seems like they received similar feedback from other reviewers, too, as I got confirmation that same day that they would be postponing mass production to finalise the tuning. I have to say their reaction was great, as they listened to my (and others’) feedback and then went and improved the product. I am now waiting for my unit of the new version, which should be on its way. Expect my review soon!
Now, as for how the P1 looks and feels, it’s a much different experience from the usual Tin Audio/Tin HiFi products in every possible sense. Whereas their packaging has always been carefully made and more luxurious than the price would suggest, the P1 takes things to the next level. My environmentalist self thinks that there is so much wasted space inside the box, but it’s beautiful. The lining is made with velvety fabric that looks premium. There’s finally a hard case made with what’s seemingly faux leather! And then there’s the usual plethora of eartips.
The earpieces are seemingly made of stainless steel (or maybe it’s polished aluminium?) and resemble golf clubs. They also resemble other earphones such as the Shanling MX500. They’re small and their shape allows them to be comfortable enough. The polished metal is a fingerprint magnet, so there’s that.
The cable appears as a compromise between those included with the Tin Audio T2 and the Tin Audio T3, though it sheds the usual silver colour and is instead pure copper. It also has a Velcro strap to keep it tidy.
We’ll see how the Tin HiFi P1 turns out to be in its final form. The hype is huge at the moment and I can’t wait to try it to see if it’s good or not.
Nice. Wait for your review