DITA Project M Review: The Market Changer
Within the world of audiophile earphones, there are a variety of earphones with different concepts and designs. One of these concepts, also the most classic one, is the usage of a single dynamic driver. Despite the in-ear hobby being flooded with multi-driver hybrid earphones, there are well-known brands that strictly stick to using a single DD, one of them being Dita Audio. Based in Singapore, Dita Audio has been crafting single dynamic driver earphones for many years and has been gaining significant comments among the community, ranging from their earliest model “Answer” to their flagship models such as Dream, Dream XLS, and the newest flagship, Perpetua.
The concept of each Dita IEM varied in pricing and sound signature, yet they were still all common in one thing – that they use a single dynamic driver. While we thought Dita would remain stubborn to break this “rule”, they’ve recently just broken the pattern through their most recent earphone release, called Project M. Let’s see what’s so different about it, how they sound, and compare it with other Dita Audio earphones.
Packaging
Project M comes with a modest black packaging box. Once sliding out the sleeve reveals the included accessories. Other than the earpieces, the product comes with a TANOS carrying case, a modular DITA stock cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, 5 pairs of exclusive Final E-type silicone tips, a user manual, and product introductory paperwork. The Final eartips that come with Project M are essentially the same as the originals but special as they are fluorescent in dark environments. The stock cable is also quite special but we’ll talk further down below.
Earpieces: DITA’s First-Ever Hybrid
As hinted in the introduction, Project M is a significant product for DITA as it’s their first-ever hybrid, resin-based earphones. It’s the first product to break the one-driver-only rule they’ve been persisting til now and Dita claims that they’ve done an immense level of R&D to make the decision worthwhile.
Project M is a 1BA+1DD IEM sporting the PM1+ dynamic driver and a BA driver. The PM1+ driver is a proprietary driver solely developed for Project M, using a 9.8mm driver and an optimized stainless steel chamber. The inner tubes that serve as a sound path are custom-molded with an aluminum nozzle for sonic accuracy. Dita states that the dynamic driver and BA driver are designed to seamlessly work together and maximize coherency.
Built & Fit
The earpieces are finished with a transparent resin body that cleanly displays the inner acoustic tube and chamber, making the looks of Project M simplistic yet gorgeous. The build quality is excellent with no visible air bubbles or smudges, giving the earpieces a glass-like design. Fitting-wise, this is probably going to be one of the most comfortable IEMs available to the market. It snugs in easily without any discomfort and the light weight ensures a tight fit.
However, Project M is also Dita’s first IEM to be using an extruded 2pin connector (as QDC does) which I’m not a big fan of. Standard custom cables would still work with Project M but the extruded connection will be vulnerable to breakage.
The Exclusive “MOCCA Cable”
When designing an earphone, quipping with a quality, proprietary cable has almost been a tradition for Dita Audio. The same goes for Project M by using the MOCCA cable made by Cardas USA. The MOCCA cable is comprised of 16 strands of Cardas conductors per cable, which are braided and finished to Dita’s specification, including the flexible PVC jacket.
The MOCCA cable is also equipped with Dita’s newest modular plug system, the APV2. The modular plugs are available in 3.5mm or 4.4mm by default. As an old Astell&Kern user, it would’ve been nice to see a 2.5mm plug as well. The cable is light and smooth yet only a tad springy.
The wires were just springy enough to bother me taking desired photos for the reviews but didn’t cause microphonics or any problems in actual usage. The 2pin connectors are finished with plastic coverings to seamlessly fit with Project M’s extruded connectors – but for this reason, the MOCCA cable won’t be compatible with standard 2pin IEMs.
Next Page: Sound Impressions / IEM Comparisons