Reviews by ToneDeafMonk
Pros: 
Effortless and Ultra smooth replay
Steps off Harmanish Tuning and colored in all the right spots at all the right levels while keeping to its core monitor like tuning true to source.
Sub bass boosted but not scooped brings a unique playback into the mids that is ambrosia
The music replay sounds effortless and it's a IEM you can listen to for days.
The Top mounted tuning switch is brilliantly placed and allows you to adjust on the fly per track or mood. The adjustment is SUBTLE but well done to slightly bring the mids from slightly darker/recessed to more forward airy and bright.
Amazing stage presentation and plays well into the overall experience.
Excellent Highs , and details with great extension.
Natural and organic effortless mids and highs. Making Vocals very realistic and instruments pitch perfect.
Unboxing experience was first rate and worthy of the price
Such a natural reproduction on the music made this one extremely hard to describe and put down on paper.
Made we want to forget all the other stuff I was supposed to listen to. So I did and kept sticking these back into my ears.
Sub Bass to the moon with very nice texture and authority
Unlike the AFUL P8 who tried to do a monitor like tuning the OH700VB nailed it with a exciting tuning and a additive sound that makes you want to crave it fortnightly!
Effortless and Ultra smooth replay Steps off Harmanish Tuning and colored in all the right spots at all the right levels while keeping to its core monitor like tuning true to source. Sub bass boosted but not scooped brings a unique playback into the mids that is ambrosia The music replay sounds effortless and it's a IEM you can listen to for days. The Top mounted tuning switch is brilliantly placed and allows you to adjust on the fly per track or mood. The adjustment is SUBTLE but well done to slightly bring the mids from slightly darker/recessed to more forward airy and bright. Amazing stage presentation and plays well into the overall experience. Excellent Highs , and details with great extension. Natural and organic effortless mids and highs. Making Vocals very realistic and instruments pitch perfect. Unboxing experience was first rate and worthy of the price Such a natural reproduction on the music made this one extremely hard to describe and put down on paper. Made we want to forget all the other stuff I was supposed to listen to. So I did and kept sticking these back into my ears. Sub Bass to the moon with very nice texture and authority Unlike the AFUL P8 who tried to do a monitor like tuning the OH700VB nailed it with a exciting tuning and a additive sound that makes you want to crave it fortnightly!
Cons: 
Cable while high quality is the same as the OD200 and while even being modular, I found its tangly nature unruly and worthy of a swap Soley for that reason not sound.
Nothing else I wouldn't change anything on its tuning.
Cable while high quality is the same as the OD200 and while even being modular, I found its tangly nature unruly and worthy of a swap Soley for that reason not sound. Nothing else I wouldn't change anything on its tuning.
Oriveti OH700VB Finally another IEM that's not afraid of stepping off of the Harman Tuned Path and it does so I'm such a wonderful way.
I couldn't stop wanting to listen to this IEM and nothing else it was so effortless and natural.
While I am not saying this competes with the most amazing IEM I have ever heard the FATfreq Grand Maestro it certainly borrowed some of its DNA, right down to the tuning switch and frequency response curve.
Same as the AFUL where I found that one dull , lifeless and boring , I found the Oriveti tuned the OH700VB with bumps and curves in all the right places to make it a more than engaging listen, it made it down right fun and addictive.
Watch my full review here for a deeper dive into this unique and wonderfully IEM.
I couldn't stop wanting to listen to this IEM and nothing else it was so effortless and natural.
While I am not saying this competes with the most amazing IEM I have ever heard the FATfreq Grand Maestro it certainly borrowed some of its DNA, right down to the tuning switch and frequency response curve.
Same as the AFUL where I found that one dull , lifeless and boring , I found the Oriveti tuned the OH700VB with bumps and curves in all the right places to make it a more than engaging listen, it made it down right fun and addictive.
Watch my full review here for a deeper dive into this unique and wonderfully IEM.
Attachments
Pros: This New Eclipse driver is PRIMO tonality/Slam/Accuracy/Tonality
Small and comfortable shell
Modular Cable Included is a not a cheap throw in and is beautifully paired to the Falcon Ultra, the Case & Tips same dealeo
A wonderful Warmer tuning or a more energetic one will appeal to most people
Can't beat a single Dynamic Driver for Coherency.
MMCX keeps a death grip on the cable while allowing it to rotate for ultimate comfort and connection
This New Eclipse driver is PRIMO tonality/Slam/Accuracy/Tonality Small and comfortable shell Modular Cable Included is a not a cheap throw in and is beautifully paired to the Falcon Ultra, the Case & Tips same dealeo A wonderful Warmer tuning or a more energetic one will appeal to most people Can't beat a single Dynamic Driver for Coherency. MMCX keeps a death grip on the cable while allowing it to rotate for ultimate comfort and connection
Cons: Finish hard to stay smudge free.
Finish hard to stay smudge free.
Better tonality
More accurate timbre
Smoother more natural
Comes with a killer modular cable
Don't need to play with filters and foams to get a lesser Pina gain you can just put on one of the supplies Nozzles and good to go for either a more energetic tuning or a warmer one.
That being said both the EA1000 and the FU are absolutely amazing IEM's with TOTL quality drivers that deliver
It comes down to personal preference and your ears.
But I just loved the overall package and sound of the Falcon Ultra.
Full video review is here.
Thanks PENON for bringing this on for me!
https://penonaudio.com/DUNU-Falcon-Ultra.html
This was not a love at first listen for me. I was expecting a lesser quality Neo5.
I was not expecting a bright mid forward set at all.
The Neo1 is not the same as its big brother and not a warm and bassy laid back IEM
Nope it's a very energetic and bassy IEM
After some initial impressions, I gave feedback to Penon and I am happy to see implemented in the final version.
Now not everyone is treble sensitive and in fact there is a whole cult of people who love brighter tunings!
Well here is a ISN for you
It has the ChiFi "Female Poison" DNA
That makes female vocals come to life.
For those of us who are sensitive to 4-5 straight out of the box The Neo1 will make your ears ring for hours.
Using the supplied Tuning kit provided a great measure of relief in that area to where knocking down the pina and bringing up the proceeded bass makes it a much better tuned IEM for my tastes.
That bieng said love this IEM in short bursts, but not something I would pick up for long grind to chiilax.
Bass is definitely the star of the show for me but the Neo1 is not just a one trick pony. Because the bass is impactfull, textured and less thick this leads well into a leaner lower mids and ultimately great vocals. Not So much for male vocals but certainly for female vocals a real treat.
Overall the mids play forward in the mix for me with the Bass catching up and Still a great amount of precieved air and extension in the tip end.
One big thing to mention was the long burn in time I feel is required to bring out the Neo1's personality 120+ before things smoothed out enough for me to enjoy even with the tuning kit.
If ypur preferred sound signature is warm and gooey the buy the Neo5 if you have a Neo5 and wanted to try a ISN with a brighter more energetic tip end the Neo1 is for you.
Overall I would have rated this one higher if not for its poor timing in the current ChiFi offerings. To elaborate on that statement new the end of the year we typically see 30-50 new sets come onto the market from established companies and names to new faces all trying to pull money out of your pockets.
In the Sub $50 scene there are tons of great tuned IEM'S with standout features and accessories even at the $25 price point we are blessed with some great ones.
Though this one is not tuned for my preferences,the Neo1 will definitely appeal to thoose who prefer this kind of tuning and for sound alone you are getting great value with a quality driver at $39.
In a sea of safely tuned Harmanish IEM's the Neo1 stands out proud and offers something different from the mainstream with the ISN name.
Marks taken off in view of current market competition and the fact that the unit needed to ship with tuning filters to fix the " Female Poison" Tuning.
I was not expecting a bright mid forward set at all.
The Neo1 is not the same as its big brother and not a warm and bassy laid back IEM
Nope it's a very energetic and bassy IEM
After some initial impressions, I gave feedback to Penon and I am happy to see implemented in the final version.
Now not everyone is treble sensitive and in fact there is a whole cult of people who love brighter tunings!
Well here is a ISN for you
It has the ChiFi "Female Poison" DNA
That makes female vocals come to life.
For those of us who are sensitive to 4-5 straight out of the box The Neo1 will make your ears ring for hours.
Using the supplied Tuning kit provided a great measure of relief in that area to where knocking down the pina and bringing up the proceeded bass makes it a much better tuned IEM for my tastes.
That bieng said love this IEM in short bursts, but not something I would pick up for long grind to chiilax.
Bass is definitely the star of the show for me but the Neo1 is not just a one trick pony. Because the bass is impactfull, textured and less thick this leads well into a leaner lower mids and ultimately great vocals. Not So much for male vocals but certainly for female vocals a real treat.
Overall the mids play forward in the mix for me with the Bass catching up and Still a great amount of precieved air and extension in the tip end.
One big thing to mention was the long burn in time I feel is required to bring out the Neo1's personality 120+ before things smoothed out enough for me to enjoy even with the tuning kit.
If ypur preferred sound signature is warm and gooey the buy the Neo5 if you have a Neo5 and wanted to try a ISN with a brighter more energetic tip end the Neo1 is for you.
Overall I would have rated this one higher if not for its poor timing in the current ChiFi offerings. To elaborate on that statement new the end of the year we typically see 30-50 new sets come onto the market from established companies and names to new faces all trying to pull money out of your pockets.
In the Sub $50 scene there are tons of great tuned IEM'S with standout features and accessories even at the $25 price point we are blessed with some great ones.
Though this one is not tuned for my preferences,the Neo1 will definitely appeal to thoose who prefer this kind of tuning and for sound alone you are getting great value with a quality driver at $39.
In a sea of safely tuned Harmanish IEM's the Neo1 stands out proud and offers something different from the mainstream with the ISN name.
Marks taken off in view of current market competition and the fact that the unit needed to ship with tuning filters to fix the " Female Poison" Tuning.
ToneDeafMonk
The Ziigaat NUO $25
claud W
There are advantages to being 75 years old. You only hear bass and midrange. This IEM sounds great to me for cheap.
Redcarmoose
@claud W,
It should be $100 at least.
It should be $100 at least.
What would happen on some wild night - The PENON Turbo got together 
with The ISN Neo5 and had a love child?
Penon Dome would be the love child! Yes sir that's what you would get.
Very well done highs even with 6-7k siblance dip from Neo5
Smooth lush vocals of Turbo
Mids to die for.
Dynamic Driver Organic Bass of Neo5 just with less mid bass , faster than the Neo5 but less quantity and no bass bleed because of the slightly scooped out Lower Bass.
Probably a even more natural sounding tonality than Turbo and Neo5
The Dome is going to hit the market with slightly different PENON Tuning that what I have heard before while keeping the house sound.
The Mommy Turbo is the more energetic Detail beast with almost DD like bass and micro details in spades. Best for female vocals and BA/DD bass DNA
The Daddy Neo5 is the Barratone thicker warmer bass beast that likes to be spanked.
Best for bassheads and male vocal lovers that dont mind a bit of colored bass bleed.
The Baby Dome is the well behaved child with well done organic full spectrum and a well controlled bass that hits between the two , probably the nicest most organic vocals in both male and female out of the 3.
This puts the Dome in its own space and reserves it's place in the PENON/ISN world.
Watch Video and some observations with sources and tips for they played a huge part in theese initial impressions.
with The ISN Neo5 and had a love child?Penon Dome would be the love child! Yes sir that's what you would get.
Very well done highs even with 6-7k siblance dip from Neo5
Smooth lush vocals of Turbo
Mids to die for.
Dynamic Driver Organic Bass of Neo5 just with less mid bass , faster than the Neo5 but less quantity and no bass bleed because of the slightly scooped out Lower Bass.
Probably a even more natural sounding tonality than Turbo and Neo5
The Dome is going to hit the market with slightly different PENON Tuning that what I have heard before while keeping the house sound.
The Mommy Turbo is the more energetic Detail beast with almost DD like bass and micro details in spades. Best for female vocals and BA/DD bass DNA
The Daddy Neo5 is the Barratone thicker warmer bass beast that likes to be spanked.
Best for bassheads and male vocal lovers that dont mind a bit of colored bass bleed.
The Baby Dome is the well behaved child with well done organic full spectrum and a well controlled bass that hits between the two , probably the nicest most organic vocals in both male and female out of the 3.
This puts the Dome in its own space and reserves it's place in the PENON/ISN world.
Watch Video and some observations with sources and tips for they played a huge part in theese initial impressions.
Attachments
Sound Rhyme DTE900 - A Tuneable Masterpiece
I AM GIVING THIS ONE A PERFECT SCORE - BECAUSE IT IS PERFECT TO MY EARS PLAYS AT TOTL PERFORMANCE AND IS WELL UNDER KILO BUCK COST!
INFO AND PURCHASE LINKS: $749
https://penonaudio.com/Sound-Rhyme-DTE900.html
Thank you to PENON for the review unit for Canucks Audioholics Review Group
Lets Start Off technical stuff
Sound Rhyme DTE900 1+4+4 Tribrid IEM
1x 9.2mm Dual Magnet Titanium coated Dynamic Driver
2x Knowles 29689 Balanced Armature for the Mids
2x Knowles 31736 Balanced Armature for the Highs
4x Sonion EST65QB02 EST Drivers for the ultra sparkle
4 way X-over
Frequency response 10Hz-30KHz
Sensitivity 110db 1mW
Impedance of 21 Ohms
2 Tuning Switches (POP, Clear Voice, Deep Bass, Wide Sound Field )
EnvisionTec German 3D Printed Medical Grade Resin Shells
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions stock cable as I found that a excellent paining.
The ISN G4 also was wonderful.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Shanling M6 Ultra and XDUOO XD05 PRO almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs AKM J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review because my DACS are out being modded by Geshelli for OP-AMP upgrades.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My references include my Softears Twilite and THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD's.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Shanling M6 Ultra as transport into XDUOO XD05 PRO with ESS9039SPRO chip.
Tips Used for the DTE900 were JVC FX10 Spiral Dots
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the DTE900
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
TUNING SWITCHES:
- 2 tuning switches are not bad. On paper they don’t look they do very much and for that I was extremely thankful.
That being said it was nice to be able to fine tune the DTE900 to my personal tastes.
- I will just focus on UP UP or 11 and Down Down 00
- 11 Setting was at the end my nirvana at the beginning on first listen I found this setting a bit spicy on the very top end after about 150 Hours on the Burn rack things changes dramatically and everything settled in nicely , I actually measured the DTE900 before and after burn in and noted a slight roll off on the very end of the sub bass on the graph and this also translated to how the bottom end settled into a really nice musical sub bass and remained fast and punchy in the mid bass. With this setting it has enough high end to really bring out the stage and details without any top end fatigue or harshness my perfect tuning.
- 00 Here on this setting I found the top end was a bit too much for me on certain tracks with poorly recorded material. Because the DTE900 is so resolving the replay became a bit harsh and unforgiving also lowering the bass shelf amplifies this effect so my second favorite settings.
- Now so Antonio Teixeira (TONY TEX) reached out to me and we had a great conversation. He loved the tuning on 00 with a 25ohm impedance adapter. I just received a 4.4 Pentaconn from Penon I bought to try out. Sure enough what happens on paper the graph looks like the 11 Setting but the top end gets smoothed out more.
For me I did really enjoy this setting but found it too relaxed in the top end and found I was missing some details and the special sauce the EST's bring to the upper registers.
Ultimately I found the smooth warmth of the Shanling combined with ESS dac of the XD05 Pro and AZLA Crystal tips was the magic combination for me.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Starting from the bottom and working our way up the frequency spectrum.
Bass , I like fast tight bass with texture and depth. Sub bass needs to extend low and not have too much bass bleed into the mids to muck up the vocals.
Happy to say the DTE900 with its Ti coated driver takes on the lows with authority and play low with sign of strain or fatigue.
Mid Bass gets its own section because what I just said above applies to the DTE900, Yes the Sound Rhyme bleeds into the mids. A bad thing NO WAY a GOOD THING, because it does it in a way to just enough coloration to enhance with going to far.
Mids now you just read how the MB colors the mids and vocals but how do vocals sound… Slightly warm and perfectly balanced in the overall mix, not forward or recessed, not thin and airy nor dark and brooding. Like Mama Bears Porridge JUST RIGHT! Really well done and plays slightly colored adding in just enough huskiness to male vocals and bright and crisp female vocals with correct edge and tonality - a really hard to do balance that only TOTL can pull off.
Treble is clean, precise and well-articulated giving string instruments nice air and details. You can tell the EST drivers are working but just enhancing the presentation and not trying to overpower the highs. The way the DTE900 has amazing coherency with all 9 drivers is a testimonial to how well this IEM was retuned.
I have not heard much about why this unit was retuned or how the OG sounded but this version is BANG ON.
Stage one of the best and most enjoyable and certainly hits a TOTL level of performance and is quite 3D and expansive when it wants to be and intimate when it needs to be in order to give you the playback as the artist or engineer intended. Some IEM force the stage or is simply underwhelming and was very happy as a great ability to project you the listener into the music.
TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
"Kieth Don’t Go" Nils Loftgren
- What a playback LIQUID SMOOTH , excellent stage wide and deep. The guitar was real standout amazing bass death and detail. nails vocals were spot on silky smooth and the top end had a beautiful EST sparkle.
"Turn My Head" By Live
- Here on listening to the male vocals and there was perfect tonality just the right amount of top end to bring excitement to this track and give a really nice playback that I found was being right at the concert standing in front of a speaker stack.
"Butterflies" By Kacey Musgraves
- The DTE900 catches her voice with perfect timbre in her voice.
"DEE" by Randy Rhodes on the OZZY recording
- All the poles the slides and the plucks are all there so smoothly done and very realistic well done DTE900.
"Nothing Else Matters" by Miley Cyrus
- Bass hits are deep and detailed on this track Miley's vocals are spot on and the top end sparkle and the details in the instrumental is very balanced in the mix what a great replay.
"Superman It's Not Easy" By Five For Fighting
- Male vocals on this track are just perfect if there is any bass bleed it just works and it works to the favor of it making this track super fun and musical
"Your Song" By Eton John
- Piano sounds great and Elton's vocals have the great weight to them, very realistic
"You Must Burn" By Metallica
- slam heart and tight that was the best way to describe this bass , the guitars blend in so well and Lars's vocals are also great
"My Girl" By Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Great stage a few times you can hear a few sets of drums hit first at the back on the right and then in the mix over to the left in front closer to you really well done not a lot of IEM can pick this up with the depth let you hear this properly as intended to be able to do this just a testament to how great the DTE900 emulates the stage.
"Bring Me Some Water" By Melissa Etheridge
- The Sound Rhyme Replays the vocals on this track with her singing closer to you and it shows amazing death that DTE 900 can project again great vocals,
First time on a IEM I could really get a sense of the way this track was recorded. kind of a special realization after hearing this track countless times and not picking up on that before!
"Nothing Else Matters" By PG Roxette
- Bass tickles your ear hairs the vocals are absolutely incredible this 9.2 dynamic driver is really quite special
"You Don’t Know Me" a Duet with Ray Charles and Diana Krall
- I like listening to duets because it really gives you a good sense of whether or not this IEM can replay both male and female vocals totally correct and you can hear him in one track I think it's a great way of determining whether or not it has the right note weight and tonality to bring out the vocals correctly and naturally and the DTE900 did so beautifully.
"Bad Liar" By Selema Gomez
- One of the best playbacks I have ever heard so incredibly smooth
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" By Radiohead
- The bottom end of this baselines are really well produced very wonderful the pots and pans are also incredibly realistic you sound you're right there with a wooden spoon banging on them
"Rakin" By Dead Can Dance
- Okay if the Oprah show was hosting a live band and the Dead Can Dance was playing in her studio you sound like you're right there in the crowd cheering them on was a very cool replay and again one of those tracks where I heard a different than I have ever heard it before and the sense of space was ultra realistic.
"Give Life Back To Music" By Daft Punk
- THE ULTIMATE EDM IEM! ? QUITE POSSIBLY
" Conga Blue & Watermelon Man " By Poncho Sanchez
- Poncho and his signature drums have a unique sound but honestly jazz on the DTE900 is simply amazing the drums and the instrumentals are so spot on so damn good. *****
"Without Me" Lillium Remix by Halsey
- The DTE indeed goes into BASS HEAD territory FULL STOP!
"Cello Concerto" Asier Polo
- So how does the DTE900 do strings and classical well they absolutely have great depth and depth I don't mean the stage I mean a depth of the notes that this IEM can bring out in the instrument replay the attack release and decay is simply amazing in how we can project instruments and their tonality correctly both musically and emotionally.
CONCLUSION:
I try to be objective in my reviews sort of but totally know my passion leaks into my words and projects my feelings into my thoughts and subsequently effects my ability to properly reflect my sound impressions to you unobjectively.
Sorry not Sorry.
I LOVE THE DTE900 CHECKS ALL MY BOXES AND I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME WITH THEM IN A DAY'S SPACE.
COMPARISONS:
XENNS MARGIRD UP: $699 10mm Beryllium Coated DD 2x Sonion BA for Mids 2 Custom BA for highs and 2 Sonion EST
- One of my absolute all time favorite IEM. I love this IEM for its ability to produce not just low bass but fast slam and bass realistically one of the best replays I have ever heard the mids are also wonderful and the EST implementation well on the more tame side still does a pretty good job overall. The IEM like all IEM's in my opinion are not perfect and where the up leaves you with just a little wish that you had more resolution and top end details.
Compared to the DTE900 now takes everything that I love about the up and makes it better the EST implementation is done better it has more sparkle the vocals are cleaner more detailed and slightly less warm but just as musical and the bass is also on par with each other the difference between the two units is about $50 in retail but there is no doubt that the DTE 900 is the better of the two.
Where the UP is a wonderful piece of gear it does not play at Top Of The Line level of performance where I can clearly say the Sound Rhyme clearly does.
KINERA IMPERIAL LOKI: $3099 6mm LCP DD, 6 Knowles BA 4 Sonion EST 1 Bone Conduction Unit
- I was very fortunate to have the LOKI on loan at the same time as I did my sound impressions of the DTE900. The LOKI is a amazing IEM it has a clarity and resolution reflecting its price, the Bass is somewhat lean in the mid bass department but that 6mm plays crazy low.
- Overall the LOKI plays more vocal forward and the EST implementation was done to really showcase the effects that EST can induce and enhance the top end.
- The DTE900 in comparison plays a bit warmer less vocal forward and way more smooth than the LOKI. Bass on the Sound Rhyme is leaps and bounds better, plays with more note weight and makes string instruments like Double Bass and Cello perfect where the LOKI plays them thinner and not perfectly natural like the DTE900 did. Also that extra note weight of the DTE900 add a really nice subtle coloration to the mids that my ears find very pleasing and perfect for my tastes.
IF THE UP AND THE LOKI HAD A WILD NIGHT OF MUSIC AND A LOVE CHILD WAS BORN FROM THE CHAOS THE DTE900 WOULD BE THE RESULT OF THAT PERFECT COUPLING.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS:
AT ITS CORE THE DTE900 REMAINS A FUN AND YET TECHNICAL SET. THE TUNING SWITCHES ALLOW YOU TO FINE TUNE THIS SET TO YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCES FROM SUPER DETAILED TO SUPER LAID BACK.
FINDING GOOD BALANCE FOR MANUFACTURES IN TUNING IEM'S AND THIS TASK IS NEVER EASY TO APEASE EVERONE. FOR ME I FOUND THE DTE900 ABSOULTLY PERFECT FOR MY TASTES AND CHECKS OFF EVERY BOX ON ALL METRICS AT TOTL ENDGAME LEVELS!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
I AM GIVING THIS ONE A PERFECT SCORE - BECAUSE IT IS PERFECT TO MY EARS PLAYS AT TOTL PERFORMANCE AND IS WELL UNDER KILO BUCK COST!
INFO AND PURCHASE LINKS: $749
https://penonaudio.com/Sound-Rhyme-DTE900.html
Thank you to PENON for the review unit for Canucks Audioholics Review Group
Lets Start Off technical stuff
Sound Rhyme DTE900 1+4+4 Tribrid IEM
1x 9.2mm Dual Magnet Titanium coated Dynamic Driver
2x Knowles 29689 Balanced Armature for the Mids
2x Knowles 31736 Balanced Armature for the Highs
4x Sonion EST65QB02 EST Drivers for the ultra sparkle
4 way X-over
Frequency response 10Hz-30KHz
Sensitivity 110db 1mW
Impedance of 21 Ohms
2 Tuning Switches (POP, Clear Voice, Deep Bass, Wide Sound Field )
EnvisionTec German 3D Printed Medical Grade Resin Shells
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions stock cable as I found that a excellent paining.
The ISN G4 also was wonderful.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Shanling M6 Ultra and XDUOO XD05 PRO almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs AKM J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review because my DACS are out being modded by Geshelli for OP-AMP upgrades.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My references include my Softears Twilite and THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD's.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Shanling M6 Ultra as transport into XDUOO XD05 PRO with ESS9039SPRO chip.
Tips Used for the DTE900 were JVC FX10 Spiral Dots
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the DTE900
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
TUNING SWITCHES:
- 2 tuning switches are not bad. On paper they don’t look they do very much and for that I was extremely thankful.
That being said it was nice to be able to fine tune the DTE900 to my personal tastes.
- I will just focus on UP UP or 11 and Down Down 00
- 11 Setting was at the end my nirvana at the beginning on first listen I found this setting a bit spicy on the very top end after about 150 Hours on the Burn rack things changes dramatically and everything settled in nicely , I actually measured the DTE900 before and after burn in and noted a slight roll off on the very end of the sub bass on the graph and this also translated to how the bottom end settled into a really nice musical sub bass and remained fast and punchy in the mid bass. With this setting it has enough high end to really bring out the stage and details without any top end fatigue or harshness my perfect tuning.
- 00 Here on this setting I found the top end was a bit too much for me on certain tracks with poorly recorded material. Because the DTE900 is so resolving the replay became a bit harsh and unforgiving also lowering the bass shelf amplifies this effect so my second favorite settings.
- Now so Antonio Teixeira (TONY TEX) reached out to me and we had a great conversation. He loved the tuning on 00 with a 25ohm impedance adapter. I just received a 4.4 Pentaconn from Penon I bought to try out. Sure enough what happens on paper the graph looks like the 11 Setting but the top end gets smoothed out more.
For me I did really enjoy this setting but found it too relaxed in the top end and found I was missing some details and the special sauce the EST's bring to the upper registers.
Ultimately I found the smooth warmth of the Shanling combined with ESS dac of the XD05 Pro and AZLA Crystal tips was the magic combination for me.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Starting from the bottom and working our way up the frequency spectrum.
Bass , I like fast tight bass with texture and depth. Sub bass needs to extend low and not have too much bass bleed into the mids to muck up the vocals.
Happy to say the DTE900 with its Ti coated driver takes on the lows with authority and play low with sign of strain or fatigue.
Mid Bass gets its own section because what I just said above applies to the DTE900, Yes the Sound Rhyme bleeds into the mids. A bad thing NO WAY a GOOD THING, because it does it in a way to just enough coloration to enhance with going to far.
Mids now you just read how the MB colors the mids and vocals but how do vocals sound… Slightly warm and perfectly balanced in the overall mix, not forward or recessed, not thin and airy nor dark and brooding. Like Mama Bears Porridge JUST RIGHT! Really well done and plays slightly colored adding in just enough huskiness to male vocals and bright and crisp female vocals with correct edge and tonality - a really hard to do balance that only TOTL can pull off.
Treble is clean, precise and well-articulated giving string instruments nice air and details. You can tell the EST drivers are working but just enhancing the presentation and not trying to overpower the highs. The way the DTE900 has amazing coherency with all 9 drivers is a testimonial to how well this IEM was retuned.
I have not heard much about why this unit was retuned or how the OG sounded but this version is BANG ON.
Stage one of the best and most enjoyable and certainly hits a TOTL level of performance and is quite 3D and expansive when it wants to be and intimate when it needs to be in order to give you the playback as the artist or engineer intended. Some IEM force the stage or is simply underwhelming and was very happy as a great ability to project you the listener into the music.
TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
"Kieth Don’t Go" Nils Loftgren
- What a playback LIQUID SMOOTH , excellent stage wide and deep. The guitar was real standout amazing bass death and detail. nails vocals were spot on silky smooth and the top end had a beautiful EST sparkle.
"Turn My Head" By Live
- Here on listening to the male vocals and there was perfect tonality just the right amount of top end to bring excitement to this track and give a really nice playback that I found was being right at the concert standing in front of a speaker stack.
"Butterflies" By Kacey Musgraves
- The DTE900 catches her voice with perfect timbre in her voice.
"DEE" by Randy Rhodes on the OZZY recording
- All the poles the slides and the plucks are all there so smoothly done and very realistic well done DTE900.
"Nothing Else Matters" by Miley Cyrus
- Bass hits are deep and detailed on this track Miley's vocals are spot on and the top end sparkle and the details in the instrumental is very balanced in the mix what a great replay.
"Superman It's Not Easy" By Five For Fighting
- Male vocals on this track are just perfect if there is any bass bleed it just works and it works to the favor of it making this track super fun and musical
"Your Song" By Eton John
- Piano sounds great and Elton's vocals have the great weight to them, very realistic
"You Must Burn" By Metallica
- slam heart and tight that was the best way to describe this bass , the guitars blend in so well and Lars's vocals are also great
"My Girl" By Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Great stage a few times you can hear a few sets of drums hit first at the back on the right and then in the mix over to the left in front closer to you really well done not a lot of IEM can pick this up with the depth let you hear this properly as intended to be able to do this just a testament to how great the DTE900 emulates the stage.
"Bring Me Some Water" By Melissa Etheridge
- The Sound Rhyme Replays the vocals on this track with her singing closer to you and it shows amazing death that DTE 900 can project again great vocals,
First time on a IEM I could really get a sense of the way this track was recorded. kind of a special realization after hearing this track countless times and not picking up on that before!
"Nothing Else Matters" By PG Roxette
- Bass tickles your ear hairs the vocals are absolutely incredible this 9.2 dynamic driver is really quite special
"You Don’t Know Me" a Duet with Ray Charles and Diana Krall
- I like listening to duets because it really gives you a good sense of whether or not this IEM can replay both male and female vocals totally correct and you can hear him in one track I think it's a great way of determining whether or not it has the right note weight and tonality to bring out the vocals correctly and naturally and the DTE900 did so beautifully.
"Bad Liar" By Selema Gomez
- One of the best playbacks I have ever heard so incredibly smooth
"Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box" By Radiohead
- The bottom end of this baselines are really well produced very wonderful the pots and pans are also incredibly realistic you sound you're right there with a wooden spoon banging on them
"Rakin" By Dead Can Dance
- Okay if the Oprah show was hosting a live band and the Dead Can Dance was playing in her studio you sound like you're right there in the crowd cheering them on was a very cool replay and again one of those tracks where I heard a different than I have ever heard it before and the sense of space was ultra realistic.
"Give Life Back To Music" By Daft Punk
- THE ULTIMATE EDM IEM! ? QUITE POSSIBLY
" Conga Blue & Watermelon Man " By Poncho Sanchez
- Poncho and his signature drums have a unique sound but honestly jazz on the DTE900 is simply amazing the drums and the instrumentals are so spot on so damn good. *****
"Without Me" Lillium Remix by Halsey
- The DTE indeed goes into BASS HEAD territory FULL STOP!
"Cello Concerto" Asier Polo
- So how does the DTE900 do strings and classical well they absolutely have great depth and depth I don't mean the stage I mean a depth of the notes that this IEM can bring out in the instrument replay the attack release and decay is simply amazing in how we can project instruments and their tonality correctly both musically and emotionally.
CONCLUSION:
I try to be objective in my reviews sort of but totally know my passion leaks into my words and projects my feelings into my thoughts and subsequently effects my ability to properly reflect my sound impressions to you unobjectively.
Sorry not Sorry.
I LOVE THE DTE900 CHECKS ALL MY BOXES AND I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH TIME WITH THEM IN A DAY'S SPACE.
COMPARISONS:
XENNS MARGIRD UP: $699 10mm Beryllium Coated DD 2x Sonion BA for Mids 2 Custom BA for highs and 2 Sonion EST
- One of my absolute all time favorite IEM. I love this IEM for its ability to produce not just low bass but fast slam and bass realistically one of the best replays I have ever heard the mids are also wonderful and the EST implementation well on the more tame side still does a pretty good job overall. The IEM like all IEM's in my opinion are not perfect and where the up leaves you with just a little wish that you had more resolution and top end details.
Compared to the DTE900 now takes everything that I love about the up and makes it better the EST implementation is done better it has more sparkle the vocals are cleaner more detailed and slightly less warm but just as musical and the bass is also on par with each other the difference between the two units is about $50 in retail but there is no doubt that the DTE 900 is the better of the two.
Where the UP is a wonderful piece of gear it does not play at Top Of The Line level of performance where I can clearly say the Sound Rhyme clearly does.
KINERA IMPERIAL LOKI: $3099 6mm LCP DD, 6 Knowles BA 4 Sonion EST 1 Bone Conduction Unit
- I was very fortunate to have the LOKI on loan at the same time as I did my sound impressions of the DTE900. The LOKI is a amazing IEM it has a clarity and resolution reflecting its price, the Bass is somewhat lean in the mid bass department but that 6mm plays crazy low.
- Overall the LOKI plays more vocal forward and the EST implementation was done to really showcase the effects that EST can induce and enhance the top end.
- The DTE900 in comparison plays a bit warmer less vocal forward and way more smooth than the LOKI. Bass on the Sound Rhyme is leaps and bounds better, plays with more note weight and makes string instruments like Double Bass and Cello perfect where the LOKI plays them thinner and not perfectly natural like the DTE900 did. Also that extra note weight of the DTE900 add a really nice subtle coloration to the mids that my ears find very pleasing and perfect for my tastes.
IF THE UP AND THE LOKI HAD A WILD NIGHT OF MUSIC AND A LOVE CHILD WAS BORN FROM THE CHAOS THE DTE900 WOULD BE THE RESULT OF THAT PERFECT COUPLING.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS:
AT ITS CORE THE DTE900 REMAINS A FUN AND YET TECHNICAL SET. THE TUNING SWITCHES ALLOW YOU TO FINE TUNE THIS SET TO YOUR PERSONAL PREFERENCES FROM SUPER DETAILED TO SUPER LAID BACK.
FINDING GOOD BALANCE FOR MANUFACTURES IN TUNING IEM'S AND THIS TASK IS NEVER EASY TO APEASE EVERONE. FOR ME I FOUND THE DTE900 ABSOULTLY PERFECT FOR MY TASTES AND CHECKS OFF EVERY BOX ON ALL METRICS AT TOTL ENDGAME LEVELS!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
H
helloh3adfi
@ToneDeafMonk
Strange my Penon G4 plugs look different from yours. Did you order that cable with ear hooks as well? I still don't get what switch positions you are talking about. Is it like this picture?
Strange my Penon G4 plugs look different from yours. Did you order that cable with ear hooks as well? I still don't get what switch positions you are talking about. Is it like this picture?
innovated
Just ordered partly on the strength of your review and comments online from Antonio Teixeira
Hello TDM here and I like to share my experience with this IEM
Mr. Kong from Penon reached out to me as he knows my tastes by now and thought that I would enjoy this one.
He was correct, even though My taste normally lean towards a little bit. Basier a little bit warmer sets. I found this one riveting and overall, quite enjoyable.
So, I've never heard of this brand before, so it was a bit of a look up on the internet. See what I could find and they're not new to the Chi-Fi industry in fact, they've been around quite a long time. What's surprised me is that I've never heard of them before.
So once I've got the source rolling down. The tip rolling done the cable rolling done one thing came apparently clear is that these IEM really prefer a warmer source. And secondly, something with some power, some juice. Because at low volume, they didn't really come alive. Until you started putting some power to then.
And then their personality really came into play.
Interesting when you read or see other reviews. One of the things to note is power, and is that noted in the review? Because you would totally get a completely different opinion of these. If you were just trying to drive them off a phone, you'd probably find them thin bright, lacking detail, but that's not the case when they're driven properly.
So how did I hear the YST-02 Well, I can tell you how I heard them.
If you are a graph person who looks at a graph, and thinks you know how something is gonna sound. You would be very, very off on this set.
Because this set, does not sound anything like its graph Would suggests! Its a chameleon for sure.
The bass is actually very visceral. It has great attack and decay and hits with authority. But was even more surprising was the subfrequency's we're there when the music had some bass in the mix. And it went low and sounded very natural. A great sounding analog bass at the bottom end. The YST-02 still had a very tight and controlled personality.
To keep going on the bass just for 1 more second. Because I think it denotes attention. Is it in my notes while I was listening to it, I wrote that this IEM has one of the most musical base responses I have heard and it was a joy to listen to with a maturity to the notesand a great texture. It's really just full and complete.
It was a complete surprise to me. Having looked at the graph prior that was my mistake. THE GRAPH LIES!
The upper Midge and that energy up top never pushed my easr to a uncomfortable level for me, with being a bit more treble scentsive I was abit worried again lookingat the graph.
Happy to report that, I had no issues. In fact like the SounRhyme e SR5 I found this tuning very enjoyable.
While the vocals might present a tad forward in the mix. It made vocals really pop sound super clean and detailed lots of nice energy, Up there, it had great dynamics and attack when replaying a song with lots of energy.
The overall tuning is really quite honestly tastefully done with no splashiness or BA timber that I heard.
The stage has a nice depth to it and rare in its price bracket.
In conclusion I found the ECCI YST-02
a excellent sounding, enjoyable listen that gives you a detailed fun and exciting experience.
I think it's a pretty fantastic value. And it's regular price of $79 a good purchase. Now at the time of this review it's on for a special price for $59 makes this one a truly hidden gem.
A worth recommendation
More information and Purchase link is here:
https://penonaudio.com/ecci-yst-02.html
My Video review because it deserved one - not all do is here:
Mr. Kong from Penon reached out to me as he knows my tastes by now and thought that I would enjoy this one.
He was correct, even though My taste normally lean towards a little bit. Basier a little bit warmer sets. I found this one riveting and overall, quite enjoyable.
So, I've never heard of this brand before, so it was a bit of a look up on the internet. See what I could find and they're not new to the Chi-Fi industry in fact, they've been around quite a long time. What's surprised me is that I've never heard of them before.
So once I've got the source rolling down. The tip rolling done the cable rolling done one thing came apparently clear is that these IEM really prefer a warmer source. And secondly, something with some power, some juice. Because at low volume, they didn't really come alive. Until you started putting some power to then.
And then their personality really came into play.
Interesting when you read or see other reviews. One of the things to note is power, and is that noted in the review? Because you would totally get a completely different opinion of these. If you were just trying to drive them off a phone, you'd probably find them thin bright, lacking detail, but that's not the case when they're driven properly.
So how did I hear the YST-02 Well, I can tell you how I heard them.
If you are a graph person who looks at a graph, and thinks you know how something is gonna sound. You would be very, very off on this set.
Because this set, does not sound anything like its graph Would suggests! Its a chameleon for sure.
The bass is actually very visceral. It has great attack and decay and hits with authority. But was even more surprising was the subfrequency's we're there when the music had some bass in the mix. And it went low and sounded very natural. A great sounding analog bass at the bottom end. The YST-02 still had a very tight and controlled personality.
To keep going on the bass just for 1 more second. Because I think it denotes attention. Is it in my notes while I was listening to it, I wrote that this IEM has one of the most musical base responses I have heard and it was a joy to listen to with a maturity to the notesand a great texture. It's really just full and complete.
It was a complete surprise to me. Having looked at the graph prior that was my mistake. THE GRAPH LIES!
The upper Midge and that energy up top never pushed my easr to a uncomfortable level for me, with being a bit more treble scentsive I was abit worried again lookingat the graph.
Happy to report that, I had no issues. In fact like the SounRhyme e SR5 I found this tuning very enjoyable.
While the vocals might present a tad forward in the mix. It made vocals really pop sound super clean and detailed lots of nice energy, Up there, it had great dynamics and attack when replaying a song with lots of energy.
The overall tuning is really quite honestly tastefully done with no splashiness or BA timber that I heard.
The stage has a nice depth to it and rare in its price bracket.
In conclusion I found the ECCI YST-02
a excellent sounding, enjoyable listen that gives you a detailed fun and exciting experience.
I think it's a pretty fantastic value. And it's regular price of $79 a good purchase. Now at the time of this review it's on for a special price for $59 makes this one a truly hidden gem.
A worth recommendation
More information and Purchase link is here:
https://penonaudio.com/ecci-yst-02.html
My Video review because it deserved one - not all do is here:
HiSenior Okavango Aug 2023
HiSenior Okavango - All The Magic Sauce For A Musical Ride
INFO AND PURCHASE LINKS: $399-$469
https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/okavangocustom
Thank you to Hisenior for choosing me to be part of the reviewer group and getting a discount on the unit.
As you will see from the pictures I paid extra for the custom shell design.
I choose Abalone top plates and silver pearl shells.
Lets Start Off with the who cares not important nerdy stuff: (SOUND IS THE IMPORTANT STUFF)
Hisenior Okavango 1+6 Hybrid IEM
1x 9.5mm Dual Magnet Bio-Cellulose Dynamic Driver
4x SONION Balanced Armature for the Mids
2x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the Highs
4 way X-over
Frequency response 10Hz-30KHz
Sensitivity 112db 1mW
Impedance of 20 Ohms
2 Tuning Switches ( Bass+/Soundstage+/Vocal+/Balanced )
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions with Hakugei Golden Boudi PRO Cable, Moondrop Springtips L. The stock cable I swapped out because I liked of the synergy of this mixed Metal Cable. Gold Plated 7NOCC & Litz Silver Plated 7NOCC & Copper Silver Palladium Alloy $90.
I used this cable because I wanted to tighten up the bottom end, and brighten up the upper mids and treble. - Did it work? Only slightly over the stock cable but enough that I thought it was the best cable to bring out the special sauce of the Okavango.
Now cables, while some people get called out for including cable impressions as shills, I don’t think that’s fair honestly. If you cant hear a difference that’s OK. If you can then great why not cable roll. My belief is that I can hear a difference , though not earth shattering like some people state that make my roll my eyes I do honestly believe cable to some extent shape the overall sound. I find pure copper enhances the bass, Graphene enhances and tightens the Mids, a gold element thickens and enhances vocals while softening the highs and Silver and Palladium enhance the highs. That’s my take on how I perceive the tuning changes I hear and whether you agree or not is totally allowed as you have your own beliefs on the subject.
Mostly my choice in cables come down to what attributes I think I can instill into the IEM I am listening too, to enhance or detract to achieve my ideal sound preference but mostly
I WANT IT TO LOOK COOL! Silly as that sounds it floats my boat.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Hiby R6 Pro2 almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs AKM J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review because my DACS are out being modded by Geshelli for OP-AMP upgrades.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Solely used the most excellent Hiby R6 PRO2 on 4.4 Pentaconn out.
Tips Used for the OKAVANGO Impressions were the Moondrop Springtips
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the OKAVANGO
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
PRESSURE BUILD UP & DRIVER FLEX:
NOW THIS NEXT PART IS IMPORTANT AND WHY I THINK COMPANIES LIKE HISENIOR ARE ONES TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON:
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK from reading above You would think that I didn't enjoy my time with the Okavango, But that couldn't be further from the truth this is the first IEM in the new WILD-NATURE series. What Hisenior has set out to do by stating that they were trying to get a "clear profound dynamic and relaxed music anywhere you need it" I definitely think they hit the nail smack dab on the head. Mission accomplished!
The Bass is warm and organic in a old school ported sub box big box speaker sound. When run on sentence needed for that description but that's exactly how I would describe it. The bass is nicely weighted and sub bass focused, can go low and sustain continuous hits without breaking up or distorting. A excellent quality driver showing great control with excellent decay on the notes but at times lack the snap and attack I prefer from the low frequency transducers. With the setting at 01 the bass did not have as much effect as the 00 setting on the overall tonality of the upper mids and treble adding in too much huskiness and wight to female vocals.
Mids and vocals are defiantly the star of the show no big surprise here and the use of a whopping 4 SONION Balanced Armature drivers made sure your vocals both male and female comes across as musical and lush. (PENON LOOK OUT)
Vocals come across on the warmer side and a bit forward in the mix.
Now I won't say they come across as purely natural on 00 setting as there defiantly is some colorization going on adding more body to vocals than neutral, but to me I love this kind of tuning. I would so rather have extra note weight than listen to a dry and thin midrange tunings.
Highs have lots of details, they present clean, clear and crisp. No sibilance or sharpness to detect. BA timbre was not detectable and the overall coherence with the DD & BA's were well tuned working together for a very coherent tuning. This again is based off of 00 Setting with the treble switch OFF.
I do feel the extra energy from the lower frequencies pulls some attention away from making the overall replay as open and detailed as it could be, giving you a lesser sense of sparkle and air on certain tracks.
Stage is very much not 3D , width is good, depth is OK, height is OK. Is this a death sentence? For some maybe but honestly it plays really well into the overall tuning allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the music, instead of trying to pick apart a song to analyze all the minutiae. This kind of stage is great for when you just want to listen to music and not the gear playing it. Overall stage sounds more intimate rather than giving you a greater sense of spaciousness.
To be fair I have the Amazing Softears Twilight and have yet to hear anything close to this IEM's ability to project a 3D stage not even the 64 Audio gear can come remotely close, and everything else seems intimate to me now with that as a reference.
CONCLUSION:
If you are someone who prioritizes details, want a very analytical set while stilling not sacrificing the bass - the Okavango might be for you with the treble switch set to on? That being said you still not going to get a neutral tuning. There will be a lot of the Hisenior colourization going on making this set kind of unique with a tuning that I have not heard before and quite unique experience for me.
If you are a mid bass lover that lives for the attack / slam and perfect tonality in snares and high hats as I do , you just might find yourself forgiving the Okavango for its faults because you ended up falling in love with the overall sheer musicality of this set.
In the END I would say if you can overlook some of the Okavango's flaws and you decide to pick up this set you will go a an magical musical journey with a IEM that will immerse yourself into the music and let you forget about the worries of life and all the small things that don’t really matter. You will listening to the music and bopping your head to lush jams and riveting riffs.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS:
I have now listened to many IEM's , and as much as I can appreciate different turnings. I like you, have my sound preferences of what I enjoy over others. That being said my impression of Hisenior Mega 5p was also very favourable but the highest thing on my wish list was more high frequency extension. The Okavango fixed what I thought the MEGA5P was missing. The YanYin Canon OG is also one of my favourite IEM's with its very organic bass and the Okavango definitely gave me flashbacks of that sounding set as well, but here again better top end implementation with the dual KNOWLES BA for the highs in the Okavango. The Sound Rhyme SR7 also have some quality overtones and traits that I find desirable for my particular tastes and I enjoyed that IEM as well, but found something still missing.
One Final thought that I was left with: Hisenior having used the pricier SONION BA for the mids and Knowles BA for the highs the OKAVANGO shows they are not afraid to put quality drivers in their gear showing that they can tune them well. I would recommend the Okavango over the Canon, The SR7, The Mega5P because you are getting the best of each incorporated within the Okavango. Is it a perfect IEM? No of course not! Not even close but what special sauce did Hisenior put into the Okavango will make you want to crave it fortnightly when you're in the mood for something musical and relaxing.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My Spotify Playlist: I use DSD and FLAC files on my player but have copied the tracks I use on a Spotify Playlist to give you a reference on my tastes.
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
HiSenior Okavango - All The Magic Sauce For A Musical Ride
INFO AND PURCHASE LINKS: $399-$469
https://www.hisenior-iem.com/products/okavangocustom
Thank you to Hisenior for choosing me to be part of the reviewer group and getting a discount on the unit.
As you will see from the pictures I paid extra for the custom shell design.
I choose Abalone top plates and silver pearl shells.
Lets Start Off with the who cares not important nerdy stuff: (SOUND IS THE IMPORTANT STUFF)
Hisenior Okavango 1+6 Hybrid IEM
1x 9.5mm Dual Magnet Bio-Cellulose Dynamic Driver
4x SONION Balanced Armature for the Mids
2x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the Highs
4 way X-over
Frequency response 10Hz-30KHz
Sensitivity 112db 1mW
Impedance of 20 Ohms
2 Tuning Switches ( Bass+/Soundstage+/Vocal+/Balanced )
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions with Hakugei Golden Boudi PRO Cable, Moondrop Springtips L. The stock cable I swapped out because I liked of the synergy of this mixed Metal Cable. Gold Plated 7NOCC & Litz Silver Plated 7NOCC & Copper Silver Palladium Alloy $90.
I used this cable because I wanted to tighten up the bottom end, and brighten up the upper mids and treble. - Did it work? Only slightly over the stock cable but enough that I thought it was the best cable to bring out the special sauce of the Okavango.
Now cables, while some people get called out for including cable impressions as shills, I don’t think that’s fair honestly. If you cant hear a difference that’s OK. If you can then great why not cable roll. My belief is that I can hear a difference , though not earth shattering like some people state that make my roll my eyes I do honestly believe cable to some extent shape the overall sound. I find pure copper enhances the bass, Graphene enhances and tightens the Mids, a gold element thickens and enhances vocals while softening the highs and Silver and Palladium enhance the highs. That’s my take on how I perceive the tuning changes I hear and whether you agree or not is totally allowed as you have your own beliefs on the subject.
Mostly my choice in cables come down to what attributes I think I can instill into the IEM I am listening too, to enhance or detract to achieve my ideal sound preference but mostly
I WANT IT TO LOOK COOL! Silly as that sounds it floats my boat.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Hiby R6 Pro2 almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs AKM J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review because my DACS are out being modded by Geshelli for OP-AMP upgrades.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Solely used the most excellent Hiby R6 PRO2 on 4.4 Pentaconn out.
Tips Used for the OKAVANGO Impressions were the Moondrop Springtips
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the OKAVANGO
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
PRESSURE BUILD UP & DRIVER FLEX:
- This is a big deal for me possible for many others without even realizing it, and the reason I have not enjoyed any set for any length of time when I experience this effect.
- Without vented shells - My GS Audio SE12 $1000, NF Audio NF2U, Hisenior T2 , Hidizs MS5, all give me a headache after 5 Minutes , I get a loss of bass and a enhancement of the highs that vastly contour my sound impressions to the actual intended tuning. Now to be fair on past reviews I didn’t pick up on this until recently when another member of the community I respect Mr. Paul Wasabi suggested foam tips to alleviate the pressure and mitigate the issue. Using foam tips also has their downside for me as I find the highs are muted as well.
- I normally tip roll with some of my favorite tips, AZLA Crystal, BGVP W01, JVC Spiral Dots, to name a few. All of these are wide bore for maximum stage and vocals.
- What I experienced was a little bit of driver flex - NOT HORRIBLE just a bit but more importantly the pressure build up would change the sound for me and make the Okavango uncomfortable after about 40 minutes of listening.
- Happy to say after switching to spring tips from Moondrop it completely eliminated the Driver Flex issue and pressure build up. Springtips have a softer sidewalls and allow some pressure to escape while keeping the bass in play and stage large as possible.
NOW THIS NEXT PART IS IMPORTANT AND WHY I THINK COMPANIES LIKE HISENIOR ARE ONES TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON:
- I reached out to Gareth the Hisenior representative and gave some feedback, as myself and others were experiencing this with certain ear tips.
- With a few days Gareth responded with a solution for a upgraded venting system you will see in a running change to the Okavango.
- This is a company listening to its customers and willing to take the steps to fix even small things most people won't even notice and that seriously commendable and gains a huge amount of respect from me and the community in large.
- Now to be fair most people won't notice the driver flex nor pressure build up so this is less of a issue and certainly not a concern for the driver's longevity and I don’t think something you need to worry about if you were thinking about picking a unit up prior to the fix unless you are super sensitive like myself.
- 2 - Tuning switches- I hate Tuning switches most don’t work on IEM's enough to make it a useful feature.
- Again I am happy to report that not only can you turn the Okavango into a into a treble monster you can also tune it to a Balanced or even a bassy warm set if you so choose.
- Okavango has really only two major tunings , bassy warm and musical and a setting to seriously enhance 6200Hz to 14000 +12db for treble heads who want maximum details at the expense of natural tonality and timbre - this setting was great for certain song without too much high frequency energy in the mix but that ratio changed the music became harsh and sibilant with noticeable distortion.
- A perfect tuning would have been adding 2-3db in that same range with the switch off and maximum +6db with treble switch on a tweak not a blast per say.
- 00 Bassy, warm, musical, lush, effortless musical chill vocal forward setting by far my most favorite setting and the bass was snappier It would make the Okavango perfect for my tastes! ( All my next sound impressions based on this setting )
- 01 An assault on my treble sensitivities just too much in the wrong place makes instruments pop but in a un-natural way
- 10 Made bass too muddy and by reducing the mid energy at 2-4k makes female vocals too thick and unnatural my least favorite setting
- 11 Wrong in all the full context of the word, bloated bass , vocals way off and all that extra high frequency energy just made the Okavango so unbalanced.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK from reading above You would think that I didn't enjoy my time with the Okavango, But that couldn't be further from the truth this is the first IEM in the new WILD-NATURE series. What Hisenior has set out to do by stating that they were trying to get a "clear profound dynamic and relaxed music anywhere you need it" I definitely think they hit the nail smack dab on the head. Mission accomplished!
The Bass is warm and organic in a old school ported sub box big box speaker sound. When run on sentence needed for that description but that's exactly how I would describe it. The bass is nicely weighted and sub bass focused, can go low and sustain continuous hits without breaking up or distorting. A excellent quality driver showing great control with excellent decay on the notes but at times lack the snap and attack I prefer from the low frequency transducers. With the setting at 01 the bass did not have as much effect as the 00 setting on the overall tonality of the upper mids and treble adding in too much huskiness and wight to female vocals.
Mids and vocals are defiantly the star of the show no big surprise here and the use of a whopping 4 SONION Balanced Armature drivers made sure your vocals both male and female comes across as musical and lush. (PENON LOOK OUT)
Vocals come across on the warmer side and a bit forward in the mix.
Now I won't say they come across as purely natural on 00 setting as there defiantly is some colorization going on adding more body to vocals than neutral, but to me I love this kind of tuning. I would so rather have extra note weight than listen to a dry and thin midrange tunings.
Highs have lots of details, they present clean, clear and crisp. No sibilance or sharpness to detect. BA timbre was not detectable and the overall coherence with the DD & BA's were well tuned working together for a very coherent tuning. This again is based off of 00 Setting with the treble switch OFF.
I do feel the extra energy from the lower frequencies pulls some attention away from making the overall replay as open and detailed as it could be, giving you a lesser sense of sparkle and air on certain tracks.
Stage is very much not 3D , width is good, depth is OK, height is OK. Is this a death sentence? For some maybe but honestly it plays really well into the overall tuning allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the music, instead of trying to pick apart a song to analyze all the minutiae. This kind of stage is great for when you just want to listen to music and not the gear playing it. Overall stage sounds more intimate rather than giving you a greater sense of spaciousness.
To be fair I have the Amazing Softears Twilight and have yet to hear anything close to this IEM's ability to project a 3D stage not even the 64 Audio gear can come remotely close, and everything else seems intimate to me now with that as a reference.
CONCLUSION:
If you are someone who prioritizes details, want a very analytical set while stilling not sacrificing the bass - the Okavango might be for you with the treble switch set to on? That being said you still not going to get a neutral tuning. There will be a lot of the Hisenior colourization going on making this set kind of unique with a tuning that I have not heard before and quite unique experience for me.
If you are a mid bass lover that lives for the attack / slam and perfect tonality in snares and high hats as I do , you just might find yourself forgiving the Okavango for its faults because you ended up falling in love with the overall sheer musicality of this set.
In the END I would say if you can overlook some of the Okavango's flaws and you decide to pick up this set you will go a an magical musical journey with a IEM that will immerse yourself into the music and let you forget about the worries of life and all the small things that don’t really matter. You will listening to the music and bopping your head to lush jams and riveting riffs.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS:
I have now listened to many IEM's , and as much as I can appreciate different turnings. I like you, have my sound preferences of what I enjoy over others. That being said my impression of Hisenior Mega 5p was also very favourable but the highest thing on my wish list was more high frequency extension. The Okavango fixed what I thought the MEGA5P was missing. The YanYin Canon OG is also one of my favourite IEM's with its very organic bass and the Okavango definitely gave me flashbacks of that sounding set as well, but here again better top end implementation with the dual KNOWLES BA for the highs in the Okavango. The Sound Rhyme SR7 also have some quality overtones and traits that I find desirable for my particular tastes and I enjoyed that IEM as well, but found something still missing.
One Final thought that I was left with: Hisenior having used the pricier SONION BA for the mids and Knowles BA for the highs the OKAVANGO shows they are not afraid to put quality drivers in their gear showing that they can tune them well. I would recommend the Okavango over the Canon, The SR7, The Mega5P because you are getting the best of each incorporated within the Okavango. Is it a perfect IEM? No of course not! Not even close but what special sauce did Hisenior put into the Okavango will make you want to crave it fortnightly when you're in the mood for something musical and relaxing.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My Spotify Playlist: I use DSD and FLAC files on my player but have copied the tracks I use on a Spotify Playlist to give you a reference on my tastes.
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
Attachments
bschnell9
I saw the picture on their website with a venting hole by the tuning switches. Is that on yours or is that part of the changes they made per your suggestion? Did they talk any specifics about what they would change in addition to that venting hole if it was part of original design? Thanks
NiToNi
Thanks for the review. Disregarding the price difference altogether, how do they compare to the Tia Trio in terms of pure musical enjoyment (presentation, tonal balance, slam, PRaT, fatigue etc).
My Goldplanar GL-AMT16 Review is here for those who like to read.
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GOLDPLANAR GL-AMT16 AUG 21 2023
Screenshot 2023-08-19 at 11-11-21 2741.84C$ Goldplanar Gl-amt16 Full-range Pneumatic In-ear Headphones N52 Neodymium Magnetic High End Hifi Headphones - Home Theater Amplifiers - AliExpress509×509 242 KB
This one was so graciously loaned from a fellow audiophile code name Dennis and my many thanks for the opportunity to listen to these unique IEM’S
THIS IS A NEW USE OF A 40YR OLD DREAM
The Goldplanar GL-AMT16 is a single driver IEM utilizing a 15.5mm Air Motion Transformer
This technology was invented by Dr. Oskar Heil in the 70’s
Now let’s get into it: The Techy Stuff
I am going to be spending a bit of time explaining what a AMT is:
An AMT is a form of electrostatic driver a dipole meaning sound is produced on both sides of the driver.
Essentially there is the diaphragm membrane up front there are powerful magnets in the back and there’s a dampening material in the centre to absorb all the unwanted rear waves.
Where a conventional dynamic driver has a voice coil that pushes the cone around the edge, a AMT has its motor bonded onto its surface.
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The AMT diaphragm is made up of a layer of Kapton - a type of polyimide film and a layer of aluminum bonded to it for the electrical signal to be passed through it.
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The Diaphragm is actually, folded in a way with gaps between the folds.
When signal is passed along the circuit in opposing directions it causes the diaphragm to compress and expand the fold causing the air to be squeezed in and out like a bellow.
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There is a lot of surface area in such a small space and to give you a idea how much this 15.5mm diaphragm is squeezed in there the equivalent surface area in a dynamic driver would be 120mm or roughly 8 times a conventional driver.
Now this is not new technology per say but because of the ultra linear response and quick speed Air Motion Transducers were used primarily in tweeters or upper midrange drivers in combination with conventional dynamic drivers for years in higher end speakers and monitors. The primary reason you didn’t see the tech everywhere in the past was higher cost to manufacture.
In 2020 a company called HEDDphone EX Adam Audio guys started using a full range AMT in their headphones. It has a frequency range of an outstanding 10hz-40khz! Admittingly, they knew the whole headphones were heavy and needed power as well. BUT THE SOUND.
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We have seen a tonne of Planer Headphones and IEM’s at very reasonable prices. The difference between the two tech is that Planar is situated on a flat plane and not pleated and folded like the AMT. An AMT driver can move a lot more air with better control and distortion.
Now we see on the market a mass number of AMT drivers and the prices have come down by leaps and bounds. I bought a set for my car for under $100! And they sound amazing.
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Car audio has joined the acceptance and application because of the off-axis dispersion is truly mind blowing and gives a massively wide stage even with a lesser than ideal placement.
It was only a matter of time before we saw a full range AMT squeezed into a IEM shell. Thus Goldplanar GL-AMT16 was born.
There will be more and more I am sure as the sound and technology improves with more affordable options.
I personally have a set of AMT Tweeters in my car and my Adam Audio Studio Monitors and love whey do and how they sound.
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YOU’RE NOT DRIVING THIS ONE OFF YOUR PHONE NOR ARE YOU LISTENING TO IT ON LOW VOLUME. Funny statement because normally AMT tweeters are very linear in their scaling and work great on low volumes and remain incredibly smooth as you dial the volume control. The AMT16 not so much as you will read in the sound part of this review.
SPECS: Goldplanar GL-AMT16
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: GoldPlanar GL-AMT16 15.5 mm Full-range Air Motion Transformer In-Ear Earphones – Linsoul Audio
Single Driver Configuration consisting of 1 15.5mm Full Range AMT Driver
Anodized Aluminum alloy shell
5 Interchangeable nozzles with ABSOLUTELY NO INFORMATION IN THE GIANT BOOK OF LITERATURE about what they do.
Detachable 0.78 2 Pin Modular cable 3.5 2.5 and 4.4 ends included. It’s a 8 Core cable with 6x 6N Single Crystal Copper and 2 Cores of silver plated Gold Foil.
Frequency response is rated at 15Hz-50KHz.
Impedance is 16 ohms.
Sensitivity of 102db
Weight is 7g ea without cable.
PRE-SOUND IMPRESSIONS - HOW DID I GET HERE:
Well Before I can get into how this sounded, I needed to go through the process of listening to each of the five available nozzles that you can swap on the GL-AMT16.
How much do I love nozzles just about as much as I love tuning switches, I wish this trend would be over sooner than later and manufacturers get back to a tuning that is not only appealing to most but with some reasonable thought and processes going into it.
Now with being said my process of listening to this I am I started off with the default nozzles which are the narrowest bore now I should mention the difference between these nozzles in some companies with different IEM’s they put different tuning sponges or different tuning filters on the nozzle and in the nozzle to make the changes. With the gold plan ARD GL-AMT16 they’ve done something slightly different and in this case what they’ve done is they’ve changed the internal Diane diameter of the boar and what that does is affect the high frequency spectrum quite a lot as you will see from this graph and that changes the overall tuning quite a bit now in the graphs it doesn’t show that the base has changed very much but in reality when you listen to it and what our little brains do is because if we have less of the high frequencies we sound like we have more bass and I’ll get more into the tuning in a bit but let’s just talk about what the nozzles did for me and where I ended up.
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So to start off I use the stock tuning which is the 5.5 millimeter outside bore with an internal diameter of 2.7 millimeters so right off the bat my impression of this particular nozzle and in this case I was still using a my favorite JVC FX-10 spiral dots that I love and my first impressions were that this was a pretty smooth tuning but the extension an the upper mid sounded a bit muted also there was a sharpness A sibling 's to the vocals with this particular nozzle.
And then I went to the opposite extreme I went to the six millimeter outside diameter with the internal bore of 4.4 millimeters now with this nozzle I also thought that the vocals sounded a bit thin and forward space was pretty light making instruments like guitar sound Finn with not enough note weight to them.
So, at this point I didn’t really need to go to all five of these nozzles to understand what the internal diameter bore was making the sound signature like, and I worked on more of what I can do to get it closer to what I think is the optimum tuning. After listening for a little while I decided to then graph what all five nozzles were doing at this point to get a better understanding from what I was hearing and see if that translated to the graph, and I could understand that on the graph.
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What came up to my eyes and confirmation to my ears was that there was this peak at two KHz and that was causing some any ear resonances that would make it sound shouty and sibilant and thin.
So at this point I went onto the forums and got some feedback from other people who own this set and their impressions about what they did and one thing that was suggested to me was ditched silicone tips and go with foam tips and that helps quite a bit with the shoutyness.
So that’s what I did I found a set of foam tips that I liked I have no idea what brand they are or where they came from, but they work great for me next, I started playing with nozzle filters so I found that the I liked the most In the end of my nozzle rolling.
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I found with the extra energy that the 6.0 dash 3.8 millimeter nozzle output and sounded, and that’s where I was going to stick for the remainder of my sound impressions. I like the extra energy up top but if I could just somehow knock down that 2 KHz. pina gain things would be a lot better in my happy zone.
Tips were a wondrous transformation helped quite a bit but there was still something that was off and then I started playing with nozzle filters I ended up starting off with a 400 level mash nozzle moved up to a Tanchjim Oxygen filter, found that was too much of a hit to the upper mids and made vocals too recessed, Next up I then went back down to a cotton filter that’s about a 400 level compared to a mesh one and found that was a happy medium and was close to my desired ideal.
With these changes everything got a lot better got a lot smoother the base became more prominent and started hitting with authority and overall the impressions I was getting about the analogue like sound signature started to really come to shape and I wanted to nurture that more, so that being said let’s play with sources so from there I went to my Geshelli Labs JNOG J2 with the topping A90D amp and then I tried the iFi stack and then I went into my Shandling UP5 and what I found was that the gold planar GL-AMT16 prefers a more warmer source and it really brings out the more analog sound signature on the more analytical sources I found that it really brought out the air the extension and the details but lost out on some of that magic sauce so happy in between was using the Truthear Shio with the CSS stack and that turned out to be a great pairing.
Another interesting Observation was that off of my Hiby R6 Pro2 that there just wasn’t enough juice even at high gain to drive these properly now you’d think that the she row having less juice would be less of a match I’m not sure what it is maybe it’s this DAP and these IEM’s but together it didn’t make the greatest sound combination.
Lastly, CABLES Normally in cables for me I can hear a difference between the differt allow mixes, and I was getting the impression that the stock cable with the copper gold and silver mix which probably not the right mix to have on this IEM. With the tuning nozzle with the more energy, So at this point I switched to a pure copper cable and found that was the magic sauce to put everything together with the less analytical source, the foam ear tips, pure copper cable 6.0 millimeter – 3.8 millimeter bore nozzle 400 level cotton filter on the nozzle I came to euphoria.
So that’s how I came to my final configuration and my listening impressions are based on that.
What I ended up getting was a very analogue sounding old school smooth sound signature great bass extension and the high frequency energy and extension were well balanced in the mix but an incredible amount of detail/air and positioning with a very wide massively open sound-stage that sounds way more like you’re in a concert 100 rows back then you are sitting behind a piece of glass in a studio.
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Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions with Hakugei Peaceful Voice 7N Pure copper cable and some unknown foam Tips.
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Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my Softears Twilight and my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD. And the fabulous 64 Audio U12t that I hold in high regard as well.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manikin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some context to compare using the same tracks.
THE GOLDPLANAR GL-AMT16 IS UNIQUE, IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A PLANER , NOR DYNAMIC DRIVER OR BA SET OR FOR ANYTHING-ELSE I HAVE HEARD.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let’s Begin:
#1 “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa
On this track again it was kind of interesting for the bass you could clearly hear the resonances of the drum skin but what seemed to be missing again was the note weight from like a dynamic driver and the attack and decay though still very good still felt like something was missing.
#4 “99 Luftballons” by Nena
The gold planner GL dash and T16 does vocals amazing this track no exception smooth clear clean articulate and with the correct energy to bring forward female vocals and yet keep a good balance in the track between the base and the high frequency energy.
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
The Goldplanar GL-AMT16 is unique it is unique on the market for now because it is one of the very first air motion transformer IEM’s out there. As more sets like these become more mainstream and the costs come down I think more people will really get to enjoy a truly analog sounding I am.
I have listened to IEM’s that had one component of them whether it be the bass the mid bass or the mids maybe the vocals and even sometimes the high end that had the element of an analog replay old school style sounding but the gold planner AMT-16 does this in a way where it presents an analogue impression on you through and through the entire frequency spectrum and that’s what makes it unique.
This IEM doesn’t sound like I dynamic driver doesn’t sound like a balanced armature set it doesn’t sound like a planer set, nor like any hybrid set using a combination of different drivers. It sounds like an air motion transformer with a big wide huge open stage an incredible extension and the fluidness in the way it presents music.
I love my AMT tweeters in my Adam audio studio monitors it presents in a way with a massively wide stage in fact when I started monitor rolling on my desk, I just had to go back to the Adam audios with AM tweet tweeters because nothing else sounded even remotely close to being as natural without coloration true to the artists intended tuning.
Same as my car audio system the first component I swapped out was the factory Dome tweeters with a set of AMT tweeters and what I found again was what I experienced in all my other dealings with this driver was that it was very linear from very low frequencies or low volumes to higher volumes and it kept its composure and one of the biggest things I noticed in the car probably one of the worst places you could put a sound system is that the stage again opened up a great amount and placement and time alignment was less of a factor. Staging with the AMT tweeters in the side pillars sound like the left side is 6tf outside the car!
What I found strange about the gold planner GL-AM T 16 was that it was different from my experience using this in other applications where I found at low listening volumes it wasn’t a good experience in fact I didn’t enjoy them at all sounded muted and dark and then it wasn’t until you started putting some juice to them where they would really liven up and that’s what kind of threw me off a little bit and in order to get a really good impression of this sound signature you kind of needed to crank it up a bit and give it some juice then they came alive and they sounded natural.
Also when it came to your tips was a bit of a surprise I normally get excellent results with big open board wide nozzles in silicone but in this case this IEM really needs to have foam tips in order to just take out a little bit of the - I don’t know what you would call it maybe glare or sharpness where that 2KHz. bump is affecting the overall tenor and timbe to the vocals while giving a sense of boosted bottom end.
Bass on this one it is nicely weighted but it’s still missing some of that snap and attack in the mid base area that is more tuned toward my preference.
The mids and the vocals of the gold planer GL-AMT16 are spot on male and female with my final tuning and configuration I found mids are very neutral - balanced in the mix upper mid in my journey I feel we’re missing some of that energy in four to 5K area I still wish there was a bit more there and not so scooped out.
For the treble you couldn’t ask for anything nicer very clean very crisp and effortless as well as very articulate and resolving set. The GL-AMT16 is also plays very honestly if you have a poor recording, you hear everything the pops the squeals the noise in the recording you can completely tell if this was a vinyl rip and that just says a lot about how resolving this IEM is.
I think the only hits against this set is for me wishing again more of that mid Bay snap and attack and I found sometimes vocals can sound a bit recessed and thick without tracks with more high frequency energy.
The stage you can easily describe this IAM as having a very wide-open stage definitely more attuned to a concert sounding versus a studio recording I still found that the headspace is all very still intimate. I didn’t find a great amount of death credit card project nor height. I would not describe this I am stage presentation as being very 3D at all.
Conclusion:
Overall if you were willing to take a chance on this set you would get probably the most analogue sounding experiences currently on the market and you would also need to spend some time as well like I did with this set to bring out its best definitely tip rolling cable rolling source rolling are all going to be a must as I would expect you would do nothing less for a set that cost this much money.
Owning this set you will get something unique something other technologies don’t quite bring to the table and for that I’m not sure if the gold planer GL-AMT16 is so unique because of its tuning or is it unique because of its technology the uniqueness of its sound may be determined when more sets come out onto the market and we will get a greater sense of their characteristics when crammed into an IEM shell.
As it is for now, I am humbly thankful for experiencing this set and have enjoyed my time quite a lot. I think it’s one that would be great in your collection if you’re looking for this kind of sound signature and uniqueness. If you think you would enjoy the way the Goldplanar GL-AMT16 have such unique analog sound and have an extra $1499 to spend this is one you may want to consider!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
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GOLDPLANAR GL-AMT16 AUG 21 2023
Screenshot 2023-08-19 at 11-11-21 2741.84C$ Goldplanar Gl-amt16 Full-range Pneumatic In-ear Headphones N52 Neodymium Magnetic High End Hifi Headphones - Home Theater Amplifiers - AliExpress509×509 242 KB
This one was so graciously loaned from a fellow audiophile code name Dennis and my many thanks for the opportunity to listen to these unique IEM’S
THIS IS A NEW USE OF A 40YR OLD DREAM
The Goldplanar GL-AMT16 is a single driver IEM utilizing a 15.5mm Air Motion Transformer
This technology was invented by Dr. Oskar Heil in the 70’s
Now let’s get into it: The Techy Stuff
I am going to be spending a bit of time explaining what a AMT is:
An AMT is a form of electrostatic driver a dipole meaning sound is produced on both sides of the driver.
Essentially there is the diaphragm membrane up front there are powerful magnets in the back and there’s a dampening material in the centre to absorb all the unwanted rear waves.
Where a conventional dynamic driver has a voice coil that pushes the cone around the edge, a AMT has its motor bonded onto its surface.
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The AMT diaphragm is made up of a layer of Kapton - a type of polyimide film and a layer of aluminum bonded to it for the electrical signal to be passed through it.
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The Diaphragm is actually, folded in a way with gaps between the folds.
When signal is passed along the circuit in opposing directions it causes the diaphragm to compress and expand the fold causing the air to be squeezed in and out like a bellow.
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There is a lot of surface area in such a small space and to give you a idea how much this 15.5mm diaphragm is squeezed in there the equivalent surface area in a dynamic driver would be 120mm or roughly 8 times a conventional driver.
Now this is not new technology per say but because of the ultra linear response and quick speed Air Motion Transducers were used primarily in tweeters or upper midrange drivers in combination with conventional dynamic drivers for years in higher end speakers and monitors. The primary reason you didn’t see the tech everywhere in the past was higher cost to manufacture.
In 2020 a company called HEDDphone EX Adam Audio guys started using a full range AMT in their headphones. It has a frequency range of an outstanding 10hz-40khz! Admittingly, they knew the whole headphones were heavy and needed power as well. BUT THE SOUND.
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We have seen a tonne of Planer Headphones and IEM’s at very reasonable prices. The difference between the two tech is that Planar is situated on a flat plane and not pleated and folded like the AMT. An AMT driver can move a lot more air with better control and distortion.
Now we see on the market a mass number of AMT drivers and the prices have come down by leaps and bounds. I bought a set for my car for under $100! And they sound amazing.
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Car audio has joined the acceptance and application because of the off-axis dispersion is truly mind blowing and gives a massively wide stage even with a lesser than ideal placement.
It was only a matter of time before we saw a full range AMT squeezed into a IEM shell. Thus Goldplanar GL-AMT16 was born.
There will be more and more I am sure as the sound and technology improves with more affordable options.
I personally have a set of AMT Tweeters in my car and my Adam Audio Studio Monitors and love whey do and how they sound.
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YOU’RE NOT DRIVING THIS ONE OFF YOUR PHONE NOR ARE YOU LISTENING TO IT ON LOW VOLUME. Funny statement because normally AMT tweeters are very linear in their scaling and work great on low volumes and remain incredibly smooth as you dial the volume control. The AMT16 not so much as you will read in the sound part of this review.
SPECS: Goldplanar GL-AMT16
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: GoldPlanar GL-AMT16 15.5 mm Full-range Air Motion Transformer In-Ear Earphones – Linsoul Audio
Single Driver Configuration consisting of 1 15.5mm Full Range AMT Driver
Anodized Aluminum alloy shell
5 Interchangeable nozzles with ABSOLUTELY NO INFORMATION IN THE GIANT BOOK OF LITERATURE about what they do.
Detachable 0.78 2 Pin Modular cable 3.5 2.5 and 4.4 ends included. It’s a 8 Core cable with 6x 6N Single Crystal Copper and 2 Cores of silver plated Gold Foil.
Frequency response is rated at 15Hz-50KHz.
Impedance is 16 ohms.
Sensitivity of 102db
Weight is 7g ea without cable.
PRE-SOUND IMPRESSIONS - HOW DID I GET HERE:
Well Before I can get into how this sounded, I needed to go through the process of listening to each of the five available nozzles that you can swap on the GL-AMT16.
How much do I love nozzles just about as much as I love tuning switches, I wish this trend would be over sooner than later and manufacturers get back to a tuning that is not only appealing to most but with some reasonable thought and processes going into it.
Now with being said my process of listening to this I am I started off with the default nozzles which are the narrowest bore now I should mention the difference between these nozzles in some companies with different IEM’s they put different tuning sponges or different tuning filters on the nozzle and in the nozzle to make the changes. With the gold plan ARD GL-AMT16 they’ve done something slightly different and in this case what they’ve done is they’ve changed the internal Diane diameter of the boar and what that does is affect the high frequency spectrum quite a lot as you will see from this graph and that changes the overall tuning quite a bit now in the graphs it doesn’t show that the base has changed very much but in reality when you listen to it and what our little brains do is because if we have less of the high frequencies we sound like we have more bass and I’ll get more into the tuning in a bit but let’s just talk about what the nozzles did for me and where I ended up.
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So to start off I use the stock tuning which is the 5.5 millimeter outside bore with an internal diameter of 2.7 millimeters so right off the bat my impression of this particular nozzle and in this case I was still using a my favorite JVC FX-10 spiral dots that I love and my first impressions were that this was a pretty smooth tuning but the extension an the upper mid sounded a bit muted also there was a sharpness A sibling 's to the vocals with this particular nozzle.
And then I went to the opposite extreme I went to the six millimeter outside diameter with the internal bore of 4.4 millimeters now with this nozzle I also thought that the vocals sounded a bit thin and forward space was pretty light making instruments like guitar sound Finn with not enough note weight to them.
So, at this point I didn’t really need to go to all five of these nozzles to understand what the internal diameter bore was making the sound signature like, and I worked on more of what I can do to get it closer to what I think is the optimum tuning. After listening for a little while I decided to then graph what all five nozzles were doing at this point to get a better understanding from what I was hearing and see if that translated to the graph, and I could understand that on the graph.
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What came up to my eyes and confirmation to my ears was that there was this peak at two KHz and that was causing some any ear resonances that would make it sound shouty and sibilant and thin.
So at this point I went onto the forums and got some feedback from other people who own this set and their impressions about what they did and one thing that was suggested to me was ditched silicone tips and go with foam tips and that helps quite a bit with the shoutyness.
So that’s what I did I found a set of foam tips that I liked I have no idea what brand they are or where they came from, but they work great for me next, I started playing with nozzle filters so I found that the I liked the most In the end of my nozzle rolling.
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I found with the extra energy that the 6.0 dash 3.8 millimeter nozzle output and sounded, and that’s where I was going to stick for the remainder of my sound impressions. I like the extra energy up top but if I could just somehow knock down that 2 KHz. pina gain things would be a lot better in my happy zone.
Tips were a wondrous transformation helped quite a bit but there was still something that was off and then I started playing with nozzle filters I ended up starting off with a 400 level mash nozzle moved up to a Tanchjim Oxygen filter, found that was too much of a hit to the upper mids and made vocals too recessed, Next up I then went back down to a cotton filter that’s about a 400 level compared to a mesh one and found that was a happy medium and was close to my desired ideal.
With these changes everything got a lot better got a lot smoother the base became more prominent and started hitting with authority and overall the impressions I was getting about the analogue like sound signature started to really come to shape and I wanted to nurture that more, so that being said let’s play with sources so from there I went to my Geshelli Labs JNOG J2 with the topping A90D amp and then I tried the iFi stack and then I went into my Shandling UP5 and what I found was that the gold planar GL-AMT16 prefers a more warmer source and it really brings out the more analog sound signature on the more analytical sources I found that it really brought out the air the extension and the details but lost out on some of that magic sauce so happy in between was using the Truthear Shio with the CSS stack and that turned out to be a great pairing.
Another interesting Observation was that off of my Hiby R6 Pro2 that there just wasn’t enough juice even at high gain to drive these properly now you’d think that the she row having less juice would be less of a match I’m not sure what it is maybe it’s this DAP and these IEM’s but together it didn’t make the greatest sound combination.
Lastly, CABLES Normally in cables for me I can hear a difference between the differt allow mixes, and I was getting the impression that the stock cable with the copper gold and silver mix which probably not the right mix to have on this IEM. With the tuning nozzle with the more energy, So at this point I switched to a pure copper cable and found that was the magic sauce to put everything together with the less analytical source, the foam ear tips, pure copper cable 6.0 millimeter – 3.8 millimeter bore nozzle 400 level cotton filter on the nozzle I came to euphoria.
So that’s how I came to my final configuration and my listening impressions are based on that.
What I ended up getting was a very analogue sounding old school smooth sound signature great bass extension and the high frequency energy and extension were well balanced in the mix but an incredible amount of detail/air and positioning with a very wide massively open sound-stage that sounds way more like you’re in a concert 100 rows back then you are sitting behind a piece of glass in a studio.
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Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions with Hakugei Peaceful Voice 7N Pure copper cable and some unknown foam Tips.
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Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
- Very Analogue presentation through all of the entire frequency spectrum
- Not like anything else currently on the market
- Unboxing Experience second to NONE
- Build quality and fitment should work for most people.
- AMT uniqueness translates into a wide open stage
- Natural way of replaying the music without effort and distortion
- NOWHERE IN THE LITERATURE DOES IT EXPLAIN WHAT SOUND EFFECTS THE DIFFERENT TUNING NOZZLES DO TO THE TUNING. TRIAL AND ERROR AND NOT ACCEPTABLE.
- Mid Bass attack may not be for some as it was done in a way to be present to enhance rather than be fully present in the mix
- Packaging was overly done to my tastes and I found a bitt excessive even on a set costing $1499 Packaging clocks in at 3.2KG over TEN pounds!
- The 2KHz peak in all tunings adds too much of a forwardness and resonances that needs to be addressed a little bit with a tuning filter in order to bring it down to a more natural level in my opinion.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my Softears Twilight and my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD. And the fabulous 64 Audio U12t that I hold in high regard as well.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manikin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some context to compare using the same tracks.
THE GOLDPLANAR GL-AMT16 IS UNIQUE, IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A PLANER , NOR DYNAMIC DRIVER OR BA SET OR FOR ANYTHING-ELSE I HAVE HEARD.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let’s Begin:
#1 “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa
- I found the sense of space the width the depth and the height all excellent done it sounded like it was done in a huge room and the mikes were far and closely spaced to get the effect that being said was it the most natural sounding and the best I’ve heard no I would definitely give that to the Softears Twilight it seemed to also be missing quite a bit of the note weight from the different balls he couldn’t tell that one was a ping pong ball and one was a basketball where on other IEM’s that had more base weight you could clearly hear and feel the difference.
- Very nice base texture on this track with an absolutely incredible extension and sense of air vocals we’re perfect the stage was wide but still fit entirely into your headspace I was getting a good sense of the staging at this point.
On this track again it was kind of interesting for the bass you could clearly hear the resonances of the drum skin but what seemed to be missing again was the note weight from like a dynamic driver and the attack and decay though still very good still felt like something was missing.
#4 “99 Luftballons” by Nena
The gold planner GL dash and T16 does vocals amazing this track no exception smooth clear clean articulate and with the correct energy to bring forward female vocals and yet keep a good balance in the track between the base and the high frequency energy.
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
- The speed of bass was well presented the what I found was that I was missing the snap that you would get from my dynamic driver or a BA transducer I thought it sounded very analog sounding again but I was kind of missing that extra energy to give it more attack and thus more excitement into this track.
- Such an analog sound. The piano was absolutely bang on vocals were perfect you could hear her actual lips coming together a few times when she is singing such a cool experience and a rare one at that to hear that kind of level of detail was a real treat.
- Track what came to mind was that the presentation was a very organic smooth and wonderful replay I wasn’t listening to any gear at this point I was simply just enjoying the music.
- OK so how did the GL-MT16 do on an orchestral piece well it had a wonderful extension, and the dynamics were great the flute and all the instrumental was done so nicely there was just a hint of warmth maybe that was just the analog sound coming through but whatever it was wonderful.
- The opening of the bells in the clock will put a huge grin on your face. The smooth treble was such a nice presentation and Rodgers vocals had weight and a husk to him that sounded very natural.
- A perfect example on this unique analog presentation the gold planner did this with such a uniqueness that I haven’t heard before what a treat.
- On this track there was some very nice base hits and the weight was great not the fastest but a very nice punchy low end there was zero base bleed outstanding male vocals.
- An amazing ton of high frequency energy and all done so nicely excellent separation sparkles no harshness or sibilance was very cool
- Throwing some EDM here to actually figure out how the bass was going to do and on this track I thought the base was very organic again not very speedy but nicely weighted with an old school analog thump would this be my first choice for this kind of genre probably not but I will tell you one thing you can probably go pretty loud and listen to it for many hours that was a given.
- so I’m trying to listen to some male vocals and the guitar which sounded very nice the sting’s voice is a very smooth melody again I’m -going to use that analog sound didn’t sound like he was in a studio it sounded more of a bigger presentation and that’s kind of unlike most replays I have heard from this song on other IEM
- Very organic sounding vocals so smooth.
- On this track the Bass on the guitar was missing a lot of that mid bass to make it sound acoustically correct the vocals were amazing but the overall presentation just seemed to be lackluster without that sharpness that I came to expect and maybe that was kind of the analog tuning of this set, but it had me wanting for more.
- Well, if you’ve ever listened to this track with Jennifer Warnes’s voice it is an exceptionally well recorded track here you can hear great height excellent details amazing high frequency extension the drum hits we’re a bit weightier and punchier that was a bit of a surprise from the previous tracks.
- How did jazz do well I got to tell you that the little triangle instrument sound at the very beginning sounded amazingly real. The strings are also very good, but the base was light overall the whole presentation was lively and fun. Would I use the gold planner GL-AMT16 for my first choice listening to jazz music no I would probably say not there’s just not enough wait too the bass guitar and the drums to give it a realistic replay but the presentation and the space that it presents in is also very appealing.
- This track is a perfect example of what the AMT 16 does best very analog you hear the noises the pops then the Super incredible vocals you hear it all very detailed done in a way that again I found it was very special.
- On this track the trumpets sounded fabulous but again they’re Achilles heel of the Goldplanar GL-AMT16 is of the bottom end where Poncho’s drums just didn’t sound like they had the Poncho punch to them
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
The Goldplanar GL-AMT16 is unique it is unique on the market for now because it is one of the very first air motion transformer IEM’s out there. As more sets like these become more mainstream and the costs come down I think more people will really get to enjoy a truly analog sounding I am.
I have listened to IEM’s that had one component of them whether it be the bass the mid bass or the mids maybe the vocals and even sometimes the high end that had the element of an analog replay old school style sounding but the gold planner AMT-16 does this in a way where it presents an analogue impression on you through and through the entire frequency spectrum and that’s what makes it unique.
This IEM doesn’t sound like I dynamic driver doesn’t sound like a balanced armature set it doesn’t sound like a planer set, nor like any hybrid set using a combination of different drivers. It sounds like an air motion transformer with a big wide huge open stage an incredible extension and the fluidness in the way it presents music.
I love my AMT tweeters in my Adam audio studio monitors it presents in a way with a massively wide stage in fact when I started monitor rolling on my desk, I just had to go back to the Adam audios with AM tweet tweeters because nothing else sounded even remotely close to being as natural without coloration true to the artists intended tuning.
Same as my car audio system the first component I swapped out was the factory Dome tweeters with a set of AMT tweeters and what I found again was what I experienced in all my other dealings with this driver was that it was very linear from very low frequencies or low volumes to higher volumes and it kept its composure and one of the biggest things I noticed in the car probably one of the worst places you could put a sound system is that the stage again opened up a great amount and placement and time alignment was less of a factor. Staging with the AMT tweeters in the side pillars sound like the left side is 6tf outside the car!
What I found strange about the gold planner GL-AM T 16 was that it was different from my experience using this in other applications where I found at low listening volumes it wasn’t a good experience in fact I didn’t enjoy them at all sounded muted and dark and then it wasn’t until you started putting some juice to them where they would really liven up and that’s what kind of threw me off a little bit and in order to get a really good impression of this sound signature you kind of needed to crank it up a bit and give it some juice then they came alive and they sounded natural.
Also when it came to your tips was a bit of a surprise I normally get excellent results with big open board wide nozzles in silicone but in this case this IEM really needs to have foam tips in order to just take out a little bit of the - I don’t know what you would call it maybe glare or sharpness where that 2KHz. bump is affecting the overall tenor and timbe to the vocals while giving a sense of boosted bottom end.
Bass on this one it is nicely weighted but it’s still missing some of that snap and attack in the mid base area that is more tuned toward my preference.
The mids and the vocals of the gold planer GL-AMT16 are spot on male and female with my final tuning and configuration I found mids are very neutral - balanced in the mix upper mid in my journey I feel we’re missing some of that energy in four to 5K area I still wish there was a bit more there and not so scooped out.
For the treble you couldn’t ask for anything nicer very clean very crisp and effortless as well as very articulate and resolving set. The GL-AMT16 is also plays very honestly if you have a poor recording, you hear everything the pops the squeals the noise in the recording you can completely tell if this was a vinyl rip and that just says a lot about how resolving this IEM is.
I think the only hits against this set is for me wishing again more of that mid Bay snap and attack and I found sometimes vocals can sound a bit recessed and thick without tracks with more high frequency energy.
The stage you can easily describe this IAM as having a very wide-open stage definitely more attuned to a concert sounding versus a studio recording I still found that the headspace is all very still intimate. I didn’t find a great amount of death credit card project nor height. I would not describe this I am stage presentation as being very 3D at all.
Conclusion:
Overall if you were willing to take a chance on this set you would get probably the most analogue sounding experiences currently on the market and you would also need to spend some time as well like I did with this set to bring out its best definitely tip rolling cable rolling source rolling are all going to be a must as I would expect you would do nothing less for a set that cost this much money.
Owning this set you will get something unique something other technologies don’t quite bring to the table and for that I’m not sure if the gold planer GL-AMT16 is so unique because of its tuning or is it unique because of its technology the uniqueness of its sound may be determined when more sets come out onto the market and we will get a greater sense of their characteristics when crammed into an IEM shell.
As it is for now, I am humbly thankful for experiencing this set and have enjoyed my time quite a lot. I think it’s one that would be great in your collection if you’re looking for this kind of sound signature and uniqueness. If you think you would enjoy the way the Goldplanar GL-AMT16 have such unique analog sound and have an extra $1499 to spend this is one you may want to consider!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
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ToneDeafMonk
If it was not for price would be a 4.5
o0genesis0o
What a cool and rare IEM you have there. Nice review
My sincere Thanks to Tyvan from KZ for providing the sample for me.
Purchase and information Link here:
https://www.kztws.com/en-ca/products/cca-duo
Let me first start off saying that of ypu are looking for a neutral/bright tonality in a IEM this one you should take a look at.
The CCa DUO has alot of great things going for it.
While I prefer IEM's with a bit more bottom end, I can totally see the appeal for thoose who prefer this tuning.
As far as most of the trending Dual Dynamic Driver options that came out so far in 2022 and midway through 2023 this is one of the better tuned ones.
I am glad CCA decided to take a step away from your typical and try to go for this sound signature Bravo!
The Bass, mids and treble are done clean and without harshness or fatigue.
The drivers themselves sound like a quality product as was the shell shape and design. It was clear some thought went into the DUO.
My only real criticism comes from the bottom octaves and what that does to correct tonality of vocals and instrumental and that's where the DUO for me looses big marks. Some stuff is forgivable bit If I am constantly saying to myself ummm that guitar sounds off or did Shaggy get snipped? Thats not great.
When I first listen to the DUO without any comparison I was alot more e anamoured by its clean playback.
It was not until I started to do a shootout and detailed comparison with other iem's that I started to pick it apart more for its flaws.
Now that bieng said I think the DUO is worth every penny and all 4 IEM's in the shootout represent great value for thier respected sounds signatures.
So I picked 3 other IEM that would help give you a sense of the overall tunings of each and spent alot of time listening and comparing.
I first picked a point of the graph like stage, and then proceeded to listen to songs from my playlist I knew well to each one of the IEM's not going from memory bit actually a listening shootout. Sometimes the same song more than once per IEM to make my impressions were correct.
Then I assigned a value 1-50 as to how well the IEM scaled up and recorded that. Moving along to the next catagory and so forth.
Mids,
Highs,
Male Vocales,....
Next I plotted everything on a spider graph as a visual representation of what I heard for comparison.
My overall conclusions were thus:
I thought the CCA DUO sounded thin on the mids and bass not giving enough note weight.
The Truthear Hola: was the warmest smoothest sounding out of the bunch and clearly had the best stage.
The Truthear Crin Zero Red:
Has the deepest blackest background, the best for overall resetting your sensibilities with a Un-offensive balanced sound signature.
The New Moondrop Chu2:
Not the old Chu that's for sure this one is alot more balanced out not so tip end heavy. In fact the Chu2 had the best bass quality and quantity of the bunch overall .aking the Chu2 the move V shaped fun IEM.
So overall 4 different tunings and each one will appeal to different people.
To conclude, I think CCA is onto something with this tuning, a bit more polish in the bottom end and you would have a fantastic all rounder.
As it is I would honestly say if your looking for a excellent value with a more neutral bright to end but without treble head levels and prefer a non bassy IEM spend your money on the CCA DUO worth every penny and you will enjoy it very much.
This is the TDM that's what my ears observed. Thanks for reading.
If you prefer watching here is the video:
Tamizhan
If one's going to assume that similar drivers are used in rhapsody, would you say same issues persists or somethings are better? I'm concerned about the tonality and timbre perhaps
PENON TURBO $499 July 2023
July 29, 2023
11:30 AM
PENON TURBO - One Smooth Operator
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
PENON TURBO 6BA CONFIG
Balanced Armature Drivers Consisting of:
2x SONION AcuPass Low Frequency BA and output independently though one sound tube.
2x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the mid frequencies and output through the second sound tube.
2x SONION Balanced Armature for the highs BA's Share the third and final sound tube.
Shell is a Fully Transparent neon green shell with the top made of pearl green
4 Tuning switches that control the bass level and to some extent the mids and treble. 14 Possible Configurations
A 3 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected BA driver pairs.
Sensitivity is rated as 103 db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 16 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable. PENON CABLE CS819 (Copper , Silver Plated 8 Cores 19 Shares p/core)
https://penonaudio.com/penon-cs819.html
Comes with the best Penon case pocketable and blue!
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions Switches set to 0-100 and with Stock SPC cable & TRI Clarion Tips. The stock cable , I just liked the sound synergy and comfort with the Turbo and appreciated how soft and pliable this cable was.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Hiby R6 Pro2 almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review and most of my impressions were sitting in a camping chair eating spits, drinking beer and watching loons at a lake I was camping at. Zero noise and distractions on this one.
Now cables, while some people get called out for including cable impressions as shills, I don’t think that’s fair honestly. If you cant hear a difference that’s OK. If you can then great why not cable roll. My belief is that I can hear a difference , though not earth shattering like some people state that make my roll my eyes I do honestly believe cable to some extent shape the overall sound. I find pure copper enhances the bass, Graphene enhances and tightens the Mids, a gold element thickens and enhances vocals while softening the highs and Silver and Palladium enhance the highs. That’s my take on how I perceive the tuning changes I hear and whether you agree or not is totally allowed as you have your own beliefs on the subject.
Mostly my choice in cables come down to what attributes I think I can instill into the IEM I am listening too, to enhance or detract to achieve my ideal sound preference but mostly
I WANT IT TO LOOK COOL! Silly as that sounds it floats my boat.
PENON TURBO:
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1744
This one was provided from Penon Directly and my thanks for that. I was pretty gun shy about all BA IEM's from my experience so I would not have bought this one, and I would have missed out because this is my most favourite PENON to date.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. The Tea Party, Mathew Good, LIVE, Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Solely used the most excellent Hiby R6 PRO2 on 4.4 Pentaconn out.
Tips Used for the TURBO Impressions were the Super Wide Bore TRI Clarion Tips - a great combination of depth insertion and open bore for stage.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the TURBO
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
PRESSURE BUILD UP:
4 - Tuning switches- I hate Tuning switches most don’t work on IEM's enough to make it a useful feature.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin:
#1 "Bubbles" by Yosi Horikawa
#2 "Jetlag Corperation" by Aes Dana
#3 "Poem In Chinese Drum" by Hok Man Kim
The TURBO actually has very nice decay in snack in the bass track here in all the setting,
I found the 0 -100 adds nicer tonality and the 0- 001 really brings out the nuances but still gives you great quality bass.
0-010 was in between, the details and the attack.
It was kind of interesting to hear how the switches made a difference in the bottom end with the turbo boost button on you better really nice decay and snap still without over being overdone, more DD like where is the BA bass, closer at 0-001 if you like that sound.
#4 "99 Luftballons" by Nena
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
#6 "Marvin Gaye" by Charlie Puth and Megan Trainor
#7 "Walk on the Wild side" by Lou Reed
#8 "Edge Of Seventeen" Stevie Nicks
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
#10 "Freaks" by Live
#11 "Kashmir" by Marcin
#12 " A Case of You " by Jodi Mitchell
#13 " J.S. Bach Cello Suite #1 in G major" by Tina Gao
#14 " Act Right" by The Crystal Method
#15 "Shape of My Heart" by Sting
#16 "Beving- Prelude" by Joep Beving
#17 " Save Me" by The Tea Party
#18 " Medellin" by Madonna
#19 "Deed I Do " by Ella Fitzgerald
#20 " The Feeling Of Jazz" by Poncho Sanchez
OK that was jus some tracks that blew my mind and helped my get to my overall impressions.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
The PENON TURBO for me is the best sounding IEM so far I have heard from them period. Not only that has become the one I reach for over all others at this time.
Big statement right there. Comes from my heart not fluff or a endorsement. I truly enjoy this IEM.
Mentally I was not prepared to like this one, actually I was quite biased towards dynamic driver IEM's in general as I found from past experiences all the BA IEM's I have tried with the exception of the 64 Audio U12t were not to my tastes and experienced pressure build up. I have never liked the Bass of all BA units as I found them lacking texture , proper decay and the U12t changed that for me and now the TURBO has also built up my ability to appreciate a well tuned all BA set and experience quality bass that I didn't find lacking in a all BA set.
I was expecting BA dry bass, only to be pleasantly surprised by the TURBO's ability to not only go low but have some note weight. If anything I would mind some of that fast texture and dryer mid bass or at least more of it. That if anything would be what I would want a bit more of to call this set perfect for me.
The Mids and vocals are so spot on perfectly balanced in the mix not forward nor recessed. The timbre is also very well presented with vocals both male and female coming across with the correct weight and timbre not dry and thin, nor overly weighted and boomy, very smooth and organic.
Highs in the upper mids and extended highs are bang on perfect for me, giving tons of details and excitement while providing great instrument placement in the stage and sounding very natural as well.
Stage overall is averagely wide and has good sense of depth and great height. Certainly not the best I have had the pleasure of hearing as nust having had the 64 Audio U12t in my ears, but the TURBO can hold its own.
Where some might expect or want more micro and macro details from a all BA set, I just was pleased it did almost everything else so well that I can easily forgive the TURBO for this. Personally I really enjoy the tuning of the TURBO AS IS. Also please consider the PRICE of only $499 its hard to fault. I think you would need more drivers or EST to get to the next level and honestly If I were to go looking for that in a differently tuned IEM, well then I would reach for the 10th as that was one of its great strengths.
Overall I can say what do I like most about the PENON TURBO, well I could tune it to my preferred sound signature, so the tuning switches worked for me.
I really like how smooth and natural the vocals are on the Turbo and fatigue free. I can listen to this set all day long and just get lost in the music, the stage is set up to give you a great experience and keeps you engaged, bass was more than enough to make my inner bass head happy without washing out my beloved female vocals and instrument details so I was very pleased and a bit shocked on how well the TURBO did this.
The TURBO is a expertly tuned IEM, a true gem in a sea of neutral or bright BA sets that try to go for a flatter frequency response example the tuning of the ( AFÜL Performer 8 )
For me those sets are boring to listen to, lack dynamics and weight and really overall excitement. Those sets don’t make me engaged in the music nor get me lost in the playback. The TURBO does it for me and anytime I find myself just listening to music and not the gear attached to my head that’s a full win in my books.
THE PENON TURBO IS THE MOST ORGANIC SOUNDING NON DARK PENON TO DATE FOR ME!
WHILE i HAVE YET TO HEAR A PENON IEM WITH DIFFERENT TUNING I COULD NOT APPRECIATE, SOME MORE THAN OTHERS- THE TURBO JUST DOES IT FOR ME. WITH A COMBINATION OF WARMTH, ORGANIC VOCALS AND BASS WITH ENOUGH HIGH END DETAILS TO PICK UP INSTRUMENTS AND DETAILS WITHOUT AND FATIGUE.
COMPARISON:
As I happen to own the 10th Anniversary IEM as well and thought the two would make a good comparison with both IEM's being the same price so lets go:
The graph actually represent what I was hearing:
The 10th has better faster and more Mid Bass and gets closer to my target
Bass overall I would say the TURBO sounds like it goes lower because of the less mid bass
The Upper mids on the TURBO give a more natural weight to male vocals and female vocals while being smoother and more natural.
Stage is very close to sounding the same no complaints at all.
The 10th presents vocals slightly forward and not quite as smooth as the TURBO.
The 10th defiantly has the edge with Micro and Macro Details with more Air and extension in the upper end twinkles and sparkles. EST drivers work.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
July 29, 2023
11:30 AM
PENON TURBO - One Smooth Operator
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
PENON TURBO 6BA CONFIG
Balanced Armature Drivers Consisting of:
2x SONION AcuPass Low Frequency BA and output independently though one sound tube.
2x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the mid frequencies and output through the second sound tube.
2x SONION Balanced Armature for the highs BA's Share the third and final sound tube.
Shell is a Fully Transparent neon green shell with the top made of pearl green
4 Tuning switches that control the bass level and to some extent the mids and treble. 14 Possible Configurations
A 3 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected BA driver pairs.
Sensitivity is rated as 103 db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 16 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable. PENON CABLE CS819 (Copper , Silver Plated 8 Cores 19 Shares p/core)
https://penonaudio.com/penon-cs819.html
Comes with the best Penon case pocketable and blue!
Pictured in final configuration for sound impressions Switches set to 0-100 and with Stock SPC cable & TRI Clarion Tips. The stock cable , I just liked the sound synergy and comfort with the Turbo and appreciated how soft and pliable this cable was.
I treat fine tuning my Impressions including cables like this in my journey with IEM's.
TIPS CHANGE THE SOUND GREATER THAN ANYTHING ELSE. ( Stage, bass, vocals, highs ) Can be greatly altered by tips and are first thing I try for fitment and comfort and overall shaping the sound to my desired preference.
Sources are second for me. Since my new Hiby R6 Pro2 almost rivals my desktop stack Geshelli Labs J2/ Topping A90D , I stuck with the Hiby solely with this review and most of my impressions were sitting in a camping chair eating spits, drinking beer and watching loons at a lake I was camping at. Zero noise and distractions on this one.
Now cables, while some people get called out for including cable impressions as shills, I don’t think that’s fair honestly. If you cant hear a difference that’s OK. If you can then great why not cable roll. My belief is that I can hear a difference , though not earth shattering like some people state that make my roll my eyes I do honestly believe cable to some extent shape the overall sound. I find pure copper enhances the bass, Graphene enhances and tightens the Mids, a gold element thickens and enhances vocals while softening the highs and Silver and Palladium enhance the highs. That’s my take on how I perceive the tuning changes I hear and whether you agree or not is totally allowed as you have your own beliefs on the subject.
Mostly my choice in cables come down to what attributes I think I can instill into the IEM I am listening too, to enhance or detract to achieve my ideal sound preference but mostly
I WANT IT TO LOOK COOL! Silly as that sounds it floats my boat.
PENON TURBO:
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1744
This one was provided from Penon Directly and my thanks for that. I was pretty gun shy about all BA IEM's from my experience so I would not have bought this one, and I would have missed out because this is my most favourite PENON to date.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. My reference is my THOR Mjölinar MKII single DD.
Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the PENON 10th Anniversary IEM special - has some great mid bass snap as well as some serious sub-bass!
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. The Tea Party, Mathew Good, LIVE, Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: Solely used the most excellent Hiby R6 PRO2 on 4.4 Pentaconn out.
Tips Used for the TURBO Impressions were the Super Wide Bore TRI Clarion Tips - a great combination of depth insertion and open bore for stage.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey with the TURBO
I like sharing this part as it gives context on how I came upon my sound impressions:
PRESSURE BUILD UP:
- This is a big deal for me possible for many others without even realizing it, and the reason I have not enjoyed a all BA set in the past until I listened to the outstanding 64 Audio $2000 U12t.
- Without vented shells - My GS Audio SE12 $1000, NF Audio NF2U, Hisenior T2 , Hidizs MS5, all give me a headache after 5 Minutes , I get a loss of bass and a enhancement of the highs that vastly contour my sound impressions to the actual intended tuning. Now to be fair on past reviews I didn’t pick up on this until recently when another member of the community I respect Mr. Paul Wasabi suggested foam tips to alleviate the pressure and mitigate the issue. Using foam tips also has their downside for me as I find the highs are muted as well.
- Very happy to say the TURBO has massive vented shells to completely resolve this issue and was not just a included feature, but a well thought out design and makes me able to listen to this set endlessly. So not just a shout out to the tuners on the TURBO, but the engineers as well who designed this IEM well done PENON.
4 - Tuning switches- I hate Tuning switches most don’t work on IEM's enough to make it a useful feature.
- Again I am happy to report that not only can you turn the TURBO into a +db bass monster you can also tune it to a Balanced or even a neutral bright set if you so choose.
- TURBO Boost switch to ON - Does exactly that but I found that a higher volumes it kind of bagged out and was not that enjoyable to listen to with bassy music, Now that being said on non bassy music the TURBO sounds great with added boost to male vocals. Overall this feature might appeal to some but for the majority of listening my setting was turned off.
- 000 Switches now really change the overall tuning
- 001 setting being a great setting for classical and female vocals and the most airy setting
- 010 setting was great with Jazz and vocals tuned slightly on the brighter side but again like all the settings never sibilant, sharp or harsh ever!
- 100 setting was my happy medium, I really liked the overall tuning of 010 and 100 the most. 100 overall gave me the added bass I crave and enjoy, while making male vocals perfect; as well as female vocals absolutely spot on and very organic in nature. This is where I left the settings for my overall impressions below in by track bases and overall sound impressions.
- One thing to note is the switches are not mirror image Left 000-TURBO and Right TURBO-000 I wish they would be the same on both sides.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin:
#1 "Bubbles" by Yosi Horikawa
- On 0-100 setting the stage has great width nice height the ball drops have a great sense of bouncing you can hear the weight between the different balls and the bass is great.
#2 "Jetlag Corperation" by Aes Dana
- Goes low I thought it was very balanced the treble keeps up for sure as the settings from 0-010 and the difference between 0-100 the droning bass goes lower with the more bottom end the TURBO actually has secondary resonances in the bass it's impressive it's not too much just very well done and in all the settings I found the treble keeps up with the bass
#3 "Poem In Chinese Drum" by Hok Man Kim
The TURBO actually has very nice decay in snack in the bass track here in all the setting,
I found the 0 -100 adds nicer tonality and the 0- 001 really brings out the nuances but still gives you great quality bass.
0-010 was in between, the details and the attack.
It was kind of interesting to hear how the switches made a difference in the bottom end with the turbo boost button on you better really nice decay and snap still without over being overdone, more DD like where is the BA bass, closer at 0-001 if you like that sound.
#4 "99 Luftballons" by Nena
- This was an interesting one as I mentioned earlier in my review I was talking about cables and here I just happened to throw on The PENON VOCAL cable and definitely found out that was not a good pairing at all.
- I just really liked it with the stock cable sounded wonderful best vocals was the I found the 0-100 setting it was supremo for female vocals.
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
- The speed of BA bass with the weight of a DD what the heck! Might make no BA believers like me into loving what a SONION AcuPass BA set can do for the bottom end!
#6 "Marvin Gaye" by Charlie Puth and Megan Trainor
- Great vocals both male and female to top it off I really like the way the bass is presented in this track it was overall very smooth and just a fun toe tapping playback
#7 "Walk on the Wild side" by Lou Reed
- Lou Reed's guitar was amazing not only that that's his vocals were bang on you could easily pick up the female singer come across from the back moving forward but the guitar itself was simply amazing the residences on the tone.
#8 "Edge Of Seventeen" Stevie Nicks
- On this track I just have to say how impressed overall I am with the turbo to reproduce female vocals simply superb bang on organic natural lush very enjoyable.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low , vocals perfect like the 10th did but dare I say goes lower yes I do believe so.
#10 "Freaks" by Live
- Would I say the PENON TURBO does plays metal? Rock? YES I definitely would use the turbo for rock very, very much nice kicks great vocals & can go very loud and sound very great doing it.
#11 "Kashmir" by Marcin
- Bass WOW not DD are you sure, has texture, decay, Instrumental brilliance and smooth detailed highs
#12 " A Case of You " by Jodi Mitchell
- Female vocals done superbly , so organic , the guitar and details so well replayed. Just lovely
#13 " J.S. Bach Cello Suite #1 in G major" by Tina Gao
- Strings are magical with te TURBO the depth of the Cello & the way the TURBO gives space to the notes is wonderful!
#14 " Act Right" by The Crystal Method
- Blown Away by the bass firstly and how smooth the TURBO does EDM - go loud OH YES
#15 "Shape of My Heart" by Sting
- Listening for accuracy of male vocals on 0-100 my favorite so perfect prefer over the 10th
#16 "Beving- Prelude" by Joep Beving
- A amazing recording , how many tracks can you hear the piano chair creaking and narrow that down to how many IEM can reproduce that sound with pin point accuracy and realistic nature - not too many and for how much?
#17 " Save Me" by The Tea Party
- One of the best replays I have ever heard not in a live venue was done by the TURBO
#18 " Medellin" by Madonna
- Vocals from Madonna so smooth and the Stage was huge and done in a fun way Bass nicely balanced actually overall well balanced.
#19 "Deed I Do " by Ella Fitzgerald
- I love Jazz on the TURBO, instruments sound crisp and detailed while vocals are lush and full.
#20 " The Feeling Of Jazz" by Poncho Sanchez
- Poncho's signature Jazz and his drums so well done and very natural and organic love Jazz on the TURBO, Trumpets, Drums, Piano all sound very smooth and correct.
OK that was jus some tracks that blew my mind and helped my get to my overall impressions.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
The PENON TURBO for me is the best sounding IEM so far I have heard from them period. Not only that has become the one I reach for over all others at this time.
Big statement right there. Comes from my heart not fluff or a endorsement. I truly enjoy this IEM.
Mentally I was not prepared to like this one, actually I was quite biased towards dynamic driver IEM's in general as I found from past experiences all the BA IEM's I have tried with the exception of the 64 Audio U12t were not to my tastes and experienced pressure build up. I have never liked the Bass of all BA units as I found them lacking texture , proper decay and the U12t changed that for me and now the TURBO has also built up my ability to appreciate a well tuned all BA set and experience quality bass that I didn't find lacking in a all BA set.
I was expecting BA dry bass, only to be pleasantly surprised by the TURBO's ability to not only go low but have some note weight. If anything I would mind some of that fast texture and dryer mid bass or at least more of it. That if anything would be what I would want a bit more of to call this set perfect for me.
The Mids and vocals are so spot on perfectly balanced in the mix not forward nor recessed. The timbre is also very well presented with vocals both male and female coming across with the correct weight and timbre not dry and thin, nor overly weighted and boomy, very smooth and organic.
Highs in the upper mids and extended highs are bang on perfect for me, giving tons of details and excitement while providing great instrument placement in the stage and sounding very natural as well.
Stage overall is averagely wide and has good sense of depth and great height. Certainly not the best I have had the pleasure of hearing as nust having had the 64 Audio U12t in my ears, but the TURBO can hold its own.
Where some might expect or want more micro and macro details from a all BA set, I just was pleased it did almost everything else so well that I can easily forgive the TURBO for this. Personally I really enjoy the tuning of the TURBO AS IS. Also please consider the PRICE of only $499 its hard to fault. I think you would need more drivers or EST to get to the next level and honestly If I were to go looking for that in a differently tuned IEM, well then I would reach for the 10th as that was one of its great strengths.
Overall I can say what do I like most about the PENON TURBO, well I could tune it to my preferred sound signature, so the tuning switches worked for me.
I really like how smooth and natural the vocals are on the Turbo and fatigue free. I can listen to this set all day long and just get lost in the music, the stage is set up to give you a great experience and keeps you engaged, bass was more than enough to make my inner bass head happy without washing out my beloved female vocals and instrument details so I was very pleased and a bit shocked on how well the TURBO did this.
The TURBO is a expertly tuned IEM, a true gem in a sea of neutral or bright BA sets that try to go for a flatter frequency response example the tuning of the ( AFÜL Performer 8 )
For me those sets are boring to listen to, lack dynamics and weight and really overall excitement. Those sets don’t make me engaged in the music nor get me lost in the playback. The TURBO does it for me and anytime I find myself just listening to music and not the gear attached to my head that’s a full win in my books.
THE PENON TURBO IS THE MOST ORGANIC SOUNDING NON DARK PENON TO DATE FOR ME!
WHILE i HAVE YET TO HEAR A PENON IEM WITH DIFFERENT TUNING I COULD NOT APPRECIATE, SOME MORE THAN OTHERS- THE TURBO JUST DOES IT FOR ME. WITH A COMBINATION OF WARMTH, ORGANIC VOCALS AND BASS WITH ENOUGH HIGH END DETAILS TO PICK UP INSTRUMENTS AND DETAILS WITHOUT AND FATIGUE.
COMPARISON:
As I happen to own the 10th Anniversary IEM as well and thought the two would make a good comparison with both IEM's being the same price so lets go:
- Firstly on 0-100 both are tuned very similarly mild V shape sound signatures.
The graph actually represent what I was hearing:
The 10th has better faster and more Mid Bass and gets closer to my target
Bass overall I would say the TURBO sounds like it goes lower because of the less mid bass
The Upper mids on the TURBO give a more natural weight to male vocals and female vocals while being smoother and more natural.
Stage is very close to sounding the same no complaints at all.
The 10th presents vocals slightly forward and not quite as smooth as the TURBO.
The 10th defiantly has the edge with Micro and Macro Details with more Air and extension in the upper end twinkles and sparkles. EST drivers work.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
Ferdinando1968
@ToneDeafMonk
I wanted to ask you something: even if the switches are not symmetrical between left and right, are the numbers that distinguish them still valid?
That is, does switch 1 on the left have the same function as switch 1 on the right (and so on), or not?
Thank you.
I wanted to ask you something: even if the switches are not symmetrical between left and right, are the numbers that distinguish them still valid?
That is, does switch 1 on the left have the same function as switch 1 on the right (and so on), or not?
Thank you.
ToneDeafMonk
Yes the switches on both sides have the same action on both sides
Sound Rhyme SR5 $149-$250
July 15, 2023
6:30 PM
SR5 How is this not in everyone's ears?
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Polymer Nano Composition )
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Mids (Knowles ED29689)
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Highs (Knowles 31736)
3 Way Cross Over
16 Ohms Resistance
110 db Sensitivity
3D ENVISIONTEC 3D PRINTED Resin Shell's
2 Pin 0.78MM flush Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
I received my unit courtesy from PENON- Thank You
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods always from me. If something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved hype!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/sound-rhyme-sr5.html
Most Stores are selling for $250 - PENON Store $149
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver and the PENON 10th hits my perfect tonality in bass texture.
Planar bass is out for me until I find one that can do the sub harmonics and texture of a DD - I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Hiby R6 Pro2 AK4499EX & AK4191EQ chips in a octa core output configuration.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
(THESE LISTENING IMPRESSIONS WERE ON THE HIBY R6 PRO2 , STOCK CABLE & BLACK SOUL CLONE 4.4 AND TRI Clarion Tips)
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Never Be Me- LIVE" Miley Cyrus - Nice and well balanced between the bass lines , the vocals , and the highs is perfect for me.
Miley's vocals do it for me the SR5 has some nice lower bass in this track certainly not lacking
#2 "Prayer" Hania Rani - The Low drone bass drops are well presented enough to tickle your ear hairs but not give you a headache, bass seems to be focused in the lower bass between the sub bass and mid bass region. You can tell this is not a bass head IEM
#3 "Check It Out" Nicki Minaj Both will I am and Nicki's vocals front and center with big bass nice to hear the Neo5 can tinkle your ear hairs while belting out sweet vocals, I think the SR5 favors female vocals over male vocals.
#4 "Rocklandwonderland" Kim Mitchell - Wishing for a tad more of that mid bass attack but the vocals and highs make rock music truly fun to listen to even at volume. Love the highs on this track details and the timbre of the guitar.
#5 "Queen Of New York City" Matchbox Twenty - Male vocals don’t sound thin so I know there is enough Mid bass to present correctly.
Again nice balance of Bass/Vocals/Treble.
#6 "Kashmir: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - The high hats and that so seductive upper energy is a nice change after listening to darker sets!
and vocals and drums sound so good too. love the ability to pick out its in a live venue legit width and 3D.
#7 " Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits this track is great for getting a sense of dynamics - Good sense of stage depth present in front of you not between your ears. Not the hugest for overall track dynamics and macro details more of a natural presentation vs what a V shape signature would do kind of in the middle not laid back not spastic.
#8 "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart - A good track to listen to female vocals. Here you can get a sense of how forward the vocals are in the mix and the SR5 is just slightly more forward in the mix but nicely balanced , a great replay and vocals were perfect SPOT ON.
#9 "Butterflies" by Kasey Musgraves - Well balanced again nice bass, perfect vocals.
#10 " The End" by Kings Of Leon - Can be a more busy track with L+R separation , center vocals and prominent instrumental mix. SR5 digs deep, again love the high end energy and vocal balance. Male Vocals bang on. I got a wide stage and even more 3D.
#11 "You Make Loving Fun" - by Fleetwood Mac on this song you can tell the highs are perfectly controlled and vocals comes across as fantastic and on even par with the low end again great balance and again love the energy up top. Not too much just enough for a enhancement to the vocals.
#12 "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica LIVE from S&M2 - Crisp, clean, clear, amazing vocals. Sounds more like your in the recording booth closer to the stage rather than out in the audience as some IEM's Project. The highs again are real standout. Nice wide stage and very 3D
#13 "Nothing Else Matters" another track by Miley Cyrus/ Elton John - Bass hits go low and hits nicely no mid bass bloat could be heard to screw up her vocals! Piano sounds a bit light, but Miley's vocals so good , gets a bit splashy at really high volumes! (Can be controlled by eartips but I prefer the big wide open bores of the TRI - Clarion Tips)
#14 "44/876" by Sting & Shaggy - Perfect male vocals and nice balance overall. Not a bass monster but enough to get the point across and not wash out vocals.
#15 "Enter Sandman" by Youn Sun Nah - Riveting here voice and the strings are so wow. Goosebumps!
#16 " Bubbles " by Yosi Horikawa crazy track for stage , SR5 great 3D , height , width and incredible details for placement and separation.
#17 " Marvin Gaye" Charley Puth & Megan Trainor - east to tell it’s a duet and both vocals are well toned. Bass is lovely old school thumps.
Love the finger snaps a lot of IEM miss them.
#18 " Maddy" by Malia - Strings and vocals so beautifully detailed. Malia's vocals come off with the correct edge to her voice.
#19 " Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt 1 by Tina Guo - Strings come across with passion and dynamics OFF THE HOOK. Stereo separation and micro details are yummy and fun to listen to on this track the SR5 shines on this kind of music!
#20 " Rankin" Live by Dead Can Dance - another wow live presentation with melodic vocals and instrumental details in a big open stage the SR5 did this track with a realistic sense of huge venue and clarity very well done.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
The SR5 Actually shocked me sound wise and value to performance mostly. I never looked up the price until writing this review. I knew it was in the ballpark of the Sub $300 range like the HiSenior MEGA5P, PENON FAN2 and the ISN Neo5.
I cant think of another IEM I have tried that sound like the SR5 in its presentation and that makes it addictive for me and a missing link for me in my daily rotation arsenal.
My last few impressions were on the ISN Neo5 a more Fun V shaped IEM with slamming BASS $279 , Hi Senior MEGA5P a laid back warm/dark chill set $239. PENON FAN2 a Mid Bass Vocal Beast with more neutral tone $279, And now a different kind of awesome the SR5 a vocal tilted mildly boosted treble tuned IEM!
I LOVE THIS HOBBY!
I can totally appreciate why someone would pick up a set of any of these sets depending on their mood.
Why would I pick up the SR5, - well because the highs are addicting without being over the top. I love my vocals especially female vocals and the SR5 resonates with me like the FAN2 did.
Coming off spending some serious quality time with the MEGA5P on paper they look the same up until 400hz and then the SR5 adds in little bump in energy from 400-900hz over the MEGA5P that adds in some special sauce in the vocals and becomes the start of a completely different sound signature between the two. Where the 5P is laid back with warm mids and a darker relaxed treble, the SR5 goes the opposite way. With the more energy up top the Bass sounds less prominent even though on paper they look the same as 5P - blame our brain for that.
The vocals become more prominent and the 6k-12k rise in the SR5 tunings adds a ton of micro-details and puts string instruments at equal level with the slightly forward vocals. Also the extra upper harmonics lends itself to a nicely 3D soundstage.
CONCLUSION
A really great set for someone looking for a slightly tilted higher energy set but wasn’t a treble head. Someone who would prioritize vocals both male and female without sacrificing instrument details and dynamics. Bass Quality over quantity again more tilted towards Sub Bass over Mid Bass.
Price to performance seekers look no further you have found a excellent value for your repertoire.
In Comparison:
Hisenior MEGA5P:
Where the 5P played back darker, lusher and had a much more organic nature, the SR5 would sound bright in comparison and sound cleaner and more dynamic. Where the 5P would prioritize Male vocals and sacrifice perfect female vocals the SR5 tilts the other way and female vocals and instrumental are getting the most notice. Both are wonderful. What are you in the mood for?
PENON FAN2:
F2- Mid Bass to the moon , vocals and just a addictive playback in a more neutral set is what you get with the F2. The SR5 moves the focus of the bass to the sub region takes away the snappy punch some people don’t like and keeps the vocals in play like the F2 but with more treble energy and extension.
ISN Neo5:
Bass Beast focusing on the bottom 2/3 of the sound spectrum, huge bass boost over the SR5 and a more V shape with relaxed treble.
Another flavor of 1+4 and quite different sound profiles.
I love all 3 for different reasons and feel quite blessed to listen and experience these sets.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the Sound Rhyme SR5 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
July 15, 2023
6:30 PM
SR5 How is this not in everyone's ears?
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Polymer Nano Composition )
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Mids (Knowles ED29689)
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Highs (Knowles 31736)
3 Way Cross Over
16 Ohms Resistance
110 db Sensitivity
3D ENVISIONTEC 3D PRINTED Resin Shell's
2 Pin 0.78MM flush Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
I received my unit courtesy from PENON- Thank You
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods always from me. If something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved hype!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/sound-rhyme-sr5.html
Most Stores are selling for $250 - PENON Store $149
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver and the PENON 10th hits my perfect tonality in bass texture.
Planar bass is out for me until I find one that can do the sub harmonics and texture of a DD - I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Hiby R6 Pro2 AK4499EX & AK4191EQ chips in a octa core output configuration.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
(THESE LISTENING IMPRESSIONS WERE ON THE HIBY R6 PRO2 , STOCK CABLE & BLACK SOUL CLONE 4.4 AND TRI Clarion Tips)
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Never Be Me- LIVE" Miley Cyrus - Nice and well balanced between the bass lines , the vocals , and the highs is perfect for me.
Miley's vocals do it for me the SR5 has some nice lower bass in this track certainly not lacking
#2 "Prayer" Hania Rani - The Low drone bass drops are well presented enough to tickle your ear hairs but not give you a headache, bass seems to be focused in the lower bass between the sub bass and mid bass region. You can tell this is not a bass head IEM
#3 "Check It Out" Nicki Minaj Both will I am and Nicki's vocals front and center with big bass nice to hear the Neo5 can tinkle your ear hairs while belting out sweet vocals, I think the SR5 favors female vocals over male vocals.
#4 "Rocklandwonderland" Kim Mitchell - Wishing for a tad more of that mid bass attack but the vocals and highs make rock music truly fun to listen to even at volume. Love the highs on this track details and the timbre of the guitar.
#5 "Queen Of New York City" Matchbox Twenty - Male vocals don’t sound thin so I know there is enough Mid bass to present correctly.
Again nice balance of Bass/Vocals/Treble.
#6 "Kashmir: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - The high hats and that so seductive upper energy is a nice change after listening to darker sets!
and vocals and drums sound so good too. love the ability to pick out its in a live venue legit width and 3D.
#7 " Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits this track is great for getting a sense of dynamics - Good sense of stage depth present in front of you not between your ears. Not the hugest for overall track dynamics and macro details more of a natural presentation vs what a V shape signature would do kind of in the middle not laid back not spastic.
#8 "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart - A good track to listen to female vocals. Here you can get a sense of how forward the vocals are in the mix and the SR5 is just slightly more forward in the mix but nicely balanced , a great replay and vocals were perfect SPOT ON.
#9 "Butterflies" by Kasey Musgraves - Well balanced again nice bass, perfect vocals.
#10 " The End" by Kings Of Leon - Can be a more busy track with L+R separation , center vocals and prominent instrumental mix. SR5 digs deep, again love the high end energy and vocal balance. Male Vocals bang on. I got a wide stage and even more 3D.
#11 "You Make Loving Fun" - by Fleetwood Mac on this song you can tell the highs are perfectly controlled and vocals comes across as fantastic and on even par with the low end again great balance and again love the energy up top. Not too much just enough for a enhancement to the vocals.
#12 "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica LIVE from S&M2 - Crisp, clean, clear, amazing vocals. Sounds more like your in the recording booth closer to the stage rather than out in the audience as some IEM's Project. The highs again are real standout. Nice wide stage and very 3D
#13 "Nothing Else Matters" another track by Miley Cyrus/ Elton John - Bass hits go low and hits nicely no mid bass bloat could be heard to screw up her vocals! Piano sounds a bit light, but Miley's vocals so good , gets a bit splashy at really high volumes! (Can be controlled by eartips but I prefer the big wide open bores of the TRI - Clarion Tips)
#14 "44/876" by Sting & Shaggy - Perfect male vocals and nice balance overall. Not a bass monster but enough to get the point across and not wash out vocals.
#15 "Enter Sandman" by Youn Sun Nah - Riveting here voice and the strings are so wow. Goosebumps!
#16 " Bubbles " by Yosi Horikawa crazy track for stage , SR5 great 3D , height , width and incredible details for placement and separation.
#17 " Marvin Gaye" Charley Puth & Megan Trainor - east to tell it’s a duet and both vocals are well toned. Bass is lovely old school thumps.
Love the finger snaps a lot of IEM miss them.
#18 " Maddy" by Malia - Strings and vocals so beautifully detailed. Malia's vocals come off with the correct edge to her voice.
#19 " Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt 1 by Tina Guo - Strings come across with passion and dynamics OFF THE HOOK. Stereo separation and micro details are yummy and fun to listen to on this track the SR5 shines on this kind of music!
#20 " Rankin" Live by Dead Can Dance - another wow live presentation with melodic vocals and instrumental details in a big open stage the SR5 did this track with a realistic sense of huge venue and clarity very well done.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
The SR5 Actually shocked me sound wise and value to performance mostly. I never looked up the price until writing this review. I knew it was in the ballpark of the Sub $300 range like the HiSenior MEGA5P, PENON FAN2 and the ISN Neo5.
I cant think of another IEM I have tried that sound like the SR5 in its presentation and that makes it addictive for me and a missing link for me in my daily rotation arsenal.
My last few impressions were on the ISN Neo5 a more Fun V shaped IEM with slamming BASS $279 , Hi Senior MEGA5P a laid back warm/dark chill set $239. PENON FAN2 a Mid Bass Vocal Beast with more neutral tone $279, And now a different kind of awesome the SR5 a vocal tilted mildly boosted treble tuned IEM!
I LOVE THIS HOBBY!
I can totally appreciate why someone would pick up a set of any of these sets depending on their mood.
Why would I pick up the SR5, - well because the highs are addicting without being over the top. I love my vocals especially female vocals and the SR5 resonates with me like the FAN2 did.
Coming off spending some serious quality time with the MEGA5P on paper they look the same up until 400hz and then the SR5 adds in little bump in energy from 400-900hz over the MEGA5P that adds in some special sauce in the vocals and becomes the start of a completely different sound signature between the two. Where the 5P is laid back with warm mids and a darker relaxed treble, the SR5 goes the opposite way. With the more energy up top the Bass sounds less prominent even though on paper they look the same as 5P - blame our brain for that.
The vocals become more prominent and the 6k-12k rise in the SR5 tunings adds a ton of micro-details and puts string instruments at equal level with the slightly forward vocals. Also the extra upper harmonics lends itself to a nicely 3D soundstage.
CONCLUSION
A really great set for someone looking for a slightly tilted higher energy set but wasn’t a treble head. Someone who would prioritize vocals both male and female without sacrificing instrument details and dynamics. Bass Quality over quantity again more tilted towards Sub Bass over Mid Bass.
Price to performance seekers look no further you have found a excellent value for your repertoire.
In Comparison:
Hisenior MEGA5P:
Where the 5P played back darker, lusher and had a much more organic nature, the SR5 would sound bright in comparison and sound cleaner and more dynamic. Where the 5P would prioritize Male vocals and sacrifice perfect female vocals the SR5 tilts the other way and female vocals and instrumental are getting the most notice. Both are wonderful. What are you in the mood for?
PENON FAN2:
F2- Mid Bass to the moon , vocals and just a addictive playback in a more neutral set is what you get with the F2. The SR5 moves the focus of the bass to the sub region takes away the snappy punch some people don’t like and keeps the vocals in play like the F2 but with more treble energy and extension.
ISN Neo5:
Bass Beast focusing on the bottom 2/3 of the sound spectrum, huge bass boost over the SR5 and a more V shape with relaxed treble.
Another flavor of 1+4 and quite different sound profiles.
I love all 3 for different reasons and feel quite blessed to listen and experience these sets.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the Sound Rhyme SR5 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
Attachments
Hark01
What is the nozzle size?
MY REVIEW AND SHOOTOUT BETWEEN SOME OTHER CONTENDERS.
SHOOTOUT
SIMGOT EW200 $39.99 vs
BLON HBB Z300 $35.99 vs
TRUTHEAR ZERO RED $54.99 vs
KIWIEARS CADENZA $34.99
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
EW200 –
The EW200 needs less than half the power of the other 3 making it the best choice for mobile use,
The overall tuning lends itself to a safe all-rounder and the most likely to pick up on a daily basis.
The EW200 has the best BASS not only in quantity but in quality and clearly shows the quality of drivers.
The EW200 also had the best upper mids and highs and that also comes out in its ability to present image placement and instrument separation and details clearly ahead of the other 3 in comparison.
BLON Z300 –
When I first reviewed this IEM my thoughts were the Z300 was a better more refined Cadenza, I still think that but overall I still prefer the Cadenza. The Z300 is the most laid back set out of the bunch.
KIWIEARS CADENZA –
While maybe not as refined as the Z300 , I believe it still uses a nicer driver and the bass is snappier and more refined with that distinct Beryllium driver. Easy my second choice in the group for value and overall tuning. There was a reason I thought the Cadenza was the best value under $40 in 2022 and now that has been Un Crowned by the EW200.
TRUTHEAR ZERO RED – I think this set was the most organic, most balanced and natural sounding of all the compared sets.
I was worried to throw this one the mix, Just because of the price factor differential between the other sets but I’m glad I did. Why was that? Because I got a chance to deep re-listen to this one and really appreciate what it does over the other three in a different way. I think the price difference between the other sets and the RED is worth the step up as a upgrade if you were looking for something different tuning wise. Where I see the Z300, Cadenza and the EW200 competing directly with each other.
The Zero Red is a different kind of tuning as well so I’m not sure if it directly competes with the other three and its price knocked it out of the Price to performance equation so its nice to see how a less expensive sets stacks up.
The RED has the deepest blackest contrast between the music and the background noise. It is more than noticeable and quite lovely making it the set I would pick up for a RESET SET or balanced option.
The stage for me beats out the EW200 by a hair. The Zero Red’s overall playback didn’t flinch at anything I threw at them. The Zero Red trade’s blows with the EW200 but done differently both were my favorite’s to listen to in this shootout.
HOW I WOULD RANK THE 4 IEM SETS TOGETHER IN THIS COMPARISON:
EW200 Z300 ZERO RED CADENZA
OVERALL TONALITY #2 #4 #1 #3
BASS QUALITY #1 #4 #3 #2
BASS QUANTITY #1 #2 #4 #2
LOWER MIDS & VOCALS #2 #4 #1 #3
UPPER MIDS & VOCALS #1 #4 #2 #3
MALE VOCALS #3 #4 #2 #1
FEMALE VOCALS #1 #4 #2 #3
TREBLE #1 #2 #3 #4
EXTENSION & AIR #1 #4 #2 #3
STAGE #2 #4 #1 #3
INSTRUMENT PLACEMENT #1 #4 #2 #3
INSTRUMENT TONALITY #2 #4 #1 #3
OVERALL VALUE $/SOUND #1 #3 #2 #4
AVERAGE SCORE: IF I ADD UP THE OVERALL AND GET AN AVERAGE 13/ TOTAL = % OVERALL WIN
EW200 19 = 68% Z300 47 = 28% ZERO RED 26 = 50% CADENZA 37 = 35%
The most likely to pick the IEM for:
On The Move: EW200
Chill Session: ZERO RED
Loud Jam Out Session: EW200/Cadenza TIE depends on my mood and genre.
Articulate Detail Listen: EW200
Best All-Rounder: EW200
Most likely to pick up over the others: EW200
TRACK IMPRESSIONS: Not Overall sounds impressions just what I thought the IEM presented this track like:
I RANDOMLY PICKED SOME TRACKS FROM MY TEST PLAYLIST, PLAYBACK TWICE FROM TWO SOURCES:
CONCLUSION:
Was it pretty interesting comparison with this shootout. For some of these IEM’s I actually haven’t listened to in a while but I have kept these ones for a reason. I thought there was something about them that made me keep them they were special in their own way. Well maybe not so much the Z300 I kept that one more for its looks and just for comparison, as it was the only one in the group that has not wowed me in some way like the other ones have.
With the 10 ohm adapter or the iFi IEMATCH adapter all four have very similar baselines on a graph but this is where the similarities end as the texture the speed the decay all sound quite different from all four drivers.
The EW200 clearly stands as the winner in the bass category as not only in its texture, but the speed, decay, and overall quantity is outstanding, and lastly the sheer quantity from the sub bass to the mid bass is simply fun and not overpowering in the mix of have any muddiness or bloat. Truly outstanding BASS and is a noticeable difference over the other IEM’s you can clearly tell that the driver that’s used in this one is making use of a better materials. The Zero Red also is using fantastic drivers but they it’s tuned differently and it’s probably more special in its own way, something about how it can separate noise from the background and just play music, when you do these kinds of comparisons you can truly appreciate what they did with this one.
I think in this shootout the EW 200 is the clear winner.
I went into this with open mind and ears and came out with a clear conclusion that the SIMGOT has represented itself as the best value.
With the EW200’s overall tuning, its ability to be an all-rounder and the fact that it can be driven off of anything with very low power and sound extremely linear even when scaling up. Whereas the TruthEar Zero Red only truly shines with some serious power put to it and not everybody’s going to have that at their disposal, and it simply doesn’t play all genres like the EW200 does.
The Kiwiears Cadenza set for me was best value under $50 IEM in 2022 where I now think it has been uncrowned and the SIMGOT EW200 for me represents the king in the budget category under $50 in 2023.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
While I originally wrote this as notes for a shootout video:
A supplement to my original video here:
I think the SIMGOT EW200 is a banger, a real winner again in continuation of their latest releases. The EA500 some thought was a tad bright and lacked a bit of sub bass focus- the EW200 fixed all of that and more.
The EW200 is a well rounded IEM , suited to all genre and can be driven off of anything making it a easy RECOMMENDATION.
SHOOTOUT
SIMGOT EW200 $39.99 vs
BLON HBB Z300 $35.99 vs
TRUTHEAR ZERO RED $54.99 vs
KIWIEARS CADENZA $34.99
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
EW200 –
The EW200 needs less than half the power of the other 3 making it the best choice for mobile use,
The overall tuning lends itself to a safe all-rounder and the most likely to pick up on a daily basis.
The EW200 has the best BASS not only in quantity but in quality and clearly shows the quality of drivers.
The EW200 also had the best upper mids and highs and that also comes out in its ability to present image placement and instrument separation and details clearly ahead of the other 3 in comparison.
BLON Z300 –
When I first reviewed this IEM my thoughts were the Z300 was a better more refined Cadenza, I still think that but overall I still prefer the Cadenza. The Z300 is the most laid back set out of the bunch.
KIWIEARS CADENZA –
While maybe not as refined as the Z300 , I believe it still uses a nicer driver and the bass is snappier and more refined with that distinct Beryllium driver. Easy my second choice in the group for value and overall tuning. There was a reason I thought the Cadenza was the best value under $40 in 2022 and now that has been Un Crowned by the EW200.
TRUTHEAR ZERO RED – I think this set was the most organic, most balanced and natural sounding of all the compared sets.
I was worried to throw this one the mix, Just because of the price factor differential between the other sets but I’m glad I did. Why was that? Because I got a chance to deep re-listen to this one and really appreciate what it does over the other three in a different way. I think the price difference between the other sets and the RED is worth the step up as a upgrade if you were looking for something different tuning wise. Where I see the Z300, Cadenza and the EW200 competing directly with each other.
The Zero Red is a different kind of tuning as well so I’m not sure if it directly competes with the other three and its price knocked it out of the Price to performance equation so its nice to see how a less expensive sets stacks up.
The RED has the deepest blackest contrast between the music and the background noise. It is more than noticeable and quite lovely making it the set I would pick up for a RESET SET or balanced option.
The stage for me beats out the EW200 by a hair. The Zero Red’s overall playback didn’t flinch at anything I threw at them. The Zero Red trade’s blows with the EW200 but done differently both were my favorite’s to listen to in this shootout.
HOW I WOULD RANK THE 4 IEM SETS TOGETHER IN THIS COMPARISON:
EW200 Z300 ZERO RED CADENZA
OVERALL TONALITY #2 #4 #1 #3
BASS QUALITY #1 #4 #3 #2
BASS QUANTITY #1 #2 #4 #2
LOWER MIDS & VOCALS #2 #4 #1 #3
UPPER MIDS & VOCALS #1 #4 #2 #3
MALE VOCALS #3 #4 #2 #1
FEMALE VOCALS #1 #4 #2 #3
TREBLE #1 #2 #3 #4
EXTENSION & AIR #1 #4 #2 #3
STAGE #2 #4 #1 #3
INSTRUMENT PLACEMENT #1 #4 #2 #3
INSTRUMENT TONALITY #2 #4 #1 #3
OVERALL VALUE $/SOUND #1 #3 #2 #4
AVERAGE SCORE: IF I ADD UP THE OVERALL AND GET AN AVERAGE 13/ TOTAL = % OVERALL WIN
EW200 19 = 68% Z300 47 = 28% ZERO RED 26 = 50% CADENZA 37 = 35%
The most likely to pick the IEM for:
On The Move: EW200
Chill Session: ZERO RED
Loud Jam Out Session: EW200/Cadenza TIE depends on my mood and genre.
Articulate Detail Listen: EW200
Best All-Rounder: EW200
Most likely to pick up over the others: EW200
TRACK IMPRESSIONS: Not Overall sounds impressions just what I thought the IEM presented this track like:
I RANDOMLY PICKED SOME TRACKS FROM MY TEST PLAYLIST, PLAYBACK TWICE FROM TWO SOURCES:
- GESHELLI AKM 9949 J2 DAC , TOPPING A90D BALANCED 4.4 PENTACONN
- HIBY R6III BAL 4,4 OUT WITH iFi IEMATCH PENTACONN ADAPTER.
- The EW200 was the clear winner here, stage, instrument separation and dynamics were clearly above the other 3 and the bass absolutely slams!
- The Zero Red had the smoothest replay, the most balanced overall playback but what really stood out on the Red was the blackest background noticeable and definitely the easiest to listen to.
- Z300 Here I Thought was outclassed except for the Cadenza the playback was a smooth listen really nice highs but needed less bloat in the mid bass I thought.
- Cadenza Clearly outclassed in this track by all others Just not the kind of playback made for this IEM.
- Hear my notes said – “Cadenza Natural Organic, Z300 cleaner more neutral nice weight, red most real natural sounding nicest timber, EW200 forward vocals crisp thin.”
- I think the winner for this track was clearly the zero red it was the only I am that got the reverb effect correct and played back this track with correct vocals and stage really well done.
- EW200 Was the most resolving the Cadenza was the second best for stage and the Z300 again was too thick and had too much bass bleed.
- On my notes the Zero Red I had to say was the second best, but the smoothest replay,
- Z300 Nice vocals again smooth nice bass.
- Cadenza not as good as the zero or the Z300.
- EW 200 female vocals and instrumental as well as the balance with Correct weight the other three seem to be missing winner again.
- EW200 energy in the upper mid that you can hear versus the others the bass is super nice and the best vocal replay out of all four IEM’s
- Red Extremely well balanced very well done excellent black background.
- Z300 Nice vocals loved the energy on this track nice highs definitely more refined than the Cadenza.
- Cadenza also had great vocals
- I think overall on this track they SIMGOT EW200 played this one back the best it had very well controlled highs and the most details.
- Z300 Instrumental sound it muted as did her voice not a very replay on this track.
- TruthEar Zero Red Vocals and instrumental sounded great again very smooth and this black background and the signal to noise ratio is very noticeable.
- Cadenza Better stage than the Z But the two actually trade blows very much on this track.
- First off let’s start with the BLON Z300 here I saw it to playback was the most laid back I think rock works quite well for the Z.
- The Truthear came out second with better vocals than the Z300 but not by a lot where it differentiated itself was the great instrument separation and details.
- The Cadenza, I like it better over the Z300 vocals it sounded cleaner crisper, but the highs on the Z300 were better.
- EW200 Best stage, best vocals and the highs you could hear more details in this song where I thought the all the other three missed out on the nuances.
- EW200 again clear winner very clean female backup singers are perfectly toned.
- Zero Red here was the widest stage and overall best vocals.
- Cadenza Today’s was so tight I just love the Berri Bass better than the Z300 for sure.
- Z300 Nicer highs than the cadence and smoother as well.
CONCLUSION:
Was it pretty interesting comparison with this shootout. For some of these IEM’s I actually haven’t listened to in a while but I have kept these ones for a reason. I thought there was something about them that made me keep them they were special in their own way. Well maybe not so much the Z300 I kept that one more for its looks and just for comparison, as it was the only one in the group that has not wowed me in some way like the other ones have.
With the 10 ohm adapter or the iFi IEMATCH adapter all four have very similar baselines on a graph but this is where the similarities end as the texture the speed the decay all sound quite different from all four drivers.
The EW200 clearly stands as the winner in the bass category as not only in its texture, but the speed, decay, and overall quantity is outstanding, and lastly the sheer quantity from the sub bass to the mid bass is simply fun and not overpowering in the mix of have any muddiness or bloat. Truly outstanding BASS and is a noticeable difference over the other IEM’s you can clearly tell that the driver that’s used in this one is making use of a better materials. The Zero Red also is using fantastic drivers but they it’s tuned differently and it’s probably more special in its own way, something about how it can separate noise from the background and just play music, when you do these kinds of comparisons you can truly appreciate what they did with this one.
I think in this shootout the EW 200 is the clear winner.
I went into this with open mind and ears and came out with a clear conclusion that the SIMGOT has represented itself as the best value.
With the EW200’s overall tuning, its ability to be an all-rounder and the fact that it can be driven off of anything with very low power and sound extremely linear even when scaling up. Whereas the TruthEar Zero Red only truly shines with some serious power put to it and not everybody’s going to have that at their disposal, and it simply doesn’t play all genres like the EW200 does.
The Kiwiears Cadenza set for me was best value under $50 IEM in 2022 where I now think it has been uncrowned and the SIMGOT EW200 for me represents the king in the budget category under $50 in 2023.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
While I originally wrote this as notes for a shootout video:
A supplement to my original video here:
I think the SIMGOT EW200 is a banger, a real winner again in continuation of their latest releases. The EA500 some thought was a tad bright and lacked a bit of sub bass focus- the EW200 fixed all of that and more.
The EW200 is a well rounded IEM , suited to all genre and can be driven off of anything making it a easy RECOMMENDATION.
ISN Neo5 A New Affordable Awesome $279
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Unknown Composition )
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Mids
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Highs
3 Way Cross Over
26 Ohms Resistance
110 db Sensitivity
Handmade Resin Shell
2 Pin flush Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
18 Month Warranty.
I Purchased my Unit with a discount from Penon - Thank You
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods always from me. If something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved hype!
ISH Neo5 is a fantastic fun purple puncher!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-neo-5.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver and the PENON 10th hits my perfect tonality in bass texture.
Planar bass is out for me as again it lacks sub harmonics and texture I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
CABLE ISN G4 Clone cable and JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOT TIPS.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Never Be Me- LIVE" Miley Cyrus - Nice Balance between the bass lines , the vocals , and the highs is perfect for this genre.
#2 "Prayer" Hania Rani - The Low drone bass drops are well presented , piano sounds right, not the lowest sub bass, bass seems to be focused in the lower bass between the sub bass and mid bass region.
#3 "Check It Out" Nicki Minaj Both will I am and Nicki's vocals front and center with big bass nice to hear the Neo5 can tinkle your ear hairs while belting out sweet vocals, I think the Neo5 favors male vocals over female vocals as it sounds like a tad too much energy in female vocals to be perfectly accurate while male vocals sound perfect.
#4 "Rocklandwonderland" Kim Mitchell - Fast snappy Mid Bass attack and enough highs to make rock music truly fun to listen to at volume.
#5 "Queen Of New York City" Matchbox Twenty - Male vocals are so good still lots of bass energy but vocals still not washed out.
#6 "Kashmir: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - Wishing for a bit more upper energy but vocals and drums sound so good
#7 " Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits this track is great for getting a sense of dynamics - here the Neo5 did a better than average job of the replay enough to make the track exciting but shows its limitations of its tuning and drivers compared to other IEM's like the Penon 10th at almost double the price that’s giving good credit to the Neo5 for what it can achieve at this price point!
#8 "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart - A good track to listen to female vocals. The Neo5 plays this back so nicely are the Vocals perfect NO, A tad thick I mean just a bit but hard to not sit back and enjoy this track none the less.
#9 "Steel River" by Chris Rea - a classic track to just sit back and enjoy exceptional vocals and the Neo5 makes it quite enjoyable.
#10 " The End" by Kings Of Leon - Can be a more busy track with L+R separation , center vocals and prominent instrumental mix and the Neo5 did it very well and lets you still pick up the details and keeps the vocals very organic.
#11 "You Make Loving Fun" - by Fleetwood Mac on this song you can tell the highs are rolled off but the vocals comes across as fantastic and on even par with the low end.
#12 "Dee" by Ozzy Osbourne - a great presentation lots of note weight but here I was wishing for more resolution and you would need more high frequency energy to make the pulls and slides perfect.
#13 "Nothing Else Matters" another track by Miley Cyrus - Bass hits go low and hits nicely no mid bass bloat could be heard to screw up her vocals!
#14 "Ghost Story" by Sting - Perfect male vocals and nice balance overall.
#15 "Sun King" by The CULT - For me the reason I would pick up this set for a kick ass session for a bout of rock music - The Neo5 goes loud and belts out some serious jams.
Shell Shape is Fantastic Compare Pic VS FAN2
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
This NEW ISN Neo5 and its new tuning has taken a great direction in its different tuning. Bass lines come off more sub bass focused over Mid bass but still has tons of energy there to make drums and instruments sound impactful and tonally correct.
Vocals and mids using the stock cable are probably designed to give a slightly warmer presentation. I found with eartips and cable rolling I could fine tune the Neo5 closer to me desired perfect. For me that was cable with silver and Gold in the mix and JVC Spiral Dot Eartips
I find the Neo5 Mids to be fairly neutral not forward nor recessed in the mix and on the slightly darker side vs thin and sharp.
Treble here on the Neo5 is fairly relaxed and gives plenty of sparkles but treble heads need not apply. The relaxed treble makes the Neo5 a easy listen and fatigue free listen good for treble sensitive people. Rock , EDM are great genre's to dial up the volume and enjoy a seriously long jamb out session.
Stage is average - decently wide and high a "I want It All" by Queen shows that the Neo5 plays back fairly intimate and center of head. This kind of stage is great for making this IEM a good one to just get absorbed in the music and not transfixed on spatial placement.
Instrument separation, Air, Instrument placement and dynamics takes a bit of a hit with the relaxed upper energy tuning and rolled off highs, a trade off for a more musical organic sound versus a more technical set.
CONCLUSION
While everyone has different tastes I personally like this new tuning direction from ISN on the Neo5 and will certainly appeal to more people than the more niche tuning of the H50.
If you are at the point of taking a plunge of a better quality hybrid set the Neo5 would be a great choice, unlike a bunch of lower quality sets I just recently reviewed where you can clearly tell the unnamed BA or Custom units clearly has a metallic timbre in the upper end, the BA timbre on the Neo5 is minimal to zero and very well tuned and coherent with the Dynamic Driver for a seamless blending.
If your looking for a more bassy set with a slightly warmer vocal presentation and don’t prioritize technicalities or a perfectly uncolored sound the Neo5 will be for you. I like how the Bass of the Neo5 goes low but doesn’t try to overexert itself and try to push the sub bass into distortion a well controlled driver with good tuning.
I don’t think the Neo5 is a all rounder and will work well for certain genre's that focus on the lower 3/4 of the sound spectrum. Classical even some Jazz might leave some wanting if that’s your preference.
I think we all need a set of IEM's that you can jam out to at higher volumes and let you just get lost in the music, the ISN Neo5 does this very well at a exceptionally good price a easy recommendation to progress your journey deeper into the rabbit hole without killing you budget!
In Comparison:
I will make a point here with these comparisons, And that is I think the Neo5 is a very capable IEM so much so I am going to compare with a few others I also love like the $600 Xenns Mangird UP and the $499 PENON 10th Anniversary. Both certainly better than the Neo5 but just considering comparing against these other exceptional IEM'S is speaking volumes about how well tuned the Neo5 is and what amazing value it brings into the market in 2023.
Vs - ISN H50:
I said about the H50 in my review-
"The H50 is a easy to listen to IEM, Its not going to blast your eardrums out with its overpowering bass, not will it make you totally focus on the vocals. You wont hear sibilant highs nor will the H50 blast you with ear piercing treble. The H50 just is a unique IEM one that is defiantly worth your consideration."
The tuning difference is quite noticeable and I spent a bunch of time A/B the sets to get my impressions correct.
The H50 has more BA timbre and sharpness than the Neo5 where sometimes the H50 gets close for me on sibilant on certain busy tracks that splashiness was much better controlled on the Neo5 and the BA's sounded closer to a DD presentation, Between the two the Neo5 still sounds like it has more high frequency energy over the H50.
The greater Mid Bass on the H50 added a special sauce for adding in bass texture and reverb effects that the Neo5 doesn’t have. The H50 was very much Mid Bass energy forward and the Neo5 pushes its lower energy to 50-100hz vs 60-300hz on the H50 a different presentation and great but different on both sets.
Bass on the Neo5 sounds quicker
Stage has more 3D and height
Female vocals Neo5 is better
The more energy between 1-3K in noticeable on the set giving vocals a different replay towards more my preference.
Vs - XENNS Mangird UP:
Here's where I found an interesting comparison I really do love the bass of the UP but here I found the Neo 5 very comparable the same kind of things that I loved about the up I found in the Neo 5 and for me that is a huge win I like the speediness, I like the slam, I like the fact that it doesn't distort it high volumes quite a win on a sub $300 IEM
So now there's some differences of course I found the mids and the vocals more forward on the Neo5, but the ups had definitely out of all these I MS that I'm comparing the most natural vocals and the best overall presentation of them.
Now the highs here where the Neo Five was more laid back and rolled off on the XENNS UP you definitely get more sparkle more details instrument separation air and that also played a huge difference in the next part the stage.
When you listen to an IEM and you think it has good stage it probably does but compared to what? and that's the nice thing about doing a side by side comparison and here the difference between them I would honestly say the UP takes it UP two level higher over the Neo 5. It is so much noticeable difference in the stage. The UP is dramatically more 3D it's wider it's higher and has more depth that's not saying the Neo Five is bad it's just saying the UP is that much better and shows why its double the price.
Vs - PENON 10th Anniversary:
So let's talk bass on the 10th there is definitely more true sub base as well as a faster mid base hit the depth of the details are noticeable in the base texture as well kind of an interesting comparison between 2-6 millimetre drivers versus 1-10 millimeter driver. The 10th space for me is the Pinnacle of base and my preferences it really hits a sweet spot for me.
Now on the 10th the vocals and the mids are presented more forward it's more of a V shaped signature and female vocals are prodigious on the 10th where they are a little bit laid back and thick on the Neo 5.
So here again on the 10th do you get better dynamics? Absolutely! Do you get an obvious difference to micro and macro dynamics? Oh yes absolutely you do! & that's why you would pay extra for the 10th anniversary but what the Neo 5 brings to the table is quite remarkable for its price and must be praised for the execution of its drivers and overall tuning.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the ISN Neo 5 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
My Test Playlist on QuBuz:
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Unknown Composition )
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Mids
2x Knowles Balanced Armature Highs
3 Way Cross Over
26 Ohms Resistance
110 db Sensitivity
Handmade Resin Shell
2 Pin flush Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
18 Month Warranty.
I Purchased my Unit with a discount from Penon - Thank You
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods always from me. If something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved hype!
ISH Neo5 is a fantastic fun purple puncher!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-neo-5.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver and the PENON 10th hits my perfect tonality in bass texture.
Planar bass is out for me as again it lacks sub harmonics and texture I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
CABLE ISN G4 Clone cable and JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOT TIPS.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Never Be Me- LIVE" Miley Cyrus - Nice Balance between the bass lines , the vocals , and the highs is perfect for this genre.
#2 "Prayer" Hania Rani - The Low drone bass drops are well presented , piano sounds right, not the lowest sub bass, bass seems to be focused in the lower bass between the sub bass and mid bass region.
#3 "Check It Out" Nicki Minaj Both will I am and Nicki's vocals front and center with big bass nice to hear the Neo5 can tinkle your ear hairs while belting out sweet vocals, I think the Neo5 favors male vocals over female vocals as it sounds like a tad too much energy in female vocals to be perfectly accurate while male vocals sound perfect.
#4 "Rocklandwonderland" Kim Mitchell - Fast snappy Mid Bass attack and enough highs to make rock music truly fun to listen to at volume.
#5 "Queen Of New York City" Matchbox Twenty - Male vocals are so good still lots of bass energy but vocals still not washed out.
#6 "Kashmir: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - Wishing for a bit more upper energy but vocals and drums sound so good
#7 " Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits this track is great for getting a sense of dynamics - here the Neo5 did a better than average job of the replay enough to make the track exciting but shows its limitations of its tuning and drivers compared to other IEM's like the Penon 10th at almost double the price that’s giving good credit to the Neo5 for what it can achieve at this price point!
#8 "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" by Heart - A good track to listen to female vocals. The Neo5 plays this back so nicely are the Vocals perfect NO, A tad thick I mean just a bit but hard to not sit back and enjoy this track none the less.
#9 "Steel River" by Chris Rea - a classic track to just sit back and enjoy exceptional vocals and the Neo5 makes it quite enjoyable.
#10 " The End" by Kings Of Leon - Can be a more busy track with L+R separation , center vocals and prominent instrumental mix and the Neo5 did it very well and lets you still pick up the details and keeps the vocals very organic.
#11 "You Make Loving Fun" - by Fleetwood Mac on this song you can tell the highs are rolled off but the vocals comes across as fantastic and on even par with the low end.
#12 "Dee" by Ozzy Osbourne - a great presentation lots of note weight but here I was wishing for more resolution and you would need more high frequency energy to make the pulls and slides perfect.
#13 "Nothing Else Matters" another track by Miley Cyrus - Bass hits go low and hits nicely no mid bass bloat could be heard to screw up her vocals!
#14 "Ghost Story" by Sting - Perfect male vocals and nice balance overall.
#15 "Sun King" by The CULT - For me the reason I would pick up this set for a kick ass session for a bout of rock music - The Neo5 goes loud and belts out some serious jams.
Shell Shape is Fantastic Compare Pic VS FAN2
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
This NEW ISN Neo5 and its new tuning has taken a great direction in its different tuning. Bass lines come off more sub bass focused over Mid bass but still has tons of energy there to make drums and instruments sound impactful and tonally correct.
Vocals and mids using the stock cable are probably designed to give a slightly warmer presentation. I found with eartips and cable rolling I could fine tune the Neo5 closer to me desired perfect. For me that was cable with silver and Gold in the mix and JVC Spiral Dot Eartips
I find the Neo5 Mids to be fairly neutral not forward nor recessed in the mix and on the slightly darker side vs thin and sharp.
Treble here on the Neo5 is fairly relaxed and gives plenty of sparkles but treble heads need not apply. The relaxed treble makes the Neo5 a easy listen and fatigue free listen good for treble sensitive people. Rock , EDM are great genre's to dial up the volume and enjoy a seriously long jamb out session.
Stage is average - decently wide and high a "I want It All" by Queen shows that the Neo5 plays back fairly intimate and center of head. This kind of stage is great for making this IEM a good one to just get absorbed in the music and not transfixed on spatial placement.
Instrument separation, Air, Instrument placement and dynamics takes a bit of a hit with the relaxed upper energy tuning and rolled off highs, a trade off for a more musical organic sound versus a more technical set.
CONCLUSION
While everyone has different tastes I personally like this new tuning direction from ISN on the Neo5 and will certainly appeal to more people than the more niche tuning of the H50.
If you are at the point of taking a plunge of a better quality hybrid set the Neo5 would be a great choice, unlike a bunch of lower quality sets I just recently reviewed where you can clearly tell the unnamed BA or Custom units clearly has a metallic timbre in the upper end, the BA timbre on the Neo5 is minimal to zero and very well tuned and coherent with the Dynamic Driver for a seamless blending.
If your looking for a more bassy set with a slightly warmer vocal presentation and don’t prioritize technicalities or a perfectly uncolored sound the Neo5 will be for you. I like how the Bass of the Neo5 goes low but doesn’t try to overexert itself and try to push the sub bass into distortion a well controlled driver with good tuning.
I don’t think the Neo5 is a all rounder and will work well for certain genre's that focus on the lower 3/4 of the sound spectrum. Classical even some Jazz might leave some wanting if that’s your preference.
I think we all need a set of IEM's that you can jam out to at higher volumes and let you just get lost in the music, the ISN Neo5 does this very well at a exceptionally good price a easy recommendation to progress your journey deeper into the rabbit hole without killing you budget!
In Comparison:
I will make a point here with these comparisons, And that is I think the Neo5 is a very capable IEM so much so I am going to compare with a few others I also love like the $600 Xenns Mangird UP and the $499 PENON 10th Anniversary. Both certainly better than the Neo5 but just considering comparing against these other exceptional IEM'S is speaking volumes about how well tuned the Neo5 is and what amazing value it brings into the market in 2023.
Vs - ISN H50:
I said about the H50 in my review-
"The H50 is a easy to listen to IEM, Its not going to blast your eardrums out with its overpowering bass, not will it make you totally focus on the vocals. You wont hear sibilant highs nor will the H50 blast you with ear piercing treble. The H50 just is a unique IEM one that is defiantly worth your consideration."
The tuning difference is quite noticeable and I spent a bunch of time A/B the sets to get my impressions correct.
The H50 has more BA timbre and sharpness than the Neo5 where sometimes the H50 gets close for me on sibilant on certain busy tracks that splashiness was much better controlled on the Neo5 and the BA's sounded closer to a DD presentation, Between the two the Neo5 still sounds like it has more high frequency energy over the H50.
The greater Mid Bass on the H50 added a special sauce for adding in bass texture and reverb effects that the Neo5 doesn’t have. The H50 was very much Mid Bass energy forward and the Neo5 pushes its lower energy to 50-100hz vs 60-300hz on the H50 a different presentation and great but different on both sets.
Bass on the Neo5 sounds quicker
Stage has more 3D and height
Female vocals Neo5 is better
The more energy between 1-3K in noticeable on the set giving vocals a different replay towards more my preference.
Vs - XENNS Mangird UP:
Here's where I found an interesting comparison I really do love the bass of the UP but here I found the Neo 5 very comparable the same kind of things that I loved about the up I found in the Neo 5 and for me that is a huge win I like the speediness, I like the slam, I like the fact that it doesn't distort it high volumes quite a win on a sub $300 IEM
So now there's some differences of course I found the mids and the vocals more forward on the Neo5, but the ups had definitely out of all these I MS that I'm comparing the most natural vocals and the best overall presentation of them.
Now the highs here where the Neo Five was more laid back and rolled off on the XENNS UP you definitely get more sparkle more details instrument separation air and that also played a huge difference in the next part the stage.
When you listen to an IEM and you think it has good stage it probably does but compared to what? and that's the nice thing about doing a side by side comparison and here the difference between them I would honestly say the UP takes it UP two level higher over the Neo 5. It is so much noticeable difference in the stage. The UP is dramatically more 3D it's wider it's higher and has more depth that's not saying the Neo Five is bad it's just saying the UP is that much better and shows why its double the price.
Vs - PENON 10th Anniversary:
So let's talk bass on the 10th there is definitely more true sub base as well as a faster mid base hit the depth of the details are noticeable in the base texture as well kind of an interesting comparison between 2-6 millimetre drivers versus 1-10 millimeter driver. The 10th space for me is the Pinnacle of base and my preferences it really hits a sweet spot for me.
Now on the 10th the vocals and the mids are presented more forward it's more of a V shaped signature and female vocals are prodigious on the 10th where they are a little bit laid back and thick on the Neo 5.
So here again on the 10th do you get better dynamics? Absolutely! Do you get an obvious difference to micro and macro dynamics? Oh yes absolutely you do! & that's why you would pay extra for the 10th anniversary but what the Neo 5 brings to the table is quite remarkable for its price and must be praised for the execution of its drivers and overall tuning.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the ISN Neo 5 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
My Test Playlist on QuBuz:
rattlingblanketwoman
Sorry but I have to - any top-of-your-head comparisons with the Serial?
ToneDeafMonk
To be quite honest I didn't find love in the Serial still found it too dark for me and tho some love the bass I couldn't get into its groove. For my taste I really like the Neo5 over the Serial maybe it's the BA mids and highs that sound like DD.
PENON FAN2
"The Most Balanced PENON to Date!
This is going to be a different kind of written review.
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
2x6mm Crystal Plated Biological Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers
1x Sonion BA for Mids
1xKnowles BA for Highs
13ohm
112db sens
Cable is the OS133 - 2 Share with 133 cores per share and comes in your choice of termination SE 3.5 or Balanced 2.5 or 4.4
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: Penon Fan2 Link or
https://penonaudio.com/penon-fan-2.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: Penon Fan2 Link or
https://penonaudio.com/penon-fan-2.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Planar bass is out for me as again it lacks sub harmonics and texture I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
Tips Used for the F2 that worked perfectly for me were the Whizzer Easytips SS22 Tips. And I found a set of tips from Japan made for TWS that look like Spiral Dots https://a.aliexpress.com/_mslzunm
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OKAY in this written review I won't be doing any track impressions because I covered most of that already in my video review so if you're interested please click the link to that and watch.
Speaking of that, coming around full circle when, I did my video review probably a good few months ago, and the feedback I received from those who watched my video and ended up purchasing one were all extremely positive and I am thrilled others are enjoying the F2 as much as me.
So this is a very interesting experience where I now get to write a written review after putting these away for a good couple months. I haven't had the F2 in my ears because I've had others IEMS I've been listening to and reviewing and it's always a question of OK am I going to love these things as much as I did when I did the review?
So was my review bang on? Or was I just pumping the snot out of something and it wasn't as good as I thought it was! Sometimes I do question myself or not question so much as reflect back on was I in a honeymoon stage or was the hype real.
Now in the meantime since taking a break I have had some serious high end in my ears lately, Aroma Audio Thunder, as well as the 64 Audio U4S which if you watch the video review the FAN2 was the reason why I was struggling so much to do that review. Because the F2 showed up at the same time and upon first listen to this New Balanced PENON, I was star struck. and was honestly enjoying the F2 so much greater than the $1100 U4s that it was making that review way more difficult than it should have been in a good way.
I've also had the FiR Audio XE6 these are also some serious kilo buck fantastic top of the line IEM in their own right to add more context.
One thing came abundantly clear you do get TOTL performance from some nice gear….. But you can also really enjoy and love something for way less money. No matter how much something is you don’t need to chase butterflies to get something that makes you happy!
Second thing I realized is that diminishing returns are a real thing. You don’t get 20x the sound quality from a 20x more expensive IEM the changes are more just refinement rather than A-HA moments.
And here we are.
Falling in love part 2- It has been a few months and over this time my notes were lost. So
Quite honestly I didn’t know how to approach this review except to re listen and rediscover If I felt the same way and If so why?
In the Video review I was more focused on how well the FAN2 did on vocals. After some reflection, I realize its not just the MIDS and the vocals that has enchanted me.
The FAN 2 is more than a ONE TRICK PONY!
For sound impressions for the PENON FAN2 I would say the fan two is a THREE TRICK PONY. The F2 is not going to appeal to everyone but for the people that it will appeal to they're going to be looking for a very specific kind of sound signature, bass texture and highs.
What I mean by that is they'll be looking for something maybe vocal-centric and they've heard about the PENON House sound.
Another person might be looking for more of a balanced version of a PENON and want to try a different tuning without going to far off track from what they are uses to.
Lastly I think another person might be looking for something that is an a bit more laid back without a huge amount of sub base extension to pull you away or an over the top amount of treble extension to make it fatiguing- a balanced sound tuning.
So I think reading reviews and watching reviews hopefully will help you can cut through the hype and see if the FAN2 is going to be for you.
In my video review I was very enthusiastic about how much I really enjoy the PENON FAN2 and as I get emotional about my music sometimes it's hard to separate the enthusiasm from the facts I'd apologize but I really like this IEM so for me it was definitely deserving of the hype.
So let's talk a little bit about why I really enjoy listening to this IEM well songs like "Thank You" from Dido can it just reminded me why I love the F2 I just love the way it presents vocals especially female vocals it gives it that right amount of edge to the vocals and it sounds natural to me. I love all the vocals the PENON FAN2 belted out. Its one of those IEM that makes it hard to review because its musical over being analytical so instead of trying to listen to nuances in the tracks, you just sit back and get lost in the music.
Listen to Thank You by Dido on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/track/12361867
The Bass - Ok I love bass but more importantly for my tastes I will take quality over quantity. Now not to say the F2 won't go low , because it will. It just won't do bass-head SUB BASS.
Instead the F2 has a wonderous snappy fast more MID-BASS Centric nature that added liveliness and excitement to instruments but also male vocals that just make them sound perfect to me. If I wanted to listen to a genre with lots of deeps drops I would honestly reach for a different IEM, PENON 10th or ISN Neo5.
Listen to Lux Æterna by Metallica on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/track/187221135
So I love the Bass , I even more so love the Sonion BA mids and what that 1 BA does for musicality and the smoothness. Hard to imagine when we hear of 24 BA bla bla bla you don’t need them! - The FAN2 more than proves this and the 10th even more so.
Perfect example of this is the HYPED UP AFUL P8, a classic example a 1+7 that can't even remotely compete with way less expensive JUZEARS 41t with its 1+4 and again Sonion BA mids.
The FAN 2 trumps them both in terms of FUN FACTOR and musicality no contest. Now to be fair the 41t and P8 are tuned similarly where the F2 is more vocal centric and forward, and of course the reason I would reach for the FAN2 if I wanted to chill with what I know it does so well.
The Highs - Smooth , effortless, and engaging yet still balanced in the mix to not overpower the mids or bass a wonderful tuning and again so well implemented in this IEM.
You won't get fatigued, you won't hear sibilance. What you will get is detailed instrument separation and placement with correct tonality and timbre. Is the FAN2 the most resolving IEM - NO of course not. Nor would I expect it to be at this price point and tuning.
Stage - for me I really enjoy the way the FAN2 has a big open stage. With great layering and placement of the singers, instruments and the ability to convey a real sense of venue.
Metallica S&M2 , you are right there 100ft from the stage in the crowd and can tell the entire orchestra is surrounding the band. When everyone cheers you get a real feel of how big the concert hall is and how many people are there with you amazing and not east to reproduce! The F2 did this better than most IEM at any price!
In Conclusion I would sum up saying the FAN2 is more than worthy of your consideration, with words like , clean resolution, punchy articulate bass , balanced mid centric vocals, clean and accurate details and a fun and engaging demeanor. If those kinds of things you look for in a new IEM and appeal to your preferential sound signature look no further you found it.
I re-fell in love with the PENON FAN2 all over again and hope you will too!
Thanks so much for reading, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
"The Most Balanced PENON to Date!
This is going to be a different kind of written review.
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
2x6mm Crystal Plated Biological Diaphragm Dynamic Drivers
1x Sonion BA for Mids
1xKnowles BA for Highs
13ohm
112db sens
Cable is the OS133 - 2 Share with 133 cores per share and comes in your choice of termination SE 3.5 or Balanced 2.5 or 4.4
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: Penon Fan2 Link or
https://penonaudio.com/penon-fan-2.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: Penon Fan2 Link or
https://penonaudio.com/penon-fan-2.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension without excessive brightness.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Planar bass is out for me as again it lacks sub harmonics and texture I find Dynamic Drivers do better. Same as BA bass the only exception was from the 64 Audio U12t that doesn't sound like a BA Sub.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Qbuz Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
I also use a iFi Stack with a ZENCAN and ZENDAC2 for a warmer combo.
Tips Used for the F2 that worked perfectly for me were the Whizzer Easytips SS22 Tips. And I found a set of tips from Japan made for TWS that look like Spiral Dots https://a.aliexpress.com/_mslzunm
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OKAY in this written review I won't be doing any track impressions because I covered most of that already in my video review so if you're interested please click the link to that and watch.
Speaking of that, coming around full circle when, I did my video review probably a good few months ago, and the feedback I received from those who watched my video and ended up purchasing one were all extremely positive and I am thrilled others are enjoying the F2 as much as me.
So this is a very interesting experience where I now get to write a written review after putting these away for a good couple months. I haven't had the F2 in my ears because I've had others IEMS I've been listening to and reviewing and it's always a question of OK am I going to love these things as much as I did when I did the review?
So was my review bang on? Or was I just pumping the snot out of something and it wasn't as good as I thought it was! Sometimes I do question myself or not question so much as reflect back on was I in a honeymoon stage or was the hype real.
Now in the meantime since taking a break I have had some serious high end in my ears lately, Aroma Audio Thunder, as well as the 64 Audio U4S which if you watch the video review the FAN2 was the reason why I was struggling so much to do that review. Because the F2 showed up at the same time and upon first listen to this New Balanced PENON, I was star struck. and was honestly enjoying the F2 so much greater than the $1100 U4s that it was making that review way more difficult than it should have been in a good way.
I've also had the FiR Audio XE6 these are also some serious kilo buck fantastic top of the line IEM in their own right to add more context.
One thing came abundantly clear you do get TOTL performance from some nice gear….. But you can also really enjoy and love something for way less money. No matter how much something is you don’t need to chase butterflies to get something that makes you happy!
Second thing I realized is that diminishing returns are a real thing. You don’t get 20x the sound quality from a 20x more expensive IEM the changes are more just refinement rather than A-HA moments.
And here we are.
Falling in love part 2- It has been a few months and over this time my notes were lost. So
Quite honestly I didn’t know how to approach this review except to re listen and rediscover If I felt the same way and If so why?
In the Video review I was more focused on how well the FAN2 did on vocals. After some reflection, I realize its not just the MIDS and the vocals that has enchanted me.
The FAN 2 is more than a ONE TRICK PONY!
For sound impressions for the PENON FAN2 I would say the fan two is a THREE TRICK PONY. The F2 is not going to appeal to everyone but for the people that it will appeal to they're going to be looking for a very specific kind of sound signature, bass texture and highs.
What I mean by that is they'll be looking for something maybe vocal-centric and they've heard about the PENON House sound.
Another person might be looking for more of a balanced version of a PENON and want to try a different tuning without going to far off track from what they are uses to.
Lastly I think another person might be looking for something that is an a bit more laid back without a huge amount of sub base extension to pull you away or an over the top amount of treble extension to make it fatiguing- a balanced sound tuning.
So I think reading reviews and watching reviews hopefully will help you can cut through the hype and see if the FAN2 is going to be for you.
In my video review I was very enthusiastic about how much I really enjoy the PENON FAN2 and as I get emotional about my music sometimes it's hard to separate the enthusiasm from the facts I'd apologize but I really like this IEM so for me it was definitely deserving of the hype.
So let's talk a little bit about why I really enjoy listening to this IEM well songs like "Thank You" from Dido can it just reminded me why I love the F2 I just love the way it presents vocals especially female vocals it gives it that right amount of edge to the vocals and it sounds natural to me. I love all the vocals the PENON FAN2 belted out. Its one of those IEM that makes it hard to review because its musical over being analytical so instead of trying to listen to nuances in the tracks, you just sit back and get lost in the music.
Listen to Thank You by Dido on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/track/12361867
The Bass - Ok I love bass but more importantly for my tastes I will take quality over quantity. Now not to say the F2 won't go low , because it will. It just won't do bass-head SUB BASS.
Instead the F2 has a wonderous snappy fast more MID-BASS Centric nature that added liveliness and excitement to instruments but also male vocals that just make them sound perfect to me. If I wanted to listen to a genre with lots of deeps drops I would honestly reach for a different IEM, PENON 10th or ISN Neo5.
Listen to Lux Æterna by Metallica on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/track/187221135
So I love the Bass , I even more so love the Sonion BA mids and what that 1 BA does for musicality and the smoothness. Hard to imagine when we hear of 24 BA bla bla bla you don’t need them! - The FAN2 more than proves this and the 10th even more so.
Perfect example of this is the HYPED UP AFUL P8, a classic example a 1+7 that can't even remotely compete with way less expensive JUZEARS 41t with its 1+4 and again Sonion BA mids.
The FAN 2 trumps them both in terms of FUN FACTOR and musicality no contest. Now to be fair the 41t and P8 are tuned similarly where the F2 is more vocal centric and forward, and of course the reason I would reach for the FAN2 if I wanted to chill with what I know it does so well.
The Highs - Smooth , effortless, and engaging yet still balanced in the mix to not overpower the mids or bass a wonderful tuning and again so well implemented in this IEM.
You won't get fatigued, you won't hear sibilance. What you will get is detailed instrument separation and placement with correct tonality and timbre. Is the FAN2 the most resolving IEM - NO of course not. Nor would I expect it to be at this price point and tuning.
Stage - for me I really enjoy the way the FAN2 has a big open stage. With great layering and placement of the singers, instruments and the ability to convey a real sense of venue.
Metallica S&M2 , you are right there 100ft from the stage in the crowd and can tell the entire orchestra is surrounding the band. When everyone cheers you get a real feel of how big the concert hall is and how many people are there with you amazing and not east to reproduce! The F2 did this better than most IEM at any price!
In Conclusion I would sum up saying the FAN2 is more than worthy of your consideration, with words like , clean resolution, punchy articulate bass , balanced mid centric vocals, clean and accurate details and a fun and engaging demeanor. If those kinds of things you look for in a new IEM and appeal to your preferential sound signature look no further you found it.
I re-fell in love with the PENON FAN2 all over again and hope you will too!
Thanks so much for reading, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
Attachments
Redcarmoose
Edit:
Neithan
Great review!
SOUND RHYME SR7 - I CANT DECIDE HOW MUCH TO CHILL
"PROBABLY FIRST TIME EVER I COULD NOT PICK A CLEAR CHOICE IN THE TUNING SWITCH CONFIG THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE THEY ARE ALL EXCELLENT"
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
1DD + 6BA
1x 9.2mm Dynamic Driver ?
4x SONION 2600 series Balanced Armatures for the mids.
2x Knowles 33518 Balanced Armatures for the Highs
2 Tuning Switches with 4 Kinds of Tunings ( Sort Of )
3 Way Crossover
Impedance shows 12ohm on website 17ohm on the box?
The shell is a ENVISIONTEC 3D Printed shell using German Tech.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Copper Cable that you get a choice of 3.5mm SE or 4.4 Pentaconn Balanced Option 0.78 2 pin termination.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/sound-rhyme-sr7.html
Purchased from Penon Directly w a discount . THANK YOU!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
(TDM - me) was able to obtain a transcript of the actual conversation with the engineer and a test Audiophile Guineapig and it went like this:
Audiophile GP; " Make me something crazy musical with killer vocals ok"….
Engineer; " Try this sample I put 2 Knowles BA in for the mids to give you some great vocals"….
Audiophile GP; " Sounds nice, but the bass is overpowering the mids and highs"….
Engineer; " let me try this…. Ok we reduced the bass by -8db"….
Audiophile GP; " Noice very balanced almost there still wishing for more organic mids"….
Engineer; "Here you go try this version I added 2 more BA and switch to some very highly regarded Sonion 2600 series for a total of 4!"….
Audiophile; Taking a quick listen "Yeah man that’s what I was talking about JUST WOW!'….
- Bean Counter Steps In; " EXCUSE ME THAT’S GOING TO COST TOO MUCH LETS GO FOR BELLSING BA!, NOBAODY CAN HEAR THE DIIFERENCE!'….
At this point the Audiophile walked over to bean counter and said; " Listen I don’t condone physical violence but the Sonion BA are staying! Make this work at a affordable price or I will tell your mom you don’t eat you veggies at lunch!"….
Back on point ….
Audiophile GP; "Sweet vocals my man; but when I crank it up the highs make me want to turn it down can you do something?"….
Engineer; "Ok re-tuned it where I made the BA Highs a lot more relaxed you should be able to play it louder."….
Audiophile; "Wow that’s better but"….
Engineer; "BUT WHAT!"….
Audiophile; "Sorry but I kind of miss that big bottom end now that I can dial it to 11 , EDM sounds a bit ….weak."
Engineer; "Came up with a great idea nobody has thought of before, Going to put a few switches on the side to attenuate the bass for the Vocal tuning and when you flick the switch BIG BOOTY BASS as you asked for!"….
Audiophile; " Dude you are a genius that’s amazing two completely different tuning's! One for sweet Vocals and the Other for Big Booty Bass and Vocals you really outdid yourself on this one!"…
Audiophile GP; "What's the other switch do I flicked it but didn't really hear a difference?"…
Engineer; "I had a extra spot so I told the Bean Counter It adds value for the pricing to make him happy …. also attenuate the highs a tad so its not fluff but it is mostly just for show."
Audiophile GP; " Outstanding! Excuse me while I just take these for a 8 hours zone out session… My brother from another mother I LOVE YOU! And these IEM's"….
Engineer; " Ok my … Dude RIGHT ON! ROCK ON!"
Audiophile GP; " What are you calling these ones?"….
Engineer; " THE SR7 - Stands for Sound Rhyme and has 7 Drivers on each side!"….
Audiophile; " OK that really makes some other companies just throw out some weird ZXYZ name."
Engineer; "WE ARE SOUND RHYME AND ARE PLAYERS!"
Disclaimer: (Some of this I translated and may or may have not got the exact wording correct and improvised a bit because I could not read Chinese but I am pretty sure it went like that)
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips) ifi ZENDACII and iFi ZENCAN
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Hola were the JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOTS Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
iFi Stack with the Burr Brown DA not a good pairing. I found it too warm and preferred the A90D/ Geshelli J2 combo worlds better. Strait off the Hiby R6iii also fantastic.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: Most Impressions done with Bass Switch ON and Treble Switch ON unless noted.
#1 "Arsonist Lullaby" by Hozier
#2 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" Yim Hok-Man
#3 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
#4 "I Need A Man To Love" by Janice Joplin
#5 "Marvin Gaye " by Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
The Mixing of this multi layered track gives you a good sense of a IEM's ability to present stage depth and Micro Dynamics again.
The replay was excellent great layering of instruments, guitar sounded bang on. Well done PENON
#7 "Medellin" by Madonna
#8 "I want It All" by Queen
#9 "Check It Out" by Nicki Manaj
#10 "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
#11 "Give" by Nils Lofgren
#12 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
The stage is massive clearly impresses with the 10th's ability to convey a real sense of the live recording and the size of the venue, quite excellent.
#13 "Nie Pokonasz Milosci (Remastered)" by Hania Rani
#14 "J.S Bach Cello Suite No1 in G major" by Tina Gau
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
OK that was jus some tracks that gave me a good sense of what the SR7 was all about.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Upon first listen I found with the up up position in my first listen and initial thoughts that the bass was a bit boomy and it would bleed into the vocals enough to affect it quite a bit. So ongoing 20+ hours later and even more so now as I keep listening to the SR7 at 80+ hours that impression has mitigated almost entirely the bass actually starts playing lower and it seemed that the BA's have caught up enough to make that a non-issue. There is still on occasion a few tracks where it is quite base heavy and you have female vocals that you do find that the vocals are a tad thick but you listen to a track right after that and it will sound perfect so I think this is really track dependent and probably genre specific as well as source dependent on a more resolving less warm replay.
OK let's talk switches so firstly there are two switches on the side the first switch affects the base when the unit gets shipped mine came with the up up position that means that it has the full bass and the full treble.
DD + UD Position I found the treble does not change much and maybe I should have spent more time critically listening to the SR7 in this form, after seeing the changes when I graphed the SR7, I decided to leave the switch to the UP position permanently.
UU- 80+ Hours
OK in my journey with the SR7 I put on wide-bore tips with the JVC spiral dots and left them there, because they're my favorite tip and I know what they do to stage. Now the cables this was an interesting one. Where sometimes IEM's are completely unaffected by cables, I found the SR7 was a different case. I tried one afternoon with the PENON vocal cable as I love what this cable does to certain IEM's but it was definitely not the right pairing for this one.
What I found was it did do was added too much of a good thing and it muddied up the bottom end bass made it bloated and just brought the vocals to forward where it sounded too unbalanced. After I switched out to the stock cable I found things cleaned up a whole lot and in the end I ended up just using a SPC cable for the rest of the entire impressions and I think that's a great combination. The Stock cable was a good choice.
Now with the extra base and mid base because it adds quite a bit into there as well with the up up position I find that the stage also is affected compared to the down up position where it was better. Base heavy tracks put out some serious bass at the expense of some resolution and details that get rolled over.
The UU position adds quite a bit of note weight to the overall presentation but there was only a few tracks I ever found where female vocals added or changed the tonality but not really enough to throw out the experience on most tracks.
Overall with this setting I was just enamored with the quality of the base and kind of wowed that the SR7 could keep up vocal wise when belting out some serious low frequencies simultaneously it's quite a interesting presentation and when I haven't heard before. This Sound Rhyme did it so well.
DU-80+ Hours
OK the DOWN UP position here mid base is still excellent and I just love the energy and the speed I love this kind of base glide and it is definitely my favorite.
You could say that this is by far the most vocal forward setting and you would be correct you get a great sense of height and depth and width in the staging with this setting so if you prioritize vocals and stage then this would be the setting for you.
Bass heads might not prefer this setting because well it's more of a balanced one and still very vocal forward it has great organic base but here on this position the vocals are definitely taking center stage.
Final Thoughts:
The SR7 with the relaxed treble just allows you to play this IEM loud - crazy loud, loud as you want, louder than you would normally if you had one with more treble it's definitely non fatiguing and for that is dangerous and addictive.
The Sound Rhyme's tuning won't be for everyone and doesn’t play all kinds of libraries, classical, instrumental and highly detailed music wont be the the Sr7's strong suite. EDM, Rock, Reggae and Vocals and big bass you will love it.
I found the SR7 took a little while for it to actually burn in. For those of you that don't believe it well it's OK just stick it on a burning rack please for at least 20 hours before you give your final impressions please.
With the base switch on The Sound Rhyme SR7 goes from a hyper vocal centric IEM to a seriously bassy vocal centric IEM.
Compared to: PENON FAN2, I really wanted to compare it against the FAN2 another vocal goddess! , because it's one of my all-time favorites IEM's. Some of the things that I thought that the SR7 did differently than the F2 was of course with the up up position the bass overall sub bass especially is in a great deal more quantity that the fan two only dreams of doing. Where the fan two is very vocal centric as well the mid base and the base is considerably tamer compared against the SR7. So if you ever loved the vocals and the vocal forwardness of the F2 too but thought maybe I want a little bit or a whole lot more bass here is the SR7.
Something to note is in the Down Up position the bass between the two is very comparable but what the SR7 adds is so much more information in the mids. Vocals seem more effortless and natural, not as forced if that makes sense.
Also what I found was that the vocals are just as forward with the SR7 as they are with the F2 but with the four Sonion balanced armatures I found it brought an extra level of depth and smoothness that the fan 2 didn't quite get.
Lastly the F2 is more top end energetic so for loud listening and longer chill our sessions the SR7 has the F2 beat. Both are great and kind-of complement each other especially if you like vocal centric sound signatures. I feel blessed to have both and can pick up one or the other depending on my mood.
IN CONCLUSION:
I really have enjoyed the SR7 I think it's unique I don't have another IEM that does quite what this one does in such a special way you could sit and enjoy your favorite vocals with the base switch off and just get lost in the music. I loved the Bass switch off tuning just as much as with it ON. The tuning is so well done.
The SR7 will be in my daily rotation.
Yeah with the bass switch on all I can say is that I'm kind of shocked that this IEM can really just do that kind of tuning and pull it off. Where you still get this lush warm crazy vocal forward presentation while getting simultaneously slammed with sub bass and a great amount of fast speedy mid bass that just adds a musicality and dynamic replay that is worth hearing.
I can honestly say I've never experienced another IEM like the SR7 that also tuning switches or swappable nozzles - where I couldn't decide what tuning I like best most times you flick the switches and listen and flick the switches some more and flick the switches some more and do some more listening and in the end you come to a conclusion where yeah for sure this is your preferred tuning and you leave it there.
Not This Sound Rhyme! I love this one in all positions, feel grateful that I can truly enjoy the different tunings. The switches were implemented nicely, bring real value to my listening experience and for once not a gimmick.
Really great value in today's very competitive market and will appeal to those who enjoy a relaxed treble, a fatigue free replay and a IEM with quality solid low end without sacrificing your love for vocals.
Did I mention the Big Booty Bass!
WELL DONE SOUND RHYME - I LOVE YOU SR7
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
"PROBABLY FIRST TIME EVER I COULD NOT PICK A CLEAR CHOICE IN THE TUNING SWITCH CONFIG THAT WAS MY FAVOURITE THEY ARE ALL EXCELLENT"
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
1DD + 6BA
1x 9.2mm Dynamic Driver ?
4x SONION 2600 series Balanced Armatures for the mids.
2x Knowles 33518 Balanced Armatures for the Highs
2 Tuning Switches with 4 Kinds of Tunings ( Sort Of )
3 Way Crossover
Impedance shows 12ohm on website 17ohm on the box?
The shell is a ENVISIONTEC 3D Printed shell using German Tech.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Copper Cable that you get a choice of 3.5mm SE or 4.4 Pentaconn Balanced Option 0.78 2 pin termination.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/sound-rhyme-sr7.html
Purchased from Penon Directly w a discount . THANK YOU!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
(TDM - me) was able to obtain a transcript of the actual conversation with the engineer and a test Audiophile Guineapig and it went like this:
Audiophile GP; " Make me something crazy musical with killer vocals ok"….
Engineer; " Try this sample I put 2 Knowles BA in for the mids to give you some great vocals"….
Audiophile GP; " Sounds nice, but the bass is overpowering the mids and highs"….
Engineer; " let me try this…. Ok we reduced the bass by -8db"….
Audiophile GP; " Noice very balanced almost there still wishing for more organic mids"….
Engineer; "Here you go try this version I added 2 more BA and switch to some very highly regarded Sonion 2600 series for a total of 4!"….
Audiophile; Taking a quick listen "Yeah man that’s what I was talking about JUST WOW!'….
- Bean Counter Steps In; " EXCUSE ME THAT’S GOING TO COST TOO MUCH LETS GO FOR BELLSING BA!, NOBAODY CAN HEAR THE DIIFERENCE!'….
At this point the Audiophile walked over to bean counter and said; " Listen I don’t condone physical violence but the Sonion BA are staying! Make this work at a affordable price or I will tell your mom you don’t eat you veggies at lunch!"….
Back on point ….
Audiophile GP; "Sweet vocals my man; but when I crank it up the highs make me want to turn it down can you do something?"….
Engineer; "Ok re-tuned it where I made the BA Highs a lot more relaxed you should be able to play it louder."….
Audiophile; "Wow that’s better but"….
Engineer; "BUT WHAT!"….
Audiophile; "Sorry but I kind of miss that big bottom end now that I can dial it to 11 , EDM sounds a bit ….weak."
Engineer; "Came up with a great idea nobody has thought of before, Going to put a few switches on the side to attenuate the bass for the Vocal tuning and when you flick the switch BIG BOOTY BASS as you asked for!"….
Audiophile; " Dude you are a genius that’s amazing two completely different tuning's! One for sweet Vocals and the Other for Big Booty Bass and Vocals you really outdid yourself on this one!"…
Audiophile GP; "What's the other switch do I flicked it but didn't really hear a difference?"…
Engineer; "I had a extra spot so I told the Bean Counter It adds value for the pricing to make him happy …. also attenuate the highs a tad so its not fluff but it is mostly just for show."
Audiophile GP; " Outstanding! Excuse me while I just take these for a 8 hours zone out session… My brother from another mother I LOVE YOU! And these IEM's"….
Engineer; " Ok my … Dude RIGHT ON! ROCK ON!"
Audiophile GP; " What are you calling these ones?"….
Engineer; " THE SR7 - Stands for Sound Rhyme and has 7 Drivers on each side!"….
Audiophile; " OK that really makes some other companies just throw out some weird ZXYZ name."
Engineer; "WE ARE SOUND RHYME AND ARE PLAYERS!"
Disclaimer: (Some of this I translated and may or may have not got the exact wording correct and improvised a bit because I could not read Chinese but I am pretty sure it went like that)
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips) ifi ZENDACII and iFi ZENCAN
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Hola were the JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOTS Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
iFi Stack with the Burr Brown DA not a good pairing. I found it too warm and preferred the A90D/ Geshelli J2 combo worlds better. Strait off the Hiby R6iii also fantastic.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: Most Impressions done with Bass Switch ON and Treble Switch ON unless noted.
#1 "Arsonist Lullaby" by Hozier
- No base bleed and just excellent bass notes, male vocals are outstanding.
#2 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" Yim Hok-Man
- OKAY this track is over 10 minutes long just solid drumming. I hear well the subtleties of the attack and the decay were so nice you can hear the drumskins resonate and trail off very musically done this is a very good dynamic driver. I listen to all 10 minutes multiple times and at high volumes it certainly tickles your ear hairs.
#3 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
- The SR7 is not a resolution monster. Because of the relaxed highs instruments don't lack the tonality but what you're missing is some of the sharpness or crispness that you would get in an IEM that have more high frequency energy if you're looking for that kind of tuning the SR7 might disappoint.
- The ascending a major also sounded a bit monotone not that it didn't scale it correctly it I've just heard better presentations of this track and again here because of the relaxed highs electric guitar riffs lack a bit of energy.
#4 "I Need A Man To Love" by Janice Joplin
- In the up up position it had perfect female vocals and the extra base made it even more fun on this track I didn't find it made female vocals too thick it was a great listen.
#5 "Marvin Gaye " by Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor
- Both the male and female vocals sounded perfect so much fun base doesn't wash out the vocals again and it's just a really fun and bassy track good one to showcase how the SR7 can do outstanding vocals and still keep the bass in the mix.
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
The Mixing of this multi layered track gives you a good sense of a IEM's ability to present stage depth and Micro Dynamics again.
The replay was excellent great layering of instruments, guitar sounded bang on. Well done PENON
#7 "Medellin" by Madonna
- Vinyl the only word to describe the playback BASS OMG and vocals!
#8 "I want It All" by Queen
- I will say on this track that the stage that the SR7 can belt out is nothing short of amazing. Ohh and you can also get the volume to about 13!
#9 "Check It Out" by Nicki Manaj
- Another track I was kind of gravitating to with the up up position just because the sub base has so much great extension and fast musical mid bass here on this track the vocals by Nikki were perfect spot on but also the male and female vocals throw in some crazy stage and what's really even more amazing is the vocals can keep up with the base it was a wow presentation!
#10 "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
- The pan from right to left stage is so cool nice rumble Michaels vocals had a certain edge and it sounded perfect it's actually very balanced and so incredibly smooth
#11 "Give" by Nils Lofgren
- The guitar and vocals what a combo of OMG replay and such wicked fun.
#12 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
The stage is massive clearly impresses with the 10th's ability to convey a real sense of the live recording and the size of the venue, quite excellent.
#13 "Nie Pokonasz Milosci (Remastered)" by Hania Rani
- Not all roses of course on the SR7 with the up up position the piano sounded great on the down up position I thought the piano was missing some note weight and dynamics in the overall song I certainly preferred it more with the up-up position.
#14 "J.S Bach Cello Suite No1 in G major" by Tina Gau
- So here again with the Jekyll Hyde personality of the SR7 with cello if you put it in the up up position it sounded very nice instruments that play in the lower octaves play really well in this position but in the down up position again I found that was missing some note weight
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- A real standout track for multi-layers instrument separation. Here I find some of the shortcomings of the SR7 with the relaxed treble is that you find some instruments won't be stand out perfect tonality and the timber because they're missing some of that energy that you would get if you had more in the upper mid and highs.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- EDM SLAM No sibilance or harshness present just massive amounts of fun that makes you turn it up very- very loud.
OK that was jus some tracks that gave me a good sense of what the SR7 was all about.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Upon first listen I found with the up up position in my first listen and initial thoughts that the bass was a bit boomy and it would bleed into the vocals enough to affect it quite a bit. So ongoing 20+ hours later and even more so now as I keep listening to the SR7 at 80+ hours that impression has mitigated almost entirely the bass actually starts playing lower and it seemed that the BA's have caught up enough to make that a non-issue. There is still on occasion a few tracks where it is quite base heavy and you have female vocals that you do find that the vocals are a tad thick but you listen to a track right after that and it will sound perfect so I think this is really track dependent and probably genre specific as well as source dependent on a more resolving less warm replay.
OK let's talk switches so firstly there are two switches on the side the first switch affects the base when the unit gets shipped mine came with the up up position that means that it has the full bass and the full treble.
DD + UD Position I found the treble does not change much and maybe I should have spent more time critically listening to the SR7 in this form, after seeing the changes when I graphed the SR7, I decided to leave the switch to the UP position permanently.
UU- 80+ Hours
OK in my journey with the SR7 I put on wide-bore tips with the JVC spiral dots and left them there, because they're my favorite tip and I know what they do to stage. Now the cables this was an interesting one. Where sometimes IEM's are completely unaffected by cables, I found the SR7 was a different case. I tried one afternoon with the PENON vocal cable as I love what this cable does to certain IEM's but it was definitely not the right pairing for this one.
What I found was it did do was added too much of a good thing and it muddied up the bottom end bass made it bloated and just brought the vocals to forward where it sounded too unbalanced. After I switched out to the stock cable I found things cleaned up a whole lot and in the end I ended up just using a SPC cable for the rest of the entire impressions and I think that's a great combination. The Stock cable was a good choice.
Now with the extra base and mid base because it adds quite a bit into there as well with the up up position I find that the stage also is affected compared to the down up position where it was better. Base heavy tracks put out some serious bass at the expense of some resolution and details that get rolled over.
The UU position adds quite a bit of note weight to the overall presentation but there was only a few tracks I ever found where female vocals added or changed the tonality but not really enough to throw out the experience on most tracks.
Overall with this setting I was just enamored with the quality of the base and kind of wowed that the SR7 could keep up vocal wise when belting out some serious low frequencies simultaneously it's quite a interesting presentation and when I haven't heard before. This Sound Rhyme did it so well.
DU-80+ Hours
OK the DOWN UP position here mid base is still excellent and I just love the energy and the speed I love this kind of base glide and it is definitely my favorite.
You could say that this is by far the most vocal forward setting and you would be correct you get a great sense of height and depth and width in the staging with this setting so if you prioritize vocals and stage then this would be the setting for you.
Bass heads might not prefer this setting because well it's more of a balanced one and still very vocal forward it has great organic base but here on this position the vocals are definitely taking center stage.
Final Thoughts:
The SR7 with the relaxed treble just allows you to play this IEM loud - crazy loud, loud as you want, louder than you would normally if you had one with more treble it's definitely non fatiguing and for that is dangerous and addictive.
The Sound Rhyme's tuning won't be for everyone and doesn’t play all kinds of libraries, classical, instrumental and highly detailed music wont be the the Sr7's strong suite. EDM, Rock, Reggae and Vocals and big bass you will love it.
I found the SR7 took a little while for it to actually burn in. For those of you that don't believe it well it's OK just stick it on a burning rack please for at least 20 hours before you give your final impressions please.
With the base switch on The Sound Rhyme SR7 goes from a hyper vocal centric IEM to a seriously bassy vocal centric IEM.
Compared to: PENON FAN2, I really wanted to compare it against the FAN2 another vocal goddess! , because it's one of my all-time favorites IEM's. Some of the things that I thought that the SR7 did differently than the F2 was of course with the up up position the bass overall sub bass especially is in a great deal more quantity that the fan two only dreams of doing. Where the fan two is very vocal centric as well the mid base and the base is considerably tamer compared against the SR7. So if you ever loved the vocals and the vocal forwardness of the F2 too but thought maybe I want a little bit or a whole lot more bass here is the SR7.
Something to note is in the Down Up position the bass between the two is very comparable but what the SR7 adds is so much more information in the mids. Vocals seem more effortless and natural, not as forced if that makes sense.
Also what I found was that the vocals are just as forward with the SR7 as they are with the F2 but with the four Sonion balanced armatures I found it brought an extra level of depth and smoothness that the fan 2 didn't quite get.
Lastly the F2 is more top end energetic so for loud listening and longer chill our sessions the SR7 has the F2 beat. Both are great and kind-of complement each other especially if you like vocal centric sound signatures. I feel blessed to have both and can pick up one or the other depending on my mood.
IN CONCLUSION:
I really have enjoyed the SR7 I think it's unique I don't have another IEM that does quite what this one does in such a special way you could sit and enjoy your favorite vocals with the base switch off and just get lost in the music. I loved the Bass switch off tuning just as much as with it ON. The tuning is so well done.
The SR7 will be in my daily rotation.
Yeah with the bass switch on all I can say is that I'm kind of shocked that this IEM can really just do that kind of tuning and pull it off. Where you still get this lush warm crazy vocal forward presentation while getting simultaneously slammed with sub bass and a great amount of fast speedy mid bass that just adds a musicality and dynamic replay that is worth hearing.
I can honestly say I've never experienced another IEM like the SR7 that also tuning switches or swappable nozzles - where I couldn't decide what tuning I like best most times you flick the switches and listen and flick the switches some more and flick the switches some more and do some more listening and in the end you come to a conclusion where yeah for sure this is your preferred tuning and you leave it there.
Not This Sound Rhyme! I love this one in all positions, feel grateful that I can truly enjoy the different tunings. The switches were implemented nicely, bring real value to my listening experience and for once not a gimmick.
Really great value in today's very competitive market and will appeal to those who enjoy a relaxed treble, a fatigue free replay and a IEM with quality solid low end without sacrificing your love for vocals.
Did I mention the Big Booty Bass!
WELL DONE SOUND RHYME - I LOVE YOU SR7
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
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The Grand Maestro - A Pinnacle Level Tunable Endgame IEM
"There is tunable IEM's on the market aplenty - but don’t sound like this creation from Fat Frequency"
Shoutout to a Friend for the generous loan of this wonderful IEM, And I am thankful to have had the pleasure of being able to enjoy this grand creation.
INTRODUCTION:
FATfreq
Handcrafted in Singapore
Founded in 2016 by engineers Aaron and Ben, FATfreq began as a service provider for IEM repair and modifications. With technical experience in the circuitry, acoustics, and driver configurations of over 20 IEM brands, FATfreq quickly became the go-to place for IEM rescue and restoration works.
Now Singapore's leading IEM company, FATfreq creates world-class IEMs and innovative systems for every musician - all at an affordable price point. Every piece is carefully built and tuned by hand, adhering to rigorous quality checks for our Pro-audio industry.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/about-us>
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
GRAND MAESTRO $3599 USD for Universal or $3999 for Custom
FATfreq Flagship 2023
Tribrid Technology
Quad EST Drivers
4 Configurable Bass Tunings*
Pressure Relief Module
• Comes with Black NOAH Modual - You need to purchase the Blue NOAH moduals to get the 4 tunable Tunings.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/grand-maestro>
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/fatfreq/products/fatfreq-grand-maestro
Musicteck even offers Financing!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: iFi ZEN-CAN and iFi ZEN-DAC2 , LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Grand Maestro were the Whizzer Easytips SS20
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: BLUE NOAH FILTER , VOCAL SWITCH OFF
#1 "Snowman" by SIA
- On this track I found vocals just a real standout not only is the vocals just amazing but the bass is so satisfying to compliment the singing it gives a real nice thump very analog sounding just wonderful
#2 "Lux AEterna" by Metalica
- The base fast and weighty though I wish it did have some more mid base hit it is still a very satisfying replay and would do well with this kind of library as well.
#3 "Nils Cline" by Phil Colins
- Just so immersive and addictive it's a very busy track that has many elements and the Grand Maestro separated all of them and gave each part equal love it was so well done.
#4 "The Cave" by Marcus Mumform
- So much energy and liveliness it made this track a real standout the male vocals were bang on very nice very
#5 "Come As You Are " by Nirvana
- Here I found the quad EST implementation added just a hint of top end and special sparkle when mid-bass kicks in it's very musical it's a great mix.
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
- OK this track Joe describes it as a musician actually a guitarist trying to control a wild beast and I will say in this multilayer track that the Grand Maestro did perfect layering and stage the guitar the ascending a major just WOW electric guitar was very electric.
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
- I put this track in here as well I had the same problem I did listening to any IEM like the PENON 10th anniversary where they're just so incredibly musical that you actually have a very hard time reviewing what you're listening to. Because you get completely lost in the music and it's just such a wonderful feeling and you have to chuckle a little bit because you have to keep going back and listening to the same song over and over again in order to write down your impressions it's pretty fun yet annoying at the same time.
#8 "Live & Let Die" by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- All the sections and the pieces get the space they need to breathe from the strings to the drums all unquestionably bang on tonality wise very exciting and the Grand Maestro made it sound lively and a great sense of stage and presence with excellent macro and micro details.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low Yet the Grand Maestro actually had me wishing for a little bit more sub base that's funny to actually hear from a company and a line of IEM that are known to be bass monsters. Yet this shows the incredibly masterful skill of the tuning where you can still get a lot of base and yet have all the vocal and the high frequency energies done in a way that makes it a very enjoyable
#10 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
- One thing the Grand Maestro does so very, very well is the ability to give you a realistic sense of the venue you can tell if you're in a big place a little place a big concert a massive concert an outdoor concert or an intimate studio.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
- Another standout track where the EST are done in such a fantastic way again you got the very musical bottom and notes and then a perfect coherence of all the drivers and you get these added Sparkle's on the top end that it's impossible for you not to put a huge grin on your face as you're listening to this track.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- The grand does very much reproduce cello the way cello was meant to be reproduced very realistic and it made my hair stand up on end that's how well done it gave me the sense of being right there listening to it live.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- You want to listen to the Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Or Yellow anything EDM the Grand Maestro will eat up for breakfast and spit out some spine chilling slam and no hint of sibilance or harshness to be found you can go crazy loud with this I am just be careful please people.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK let me first start off saying that prior to putting the Grand Maestro's in my ears this is the first exposure I have had to this brand. Previously I have heard and seen much talk about how the Fat Frequency IEM are not only Bass monsters but also have a quite a bit of balance where it doesn't wash out the vocals or the high frequencies quite a marvel if you're talking about a + 20 DB gain hyper control bass boost on the Maestro SE and only a +7DB pina gain, that's quite a impressive feat.
Now going into this review and getting the Grand Maestro from a friend on loan, I was thinking it was also going to be a bass monster but quite on the contrary in the end I found and was still wishing for more bass than the Grand Maestro could throw out.
I was actually…. I'd hate to say it but a bit disappointed
That is of course until I've spent more time with the Grand Maestro, where I kind of got a better understanding of where they were going with the tuning. The GM is mixture of a very vocal forward VOX and a warm balanced IEM as well as taking a shot at making a monitor like neutral sound signature for the series.
It's very hard to actually describe the entire journey between the swapping out of the modules for the air pressure that changes the bass and of course the rest of the frequencies moving up is also affected as we climb up the frequency scale.
Let's just start off with the BLACK NOAH module vocal switch OFF, here where it has the most amount of sub bass boost it's in its most V shaped form and probably the closest to the maestro SE that being said they are not the same I don't believe from the impressions I've got from the friend who owns this IEM and having had both at the same time. This was my second favorite overall preferred tuning I found the vocals a bit overpowered by the base and had me wishing for a little bit more clarity on that end.
Now BLACK NOAH module with the vocal boost ON I will first say that I don't particularly enjoy the boosted vocals with the switch on with this position. Which is funny because I do have a great preference for vocal forwardness like in the PENON FAN2 where I really enjoy how forward the vocals are in the mix.
I didn't quite enjoy so much it here though but I must say it is a really awesome implementation to what it can do and how it changes the overall entire presentation.
For some I know that they will be their preference but for me I preferred having the vocal switch off and for the sound impressions that I did those were all done with the vocal switch off and with the blue NOAH filter in place.
Next up is the BLUE NOAH filter with the vocal switch ON now with this one this one is the most monitor like neutral configuration at the Grand Maestro can do and it definitely was not my favorite at all as I prefer a more substantial bottom end And I found this one was a little too muted for my taste.
Now BLUE NOAH with vocal switch OFF in this configuration I found the Grand Maestro to be a warm organic lush slightly vocal recessed presentation.
This was definitely my favorite version of the Grand Maestro I just loved what it did to vocals it was very musical and it was very easy to get lost in the music with this kind of presentation I didn't really like the upper mid gain with the vocal switch and at first when I listened to this with it off I thought maybe it was a bit recessed and it probably is in the mix if you listen to a different IEM that is more neutral you can tell but it's just so smooth and totally correct that you forgive it any shortcomings and you just kick back and enjoy the music.
Now with this configuration.
I found that I heard more of a mix with the instrumental kick drums came in more into play had more note weight Just love the base again it's just so tastefully done it's not overpowering anything and you get the EST's adding the sparkle on the top end all the instrumental sounded great and I really enjoyed the stage as well though with the switch on the stage goes from fun listen to hyper craziness that might be a little bit mind blowing.
Finally I must say that I wish I was the owner of this IEM. Though I would probably have done it in a custom version, as it is truly wonderful. The Grand Maestro it's a standout in a sea of similarly tuned offerings.
The interesting part about kilobuck IEMS is that manufacturers are willing to take a little bit more of a risks to try something different and that doesn't always work in this case it certainly does and I can see why not only Fat Frequency has a huge following but a bright future as well.
lots of people say that there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to gear that tries to reproduce music but in this case I think the Fat Frequency IEM really breaks the mold. I think this is one is a standout.
There are many more choices that are much more expensive than the Grand Maestro, but for what this does it is unique and stands on its own. The GM is worth every penny you will spend on it because you will just enjoy just listening to the music the way you want, tailored to your personal tastes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
FATfreq
Handcrafted in Singapore
Founded in 2016 by engineers Aaron and Ben, FATfreq began as a service provider for IEM repair and modifications. With technical experience in the circuitry, acoustics, and driver configurations of over 20 IEM brands, FATfreq quickly became the go-to place for IEM rescue and restoration works.
Now Singapore's leading IEM company, FATfreq creates world-class IEMs and innovative systems for every musician - all at an affordable price point. Every piece is carefully built and tuned by hand, adhering to rigorous quality checks for our Pro-audio industry.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/about-us>
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
GRAND MAESTRO $3599 USD for Universal or $3999 for Custom
FATfreq Flagship 2023
Tribrid Technology
Quad EST Drivers
4 Configurable Bass Tunings*
Pressure Relief Module
• Comes with Black NOAH Modual - You need to purchase the Blue NOAH moduals to get the 4 tunable Tunings.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/grand-maestro>
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/fatfreq/products/fatfreq-grand-maestro
Musicteck even offers Financing!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
-With the use of the NOAH modules you can completely change the tuning of the grand maestro whether you want more base less space more trouble more vocal it has the ability to do any of these tunings with a very easy swap out of the balanced air pressure modules.
-With all of the four possible tunings from the NOAH modules at any one time is the bass never overwhelming any of the rest of the frequencies it's quite spectacular
-The bass is so tastefully done it has texture it has warmth it has organic quality that is lush and musical
-The treble is also another standout of the Grand Maestro where it is ever present but never overwhelming harsh or sibilant
-Now the EST implementation is exemplary of what can be achieved and in this case it uses quad EST drivers you would think there would be an abundance of added sparkle and Twinkle's but in reality they're there just to give you the super upper high frequency special sauce that can only be found in top of the line tunings.
the stage well it's just perfect for me it's one of those kinds of presentations where you get a great depth you get a great sense of height you get left or right information when it feels it should give you that information otherwise it keeps you focused center stage it's brilliantly done.
-The vocals it is a chameleon where you at one point get either a little bit laid back warm presentation with the vocal switch off or with the vocal switch on it really gives you a sense of front and center of the stage and you're being spit on by the performers very forward with the switch on in this presentation and is easy to do even while the IEM are in your ears.
-Fat freak offers not just the universal but also custom IEM'S so if you do find fitment an issue you can always go to the custom route except what do you do with your very expensive purchase that you've already bought? It would be nice here if Fat Frequency would take your I M back for a small restocking fee and let you upgrade to the custom.
The Not So great Stuff
-The vocals again here you're either presented with the laid back warmer signature or the very forward signature there is kind of no happy medium with or without the switch on with the Grand Maestro in my listening impressions so at any one time you are getting a colored reproduction of the vocals not a true monitor like style if that is your preference you will not find that in the Grand Maestro.
-In order to get the four possible tunings at this present time you need to buy a second set of the Noah modules the blue sets which is available but at an added purchase cost of over 100 US dollars they should come included especially at the price you're buying as I am for.
-The vocal switch is positioned in such a way that you can easily select it to turn it on or off, but you also can easily hit the switch when you're inserting or removing. Not that that is too much of a big deal you can immediately notice a difference with one on or one off and it sounds like channel imbalance; but in fact you've just got one of the switches on and one switch off.
The IEMS themselves are probably the largest I've ever seen they are big bois and are definitely not going to fit everyone. The saving grace here is that the nozzles are quite long and also this is a detriment as well for Fitment for some. I had to really select a proper tip in order to get a proper fitment and be comfortable but at any one time I could only get about 2 hour listening sessions before it became too uncomfortable for me.
A future change and feedback to Fat Frequency would be to maybe find a different place for that switch maybe on the top where it wouldn't be as easy to hit it's also been observed for some people that that switch hits the inner part of your ear making it also a bit uncomfortable for some people.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: iFi ZEN-CAN and iFi ZEN-DAC2 , LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Grand Maestro were the Whizzer Easytips SS20
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: BLUE NOAH FILTER , VOCAL SWITCH OFF
#1 "Snowman" by SIA
- On this track I found vocals just a real standout not only is the vocals just amazing but the bass is so satisfying to compliment the singing it gives a real nice thump very analog sounding just wonderful
#2 "Lux AEterna" by Metalica
- The base fast and weighty though I wish it did have some more mid base hit it is still a very satisfying replay and would do well with this kind of library as well.
#3 "Nils Cline" by Phil Colins
- Just so immersive and addictive it's a very busy track that has many elements and the Grand Maestro separated all of them and gave each part equal love it was so well done.
#4 "The Cave" by Marcus Mumform
- So much energy and liveliness it made this track a real standout the male vocals were bang on very nice very
#5 "Come As You Are " by Nirvana
- Here I found the quad EST implementation added just a hint of top end and special sparkle when mid-bass kicks in it's very musical it's a great mix.
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
- OK this track Joe describes it as a musician actually a guitarist trying to control a wild beast and I will say in this multilayer track that the Grand Maestro did perfect layering and stage the guitar the ascending a major just WOW electric guitar was very electric.
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
- I put this track in here as well I had the same problem I did listening to any IEM like the PENON 10th anniversary where they're just so incredibly musical that you actually have a very hard time reviewing what you're listening to. Because you get completely lost in the music and it's just such a wonderful feeling and you have to chuckle a little bit because you have to keep going back and listening to the same song over and over again in order to write down your impressions it's pretty fun yet annoying at the same time.
#8 "Live & Let Die" by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- All the sections and the pieces get the space they need to breathe from the strings to the drums all unquestionably bang on tonality wise very exciting and the Grand Maestro made it sound lively and a great sense of stage and presence with excellent macro and micro details.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low Yet the Grand Maestro actually had me wishing for a little bit more sub base that's funny to actually hear from a company and a line of IEM that are known to be bass monsters. Yet this shows the incredibly masterful skill of the tuning where you can still get a lot of base and yet have all the vocal and the high frequency energies done in a way that makes it a very enjoyable
#10 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
- One thing the Grand Maestro does so very, very well is the ability to give you a realistic sense of the venue you can tell if you're in a big place a little place a big concert a massive concert an outdoor concert or an intimate studio.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
- Another standout track where the EST are done in such a fantastic way again you got the very musical bottom and notes and then a perfect coherence of all the drivers and you get these added Sparkle's on the top end that it's impossible for you not to put a huge grin on your face as you're listening to this track.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- The grand does very much reproduce cello the way cello was meant to be reproduced very realistic and it made my hair stand up on end that's how well done it gave me the sense of being right there listening to it live.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- You want to listen to the Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Or Yellow anything EDM the Grand Maestro will eat up for breakfast and spit out some spine chilling slam and no hint of sibilance or harshness to be found you can go crazy loud with this I am just be careful please people.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK let me first start off saying that prior to putting the Grand Maestro's in my ears this is the first exposure I have had to this brand. Previously I have heard and seen much talk about how the Fat Frequency IEM are not only Bass monsters but also have a quite a bit of balance where it doesn't wash out the vocals or the high frequencies quite a marvel if you're talking about a + 20 DB gain hyper control bass boost on the Maestro SE and only a +7DB pina gain, that's quite a impressive feat.
Now going into this review and getting the Grand Maestro from a friend on loan, I was thinking it was also going to be a bass monster but quite on the contrary in the end I found and was still wishing for more bass than the Grand Maestro could throw out.
I was actually…. I'd hate to say it but a bit disappointed
That is of course until I've spent more time with the Grand Maestro, where I kind of got a better understanding of where they were going with the tuning. The GM is mixture of a very vocal forward VOX and a warm balanced IEM as well as taking a shot at making a monitor like neutral sound signature for the series.
It's very hard to actually describe the entire journey between the swapping out of the modules for the air pressure that changes the bass and of course the rest of the frequencies moving up is also affected as we climb up the frequency scale.
Let's just start off with the BLACK NOAH module vocal switch OFF, here where it has the most amount of sub bass boost it's in its most V shaped form and probably the closest to the maestro SE that being said they are not the same I don't believe from the impressions I've got from the friend who owns this IEM and having had both at the same time. This was my second favorite overall preferred tuning I found the vocals a bit overpowered by the base and had me wishing for a little bit more clarity on that end.
Now BLACK NOAH module with the vocal boost ON I will first say that I don't particularly enjoy the boosted vocals with the switch on with this position. Which is funny because I do have a great preference for vocal forwardness like in the PENON FAN2 where I really enjoy how forward the vocals are in the mix.
I didn't quite enjoy so much it here though but I must say it is a really awesome implementation to what it can do and how it changes the overall entire presentation.
For some I know that they will be their preference but for me I preferred having the vocal switch off and for the sound impressions that I did those were all done with the vocal switch off and with the blue Noah filter in place.
Next up is the BLUE NOAH filter with the vocal switch ON now with this one this one is the most monitor like neutral configuration at the Grand Maestro can do and it definitely was not my favorite at all as I prefer a more substantial bottom end And I found this one was a little too muted for my taste.
Now BLUE NOAH with vocal switch OFF in this configuration I found the Grand Maestro to be a warm organic lush slightly vocal recessed presentation.
This was definitely my favorite version of the Grand Maestro I just loved what it did to vocals it was very musical and it was very easy to get lost in the music with this kind of presentation I didn't really like the upper mid gain with the vocal switch and at first when I listened to this with it off I thought maybe it was a bit recessed and it probably is in the mix if you listen to a different IEM that is more neutral you can tell but it's just so smooth and totally correct that you forgive it any shortcomings and you just kick back and enjoy the music.
Now with this configuration I found that I heard more of a mix with the instrumental kick drums came in more into play had more note weight Just love the base again it's just so tastefully done it's not overpowering anything and you get the EST's adding the sparkle on the top end all the instrumental sounded great and I really enjoyed the stage as well though with the switch on the stage goes from fun listen to hyper craziness that might be a little bit mind blowing.
Finally I must say that I wish I was the owner of this IEM. Though I would probably have done it in a custom version, as it is truly wonderful. The Grand Maestro it's a standout in a sea of similarly tuned offerings.
The interesting part about kilobuck IEMS is that manufacturers are willing to take a little bit more of a risks to try something different and that doesn't always work in this case it certainly does and I can see why not only Fat Frequency has a huge following but a bright future as well.
lots of people say that there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to gear that tries to reproduce music but in this case I think the Fat Frequency IEM really breaks the mold. I think this is one I am that is a standout.
There are many more choices that are much more expensive than the Grand Maestro, but for what this does it is unique and stands on its own. The GM is worth every penny you will spend on it because you will just enjoy just listening to the music the way you want, tailored to your personal tastes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
"There is tunable IEM's on the market aplenty - but don’t sound like this creation from Fat Frequency"
Shoutout to a Friend for the generous loan of this wonderful IEM, And I am thankful to have had the pleasure of being able to enjoy this grand creation.
INTRODUCTION:
FATfreq
Handcrafted in Singapore
Founded in 2016 by engineers Aaron and Ben, FATfreq began as a service provider for IEM repair and modifications. With technical experience in the circuitry, acoustics, and driver configurations of over 20 IEM brands, FATfreq quickly became the go-to place for IEM rescue and restoration works.
Now Singapore's leading IEM company, FATfreq creates world-class IEMs and innovative systems for every musician - all at an affordable price point. Every piece is carefully built and tuned by hand, adhering to rigorous quality checks for our Pro-audio industry.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/about-us>
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
GRAND MAESTRO $3599 USD for Universal or $3999 for Custom
FATfreq Flagship 2023
Tribrid Technology
Quad EST Drivers
4 Configurable Bass Tunings*
Pressure Relief Module
• Comes with Black NOAH Modual - You need to purchase the Blue NOAH moduals to get the 4 tunable Tunings.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/grand-maestro>
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/fatfreq/products/fatfreq-grand-maestro
Musicteck even offers Financing!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: iFi ZEN-CAN and iFi ZEN-DAC2 , LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Grand Maestro were the Whizzer Easytips SS20
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: BLUE NOAH FILTER , VOCAL SWITCH OFF
#1 "Snowman" by SIA
- On this track I found vocals just a real standout not only is the vocals just amazing but the bass is so satisfying to compliment the singing it gives a real nice thump very analog sounding just wonderful
#2 "Lux AEterna" by Metalica
- The base fast and weighty though I wish it did have some more mid base hit it is still a very satisfying replay and would do well with this kind of library as well.
#3 "Nils Cline" by Phil Colins
- Just so immersive and addictive it's a very busy track that has many elements and the Grand Maestro separated all of them and gave each part equal love it was so well done.
#4 "The Cave" by Marcus Mumform
- So much energy and liveliness it made this track a real standout the male vocals were bang on very nice very
#5 "Come As You Are " by Nirvana
- Here I found the quad EST implementation added just a hint of top end and special sparkle when mid-bass kicks in it's very musical it's a great mix.
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
- OK this track Joe describes it as a musician actually a guitarist trying to control a wild beast and I will say in this multilayer track that the Grand Maestro did perfect layering and stage the guitar the ascending a major just WOW electric guitar was very electric.
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
- I put this track in here as well I had the same problem I did listening to any IEM like the PENON 10th anniversary where they're just so incredibly musical that you actually have a very hard time reviewing what you're listening to. Because you get completely lost in the music and it's just such a wonderful feeling and you have to chuckle a little bit because you have to keep going back and listening to the same song over and over again in order to write down your impressions it's pretty fun yet annoying at the same time.
#8 "Live & Let Die" by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- All the sections and the pieces get the space they need to breathe from the strings to the drums all unquestionably bang on tonality wise very exciting and the Grand Maestro made it sound lively and a great sense of stage and presence with excellent macro and micro details.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low Yet the Grand Maestro actually had me wishing for a little bit more sub base that's funny to actually hear from a company and a line of IEM that are known to be bass monsters. Yet this shows the incredibly masterful skill of the tuning where you can still get a lot of base and yet have all the vocal and the high frequency energies done in a way that makes it a very enjoyable
#10 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
- One thing the Grand Maestro does so very, very well is the ability to give you a realistic sense of the venue you can tell if you're in a big place a little place a big concert a massive concert an outdoor concert or an intimate studio.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
- Another standout track where the EST are done in such a fantastic way again you got the very musical bottom and notes and then a perfect coherence of all the drivers and you get these added Sparkle's on the top end that it's impossible for you not to put a huge grin on your face as you're listening to this track.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- The grand does very much reproduce cello the way cello was meant to be reproduced very realistic and it made my hair stand up on end that's how well done it gave me the sense of being right there listening to it live.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- You want to listen to the Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Or Yellow anything EDM the Grand Maestro will eat up for breakfast and spit out some spine chilling slam and no hint of sibilance or harshness to be found you can go crazy loud with this I am just be careful please people.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK let me first start off saying that prior to putting the Grand Maestro's in my ears this is the first exposure I have had to this brand. Previously I have heard and seen much talk about how the Fat Frequency IEM are not only Bass monsters but also have a quite a bit of balance where it doesn't wash out the vocals or the high frequencies quite a marvel if you're talking about a + 20 DB gain hyper control bass boost on the Maestro SE and only a +7DB pina gain, that's quite a impressive feat.
Now going into this review and getting the Grand Maestro from a friend on loan, I was thinking it was also going to be a bass monster but quite on the contrary in the end I found and was still wishing for more bass than the Grand Maestro could throw out.
I was actually…. I'd hate to say it but a bit disappointed
That is of course until I've spent more time with the Grand Maestro, where I kind of got a better understanding of where they were going with the tuning. The GM is mixture of a very vocal forward VOX and a warm balanced IEM as well as taking a shot at making a monitor like neutral sound signature for the series.
It's very hard to actually describe the entire journey between the swapping out of the modules for the air pressure that changes the bass and of course the rest of the frequencies moving up is also affected as we climb up the frequency scale.
Let's just start off with the BLACK NOAH module vocal switch OFF, here where it has the most amount of sub bass boost it's in its most V shaped form and probably the closest to the maestro SE that being said they are not the same I don't believe from the impressions I've got from the friend who owns this IEM and having had both at the same time. This was my second favorite overall preferred tuning I found the vocals a bit overpowered by the base and had me wishing for a little bit more clarity on that end.
Now BLACK NOAH module with the vocal boost ON I will first say that I don't particularly enjoy the boosted vocals with the switch on with this position. Which is funny because I do have a great preference for vocal forwardness like in the PENON FAN2 where I really enjoy how forward the vocals are in the mix.
I didn't quite enjoy so much it here though but I must say it is a really awesome implementation to what it can do and how it changes the overall entire presentation.
For some I know that they will be their preference but for me I preferred having the vocal switch off and for the sound impressions that I did those were all done with the vocal switch off and with the blue NOAH filter in place.
Next up is the BLUE NOAH filter with the vocal switch ON now with this one this one is the most monitor like neutral configuration at the Grand Maestro can do and it definitely was not my favorite at all as I prefer a more substantial bottom end And I found this one was a little too muted for my taste.
Now BLUE NOAH with vocal switch OFF in this configuration I found the Grand Maestro to be a warm organic lush slightly vocal recessed presentation.
This was definitely my favorite version of the Grand Maestro I just loved what it did to vocals it was very musical and it was very easy to get lost in the music with this kind of presentation I didn't really like the upper mid gain with the vocal switch and at first when I listened to this with it off I thought maybe it was a bit recessed and it probably is in the mix if you listen to a different IEM that is more neutral you can tell but it's just so smooth and totally correct that you forgive it any shortcomings and you just kick back and enjoy the music.
Now with this configuration.
I found that I heard more of a mix with the instrumental kick drums came in more into play had more note weight Just love the base again it's just so tastefully done it's not overpowering anything and you get the EST's adding the sparkle on the top end all the instrumental sounded great and I really enjoyed the stage as well though with the switch on the stage goes from fun listen to hyper craziness that might be a little bit mind blowing.
Finally I must say that I wish I was the owner of this IEM. Though I would probably have done it in a custom version, as it is truly wonderful. The Grand Maestro it's a standout in a sea of similarly tuned offerings.
The interesting part about kilobuck IEMS is that manufacturers are willing to take a little bit more of a risks to try something different and that doesn't always work in this case it certainly does and I can see why not only Fat Frequency has a huge following but a bright future as well.
lots of people say that there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to gear that tries to reproduce music but in this case I think the Fat Frequency IEM really breaks the mold. I think this is one is a standout.
There are many more choices that are much more expensive than the Grand Maestro, but for what this does it is unique and stands on its own. The GM is worth every penny you will spend on it because you will just enjoy just listening to the music the way you want, tailored to your personal tastes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
FATfreq
Handcrafted in Singapore
Founded in 2016 by engineers Aaron and Ben, FATfreq began as a service provider for IEM repair and modifications. With technical experience in the circuitry, acoustics, and driver configurations of over 20 IEM brands, FATfreq quickly became the go-to place for IEM rescue and restoration works.
Now Singapore's leading IEM company, FATfreq creates world-class IEMs and innovative systems for every musician - all at an affordable price point. Every piece is carefully built and tuned by hand, adhering to rigorous quality checks for our Pro-audio industry.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/about-us>
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
GRAND MAESTRO $3599 USD for Universal or $3999 for Custom
FATfreq Flagship 2023
Tribrid Technology
Quad EST Drivers
4 Configurable Bass Tunings*
Pressure Relief Module
• Comes with Black NOAH Modual - You need to purchase the Blue NOAH moduals to get the 4 tunable Tunings.
From <https://www.fatfreq.com/grand-maestro>
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://shop.musicteck.com/collections/fatfreq/products/fatfreq-grand-maestro
Musicteck even offers Financing!
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
-With the use of the NOAH modules you can completely change the tuning of the grand maestro whether you want more base less space more trouble more vocal it has the ability to do any of these tunings with a very easy swap out of the balanced air pressure modules.
-With all of the four possible tunings from the NOAH modules at any one time is the bass never overwhelming any of the rest of the frequencies it's quite spectacular
-The bass is so tastefully done it has texture it has warmth it has organic quality that is lush and musical
-The treble is also another standout of the Grand Maestro where it is ever present but never overwhelming harsh or sibilant
-Now the EST implementation is exemplary of what can be achieved and in this case it uses quad EST drivers you would think there would be an abundance of added sparkle and Twinkle's but in reality they're there just to give you the super upper high frequency special sauce that can only be found in top of the line tunings.
the stage well it's just perfect for me it's one of those kinds of presentations where you get a great depth you get a great sense of height you get left or right information when it feels it should give you that information otherwise it keeps you focused center stage it's brilliantly done.
-The vocals it is a chameleon where you at one point get either a little bit laid back warm presentation with the vocal switch off or with the vocal switch on it really gives you a sense of front and center of the stage and you're being spit on by the performers very forward with the switch on in this presentation and is easy to do even while the IEM are in your ears.
-Fat freak offers not just the universal but also custom IEM'S so if you do find fitment an issue you can always go to the custom route except what do you do with your very expensive purchase that you've already bought? It would be nice here if Fat Frequency would take your I M back for a small restocking fee and let you upgrade to the custom.
The Not So great Stuff
-The vocals again here you're either presented with the laid back warmer signature or the very forward signature there is kind of no happy medium with or without the switch on with the Grand Maestro in my listening impressions so at any one time you are getting a colored reproduction of the vocals not a true monitor like style if that is your preference you will not find that in the Grand Maestro.
-In order to get the four possible tunings at this present time you need to buy a second set of the Noah modules the blue sets which is available but at an added purchase cost of over 100 US dollars they should come included especially at the price you're buying as I am for.
-The vocal switch is positioned in such a way that you can easily select it to turn it on or off, but you also can easily hit the switch when you're inserting or removing. Not that that is too much of a big deal you can immediately notice a difference with one on or one off and it sounds like channel imbalance; but in fact you've just got one of the switches on and one switch off.
The IEMS themselves are probably the largest I've ever seen they are big bois and are definitely not going to fit everyone. The saving grace here is that the nozzles are quite long and also this is a detriment as well for Fitment for some. I had to really select a proper tip in order to get a proper fitment and be comfortable but at any one time I could only get about 2 hour listening sessions before it became too uncomfortable for me.
A future change and feedback to Fat Frequency would be to maybe find a different place for that switch maybe on the top where it wouldn't be as easy to hit it's also been observed for some people that that switch hits the inner part of your ear making it also a bit uncomfortable for some people.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: iFi ZEN-CAN and iFi ZEN-DAC2 , LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Grand Maestro were the Whizzer Easytips SS20
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin: BLUE NOAH FILTER , VOCAL SWITCH OFF
#1 "Snowman" by SIA
- On this track I found vocals just a real standout not only is the vocals just amazing but the bass is so satisfying to compliment the singing it gives a real nice thump very analog sounding just wonderful
#2 "Lux AEterna" by Metalica
- The base fast and weighty though I wish it did have some more mid base hit it is still a very satisfying replay and would do well with this kind of library as well.
#3 "Nils Cline" by Phil Colins
- Just so immersive and addictive it's a very busy track that has many elements and the Grand Maestro separated all of them and gave each part equal love it was so well done.
#4 "The Cave" by Marcus Mumform
- So much energy and liveliness it made this track a real standout the male vocals were bang on very nice very
#5 "Come As You Are " by Nirvana
- Here I found the quad EST implementation added just a hint of top end and special sparkle when mid-bass kicks in it's very musical it's a great mix.
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
- OK this track Joe describes it as a musician actually a guitarist trying to control a wild beast and I will say in this multilayer track that the Grand Maestro did perfect layering and stage the guitar the ascending a major just WOW electric guitar was very electric.
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
- I put this track in here as well I had the same problem I did listening to any IEM like the PENON 10th anniversary where they're just so incredibly musical that you actually have a very hard time reviewing what you're listening to. Because you get completely lost in the music and it's just such a wonderful feeling and you have to chuckle a little bit because you have to keep going back and listening to the same song over and over again in order to write down your impressions it's pretty fun yet annoying at the same time.
#8 "Live & Let Die" by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- All the sections and the pieces get the space they need to breathe from the strings to the drums all unquestionably bang on tonality wise very exciting and the Grand Maestro made it sound lively and a great sense of stage and presence with excellent macro and micro details.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low Yet the Grand Maestro actually had me wishing for a little bit more sub base that's funny to actually hear from a company and a line of IEM that are known to be bass monsters. Yet this shows the incredibly masterful skill of the tuning where you can still get a lot of base and yet have all the vocal and the high frequency energies done in a way that makes it a very enjoyable
#10 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
- One thing the Grand Maestro does so very, very well is the ability to give you a realistic sense of the venue you can tell if you're in a big place a little place a big concert a massive concert an outdoor concert or an intimate studio.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
- Another standout track where the EST are done in such a fantastic way again you got the very musical bottom and notes and then a perfect coherence of all the drivers and you get these added Sparkle's on the top end that it's impossible for you not to put a huge grin on your face as you're listening to this track.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- The grand does very much reproduce cello the way cello was meant to be reproduced very realistic and it made my hair stand up on end that's how well done it gave me the sense of being right there listening to it live.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- You want to listen to the Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Or Yellow anything EDM the Grand Maestro will eat up for breakfast and spit out some spine chilling slam and no hint of sibilance or harshness to be found you can go crazy loud with this I am just be careful please people.
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
OK let me first start off saying that prior to putting the Grand Maestro's in my ears this is the first exposure I have had to this brand. Previously I have heard and seen much talk about how the Fat Frequency IEM are not only Bass monsters but also have a quite a bit of balance where it doesn't wash out the vocals or the high frequencies quite a marvel if you're talking about a + 20 DB gain hyper control bass boost on the Maestro SE and only a +7DB pina gain, that's quite a impressive feat.
Now going into this review and getting the Grand Maestro from a friend on loan, I was thinking it was also going to be a bass monster but quite on the contrary in the end I found and was still wishing for more bass than the Grand Maestro could throw out.
I was actually…. I'd hate to say it but a bit disappointed
That is of course until I've spent more time with the Grand Maestro, where I kind of got a better understanding of where they were going with the tuning. The GM is mixture of a very vocal forward VOX and a warm balanced IEM as well as taking a shot at making a monitor like neutral sound signature for the series.
It's very hard to actually describe the entire journey between the swapping out of the modules for the air pressure that changes the bass and of course the rest of the frequencies moving up is also affected as we climb up the frequency scale.
Let's just start off with the BLACK NOAH module vocal switch OFF, here where it has the most amount of sub bass boost it's in its most V shaped form and probably the closest to the maestro SE that being said they are not the same I don't believe from the impressions I've got from the friend who owns this IEM and having had both at the same time. This was my second favorite overall preferred tuning I found the vocals a bit overpowered by the base and had me wishing for a little bit more clarity on that end.
Now BLACK NOAH module with the vocal boost ON I will first say that I don't particularly enjoy the boosted vocals with the switch on with this position. Which is funny because I do have a great preference for vocal forwardness like in the PENON FAN2 where I really enjoy how forward the vocals are in the mix.
I didn't quite enjoy so much it here though but I must say it is a really awesome implementation to what it can do and how it changes the overall entire presentation.
For some I know that they will be their preference but for me I preferred having the vocal switch off and for the sound impressions that I did those were all done with the vocal switch off and with the blue Noah filter in place.
Next up is the BLUE NOAH filter with the vocal switch ON now with this one this one is the most monitor like neutral configuration at the Grand Maestro can do and it definitely was not my favorite at all as I prefer a more substantial bottom end And I found this one was a little too muted for my taste.
Now BLUE NOAH with vocal switch OFF in this configuration I found the Grand Maestro to be a warm organic lush slightly vocal recessed presentation.
This was definitely my favorite version of the Grand Maestro I just loved what it did to vocals it was very musical and it was very easy to get lost in the music with this kind of presentation I didn't really like the upper mid gain with the vocal switch and at first when I listened to this with it off I thought maybe it was a bit recessed and it probably is in the mix if you listen to a different IEM that is more neutral you can tell but it's just so smooth and totally correct that you forgive it any shortcomings and you just kick back and enjoy the music.
Now with this configuration I found that I heard more of a mix with the instrumental kick drums came in more into play had more note weight Just love the base again it's just so tastefully done it's not overpowering anything and you get the EST's adding the sparkle on the top end all the instrumental sounded great and I really enjoyed the stage as well though with the switch on the stage goes from fun listen to hyper craziness that might be a little bit mind blowing.
Finally I must say that I wish I was the owner of this IEM. Though I would probably have done it in a custom version, as it is truly wonderful. The Grand Maestro it's a standout in a sea of similarly tuned offerings.
The interesting part about kilobuck IEMS is that manufacturers are willing to take a little bit more of a risks to try something different and that doesn't always work in this case it certainly does and I can see why not only Fat Frequency has a huge following but a bright future as well.
lots of people say that there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to gear that tries to reproduce music but in this case I think the Fat Frequency IEM really breaks the mold. I think this is one I am that is a standout.
There are many more choices that are much more expensive than the Grand Maestro, but for what this does it is unique and stands on its own. The GM is worth every penny you will spend on it because you will just enjoy just listening to the music the way you want, tailored to your personal tastes.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
Attachments
"PENON HOUSE VOCALS IN A THE MOST COHESIVE BALANCED IEM PENON HAS MADE TO DATE, A W SHAPE SOUND SIGNATURE THAT SUCKS YOU INTO THE MUSIC"
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
2+2+2 CONFIG
Double Dynamic Driver Consisting of:
2x 6mm Crystalline plated Biological Diaphragm for the lower frequencies comes out 1 dedicated sound tube
1x SONION Balanced Armature for the mid frequencies
1x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the highs BA's Share the second sound tube.
2x SONION EST Drivers for Ultra Highs - Shares third sound tube.
Shell is a Fully Transparent Electric Blue shell with the top made by hand that seems to be similar to each other but unique to each IEM! - Funny the colors are TDM Ying/Yang colors I don’t think so!
The 10th uses 3 sound tubes to carry the sound to the full resin nozzle
A 4 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected driver.
Sensitivity is rated as 110 db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 9 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable. PENON CABLE CS819 (Copper , Silver Plated 8 Cores 19 Shares p/core)
https://penonaudio.com/penon-cs819.html
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/penon-audio-10th-anniversary-iem.html
Purchased from Penon Directly w 10th Anniversary Promotion Free Gift Mine was a ($219 NF Audio NF2U). Bonus Blue case and 10th Anniversary case shipped separately because I was a early adopter.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
What I Though Needed Improvement: (Subjective)
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRANSPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the 10th were the JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOTS Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
Best Cable pairing with my stock was the HAKUGEI JOYFULL VOICE , GOLD/SPC/COPPER Mix.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey to the 10th.
When I saw the announcement of PENON's 10th Anniversary IEM I have a epiphany moment. A light bulb went off and I knew what I had to do to afford this IEM.
Taking a step back in time when I originally purchased a set of EJ07M Kinda Lave Edition I was excited, I heard wonderful things about its presentation and knew the EJ's had a bit of a cult following. My disappointment started when I found out the actual tuning was not as advertised. LETSHOUER was wonderful to deal with but I also spent a additional $160 on sending the units back and getting a retune with a resin shell for a better fit as well. I picked or tried to choose a Blue Resin shell from the selection but ultimately didn't come out the way I was thinking it would. ( 10th Electric Blue Color was my target ). Now for the sound even adding a 3db sub boost still didn’t get me to my happy place.
The overall tuning of the EJ07M are worthy of the praise it’s a wonderful IEM! Head Stage , Instrument placement , EST Implementation all excellent.
Why am I telling you this it’s a PENON 10th review! Because on my journey as you get to listen to more IEM and have a greater sense of your personal tastes and what you pick up on a daily bases. The EJ's for me as excellent and standout IEM in their own right got shelved and I stopped listening to them. Why because they pushed the technical details beyond my personal comfort zone, and instead of just listening to the music I found I was listening to the IEM.
Full circle, I have a set of unused $700+ IEM. So now here is where I interject my epiphany moment. I decided to let my set go to a new home and sell them to afford the 10th.
The color by the grace of good Karma for the 10th was exactly what I was shooting for, The use of my favorite SONION BA for Mids was also in the mix and since I just reviewed and fell in love with the FAN2 and now the 10th's Dual 6mm DD, I knew this IEM was meant for me. The faceplate happens to also be my logo colors - coincidence I THINK NOT!
BEST DECISION EVER!
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin:
#1 "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by REM
#2 "Scared" by The Tragically Hip
#3 "Don’t Care Anymore" by Phil Colins
#4 "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
Not the largest stage I have heard but what was standout was the 10th's ability to have Macro and Micro Dynamics ( The ability to add excitement and detail to a song presentation, through mixing or mastering a tack or live replay recording where the quiet passages and the loud ones are done in a way to emphasize the difference of volume to add effect between passages or overall song)
The 10th does this in spades and then some. With iFi's XSPACE its surreal!
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
The dual 6mm Dynamic Drivers in full effect here with their mind numbing speed JUST WOW!
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
The Mixing of this multi layered track gives you a good sense of a IEM's ability to present stage depth and Micro Dynamics again.
The replay was excellent great layering of instruments, guitar sounded bang on. Well done PENON
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
I had a good laugh on this one, I had to listen to it 5 times before I got my thoughts down on paper because it was so enjoyable to listen to I kept zoning out and was just listening to the music. Finally under duress to keep my focus that I came to the conclusion this a most excellent IEM for getting lost in the music. END OF REVIEW.
Oh and yes Stings voice was done in a justifying supercilious manner!
#8 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
#10 "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits
#11 "Give" by Nils Lofgren
#12 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
The stage is massive clearly impresses with the 10th's ability to convey a real sense of the live recording and the size of the venue, quite excellent.
#13 "Nie Pokonasz Milosci (Remastered)" by Hania Rani
The microphones on the inside of the piano and on the keys is clearly present and the effects are outstanding. Probably the most musical replay I have ever heard this track being played. So beautiful.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
In this track I heard the most perfect implementation of balance between low bass and EST Driver perfection. There is perfect cohesiveness showcased between all the drivers with lost of bass and twinkleies so, so smoothly.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
#17 “POWER” by Ellie Goulding
#18 “Cover me in Sunshine” by Pink
#19 “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
#20 “ Way Down Deep “ by Jennifer Warnes
#21 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental) I loved the playback on this track amazing vocals and instruments in a fun lively manor.
OK that was jus some tracks that blew my mind.
NO COUNTRY MUSIC WAS OR WILL EVER BY PLAYED BY ME EVER. I heard from another forum member that he thought the 10th was not so good for the Gene of Country or Reggae Music. So I can neither confirm nor deny this. But Hollie Cook slammed?
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Firstly let me state that the PENON 10TH is a collage of the best traits from all of their IEM's I have heard.
When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!
My favorite set for chillaxing is the XENNS MANGIRD UP, Here with its use of SONION BA and EST Drivers makes me love this combo. That bieng said sometimes one of my things on my wish list for this set was a bit more of the special sauce and happy to report the 10th delivers with a perfect mix of more EST sparkle and highs that sometimes I find lacking in the UP's. Also probably what makes that set such a chill set technical yet fun. The 10th just takes it to the next level for a lot less $$$
Lets talk about those dual 6mm Drivers. So I had a taste of them in the FAN2 and fell in love with the naturalness and speedy slam they output.
So in the 10th take that to the next level add a bunch more low frequency extension but keep the speed and slam possible? Yup mission accomplished!
On first listen there was some bass bleed into the mids buy after about 100 hours of burn in things really mellowed out bass dropped lower and 95% of the bass bleed was gone not perfect but great.
The 10th defiantly has the PENON House Signature Sound with its Lush natural sounding tonally correct mids. The use of the Knowles BA for the highs was the better choice of driver over its SONION brother as I find the way the Knowles BA reproduces highs a sharper more correct way of doing it. I find IEM's that have the SONION BA for highs a bit too dull. I was actually worried about that in the original specs as it was listed as SONION BA for the highs and had my concerns if the energy could keep up with the dual 6's. The specs have since been corrected and all is right with the world again.
As a comparison: I found the Globes too dark for my tastes, The serial not speedy enough in the Bass, The ISN H50 vocals too recessed.
The EJ07M too distracting, The XENNS UP almost perfect and the 10th PERFECT Mix of all of these rolled into my wish list.
Highs are also a real killer on this tuning of this set, not only do they have great energy, but just enough energy in all the right places to add details, correct instrument tonality quite perfect actually. Now the kicker no sibilance or harshness even for treble sensitive people like me that dip at 7-8k really helps this out and since the pina gain is at 4k and drops at 5k I find the tuning a masterful piece of git!
I have to mention the most excellent implementation of those SONION EST - These kind of drivers done correctly are just supposed to enhance the High frequencies.
With the dual EST not 4 thankfully as was the case for my GS Audio SE12 ( Overdone EST ) I observed through my 2 ears that the EST tuning used on the 10th were done in a excellent application and adds to the overall tuning to enhance the fantastic BA highs and not compete with them. BRAVO PENON.
WRAP IT UP MONK TIME:
The decision to sell my EJ's was the best decision ever as I get to own this extraordinary set. With all the things I loved about my favorite sets I own and have heard rolled into one but without any of the things I wished those sets had more of.
With the same kind of faster slam and weight of the XENNS UP for Lower bass and the speedy power of the FAN2 bass the 10th hit a excellent balance.
Add to this the incredible clean vocals of the Ej's but done in the PENON House signature way hard not to love the way all my favorite singers sounded.
From Male vocals from Sting& Shaggy, Lou Reed, Phil Colins, Billy Joel, Lars, Manskin and John Legend to all my favorite female singers - Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Halsey, Pink, Sia, Allanis Morrisette, Ella Fitzgerald and Melisa Ethridge; they all sounded correct and natural.
Lastly I will talk about stage, I have gushed on about this anniversary IEM enough to sound like a paid infomercial! ( I paid full price for this set )
Stage is not the most 3D and not the most engaging I have heard. That was one of the problems with the EJ's too much all over the place. The 10th keeps you in focus with whatever is playing front and center not to distract you from the great vocals or musical piece your listening to, but enough to make the dynamics stand out and keep you on point. I personally find this kind of tuning my favorite and makes for a very fun playback.
The PENON 10th has taken all of your favorite sets including ISN H50 and PENON Sets rolled them into one IEM and did it in a way to make you NEED IT in your stable. If you thought you would pass this one up, you were wrong.
The PENON 10th Anniversary IEM is a AUDIO VAMPIRE - keeps sucking you in for more and gets you lost in the music while simultaneously pumping you full of endorphins. How's that for a endorsement and comes honestly from my ears and my heart!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
2+2+2 CONFIG
Double Dynamic Driver Consisting of:
2x 6mm Crystalline plated Biological Diaphragm for the lower frequencies comes out 1 dedicated sound tube
1x SONION Balanced Armature for the mid frequencies
1x KNOWLES Balanced Armature for the highs BA's Share the second sound tube.
2x SONION EST Drivers for Ultra Highs - Shares third sound tube.
Shell is a Fully Transparent Electric Blue shell with the top made by hand that seems to be similar to each other but unique to each IEM! - Funny the colors are TDM Ying/Yang colors I don’t think so!
The 10th uses 3 sound tubes to carry the sound to the full resin nozzle
A 4 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected driver.
Sensitivity is rated as 110 db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 9 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable. PENON CABLE CS819 (Copper , Silver Plated 8 Cores 19 Shares p/core)
https://penonaudio.com/penon-cs819.html
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/penon-audio-10th-anniversary-iem.html
Purchased from Penon Directly w 10th Anniversary Promotion Free Gift Mine was a ($219 NF Audio NF2U). Bonus Blue case and 10th Anniversary case shipped separately because I was a early adopter.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
What I Liked:
- Included Accessories are top notch , case , cable, tips, cleaning brush all with minimal packaging well done PENON
- 0.78 2 Pin termination for easy cable swapping embedded directly into the resin shell
- Sibilant free highs great for treble sensitive people with lots of extension for details and air.
- Musical balanced W shape sound signature
- PENON Unmistakeable House Signature VOCALS
- Fantastic bottom end that goes low and hits hard while blending into the mix with minimum bass bleed into vocals (Cable Dependant) for a more fun IEM vs a neutral tuned
- Vocals in both Male & Female are silky smooth in a organic and lush musical way ( Copied and pasted from every PENON Review LOL )
- Micro and Macro details are a real standout on the 10th
- Hits 80% of the bass quality and quantity of the FiR Audio Xe6 $4000 Kilo buck IEM ( HUGE POINT HERE! ) That’s amazing the Xe6 Is a Amazing Set and thanks to a Amazing Friend who load me their fun toys to listen to and enjoy.
- One of the Best Implementations of SONION EST drivers I have ever heard.
What I Though Needed Improvement: (Subjective)
- Micro Nuances could be better- not a huge knock as I use that comparison to a 64 Audio U12t another standout top in its class IEM
- Stage Depth is good but just average
- Female vocals on a Pure Copper Cable a tad, a smidge to thick needs a Mixed cable- LIKE THE ONE INCLUDED! Even then I found the 10th to have a ever so slight bass bleed into Vocals on certain bass heavy tracks.
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass slam, love it all actually; and in balanced quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRANSPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, Hiby R6iii ( ES9038Q2M ), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the 10th were the JVC FX10 SPIRAL DOTS Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
Best Cable pairing with my stock was the HAKUGEI JOYFULL VOICE , GOLD/SPC/COPPER Mix.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
Before I begin with some sound impressions, I would like to share a bit of my journey to the 10th.
When I saw the announcement of PENON's 10th Anniversary IEM I have a epiphany moment. A light bulb went off and I knew what I had to do to afford this IEM.
Taking a step back in time when I originally purchased a set of EJ07M Kinda Lave Edition I was excited, I heard wonderful things about its presentation and knew the EJ's had a bit of a cult following. My disappointment started when I found out the actual tuning was not as advertised. LETSHOUER was wonderful to deal with but I also spent a additional $160 on sending the units back and getting a retune with a resin shell for a better fit as well. I picked or tried to choose a Blue Resin shell from the selection but ultimately didn't come out the way I was thinking it would. ( 10th Electric Blue Color was my target ). Now for the sound even adding a 3db sub boost still didn’t get me to my happy place.
The overall tuning of the EJ07M are worthy of the praise it’s a wonderful IEM! Head Stage , Instrument placement , EST Implementation all excellent.
Why am I telling you this it’s a PENON 10th review! Because on my journey as you get to listen to more IEM and have a greater sense of your personal tastes and what you pick up on a daily bases. The EJ's for me as excellent and standout IEM in their own right got shelved and I stopped listening to them. Why because they pushed the technical details beyond my personal comfort zone, and instead of just listening to the music I found I was listening to the IEM.
Full circle, I have a set of unused $700+ IEM. So now here is where I interject my epiphany moment. I decided to let my set go to a new home and sell them to afford the 10th.
The color by the grace of good Karma for the 10th was exactly what I was shooting for, The use of my favorite SONION BA for Mids was also in the mix and since I just reviewed and fell in love with the FAN2 and now the 10th's Dual 6mm DD, I knew this IEM was meant for me. The faceplate happens to also be my logo colors - coincidence I THINK NOT!
BEST DECISION EVER!
SOME STANDOUT TRACK IMPRESSIONS:
Let's Begin:
#1 "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by REM
- Layering of Instruments + vocals showcase the implementation of those SONION EST Drivers, the added some super fun twinkle's and sparkle's on the top end to give this track a really special presentation that was thoroughly enjoyable.
#2 "Scared" by The Tragically Hip
- On this track I heard a ringing like those clapping toy monkey's in a very subtle way, and it added to the most excellent guitar replay. Combine that with Gord Dowies voice and I heard things for the first time in a track that I have played many times over and that I know so well. It was a special moment!
#3 "Don’t Care Anymore" by Phil Colins
- STEREO BASS, and Great Vocals made this track stand out. Multilayered bass and the 10th did it so well. One Bass hit is super snappy and the next goes low with excellent release and decay. Without washing out Phils vocals was truly a marvelous replay.
- NO MONOTONE BASS HERE FOLKS!
#4 "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
Not the largest stage I have heard but what was standout was the 10th's ability to have Macro and Micro Dynamics ( The ability to add excitement and detail to a song presentation, through mixing or mastering a tack or live replay recording where the quiet passages and the loud ones are done in a way to emphasize the difference of volume to add effect between passages or overall song)
The 10th does this in spades and then some. With iFi's XSPACE its surreal!
#5 "Lux AEterna " by Metallica
The dual 6mm Dynamic Drivers in full effect here with their mind numbing speed JUST WOW!
#6 "All My Friends Are Here" by Joe Satriani
The Mixing of this multi layered track gives you a good sense of a IEM's ability to present stage depth and Micro Dynamics again.
The replay was excellent great layering of instruments, guitar sounded bang on. Well done PENON
#7 "Shape Of My Heart" by Sting
I had a good laugh on this one, I had to listen to it 5 times before I got my thoughts down on paper because it was so enjoyable to listen to I kept zoning out and was just listening to the music. Finally under duress to keep my focus that I came to the conclusion this a most excellent IEM for getting lost in the music. END OF REVIEW.
Oh and yes Stings voice was done in a justifying supercilious manner!
#8 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
- This is a Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener. So how did the 10th do? Well its on this list of standout tracks a most excellent replay of instruments makes jazz on the 10th a standout. Perfect Bass! Where I found the Serial to be too much bass and the Fan2 A bit lean in the lower bass the 10th was bang on perfect.
#9 "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack
- Sweet drops , goes low , vocals perfect.
#10 "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits
- Of the charts micro and macro dynamics again. The W shape sound signature does a wonderful job. Not up to 64 Audio levels but very, very good.
#11 "Give" by Nils Lofgren
- The guitar and vocals what a combo of OMG replay and such wicked fun.
#12 "Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (LIVE)" by Dead Can Dance
The stage is massive clearly impresses with the 10th's ability to convey a real sense of the live recording and the size of the venue, quite excellent.
#13 "Nie Pokonasz Milosci (Remastered)" by Hania Rani
The microphones on the inside of the piano and on the keys is clearly present and the effects are outstanding. Probably the most musical replay I have ever heard this track being played. So beautiful.
#14 "Jetlag Corporation (Remastered)" by Aes Dana
In this track I heard the most perfect implementation of balance between low bass and EST Driver perfection. There is perfect cohesiveness showcased between all the drivers with lost of bass and twinkleies so, so smoothly.
#15 "Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto Mvt#1" by Tina Guo
- A real standout track for multi-layers instrument separation.
#16 "Chemical Mentalist" by The Crystal Method
- EDM SLAM No sibilance or harshness present just massive amounts of fun that makes you turn it up loud.
#17 “POWER” by Ellie Goulding
- Lots of bass here without washing out vocals a real test and has very nice bass hits to boot.
#18 “Cover me in Sunshine” by Pink
- On a OFCC cable vocals gets a tad washed out so when switching to a mixed cable or SPC it was standout.
#19 “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
- I love edgy female vocals and PENON's latest came through with most excellent female vocals with just the right amount of edge!
#20 “ Way Down Deep “ by Jennifer Warnes
- I have used this track for countless years as a test track to demo speakers and the 10th didn’t disappoint and came through with flying colors.
#21 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental) I loved the playback on this track amazing vocals and instruments in a fun lively manor.
OK that was jus some tracks that blew my mind.
NO COUNTRY MUSIC WAS OR WILL EVER BY PLAYED BY ME EVER. I heard from another forum member that he thought the 10th was not so good for the Gene of Country or Reggae Music. So I can neither confirm nor deny this. But Hollie Cook slammed?
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Firstly let me state that the PENON 10TH is a collage of the best traits from all of their IEM's I have heard.
When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!
My favorite set for chillaxing is the XENNS MANGIRD UP, Here with its use of SONION BA and EST Drivers makes me love this combo. That bieng said sometimes one of my things on my wish list for this set was a bit more of the special sauce and happy to report the 10th delivers with a perfect mix of more EST sparkle and highs that sometimes I find lacking in the UP's. Also probably what makes that set such a chill set technical yet fun. The 10th just takes it to the next level for a lot less $$$
Lets talk about those dual 6mm Drivers. So I had a taste of them in the FAN2 and fell in love with the naturalness and speedy slam they output.
So in the 10th take that to the next level add a bunch more low frequency extension but keep the speed and slam possible? Yup mission accomplished!
On first listen there was some bass bleed into the mids buy after about 100 hours of burn in things really mellowed out bass dropped lower and 95% of the bass bleed was gone not perfect but great.
The 10th defiantly has the PENON House Signature Sound with its Lush natural sounding tonally correct mids. The use of the Knowles BA for the highs was the better choice of driver over its SONION brother as I find the way the Knowles BA reproduces highs a sharper more correct way of doing it. I find IEM's that have the SONION BA for highs a bit too dull. I was actually worried about that in the original specs as it was listed as SONION BA for the highs and had my concerns if the energy could keep up with the dual 6's. The specs have since been corrected and all is right with the world again.
As a comparison: I found the Globes too dark for my tastes, The serial not speedy enough in the Bass, The ISN H50 vocals too recessed.
The EJ07M too distracting, The XENNS UP almost perfect and the 10th PERFECT Mix of all of these rolled into my wish list.
Highs are also a real killer on this tuning of this set, not only do they have great energy, but just enough energy in all the right places to add details, correct instrument tonality quite perfect actually. Now the kicker no sibilance or harshness even for treble sensitive people like me that dip at 7-8k really helps this out and since the pina gain is at 4k and drops at 5k I find the tuning a masterful piece of git!
I have to mention the most excellent implementation of those SONION EST - These kind of drivers done correctly are just supposed to enhance the High frequencies.
With the dual EST not 4 thankfully as was the case for my GS Audio SE12 ( Overdone EST ) I observed through my 2 ears that the EST tuning used on the 10th were done in a excellent application and adds to the overall tuning to enhance the fantastic BA highs and not compete with them. BRAVO PENON.
WRAP IT UP MONK TIME:
The decision to sell my EJ's was the best decision ever as I get to own this extraordinary set. With all the things I loved about my favorite sets I own and have heard rolled into one but without any of the things I wished those sets had more of.
With the same kind of faster slam and weight of the XENNS UP for Lower bass and the speedy power of the FAN2 bass the 10th hit a excellent balance.
Add to this the incredible clean vocals of the Ej's but done in the PENON House signature way hard not to love the way all my favorite singers sounded.
From Male vocals from Sting& Shaggy, Lou Reed, Phil Colins, Billy Joel, Lars, Manskin and John Legend to all my favorite female singers - Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Halsey, Pink, Sia, Allanis Morrisette, Ella Fitzgerald and Melisa Ethridge; they all sounded correct and natural.
Lastly I will talk about stage, I have gushed on about this anniversary IEM enough to sound like a paid infomercial! ( I paid full price for this set )
Stage is not the most 3D and not the most engaging I have heard. That was one of the problems with the EJ's too much all over the place. The 10th keeps you in focus with whatever is playing front and center not to distract you from the great vocals or musical piece your listening to, but enough to make the dynamics stand out and keep you on point. I personally find this kind of tuning my favorite and makes for a very fun playback.
The PENON 10th has taken all of your favorite sets including ISN H50 and PENON Sets rolled them into one IEM and did it in a way to make you NEED IT in your stable. If you thought you would pass this one up, you were wrong.
The PENON 10th Anniversary IEM is a AUDIO VAMPIRE - keeps sucking you in for more and gets you lost in the music while simultaneously pumping you full of endorphins. How's that for a endorsement and comes honestly from my ears and my heart!
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here: TO BE DONE LATER
My QuBuz Playlist:
Listen to the playlist Test Tracks by tonedeafmonk.audioreviews@gmail.com on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/14733715
My SQUIG:
https://tonedeafmonk.squig.link/
My YouTube Chan:
https://www.youtube.com/@tonedeafmonk
My Discord:
https://discord.gg/hhyg5PKK5X
Attachments
emdeevee
Great write up on these most excellent iems! I agree with your enthusiastic response at 50 hours in!
RumbleWeed
FANTASTIC review and i totally agree with you that Kniwles Teble is better than Sonion treble and when Penon recently updated the specs to say 10th AE was not using Sonion but instead Knowlels for Highs i was over the moon because mine 10th are still on there way!
Once again, Fantastic review a joy to read
Once again, Fantastic review a joy to read
ToneDeafMonk
100+ Hours and I am not surprised how much the 10th has mellowed out. I love it on first listen when you get a big grin on your face and know your money was well spent! Now after some time just appreciate them even more. Female vocals are smoother now and bass goes a tad lower with the same amount of bass bleed gone.
ISN H50 - Wúnderbar Ausgewogen! ( Wonderfully Balanced )
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Unknown Composition )
2x Balanced Armature Mids ( Unknown Origin )
2x Balanced Armature Highs ( Unknown Origin )
3 Way Cross Over
25 Ohms Resistance
108 db Sensitivity
Handmade Resin Shell
MMCX Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
18 Month Warranty.
Unit Supplied by Penon - Thank You!
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods if something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved shilling!
ISH H50 - It Rules!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-h50.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive W shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the H50 were the AZLA Crystal Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
(40 Tracks 3:13:03)
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
I love how the H50 does vocals not forward in the mix. Very pleasing monitor style.
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
"Very good coherence of not only H50 drivers but also between Vocals/Instruments and the bass very balanced"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Bass has excellent snap + decay. Texture in the releases is very very good. Perfect vocal replay"
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"Mid bass perfect on guitar Male vocals great , fast hits love the bass. Great high hats and just the right amount of sizzle"
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
"Instruments very nice tone, Gord's voice is great and very realistic. Love the Vocal/music mix and is accurate to recording mix."
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"A excellent EDM IEM Smooth highs sibilant free great snap in the lows."
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"Uncolored playback with accurate replay. Piano is excellent weight. The 2:30 spot left me with goosebumps!"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"L+C+R very good Excellent micro dynamics, descending A Major sounded correct."
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"So Smooth , maybe a tad too much MB a bit thick on this track, Very fun and musical actually I love the extra bass but still stays mostly balanced."
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
"Love this replay not a big overemphasis sub bass is nice and still fast oh the highs are great vocals a tad recessed?"
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Vocals perfect maybe a bit more than neutral but closer to my preference"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
" The twinkle's at the beginning are magical , excellent sense of stage bass has sweet texture love the Vocal/instrumental mix huge smile!"
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Great Macro Dynamics and the H50 played this track perfectly"
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
" Plucks could be more plucky more sharp here very good balance overall"
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Holly vocals are a bit recessed in this track and should play a bit louder and forward, close but not perfect."
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
" Excellent sense of spaciousness and grandeur. Excellent bass weight very good guitar + texture in the guitar with the decay!"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for )
" You can really hear the multiple mics in this recording and the decay and reverberation, a lot better than most IEM that have scooped MB , sub drops were there but wished for more "
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets OH YES! Perfect bite the nuances in the instruments is excellent and stage is wonderful!"
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Lovely , love how the H50 does instruments very tonally perfect and balanced."
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
" Very Balanced , great range Right to Left drops was good , depth was just ok"
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
" Zero Harshness, Love It"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
" Not the biggest sense of stage , but wicked vocals"
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
" Hits with that fast slam perfectly as this track should play great twinkly bits"
#24 "Team" by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"So wicked lovely"
#25 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
" Very nice snaps + vocals excellent stage + instrument separation."
#26 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
" Bass is so textured , very balanced, smooth."
#27 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
" Amazing Bass + Guitar texture. The Attack & Release pulls are very very good great combo of Vocals & Instruments very unique replay ."
#28 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"One of the most fun presentations so smooth no sibilance and excellent stage."
#29 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
" Amazing bass texture + Hits, banjo so clean/clear/crisp/sharp! Piano sounds clean without getting washed out."
#30 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
" Very good mix of vocals + instrumental."
#31 "Electrified II" by Yello
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
" All the pieces in play and made this a crazy replay."
#32 "Fever" by Malia, Boris Blank
( Kind of a techno version of a classic with great female vocals and nice bass line throughout )
" No mid bass bleed just something special in the bottom."
#33 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" by Hok-man Kim
( A poem with drums just a excellent track to hear how percussions sound and there tonality)
" The secondary resonances of the drums sounds so real the decay is outstanding 60% of a U12t micro details off the charts."
#34 "Song Of the Stars (Remastered)" by Dead Can Dance
(Sub bass line at beginning goes low and the whole track is excellent to test stage and micro dynamics
Constant Left and Right with Center vocals is very trippy)
" OMG again the combo of how vocals replay a bit farther back in the mix , the instruments are brought to life and the stage and emotion is excellent."
#35 "Don’t Make me Wait" By Sting and Shaggy
(Listening to these iconic male vocals and correct tonality"
" Fast slamming drops, male vocals again so nice, note weight is great."
#36 "All of Me" - John Legend
(Male Vocals)
" One of those rare tracks the H50 adds to much note weight"
#37 " I Love You's " Hailee Steinfeld
( Hailee's voice is so smooth , Mid bass hits? )
" Liquid smooth female vocals and the bass here was wicked."
#38 The Circle Of Life ( From Lion King ) - Tina Guo
( A Rock Violinist in this track looking for tonal accuracy with violin and flute )
" Perfectly done the violin + flute were excellent defiantly SIMBA APPROVED!"
#39 "Kiss the Cloud" - Yello & FiFi Rong
(Bass hits mid bass punch? Vocals )
" The fast bass hits and the stage makes this track fun on the H50 well done"
#40 "I Don’t Care Anymore" Phil Colins
( Stereo Bass and texture )
" Just wow the bass the texture and the nuances so terrific , stereo bass don’t get very often to replay with this good a texture and weight."
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
The ISN H50 plays back music in a very unique way.
The set has a bit of a relaxed upper midrange making the vocals play back a bit neutral to laid back , while staying crystal clear and natural. Some might hear this as a darker / warmer replay but after spending a considerable amount of time with the H50 I would say Its just a unique way of tuning.and not dark at all.
The bass of the H50 is part of the recipe for what makes this IEM so great. The bass can only be described as fast , yet great textured bass without bloat and bass bleed is a non issue here. So not only do you get great fast bass but there is something extra the H50 does and that is the texture of that bass has so much more information than just the hit, but also the decay and the information it passes on to you. Drums, guitar, piano, all have a sense of realism that other sets fail to bring forward.
Mids and vocals are always crystal clear and sound natural, Sometimes equal in the mix sometimes slightly recessed and this also is a huge part of the uniqueness of the H50.
The Highs are also a bit relaxed but the upper treble adds it back in to bring you back and pay attention not too much like the LETSHOUER EJ07M'S, but in a way to only add sparkle and details as well as making sure instruments sound natural and clean.
This implementation is like what other sets do or try to do with EST drivers but in a more natural way without sounding forced or the BA's trying to hard.
The upper treble also has extra energy so you get the combination of excellent technicalities and natural presentation. Because of that extra energy Stage, dynamics , micro details are all still there as well as excellent reproduction of said instruments.
Love this unique replay.
The stage is wonderful most excellent overall and makes the H50 really engaging while not overpowering you with too much information. The width way above average. Depth was the one it didn’t so well at nor creating a 3D stage and height was average.
CONCLUSION
The H50 is a easy to listen to IEM, Its not going to blast your eardrums out with its overpowering bass, not will it make you totally focus on the vocals. You wont hear sibilance nor will the H50 blast you with ear piercing treble. The H50 just is a unique IEM one that is defiantly worth your consideration.
60's & 70's Music with their psychedelic trippy recording mixes were something else and the H50 takes advantage of this and with its great stage and vocals its like the tuner was right there on acid with them!
Modern music was done the same kind of way as well, clear , crips very present vocals and also done with the same attention to detail just done in a different way you may have heard other IEM's do it.
All Genre's were great nothing stood out as the wrong library, the music was just brought to you the H50 way.
In a sea of poorly tuned IEM's ,IEF Neutral, Harman tuned curves, Bass boosted muddy bloated bass IEM's ,Mid Bass scooped, Treble blasters, and just weird IEM's the H50 makes its mark.
The H50 stands on its own and is unique.
ISN made a IEM with a special sauce done in a way I have not heard another IEM do this well.
I hope ISN keeps pushing the boundaries between neutral and fun, and I for one am excited to watch and listen to future projects.
Well done ISN and thank you for making such a wonderful piece of musical gear.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the ISN H50 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
5 Driver per side configuration:
1x 10mm Dynamic Driver Composite Diaphragm ( Unknown Composition )
2x Balanced Armature Mids ( Unknown Origin )
2x Balanced Armature Highs ( Unknown Origin )
3 Way Cross Over
25 Ohms Resistance
108 db Sensitivity
Handmade Resin Shell
MMCX Termination.
Cable is 8 Strand Silver Plated Oxygen Free Copper Cable
18 Month Warranty.
Unit Supplied by Penon - Thank You!
I Don’t do disclaimers for me it doesn’t need to be said. Strait Goods if something is bad it gets called out. If its great it gets the praise and a deserved shilling!
ISH H50 - It Rules!
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-h50.html
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive W shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Mänskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the H50 were the AZLA Crystal Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
(40 Tracks 3:13:03)
Let's Begin: Critical listening per track Notes taken NOT OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
I love how the H50 does vocals not forward in the mix. Very pleasing monitor style.
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
"Very good coherence of not only H50 drivers but also between Vocals/Instruments and the bass very balanced"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Bass has excellent snap + decay. Texture in the releases is very very good. Perfect vocal replay"
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"Mid bass perfect on guitar Male vocals great , fast hits love the bass. Great high hats and just the right amount of sizzle"
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
"Instruments very nice tone, Gord's voice is great and very realistic. Love the Vocal/music mix and is accurate to recording mix."
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"A excellent EDM IEM Smooth highs sibilant free great snap in the lows."
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"Uncolored playback with accurate replay. Piano is excellent weight. The 2:30 spot left me with goosebumps!"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"L+C+R very good Excellent micro dynamics, descending A Major sounded correct."
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"So Smooth , maybe a tad too much MB a bit thick on this track, Very fun and musical actually I love the extra bass but still stays mostly balanced."
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
"Love this replay not a big overemphasis sub bass is nice and still fast oh the highs are great vocals a tad recessed?"
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Vocals perfect maybe a bit more than neutral but closer to my preference"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
" The twinkle's at the beginning are magical , excellent sense of stage bass has sweet texture love the Vocal/instrumental mix huge smile!"
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Great Macro Dynamics and the H50 played this track perfectly"
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
" Plucks could be more plucky more sharp here very good balance overall"
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Holly vocals are a bit recessed in this track and should play a bit louder and forward, close but not perfect."
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
" Excellent sense of spaciousness and grandeur. Excellent bass weight very good guitar + texture in the guitar with the decay!"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for )
" You can really hear the multiple mics in this recording and the decay and reverberation, a lot better than most IEM that have scooped MB , sub drops were there but wished for more "
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets OH YES! Perfect bite the nuances in the instruments is excellent and stage is wonderful!"
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Lovely , love how the H50 does instruments very tonally perfect and balanced."
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
" Very Balanced , great range Right to Left drops was good , depth was just ok"
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
" Zero Harshness, Love It"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
" Not the biggest sense of stage , but wicked vocals"
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
" Hits with that fast slam perfectly as this track should play great twinkly bits"
#24 "Team" by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"So wicked lovely"
#25 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
" Very nice snaps + vocals excellent stage + instrument separation."
#26 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
" Bass is so textured , very balanced, smooth."
#27 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
" Amazing Bass + Guitar texture. The Attack & Release pulls are very very good great combo of Vocals & Instruments very unique replay ."
#28 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"One of the most fun presentations so smooth no sibilance and excellent stage."
#29 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
" Amazing bass texture + Hits, banjo so clean/clear/crisp/sharp! Piano sounds clean without getting washed out."
#30 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
" Very good mix of vocals + instrumental."
#31 "Electrified II" by Yello
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
" All the pieces in play and made this a crazy replay."
#32 "Fever" by Malia, Boris Blank
( Kind of a techno version of a classic with great female vocals and nice bass line throughout )
" No mid bass bleed just something special in the bottom."
#33 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" by Hok-man Kim
( A poem with drums just a excellent track to hear how percussions sound and there tonality)
" The secondary resonances of the drums sounds so real the decay is outstanding 60% of a U12t micro details off the charts."
#34 "Song Of the Stars (Remastered)" by Dead Can Dance
(Sub bass line at beginning goes low and the whole track is excellent to test stage and micro dynamics
Constant Left and Right with Center vocals is very trippy)
" OMG again the combo of how vocals replay a bit farther back in the mix , the instruments are brought to life and the stage and emotion is excellent."
#35 "Don’t Make me Wait" By Sting and Shaggy
(Listening to these iconic male vocals and correct tonality"
" Fast slamming drops, male vocals again so nice, note weight is great."
#36 "All of Me" - John Legend
(Male Vocals)
" One of those rare tracks the H50 adds to much note weight"
#37 " I Love You's " Hailee Steinfeld
( Hailee's voice is so smooth , Mid bass hits? )
" Liquid smooth female vocals and the bass here was wicked."
#38 The Circle Of Life ( From Lion King ) - Tina Guo
( A Rock Violinist in this track looking for tonal accuracy with violin and flute )
" Perfectly done the violin + flute were excellent defiantly SIMBA APPROVED!"
#39 "Kiss the Cloud" - Yello & FiFi Rong
(Bass hits mid bass punch? Vocals )
" The fast bass hits and the stage makes this track fun on the H50 well done"
#40 "I Don’t Care Anymore" Phil Colins
( Stereo Bass and texture )
" Just wow the bass the texture and the nuances so terrific , stereo bass don’t get very often to replay with this good a texture and weight."
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
The ISN H50 plays back music in a very unique way.
The set has a bit of a relaxed upper midrange making the vocals play back a bit neutral to laid back , while staying crystal clear and natural. Some might hear this as a darker / warmer replay but after spending a considerable amount of time with the H50 I would say Its just a unique way of tuning.and not dark at all.
The bass of the H50 is part of the recipe for what makes this IEM so great. The bass can only be described as fast , yet great textured bass without bloat and bass bleed is a non issue here. So not only do you get great fast bass but there is something extra the H50 does and that is the texture of that bass has so much more information than just the hit, but also the decay and the information it passes on to you. Drums, guitar, piano, all have a sense of realism that other sets fail to bring forward.
Mids and vocals are always crystal clear and sound natural, Sometimes equal in the mix sometimes slightly recessed and this also is a huge part of the uniqueness of the H50.
The Highs are also a bit relaxed but the upper treble adds it back in to bring you back and pay attention not too much like the LETSHOUER EJ07M'S, but in a way to only add sparkle and details as well as making sure instruments sound natural and clean.
This implementation is like what other sets do or try to do with EST drivers but in a more natural way without sounding forced or the BA's trying to hard.
The upper treble also has extra energy so you get the combination of excellent technicalities and natural presentation. Because of that extra energy Stage, dynamics , micro details are all still there as well as excellent reproduction of said instruments.
Love this unique replay.
The stage is wonderful most excellent overall and makes the H50 really engaging while not overpowering you with too much information. The width way above average. Depth was the one it didn’t so well at nor creating a 3D stage and height was average.
CONCLUSION
The H50 is a easy to listen to IEM, Its not going to blast your eardrums out with its overpowering bass, not will it make you totally focus on the vocals. You wont hear sibilance nor will the H50 blast you with ear piercing treble. The H50 just is a unique IEM one that is defiantly worth your consideration.
60's & 70's Music with their psychedelic trippy recording mixes were something else and the H50 takes advantage of this and with its great stage and vocals its like the tuner was right there on acid with them!
Modern music was done the same kind of way as well, clear , crips very present vocals and also done with the same attention to detail just done in a different way you may have heard other IEM's do it.
All Genre's were great nothing stood out as the wrong library, the music was just brought to you the H50 way.
In a sea of poorly tuned IEM's ,IEF Neutral, Harman tuned curves, Bass boosted muddy bloated bass IEM's ,Mid Bass scooped, Treble blasters, and just weird IEM's the H50 makes its mark.
The H50 stands on its own and is unique.
ISN made a IEM with a special sauce done in a way I have not heard another IEM do this well.
I hope ISN keeps pushing the boundaries between neutral and fun, and I for one am excited to watch and listen to future projects.
Well done ISN and thank you for making such a wonderful piece of musical gear.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
My Video for the ISN H50 is Here:
Discord Server is here for insider information and just good conversation: https://discord.gg/5zEeKXyt
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innovated
Perfectly captured everything I love about the H50, thanks for all the (very considerable work here)
PENON SERIAL - A Vocal Drug
"When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!"
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
Triple Dynamic Driver Consisting of:
1x 10mm Biological Diaphragm for the lower frequencies
1x 8mm Titanium Diaphragm for the mid frequencies
1x 6mm Polly Urethane Diaphragm for the highs
Shell is a Semi-transparent black shell with the top made by hand stabilized wood pieces that is unique to each IEM!
The Serial uses sound tubes to carry the sound to the stainless steel nozzle
A 3 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected driver.
Sensitivity is rated as 103db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 18 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/penon-serial.html
Purchased privately form another Audiophile.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Hola were the BGVP 07 Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
THESE BY TRACK IMPRESSIONS WERE TAKEN AS A CRITICAL LISTEN TO HOW THE SERIAL PLAYED BACK MY PLAYLIST AND NOT TO BE TAKEN AS OVERALL IMPRESSIONS!
Let's Begin:
Total Time 2:25:00 35 Tracks
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/36405463
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
"Perfect"
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
https://tidal.com/track/2004896
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
"Same as above"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
https://tidal.com/track/152882923
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Very nice weighty hits, perfect weight on voice."
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
https://tidal.com/track/1383460
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"The Serial was made for this kind of music"
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
https://tidal.com/track/37329163
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
"So smooth just plain musical Instruments were Fantastic, So smooth but stage feels like you're in a small club"
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
https://tidal.com/track/218043909
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"Thump Oh Yes , goes go low but not with authority"
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
https://tidal.com/track/134919437
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"So powerful , the loudest I have ever played! Piano was perfect"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
https://tidal.com/track/129477280
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"Not enough depth to give you the wow factor of this song needs more high energy and layering. Did the A major well"
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
https://tidal.com/track/233422599
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"Bass is too fat and textured"
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
https://tidal.com/track/161315
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
" Misses the low drops but once the vocals show up you forget everything else"
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
https://tidal.com/track/611315
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Guitar sounds great Vocals a tad thick"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
https://tidal.com/track/2333307
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
"The sense of stage is missing the Left to Right Pan is weak. Vocals are perfect and organically lush."
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/200193285
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Goes low but sub bass is too lean again no depth just one plane L+R."
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
https://tidal.com/track/109860373
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
"Vocal weight here is great but pulls need more pluck shows the coloration in a good way."
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/35280401
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Perfect and impactful"
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
https://tidal.com/track/80536774
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
"Guitar sounds great very intimate in the way it should present does not sound like a big concert"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
https://tidal.com/track/192326406
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for)
"Wow piano one of the best replays of this song I have heard except the 64 Audio U12t at 10x its price. Bass goes low but not to bass head levels as it should."
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
https://tidal.com/track/94445659
(This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets were wow as were both vocals very nice"
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
https://tidal.com/track/117848656
(Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Very good super fun + musical all the instruments was mental. Mental Instrumental!"
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
https://tidal.com/track/98090029
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
"The macro details were great but not enough depth and the way the bass hits from Right to Left as it comes towards you is mostly missing"
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
https://tidal.com/track/2123821
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
"So Nice is the voice correct or just lush hard to tell keeps you guessing"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
https://tidal.com/track/166790534
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
" Missed replay on this just not enough stage to bring the sense of venue grandeur."
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
https://tidal.com/track/133450183
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
"No attack to make this track what is should play back correctly"
#24 "Team" by Lorde
https://tidal.com/track/77632183
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"Vocals are terrific no stage or enough to make this track super engaging"
#25 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
https://tidal.com/track/21754352
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
"Vocals so engaging"
#26 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
https://tidal.com/track/21651812
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
"The opening was missing its attack and the bass is too weighty vs fast hits it needs"
#27 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
https://tidal.com/track/29113109
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
"Serial didn’t play the guitar correctly missing some sharpness but again vocals are first class"
#28 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
https://tidal.com/track/35456858
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"Very Smooth"
#29 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
https://tidal.com/track/3468730
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
"Bass is fat and meaty the banjo sounds too muted"
#30 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
https://tidal.com/track/151975568
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
"Perfect"
#31 "Electrified II" by Yello
https://tidal.com/track/77622083
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
"Missing the top end enough to make this track electrified!"
#32 "Fever" bu Malia, Boris Blank
https://tidal.com/track/25029972
( Kind of a techno version of a classic with great female vocals and nice bass line throughout )
"Smoky vocals so enchanting"
#33 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" by Hok-man Kim
https://tidal.com/track/12014143
( A poem with drums just a excellent track to hear how percussions sound and there tonality)
"Missing the speed the Serial driver or tuning really shows weakness here"
#34 "Song Of the Stars (Remastered)" by Dead Can Dance
https://tidal.com/track/2204961
(Sub bass line at beginning goes low and the whole track is excellent to test stage and micro dynamics
Constant Left and Right with Center vocals is very trippy)
"Does the sub drops but not enough to tingle your ears"
#35 "Don’t Make me Wait" By Sting and Shaggy
https://tidal.com/track/87355849
(Listening to these iconic male vocals and correct tonality"
"Bass is too thumpy but vocals are perfect"
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Firstly let me state that the Penon Serial is a special IEM.
When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!
The Serial defiantly has the Penon House Signature Sound with its Lush, Organic colored sound. Vocals come off so effortlessly and musically that the Serial is a aural pleasure to listen to.
The Serial was a very hard to review IEM I must say that because when you are going through your playlist at trying to pick it apart and write down your impression, I kept getting pulled into the music and had to start again.
Overall the Serial can be easily called a L shape sound signature with a Mid Bass over Sub Bass sound.
The Bass is more thumpy and fat rather than textured with speedy & fast hits. The Attack and Release is on the slower side making the bottom weighted more towards adding in something extra to male vocals.
Female vocals also suffer from this but not when you are just listing to music here again is that special magic the Serial has. All vocals just sound musicial when not critically listening and or doing a A&B comparison.
Mids are weighted and present dark or warmish being recessed slightly and makes you pay attention to singing.
I found the highs to be present but not with energy or sharpness to distract you from guess what VOCALS!
Instruments again on just listening to music sounds natural and warm and correct. It wasn't again until you were really trying and critiquing that you would think something was off on its timbre and overall tonality.
Layering , Instrument separation, sense of stage Imaging and details are not the Serials strong suits and not its intended tuning so the Serial cant really be faulted here as it is not trying to do these things.
Overall I would ask you if Is the Serial for you? Do you like laid back warm sounding replays and prefer weighted bass over hard hitting or extremely powerful low notes.
Are you looking for a Lush and very musical experience and don’t particularly want a super detailed sit down chill session?
Then Buy the Penon Serial it really is lovely.
It was in the end not for me just because the fit with the short nozzles and the speed of the bass with a lack of more sub bass just didn’t ring my bell.
I also need bigger stage and excitement to keep my brain engaged or I will fall asleep and drool all over the place.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
COMPARISONS:
SIMGOT EA500 with Bass Vent mod:
The Simgot has my preferred faster bass response that I look for with more texture and impact. The EA500 goes much lower and has tons more sub bass energy.
The Serial sounds like it has too much mid bass compared to A&B listening comparisons. The Stage , the dynamics and the imaging and layering are also miles ahead of the Serial.
The vocals are more forward in the mix and not as smokey and lush as the Serial where it really shines.
KZ ZVX:
ZVX Hits harder but doesn’t show the finesse in texture than the serial. I found the ZVX to be more engaging because of the added highs and stages better with Instruments being more lively.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
"When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!"
Now let's get into it: The Techy Stuff
Triple Dynamic Driver Consisting of:
1x 10mm Biological Diaphragm for the lower frequencies
1x 8mm Titanium Diaphragm for the mid frequencies
1x 6mm Polly Urethane Diaphragm for the highs
Shell is a Semi-transparent black shell with the top made by hand stabilized wood pieces that is unique to each IEM!
The Serial uses sound tubes to carry the sound to the stainless steel nozzle
A 3 Way crossover divides the frequencies to each respected driver.
Sensitivity is rated as 103db for each watt of power used.
Impedance is 18 Ohms
Cable can be chosen as either 3.5mm SE, or 2.5mm or 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Options and is a 8 core Silver Plated & OFCC mixed braded cable.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated link: https://penonaudio.com/penon-serial.html
Purchased privately form another Audiophile.
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
What makes my ears happy as a sound signature is a slightly more aggressive L shape. I love my Bass Sub and Mid Bass love it all actually; and in large quantity. With the Bass, I prefer a faster decay the faster the better so as to not bleed into the mids., I am treble sensitive and prefer a slightly darker warmer replay with good treble extension.
I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver of my Xenns Mangird UP with a Beryllium Coated Driver. Of course, there are exceptions in the market - as I also find the bass of the Bio Diaphragm used in the Yanyin Canon special - has some special sauce like an 8" subwoofer that feels like a 12" Has the slam and some serious sub-bass! And the super cool Copper Alloy Shell IKKO Obsidian OH10 does some magic to the bass.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence. All depends on my mood.
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Hola were the BGVP 07 Tips I found for Best Result and subjective: Short Wide Bore are recommended to maximize stage my preference at the expense of perceived bass enhancement with narrow bore tips.
My Format has changed with community feedback. So now I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track. I hope this will give you some context for my library and give you some contexts to compare using the same tracks.
THESE BY TRACK IMPRESSIONS WERE TAKEN AS A CRITICAL LISTEN TO HOW THE SERIAL PLAYED BACK MY PLAYLIST AND NOT TO BE TAKEN AS OVERALL IMPRESSIONS!
Let's Begin:
Total Time 2:25:00 35 Tracks
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/36405463
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
"Perfect"
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
https://tidal.com/track/2004896
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
"Same as above"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
https://tidal.com/track/152882923
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Very nice weighty hits, perfect weight on voice."
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
https://tidal.com/track/1383460
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"The Serial was made for this kind of music"
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
https://tidal.com/track/37329163
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
"So smooth just plain musical Instruments were Fantastic, So smooth but stage feels like you're in a small club"
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
https://tidal.com/track/218043909
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"Thump Oh Yes , goes go low but not with authority"
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
https://tidal.com/track/134919437
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"So powerful , the loudest I have ever played! Piano was perfect"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
https://tidal.com/track/129477280
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"Not enough depth to give you the wow factor of this song needs more high energy and layering. Did the A major well"
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
https://tidal.com/track/233422599
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"Bass is too fat and textured"
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
https://tidal.com/track/161315
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
" Misses the low drops but once the vocals show up you forget everything else"
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
https://tidal.com/track/611315
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Guitar sounds great Vocals a tad thick"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
https://tidal.com/track/2333307
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
"The sense of stage is missing the Left to Right Pan is weak. Vocals are perfect and organically lush."
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/200193285
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Goes low but sub bass is too lean again no depth just one plane L+R."
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
https://tidal.com/track/109860373
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
"Vocal weight here is great but pulls need more pluck shows the coloration in a good way."
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
https://tidal.com/track/35280401
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Perfect and impactful"
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
https://tidal.com/track/80536774
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
"Guitar sounds great very intimate in the way it should present does not sound like a big concert"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
https://tidal.com/track/192326406
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for)
"Wow piano one of the best replays of this song I have heard except the 64 Audio U12t at 10x its price. Bass goes low but not to bass head levels as it should."
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
https://tidal.com/track/94445659
(This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets were wow as were both vocals very nice"
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
https://tidal.com/track/117848656
(Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Very good super fun + musical all the instruments was mental. Mental Instrumental!"
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
https://tidal.com/track/98090029
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
"The macro details were great but not enough depth and the way the bass hits from Right to Left as it comes towards you is mostly missing"
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
https://tidal.com/track/2123821
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
"So Nice is the voice correct or just lush hard to tell keeps you guessing"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
https://tidal.com/track/166790534
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
" Missed replay on this just not enough stage to bring the sense of venue grandeur."
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
https://tidal.com/track/133450183
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
"No attack to make this track what is should play back correctly"
#24 "Team" by Lorde
https://tidal.com/track/77632183
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"Vocals are terrific no stage or enough to make this track super engaging"
#25 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
https://tidal.com/track/21754352
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
"Vocals so engaging"
#26 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
https://tidal.com/track/21651812
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
"The opening was missing its attack and the bass is too weighty vs fast hits it needs"
#27 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
https://tidal.com/track/29113109
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
"Serial didn’t play the guitar correctly missing some sharpness but again vocals are first class"
#28 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
https://tidal.com/track/35456858
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"Very Smooth"
#29 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
https://tidal.com/track/3468730
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
"Bass is fat and meaty the banjo sounds too muted"
#30 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
https://tidal.com/track/151975568
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
"Perfect"
#31 "Electrified II" by Yello
https://tidal.com/track/77622083
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
"Missing the top end enough to make this track electrified!"
#32 "Fever" bu Malia, Boris Blank
https://tidal.com/track/25029972
( Kind of a techno version of a classic with great female vocals and nice bass line throughout )
"Smoky vocals so enchanting"
#33 "Poem Of Chinese Drum" by Hok-man Kim
https://tidal.com/track/12014143
( A poem with drums just a excellent track to hear how percussions sound and there tonality)
"Missing the speed the Serial driver or tuning really shows weakness here"
#34 "Song Of the Stars (Remastered)" by Dead Can Dance
https://tidal.com/track/2204961
(Sub bass line at beginning goes low and the whole track is excellent to test stage and micro dynamics
Constant Left and Right with Center vocals is very trippy)
"Does the sub drops but not enough to tingle your ears"
#35 "Don’t Make me Wait" By Sting and Shaggy
https://tidal.com/track/87355849
(Listening to these iconic male vocals and correct tonality"
"Bass is too thumpy but vocals are perfect"
OVERALL SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
Firstly let me state that the Penon Serial is a special IEM.
When a IEM makes you totally forget your listening to anything other than music that’s a very powerful thing, and extremely rare at any price in this hobby!
The Serial defiantly has the Penon House Signature Sound with its Lush, Organic colored sound. Vocals come off so effortlessly and musically that the Serial is a aural pleasure to listen to.
The Serial was a very hard to review IEM I must say that because when you are going through your playlist at trying to pick it apart and write down your impression, I kept getting pulled into the music and had to start again.
Overall the Serial can be easily called a L shape sound signature with a Mid Bass over Sub Bass sound.
The Bass is more thumpy and fat rather than textured with speedy & fast hits. The Attack and Release is on the slower side making the bottom weighted more towards adding in something extra to male vocals.
Female vocals also suffer from this but not when you are just listing to music here again is that special magic the Serial has. All vocals just sound musicial when not critically listening and or doing a A&B comparison.
Mids are weighted and present dark or warmish being recessed slightly and makes you pay attention to singing.
I found the highs to be present but not with energy or sharpness to distract you from guess what VOCALS!
Instruments again on just listening to music sounds natural and warm and correct. It wasn't again until you were really trying and critiquing that you would think something was off on its timbre and overall tonality.
Layering , Instrument separation, sense of stage Imaging and details are not the Serials strong suits and not its intended tuning so the Serial cant really be faulted here as it is not trying to do these things.
Overall I would ask you if Is the Serial for you? Do you like laid back warm sounding replays and prefer weighted bass over hard hitting or extremely powerful low notes.
Are you looking for a Lush and very musical experience and don’t particularly want a super detailed sit down chill session?
Then Buy the Penon Serial it really is lovely.
It was in the end not for me just because the fit with the short nozzles and the speed of the bass with a lack of more sub bass just didn’t ring my bell.
I also need bigger stage and excitement to keep my brain engaged or I will fall asleep and drool all over the place.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
My Video review is here:
COMPARISONS:
SIMGOT EA500 with Bass Vent mod:
The Simgot has my preferred faster bass response that I look for with more texture and impact. The EA500 goes much lower and has tons more sub bass energy.
The Serial sounds like it has too much mid bass compared to A&B listening comparisons. The Stage , the dynamics and the imaging and layering are also miles ahead of the Serial.
The vocals are more forward in the mix and not as smokey and lush as the Serial where it really shines.
KZ ZVX:
ZVX Hits harder but doesn’t show the finesse in texture than the serial. I found the ZVX to be more engaging because of the added highs and stages better with Instruments being more lively.
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
Attachments
ToneDeafMonk
Let me see if I can fix the link thanks.
vandung2510
Woah. So modded EA500 beat the Serial by a mile? Really?
marcos antônio
what do you think of his sound and is it really good as everyone says? my brother has the Globe and I like it a lot I think it's very good with excellent bass and mids too and high not fatiguing and it has a good attack speed in the bass , I'm interested in buying the Serial but they say it has bass a little slow and can congest a little for Metal what do you think?
KiwiEars Orchestra Lite - A 8 BA Chill-Centric IEM
KiwiEars Orchestra Lite SPECS:
Hand crafted shells in two colors. Blue and Green
Custom Knowles Balanced Armature drivers 2 for Sub/Bass, 4 Mids. ,2 Highs
3.5mm 7N OFCC Copper cable.
SHOUT OUT TO Linsoul for providing me this review sample.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-orchestra-lite?variant=43713163002073
YouTube Video Review can be found here: KiwiEars Orchestra Lite - A 8 BA Chill Affair
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
My version of what my perfect balanced IEM is: Good Sub Bass, with a warmer tone weight but faster and a nice transition into lower bass that adds the correct note weight to male vocals without too much bleed to effect female vocals with too much added thickness. I want to hear guitar plucks sounding with good intensity and tone.
Male vocals should sound correct and female vocals not to thin or forward.
Highs need to good extension and no sign of sibilance.
Instruments need to have correct tonality and sound natural.
For reference my favorite IEM is the Xenns Mangird UP with it's EST drivers that add sparkly enhancement only and not forced in a smooth natural way I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence.
All depends on my mood. If I want to chill out I listen to artists like the, - The Who, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Dire Straits and Dead Can Dance just to name a few.
If I want to have a beer and just get lost then some Jazz , Miles Davis, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Ray Brown Trio.
If I want to rock out then some AC/DC, Bad Co, Great White, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Metallica.
And Those Times I want to get into vocals then Lorde, Halsey, Biff Naked, Alanis Morrisette hit the spot.
I mention all this so you get a sense of my library and what I like when I make my audio impressions other than the playlist
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Orchestra Lite that I found best results for me was the Moondrop Spingtips L very wide bore.
Cable I used Stock and Hakugei Joyful voice Tri-Element 4.4 Balanced
My Format that I like to use is that I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track with the notes I took during my time with the KiwiEars Orchestra Lite.
*My Notes are not meant to be full sentences just my thoughts written down at the time and transposed.
**Remember these are critical listening notes write it as I hear it, not overall impressions**
***Listening done with RED NOZZLE and 4,4 balanced off of Topping A90D, Geshelli AKM J2 Dac as source with iBasso DX160 as transport only 3.5mm to COAX Dig out.
Total Time 3:03:35 - 35 Tracks
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
"A great vocal presentation"
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
" Guitar was bang a bit thin but perfect vocals, missing a bit of air and extension, backup singers were nicely presented in the mix"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Bass hits were nicely done fast with a decent weight"
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"Bass missing some lower weight. Intimate stage very open still and the bass hits were fast."
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
Very small stage. Could have used mores highs lots great clarity and vocals and guitar pulls."
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"Nicely done surprised with bass."
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"Good sense of space tonality of all three vocals. You could tell when there was one singer or all in the mix. Piano has the correct sound and could clearly be heard in the mix and did not get washed out"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"Did the A Major with nice descending clarity"
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"Stage shows its intimate presentation but nice smooth playback"
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
"Not made for this but it tried."
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Showing sits strength Vocals!"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
"So Mesmerizing but Extension and sparkle."
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Very nice well done"
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
"Ok weight on Pulls , ++ Stings voice."
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Vocals were very well done the star of the show"
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
"Smaller stage very natural"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for)
"Piano notes were light not perfect , the secondary mics were clearly noticeable."
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets have a bit off tone and sharpness + resolution, Ella + louis were spot on."
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Could listen to this all day."
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
"Xylophones again nice everything was so smooth not huge but a fun playback." Missing micro dynamics
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
"Alannis voice was done correctly"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
"Small stage but nice note weight."
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
" Not a great replay micro dynamics and excitement "
#24 "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
" A bit shouty and sibilant"
#25 "Team" by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"Love her voice here"
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
"Natural vocals at beginning + Oliver's voice was perfect , good depth between singers front Back Up female vocals and Male Main."
#27 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
"Thunder at beginning was missing boom!"
#28 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
"Yup coming into the right genre."
#29 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"Vocal killer"
#30 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
" Banjo man done nicely"
#31 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
" Great male vocals maybe a tad thin"
#32 " T.V. Song" By The blue Man Group
The whip at beginning has to sound real, then the PVC B.M.G. stereo separation and then 10' big ass drum hits at 1:26
" No big boom boom as expected"
#33 "Electrified II" by Yello
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
"Yello was fun"
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: KiwiEars Orchestra Lite. (OHL)
The OHL is such a beautiful IEM , well built and is like eye candy.
But we don’t listen to our eyes.
Overall I was super impressed what 4 BA could achieve and how well they can be put together for coherency which on the OHL was done well some slight BA timbre but I am ok with that.
I was having a hard time on long listening sessions as I am one of the weird ones that’s gets pressure build up in my ears and have to lift the top of my ears once and a while to relieve the pressure. This only happens to me on the two BA sets I have and I assume it because the shell is not vented.
The stage is intimate with average width and height but on certain tracks the OHL can present a sense of height.
I found the Orchestra Lite was a bit source picky and likes a more resolving source more so than a warmer one.
I also needed to use one size smaller ear tips so I would not get that pressure build up and thus killing a bit of the Bass.
Overall the KiwiEars Orchestra is a big improvement in tuning with its second rendition and a great step in the correct direction for this company. I would have loved to hear more resolution and have a bit more overall macro details add some exertion in there and more sub bass. Oops I did it again - I am trying to instill in the Orchestra my preferred sound signature instead of just enjoying what it does well.
What is the KiwiEars Orchestra Lite? A vocal centric IEM that excels at is vocals and a well tuned beautifully crafted IEM that you can simply chill out to without too much bass overpowering the mids and not too much stage or super articulate details to pull you away from simply closing your eyes and getting lost!
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
KiwiEars Orchestra Lite SPECS:
Hand crafted shells in two colors. Blue and Green
Custom Knowles Balanced Armature drivers 2 for Sub/Bass, 4 Mids. ,2 Highs
3.5mm 7N OFCC Copper cable.
SHOUT OUT TO Linsoul for providing me this review sample.
More information can be found here and non-affiliated purchase link: https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-orchestra-lite?variant=43713163002073
YouTube Video Review can be found here: KiwiEars Orchestra Lite - A 8 BA Chill Affair
Subjective Part of my Audio Review -
I share my impressions as I hear them with my ears.
As all our ears are different shapes & size so what I hear as bright or bass heavy -you might hear as dull and Vise-Versa; just something to be mindful of.
My version of what my perfect balanced IEM is: Good Sub Bass, with a warmer tone weight but faster and a nice transition into lower bass that adds the correct note weight to male vocals without too much bleed to effect female vocals with too much added thickness. I want to hear guitar plucks sounding with good intensity and tone.
Male vocals should sound correct and female vocals not to thin or forward.
Highs need to good extension and no sign of sibilance.
Instruments need to have correct tonality and sound natural.
For reference my favorite IEM is the Xenns Mangird UP with it's EST drivers that add sparkly enhancement only and not forced in a smooth natural way I prefer the fast speedy bass of the Beryllium Coated Driver.
My music Library is widely varied from; Metallica, Great White, Cowboy Junkies, Pink Floyd, Adelle, Melisa Ethridge, Fleetwood Mac, Five for Fighting, Manskin, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Chopin, The Crystal Method just to name a few. When not listening to my test tracks the majority is Jazz or Alternative Rock especially Female Rock. Lorde, Halsey, Alanis Morrisette, Evanescence.
All depends on my mood. If I want to chill out I listen to artists like the, - The Who, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Dire Straits and Dead Can Dance just to name a few.
If I want to have a beer and just get lost then some Jazz , Miles Davis, Poncho Sanchez, Jimmy Smith, Ray Brown Trio.
If I want to rock out then some AC/DC, Bad Co, Great White, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Metallica.
And Those Times I want to get into vocals then Lorde, Halsey, Biff Naked, Alanis Morrisette hit the spot.
I mention all this so you get a sense of my library and what I like when I make my audio impressions other than the playlist
Sources: E1DA SG3, Shanling UP5, Geshelli JNOG J2 with AKM4493 chip. Truthear SHIO (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 DAC Chips)
DAP/TRASPORT: From Lenovo Laptop with Tidal, iBasso DX160 (Dual Cirrus Logic 43198 Dac Chips), Samsung S22 Ultra with DSD Files.
Amps: LoxjiP20 & XDUOO MT-604 tube hybrid amps and Topping A90D Amp 4.4 Pentagon Balanced Out - Unless stated
Tips Used for the Orchestra Lite that I found best results for me was the Moondrop Spingtips L very wide bore.
Cable I used Stock and Hakugei Joyful voice Tri-Element 4.4 Balanced
My Format that I like to use is that I will list the music tracks I used & why with my musical impressions of the playback using that track with the notes I took during my time with the KiwiEars Orchestra Lite.
*My Notes are not meant to be full sentences just my thoughts written down at the time and transposed.
**Remember these are critical listening notes write it as I hear it, not overall impressions**
***Listening done with RED NOZZLE and 4,4 balanced off of Topping A90D, Geshelli AKM J2 Dac as source with iBasso DX160 as transport only 3.5mm to COAX Dig out.
Total Time 3:03:35 - 35 Tracks
#1 "Beautiful Blue" by Holly McNarland
(I love Holly's vocals should be crips clear vocals with the right edge to here vocals)
"A great vocal presentation"
#2 "Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman
(I love her voice and the way it is recorded listen for the strums on the guitar - I have seen Ms. Chapman live a few times; so In my mind, I try and remember how she sounds like 5ft from me as I was blessed to experience)
" Guitar was bang a bit thin but perfect vocals, missing a bit of air and extension, backup singers were nicely presented in the mix"
#3 "Paradox" by M.E.B.
(Great female vocals listening for accurate piano at 0:11, bass hits at 0:28 and vocals at 2:00)
"Bass hits were nicely done fast with a decent weight"
#4 "Rock Me" by Great White
(80'S Baby, Double Kick drums at the beginning of the first track I am listening to how fast it hits how solid is the bass and what's the decay like. An ideal replay here would be fast, powerful bass with nice note weight to feel it in your chest so to speak if you were at a concert.) ( With "Rock Me" same thing but I am listening for the bass guitar drops on this track it should be quite low)
"Bass missing some lower weight. Intimate stage very open still and the bass hits were fast."
#5 "Wheat Kings - Remastered" by The Tragically Hip
(Sense of stage and Male vocals)
Very small stage. Could have used mores highs lots great clarity and vocals and guitar pulls."
#6 "Chemical Mentalist" The Crystal Method
(Bass, more bass fast and lots of it - How does it do end of the story - Huge Smile or poo emoji?)
"Nicely done surprised with bass."
#7 "Its Time" by Labrinth, Sia, Diplo
(3 very different singers and their voices come together. I use this because it’s a cool track and at higher volumes lesser IEM's get sibilant. Piano doesn’t get washed out and Vocals at 2:30 should blow your little mind)
"Good sense of space tonality of all three vocals. You could tell when there was one singer or all in the mix. Piano has the correct sound and could clearly be heard in the mix and did not get washed out"
#8 "All My Friends Are Here" Joe Satriani
(In this track you can hear Joe playing dead Center with the busy and very separated L & R licks added in and then he brings you back to center with some crazy and very hard-to-play Descending A Major rifts! As Joe described this song as "A rock guitarist trying to control a wild beast"
"Did the A Major with nice descending clarity"
#9 "The Antidote Is In The Poison" GoGo Penguin
(Modern Jazz at its best. Powerful, Dynamic track full of emotion and snappy bass. Fantastic track to listen to how well Micro Dynamics are conveyed and get a good sense of the IEM's ability to convey that to the listener.)
"Stage shows its intimate presentation but nice smooth playback"
#10 "Angel" by Massive Attack
(Say it with me - massive textured bass drops )
"Not made for this but it tried."
#11 "Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Ethridge
(I like this track to hear Melissa's voice and see if the transducers (speakers) reproduce her voice to how edgy I think it should be.)
"Showing sits strength Vocals!"
#12 "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" Annie Lennox
(A Bach-inspired Hammond Organ M102, I seriously love it and its unique sound with Annie's voice this is so cool)
"So Mesmerizing but Extension and sparkle."
#13 " So Cold " Holly McNarland
( Vocals on this track are further back in the track and L & R upfront good track for testing depth of stage and vocals - Sub Bass at the very beginning has a nice drop.)
"Very nice well done"
#14 "Shape Of My Heart" Sting
(in this track I am listening to the sound of the guitar pulls and slides. How well does the IEM give an emotional presentation of the mix between the vocals and the bass.
"Ok weight on Pulls , ++ Stings voice."
#15 "Wishing You Would Stay" by The Tea Party with Holly McNarland
(Love this track. With this song and this band, it was the first time having a guest vocalist. Holly McNarland has a great voice and I have seen her live a few times front and center getting sweat on. Listening for Holly's voice being forward in the mix and not sibilant.)
"Vocals were very well done the star of the show"
#16 "Avenue A" Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Live from the Symphony Sessions
(This track with more resolving IEM'S you can hear the guitar pulls and slides with a sense of open spaciousness and grandeur)
"Smaller stage very natural"
#17 “Eden” Hania Rani
( The way Hania has recorded this track with the mics on the strings in the body of the piano is incredibly unique and such a unique presentation you can hear the string's tension at the beginning, Bass kicks in at 1:40 and goes low that’s what I am listening for)
"Piano notes were light not perfect , the secondary mics were clearly noticeable."
#18 “Summertime” Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
( This Track has both legendary artists Simply listening to Louis and Ella’s voices and of course, the Piano and trumpets how accurate and lifelike )
"Trumpets have a bit off tone and sharpness + resolution, Ella + louis were spot on."
#19 “Blue Train” Poncho Sanchez
( Trumpets here are silky or should sound that way with good timbre, overall mix how does it present, and of course Poncho’s drums )
"Could listen to this all day."
#20 “ My Girl “ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Listening for instrument placement and stage and this track gives a good sense of dynamics and excitement with lots of dynamics in the mix)
"Xylophones again nice everything was so smooth not huge but a fun playback." Missing micro dynamics
#21 "Iconic" by Alanis Morissette
(More edgy female vocals to give you the chills)
"Alannis voice was done correctly"
#22 "The Day That Never Comes" Metallica - Live with the SFO from S&M2
(Big open stage good depth of stage excellent recording with a excellent orchestral opening)
"Small stage but nice note weight."
#23 "Tricycle" by Flim & BB's
(Turn this one up and wait till 0:28 seconds- Have Fun Dynamics test)
" Not a great replay micro dynamics and excitement "
#24 "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
(Great song to listen for stage and imaging)
" A bit shouty and sibilant"
#25 "Team" by Lorde
(Female vocals if your lover of those this is a great track)
"Love her voice here"
#26 “ Wake Up “ Oliver Mtukudzi
(Oliver Mtukudzi is an African Musician and prolific guitarist and Vocalist. He sings with a mix of South African styles sometimes in English sometimes mixed like in this track and includes the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore. TUKU MUSIC at its finest – Listening for vocals, bass lines, and clarity – and because it is just fun! Right at the beginning you have some very cool snaps and instrumental)
"Natural vocals at beginning + Oliver's voice was perfect , good depth between singers front Back Up female vocals and Male Main."
#27 "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits
(Intro and dynamics or distant thunder, and Iconic Mark Knopfler's vocals Bass hits at 2:12)
"Thunder at beginning was missing boom!"
#28 "Keith Don't Go" - Live Version by Nils Loftgren
(Acoustical Guitar absolutely amazing recording - Tonality and male vocal clarity)
"Yup coming into the right genre."
#29 "Somebody I used To Know" by Goyte & Kimba
(A huge stage and Vocals listen for excellent separation and stage, Vocals at 1:38 and female 2:38 and micro-dynamics
"Vocal killer"
#30 " Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo" by Bélla Fleck & The Fleckstones
(Excellent recording and Bango bass should hit hard and low with nice mic of piano weight)
" Banjo man done nicely"
#31 " New Orleans Is Sinking " By The Tragically Hip."
Listening to Gord's Voice without enough MB his voice will sound thin on this song.
" Great male vocals maybe a tad thin"
#32 " T.V. Song" By The blue Man Group
The whip at beginning has to sound real, then the PVC B.M.G. stereo separation and then 10' big ass drum hits at 1:26
" No big boom boom as expected"
#33 "Electrified II" by Yello
How well does the playback just trip you out and pull you into the stage and presentation think Ferris Bueller's` Day Off on LSD
"Yello was fun"
SUMMARY & FINAL THOUGHTS FOR: KiwiEars Orchestra Lite. (OHL)
The OHL is such a beautiful IEM , well built and is like eye candy.
But we don’t listen to our eyes.
Overall I was super impressed what 4 BA could achieve and how well they can be put together for coherency which on the OHL was done well some slight BA timbre but I am ok with that.
I was having a hard time on long listening sessions as I am one of the weird ones that’s gets pressure build up in my ears and have to lift the top of my ears once and a while to relieve the pressure. This only happens to me on the two BA sets I have and I assume it because the shell is not vented.
The stage is intimate with average width and height but on certain tracks the OHL can present a sense of height.
I found the Orchestra Lite was a bit source picky and likes a more resolving source more so than a warmer one.
I also needed to use one size smaller ear tips so I would not get that pressure build up and thus killing a bit of the Bass.
Overall the KiwiEars Orchestra is a big improvement in tuning with its second rendition and a great step in the correct direction for this company. I would have loved to hear more resolution and have a bit more overall macro details add some exertion in there and more sub bass. Oops I did it again - I am trying to instill in the Orchestra my preferred sound signature instead of just enjoying what it does well.
What is the KiwiEars Orchestra Lite? A vocal centric IEM that excels at is vocals and a well tuned beautifully crafted IEM that you can simply chill out to without too much bass overpowering the mids and not too much stage or super articulate details to pull you away from simply closing your eyes and getting lost!
Thanks so much, Cheers from the Tone Deaf Monk.
Attachments
That's a strange spot to place the switch though.