Sound Impressions: Lows
Let’s start off by describing my take on CP622B’s overall sound in a short simple sentence. The CP622B desires a clean, calm W-shaped sound that makes subtle yet vivid impacts. That may sound vague as the terms “subtle” and “vivid” are odd to co-exist, but let me break it down as we continue with the sound impressions. First is the bass. My first impression of the bass is that the micro-inverter tube design does seem to impact the bass performance immensely. The bass provides deep and rich vibrations that rival dynamic drivers or even bone conductor drivers.
The irony is that I thought CP622B assigned the dual bone conductor drivers for the bass instead of the Sonion BA woofers, as CP622B’s bass was far different from what I’d usually hear from an IEM with the BA-driven woofers. I couldn’t tell the BC driver wasn’t involved despite an extensive listening session for the review. I guess that pretty much explains how well Canpur utilized the woofers and brought out the best of the bass drivers.
Another element that sets the CP622B apart and unique from other TOTL IEMs is its incredibly responsive bass. The deep-diving bass keeps good quantity control across the mid-bass range while maintaining a strong presence, hence delivering snappy yet deep lows that bring out pleasing liveliness and bass dynamics. The CP622B’s natural yet fine-controlled ultra-lows and mid-lows create an extremely even, expansive atmosphere.
Let’s go a bit more in-depth about the bass quantity. the lows are robust and full-bodied without being overwhelming, with the overall bass quantity/presence being closer to slightly v-shaped but lesser than strong V-shaped, so sitting right in between those two. It’s the right balance that would satisfy most users – those who want agile and lean bass and those who prefer thicker, punchier bass. Canpur CP622B thoroughly qualifies both of two worlds which is why I believe they’re getting their applause with the CP622B.
Sound Impressions: Vocals
The CP622B’s vocal tone is dark-bright. Saying “dark-bright” might hit you confused if comprehending literally, though many will likely agree why I’ve used such an expression once listening to the vocals of CP622B. The vocals are deep and serious yet highly transparent and clear, offering a refreshing sense of air and openness in the high vocals. The pleasant airiness and shining transparency applied across the range pair well with the calm, thoroughly smooth, and neutral-bright vocals.
Based on these features, the CP622B’s clean, pitch-black background tone makes this “dark-bright” experience possible for the vocal range – solemn and in-depth while also being cheerful and crisp in presentation. Apart from that, the vocals are creamy, with high resolution and texture, making them comfortable to listen to while still detailed in expression. The vocals are slightly forward to prevent them from being overshadowed by the robust bass, and they transition smoothly without interference from the mid-lows and lower vocals.
Vocals flow with great stability and coherency throughout the range, causing no noticeable dips, tonal distortions, or sibilance. The CP622B gives a subtle “sip” on the upper mids (around the frequency range where the sibilance would happen) but it never develops into sibilance or causes fatigue but instead gives a fun, realistic ‘bite’ to the vocals – the way how female voices reaching in high tones would sound in real life.
Sound Impressions: Trebles
Reproducing crisp, detailed trebles while not getting aggressive in quantity or tiring to the ears by any means is one tricky task unless you’re willing to sacrifice some portion of details and resolution. For those TOTL IEMs I’ve mentioned to be very satisfying in resolution and detail without fatigue, it’s inevitable even for them to eventually come to a point where they get tiring. Well, in fact, all IEMs would regardless of any price, and sound signature; it’s just a matter of time, or how long it will stay fatigue-free.
As for CP622B, Canpur did exceptionally well on how to keep the trebles as smooth and calm as possible while also being daringly silky and highly detailed. I would like to describe CP622B’s trebles as a sneaky yet charming intruder – the trebles are very calm, solemn, and quiet as if existing only to assist the lower frequencies, yet its treble performance rubs shoulders with TOTL IEMs that strongly emphasize high frequencies.
So how does CP622B make that possible? To my ears, I’d say it’s a matter of penetrativeness – how clean and clear they are, in both separation and pure resolution. It’s the perfect tuning for those who want the blissful, silky swirling of treble details that EST driver typically delivers but are also too treble-sensitive to use other flagship IEMs that are known for excellent treble extension. The details and resolution are almost just as penetrative as those IEMs but CP622B’s thoroughly calm nature persists even to highs and ultra-highs, not only keeping tonal coherency throughout the sonic spectrum but also making it extra fatigue-free.
Compared to Forté Ears Macbeth (Review Coming Soon!)
The first difference I sensed between these two was the vocals. The CP622B’s vocal style is a fusion of Macbeth and AME Raven (the previously mentioned IEM for comparison). The CP622B proactively reveals the texture grains of the vocals but is not as penetrative and linear tacky as Raven. But then again, the CP622B’s lets more musicality, the blissfulness of the texture, and atmospheric aura fill the mid-range – as Macbeth did – however, not much as Macbeth, which brings out more fine strands of silky textures than the CP622B.
Alongside, CP622B’s vocals are noticeably placed forward or closer to the ears while Macbeth highly prioritizes the continuous flow of the sound from the lows to highs. However, it’s interesting as Macbeth’s vocals don’t feel any recessed but still keep the sound distancing almost even across the entire sonic range. CP622B’s vocals have a neutral thickness while Macbeth has a neutral-thick body, giving a bit extra fullness to the vocals while CP622B chose neutral thickness for a cleaner atmosphere for the mid-range.
Both IEMs are neck-to-neck when it comes to the bass. The CP622B’s bass is tighter and more rock-solid while Macbeth’s is more meaty and soothing. The clarity and cleanliness of the low-vibration are better on CP622B whereas the meaty, tenderness, and sub-bass quantity/fullness are superior on Macbeth.
Compared to AME Raven (Review link)
Canpur CP622B is a tight competitor of AME Raven – one of AME’s renowned flagship IEMs sporting 8BA+4EST drivers. Personally, describing the differences between these two IEMs was more difficult than I thought – not because the differences are minimal or irrelevant but because the noticeable differences are intricate to explain, as it’s more about the way how these two IEMs deliver the sound to your ears.
Raven takes a more straight approach for the mid-highs, giving a better sense of agility and penetration in resolution. On the other hand, CP622B’s mid-highs (and even bass) involve more air and flowingness to the sound, giving more sideway expansion and room. This also means CP622B highlights more spatial or a stronger 3D-ish presentation. Of course, CP622B isn’t noticeably inferior in agility or sound penetration, yet it has a more easygoing and gentler nuance. The vocals have almost the same brightness and tone but with an airier and creamier timbre.
The next noticeable difference is the bass. Don’t get me wrong though – Raven doesn’t fall short in bass response to CP622B which surprises me once again as Raven only uses BA and EST drivers, yet CP622B also uses 2 bone conductor drivers which aren’t meant for the lows but the mid-highs. When it comes to extension (at least to the audible range), Raven ultra-lows perform just as great as CP622B; clean resolution, detailed texture, pronounced basslines, etc. However, the differences are made in the characteristics of the bass.
Raven’s lows are more straightforward, in the sense that the bass rumbles focus more on clarity and cleanliness, whereas CP622B’s bass response highlights more of the vibration and breathable/lively of the bass reproduction. I’m using a lot of emotional expressions than usual, yet that’s how the differences are – and hence the preamble talking about the differences between these two IEMs being mysteriously vague despite the sound signature being overall very similar.
It’s not just about the ingredients. It’s the Skills.
I’m sure there are still a lot of users/listeners thinking CP622B used the bone conduction driver for the bass. It was a punch in the back of my head and I assume many others. Well, the truth is as I mentioned earlier, that incredibly lively and rich bass response is done only with BA drivers. In a situation where Canpur themselves clearly listed every single driver model name used for building CP622B, many would also question why the IEM needs to cost this much if we already know the component price, and could even possibly do a DIY build using the exact same drivers?
Well, the question would be answered by other examples such as the bird – or Oriolus Traillii (Review link). There were occasions where DIY builders attempted to recreate the Traillii by using the same driver components as the Traillii has a fully transparent shell, while some brands even have made the ‘wanna-be’ Traillii into an official product of their own. However, they clearly and obviously sound different. The Canpur CP622B is a similar case – it’s about the tuning – applying Canpur’s technology achieved upon R&D experience. This would include the crossover network, wiring, internal chassis, air flow, soldering, and so on.
Final Verdicts
Despite its short international debut, upon listening to myself, I could tell why Canpur CP622B was the IEM that took the community’s major attention within the TOTL competition. The perfect blend of musicality and analyticity – or absolute technical performance delivered through such a solemn and blissful manner – is seducing audiophile users, including me. The IEM being extremely adaptive to various personal tastes is another. Well, at this point, what more to say? The CP622B is a flagship reference monitor that I could suggest to anyone interested to inter the TOTL IEM world. I strongly insist on giving these a tune before making your big purchase of high-end IEMs.
