[-rowan-]

It's a different animal than Voltage, even more detailed and bigger staged, and still without busting my treble tolerances. It's not like a Voltage sans DDs, but another level up in separation, resolution, staging and dynamics. The BA bass is very good, produces rumble when necessary, but in total balance to everything else in the FR.

Totally concur with these impressions of the Impact. May as well have taken the words out of my mouth.

BTW, I switch the number 1 to up, and fail to hear any difference, maybe I am not sensitive enough

Do you mean switch 1, the bass switch? That’s a bit odd - I do hear the difference quite clearly even though it’s not really basshead level even with the switch up.

I will say however that I had a harder time hearing the difference with switch 2 (treble) down or up fresh out of the box but it’s fairly apparent as well now, after they’ve had some hours on them.

How is the ergonomics versus something like Penon 10th? Had some issues with the stubby short nozzle.

I personally find Voltage smaller and more comfortable than 10th, for my ears at least, (but Impact still beats Voltage for comfort as well). I don’t recall having issues with the 10th’s nozzle but fwiw:

 

[PeacockObscura]

Not really sure how such a small iem makes such a big sound. The NEO5 just keeps getting better. With extended playback the wonderfully full detailed bass really brings music alive with superb attack and layers detail just amazing quality at the asking price. Then there's the supremely natural mids really putting vocals in the spotlight with organic authority the way male and female voices are presented with equal authority is very impressive at any price point. Finally the treble is coming alive with little no sibilance . The way they generate staging with such precision is a testament to the skill of whoever tuned these.
A real classic rock, funk, edm masterclass iem.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Impressions/listening notes from my latest cable haul, using the Voltage unless otherwise mentioned.

Penon OCC849

If you want to hear the expansive sound that a good pure copper cable can bring, it’s here. Compared to the stock Obsidian, I hear a greater outward expansion of sound, making the stage airier and larger. The Voltage’s EST upper treble is pretty addictive with it.

Bass is not as intense as it gets with the Penon Renata or even Obsidian but I hear no loss of detail down low.

It tightens up bass in a quite enjoyable way, and I can see it would be useful in cleaning up boominess or bleed, letting the mid and upper frequencies shine through more clearly without attenuating sound pressure where it matters.

Btw I paid for these cables myself with nothing more than the usual email subscriber discount, and I don’t get anything from this - but the OCC849 is currently on sale at Penon’s AE store for $59.94 not including the store and AE vouchers that you can pile on.

Clean link that hopefully works:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007004048447.html

Mentioning this only because I’ve bought more cables on AE than I care to admit, and the OCC849 is my new rec for a good pure copper cable under $100.

Penon Renata

More resolving than the Voltage’s stock cable, Obsidian. Notes feel more rounded, more 3D, more weighty. This is a meaty, well-fleshed out sound I could get used to.

Intense bass - I had to take the Voltage out of my ears to check that the switches were still down.

Not the largest or most spacious soundstage but I suspect it could be a trade off for that handsome bass filling it. Mids and treble are very intelligible still, but the cable tilts the balance of the Voltage towards the bass, especially when the music calls for it.

The stock Obsidian cable isn’t a bad match at all for the Voltage but switching back, detail feels more smoothed over, less distinct with the Obs.

Yes, Renata is a very resolving cable at its price point as others have mentioned, but Totem still out-resolves it. With the Impact, Totem is still a significant step up in resolution and feels like the more complete, nuanced pairing.

Cons? It’s a heavy, chonky cable. Makes the Totem look almost svelte.
Click to expand...

Ahh, no, your 100% wrong here. The OCC849 sounds nothing like a pure copper cable build like the Hans Sound Zen or Hans Sound ZENTOO, that is because it is absolutely not pure copper as you discribe?

If you scroll over to the Penon site the OCC849 is a silver plated copper. Yep, there is a total difference here with the OCC849 in reality showing that silver additive and becoming on the brighter side of life, brighter than the ISN CS02, brighter than the Renata , and brighter than the last OCC cable ISN released (before) the ISN T-OCC.


Thus it is brighter than a full copper build because it is silver plated copper pure and simple here.


Penon description:

Penon OCC849 Single Crystal Copper HiFi Audiophile IEMs Cable

Type-4 Litz configuration

Description

6n single crystal copper silver-plated cable

8 strands, single strand is 49 cores, a total of 8 × 49.

The plug contains 68% copper

The solder joints is silver – contained tin

Carbon fiber metal splitter and CNC integrated slider

Cable length: 1.2M


I'm simply posting this so readers will get the correct idea as to the OCC849, it's a great cable and much more energetic and forward than the way pure copper sounds most of the time.

Your post here? Nope.

 

[emdeevee]

Can anyone who has heard both Diva and Voltage offer some quick comparison notes on sound?

I assume you mean Elysian Diva? If so, bass would be the very first thing that comes across differently due to the 2xDDs in Voltage and Diva having all BAs. Not saying Diva bass is bad, it's not, it's actually darn good for BA bass, but it's still BA bass, which for me doesn't usually do the trick.

The bigger difference I feel comes down to tuning choices/differences. Elysian likes to tune their iems with some panache; they're energetic, fun, unusual listens. Penon seems to prefer a more natural, balanced approach to tuning, and both have their fans (I like both). But if I were choosing between Diva and Voltage, it's not even a question; a better question would be Voltage or Annihilator, but I don't need to go there

 

[wolfstar76]

I don't want to add my impression here since my Voltage is still in its first 10 hours, but if the current tuning is not fundamentally changed, Diva and Voltage have very different tuning preference. If you like the way Elysian tune their treble, then Voltage is not, the treble in Voltage is not tuned as the highlight.

Second day of listening, I have two new findings. First, I ordered a 3 in 1 connector for the stock cable, a big mistake. I should just ordered the 4.4mm, today when I was outside, the connector disconnected twice since there is no locking mechanism.

Second finding, the stock cable is not a good pair (I am not sure if it has anything to do with the disconnection incident since I felt that the sounding is not as good as I remembered yesterday). I switched to Renata, and the sound immediately improved significantly.

 

[wolfstar76]

BTW, today when I was trying different combination of switches, I accidentally put different setting for the left and right before I found the sound was too off.

 

[-rowan-]

Ahh, no, your 100% wrong here. The OCC849 sounds nothing like a pure copper cable build like the Hans Sound Zen or Hans Sound ZENTOO, that is because it is absolutely not pure copper as you discribe?

If you scroll over to the Penon site the OCC849 is a silver plated copper. Yep, there is a total difference here with the OCC849 in reality showing that silver additive and becoming on the brighter side of life, brighter than the ISN CS02, brighter than the Renata , and brighter than the last OCC cable ISN released (before) the ISN T-OCC.


Thus it is brighter than a full copper build because it is silver plated copper pure and simple here.


Penon description:

Penon OCC849 Single Crystal Copper HiFi Audiophile IEMs Cable

Type-4 Litz configuration

Description

6n single crystal copper silver-plated cable

8 strands, single strand is 49 cores, a total of 8 × 49.

The plug contains 68% copper

The solder joints is silver – contained tin

Carbon fiber metal splitter and CNC integrated slider

Cable length: 1.2M


I'm simply posting this so readers will get the correct idea as to the OCC849, it's a great cable and much more energetic and forward than the way pure copper sounds most of the time.

Your post here? Nope.

You’re right. My bad for not reading the fine print all the way. Thank you for pointing it out; I’ve amended the post now.

I’ve not heard the Hansound Zentoo and it must have been years since I heard the Zen but yes, I recall it being a typically warm, mid focused copper sound, which the OCC849 isn’t so much of. The OCC849 is more airy and doesn’t quite have the dynamic heft and energy of say the Asos, which I consider more typically SPC.

 

[-rowan-]

Can anyone who has heard both Diva and Voltage offer some quick comparison notes on sound?

I assume you mean Elysian Diva? If so, bass would be the very first thing that comes across differently due to the 2xDDs in Voltage and Diva having all BAs. Not saying Diva bass is bad, it's not, it's actually darn good for BA bass, but it's still BA bass, which for me doesn't usually do the trick.

I haven’t heard Diva 23 at all, only the 21, so my comparisons are based on that. Both the DDs and ESTs play a role in how the Voltage comes across differently. The Diva’s BA bass is generous but nevertheless less satisfying in how it hits, and I wish it had more upper treble presence. The mids are also affected too much when the bass dial is turned on.

First, I ordered a 3 in 1 connector for the stock cable, a big mistake. I should just ordered the 4.4mm, today when I was outside, the connector disconnected twice since there is no locking mechanism

I usually prefer fixed 4.4mm plugs, but forgot to request for it in my haste to order this time, and they sent me the modular one. I still don’t like the lack of locking mechanism, but to be fair, mine is holding up well. But if yours continues to give trouble, try contacting Penon. When I had issues with my Impact’s modular cable, they replaced it (with a fixed plug one at my request) without charge.

 

[Redcarmoose]

You’re right. My bad for not reading the fine print all the way. Thank you for pointing it out; I’ve amended the post now.

I’ve not heard the Hansound Zentoo and it must have been years since I heard the Zen but yes, I recall it being a typically warm, mid focused copper sound, which the OCC849 isn’t so much of. The OCC849 is more airy and doesn’t quite have the dynamic heft and energy of say the Asos, which I consider more typically SPC.

What was a wild coincidence was yesterday I was listening to the Zen and the OCC849 back to back answering another members question. He was looking for a cable solution to the Shozy B2. Now maybe I was keying in on one being 4 wire pure copper and the other (OCC849) silver plated, because psychologically can play games like that, having you think to hear what you expect to hear. But I don’t think so, the Han Sound is sleepier. Cheers!

 

[Lexington99]

Fellow Penon Chads,

Are we hyped for the new Penon Tribrid with BC drives or what?

I hope it's around $500 or less but probably not right?

 

[iscorpio71]

Fellow Penon Chads,

Are we hyped for the new Penon Tribrid with BC drives or what?

I hope it's around $500 or less but probably not right?

If this is the follow-up to Penon Fan2, it should be priced around 300$ or less.

Take the BGVP DME, for example, priced at less than $300.