This and That:
More than just a facelift; comes with different ear tips and redesigned shells and internals as those who have both on hand can see. Shells now vented (the old Primacy had closed shells).
Plenty of accessories. I like the storage case's design and quality but dislike that its walls aren't cushioned.
Quality cable. Very soft and supple. Proper strain relief and chin-slider.
Inside, the case is covered with soft felt on the bottom and the lid, however not on the sides. Therefore the in-ears can still collect scratches over time when touching the case’s walls, which would be quite sad.
90° nozzle. Works great for me.
Sound:
I've only used low impedance gear to drive the New Primacy.
Solely the largest included single-flange silicone tips were used.
Tonality:
The NEW PRIMACY takes a somewhat different tonal approach compared to the “old” PRIMACY. It's clearly different enough to make it a tonally different in-ear.
Shortly summarised, I would say that the NEW PRIMACY has got a mostly well implemented u/v-shaped tonality with mainly the far parts of the frequency response, the lower midbass as well as sub-bass, and upper treble, being emphasised. While the NEW PRIMACY does definitely carry some slam in the deep lows and sparkle in the high treble, it does not have an overdone signature unlike many inexpensive hybrid in-ears in the two-digit price range. So definitely fun but not overdone or plasticky.
The sub-bass and lower midbass carry some slam and weight but stay nicely away from the midrange and even from the room root – the main reason for this is because the bass emphasis was implemented pretty well, starting to climb around 500 Hz, then gradually climbing all the way down to about 45 Hz where its climax is reached. It then stays at this level down to about 30 Hz and slightly loses presence below, in the very low sub-bass.
Not many in-ears have got a sub-bass emphasis that is this well implemented, and the NEW PRIMACY therefore somewhat reminds me of the iBasso IT03, FLC Technology FLC8s (with the exception that the FLC is more “only subbass-focussed” even when using the strongest sub-bass and bass filters), Shure SE846, Zero Audio Carbo Tenore (sans the quantity that is higher on the Carbo Tenore) and Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00 (Mahogany) (sans the upper bass that is a bit more prominent on the Fostex) in the lows.
Compared to a diffuse-field flat in-ear in the lows, such as the Etymotic ER-4S/ER-4SR, the NEW PRIMACY has got an emphasis of around 9 dB in the low midbass and sub-bass, therefore also having some strong slam, impact and authority when the recording digs down rather low.
The firm upper bass carries some weight, kick and authority too, however a bit less (not much less though).
Nicely enough, the bass stays pretty much completely out of the midrange and upper root, wherefore vocals are not carrying any real added warmth, thickness or fullness despite the bass emphasis. Therefore, those acoustic music recordings that do not extend as low don’t have much richness or added oomph.
The midrange is neither forward nor really recessed and tonally relatively correct, without tilting too much to the darker or brighter side – it is just very slightly pulled towards to brighter/”airier” side by a broad emphasis in the upper treble that elevates the midrange’s and therefore voices’ overtones.
The area between 2 and 4 kHz is a bit in the background, making the presentation less intimate and less “in your face”, but the NEW PRIMACY lacks the 5 kHz dip that was clearly present on the now discontinued "old" PRIMACY, wherefore its middle treble is not as relaxed anymore and doesn’t “sugar-coat” the midrange either. So there's an improvement in this area.
Right after the central treble, one can spot a broad upper treble emphasis that is located between 6.5 and about 10.5 kHz when doing sine sweeps. Super treble extension is good up to about 14 kHz.
This upper treble emphasis/peak adds a good bit of brightness to the overall sound, and, along with the less subdued 5 kHz range, is the reason for why the NEW PRIMACY sounds brighter than the old one (that had an upper treble peak as well, however since it was very narrow, it only became really noticeable when a note hit that exact spot).
This upper treble emphasis might be a just little too pronounced/”crisp” for treble-sensitive people, and even though I am personally none of those, I have to say that I also wouldn’t mind if it was sometimes between 2 and 3 dB less present, since it can occasionally become close to carrying a bit of harshness/sharpness and being somewhat metallic with fast, energetic and hard tracks.
While it is clearly not overdone in terms of level (measurements and comparative sine sweeps with EQ check don’t show an elevation of more than 4 or 5 dB compared to what would be flat), it is probably a bit too wide and affects a slightly too wide portion of the upper treble, especially for more energetic electronic music that does not always work too well with the NEW PRIMACY even though its bass would be almost ideally implemented for that genre.
With most genres and recordings though, the treble boost is not even close to being bothersome and doesn’t become annoying, unpleasant or too unnatural, however even with rock, pop, acoustic recordings and classical music, the upper treble, while not harsh unless there is added brightness on the track, does not necessarily strike with the most realistic or natural rendering of cymbals and makes them appear a bit more metallic and a bit as if they were played with brushes instead of drum sticks (not entirely, but you get the idea). So yeah, more upper treble realism (e.g. through a narrower peak) is what I'd have liked to hear.
Resolution:
Being based on the original PRIMACY, the NEW PRIMACY takes an overall quite similar approach to resolution, with a conveniently quick and tight dynamic driver bass coupled with a detailed midrange and treble.
Just like the PRIMACY’s, the NEW PRIMACY’s dynamic bass driver is definitely among the faster dynamic woofers, if not even among the fastest in hybrid in-ear monitors I know. Its bass is well-articulated, tight and fast, almost protruding into Balanced Armature territory with just an extra bit of weight and impact to its general appearance/character and somewhat more texture that reveals that it is a dynamic driver.
Yes, in terms of speed and tightness, the NEW PRIMACY’s bottom-end could be almost compared to that of an in-ear with a softer back-vented BA woofer implementation for the low frequencies. Fortunately the now vented shells as well as increased bass emphasis didn't soften the bass one bit.
Although the NEW PRIMACY’s distribution of resolution is overall very even, its bottom-end slightly lacks behind the midrange, sounding a little blunt, wherefore I would be definitely not too surprised if the exact same dynamic driver were used since I also had this slight criticism about the original PRIMACY.
The NEW PRIMACY’s midrange and treble carry plenty of details and are well separated, and due to the clearly less recessed 5 kHz range compared to the old PRIMACY, its successor is immediately perceived as being an in-ear with a good midrange detail retrieval and air upon first listen compared to the older model where this dip made the midrange appear subjectively a bit dry and not much detailed upon first listen which is because it tames some of the midrange’s overtone and could therefore become a bit overly smoothing at times – not so the NEW PRIMACY that, while it is ultimately overall quite similarly detailed, is less smooth and more direct sounding here.
Differentiation in the highs is quite good and single notes can be easily told apart from each other while cymbals don’t convey the last bit of realism (due to the tuning).
Soundstage:
An area where the now discontinued PRIMACY had some room left for improvement was the soundstage that, while certainly not bad for the price, was just about average in terms of width and depth and could not compete with some other hybrid in-ears when it came to size and extension.
This area is where the NEW PRIMACY has improved, now sporting a soundstage that is, while not really large or huge to begin with, definitely a bit larger than average, with an overall quite circular appearance.
Instrument layering and separation have also improved a bit compared to the original ORIVETI PRIMACY that was already average in this regard.
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In Comparison with other In-Ears:
ORIVETI PRIMACY:
Both in-ears are different on the technical side and don’t only have just slight differences – the NEW PRIMACY, in contrast to the older one, has got vented shells that are also very slightly different in terms of dimensions, and the nozzle, ear tips, cable and sound are different as well. The NEW PRIMACY is also more sensitive than the now discontinued PRIMACY.
The NEW PRIMACY has got the more pronounced midbass and sub-bass while its midrange is less bright and a little less forward (the “old” PRIMACY had an upper midrange hump that made vocals become leaner).
While the old PRIMACY had a dip around 5 kHz that made it sound more laid-back and relaxed but also added some “sugar-coating” to vocals, the NEW PRIMACY’s middle treble is less recessed and its upper treble also carries a broader emphasis wherefore it is the overall brighter in-ear in the treble. The NEW PRIMACY’s presentation is therefore airier and less “laid-back” sounding.
In terms of resolution, the NEW PRIMACY’s midrange appears a bit more resolving due to the “lifted” 5 kHz range on first glance while both are actually quite comparably well resolving in the mids and treble.
The NEW PRIMACY’s dynamic bass driver is still very fast and tight, just as the “old” PRIMACY’s. Both seem to be a little blunt in the lows compared to the mids and treble though.
The NEW PRIMACY’s soundstage is a bit larger in both directions and has also improved in terms of separation and layering.
DUNU DN-2002:
The DUNU has got the fuller and warmer root and lower midrange while the NEW PRIMACY carries more level in the (lower) midbass and sub-bass. The NEW PRIMACY’s midrange is slightly brighter in comparison. The DN-2002’s middle treble is more relaxed and its upper treble is not as bright either. The DUNU’s highs are a bit more natural/realistic.
Concerning detail retrieval, both are quite close in the midrange (with one being slightly more resolving in the lower mids and the other sounding slightly more detailed in the upper midrange) while the DN-2002 renders high notes with the somewhat better separation.
The ORIVETI’s bass is tighter and a bit faster while control is about comparable. Comparing both, the DUNU definitely sounds softer and slower than the ORIVETI.
Soundstage width and depth are quite similar to my ears with just a slight advantage for the DUNU in terms of layering but equally precise separation and placement of instruments.
iBasso IT03:
Both have got a pretty similar lift in the bass, with the exception that the IT03 has got a little more perceived weight in the sub-bass and that the ORIVETI’s upper bass sounds as if it had just a little more slam and energy.
The iBasso’s midrange is a bit brighter and female-vocal-oriented, whereas the NEW PRIMACY has got the more pronounced and splashier upper treble that can however also sometimes be a bit too crisp.
In terms of bass, both in-ears have got a pretty comparable tightness and speed with the IT03 being just slightly tighter in the end. Both also have in common that the dynamic woofer sounds a little less detailed/blunter than the BA midrange driver. Directly comparing the two, the iBasso’s lows appear a little more detailed though.
Both in-ears are comparably resolving in the midrange with the IT03 just having a minor advantage in the upper mids where the NEW PRIMACY only sounds ever so slightly grainier in direct comparison.
Treble details are quite similar with the ORIVETI probably having a slight advantage but sounding a little less natural.
The IT03 has got a bit more spatial width to my ears while the NEW PRIMACY has got a little more depth. In terms of placement, layering and separation, both perform about equally well.
Conclusion:
A nicely tuned and technically nice in-ear that has got only one flaw which is its upper treble lift that is mild in quantity but a bit too widely distributed wherefore the New Primacy doesn't always sound realistic in the upper highs.