Phonak PFE 232 {Dual Driver}

[dfkt]

Midrange isn't as weighty as the SM3, but not as lean as the single driver PFE as well. Solid middle ground, quantity-wise. Instrument separation and detail in the midrange is truly excellent.

Treble is very sparkly and has realistic texture and timbre, a noticeable improvement over the already very good older PFE. Not fatiguing or sibilant, as you said.

[CrowdAds]

[Confispect]

K.

[dfkt]

Here's how the cable connectors and the new ear guides look. Connectors are similar to the IE8, and they're even weather sealed with a rubber grommet. The ear guides work better than the old transparent ones. The cables don't slide out anymore due to the latch at the end, and the black color of the guides sure won't get as unsightly yellowy as the transparent ones.

[WalkGood]

I like the look of the new ear guides are they comfy? Also that little screen on the outside of the housing is it still just for looks or is it a little open baffle?

[dfkt]

The ear guides are very comfy, I've been using the older versions on several different IEMs that won't stay put on their own. I prefer them very much to the memory wires on custom IEMs or the Sony EX1000.

The 'mesh' is just a design thing, not a real vent. No idea why they put it there.

[odigg]

dfkt - Thanks for the description of the sound. It sounds like a headphone I would like a lot. I find the 112 to be really comfortable, so the 232 are obviously a winner (for me) in that aspect as well. If not for the price...

I'm really curious how all of this is going to pan out for Audeo. Unlike when a lot of other expensive earphones have been announced, the interest in these seems to be pretty muted. The price seems to have really killed the initial enthusiasm I saw when these were announced earlier this year.

Once more reviews are out I wonder if these will get the usual FOTM status or if Audeo is going to struggle selling them. We'll just have to wait and see.

[dfkt]

Here's the frequency response of the 232 with all three filters:

[odigg]

Thanks for the FR graph. I've been futzing with EQ for the PFE112 to get an idea of what the 232 sounds like. It sounds quite nice for pop/rock/techno and like, but I don't know what to think genres that are less bass focused like classical and vocal, or even jazz.

Of course, I'm just approximating the sound.

[dfkt]

It's more than frequency response. The 232 have timbre... something I usually only hear with dynamic drivers. They also have the best treble I ever heard in a headphone. I don't think that treble can be achieved by EQing.

[h1a8]

dfkt, any graphs of the pfe 112 or sm3 to compare?

[odigg]

Originally Posted by dfkt

It's more than frequency response.

I didn't mean to imply that the 112 can sound exactly like the 232. I was just trying to get a general idea of the sound signature.

[WalkGood]

For those that would like some help to understand the frequency response chart above (posted by dfkt) look for the definition of “Frequency Response” under “General Audio Terminology” in our “Glossary for Newbies” here.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by h1a8

dfkt, any graphs of the pfe 112 or sm3 to compare?

[nathang]

DFKT: "They also have the best treble I ever heard in a headphone."

...then, shouldn't that "good" in your spreadsheet be in bold?

[Soaa]

Funny how the 112 got downgraded to "little" bass quantity. It does come down to personal preference, but marking it in bright red implies that bass rolls off, which it doesn't. :P

[dfkt]

Nathang, right, I should change that. Or maybe I should give it some more listening time, if I find it to be really the best, or the second best treble.

Soaa, that's why there are both bass quantity and bass quality columns in the list.

[that guy]

So when is the review coming out?

[danielem1976]

hi, nice mod. Where do you get that around the ear tubbing? i'M tempted to do a few mods to my iems. Thanks

[ulogin]

Got my 232 today.

Not sure if I am crazy. Probably dfkt and other experienced users can give me some pointers.

Are the two drivers responsible for different FR like typical multi BA setup is (like what "tweeter" and "sub-woofer" do), or are both full bandwidth but are responsible for different surround channels (like in a 5.1 surround sound setup)? I asked so because it seems to me that 232 (a) sounds very much like 112 with some tracks (especially those that do not throw sound cues around), but (b) is so good in imaging that I don't think is achievable with the conventional BA config. Like when I was watching a short movie with it. The protagonist got a phone call, and the other person's voice! It was clearly from another driver...