Pioneer C1 review

The C1s have no obvious build weaknesses. They have a medium thick, very rubbery cable, There is some memory but they do not tangle much. The build may be plastic, but it is good plastic, and the strain reliefs are soft rubber and tight. The housings stick out, too far for sleep, but the cone shape makes them unobtrusive. Tips are silicone, medium depth and should hold. The through‐build is convincing—the materials should work together, and if they break… you abused them. C1s are good for comfort and outstandingly easy to put into ears. I think the cones look weird, but have a useful shape and finish and, anyway, C1s come in a small range of colors that for once can be called fun (or adaptable).

Reasonable volume. Outstanding volume range. Timing is good. Attack and decay is tight but dull. The C1s cheerfully rummage through swells. Horn frequencies glare and voices hiss ‘ess’s. Big bulge in the lowband—I make it a shelf down from someplace above 60Hz. The frequency range is wide, but is deliberately rolled off, creating a fog. Only passable detail, Color is good wherever it can be heard. Scale is only reasonable, but positions are outstanding.

For control and color, should be an outstanding voice earphone, but hissing ‘ess’s pull them down. Despite trigger frequencies and fog a good orchestral earphone for solidity of position, volume range, and color. If the slight rasp and boom don’t annoy, the C1s are smashing for pop, raise a storm on games and soundtracks, and are good for minimal music.