EPZ has been making some high quality budget and mid range IEMs for while. It is one of the newer brands that have entered into the audiophile world with a diverse portfolio. Hailing from China they already have some interesting products. Usually brands tend to enter with one set of products but EPZ has a very good range of IEMs with variety of drivers. Not only that, they have a very good line-up of USB Audio sources too. I did have a chance to listen to their TP20 pro and it was warm full and fun. Their Q5 was an interesting IEM and caught everyone’s attention because it looked like a more expensive IEM from another brand. Recently I reviewed their P40 too. It’s the Subordinate to the P50 with one less and a different type of tri-brid setup.
This time around I have the P50. Housing 5 drivers in each earpiece it has an open back design. It uses a DD for lows, 2 BA drivers for mids and 2 micro planar drivers for highs. There is only one color option. Priced at $189 it has a metal back plate with a resin shell. I will be comparing P50 with P40 and Letshuoer Astralis.
Get one from here:
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
EPZ P50 ships in a kind of dull looking box. This all black box has black compression printing on it which doesn’t attract much attention. Open the book styled box and we have the earpieces and Carry case in front of us. The 4 core modular cable is placed inside the box while a couple of sets of similar ear tips are placed inside a paper box under all these. If you buy it directly from EPZ, you can get a set of the premium W100 tips too. I don’t think anyone needs anything more than this.
BUILD QUALITY:
Build quality is good. I like this metal back with a semi-open type venting system, giving it the edge over other IEMs in this price range but there is a small problem, that too in-house. P40 exists and looks a lot more intriguing with it’s gradient back plate and semi-transparent shell.
P50 somehow has a smaller shell with a semi-custom like ergonomics. This acrylic body might not survive falls on hard surface. It has fantastic fit and stability inside the ears. We get a reasonably deep nozzle, offering good leverage and secure fit.
CABLE:
Hmm.. I don’t know if this is an upgrade or not because P40’s dual core cable looked premium and behaved better too. This 4 core cable uses 6N SPC wires for better clarity. Even though it’s 4 core it has a lower profile than the P40 cable yet has similar memory issues and can feel a bit stiff. It does feel a bit bouncy too. There is no microphonics to worry about though. Good thing is its lightweight. It uses slightly more premium looking parts. Y-splitter is small and the cable slider gets the job done. Cable guides are reasonably relaxed but could have been a bit less stiff.
PAIRING WITH SOURCES:
Somehow I realized that these micro planar based IEMs don’t respond in kind when paired with high output impedance sources. These IEMs need proper matching of both power and impedance. Use a weak source and P50 will sound like a $50 hybrid IEM, use a high output impedance source and it will sound incomplete.
Pair this beauty with something like a Tanchjim Space Pro or II or a Jcally Galaxy Sonata and it sounds a lot more open and effortless. It starts to sound like a premium IEM.
SOUND QUALITY:
Now this is interesting. This IEM is an upgrade to the P40 with similar note emphasis and tuning principal while offering better resolution and details. P50 takes the technical capabilities of the P40 one step further. It doesn’t try to be musical but accurate delivering class leading clarity and definition. It is not a bassy IEM yet the mid range is slightly pushed back. It’s not that there is any veiling but the highs are a bit more prominent and that kind of gives it a V shaped feeling. Tonality and timber are very much on the neutral side. We get the usual warmish undertone that keeps this IEM away from sounding lean.
I am using Stock tips and Tanchjim Space Pro for this review.
BASS:
Bass is a step up from what the P40 offered, especially when we consider the enjoyment factor. It’s not bigger with the body or air movement but it has an extra layer of background instruments, adding to the definition, contrast and overall engagement factor. It has a more focused punch like the P40 but has a bit more definition and texture around the periphery of the notes. It offers very good layered notes too. Another great thing is, it can hit different parts of the stage with varied intensity, exhibiting its dynamics.
We get very good sub-bass extension but the definition with rumbles is what makes it stand out of the crowd. It’s excellent there. Mid bass is meaty with a bit more body. It moves good amount of air but it’s the movement of air that stands out. It doesn’t displace the air but makes the air move in a limited space yet there is plenty of texture and definition. Directional projection too is very good, notes hit and tend to move upward, steering clear of any muddle. Decay is where this IEM is not similar to the P40. P50 is a bit slower, letting the notes precipitate and gain a bit more weight. It still maintains good clarity with upper bass notes. There is a little bit of softness here though.
MID RANGE:
Unlike the P40 this has BA drivers and it sounds not as mid forward either. It’s a bit in the V yet offers excellent resolution and definition. There are no issues with lower mids. It’s slightly more forward than the vocals and offers very good energy with the instruments and male vocals too. Pianos and even synths sound realistic with right kind of decay.
Vocals are a bit less tall than P40 but male vocals have very good grunty and throaty weight to them while the female vocals are taller with a bit more energy up top to convey better clarity and accuracy. Vocals have very good tonality to them and the whole mid range has an natural and aptly organic timbre to them. There are no issues of lean or dry feelings. We get reasonably full body with very good texture with the vocals and instruments. Instruments have fantastic finishing energy at the top. Macro dynamics are very good but it’s the transparency with micro details that leaves a lasting impression. There are no issues with upper mids but yes, they are a bit more energetic but not tiring or aggressive. We get very good back and foreground separation here with gradual decay that gives it a theatre like vibe while maintaining excellent clarity.
HIGHS:
Handled by micro planar drivers, these highs are simply outstanding. I have been working on a lot of micro planar based IEMs and most of them do have very good agility, sparkle and extension but most of them don’t have the staging, imaging capabilities of P50. It has excellent layering and separation and the stacking of one note behind another in Z-axis makes it stand out of the competition. It has very good amount of air between instruments too. Instrument positioning accuracy is class leading. It has flagship like layering capability as it puts instruments in their own plane. Now another thing that makes this special is its tonality and timbre. Instrument don’t sound lean or dry, they have the right amount of body and air which is rare in this price range.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Staging of this IEM is class leading. It’s bigger than the Letshuoer Astralis and that says a lot about it. We have a surrounded presentation with excellent imaging capabilities. This stage is tall, has very good Z-axis depth but the width is slightly less wide in comparison. It has most of the treble instruments and some mid range instruments placed out of the head. Most of the vocals and bass notes are placed inside the head. Cue placements are very accurate thanks to the clean and precise presentation. Sonics to are very clean and clear and the transient instruments in the background are subtle enough to create an contrasting image.
COMPARISONS:
VS EPZ P40 :
I recently reviewed the P40 and even though share the EPZ house sound with P50, it sounds different. It’s a more balanced sounding IEM with a leveled mid range. Its bass is a bit more rumbly, has a bigger area and offers a bit more weight behind the notes too.
Its vocals are more organic and pleasing, especially male vocals are throatier and pleasing. Instruments are slightly smoother and micro details are not as transparent as P50. Highs is where P40 kind of lags behind. It’s not as agile, clean, sparkly or extended. Stage size too is slightly bigger with the P50 but the subtlety with background instruments is better with P40, offering better contrast.
VS Letshuoer Astralis:
CONCLUSION:
This is an excellent IEM. A perfect specimen of W shaped signature under $200. I have been reviewing a lot or IEMs in the $100-400 range and I have no reservations in stating that this is easily the most technically cable IEM around $200. Yes the Letshuoer Australis poses tough competition but P50 has better tonality, more natural presentation and a more realistic depiction of the instruments. It is nearly flawless. If the instruments Around the vocals were a bit more forward and bass was a bit more accurate, I would have labelled it as the best IEM under $250. At this point of time, I will like to put it aside the Letshuoer Astralis in 2nd place.
