Reviewed on: SoundStage! Solo, June 2022
I measured the Periodic Audio Mgv3 earphones using laboratory-grade equipment: a GRAS Model 43AG ear/cheek simulator/RA0402 ear simulator with KB5000/KB5001 simulated pinnae, and an Audiomatica Clio 12 audio analyzer. For isolation measurements, I used a laptop computer running TrueRTA software with an M-Audio MobilePre USB audio interface. The earphones were amplified using a Musical Fidelity V-CAN amplifier. I used the supplied medium-size silicone single-flange tips for all measurements because they fit best in the ear simulator. (Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to compare the response with 5- and 75-ohm source impedances, because I recently moved and haven’t yet located the resistor box I use for that test. Nor was I able to measure sensitivity. We’ll try to add these at a later date.) These are “flat” measurements; no diffuse-field or free-field compensation curve was employed. If you’d like to learn more about what our measurements mean, click here.
This chart shows the Mgv3s’ frequency response. It’s fairly normal, but rather “smiley,” with boosted bass and a broader midrange dip than might be expected.
This chart shows the Mgv3s’ right-channel response compared with the other models in Periodic Audio’s line. Clearly, the Mgv3, Bev3, and Cv3 earphones are similar-sounding, but the Tiv3 earphones vary considerably from the others.
Here’s how the Mgv3s’ response compares with that of some other passive earphones I’ve measured—including the AKG N5005s, which are probably the passive earphones that best reflect the characteristics of the Harman curve. You can see how boosted the bass is, and how there’s less energy in the mids between about 1 and 2kHz.
The Mgv3s’ spectral-decay plot looks extremely clean. Maybe there’s something to that Tritan stuff.
Measured harmonic distortion is extremely low, even at the very loud level of 100dBA (measured with pink noise), which bears out another of Periodic Audio’s performance claims.
In this chart, the external noise level is 85dB SPL, and numbers below that indicate the degree of attenuation of outside sounds. The lower the lines, the better the isolation. (All models were measured with medium-size silicone tips.) The Mgv3s’ isolation is typical for earphones of this design. I also threw in a true wireless model from 1More so you can see how a model with active noise canceling compares.
The impedance curve of the Mgv3s is fairly flat, running around 35 ohms through most of the audio range, with a wrinkle centered at 2.3kHz that’ll probably slightly boost the upper mids if the earphones are used with a high-impedance source, such as a tube amp or a cheap laptop.
Bottom line: Except for the frequency-response anomalies noted, these appear to be well-designed earphones.
. . . Brent Butterworth
brentb@soundstagenetwork.com