The CP32E are fairly sensitive as far as driveability goes, but still have black background with good sources to my ears. Comfort is good; they have a bit of a “hump” that goes into the Concha, but I find that with rotational adjustment I can get great fitment that allows hours of comfortable wear. They are super light in the ear/hand as well! Stock cable is fine, but I’ve been rolling others since I don’t do 4.4 (which is the default termination). Seems to be fairly linear with cable OI across multiple cables given that it’s all BA/EST. Isolation is decent, probably around average. They were fine for wear while flying over the last week, but nothing like Etys or Plunge Audio Unity. They definitely benefit from mostly quiet surroundings. No pressure build that I have been able to notice. There is a small pinhole vent ahead of the 2-pin connectors, not sure if this is actually for tuning or letting the sub-bass drivers breathe or pressure adjustment. Tip sensitivity is moderate; some change with rolling but nothing particularly drastic. I have found my preferred tips to be the darker pack-in tips, which resemble (or actually ARE) Symbio Peels.
On to sound:
I don’t think that I could classifiy these as TOTL (and I don't think that's where they're aiming to compete in the line), but for the money, I am still impressed! I do not get any hits of BA timbre and they image well, especially depth and separation (which is interesting considering that a single full-range BA handles everything from the midbass up to the upper treble). The soundstage is pretty natural, only certain recordings will really throw things far to the left or right but you also get some high/low positioning. The Subwoofer BAs are still BAs, but they bring some serious rumble and thump when called on. The tuning is clearly above neutral down low, but the mids don’t have to fight for attention. These are not Basshead IEMs, and I don’t think that was the intention. This current generation of Sonion drivers is pretty impressive considering where we came from! Mids are where the money is! These do fantastic with vocals and especially strings. Like, just enjoying the music and then snapping to attention when certain passages come through. The highs seem like there may be a spike or peak somewhere in the upper mids or treble, but not in a painful way. More of a highlight than anything IMO, I’ll be curious to see how these measure once I can get them squig’d up. Not sure if the ESTs are making a difference versus if they just used BAs, but they sparkle well to my ears and that’s proof that they’re doing their job IMO. Integration > all else.
At $819 they are not a cheap set to gamble on, but I have no complaints for their performance. Canpur is showing that they have come to do serious battle in the space, and these CP32E are no exception! While they are recommended as being best for EDM, Pop and the like I also find them to shine very well with Classic Rock and Contemporary!
