Sound analysis.

It’s hard to talk about Pnew sound without comparison to Pold, thus you will find a lot of references to the original Primacy in my sound analysis.  Here is what I found after about 100hrs of burn in, which I think is a good idea since we’re dealing with a dynamic driver.

Pnew has a neutral revealing tonality with an excellent retrieval of details.  It still retains its smooth and natural sound quality, found in the original Pold, but now the level of clarity scaled up due to enhancement in mids region which lifted some veil off the original signature to bring up more details without becoming harsh or peaky.  I still feel it has a neutral signature, but when you go back’n’forth between Pnew and Pold, you can get tricked into thinking that Pnew sounds more mid forward.  When listening to Pold I prefer to crank volume a few notches higher, but when switching to Pnew I like to turn it down a bit (effect of the 8-conductor cable with reduced impedance).  Also, in Pold the sound had a slightly more v-shaped perception due to a cut in lower mids which separated bass and upper mids, while in Pnew the sound is more coherent with lower mids being neutral.

3way hybrids are typically have a distinct v-shaped signature where lower mids are slightly recessed for a better contrast between the bass of the dynamic driver and BA mids/treble.  Many hybrids I tested follow this formula which makes sound not as coherent since you can clearly distinguish DD and BAs. In Pnew, Oriveti “corrected” Pold tuning by bringing lower mids back to neutral and making the sound more coherent.

Starting with a low end, I find a lot of similarities between Pnew and Pold where you have a deep textured sub-bass extension and a thumping mid-bass with a shorter attack and decay, not your typical warm slow bass.  I think both Pnew/Pold have a similar bass slam, though I hear Pold as having more sub-bass quantity, while Pnew bass being a little leaner and tighter.  As a result, to my ears Pold bass sounds closer to a typical dynamic performance while Pnew now leans more toward BA bass performance.

Mids have the most noticeable difference in sound tuning where Pnew lower mids are more neutral in comparison to Pold being more scooped out, and upper mids in Pnew being more upfront, more lifted, having a better definition with sharper edges around the presentation.  There is no sibilance or piercing tones, just more energy which translates into more clarity and improved resolution in comparison to Pold having a warmer, smoother, and more organic tonality.

The improvement in Mids also reflects into perception of Treble which now has more sparkle and more airiness, yet still without being harsh or grainy.  Overall treble extension and tonality hasn’t changed too much going from Pold to Pnew, but with upper mids being more upfront and brighter – in a way it affects the perception of the treble being more crisp.

Soundstage is wide enough to be considered above the average in width and depth.  But it’s not exactly holographic, though still projects a natural round space where the imaging has a very convincing placement of instruments and vocals, with a relatively accurate positioning. In my opinion the additional boost in upper mids improves the resolution of the sound, making it more layered with a better separation which in a way makes sound less congested.

Pair up.

Pair up is a lot friendlier now since you can still use any neutral or bright DAP source and also add other warm sources, like a smartphone or a laptop which didn’t pair up as well with Pold.  As expected, high resolution sources will scale up the performance with better transparency and layering, including improved dynamics, but to my surprise going from LPG to my Galaxy Note 4 smartphone didn’t affect tonality as much, and even soundstage expansion was close enough.

Note 4 – smooth detailed v-shaped sound, great bass impact with a decent control but on a slower side, lower mids have full body, upper mids/vocals are clear and detailed, organic, treble has a nice definition. Overall sound is not as resolving, but still sound pretty good.

i5 – smooth full body sound, deep bass with a nice mid-bass impact though it’s more on a slower side. Full body lower mids, smooth detailed organic upper mids (pushed back a little bit), and a treble with a great definition and fun sparkle.

X7 w/AM2 – smooth full body sound, deep sub-bass with a faster mid-bass punch, more neutral lower mids, clear smooth upper mids (a little more upfront), and nice detailed treble with an airy sparkle.

PM2 – clear detailed more balanced sound, deep sub-bass rumble, fast well controlled mid-bass punch, leaner lower mids, clear detailed upper mids with a more upfront presentation, nice well defined treble with airy sparkle.

Opus#1 – clear smooth detailed sound, nice sub-bass extension though not as much rumble, faster punchy mid bass, more neutral lower mids, clear detailed organic upper mids/vocals, clear treble definition with a nice sparkle.

Opus#2 – detailed resolving sound with a deep sub-bass rumble, faster mid-bass punch, overall well controlled bass, neutral lower mids, clear detailed layered upper mids and vocals, nice treble extension with great definition and airy sparkle.

LPG – detailed resolving sound with lots of clarity, deep sub-bass rumble, faster mid-bass punch, well controlled bass, neutral lower mids, clear detailed transparent upper mids/vocals, clear detailed treble with a snappy crisp sparkle.

Comparison.

Pnew vs Pold – Pold has a perception of more bass impact because it has a deeper cut in lower mids making a more noticeable contrast in sound between mid-bass and upper mids.  Pnew has lower mids tuned more neutral, making a more even transition from mid-bass to lower mids. The biggest difference in tuning is upper-mids/lower-treble region (2k-6k) where Pnew has more presence which adds higher definition and more clarity to the sound.  Also, treble in Pnew has more sparkle and airiness which makes Pold sound smoother and more laid back in comparison. The overall sound is still smooth, but the Pnew signature is more balanced and even a touch mid-forward in comparison to a warmer and a slightly more v-shaped Pold signature/tonality. With more clarity and airiness, Pnew also has a perception of a more open soundstage and higher resolution with better layering and separation of the sound.

Pnew vs DN2kJ – DN soundstage is wider, while both have a similar depth.  Pnew has a deeper sub-bass extension with more sub-bass quantity; Pnew mid-bass has a little stronger punch, while DN is tighter and leaner.  DN has a little more recessed lower mids while Pnew lower mids are more neutral.  Pnew upper mids have more body and sounds more natural while DN is more analytical and thinner in comparison.  Also, DN treble has more sparkle and brighter while Pnew is smoother in comparison.

Pnew vs A83 – A83 soundstage is wider and has a touch more depth.  Both have a similar sub-bass extension while A83 mid-bass has just a little more punch.  But in contrast, Pnew bass is tighter and faster, while A83 is more laid back and slower.  A83 lower mids are more recessed in comparison to a more neutral Pnew which gives the sound of Pnew more body.  That’s especially noticeable with upper mids where A83 sounds thinner and brighter while Pnew is smoother and detailed and sounds more organic.  A83 has more sparkle and slightly better treble extension.

Pnew vs IT03 – Both have a very similar soundstage in terms of width, while IT03 has a touch more depth. Sub-bass extension is nearly the same, and mid-bass speed and control is nearly identical too, but IT03 has a stronger punch.  Lower mids are a touch leaner in IT03 while Pnew is a little more neutral, and upper mids in IT03 are more detailed, more revealing while retaining the same level of smoothness and natural tonality. In contrast, Pnew upper mids are a little warmer and smoother.  IT03 treble has a little more sparkle and airiness.

Pnew vs FLC8s red/gray/yellow – FLC sound depends on the selection of filters, where this particular combo gave me a very similar sound sig, but there are still some differences.  Both have a similar soundstage expansion.  Even so the bass has the same sub-bass extension and similar mid-bass punch, I hear Pnew being tighter and faster.  Lower mids are similar.  Upper mids tonality is also similar, detailed and smooth, but Pnew is more resolving and more layered.  Both have similar treble, but Pnew has more airiness and slightly better definition.

Pold (left) vs Pnew (right).

Conclusion.

Based on my understanding, the original Primacy has been discontinued and replaced by a New Primacy model.  Perhaps that’s a reason why Oriveti didn’t name it Primacy 2.0, but rather NEW Primacy as a replacement for the original one.  I’m sure many people acquired the original Primacy and continue using it because of its unique comfortable shell design, removable cable, organic tonality, and the level of detail retrieval despite its smooth signature.  NEW Primacy still offers the same design, just refined with an updated nozzle, relocated dynamic driver vent, and updated cable which doubles the number of conductors.  But that alone might not be enough to persuade someone to upgrade.  The “selling” point here is a more neutral revealing tuning which is quite noticeable, especially when it comes to upper mids that have more presence, more clarity, and more resolution.  The tough decision for current Primacy owners is that both offer a unique sound characteristic which compliments rather than overlaps, and I can’t say that one is better than the other – I enjoy them both.