Periodic Audio “Carbon” Diamond Diaphragm Audiophile in-Ear Headphones Assembled in USA

REVIEW WRITTEN BY Lance Rothchild.IntroductionPeriodic Audio is a relatively new company founded in 2016, with a mission to create high-quality audio over all else. The Carbon is the latest and most expensive model in Periodic’s lineup, clocking it at $499. The other models in the lineup are Magnesium ($99), Titanium ($199) and Beryllium ($299).DisclaimerThis set of Carbon IEMs was sent to me, very graciously, by Dan Wiggins on Periodic Audio, in exchange for an honest review, which I intend to provide. Dan also sent me the Nickel amplifier, which I’ll be reviewing soon. Both units are cosmetically blemished.Unboxing​The Carbon IEMs arrived in an unmarked cardboard box, which flipped open to reveal the pieces, as well as a small, presumably aluminum tin for storage. The packaging here isn’t anything spectacular, but it protects its contents well and presents them nicely enough. The packaging, much in the vein of everything else Periodic strives to do, is incredibly functional. I have no problem with this, as long as the audio performance can justify it.Build QualityThe build quality of the Carbon is similar to its packaging. Extremely functional and utilitarian. The shells are constructed from a sturdy-seeming polycarbonate, and the cable (while regrettably not detachable), is perfectly adequate. Fancy, braided, silver-plated cable this is not. But it gets the job done. My only qualm is the fact that the strain relief coming off of the earpiece looks a little worrying. I’m not thinking it will fail anytime soon, but it’s the only part of the product which I’m legitimately concerned about in terms of longevity.​​ComfortThe Carbon is very comfortable, provided you find the right tips. I know this goes without saying, but tips are crucial not only in terms of sound, but also for comfort. I eventually settled on the small, double flanged tips, but may swap them out for foams later. The light polycarbonate shells sit nicely in the outer ear and do not place unnecessary pressure on any ear feature. I have worn these for several hours at a time and never felt fatigue.Isolation​The isolation provided by the Carbon is above average. It is nowhere near Shure levels of isolation. But much of that is to do with nozzle length and a deeper insertion. Conversely, the Carbon has a much larger nozzle, but with the right tips, isolation still outperforms much of the competition. I took these on a short flight and forgot about engine noise for as long as I had them in. These are great travel earphones, and I am very happy with their isolation performance.Sound QualityOverall, the sound of the Carbon is moderately V-shaped with slightly recessed mids and a clear, transparent-sounding tonality across the entire range.BassDefinitely prominent in every mix. Although the bass is incredibly prominent, I’m not feeling too many issues with it becoming bloomy. Perhaps that has something to do with the material of the diaphragm? Overall, the bass response feels tight and accurate, with enough punch to satisfy most people. Very realistic sounding bass, with easily identifiable instruments. Listening to Kendrick Lamar’s King Kunta, the bass, while emphasized, does not overshadow Lamar’s vocals, and I find him to still be easily intelligible. This song is carried by its bass, and the C presents it with lots of energy and enthusiasm.​MidsRecessed. They’re not horribly back in the mix, but they definitely play second fiddle to the low- and high-end. Despite this, there is a high level of detail and articulation present here. Guitar slides sound great, as well as just straight-up guitars anywhere. Oodles upon oodles of detail here. Despite the elevated bass, mids stay crisp, clear, and very resolving. I would prefer them to be a little more forward, but they’re quite good as they are.Treble​The treble on the C is not peaky AT ALL. I can comfortably say that my treble tests did not make me wince, cry, or curl up in pain. Ever-so-slightly rolled off, they sit right where they should in the mix when fun is prioritized. Mainly because I would not consider getting stabbed in the ear to be a fun experience. These portray really satisfying cymbals and do a good job of representing even more difficult-at-times high-frequency sounds.Soundstage and ImagingYes, of course there has to be somewhere that the Carbon falls short. The soundstage, while providing a decent sense of space and accurately placing and imaging instruments and vocals, is very small. The closed-in nature of these makes much of a lot of songs quite intimate. For some people, this may be a dealbreaker, but the imaging and separation present in the C are very good. Soundstage is small.​Conclusion​Fun. Fun. Fun. These little IEMs are fun. They’re light and comfortable, they’re bassy and unapologetic, they’re incredibly in-your-face, and I happen to like them quite a lot. Many reviewers are making the build quality seem worse than it is. Even if it is as bad as they make it out to be (which it really is not), Periodic has a 5 year warranty policy, which, in my mind, negates that altogether. The C is an incredibly fun earphone that I can find myself coming back to again and again for its big, boomy bass and clarity throughout its range. If you’re looking for fun, the C has you covered.

I design loudspeakers for a living, so it goes without saying that I’m particularly picky when it comes to sound quality. My wife is often annoyed because I tend to critique the sound at every club, concert, performance, theater, etc. that we go to. Of course, I always think I could do it better! That’s not the case with these in ear monitors. Let me say that twice, in ear monitors. These are not the next set of ear buds for your I-pod….this is real studio level sound. Now, if you’re one of these guys that needs $30 - $50 worth of packaging materials in order to feel like you made a good purchase, then these may not be for you. All of the value of this purchase was put into the important pieces, the ones that actually make sound. So if you’re the type of guy like me that has grown tired of MP3 sound quality and decided to re-rip his music into WAV’s or something lossless, if you’re the type of guy that can hear, and can’t stand, the difference between wireless Bluetooth signals versus a true wired connection, then you need these in your life.I already had a pair of the Magnesium driver IEM’s when I got the Carbon’s. When it comes to a sound quality to cost ratio, the Magnesium drivers are unrivaled. NOTHING in that price range sounds near as good as the Magnesium. The Carbons are pricier, but the sound quality is top shelf. A couple reasons why these are superior…it’s a single driver design. You don’t have multiple drivers with crossover networks trying to get all the drivers to play nice together and not fight one another. A single driver avoids all that extra processing, and let’s face it the more parts you have in something the more likely that something can go wrong. And there’s no balanced armature drivers with infinite orders of resonances to address. The advanced diaphragm material is so special, it has a high speed of sound with a very appreciable acoustical figure of merit which allows faithful and accurate production of exactly what it’s told to do, and nothing else. The material also has a unique damping characteristic as well, so no ringing metal and no listening fatigue even after hours of continued operation. I think the “cleanliness” of the Carbon’s may give many users the illusion of less midrange. The midrange is so clear, and un-distorted, I think many users, particularly artists, become use to a certain level of distortion, and when it’s missing that certain level of distortion, the perception is a lack of loudness, when in reality the level of the fundamental output is exactly where it’s supposed to be, but the 2nd, 3rd,…Nth order harmonics (distortion) are not prevalent, because the driver is doing what it’s told to do and not adding a lot of coloration that wasn’t in the original signal.The bass response of these IEM’s is incredible. I tried to get stupid with it and see just how much undistorted bass they could produce. I boosted both 35Hz and 60Hz by the EQ max of 14dB, then max out the volume control of the device. No distortion. Just a massive, crap load of bass. I could feel it in my eyes. I’ve never heard anything that can take that type of input without sounding like mud butt. The best way to describe the bass is, accurate. It’s not always tight, it’s not always punchy, it is what the program material tells it to be. So if your mix is tight, or flabby, this will faithfully reproduce that input, and as much of it as you want!I have a decent collection of audio head gear. I can honestly say the noise isolation of both the Carbon’s and Magnesium’s are better than any other piece of gear I have, including over the ear devices. I’ve always been able to turn the sound down and hear what my wife was saying to me. That’s not the case with these, the noise isolation is so good I can’t simply turn the volume to zero, I need to pull one out of an ear to hear her talking to me. LOL, good for me, bad for her!The stereo imaging is the best I’ve ever experienced. The level of detail these are capable of really allows the subtle differences between L and R to be apparent. I’ve even watched movies with these IEM’s, and the “surround sound” is awesome simply because the imaging is so spectacular.All the Periodic Audio devices have very good sensitivity ratings. Only one of my other pieces of audio head gear has a higher value, but it is slight.All Periodic Audio devices come with multiple different sized cushions. Cushions are not only in multiple sizes but multiple materials. There’s no ear out there that these won’t fit comfortably in. If they’re not comfy, you’re not using the right cushion.I have but only one complaint regarding the Carbon and Magnesium set’s I own. Only one thing to offer that might improve the product or product experience. A slightly longer, maybe heavier, cable. I’m a pretty big guy and could use a little extra slack. This may not be a problem for many users.

Where else can you spend this little and get this much sound? You can't. I have the BE's and the Carbons. Outstanding! Punch and clarity. Having experimented with Amps, headphones, and tips I have found that my Periodic Audio gear is affordable and gut punches all the Chi Fi gear all over Amazon. It competes with Campfire at a fraction. Nothing fancy, just great sound. And guys like Dan there actually communicate with customers. I cant believe more people aren't on the train with me.