Preamble:
Originally posted on my German audio review site, the "Kopfhörer-Lounge", here comes the re-post of my review of the Penon Audio BS1 Experience Version earbuds.
Introduction:
Until not too long ago, most (mass market) digital audio players and pretty much every mobile and smartphone on the market came with a set of (usually not so decent, but there were exceptions) earbuds.
Nowadays, Apple is one of the last few manufacturers to still include (relatively decent although not perfect) earbuds, the “EarPods”, instead of in-ears.
While earbuds that cost more than the usual <$15 tech-store suspects have always been more of an audio/earbud enthusiast’s niche product, regular, wired earbuds in general seem to lose even more importance as time goes on (not without any reason, since earbuds do have their limitations even though decent-sounding and enthusiast-targeted models such as the Shozy Cygnus exist).
Penon Audio is an online audio store that usually sells and distributes other manufacturers’ DACs, headphone amplifiers, digital audio players, accessories, headphones, in-ears, earbuds, ear tips and more. However, they also offer a few products under their own name – such as the Penon IEM that scored quite poorly in my 2015 review.
Their newest addition is an earbud that is called “BS1 Experience Version”. It houses one 15.4 mm dynamic driver per side and retails for $39, which is around the regular selling price of the MrZ Tomahawk that I bought last year (for about $8 below retail due to AliExpress store coupons and an autumn sale), and around $10 higher than my not perfect but trusty Apple EarPods, so these two earbuds will also be the BS1’s main contenders in this very review.
Full disclosure: I was contacted by Penon Audio and offered their BS1 earbud for review. It was sent to me at no cost for me for the purpose of an (as always) unbiased, unpaid and honest review. I’d like to take the time to use these lines to thank them for the invitation.
Technical Specifications:
https://penonaudio.com/Penon-Audio-BS1-Dynamic-Driver-Earbud
Price: $39.00
Type: Earbud
Driver: dynamic, 15.4 mm
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 114 dB
Frequency Range: 15 Hz – 25 kHz
Cable Length: 1.2 m
Delivery Content:
When it comes to includes accessories, the people at Penon Audio were definitely no cheapskates and didn’t only include the earbuds and a nice protective storage case (that is actually an SD card case with 12 storage compartments that can however be easily ripped out in order to turn it into a proper earbud storage case), but also a shirt clip, ear guides, a Penon-branded Velcro cable tie, and not only one but actually 13 (!!!) pairs of foam covers, of which five have a hole (“donut foams”).
One can definitely not complain about lacking accessories or supplied foam covers.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
Design-wise, I have to admit that the BS1 looks rather dull and boring to me – a black plastic grille with a nice texture, along with rather boring looking black metal shells that greatly resemble the MrZ Tomahawk’s design, an earbud that the BS1 seems to be based on, with less edges and more curves, only in boring (one could however also refer to the BS1’s appearance as “stealth look”).
In addition to the rather boring design (which is of course totally a matter of personal preference), side markers are insufficient. At first I thought there were no side markers at all. Upon closer inspection, though I noticed a small white dot on one side. My guess was that it was the left side, and after a left-right test, I was able to confirm that the bud with the dot indeed represents the left side.
The cable on the other hand is quite nice. The internal conductors are of silver colour and twisted, with a transparent insulation. It is pleasantly flexible, just slightly springy, and unlike the Tomahawk’s cable not sticky/rubbery.
Yep, the cable is nice, looks nice, has got a metal y-splitter and 3.5 mm plug with nice looking Penon branding, doesn’t lack strain relief and has got a chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The comfort will of course highly depend on your individual ear anatomy.
For my large ears, comfort is really good and the earbuds also seal well (within their limits of course).
Due to the good cable, microphonics are reduced to a minimum and can be even lowered when inserting the earbuds regularly but guiding the cables around the ears.
Exterior noise isolation is, which is not that much surprising given these are earbuds, pretty much not present at all.
Sound:
My main sources for listening were the Cowon Plenue 2, my Apple iPod Nano 7G as well as the HiFime 9018d although that’s mostly irrelevant for the BS1 as long as the source outputs a flat frequency response under a low impedance load and doesn’t perform too bad in general.
As usual with earbuds, the sound one will hear is strongly dependant on one’s personal ear anatomy and especially how well the earbuds seal and how tight they fit.
Tonality:
Foam covers versus no foam covers – that is the question… that you will have to answer for yourself. Speaking for myself, I generally prefer to use earbuds without any foam covers, and that’s also how I evaluated the BS1.
How is the Penon Audio BS1 tuned? It is tuned really well for a harmonious, easy-going tuning with some non-overdone but still impactful fullness in the bass and root, along with slightly elevated upper mids and a following treble that is a bit more on the relaxed, inoffensive side.
Bass is emphasised by around 8.5 dB in my ears, compared to in-ears with a diffuse-field flat bottom-end presentation such as the Etymotic ER-4S/SR. The elevations starts to rise around 800 Hz and reaches its climax around 100 Hz. The BS1 starts to lose quantity below 80 Hz, but that is perfectly normal for an earbud. The midbass is still present, but the real sub-bass is rather subdued.
As a result, lows and deep male voices gain some warmth and fullness, however bloating and unnaturalness are fortunately avoided and the midrange is not overshadowed, and the bass has got a nice punch and impact to it without being overdone or omnipresent.
Speaking about the mids – they are generally somewhat more on the brighter side with a moderate favour of female and leaner male voices, an effect that is the result of the gradually increasing elevation between 1 and 5 kHz.
Above 5 kHz, the highs take a step back. While they are not all that much recessed but just slightly, this adds just the right amount of smoothness and relaxation to make the presentation inoffensive enough to guarantee an easy-going listening session that can last for hours without any fatigue.
Resolution:
Bass definition and control are good for an earbud of this price and slightly outperform the Apple EarPods.
General midrange and treble resolution is good for the price as well, again somewhat above the Apple EarPods, but doesn’t rival good in-ears or higher-priced earbuds such as the Shozy Cygnus.
Bass, midrange and treble blend well into each other wherefore no coherency issues can be spotted.
Soundstage:
What you will notice is that the BS1 doesn’t have the most prominent forward projection. While there is some spatial depth, layering and real depth are not really all that present. Instead, the BS1 concentrates more on the lateral presentation, presenting a rather wide but not super wide soundstage that will never appear congested and that slightly leaves the base between my ears wherefore it is not the most immersive soundstage for earbud standards, however not the smallest either and presents a good median (maybe even a bit more than just that).
Separation and placement of instruments don’t reach the same level as price-wise comparable in-ears and appear a little smudgy in comparison, but judged by earbud-standards, this is still a good presentation for the price.
---------
In Comparison with other Earbuds:
Apple EarPods:
Objectivity aside and talking from a subjective point of view, I publically admit to liking the EarPods, well knowing that they have limitations and imperfections. While their tonality is not perfect (upper midrange peak), their resolution is not bad at all for a price of a bit below $30, they provide a good and cleverly designed shape as well as fit (nonetheless I prefer to use them with Earhoox for sports, which is my main application for the EarPods anyway), and they have got a really nice, easy to use and ergonomic three-button remote control.
The EarPods have got a lesser bass elevation compared to the BS1, however the stronger upper midrange peak that highlights acoustic guitars in a nice way but also makes the mids appear a bit thinner, tinnier and less natural sounding than they should.
The Penon earbuds have got the slightly better bass control and are generally somewhat more detailed sounding (the EarPods add more “clarity” to the sound due to their upper midrange peak, albeit it is the BS1 that is somewhat ahead in terms of actual details).
To my ears, the EarPods have got slightly more spatial width along with somewhat more spatial depth as well. Instrument separation is more or less comparable.
MrZ Tomahawk (no foam covers):
The BS1 comes with even more accessories and foam covers than the Tomahawk that however has got the more interesting and unique design and looks more beautiful. On the other hand, the BS1’s cable is superior as it is not sticky/rubbery.
The BS1 has got the somewhat stronger, more impactful and warmer bass while the Tomahawk’s upper midrange and treble are a bit brighter.
I would characterise the Tomahawks as more balanced and clear while the BS1 is more impactful, somewhat more relaxed, warmer and more easy-going.
The Tomahawk features the somewhat tighter and better controlled bass whereas the BS1’s focus lays more on a more pronounced rumble while still maintaining good control.
Midrange and treble resolution are about on the same level – the Tomahawk only appears a bit more resolving because its upper-end presentation is overall brighter in comparison to the Penon Audio earbud, while in reality both are about on the same technical level. Separation in the highs is somewhat more precise on the Tomahawk’s side though.
The Tomahawk’s soundstage is slightly more open sounding.
Conclusion:
The Penon Audio BS1 looks boring (well, to me at least) and has got insufficient side markers (nothing more than a small white dot on the left side), however it sounds good.
Possibly being based on the MrZ Tomahawk, it sports a bit more fullness and slightly less brightness, which leads to an easy-going, quite harmonious tuning along with a technical performance that is definitely good for an earbud of this price range.
Originally posted on my German audio review site, the "Kopfhörer-Lounge", here comes the re-post of my review of the Penon Audio BS1 Experience Version earbuds.
Introduction:
Until not too long ago, most (mass market) digital audio players and pretty much every mobile and smartphone on the market came with a set of (usually not so decent, but there were exceptions) earbuds.
Nowadays, Apple is one of the last few manufacturers to still include (relatively decent although not perfect) earbuds, the “EarPods”, instead of in-ears.
While earbuds that cost more than the usual <$15 tech-store suspects have always been more of an audio/earbud enthusiast’s niche product, regular, wired earbuds in general seem to lose even more importance as time goes on (not without any reason, since earbuds do have their limitations even though decent-sounding and enthusiast-targeted models such as the Shozy Cygnus exist).
Penon Audio is an online audio store that usually sells and distributes other manufacturers’ DACs, headphone amplifiers, digital audio players, accessories, headphones, in-ears, earbuds, ear tips and more. However, they also offer a few products under their own name – such as the Penon IEM that scored quite poorly in my 2015 review.
Their newest addition is an earbud that is called “BS1 Experience Version”. It houses one 15.4 mm dynamic driver per side and retails for $39, which is around the regular selling price of the MrZ Tomahawk that I bought last year (for about $8 below retail due to AliExpress store coupons and an autumn sale), and around $10 higher than my not perfect but trusty Apple EarPods, so these two earbuds will also be the BS1’s main contenders in this very review.
Full disclosure: I was contacted by Penon Audio and offered their BS1 earbud for review. It was sent to me at no cost for me for the purpose of an (as always) unbiased, unpaid and honest review. I’d like to take the time to use these lines to thank them for the invitation.
Technical Specifications:
https://penonaudio.com/Penon-Audio-BS1-Dynamic-Driver-Earbud
Price: $39.00
Type: Earbud
Driver: dynamic, 15.4 mm
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 114 dB
Frequency Range: 15 Hz – 25 kHz
Cable Length: 1.2 m
Delivery Content:
When it comes to includes accessories, the people at Penon Audio were definitely no cheapskates and didn’t only include the earbuds and a nice protective storage case (that is actually an SD card case with 12 storage compartments that can however be easily ripped out in order to turn it into a proper earbud storage case), but also a shirt clip, ear guides, a Penon-branded Velcro cable tie, and not only one but actually 13 (!!!) pairs of foam covers, of which five have a hole (“donut foams”).
One can definitely not complain about lacking accessories or supplied foam covers.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
Design-wise, I have to admit that the BS1 looks rather dull and boring to me – a black plastic grille with a nice texture, along with rather boring looking black metal shells that greatly resemble the MrZ Tomahawk’s design, an earbud that the BS1 seems to be based on, with less edges and more curves, only in boring (one could however also refer to the BS1’s appearance as “stealth look”).
In addition to the rather boring design (which is of course totally a matter of personal preference), side markers are insufficient. At first I thought there were no side markers at all. Upon closer inspection, though I noticed a small white dot on one side. My guess was that it was the left side, and after a left-right test, I was able to confirm that the bud with the dot indeed represents the left side.
The cable on the other hand is quite nice. The internal conductors are of silver colour and twisted, with a transparent insulation. It is pleasantly flexible, just slightly springy, and unlike the Tomahawk’s cable not sticky/rubbery.
Yep, the cable is nice, looks nice, has got a metal y-splitter and 3.5 mm plug with nice looking Penon branding, doesn’t lack strain relief and has got a chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The comfort will of course highly depend on your individual ear anatomy.
For my large ears, comfort is really good and the earbuds also seal well (within their limits of course).
Due to the good cable, microphonics are reduced to a minimum and can be even lowered when inserting the earbuds regularly but guiding the cables around the ears.
Exterior noise isolation is, which is not that much surprising given these are earbuds, pretty much not present at all.
Sound:
My main sources for listening were the Cowon Plenue 2, my Apple iPod Nano 7G as well as the HiFime 9018d although that’s mostly irrelevant for the BS1 as long as the source outputs a flat frequency response under a low impedance load and doesn’t perform too bad in general.
As usual with earbuds, the sound one will hear is strongly dependant on one’s personal ear anatomy and especially how well the earbuds seal and how tight they fit.
Tonality:
Foam covers versus no foam covers – that is the question… that you will have to answer for yourself. Speaking for myself, I generally prefer to use earbuds without any foam covers, and that’s also how I evaluated the BS1.
How is the Penon Audio BS1 tuned? It is tuned really well for a harmonious, easy-going tuning with some non-overdone but still impactful fullness in the bass and root, along with slightly elevated upper mids and a following treble that is a bit more on the relaxed, inoffensive side.
Bass is emphasised by around 8.5 dB in my ears, compared to in-ears with a diffuse-field flat bottom-end presentation such as the Etymotic ER-4S/SR. The elevations starts to rise around 800 Hz and reaches its climax around 100 Hz. The BS1 starts to lose quantity below 80 Hz, but that is perfectly normal for an earbud. The midbass is still present, but the real sub-bass is rather subdued.
As a result, lows and deep male voices gain some warmth and fullness, however bloating and unnaturalness are fortunately avoided and the midrange is not overshadowed, and the bass has got a nice punch and impact to it without being overdone or omnipresent.
Speaking about the mids – they are generally somewhat more on the brighter side with a moderate favour of female and leaner male voices, an effect that is the result of the gradually increasing elevation between 1 and 5 kHz.
Above 5 kHz, the highs take a step back. While they are not all that much recessed but just slightly, this adds just the right amount of smoothness and relaxation to make the presentation inoffensive enough to guarantee an easy-going listening session that can last for hours without any fatigue.
Resolution:
Bass definition and control are good for an earbud of this price and slightly outperform the Apple EarPods.
General midrange and treble resolution is good for the price as well, again somewhat above the Apple EarPods, but doesn’t rival good in-ears or higher-priced earbuds such as the Shozy Cygnus.
Bass, midrange and treble blend well into each other wherefore no coherency issues can be spotted.
Soundstage:
What you will notice is that the BS1 doesn’t have the most prominent forward projection. While there is some spatial depth, layering and real depth are not really all that present. Instead, the BS1 concentrates more on the lateral presentation, presenting a rather wide but not super wide soundstage that will never appear congested and that slightly leaves the base between my ears wherefore it is not the most immersive soundstage for earbud standards, however not the smallest either and presents a good median (maybe even a bit more than just that).
Separation and placement of instruments don’t reach the same level as price-wise comparable in-ears and appear a little smudgy in comparison, but judged by earbud-standards, this is still a good presentation for the price.
---------
In Comparison with other Earbuds:
Apple EarPods:
Objectivity aside and talking from a subjective point of view, I publically admit to liking the EarPods, well knowing that they have limitations and imperfections. While their tonality is not perfect (upper midrange peak), their resolution is not bad at all for a price of a bit below $30, they provide a good and cleverly designed shape as well as fit (nonetheless I prefer to use them with Earhoox for sports, which is my main application for the EarPods anyway), and they have got a really nice, easy to use and ergonomic three-button remote control.
The EarPods have got a lesser bass elevation compared to the BS1, however the stronger upper midrange peak that highlights acoustic guitars in a nice way but also makes the mids appear a bit thinner, tinnier and less natural sounding than they should.
The Penon earbuds have got the slightly better bass control and are generally somewhat more detailed sounding (the EarPods add more “clarity” to the sound due to their upper midrange peak, albeit it is the BS1 that is somewhat ahead in terms of actual details).
To my ears, the EarPods have got slightly more spatial width along with somewhat more spatial depth as well. Instrument separation is more or less comparable.
MrZ Tomahawk (no foam covers):
The BS1 comes with even more accessories and foam covers than the Tomahawk that however has got the more interesting and unique design and looks more beautiful. On the other hand, the BS1’s cable is superior as it is not sticky/rubbery.
The BS1 has got the somewhat stronger, more impactful and warmer bass while the Tomahawk’s upper midrange and treble are a bit brighter.
I would characterise the Tomahawks as more balanced and clear while the BS1 is more impactful, somewhat more relaxed, warmer and more easy-going.
The Tomahawk features the somewhat tighter and better controlled bass whereas the BS1’s focus lays more on a more pronounced rumble while still maintaining good control.
Midrange and treble resolution are about on the same level – the Tomahawk only appears a bit more resolving because its upper-end presentation is overall brighter in comparison to the Penon Audio earbud, while in reality both are about on the same technical level. Separation in the highs is somewhat more precise on the Tomahawk’s side though.
The Tomahawk’s soundstage is slightly more open sounding.
Conclusion:
The Penon Audio BS1 looks boring (well, to me at least) and has got insufficient side markers (nothing more than a small white dot on the left side), however it sounds good.
Possibly being based on the MrZ Tomahawk, it sports a bit more fullness and slightly less brightness, which leads to an easy-going, quite harmonious tuning along with a technical performance that is definitely good for an earbud of this price range.