Penon CS819

Dsnuts

Headphoneus Supremus
Intro level Penon hybrid cable for your IEMs
Pros: Excellent build, professional attention to detail, soft, no cord noise, affordable.
Mostly high quality OCC copper with a dash of silver plating. Makes for perfect balanced cable. Cannister to throw your cable and earphones with. Adds slight warmth, stage, retains imaging and treble details. Does not overly color your earphones sonic character, versatile and can be used on any earphone with good results. Comparable to Ibasso CB12 cables for half the cost.
Cons: As good as these look in person. They can be mistook for much cheaper hybrid cables that look just like them.
Penon CS819
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Cables for earphones are like relish for your hot dog. Hot dog without relish is just not ok and not as good when you get that relish sometimes chilli with some extra unions. So what, you're not going on a date when you're eating your Hot dog with your relish. At least I hope not.
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We are diving into a staple for cables in their line of cables from Penon. Not only is it their most affordable cable but it so happens to be a very good one. We are looking into the Penon CS819. C stands for OCC copper. S stands for silver plated OCC copper mixed. 8 cores of 19 shares per core. This hybrid cable is not only attractive to look at but will give you a good introduction of Penon cables and just how good these cables are. These can be purchased on Penon web site here. I would like to thank Penon for the review sample.

Just because it is their cheapest cable does not mean it is a cheap cable. On the contrary. I was surprised how well this cable did out of the box. Has a high quality build and of course adds some basic fundamental sound enhancements to your favorite earphones.
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The cables come in a smaller metal canister, not much in the way of extras on the CS819 but we don’t buy cables for that added canister. We get it to pair up with our earphones. I am a fan of these metal canisters by the way so it was surprising to see one with the cables in it. The CS819 is a handsome looking 8 cored cable with moderate thickness. You can tell the craftsmanship that was involved with this cable and the connectors, Y split chin slider and terminations are all of the high standards from Penon. No issues with weak nothing on their cables. I have yet to find one.
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Sometimes we want cables to not make a huge splash in the sound design. If you're genuinely happy with how your earphones sound and don’t necessarily want to add more warmth, more treble extension, more bass presence and the like then here is where the CS819 will be a good purchase. The cores are mostly made of OCC copper with a little splash of silver on it. So these are more or less copper cables and copper I feel boosts a naturalness to the sonics and the CS819 does just this. Connected to the Mofasest Trio I figured I would test out the cable out of the box on a highly resolving Tribrid. Not only did this pairing do extremely well but now I am finding the stock cable that came with the earphones which is a high quality SPC cable not to sound as good.
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Another test I did with this cable was another highly resolving earphone, the ANEW X-One. It actually not only made the earphones sound better than the stock cable but also corrected some of the weakness of the sound design. X-One sounds a touch thin in note for the mid bands and the CS819 actually added weight to the sonics. Mid bands sound more fuller and that was the only real weakness I heard on the earphones and gives the X-One space to work with. Tonality has changed for the better with a touch more smoother less edgy sound vs the stock cable. I much prefer the CS819 to the stock cable here.
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Having its cores based on a high quality OCC. I can clearly hear the influence of the copper cores of this cable. The silver helps retain imaging and details in the upper registers due to the moderately thicker cores of the CS819. It does seem to add some fullness to sonics. Treble extension, mid band presence to a full bass end rumble are all retained in its full glory using the CS819. The cable is basically a SPC cable light with more sound influence leaning toward a slight warmth and fullness. These cables are outstanding for an entry level set. And here is a case where less is actually more. The CS819 doesn't add too much to the existing sound. However it will certainly not limit the capabilities of a given earphone design sonic signature.
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These cables belong with the rest of the premium line up from Penon. They all have value as an underlying factor and the CS819 is another example of not spending much for a premium cable. My value statement comes at a time where boutique vendors will sell very similar cables for extreme amounts of cash. Sure Penon has some expensive cables but you're getting what you're paying for and in many cases much more for the price.
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CS819 cable is soft and not prone to tangle, I always appreciate that Penon does not use ear guides on their cables. Effects of cables are subtle but most definitely noticeable. CS819 gives a slight added depth and fullness to the sonics. This in turn will be noticeable for bass impact and extension. Imaging is very good and will depend mostly on the host earphones resolving ability. Used in balanced configuration the natural expansion has a bit to do with more power when used in balanced but there is no denying how good my earphones sound using this particular cable. I noticed detail in the trebles is not smoothed over like some thicker pure copper cables due to a bit of that silver coming through.
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The subtle effects, not to mention looks makes these cables versatile and very usable on all types of sound designs. If you're a cable guy or gal and want a bit of added fullness and stage enhancement while not changing up the sonic character to a huge degree these cables are perfect for that. It will give you a good taste of what Penon does for earphone cables and will only increase sound enjoyment and not take away from it.
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Sometimes that is all we need and nothing more. These cables are a solid value and they will let you enjoy your earphones to their full strengths. Thanks for reading and as always happy listening.
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Titanotron

New Head-Fier
Pros: Good packaging
Cons: Poor/low quality connectors, poor customer service
I am an owner of the Shure SE535 LTD IEMs. After some time, my stock cable began to crackled and I would often lose the left channel. I sought to find a higher end alternative as a treat to myself, but to my dismay, my experiences with Penon have been deplorable to say the least. I will be detailing a few of my interactions with the customer service department of Penon and impressions of the product.


So after scouring the internet for a cost effective yet luxury product, I stumbled across the cs819. I placed my order and patiently waited for my order to arrive from Hong Kong but after a long wait with not correspondence from Penon about my order, I emailed them. They were sorry for the lack of response and blamed it on being "busy," but frankly, that is no excuse as that is their obligation to the customer. After receiving my product, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice packaging and presentation. However, this would prove useless as the product had loose MMCX connectors on both sides and the 3.5mm jack was also a millimeter short. This caused it to cut in and out with the slightest head movements and the jack also did not seat in many of my devices due to the shortened jack. I would have to move the jack around till I established the connection and hold it precariously as to not let the sound cut out or have it fall completely out. I sent Penon pictures detailing the issue and they agreed to replace the product. They also said they would agree to pay return costs. However, due to the hassle of shipping and the long wait times from HK, I decided to return the product for a refund and not have to deal with the possibility of having it replaced again. Now, this is entirely my prerogative as a customer since I was given a product that was defective and indicative of poor quality control.


After my refund was issued, I sent the receipt for my return and to my dismay, Penon said that it was my responsibility to cover these costs. I reminded them that they had agreed to pay the return costs in a previous email and they snarkily told me to “Pls check the email above2” grammatical/spelling errors in all. They were clearly putting no effort into solving my inquiry as a customer and when I emailed back saying that they conveniently left out telling me that I had to cover return costs, they never replied even after a week. After this long wait to have a new cable for my Shures, I was left without a cable, angry, and short the return costs that they had PINNED ON ME! To all that may be considering this product as a treat to themselves, please save yourselves the hassle, anger, and money and look for affordable luxury products elsewhere. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Thank you.

Moonstar

100+ Head-Fier
Pros: Noticeable improvement in sound quality,
Aesthetics,
Great build quality,
Attention to detail,
Price
Cons: The y splitter looks grate but is a bit heavy
The Penon CS819 Upgrade Cable;
Attention to Detail!



About Penon Co.:

Penon Co. is a Hong Kong based Company specialized in production of IEM’s, earbuds and cables for the audiophile community.

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Disclaimer:

This sample was provided to me by Penon Co. for the purpose of an honest review. I am not affiliated with Penon Co. or any third person beyond this review and all these words reflect my true and unaltered, opinions about the product.



The Price:

The MSRP price for the Penon CS819 with standard 3.5mm headphone jack is $49.90 USD, while the variant with 2.5mm Balanced headphone jack cost $55,00 USD, which can be purchased under the following link;

Purchase Link: https://penon-official.com/product/penon-cs819/


Package and Accessories:

The Penon CS819 upgrade cable came in a blue cardboard box that sports the company logo and brand name on the top. This box is containing the following items;



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  • 1 pcs x Penon CS819 Upgrade Cable
  • 1 pcs x Wood Case
  • 1 pcs x Shirt Clip
  • 1 pcs x Cable wrap
  • 2 pairs x Velvet Fabrics
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The round wooden box has a luxurious appearance and is very well made.

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The cable is extra protected from scratches with two velvet fabrics, which can be found inside the wooden case.

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There is also a metal shirt clip and a cable wrapper with Penon logo, which are a nice addition.



Technical Specifications:

  • OCC & silver-plated Mixed Braided IEM cable
  • 8 shares, single share is 19 cores, a total of 8 × 19
  • Silver carbon fiber alloy splitter, CNC integrated alloy slider
  • The solder joints is silver–contained tin
  • Copper Gold-plated plug
  • Cable length: 1.2M


Design and Build Quality:

The Penon CS819 is made of high purity copper (OCC) and silver plated cooper (SPC) wire material, which has 8 cores with 19 strands per core. This combination is explaining the why Penon was choosing this model number (8 core and 19 strands = CS819).

The Penon CS819 has two connector options, which are the 0.78mm 2 Pin and the MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) variants.

The cable has a transparent TPU coating, which feels nice in your hands and that has very low microphonic effect.

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The silver colored metal housing of the MMCX connectors has a carbon fiber pattern with red & blue indicators, which represent an eye-catching design.

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The cable has a straight profiled 2.5mm balanced headphone jack (a 3.5mm single ended variant is also available), which has this nice looking metal housing with a carbon fiber pattern and the brand name/logo printed on the surface.

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The cable sports a circular, plain metal chin slitter and a Y-Splitter that shares the same material and design language like the rest of the cable, with its carbon fiber pattern. The cable model information “CS819” is printed on the surface of this y splitter.

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My only complain could come to the y splitter which makes the cable slightly heavy.



Equipments used for this review:

  • Cable and IEM’s : Penon CS891, Campfire Audio Comet , iBasso IT01, Semkarch SKN-CNT1, Final E4000
  • Digital Sources : Cayin N5II, Xduuo XD10 Poke, Audirect Beam, Samsung Galaxy S9

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Albums & tracks used for this review:


  • Minor Empire – Bulbulum Altin Kafeste (Spotify)
  • London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
  • Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Steve Srauss – Mr. Bones (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
  • Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
  • GoGo Penguin – Fanfares (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Adam Taylor – Colour to the Moon (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
  • Casey Abrams – Robot Lover (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Liqid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
  • Opeth – Damnation (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
  • Metallica – Sad bu True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
  • Future Heroes – Another World (Tidal Hi-fi)
  • Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
  • Tom Player – Resonace Theory “Album” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Deeperise feat. Jabbar – Move On (Spotify)

The Sound:

The main sound attraction of the Penon CS819 upgrade cable is that it is adding the source a nice warmth, sweat and natural vocal presentation and additional musicality.

The following impressions about all sound improvements are based to comparisons with the stock cables of the Campfire Audio Comet, iBasso IT01, Final Audio E4000 and the Semkarch SKN-CNT1.

This review is written after a burn-in period of approx. 100 hours.


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Bass:


The sub-bass area is one of the strengths of the Penon CS819, because it is adding the source additional sub-bass depth and extension. Maybe it can’t compete with 200 / 300 USD cables, but performs ways above its price point.

The bass of the CS819 has also additional speed and control compared to the stock cables of each IEM I have used during this review. The rendering of detail and resolution is on a pretty good level due the increase in bass speed.

The mid-bass area is represented with additional speed, extension and emphasis without any noticeable slowdown and muddiness. Instruments like drums, contrabass, bass guitar and other similar accented instruments sounding pretty musical and controlled.



Midrange:

The midrange of the Penon CS819 is slightly warm, musical, a bit thick and sweet sounding. Female vocals sounding soft and lush, while male vocals have a nice depth. Male vocals sounding more detailed and pronounced than female voices due the lower midrange extension.

The midrange transparency of the CS819 is above average and is improving the definition of instruments. The midrange sounds pretty controlled, avoiding any sibilance and harshness during the presentation of the vocal and instruments.

The upper midrange of the CS819 has a soft character and a controlled presentation, while presenting some instruments like violins, without any remarkable annoying sparkle or harshness.


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Treble:

The treble presentation of the Penon CS819 is ideal for those who are sensitive to the treble range. The Treble range has not the same emphasis like the lower frequency area (sub-bass, bass, mid-bass) and has shares less extension, but is otherwise successful in terms of quantity and detail.

The treble character is on the ticker side and sound pretty musical. The treble tonality is not very bright or too hot, which makes a longer listening period possible.

The airiness of the treble range is above average, which makes the Penon CS819 fairly successful in this regarding.



Soundstage:

The Penon CS819 has a soundstage, which is pretty suitable for the placement for lots of instruments. The soundstage of the CS819 has a moderate expansion, while it shows slightly more wideness than depth.


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Conclusion:

The improvement in sound quality, especially in the bass department and in terms of overall detail and resolution over the stock cables I have tested is very noticeable. I can recommend the CS819 those who want an improving in the sound quality, but also expect good workmanship and aesthetics for a relative reasonable price.


Pros and Cons:

  • + Noticeable improvement in sound quality
  • + Aesthetics
  • + Great build quality
  • + Attention to detail
  • + Price
  • – The y splitter looks grate but is a bit heavy
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audio123

Reviewer at audio123
Pros: Price, Smooth, Build Quality
Cons: Slightly More Extension
Introduction

I would like to thank Penon for providing me the Penon CS819 cable for review. The cable material is made of copper and silver plated copper. There are 8 cores to this cable with 19 strands per core which result in its name, 819. The Penon CS819 I received comes with 2 pins 0.78mm connectors and 2.5mm balanced jack. At the moment, you can buy this cable from https://penon-official.com/product/penon-cs819 .

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Unboxing & Accessories

The CS819 comes in a blue package with the brand name printed on the front cover. After opening the package, there are CS819, soft carrying pouch, cable wrap and shirt clip.

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Cable Design & Build

The 2 pins 0.78mm connectors on the cable have a silver housing with silver carbon fibre design. There is indication of left and right through the blue and red stripe on the surface of the housing respectively. There is strain relief. There is no memory wire section. Moving down to the chin slider, it is silver and circular in shape. The y-splitter has silver carbon fibre design and it looks classy. Lastly, the jack is 3.5mm straight and has a silver housing with silver carbon fibre design. The brand name is printed on the housing. There is strain relief. The overall cable design gives a premium feel and I find it aesthetically pleasing. The cable is quite soft and supple for a 8 core.

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Sound Analysis

Lows

The sub-bass has a nice boost and it is extended well with depth. With additional body, the sub-bass reproduction has fullness. The bass texture is improved with smoothness and the bass decay has similar agility. The engagement level is good. The mid-bass maintains its quantity and the slam is executed in a quicker manner. Each bass note is articulated well with a smooth hit. The bass reproduction has good speed and body.

Mids

The midrange becomes smoother and it sounds thicker. The extra lushness helps to improve the vocals performance. The lower mids has slightly more quantity and it aids in the expression of male vocals. The thickness helps to convey emotions better. The uppper mids has similar forwardness with additional body. Female vocals are presented in an intimate manner. The transparency is at a similar standard. There is nice sweetness for vocals.

Highs

The treble has a slight improvement with extension. The level of details retrieval is enhanced and there is a clear improvement for the clarity section. There is no sibilance and harshness. The treble operates in a full-bodied manner and it helps in the smoothness. The amount of air rendered has a similar amount which offers space at the top end. The definition is better. The treble is detailed and smooth.

Soundstage

The soundstage has a noticeable improvement and there is a very natural expansion. The width magnitude increases slightly and the depth has a good amount of space. Positioning of vocals and instruments is accurate.

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Conclusion

The CS819 is a full sounding cable that is able to provide textured bass, intimate midrange and smooth treble. It expresses musicality well and creates a satisfying listen. In addition, it is braided nicely with good visual appeal. The Penon CS819 performs well beyond its price.

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For more reviews, visit https://audio123blog.wordpress.com/ .
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