Introduction

We've seen several ThieAudio products before, and every single one has impressed, going from the $99 Legacy 2 to the $729 Monarch. ThieAudio is an in-house brand for Linsoul, a major audio distributor based out of China. HarmonicDyne is very similar in that Linsoul is a primary distributor and works directly to influence the brand's products, and the way I saw the two was that ThieAudio was more on the IEM side with HarmonicDyne more focused on headphones, including the Zeus that has been getting rave reviews and we will eventually cover. Things get blurred when taking a closer look and see there was a ThieAudio set of headphones, and we now have a HarmonicDyne-branded IEM! Thanks to Linsoul for arranging a review sample to TechPowerUp.


I asked Linsoul how exactly the two brands operate next to each other, with blurred lines getting more so with the two now sharing some common ground. This first-ever set of IEMs from HarmonicDyne, the P.D.1, is based on public response and requests. For now, ThieAudio is still considered a more mature brand in terms of supporting more products, and with better tuning. This already rings some alarm bells, but knowing that the "P" in P.D.1 stands for planar magnetic drivers leaves me intrigued. Let's see how the HarmonicDyne P.D.1 fares in our testing as we begin this review with a look at the product specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging for the HarmonicDyne P.D.1 is something else. There's a plastic seal over the product box itself, removing which we see a crepe paper box that is quite unique to look at and feel. It's predominantly white, and there is an extremely tight cover on top which I can see causing many frustrations before people give up and just tear it off. The box has the logo on the front and side, with the cover hosting the product name. A seal on another side has the serial number, which means my review sample is the 113th P.D.1 made.


With the seal and cover taken care of, the box opens up to reveal a soft foam lining on the top and thicker foam pieces without cutouts to hold the various items. There are two sections inside, with the right half having multiple compartments, too. We see a metal badge with the serial number etched into the steel, and then other items actually cut into it, including the company name and logo, product name, and even what appears to be a frequency response or EQ profile on the side. A cardboard card with specifications in both English and Mandarin also makes an appearance, which helps since the product page does not list any of these. To the bottom is where we see neatly arranged and labeled ear tips that are split into sizes S/M/L and types A and B.


Type A tips appear to be the more common silicone tips with softer flanges and a wider base. Type B tips, on the other hand, are stiffer silicone tips that are also taller in profile and not as wide. The bore itself is the same size on both, and these then give users different options to try out for a better fit. I would have liked some foam tips as well, but can't really fault HarmonicDyne for going this route, either.



On the left side underneath the ear buds themselves lies the carry/storage case, which is a thick puck in design. It looks and feels nice on the outside, with artificial leather lining and good stitching all around. There are also two hinges tied to a clasp on the front and back, which effectively hold the two pieces of the case together. The logo is embossed on the top along with the product name itself, which is a nice touch and shows that it was made specifically for the P.D.1. Once you open the case, things get less impressive with the two pieces flopping around, only held together by a single clasp and the inner lining I would have preferred to be softer.


Going back to the right, there are more items underneath the top layer, and this is where we see two cardboard boxes labeled with the contents inside. HarmonicDyne includes not one, but two separate cables with the P.D.1! There is also a 3.5 to 6.35 mm stereo adapter for the 3.5 mm cable, and both cables have a tanned faux leather hook and cable minder that looks classy and far more luxurious than the P.D.1's price point would dictate. In fact, the entire unboxing experience punches above the price class and then some. The ear buds are in their own shaped compartments, too. Removing one, we find out there is a 7th set of ear tips pre-installed on them.