[Bosk]

I've just compared the impressive new $269 Penon Renata to the Effect Audio Code 24 & Liquid Links Venom - you're invited to read my full review here.

 

[theintention]

https://penonaudio.com/penon-os849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/penon-gs849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/penon-gd849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/Penon-OCC849.html $99.90

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

The OS849, GS849, GD849 and new one the Penon OCC849. Where in early 2018 the first of the series the OS849 cable was released. As such it was 68% Crystal Copper and a 32% silver core. Versatile and thick, really there was nothing like it at the time that came with an IEM. 6N purity with 8% silver in the copper wire plating. 49 stands and 8X49 stands in total so that’s how they got the name. The original OS849 cable costs $99.90 and provides a grand service and noticeably different from this new OCC849 cable. Where the original OS849 becomes more airy into how it deals with sonics, not being weighted down by the 63% copper plug of this new OCC849. I mean really there is a use for both, have a darker IEM that you want to gain stage expansion really both the OCC849 and the original OS849 do that. The difference is the OCC849 is more heavy gaining lower midrange details and added heft. Still there is nothing at all wrong with what the original does. In fact it was amazing just how well rounded of a cable the original was, never coloring the sound, but moving forward to add definition and stage over most included cables. Later in my review I will go over more details about how these two cables are different. Yet there is a good feeling finding a cable Penon released in early 2018 that still performs grand arranging the details and stage to make any modern day IEM shine. Really it is almost like pure silver in how it adds energy, yet balanced to the fact that it is a copper/silver plated cable really in the end. That simply means we don’t have to worry about the OS849 ever getting too hot or bringing too much energy to out listening.


The GS849 and GD849:
These came after the OS849 and while still the build of the original OS849 brought new flavors of density due to the metallurgy make-up. The GS849 is a hybrid cable while still versatile it contains 18K Gold which adds density and thickness in comparison to the original OS849.

I used the Penon Volt today for testing as the volt is incredibly balanced, not too dark or too bright anyway. Yet it is revealing enough to easily show the character of each cable and how they are different. Now the best part about today was that there were never any fires to put out, or dullness to try and add clarity too. As such it was simply different flavors of good. Now that will not always be the case with other IEMs, but at least today it the Volt was always correct and even sounding, yet there was a specific character from each cable which in the end shined through!

In fact yesterday it was a little daunting to think I would compare all four cables and need to note how they performed, when in reality this write-up ended one of the easiest things to do. Like almost changing the EQ on your stereo and reporting in how each setting sounded.

The GS849 is still 18K gold plated OCC copper and the other half is silver plated OCC copper making 8 cores of 49 stands each thus 849. So it is simple in playback……..here we are offered a denser playback and owning slightly more weight than the original OS849, yet not the total warmth and copper sound of (maybe) the plug……….but whatever is doing it, the OCC849 is just a tad warmer despite the GS849 added note weight and density. Where to really get into this mess, the GS849 has a new and different midrange. A kind of beautiful imaged midrange, which showed a more vibrant color than the original OS849, yet still more airy and flying slightly higher, as not as grounded as the OCC849. Yet this may be my favorite cable of the bunch. I know you were thinking I was going to say this new OCC849 was best, and it may be with other IEMs…….but today with the Volt this takes the cake. And they really are all very different.

The GD849:
More 18K Gold! Coming out in September of 2020 it was a few years later than the original OS849. Here we are witnessing a cable with weight and authority, kind-of still vivid, but less on the vivid scale. Like the ISN GC4 there are very specific reasons you may want to included this cable, or if the ESTs in the Penon Volt are too hot for you……..which would make you a different outsider, but it could maybe happen…….then you may want to use the GD849 with the Volt. Because remember the Volt is so well rounded that none of the outcomes today were bad, just that each held a new and different tone slightly which could maybe go in order?


Volt uses:

1. GS849
2. OS849 tied to 3. OCC849

And finally last the GD849

Your results may very depending on IEM in use, DAP, ear-tips and personal preference.

Cheers!

The Penon OCC849:

The OS849:

The GS849:


And finally the GD849 with all of its bling:

Thank-you for reading!

Any opinions on these cables in comparison to other brands like Effect?

@Dsnuts

 

[Redcarmoose]

Any opinions on these cables in comparison to other brands like Effect?

@Dsnuts

That is a good question for him. In my review I will attempt to compare them to stuff like the White Whale and SIMGOT LC7.

 

[Dsnuts]

Any opinions on these cables in comparison to other brands like Effect?

@Dsnuts

Effect Audio only uses materials that are a level above what Penon likes to use in the OCC Crystal copper variant. Equivalent Effect Audio cables gets you less material and if you do get similar material thickness as the Penon cables. The 8 wire variants, it ends up being double the price. You can get 3 of the Penon cables listed for the same cost of a single Cadmus 8w for example..

Value is clearly not on the side of the Effect Audio cable but at the same time, they are not overly charging for their proprietary conx and termx tech with the deliberate use of UP-OCC which is pretty much the highest level of coppers you can get in the industry. Cema Electro acousti on Aliexpress uses very similar UP-OCC with similar pricing as Effect Audio, maybe slightly cheaper vs their 8 wire variant but just through my own experience with real UP-OCC ( yes there are budget cables that claim to use UP-OCC but I highly doubt its real as these cables usually goes for a fragment of what EA or Electro Acousti sells thiers for) is that they are more resolving vs any other copper variant. provides a superior blacker background for better imaging and detail among copper-based cables. Adding silver on top of this gives you the different types that these companies charge accordingly.

If you have one or two IEMs you enjoy and would like a higher end cable to bring the best in said IEMs then it make sense to get one higher end cable to match with them. But if you own more than a few IEMs. It makes more sense to have a variety of cables. The 3 cables that makes a lot of sense for Penon is their OCC849, OS849, and GS849. Cus you get 3 outstanding cables for the price of one 8w The GD849 as nice as a gold plated OCC cable, looks nice but is the one that you will need a very specific type of tuning to match up with. Neutral bright so its a very niche type cable.

Just my opinion but you are actually better off trying 3 different types of Penon crystal copper-based cables OS-Series just for the fact that you never know which one of the 3 will synergize better with whatever IEM you own.

 

[theintention]

Effect Audio only uses materials that are a level above what Penon likes to use in the OCC Crystal copper variant. Equivalent Effect Audio cables gets you less material and if you do get similar material thickness as the Penon cables. The 8 wire variants, it ends up being double the price. You can get 3 of the Penon cables listed for the same cost of a single Cadmus 8w for example..

Value is clearly not on the side of the Effect Audio cable but at the same time, they are not overly charging for their proprietary conx and termx tech with the deliberate use of UP-OCC which is pretty much the highest level of coppers you can get in the industry. Cema Electro acousti on Aliexpress uses very similar UP-OCC with similar pricing as Effect Audio, maybe slightly cheaper vs their 8 wire variant but just through my own experience with real UP-OCC ( yes there are budget cables that claim to use UP-OCC but I highly doubt its real as these cables usually goes for a fragment of what EA or Electro Acousti sells thiers for) is that they are more resolving vs any other copper variant. provides a superior blacker background for better imaging and detail among copper-based cables. Adding silver on top of this gives you the different types that these companies charge accordingly.

If you have one or two IEMs you enjoy and would like a higher end cable to bring the best in said IEMs then it make sense to get one higher end cable to match with them. But if you own more than a few IEMs. It makes more sense to have a variety of cables. The 3 cables that makes a lot of sense for Penon is their OCC849, OS849, and GS849. Cus you get 3 outstanding cables for the price of one 8w The GD849 as nice as a gold plated OCC cable looks is the one that you will need a very specific type of tuning to match up with. Neutral bright so its a very niche type cable.

Just my opinion but you are actually better off trying 3 different types of Penon crystal copper-based cables OS-Series just for the fact that you never know which one of the 3 will synergize better with whatever IEM you own.

Dope thanks. Picked up the newest release this morning, good to know where it stands with the competition.

 

[Dsnuts]

Penons OCC is a higher grade of copper vs the NiceHCKs and the Xinhs of the world but it's not exactly UPOCC that Effect Audio uses. But this being said, it gets damn close and has its own flavoring. UPOCC with silver ends up being a brighter treble enhancing cable than you would imagine. So sometimes a bit less resolving OCC with silver actually sounds a bit smoother for trebles and ultimately sounds more balanced.

This is what I meant by the OCC cables having its own flavor. Penons OCC variants seems to give greater note weight while the UPOCC by sheer nature of its resolve gives the best stage for coppers but sounds a touch thinner in note weight vs a thicker OCC cable.

It is the UPOCC that ends up matching well for IEMs that need better technicalities. If your IEMs base sound has good foundational technicalities like stage, imaging, sound separation and detail. It is the OCC variant that enhances an IEM like that better. Again having a variety of cable types is much like having a variety of IEM tips. You never know which one will add a synergistic component to an IEM sound profile. And sometimes having the most resolving cable is not necessarily the obvious best thing for a sound.

Take Fiios Monocrystalline silver plated cables they threw in for the old FD5 for example. That cable made the FD5 sound more analytical than it should be including enhancing the trebles for the IEM. The issue with that is, it already has plenty of treble for its base tuning. So it made much more sense to use a less resolving copper variant to enhance its note weight and not have any extra influence for its trebles. Which ends up making the FD5 sound much better imo. This is a case of a manufacturer just including the most resolving cable in a package and calling it good. Unfortunately, it worked against the actual sound of the FD5.

 

[Redcarmoose]

https://penonaudio.com/penon-gs849.html
Here the GS849 aftermarket cable is in action with the ifi hip DACs 3 and Penon Volt.........my favorite IEM combo here today!

 

[Redcarmoose]

More hip dac 3 fun!

Here is the Penon GD849 special use cable........in use with the 7Hz Aurora! Meaning it has uses, though less uses than regular cables, yet when those uses are found it becomes valuable, where the Volt is middle-rounded and well-rounded showing a centered midrange personality......that goes with a wide variety of cables. Here we have the GD849 triming the treble and fixing the 6mm Planar Aurora timbre to bring about a level closer to perfection in playback response.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I humbly present to you another, yes another cable review! The OCC849 cable from Penon Audio!
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/pe...diophile-iem-cable.27241/reviews#review-33965

 

[Elim Garak]

Hi!
I am in pursuit of high quality copper cable for AurAudio Neon Pro.

I am considering this two cables:

CEMA Osprey 2024

or

GuCraftsman 6N Copper

Does anybody have experience with these cables and which one would you reccomend?

 

[droid23]

Certainly not mid price, rather low price... but definitely not the typical low-end:
The new DUNU Lyre Mini 240-Strand High-Purity OCC Earphone Cable with Q-Lock Mini