Punch Audio has been making a lot of waves. Hailing from the hotbed of IEM makers, China, these guys rose to fame with their Martilo, which had a lot going inside it. It was received with warmth by the reviewers but a few consumers (who already own competing IEMs) weren’t impressed. I did had a go at it and I too wasn’t exactly impressed with it either. I found it lacking bass body while the mid range was lack luster but the highs were very good. The main problem I had with it was it didn’t sound effortless.
What I have here is the more recent but a bit more economical IEM from Punch Audio, Portazo. Priced at $199, this doesn’t have the number of drivers behind it but has a promising setup of 1 DD and 2 planar drivers. It does feel unique and to spoil it a bit for you guys, I am loving it. It sounds a lot more effortless.
I will be comparing it with the Letshuoer S12 Ultra and Hidizs MP145 pro. Let’s see how this turns out.
Get one from here:
For Indian buyers:
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
Portazo offers exactly same type of unboxing experience as the Martilo. Infact it comes with exactly same set of tips and accessories too. Open the box and we have the IEM upfront with the case placed under it. A good looking modular cable and 2 set of ear tips (one set of sticky smoky and one set of foam) are placed inside it, this ends the list of usable accessories.
BUILD QUALITY:
Build quality of Portazo isn’t as good as the Martilo but this too feel solid and sturdy to the hand. We get a resin shell and even though we have 2 planar drivers and a DD, this shell is reasonably small and comfortable inside the ear. It has an ergonomically designed inner shell with a winged design offering decent traction and stability inside the ears. There is a small problem though, it’s nozzles are a bit too short. It’s stubby, doesn’t have enough leverage hence compromising the overall fit and stability. It can be solved with a long nozzle tip but there isn’t one inside the box.
CABLE:
Portazo ships with a good looking 4 core ultra-pure oxygen free copper cable that is supple and barely have any memory or microphonics to worry about. Punch Audio has used metal parts here which are lightweight. Yes, the modular plug is a bit on the larger side and the overall weight of the cable is slightly on the heavier side but doesn’t cause any issues. Y splitter is small and the cable slider works as intended. Cable guides have low profile and exert minimal pressure on the ears. Overall, this is good looking cable thar complimets the earpieces.
PAIRING WITH SOURCES:
Portazo isn’t exactly picky when it comes to the source. It doesn’t need a lot of power to sound good either. It performs admirably with weak and low end sources too and interestingly, it doesn’t change it’s tonality or timber much even when paired with a warmer sounding source. I paired it with EPZ TP20 pro and Portazo barely complained about. It does sound more open and airy with the Shanling UA7 but it’s more about the capabilities of the source than it’s about the IEM opening up. If you have the Portazo and a decent source, no need get a better one. Just chill and enjoy!!
SOUND QUALITY:
Punch Audio is mighty serious about the punch. Both of their IEMs are labelled as “Bass Head” but somehow I wasn’t convinced that Martilo is in the bass head realm but this definitely changes with the Portazo. This is a proper bass head IEM. And just like any other bass head IEM, this doesn’t care a lot about cleanliness or control and can be slightly mushy too but most of the times doesn’t affect the mid range clarity. We get a warmish and slightly smoother presentation across the spectrum. It doesn’t try to be a transparent IEM with the highs either and I respect that. This is an out and out bassy IEM while staying sane with the rest of the spectrum. I don’t know how but the Martilo wasn’t as engaging as this. Yes, I am not a bass head, infact I am the opposite of that but I definitely appreciate the overall tuning.
One good thing is, this is not a V shaped IEM. It has a L shaped signature and thankfully doesn’t push the mid range back.
I am using stock, smokey, glossy ear tips and iBasso DC07 pro as source for this review.
BASS:
Oh my my!! I haven’t had a bass head IEM for a while and yeess.. This is slightly overwhelming but I will look at this from the POV of a bass head and I have to admit, I am mighty impressed. This single DD is loaded to the brim. This is a lot more bassy than the competition which includes SuperMix 5 and S12 Ultra.
We are delt with a big body and plenty of rumbles. It offers very good sub-bass depth too, one of the best, I must say. It offers superb layered presentation. We have very good back and foreground separation too. Mid bass is the king though. This has full bodied notes with hefty and meaty character to them. It has one of the biggest area of impact while moving decent amount of air. These notes have the slam but they keep the definition of each note intact which in the process doesn’t let a single note get overly heavy or muddy. The only this that is keeping it from going all out is it’s slightly faster decay. Yes it’s not very fast or slow as it leaves upper bass notes with a softer finishing yet doesn’t let them get out of control either.
Yes, this is a “Bass Head IEM” but not a muddy one to be precise.
MID RANGE:
The only problem with this mid range is the transition phase. I usually do not mention the lower mids but for a bass head IEM, it’s difficult to keep this clean and Punch Audio Portazo isn’t an exception either. It does suffer from a bit of interference. But when it’s not obstructive, we get good clarity and energy though.
Now the interesting bit is, this mid range is a lot more effortless and open sounding than the more expensive Martilo. Unlike the Martilo, Portazo has a more natural and cohesive timber with very good note depth too. It has very good finishing definition, especially with vocals. Both male and female vocals sound organic and emotional while offering excellent movements. Male vocals have the right amount or weight and throat emphasis while female vocals are slightly taller and more precise and to my delight, we get very good mid body texture too, thanks to the slower decay and a reverby nature. Instruments interestingly aren’t lacking resolution or definition. They have very good transparency and good micro details too while offering very good back and foreground separation. This is mighty impressive from a bass head IEM. Upper mids are slightly elevated bur doesn’t have any aggression to them. I really wish Martilo had this mid range, it would have been fantastic.
HIGHS:
Highs.. are a small pain point of this IEM. If it were a V shaped IEM, we would have had a more transparent treble range but this is not bad by a good margin. We get decent agility, acceptable transparency and air between instruments. Extension is decent too but the upper treble are a bit on the darker side. Layering and separation is decent with good Z-axis depth but if you are looking for very good instrument placements and clarity, this might not be it. It basically lacks the finishing definition and doesn’t have the transparency with micro details. Even though that’s good for a bassy IEM, it’s not good enough for an all round performance.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Portazo has a big enough stage. It’s taller than it’s wide and the Z-axis depth is decent too. Imaging though is more around the back and sides of the head than on the front. It doesn’t feel like it’s pouring details on the face. We get good depth too. Most of the vocals and bass notes are placed inside the head. Some bass notes, thanks to their bigger peripheral hits do make it out of the head. Thankfully a good bunch of instruments are placed out of the head. Yes, this is not a wide stage but does have the Sonics, background contrast and clarity to present an aptly immersive experience.
COMPARISONS:
Vs Letshuoer S12 Ultra:
S12 Ultra is a large Planar IEM with a warmish overtone that offers a more musical and fun presentation.
Both are bassy but the area of impact and weight behind the notes is heavier with the Portazo. S12 Ultra has better resolution and texture. Both are slow with decay and have similar upper bass control too.
Portazo has better overall finishing definition and slightly better micro details while S12 Ultra us smoother with a more organic, thick and cohesive tonality. Highs of the S12 Ultra is equally docile but S12 Ultra has a slightly wider stage. Portazo has a taller stage with better back and foreground separation in the Z-axis.
Vs Hidizs MP145 pro:
Mp145 pro is a lot more V shaped IEM with elevated highs and much lesser amount of bass body. It’s not bassy even with the red nozzle. It has tighter cleaner bass with a much smaller area and less weight. It does offer good layered delivery but sounds dry and lacks sub-bass extension. Technical capabilities like layering and contrast are good but dynamics are better with the Portazo. Portazo moves more air, offers better definition and much bigger body.
Mid range of 145 pro is again dry and lean sounding, it lacks emotion but the definition and resolution is good. Somehow the Portazo has taller yet comfortable notes with better texture, Z-axis depth and tonality. High of MP145 pro can be aggressive and thin while the Portazo is less on the face and more comfortable with a bit less extension yet similar air between instruments. Imaging of MP145 Pro is good but Portazo has amore 3D like imaging with better depth.
CONCLUSION:
Let me go straight to the main point. If you are looking for Bass Head IEM under $200, just go for the Portazo. You don’t have to think twice. It’s got the weight and area of impact to satisfy most of the bass heads yet it’s not as muddy.
If you are someone looking for a bassy IEM that has good mid range clarity can opt for this too but if you are looking for a bassy IEM that has forward highs, this is not it.
This IEM is not for those who are looking for high quality details. But this to have a bassy, musically inclined and relaxed presentation. Yes, fit can be a bit of struggle too but thanks to the sticky Black tips, it’s not causing any issues. It would have been awesome if it has a bit more treble air or extension but it’s still is a good IEM to enjoy Pop and Hip Hop. For classical, rock, metal and R&B go for the Martilo.
