Penon Turbo Universal IEM 6 Balanced Armature & 4 tuning switches Redcarmoose Labs August 20th, 2023 While very different from most IEMs I review, I can pretty much guarantee you don’t have an IEM which sounds like this in your collection. Why? Mostly due to the bass levels, now we can still arrange the tuning switches to reach only a subtle bass boost, but even then it’s standout due to bass levels….a little. Then we can go hog-wild (if wanted) to reach profound levels of bass. All and all this makes the Turbo unique, but also this is one of...

The SIMGOT EM6L Universal IEM Redcarmoose Labs August 17, 2023 SIMGOT SIMGOT has been on a roll recently with the EW200 and the previously loved EA500 (with red filters). And the truth is many normal people (who don’t spend all their time at Head-Fi) are just learning about the EA500. The China mainland actually received the SIMGOT EA500 two months prior, so the heat started there. Truth to be told, the EA500 was and is special……..but could it be improved upon? And that has always been the question, if adding more BAs couldn’t make a better IEM...

A Players Game………. You may have heard about Z Reviews? Guy starts out (single-handedly) shooting videos in his tiny apartment, has a way with words, but truly loves audio. Next thing you know he moves into a new big house filled with 1000s of dollars in (provided) consumer merchandise. Yet he doesn’t stop, no……he keeps getting YouTube followers and continues to influence the masses. It’s a for-sure gig that the haters will come. You know green with jealousy, jealously wishing they were a part of the party. And I want to make one thing very clear...

Kiwi Ears Dolce 10MM LDP Dynamic Driver In-Ear Monitor Redcarmoose August 14th, 2023 Kiwi Ears Dolce 10MM LDP Dynamic Driver In-Ear Monitor 10MM LDP (LDPE+LCP) Diaphragm Ultra Durable Medical Grade Resin Material 2-Pin 0.78 MM Cable and High-Purity OCC Copper Coming in at $24.99 we are going to find out how the Dolce fairs against its competitors, namely the $22.99 7Hz Salnotes Zero and $19.00 TANGZU Wan’er S.G. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/7hz-salnotes-zero-universal-iem.25980/reviews#review-28978...

The ISN CS02 Cable Redcarmoose August 13th, 2023 Don’t know if you have heard of ISN company? They are an off-shoot of Penon Audio and make a range of cables and IEMs. Typically up until this year their signature sound was slightly more bass focused IEMs than the known Penon midrange IEM products. And while I have specifically reviewed a number of ISN cables, they are always introducing new products. And I have to say, it has been a little of an adventure trying out these different audio products. Depending on the metallurgy and construction...

SIMGOT MAZE EW200 High Performance IEM Redcarmoose Labs August 8th, 2023 So I’m fiddling around here at Redcarmoose Labs when this box arrives. Normally I just set a box that arrives aside, but this particular box was different. It’s been hit or miss with SIMGOT lately. While I gave the little brother to the EW200, the SIMGOT EW100P and the EM2R only 3 out of 5 stars.....I had read good things about the EW200. And to contrast all this, the SIMGOT EA500 was one of the very best under $100.00 IEMs I had ever heard...

Geek Wold GK100 Redcarmoose July 31, 2023 Introduction Contrary to what you may guess there are actually many different ways to introduce an IEM. And in exploration of this concept I’m going to start right-off with music demonstrations. This style of getting to know the Geek Wold GK100 would be like finding it on a table at an IEM show, and simply putting it in your ears and listening. While of course there are a few visual clues too upon first meeting, but really it’s the sound we are all here for, right? Grabbing the GK100 off a table you are...

TANGZU Princess Chang Le Pros: $12.00 set of Tang Sancai ear-tips for $1 when you purchase the TANGZU Princess Chang Le from Linsoul Small size, yet big sound due to open-back design Nice note-weight Natural sounding Scales-up with better equipment amazingly enough Cons: Permanently attached cable Cable micriphonics Not the most detailed but wonderfully musical Hard to drive Cable not able to be coiled without cable tie TANGZU The TANGZU Wan'er S.G single DD and the TANGZU Wu Zetian Planer IEMs were some of my very most favorite IEMs out...

Tripowin x HBB Kailua Dual Dynamic Driver In-Ear Monitors Redcarmoose July 25, 2023 Surprisingly, I received the Kailua on June 28th, so I have spent considerable time with them. Being a double Dynamic Driver constructed of a 10mm DLC for lows and mids, and a 6mm Titanium coated driver for the upper-mids and highs, I was happy to wait and gain experience/burn-in time. Often gaining extra listening time can go one of two ways, One) the IEM may arrive at boring and as the newness wears off, or (Two) (in this case) finding the Tripowin Kailua unique...

Penon 10th Anniversary Commemorative Edition First of the Penon 10th Anniversary Special Edition is commemorative. It is simply the IEM that Penon chose to celebrate the store’s 10 years in business. I think that explains the colors of swirly blue sparkles and deep candy red edges? I mean to me the 10th looks nothing like I have ever seen before. And to the contrary, there is nothing about its looks that are understated……nope, this one (here) is a party that Penon will not let us soon forget. Though I forgot to explain, the 10th just doesn’t...

Knowledge Zenith AS24 Universal IEM Redcarmoose July 10th, 2023 Hello! Welcome to another Knowledge Zenith review. Back in mid July of 2016 I reviewed my first KZ, the KZ-ATE Copper Driver RQ:016NBM IEM. Such a review was also my very first front page exposure here at Head-Fi. Nowadays I wish I still had the old KZ-ATE, but I gave it away and it was subsequently damaged in a skateboarding mishap. Luckily my friend wasn’t hurt, but the KZ-ATE with its non-removable cables was. :) You see I had no way of knowing (then) that this particular brand...

The Kiwi Ears Quintet Universal IEM Redcarmoose July 2nd, 2023 Kiwi ears: Kiwi ears is not totally new to the game, but they kinda are with debuting the 8 BA Orchestra IEM back in the summer of 2021. Since then they have slowly risen to prominence with design examples like the Orchestra Lite, a budget friendly reintroduction of the Orchestra coming in at $249.00 as opposed to the original Orchestra at $499.00. And they have had success with others too like the budget friendly Dolce at $24.99, the $34.99 Cadenza and the Kiwi ears Quartet at...

Redcarmoose June 28th, 2023 ISN Neo 5 The Neo 5 is a brand new approach to sound design. Showcasing a frequency range placement new to the world of IEMs. Such a development makes a rise 6kHz presence region and instead of a dip. The only way this works is if you have enough low-end to balance it out. Also different from the flagship ISN EST50, they have included a boisterous boost of the 4.6kHz vocal section. In ending this 1DD X 4 Knowles BA invention sounds even, correct and complete despite being new and different. Won’t you join me in the...

Buttons go, volume-up, hold and volume-down The PENON TAIL DAC AMP Taking into account the sheer number of sources to come out within the last 12 years is staggering. I mean those of us old enough to remember, remember the iPod Classic first brought forth October 23, 2001. People then were happy to walk around with 5 GB of storage at $399.00……$685.00 in todays money. 1000 songs in your pocket was the motto. I knew about this Apple idea but rebelled and didn’t really succumb until 2005. Please........320 kbps audiophile quality? As you know how the...

The Penon Bass Cable Redcarmoose June 15, 2023 https://penonaudio.com/penon-volt.html Penon Creativity: Penon in their creativity introduced a new specialist cable recently. While some cables go with a wide-range of DAPs and IEMs and are thought of as generalist cables, a specialist cable has lesser applications in life, yet those applications provide great results. Starting with the $299 Flow cable, Penon then introduced the $99.90 Space cable. And while I haven’t heard the Flow, the Space really lived up to its name, seemingly adding stage size...

BLON X HBB Z300 $39.99 https://www.linsoul.com/products/blon-x-hbb-z300?variant=43874951987417 For just a penny under $40.00 we have a both pleasant build and even/correct tone. Seemingly joining forces with past luminary BLON, and on-going phenomena HBB to collaborate in making something fun. This is suppose to be a review, so you expecting some critical talk, and we will get there. Except there are very few ideas and build consequences to take offense with. As with many HBB collaborations we have the HBB signature, that while slightly varying...

Tripowin Piccolo $35.00 https://www.linsoul.com/collections/all/products/tripowin-piccolo?variant=43855443329241 I kinda can see where this is going. New Chinese audio manufacturers in the future! Loop-O-Plane Disk'O Rock-O-Plane Roll-O-Plane Tilt-A-Whirl Tripowin,Tripowin,Tripowin, the name is still strange and regardless of it’s time in existence, I still don’t know what the meaning is? To me it sounds like an amusement park ride, like it could even be spelled as Trip-o-win…….simply fun. Today we are investigating the latest out-put from...

"Paint-by-Numbers" Formulaic; showing no original thought or creativity. SIMGOT EW100P While technically proficient, this paint by the numbers approach results in a $19.99 IEM that while good, brings nothing new to the table. Such commonality results in a sound you most likely already bought before. Firing on all eight cylinders SIMGOT’s prior release the EA500 bypassed this boredom, using the same Harman 2016 idea, yet followed through with better execution. Join me as I compare the EW100P with other IEMs, using the differences to arrive at my 3...

The ISN GC4 Cable $179.00 https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-gc4.html As far as cable additives go the GC4 ends-up a middle-priced or an expensively priced additive, depending who you (and your bank account) are. Now I would be remiss if I suggested the GC4 doesn’t have a distinct personality because it does. Yet reading that you may think the GC4 emits color which changes the overall tone in contrast to neutral? In reality the affect of the GC4 sounds almost close to neutral due to the pure resolution and clarity it performs. But not neutral due to...

The Penon Volt The Penon Volt is a flagship IEM which came out in October of 2020. Amazingly the Volt is only Penon’s third IEM………following the Sphere and the Orb. While continuing to use the Orb’s 10mm DD, they then filled-in the sonics with use of 2 Sonion BAs for the mids and 4 Sonion EST drivers for the highs. Summery: The Volt’s sound centers around that famous (ever-so-slightly-warm) Penon midrange, but I would be remiss if I didn’t emphasize the exquisite balance arrived elsewhere. Yep, better bass than you are expecting, and those 4 Sonion...