Reviews by SamTan
4-May-24
A little about me: I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always make me listen the moment they start playing). An IEM/HP should sound clear, fun, musical, melodious, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too (e.g., the 7HZ Salnotes Zero v1).
Introduction: I received the Turbo as a part of its India tour conducted by Audio Geeks. The Turbo is a 6 BA IEM (2 Sonions for the high frequencies, 2 Knowles for middle frequencies, and 2 Sonions for the low frequencies). Turbo comes with a 0.78mm 2-pin cable and has 4 tuning switches.
Tuning switches- first, a little more about these tuning switches because they make meaningful changes to the sound signature and played an important role in enabling me to get the sound I desired. The Turbo has 1+3 tuning switches, i.e., total 4 tuning switches.
There is an independent 1 switch which is the super bass boost switch. It can be used with the remaining 3 switches at the same time, and it can also be used independently, i.e., just by itself to give the bass a super-boost.
The remaining three switches are for the Lows, Mids, and Highs.
The way to read these switches is that 0-000 means all the switches are ‘down’ or ‘off’, According to Penon’s website this 0-000 is an invalid mode. Minimum 1 of these 4 switches must be ‘up’ or ‘on’.
So now, if we leave the 1 independent super bass boost switch aside, 020 would be vocal mode, 100 would be low frequency enhanced and one can use the 1 independent switch to enhance it even more. 003 would be high frequency enhanced. 120 would be low and mid frequency enhanced (this was my favorite as explained later on).
There are obviously many combinations you can try, 14 to be exact. I suggest you take time with the switch combinations as they do make noticeable adjustments to the sound. It would be worth the time spent experimenting with different combinations.
Now with that out of the way, let’s get into the IEM and listening impressions.
Design, build quality, fit, and comfort: The first thing that I noticed is how light the Turbo is. Once in the ear, it disappears as its size is also small to medium. One could say that I am used to bigger IEMs like the Monarch MKII but I doubt that anyone will find the Turbo big, heavy, or uncomfortable.
The IEM shells look good and are jade green in color with natural pearl shell panels and a transparent green resin cavity. As can be seen from the photos, all the drivers and wiring inside the shells is visible.
The Penon website tells me that the stock cable’s specs are- 8 shares, 19 cores, OCC & silver-plated Mixed Braided IEM cable. The cable itself is very light and supple. It rests easily and I did not find it to have any microphonics. At this price point, the cable seems fine to me. Nothing too grand and nothing too shoddy. It’s ok for what it is.
Chain-1: HiBy R8 à Penon Turbo stock cable (4.4 mm) à Penon Turbo à Penon Liqueur Black ear tips
Brief impressions on the sound quality: I found the Turbo to have a balanced sound with the switches providing audible changes in the sound.
1-100 mode: Too much bass! I think a bass head would like this
. The bass booms and almost overpowers everything. I’d say that it does bleed into the mids there by affecting the vocals. Due to the boosted warmth in this mode, the details all disappeared for me. I could not hear any modulations in the singers’ voices and hardly any sparkle or treble details came through. The separation also suffered a lot and I’d put it at way below average. It was like a warm blob of bass for me. Not my cup of tea but I think bass-heads may like it.
0-100 mode: Immediately the bass was in much better shape and control! It became tight and punchy, and the overall sound was also very clear and clean. The bass did make its presence felt when needed. It was more mid-bass focused. The vocals were clear and balanced and now I could hear the modulations in the singers’ voices. Male and female vocals both sounded nice. Maybe a little recessed though, like a V-shaped sound. The treble too was well-presented with rare sibilance coming through occasionally. The amount of detail was good, but never harsh, over-bearing, or fatiguing. It is now an energetic and balanced to bright sound signature with a BA style tone and timbre. This could be a pro or a con depending on your preferences. For me, I prefer DD sets, and hence it was not the most natural sounding for me. But I’d be willing to bet that for listeners who prefer a BA sound, this would be a good listening experience. The separation also became much better in this mode.
0-020 mode: To me, the bass sounded more or less the same as 0-100 above. There could be a few minor differences here and there. I don’t know if it was a placebo effect, but I could perhaps say that the bass sounded more in balance with the vocals here. The bass took a step back and accompanied the vocals, is another way to put it. Vocals were definitely pushed forward and in a good way. They had good presence and came across very clearly. The male vocals sounded fairly natural while the female vocals also sounded good. Treble was not sibilant at all. Here I got the good amount of detail with the right presence.
The separation in this mode was also noticeably better than any of the previous modes I had tried.
0-120 mode: Here the bass definitely increased as compared to the 0-020 mode. This is obviously expected. And what this did is that it added a good weight to the overall sound. The male and female vocals became much more natural, and I think the increased bass caused this effect. The vocals gained some nice weight and sounded more melodious now. Their edges were nicely rounded off and the bite and sharpness reduced.
Rating (with Penon Liqueur Black ear tips): 8/10.
I take off one star due to the consistent presence of a BA timbre that I cannot ignore. Call me prejudiced towards DD sets but it is what it is.
Chain-2: HiBy R8 à Penon Turbo stock cable (4.4 mm) à Penon Turbo à Penon Liqueur Orange ear tips
0-120 mode: Boy what a difference the Orange ear tips have made! I am so glad I tried them. The sound quality went up by many notches and the BA timbre was entirely gone. If someone gave me these IEMs to test blind, I don’t think I’d ever be able to tell that they’re an all-BA set. The vocals were extremely natural and grabbed my attention. The complete sound was clearer, better separated and balanced, and much more cohesive, natural, and musical. The sub-bass and mid-bass both improved in quality and quantity. The male and female vocals were both superb! Treble was rolled off a bit but there was enough detail for me. This is the chain that reminded me of the Quattro’s analog-ish sound that’s done extremely tastefully and which had connected with me deeply.
Rating (with Penon Liqueur Orange ear tips): 11/10.
Conclusion: Here’s what I think. There is so much that can be tried with an IEM – cables, ear tips, sources, DACs, AMPs, etc. It can be endless. And the Turbo has its tuning switches too! I have barely scratched the surface as I’ve just tried two different ear tips. That being said, the way the Turbo has responded to the change from Black to Orange ear tips is very encouraging for me. The Orange ear tips have proved to me that the Turbo is an inherently capable set, one which with the right combination of gear, will give an output that can easily compete with hybrids and more. It will draw you into the music and connect with you. Unless one has heard sets twice or thrice the cost of these, there is no fault to find. Only musical enjoyment and bliss! This is another example of Penon’s house sound that I have come to adore. It is warm, detailed, balanced, musical, cohesive, and most importantly connects to me, holds my attention, and makes my enjoy my music!
Overall rating: 11/10
Penon Turbo – brief sound impressions, by Sameer Tangri
A little about me: I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always make me listen the moment they start playing). An IEM/HP should sound clear, fun, musical, melodious, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too (e.g., the 7HZ Salnotes Zero v1).
Introduction: I received the Turbo as a part of its India tour conducted by Audio Geeks. The Turbo is a 6 BA IEM (2 Sonions for the high frequencies, 2 Knowles for middle frequencies, and 2 Sonions for the low frequencies). Turbo comes with a 0.78mm 2-pin cable and has 4 tuning switches.
Tuning switches- first, a little more about these tuning switches because they make meaningful changes to the sound signature and played an important role in enabling me to get the sound I desired. The Turbo has 1+3 tuning switches, i.e., total 4 tuning switches.
There is an independent 1 switch which is the super bass boost switch. It can be used with the remaining 3 switches at the same time, and it can also be used independently, i.e., just by itself to give the bass a super-boost.
The remaining three switches are for the Lows, Mids, and Highs.
The way to read these switches is that 0-000 means all the switches are ‘down’ or ‘off’, According to Penon’s website this 0-000 is an invalid mode. Minimum 1 of these 4 switches must be ‘up’ or ‘on’.
So now, if we leave the 1 independent super bass boost switch aside, 020 would be vocal mode, 100 would be low frequency enhanced and one can use the 1 independent switch to enhance it even more. 003 would be high frequency enhanced. 120 would be low and mid frequency enhanced (this was my favorite as explained later on).
There are obviously many combinations you can try, 14 to be exact. I suggest you take time with the switch combinations as they do make noticeable adjustments to the sound. It would be worth the time spent experimenting with different combinations.
Now with that out of the way, let’s get into the IEM and listening impressions.
Design, build quality, fit, and comfort: The first thing that I noticed is how light the Turbo is. Once in the ear, it disappears as its size is also small to medium. One could say that I am used to bigger IEMs like the Monarch MKII but I doubt that anyone will find the Turbo big, heavy, or uncomfortable.
The IEM shells look good and are jade green in color with natural pearl shell panels and a transparent green resin cavity. As can be seen from the photos, all the drivers and wiring inside the shells is visible.
The Penon website tells me that the stock cable’s specs are- 8 shares, 19 cores, OCC & silver-plated Mixed Braided IEM cable. The cable itself is very light and supple. It rests easily and I did not find it to have any microphonics. At this price point, the cable seems fine to me. Nothing too grand and nothing too shoddy. It’s ok for what it is.
Chain-1: HiBy R8 à Penon Turbo stock cable (4.4 mm) à Penon Turbo à Penon Liqueur Black ear tips
Brief impressions on the sound quality: I found the Turbo to have a balanced sound with the switches providing audible changes in the sound.
1-100 mode: Too much bass! I think a bass head would like this
. The bass booms and almost overpowers everything. I’d say that it does bleed into the mids there by affecting the vocals. Due to the boosted warmth in this mode, the details all disappeared for me. I could not hear any modulations in the singers’ voices and hardly any sparkle or treble details came through. The separation also suffered a lot and I’d put it at way below average. It was like a warm blob of bass for me. Not my cup of tea but I think bass-heads may like it.0-100 mode: Immediately the bass was in much better shape and control! It became tight and punchy, and the overall sound was also very clear and clean. The bass did make its presence felt when needed. It was more mid-bass focused. The vocals were clear and balanced and now I could hear the modulations in the singers’ voices. Male and female vocals both sounded nice. Maybe a little recessed though, like a V-shaped sound. The treble too was well-presented with rare sibilance coming through occasionally. The amount of detail was good, but never harsh, over-bearing, or fatiguing. It is now an energetic and balanced to bright sound signature with a BA style tone and timbre. This could be a pro or a con depending on your preferences. For me, I prefer DD sets, and hence it was not the most natural sounding for me. But I’d be willing to bet that for listeners who prefer a BA sound, this would be a good listening experience. The separation also became much better in this mode.
0-020 mode: To me, the bass sounded more or less the same as 0-100 above. There could be a few minor differences here and there. I don’t know if it was a placebo effect, but I could perhaps say that the bass sounded more in balance with the vocals here. The bass took a step back and accompanied the vocals, is another way to put it. Vocals were definitely pushed forward and in a good way. They had good presence and came across very clearly. The male vocals sounded fairly natural while the female vocals also sounded good. Treble was not sibilant at all. Here I got the good amount of detail with the right presence.
The separation in this mode was also noticeably better than any of the previous modes I had tried.
0-120 mode: Here the bass definitely increased as compared to the 0-020 mode. This is obviously expected. And what this did is that it added a good weight to the overall sound. The male and female vocals became much more natural, and I think the increased bass caused this effect. The vocals gained some nice weight and sounded more melodious now. Their edges were nicely rounded off and the bite and sharpness reduced.
Rating (with Penon Liqueur Black ear tips): 8/10.
I take off one star due to the consistent presence of a BA timbre that I cannot ignore. Call me prejudiced towards DD sets but it is what it is.
Chain-2: HiBy R8 à Penon Turbo stock cable (4.4 mm) à Penon Turbo à Penon Liqueur Orange ear tips
0-120 mode: Boy what a difference the Orange ear tips have made! I am so glad I tried them. The sound quality went up by many notches and the BA timbre was entirely gone. If someone gave me these IEMs to test blind, I don’t think I’d ever be able to tell that they’re an all-BA set. The vocals were extremely natural and grabbed my attention. The complete sound was clearer, better separated and balanced, and much more cohesive, natural, and musical. The sub-bass and mid-bass both improved in quality and quantity. The male and female vocals were both superb! Treble was rolled off a bit but there was enough detail for me. This is the chain that reminded me of the Quattro’s analog-ish sound that’s done extremely tastefully and which had connected with me deeply.
Rating (with Penon Liqueur Orange ear tips): 11/10.
Conclusion: Here’s what I think. There is so much that can be tried with an IEM – cables, ear tips, sources, DACs, AMPs, etc. It can be endless. And the Turbo has its tuning switches too! I have barely scratched the surface as I’ve just tried two different ear tips. That being said, the way the Turbo has responded to the change from Black to Orange ear tips is very encouraging for me. The Orange ear tips have proved to me that the Turbo is an inherently capable set, one which with the right combination of gear, will give an output that can easily compete with hybrids and more. It will draw you into the music and connect with you. Unless one has heard sets twice or thrice the cost of these, there is no fault to find. Only musical enjoyment and bliss! This is another example of Penon’s house sound that I have come to adore. It is warm, detailed, balanced, musical, cohesive, and most importantly connects to me, holds my attention, and makes my enjoy my music!
Overall rating: 11/10
Attachments
21-Apr-24
Chain: HiBy R8 à Kinera Verdandi stock cable (4.4 mm) à Kinera Verdandi à Azla SednaEarfit Max ear tips
Introduction: The Verdandi was loaned to me by my good friend Sandeep Agrawal from the Audio Geek group. The Verdandi is an IEM with 2 Knowles BA + 2 Sonion EST + 1 DD + 1 Bone Conduction Driver. As per the information on Kinera’s website, the 2 Knowles BA Drivers take charge of the for mid & high frequencies while the 6mm DD does the heavy lifting for the bass and low frequencies. The 2 Sonion EST Drivers are responsible for the high and ultra-high frequencies. The 1 Bone Conduction Driver works with the DD driver to further enhance the low-frequency performance, resulting in fuller and deeper bass, providing an immersive music experience.
Here are my brief listening impressions of the Verdandi.
First, a little about me- I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always grab my attention the moment they start playing). It should sound clear, fun, musical, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too.
Design and Build Quality: The Verdandi is a well-made IEM that feels good in-hand and looks very attractive with its bright blue colors and a little bit of glitter throw in. The stock cable is also blue in color and adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of this set. It is one of a kind, that’s for sure. The earpieces are very light but quite big. I found the nozzle to be quite large too.
Comfort, and fit: Despite its large size, I found the Verdandi to be very lightweight with a deep in-ear fit. They are big chunky boys but very light in my view. They did not feel obvious or present in my ear most of the time. The isolation with the Azla Max ear tips was nice. Due to a lack of time I did not get a chance to tip-roll but given below is what the good folks at Kinera have to say about using the Verdandi with different ear tips. I would definitely recommend trying these out!
Brief impressions on the sound quality: I found the Verdandi to have a bold, in your face, and energetic sound with a balanced and energetic tuning. It is detailed with an airy and refined treble that does get slightly bright at times. Tip rolling would definitely help here.
Bass: The DD driver coupled with the Bone Conduction Driver work together very cohesively to give out a very present, authoritative, and clean bass that does not bleed into the mids at all. It is extremely enjoyable! The Verdandi has the right amount of bass and the right quality too. I’d say that the sub-bass and mid-bass are both done very tastefully. The bone conduction driver definitely makes its presence felt. Very nice! I’m smiling.
Mids: Mids are smooth. I liked how the male and female vocals sounded on the Verdandi with good weight almost all time. They’re quite present in the mix, maybe slightly forward at times, and this coupled with the Verdandi’s energy did cause some sibilance in the female vocals at times. While the midrange is excellent, I do also think that they’re not the most natural sounding. This is partly because I am spoilt by sets like the Thieaudio Monarch MKII (MMKII) that have stunning and sublime tone and timbre. But for anyone who has not heard IEMs like the MMKII, the Verdandi will be very likeable.
Treble: It is all very fun, airy, and energetic here. I am treble-sensitive and thus, at times, the treble did get a little too bright. I am very confident that tip-rolling would’ve helped but unfortunately, I did not have the time for experimenting on this front.
Layering, imaging, and soundstage: The layering is as expected, which is excellent. All instruments are heard clearly, nothing steps on the others’ toes, and yet it all sounds musical and cohesive. The imaging is good, and I was able to pin-point the location of the instruments in the mix easily. The soundstage is very wide. In fact, it’s amongst the widest I have heard in a while. It is a flawless delivery on these three fronts!
Conclusion: The Verdandi is a fun set! It drew me in with its energy and made me want to get up and dance! Yes, the treble spike rears its head at times but yet, I would definitely recommend this set to anyone looking to add an IEM with a musical, fun, and energetic sound to their IEM collection. This is the set that I would put on in the mornings to charge me up for the day ahead!
Kinera Verdandi – brief sound impressions, by Sameer Tangri
Chain: HiBy R8 à Kinera Verdandi stock cable (4.4 mm) à Kinera Verdandi à Azla SednaEarfit Max ear tips
Introduction: The Verdandi was loaned to me by my good friend Sandeep Agrawal from the Audio Geek group. The Verdandi is an IEM with 2 Knowles BA + 2 Sonion EST + 1 DD + 1 Bone Conduction Driver. As per the information on Kinera’s website, the 2 Knowles BA Drivers take charge of the for mid & high frequencies while the 6mm DD does the heavy lifting for the bass and low frequencies. The 2 Sonion EST Drivers are responsible for the high and ultra-high frequencies. The 1 Bone Conduction Driver works with the DD driver to further enhance the low-frequency performance, resulting in fuller and deeper bass, providing an immersive music experience.
Here are my brief listening impressions of the Verdandi.
First, a little about me- I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always grab my attention the moment they start playing). It should sound clear, fun, musical, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too.
Design and Build Quality: The Verdandi is a well-made IEM that feels good in-hand and looks very attractive with its bright blue colors and a little bit of glitter throw in. The stock cable is also blue in color and adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of this set. It is one of a kind, that’s for sure. The earpieces are very light but quite big. I found the nozzle to be quite large too.
Comfort, and fit: Despite its large size, I found the Verdandi to be very lightweight with a deep in-ear fit. They are big chunky boys but very light in my view. They did not feel obvious or present in my ear most of the time. The isolation with the Azla Max ear tips was nice. Due to a lack of time I did not get a chance to tip-roll but given below is what the good folks at Kinera have to say about using the Verdandi with different ear tips. I would definitely recommend trying these out!
- AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal Eartips- balanced sound, comfortable listening, superior vocal texture, the bass is well-defined, and the high-end is transparent, making it extremely adaptable to music.
- Final Type-E Eartips- enhanced bass response, minimize sibilance.
- Kinera K-07 Balanced Eartips- more balanced sound.
- Foam Eartips- rich vocals and deeper bass.
Brief impressions on the sound quality: I found the Verdandi to have a bold, in your face, and energetic sound with a balanced and energetic tuning. It is detailed with an airy and refined treble that does get slightly bright at times. Tip rolling would definitely help here.
Bass: The DD driver coupled with the Bone Conduction Driver work together very cohesively to give out a very present, authoritative, and clean bass that does not bleed into the mids at all. It is extremely enjoyable! The Verdandi has the right amount of bass and the right quality too. I’d say that the sub-bass and mid-bass are both done very tastefully. The bone conduction driver definitely makes its presence felt. Very nice! I’m smiling.
Mids: Mids are smooth. I liked how the male and female vocals sounded on the Verdandi with good weight almost all time. They’re quite present in the mix, maybe slightly forward at times, and this coupled with the Verdandi’s energy did cause some sibilance in the female vocals at times. While the midrange is excellent, I do also think that they’re not the most natural sounding. This is partly because I am spoilt by sets like the Thieaudio Monarch MKII (MMKII) that have stunning and sublime tone and timbre. But for anyone who has not heard IEMs like the MMKII, the Verdandi will be very likeable.
Treble: It is all very fun, airy, and energetic here. I am treble-sensitive and thus, at times, the treble did get a little too bright. I am very confident that tip-rolling would’ve helped but unfortunately, I did not have the time for experimenting on this front.
Layering, imaging, and soundstage: The layering is as expected, which is excellent. All instruments are heard clearly, nothing steps on the others’ toes, and yet it all sounds musical and cohesive. The imaging is good, and I was able to pin-point the location of the instruments in the mix easily. The soundstage is very wide. In fact, it’s amongst the widest I have heard in a while. It is a flawless delivery on these three fronts!
Conclusion: The Verdandi is a fun set! It drew me in with its energy and made me want to get up and dance! Yes, the treble spike rears its head at times but yet, I would definitely recommend this set to anyone looking to add an IEM with a musical, fun, and energetic sound to their IEM collection. This is the set that I would put on in the mornings to charge me up for the day ahead!
