[Rolu]

Why be a ?

I'm not, I genuinely wondered if there was something about this that I didn't know.
But by your response, I understand there's indeed nothing about it.

 

[aaf evo]

Something interesting I discovered today, VEX has its serial number on the shell:

I never noticed this during my ownership, lmao. Maybe that’s a testament to how pleasant they sound.

 

[drftr]

I never noticed this during my ownership, lmao. Maybe that’s a testament to how pleasant they sound.

Don't all IEMs have this?

drftr

 

[aaf evo]

Don't all IEMs have this?

drftr

Nope, there’s no markings on my Storm.

 

[maegnificant]

Yeah that makes sense. I too would be interested to hear about those who think similarly to him, certainly a strong chance they know something I don’t and can learn to see music in a different light.

I think when I say “moves me emotionally” I mean that it brings about some kind of emotion (anything really - happy, sad, angry, confused, etc.) which in turn causes some sort of interest or reflection. Could be interest on what’s going on in the music, self reflection, reflection on composer/artists intent, whatever, but does, as you say, something outside of just creating wiggly air.

Unless that’s the point, would I find completely randomized frequencies in a random order/timing interesting? Perhaps I would… a tough question you’ve posed for a Sunday, much appreciated!

That is a little bit part of the concept of some of Brian Enos ambient compilation Music For Installations. He always experimented to make "infinite" music, where nothing repeats in the exact same order.
Of course the CD tracks are not infinite, but they catch the drift quite well.

 

[drftr]

Nope, there’s no markings on my Storm.

Never had a look at my Sultan but I can't find any number or name either. So maybe it is something special.

drftr

 

[Rolu]

Don't manufacturers mark all their IEM shells for tracking?

 

[dpeterfy32]

do you think a desktop dac/amp gives more than any dap? for example an aune s9c pro bt.

 

[phiemon]

do you think a desktop dac/amp gives more than any dap? for example an aune s9c pro bt.

No, K19 here with 8000mW vs N30 with 780mW. The N30 is clearly better in every aspect.

 

[Simpeler]

Never had a look at my Sultan but I can't find any number or name either. So maybe it is something special.

drftr

I see it on a lot of IEM’s. With limited editions its easy to find what the number stands for.
But in some cases its like its random

 

[Alexzander]

Yep, 58K and only 400mb free space left at this moment
But the LPGT still runs smooth...

Most of my favorite albums in hq:
± 800 DSD [64] / WAV [32] files
± 3.000 FLAC [24b] files
± 7.500 FLAC [16b] files
and the rest is 'simply' mp3@320.

Now, maybe the mp3 files disqualify me completely for being a serious audiophile. But as long as the music is well produced, I can still totally enjoy them too


My AK daps even have an extra 256gb onboard => approx 70K songs on those. I like the variety while listening to 'all songs' in shuffle mode, but of course I also listen to complete albums from time to time

So we are able now to bully each due to wrongful numeric preferences, right! Great news!

It also seems that the number of real (non-mp3) tracks are around x5 times less than initially declared number - are you into corporate reporting stuff or something like this by any chance?

 

[Alexzander]

Penon Voltage impressions

These have opened up in a spectacular way. I’ve been listening to them all week to the exclusion of everything else in my collection. When I do get a moment, Voltage makes me want to spend the time listening rather than writing about it. It’s hard writing about an IEM that doesn’t even sound like it needs to try. It’s that effortlessly natural and musical.



Mids are gorgeous and liquid, it goes without saying (they would not be Penon otherwise). Driven by the N7 and Tsuranagi, the Voltage does imaging, layering and separation superbly while always organising the sound with the big picture in mind. It doesn’t get lost in the detail. But it’s of that calibre where, if your music has inner lines weaving in and out of a busy mix, you’ll not only hear them, you’ll hear the specific texture and location of the instruments or voices.

Everything is geared towards creating that illusion of perfectly natural timbre with musicians, instruments and sounds all situated on an imaginary stage. Their sheer level of texture, detail, resolution and spatiality is attention-grabbing, yet unforced. None of it is in your face.

The bass brings good, solid note weight, authority, and hits hard, deep and fast with nice decay. It holds detail and texture all the way down to the lowest frequencies, but the DDs also have no compunction whatsoever rumbling and roaring when called upon.

Impactful DD bass and a well defined, articulate midrange do not always come together well but here, the Voltage apparently makes it happen with impeccable coherence.

The treble already feels complete, and completely unforced. It’s not going to be Ragnar-bright, but still goes on for days. It extends nicely and the top end feels very airy and open. It’s evident in the atmosphere as well the imaging and positional cues that it serves up. It’s approaching 100 hours, and yet I’m under no illusion that the ESTs are quite done burning in (if the Volt was anything to go by, they may surprise me yet in a few weeks or months; check back then).



I’m generally not a fan of switches. I usually prefer to settle on one tuning and stick with it. And more often than not, I can’t help but feel that each tuning option is compromised in some way. So I will admit I was less than thrilled when I heard the Voltage would have switches. I’m happy to say my fears are unfounded. For whatever it’s worth, I really like the stock setting. Too early to say if I’ll lapse into my usual habit of settling on one tuning, but the tuning options are compelling and I actually see myself using the switches.

The cable is well chosen. I rolled a bunch and most didn’t improve the synergy substantially enough to warrant writing about.

Totem is a notable but unsurprising exception - it went well with Volt and Impact and I fully expected it to get along with Voltage as well. It’s well served by the resolution and brings a bigger stage, filled by fuller, weightier notes.

The Ronin stock cable is another good match but it’s actually quite similar to the Voltage stock, just more resolving and with more extended treble (yum) and slightly less sub bass.

I used orange Liqueur tips on the Voltage right from the get go and (again predictably) after rolling a bunch of tips, I’m right back where I started. The orange tips, as I’ve commented before, are great for natural timbre, air and staging, and that’s what they do here - amp up the best attributes of the Voltage.

Other tips I enjoyed with Voltage were the Eletech Baroque (more bass pressure, keeps the treble extension intact) and Acoustune AEX70 (more airy and open, bass takes a small hit) but neither has a massive advantage over the Liqueur.

The Liqueur tips are $10 for 3 pairs; Penon spent a lot of time and effort developing them and trying to nail the manufacturing, and I think they missed an opportunity to bundle them as stock with their new flagship tribrid.

I haven’t touched the stock tips at all. Same accessories as just about every Penon IEM in existence I can think of, except OG Fan - if you’ve unboxed one you’ve unboxed them all. Personally, it doesn’t bother me.

I love a good unboxing (Dita Project M, anyone - a carefully thought out aesthetic that steers clear of OTT packaging and waste), but with Penon’s stuff I’d like to think that what I’m paying for goes into the development and manufacturing of the actual IEM itself, and that’s what’s going in my ears anyway.

May I ask you to provide some comparisons to any well-known IEM like Traillii, Jewel, Raven, you name it?
You have piqued my interest but I just want to keep my expectations real.

 

[szore]

That is a little bit part of the concept of some of Brian Enos ambient compilation Music For Installations. He always experimented to make "infinite" music, where nothing repeats in the exact same order.
Of course the CD tracks are not infinite, but they catch the drift quite well.

 

[Andricop]

Hello Watercooler friends, I am here to share a shoddy ad hoc review. Be warned, I'm gonna gush for a bit here...

The Canpur CP54E deserves more attention.

I have owned many IEMs and continued to climb the tiers as I've gotten into the hobby. I started with some Westone (respectable IEMs but definitely not amazing), moved on to u12t (fun, competent but not the most exciting) and then finally started to play in the top end of the IEM tiers. Namely, the bird, Anni 23 and a few others.

The kind folks at Musicteck offered an audition of the Canpur CP54E and at first I wasn't sure what to make of it. It was not your standard tuning. It was technically top shelf but the bass (which is undoubtedly the best BA bass I've ever heard) sort of grabs you first. You could quickly conclude: well that's just a big pillowy bass. But then after some time, the rest of experience reveals itself. I'm not a reviewer by any means and @F700 sums it up beautifully with the recent review. It's a world class IEM.

It is an impeccably tuned, highly technical IEM. Deeply satisfying bass, amazing cohesion across the FR and highs that are right up there with the best of them. The tuning is the star of the show here. It is a wonderfully satisfying and addictive IEM. I have a bit of an aversion to what I call muscular IEMs. IEMs that just try too hard to impress you. I tried the 622B at Canjam and it fell into that camp for me. The CP54E is Canpur doing it right. An inoffensive, yet detailed, revealing and really fun IEM. Imagine the Trifecta tightened up across the highs and mids and bass that slams but doesn't go out of control.

The CP54E is one of those IEMs that will likely go unnoticed. In my opinion, it deserves - at the very least - a cult following.

Fully agree with you mate! Canpur CP54E is an excellent IEM. I had the chance to listen to @F700 pair at the Amsterdam meet-up and I immediately liked it. I tried to order a custom pair from March 28th but unfortunately Canpur is not answering anymore (reminds me Elysian Acoustic 3 years ago ...)

 

[drftr]

Canpur is not answering anymore

PM me if you want me to give it a try. They contacted me a few weeks ago and I haven't answered yet. Perhaps I could and change the subject ever so slightly?

drftr