[vandung2510]

Like I said in my first impressions post, the 4DDs are surprisingly agile and fast.

I don't listen to too much metal these days (I used to be a metal head in my teens), but played Judas Priest Painkiller just now and yes, Quattro easily keeps up with the crazy drums and incredibly fast-paced guitar lines. There's so much layering, details, and imaging too. Not to mention the incredible timbre.

I listen to a good amount of Polyphia and Quattro kicks ass for that band.

What's your main source that you use to drive the Quattro?

 

[Nabillion_786]

Without going into further detail, channel matching is apparently an issue and it’s particularly hard when it involves having to match a total of 8 DDs in each iem.

Yes, I do hope they manage to ramp up production soon because this is an excellent IEM and they need to get these in more people’s hands. But I do appreciate the care and attention that they are putting into channel matching and QC even at the expense of busting their timelines.


As a fellow Impact owner, I will say this - this is shaping up as what I wanted the Impact bass to be.



I’d say that it generally does male vocals well because of that tilt towards the lower mids as well as its bass response. Baritone and bass voices have good weight and density but are also nuanced and well articulated, not veiled.

I recall you DMed me for recommendations for male vocals quite some time back and I’m quite sure I recommended Volt for lower register vocals, or at least some other Penon for vocals in general. Did you get to listen to any Penon IEMs since then? Or what did you try and what did you like/not like about them? Also, are you after a specific register or range or some other quality in male vocals? For instance, do you have in mind Leonard Cohen type vocals or Lou Reed type vocals? It might help me or someone else here make more relevant recommendations or comparisons.

Yeah I remember messaging you a very long time ago and since then I have been settled on the moondrop Kato's (gold filter) as this was the only iem out of countless I have tried that mostly meets my requirements. Also, I know that you and others have recommended others iems like the fan 2 and volt but the issue is that I don't like the sound of ba iems I have tried in the past and I heard that the Kato does male vocals just as good as the fan 2 aswell.

Also, I listen to religious book recitations that is purely vocal and recited beautifully from the male reciters there. so I need non recessed, natural, thick and weighty vocal performance due to the powerful reciter I listen to. Kato has all of the mentioned but it does sound like the driver is quite lacking making the note decay unnaturally slow and lazy.

The next iem I am looking at now is the successor to the dunu vernus which I was told is in the making. That iem would seem to hit all my requirements since its dunus quality drivers and especially because the vernus were tuned with more warmth and lower mids then the competition. Also, too much warmth is not good either since it would comprise on clarity and speed.

 

[chibicas]

Hey guys I bought the 10th AE a month ago and I'm loving it, it was my first expensive IEM and I'm blown away. Honestly I can't imagine needing another IEM after this but I see lots of reviews and comments on how some would prefer listening to other Penon IEMs than the 10th. I would love to see other's thoughts on the other Penon IEMs compared to the 10th and if you would recommend any over the 10th!

 

[BrokenHill]

As a fellow Impact owner, I will say this - this is shaping up as what I wanted the Impact bass to be.

The DTE900 complements the Impact very well, for when I want a more fun profile without losing detail, and a DD-type bass. The Impact is still better in the vocal part, and in that separation of instruments and total coherence that the all BA have.

But... while I wait for the Quattro to come out, yesterday I took out the Serial, and paired them with the cable I now have in the DTE, the EA Fusion 1. I had not tried it before.

And I couldn't stop smiling with each song. Tonight I think I'll catch them again...

 

[BrokenHill]

Ok. Penon indeed sent me the wallet and card.
As far as a New Year's resolution, I need to learn to be more patient.

I also received mine a few minutes ago. In reality it was not a gift, since I had to pay €7 for customs, even though it was declared as a gift. €0.68 for the value declared by Penon, and the rest of management expenses. Does this only happen in my country?

 

[Click]

Hey guys I bought the 10th AE a month ago and I'm loving it, it was my first expensive IEM and I'm blown away. Honestly I can't imagine needing another IEM after this but I see lots of reviews and comments on how some would prefer listening to other Penon IEMs than the 10th. I would love to see other's thoughts on the other Penon IEMs compared to the 10th and if you would recommend any over the 10th!

Welcome to head-fi. You don't need to worry about upgrades if you're already happy and satisfied with the 10th AE. Save your money and be happy with it. Maybe upgrade cable, eartips, and your source (DAP or dongle DAC/amp) and of course, music files/quality. Don't fall into the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out or Flavor of the Month) trap that many of us have fallen into, unless you have a lot of money to spend.

If I wanted to save thousands of dollars, I'd be perfectly happy with just 10th AE and Cayin RU7, and none of the other IEMs, headphones, cables, eartips that I've bought this year. But, Thieaudio Monarch MKIII and Sony ZX707 is my "end game" portable combo that I'm totally happy with and felt was worth the money and upgrade over Penon 10th AE.

 

[cobrabucket]

Welcome to head-fi. You don't need to worry about upgrades if you're already happy and satisfied with the 10th AE. Save your money and be happy with it. Maybe upgrade cable, eartips, and your source (DAP or dongle DAC/amp) and of course, music files/quality. Don't fall into the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out or Flavor of the Month) trap that many of us have fallen into, unless you have a lot of money to spend.

If I wanted to save thousands of dollars, I'd be perfectly happy with just 10th AE and Cayin RU7, and none of the other IEMs, headphones, cables, eartips that I've bought this year. But, Thieaudio Monarch MKIII and Sony ZX707 is my "end game" portable combo that I'm totally happy with and felt was worth the money and upgrade over Penon 10th AE.

/\/\/\ Precisely this.

 

[zikarus]

I also received mine a few minutes ago. In reality it was not a gift, since I had to pay €7 for customs, even though it was declared as a gift. €0.68 for the value declared by Penon, and the rest of management expenses. Does this only happen in my country?

Patience is a virtue ...

 

[Dsnuts]

I almost feel like we are a secret society of penon wallet owners. If you got one. Then you are in the secret society. If I ever see a fellow enthusiast carrying around a Penon wallet in the wild. I will know you are a fellow brother and have exquisite taste in IEMs.

 

[SweetCans928]

Man, if I ever run into someone else with a Penon wallet...this is going down for sure:

 

[-rowan-]

Also, I know that you and others have recommended others iems like the fan 2 and volt but the issue is that I don't like the sound of ba iems I have tried in the past and I heard that the Kato does male vocals just as good as the fan 2 aswell.

Volt is more coherent than you’d expect of a tribrid (and I’m a big sucker for coherency). It has Sonion BAs handling the mids, and they match impeccably with the bass DD. Not sure I’d point to Fan 2 specifically for male vocals. And if you’re happier with an all-DD setup (I know I am), keep an eye on Quattro because it might just work for you.

Also, I listen to religious book recitations that is purely vocal and recited beautifully from the male reciters there. so I need non recessed, natural, thick and weighty vocal performance due to the powerful reciter I listen to.

Yep, sounds like a lot of Penons, with Quattro and Volt at the top of that heap.

Might want to try Campfire as well if you haven’t - they’ve been back on form lately. Their new single DD Cascara fits the bill as well and has a rather good new driver - more impressions should come in soon as people get theirs. The old DDs in their back catalogue are worth checking out as well. From memory I’m thinking something like Atlas could work for you.

Hey guys I bought the 10th AE a month ago and I'm loving it, it was my first expensive IEM and I'm blown away. Honestly I can't imagine needing another IEM after this but I see lots of reviews and comments on how some would prefer listening to other Penon IEMs than the 10th. I would love to see other's thoughts on the other Penon IEMs compared to the 10th and if you would recommend any over the 10th!

I’d join the others and say enjoy the 10th as long as you can. But if you really must, there are several directions to take it in. There are a lot of good impressions and comparisons in this thread so you’ve got some good reading ahead of you! Or just tell us what you particularly enjoy about the 10th or what you would like to improve…

But... while I wait for the Quattro to come out, yesterday I took out the Serial, and paired them with the cable I now have in the DTE, the EA Fusion 1. I had not tried it before.

And I couldn't stop smiling with each song. Tonight I think I'll catch them again...

I was doing the same while waiting for the Quattro. Serial really doesn’t get old! And it plays so well with bigger, shinier toys.

I almost feel like we are a secret society of penon wallet owners.

Presenting mine for admission:

 

[chibicas]

Welcome to head-fi. You don't need to worry about upgrades if you're already happy and satisfied with the 10th AE. Save your money and be happy with it. Maybe upgrade cable, eartips, and your source (DAP or dongle DAC/amp) and of course, music files/quality. Don't fall into the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out or Flavor of the Month) trap that many of us have fallen into, unless you have a lot of money to spend.

If I wanted to save thousands of dollars, I'd be perfectly happy with just 10th AE and Cayin RU7, and none of the other IEMs, headphones, cables, eartips that I've bought this year. But, Thieaudio Monarch MKIII and Sony ZX707 is my "end game" portable combo that I'm totally happy with and felt was worth the money and upgrade over Penon 10th AE.

I appreciate the honest response! Honestly that's exactly what I did, except for buying eartips. I've come to the same conclusion you did since it was a pretty penny however I couldn't help but be curious so I had to ask! Do you recommend any eartips or cables I should buy? I went to japan and tested out some cables and I concluded in buying Orb - Clear Force Nova 2nd Gen because it added clarity and more separation.

I’d join the others and say enjoy the 10th as long as you can. But if you really must, there are several directions to take it in. There are a lot of good impressions and comparisons in this thread so you’ve got some good reading ahead of you! Or just tell us what you particularly enjoy about the 10th or what you would like to improve…

Thanks for your input! Honestly i'm just really enthusiastic on how good it sounded from Penon and I am willing (in the future when there are good sales) to try some other ones out. Like I said before, this is my first expensive IEM but I loved the timbre and the soundstage. The fact that I can get a nice rumble from the bass with all of that added together made me really fall in love with it. I'm a sucker for separation of the instrumentals because when you listen to that same song again and focus somewhere else you start to appreciate the song way more despite listening to the same song hundreds of times. I think I'm also especially hooked on the timbre because I haven't experienced anything like that before.

 

[Click]

I appreciate the honest response! Honestly that's exactly what I did, except for buying eartips. I've come to the same conclusion you did since it was a pretty penny however I couldn't help but be curious so I had to ask! Do you recommend any eartips or cables I should buy? I went to japan and tested out some cables and I concluded in buying Orb - Clear Force Nova 2nd Gen because it added clarity and more separation.


Thanks for your input! Honestly i'm just really enthusiastic on how good it sounded from Penon and I am willing (in the future when there are good sales) to try some other ones out. Like I said before, this is my first expensive IEM but I loved the timbre and the soundstage. The fact that I can get a nice rumble from the bass with all of that added together made me really fall in love with it. I'm a sucker for separation of the instrumentals because when you listen to that same song again and focus somewhere else you start to appreciate the song way more despite listening to the same song hundreds of times. I think I'm also especially hooked on the timbre because I haven't experienced anything like that before.

There's a lot of recommendations for 10th AE cable pairings in this thread and in reviews. You need to search for opinions on what you prefer sound quality wise, comfort, aesthetics, and how much you're willing to spend on a cable.

I started with the ISN H2 for 10th AE. While it's a good cable for the price and matches the 10th AE in aesthetics, I felt a good SPC cable paired better with 10th AE. I like Gladiator Cables' "Aes Harmony" and Effect Audio's Cadmus 8W on 10th AE. @Bosk wrote a really cool article and compared a lot of cables with IEMs, including 10th AE. Read through it some time.

As for eartips, I'm currently enjoying HiFiGo's Divinus Velvet tips on the 10th AE. If you like more bass, SpinFit eartips are good with 10th AE too. W1 and CP145 are my favorite SpinFits and they work well with 10th AE. All depends on your own ears and preferences, so tip roll away and find what best fits your ears and your preferences.

 

[zikarus]

There's a lot of recommendations for 10th AE cable pairings in this thread and in reviews. You need to search for opinions on what you prefer sound quality wise, comfort, aesthetics, and how much you're willing to spend on a cable.

I started with the ISN H2 for 10th AE. While it's a good cable for the price and matches the 10th AE in aesthetics, I felt a good SPC cable paired better with 10th AE. I like Gladiator Cables' "Aes Harmony" and Effect Audio's Cadmus 8W on 10th AE. @Bosk wrote a really cool article and compared a lot of cables with IEMs, including 10th AE. Read through it some time.

As for eartips, I'm currently enjoying HiFiGo's Divinus Velvet tips on the 10th AE. If you like more bass, SpinFit eartips are good with 10th AE too. W1 and CP145 are my favorite SpinFits and they work well with 10th AE. All depends on your own ears and preferences, so tip roll away and find what best fits your ears and your preferences.

Second @Click 's cable recommendations. As a bang for the buck solution I would add this cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EytPm0p

 

[-rowan-]

Thanks for your input! Honestly i'm just really enthusiastic on how good it sounded from Penon and I am willing (in the future when there are good sales) to try some other ones out.

That was me in 2021. I had been on indefinite hiatus from IEMs and headphones and all things headfi when I took a chance and blind bought the Volt on the strength of the very small number of reviews that existed back then. It was a slippery slope from there…

Like I said before, this is my first expensive IEM but I loved the timbre and the soundstage. The fact that I can get a nice rumble from the bass with all of that added together made me really fall in love with it. I'm a sucker for separation of the instrumentals because when you listen to that same song again and focus somewhere else you start to appreciate the song way more despite listening to the same song hundreds of times. I think I'm also especially hooked on the timbre because I haven't experienced anything like that before.

From this description, it sounds like you would appreciate the Quattro. But I strongly suggest enjoying the 10th first. I’ve found that the 10th is fairly tip and cable sensitive so there is quite a bit to explore before you entertain the urge to move on. I also have the xinhs palladium silver cable that @zikarus recommended above - it’s a versatile cable that does well with a number of other IEMs as well, including my Impact.