
Penon Audio Fan 3 IEM
Redcarmoose Jan 13, 2024
Penon:
The Penon web site showcases not only different products you can’t almost buy anywhere else, but since 2013 has ended in being a huge part of many a listener's audiophile life. Offering a multitude of cables and IEMs (and more) as well as products by such bands as TSMR, ISN, Dunu and Fidue. Spectacular customer service means Penon Audio is that family store down the street that always gets back to you if you have a question, and always becomes supportive of your next new audiophile adventure. Penon Audio is simply friendly!
Interestingly enough this is my third Fan review. Yep, there are 3 Fans so far, Duh. The first Fan was a $139.00 10mm full range Dynamic Driver with a powerful V response. Next to show-up was the Fan 2, a $279.00 2X 6mm Dynamic Driver (the first 2X DD for Penon) with (same as now) a Sonion BA for mids and a single Knowles BA for highs. So Penon in their creativity has learned from the Fan 2 to adjust the form factor of the Fan 3 to a shorter more comfortable nozzle. Also with many getting 2 sound signatures with the Fan 2 due to 2 insertion depth nozzle locations. Penon has now coincedentaly added 2 very different tonal choices via a DIP-Switch on the side of the Fan 3........activating the Bone Conduction System…..or deactivating it!
The thing is the Fan 2 was loved by many and maybe slightly misunderstood by some, probably due to the neutrality and reserved bass. In many ways the Fan 2 beat-out the older Penon Serial IEM to become the quintessential ultimate Penon neutral.
Penon Midrange:
Though the one guaranteed Penon additive was the Fan 2 sumptuous midrange. So………..to make improvements here, Penon 1st added a Fan 3 single coil Bone Conduction System. The magic trick is that while BCD is activated the stage is noticeably bigger, and the imaging focus smooths out a little. When the BCD is turned off the IEM actually gets more power to Fan 3 remaining drivers, so they come alive, showcasing more contrasts, though from a smaller stage.
Yep, that is how I perceive this to work. Where the Fan 2 has 2X 6mm isobaric bass, the Fan 3 has 2X 6.3mm isobaric bio-diaphragm dynamics for the lows. Except the 10mm BCD System is full range, which means you get an added physicality to the imaging, only that imaging (I’m guessing) due to more drivers pulling juice (combined with the BCD System) is slightly spread-out and spacial in comparison to having the Bone Conduction turned off.
Specification
Model: Fan 3
Driver: 2DD+2BA+1BCD
Driver configuration:
1 x Knowles BA for high-frequency
1 x Sonion BA for mid-frequency
1 x 10mm coil-type full-frequency bone conduction driver
2 x 6.2mm bio-diaphragm dynamic low frequency
Sensitivity: 109dB
Frequency response: 10 Hz-40 KHz
Impedance: 12.5Ω
Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
Plug: gold-plated plug
Length: 1.2M


The Penon Fan 2:
Near the end of 2022 Penon released the Fan 2, and while widely enjoyed the sound may have been tuned a little too neutral for some, plus the nozzle length ended longer than Penon had ever produced. I believe personally that Penon understands that the departure placement of the exit nozzle depth produces a change. Meaning shorter deposited frequency exits sound one way to the listener and deep penetrating ear-canal dispersion sound a different way. In fact I found with a size smaller ear-tip the nozzle went way deeper, then with my regular ear-tip the nozzle was of medium long depth. As such ear-canals are personal, and the Fan 2 didn’t fit every listener exactly the same way. Though I learned to be able to get 2 different sonic personalities from the Fan 2, due to fitment. The Fan 3 fits more conventional, and offers a DIP-Switch to get those two different sounds.

Fan 2 above
Cable tests:
All tests today with the PAC LStips and Sony WM1A DAP. Retail package photograph showing the Penon SPACE cable as a $50.00 cable upgrade on the bottom, and regularly included Penon OS133 cable top.


Modular Cable:
I forgot to show the 3.5mm SPACE cable modular end and the 2.5mm modular end in the photograph. Shown is your choice of the included Penon OS133 cable. Such a cable is regularly $39.60. As an upgrade of an extra $50.00 Penon will switch-out the OS133 cable to the $99.90 Penon SPACE cable. Really for me this becomes a no-brainer as being the SPACE is exactly 2X the OS133 material. The extra supplied material goes to keep the tone truly uncolored, but adds stage and imaging separation to your Fan 3 listening experience. Plus due to its intrinsic neutrality, the SPACE will blend well with many IEMs you already have or are planning to purchase in the future. At the very beginning of 2023 when the SPACE came out it seemed large in size, but so many large cables have come out in the last two years, the SPACE now almost seems normal. If ordering the regular included OS133 you need to specify either 4.4mm, 3.5mm or 2.5mm plugs.
The included Penon OS133:




Penon OS133:
OFC Silver plated 2 shares, single share is 133 cores, a total of 266 cores. $39.60 normally but included with the Fan 3.
Way smaller in OS133 stage and offered separation. While yes, it gets you in the door with what the Fan 3 is about. But truth to be told, it has been literally years since I utilized this cable. This difference is almost night and day. To where the Fan 3 is nice and all the tone and character is provided with the OS133, it is just the entertainment factor has been reduced by 50%. THERE I SAID IT. I mean the Fan 3 has an easygoingness that it can go with a number of aftermarket cables, so if you happen to have those, simply order your Fan 3 and maybe use them. It is just this authority is almost bewildering in what the SPACE does to the Fan 3…….it adds it seems bass tone, midrange expansion and treble tones, providing those tones in a whole new 10,000 square foot home to live inside upon the mountain hills, not a small ghetto apartment. I’m sorry (just put-up with me) there is added note-weight to the SPACE, even added decays with the FAN 3 that makes it come alive. Now I feel better……………..

Penon SPACE:
OFC Silver plated 4 shares, single share is 133 cores, a total of 532 cores. 3 in 1 modular plug. $99.90. Only $50 when you purchase the Fan 3, in lieu of the OS133.
So it goes, this cable is one of my very most used cables, it goes with almost everything. Everything that you really are not looking to color, or change. Meaning in the cable world often there can be needed fixes that come with a silver energy bright cable, or a gold thickening energy wild card cable, needed to align the IEMs output and fix the issues. Here we don’t have any of that going on. Unless you have an IEM that simply needs stage and separation from the included cable. And that’s the thing. Most companies in the under $400.00 realm try to keep costs down by only including so great of a cable. Now I don’t want to come-off as a cable snob, because a lot of the time the included cables are really good and you can tell after multiple cable changes that the company put a great amount of effort in finding just the right cable to include with their IEM. You really can! It is just your not going to find a $100.00 cable that could be found aftermarket included normally with a $349.00 IEM. I mean Penon is a cable builder so they have aftermarket cables on hand, and they offer the SPACE cable for just $50.00 more, because they can!

SPACE:
Here the Penon SPACE cable really doesn’t need ear-hooks. And I’m surprised just how thick and meaty the SPACE felt when it first arrived a few years ago. Facts are that when the SPACE arrived on my doorstep in March of 2023 it was big in size, only a lot of bigger cables have been invented since then! So this is very much a question of what you are used to. And if you are inundated with (bigger) cables over time, those included hair strings that come with IEMs, are just that, as thin as hair!



An example of regular cable material above
Results:
Here after 7 days of burn-in the Fan 3 came alive. While yes, I have Bone Conduction activated, but it is miles better than out-of-the-box. So much so that while sure burn-in can be a hassle, it is real for me anyway, and fixes a lot of the issues I had at the start of first hearing the Fan 3. Basically the addition of the extra 2 shares adds dimension and separation, that while the original Fan 2 also came with the Penon OS133, the SPACE has this uncanny ability to simply enlarge the entertainment. And really me being a sound stage junky, that is probably the number one thing, next to tuning that I look for. Yep, I can deal with a number of different bass levels and treble levels, even midrange personality can be found to hold many different forms of expression, but if the stage is drastically narrow the party is over for me. So you can only imagine my interest in finding not only does the Bone Conduction add size, the Space goes ahead and amplifies that same size, in every direction possible! Also due to the included 3 in 1 modular plug you can take the SPACE to other sources and listening experiences. Due to the evenhandedness of the SPACE it will also add the secret sauce to pretty much all your IEMs, I absolutely love it in use with the Penon Serial!

Cable comparisons:
Top-down:
Penon ASOS+
Penon Pyramid
Penon Pyramid VI
Penon ASOS+X
ASOS+:
8 shares of 25 cores copper silver-plated + 99 cores single crystal copper copper mixed (Litz & SPC) with Purple 2Pins and plugs.
So let's talk about the ASOS+. This cable is perfect to go in this order of after the SPACE epic turn-out. Of course a lot of this cable change-out depends on what you have been exposed to. Just like drinking as a teen, beer is wonderful, but whiskey is a quicker and more powerful elixir that you need extra experience to understand. Same with cables, that the results with a regular cable can be interpreted as grand, only because you don’t know any better, so you are entertained at the level of quality, even though it’s fully neophyte level results in the end. Here the ASOS+ gets us deeper throbs and expanded stage over the SPACE. There is a quintessential displacement of imaging and sculpturing that the $215.00 ASOS+ upgrades do! These results are real and that while more silver based than, say the gold and silver alloy sound of the Penon Pyramid or Pyramid VI series……….these extra floaty elements are totally welcome and come with their share of clarity, even with the BCD on. This reality of sonic form is taking place inside the stage, to procure a separate imaging which has been catapulted into side to side existence. Now this stage expansion and separation over the SPACE would be (maybe) fine enough, except Penon went one step further here. Yep, Penon added Palladium Purple Plug and Palladium 2Pins! What this did in the end was add note-weight over the original ASOS. Now the crazy part is for the most part all these charms are also going to be fine with most IEMs you join the ASOS+ to. Only there exists a special style of synergy here today, a synergy that I also noticed in my last review. Meaning when the ASOS+X came out it emotionally captivated me, and while the size and shape, plus the weight of the ASOS+X is not for everyone, making the ASOS+ the easy recommendation. This style of recommendation would be diminished, if there wasn’t any strength to our whiskey here, but no this style of sound makes the Fan 3, it really does. Probably the combo of the BCD and the Palladium are joining forces to take this image density to the max, diminishing any thinness and adding realism and girth.
ASOS+:
Sure this isn’t a cable review, yet I really want to add about two more paragraphs romancing the ASOS+ effects to the Fan 3, but I will keep my excitement at bay. Let me just say, if you wanted a cable to activate the Fan 3 and were confused as to which way to go, the ASOS+ does no wrong. To be honest here, that OTB the Fan 3 was OK to my ears, but nothing shockingly good for the price. I almost PMed my buddy Dsnuts, as I hadn’t read his review totally or took note of the score. I mean how can Penon Audio put out a less than stellar IEM? To me the ASOS+ shows you that IEM with no questions asked………and I will leave it at that. Oh…….and burn-in, you have to do burn-in, just do it or it’s your experience, that you will obtain, being less than it ultimately could be.
Penon Pyramid:
4 shares Litz Type 9 Copper-gold alloy and pure silver, copper-silver alloy silver-plated, single crystal copper silver-plated Furukawa high-purity copper winding.
More grounded and holding a deeper tinge of thickness. The gold and silver mixed with copper alloy have gone to procure a substantial addition over the OS133. This thickness is pandemic in that it caters to the vocals and well as a darker lower window which adds to this perception of a blacker background. Yep, this Pyramid by itself with-out the 2 more shares of the VI or 4 more shares of the VIII holds a distinct personality and one that also goes with the Fan 3. Though take note the stage is not as flamboyantly wide as the ASOS+. But the depth of density is a little more, holding reality in its mit. This is probably on par with the ASOS+, only less energy and less size of images, except what images are there hold an extra amount of realism due to tone, timbre and density. There is a slight color to the Fan 3, and that color is just like clothes of color on people, they wear them and the color can be attractive. Yet this Pyramid takes any color and subdues it slightly more than than the ASOS+, making the sound even more real in the end, yet slightly less airy or vivid.
Penon Pyramid VI:
6 shares Litz Type 9 Copper-gold alloy and pure silver, copper-silver alloy silver-plated, single crystal copper silver-plated Furukawa high-purity copper winding.
Two weeks ago this was the first cable I used with the Fan 3. So you can take the whole of information above concerning the regular Pyramid, and add stage size and expansion to the description. Yet, this example of Penon magic doesn’t need ear-hooks like the VIII does. Nope, the VI is careful and not quite as heavy. Though at a glance you may not be able to discern differences between the two VI and VIII. Here though it is almost too simple as with the original Pyramid the sound is big but not luxuriously big, just matter-of-fact big. It is the tone that is so special with the Fan 3 and Pyramid, that it is down to earth. Adding the VI goes and replaces the regular big stage size and note-weight of the Fan 3 into a profound distance of imaging. These new image locations take on form as being able to see into and around the notes and vocals. This phenomena greatly increases over the VI into VIII also, but we don’t need to test that one today as the VI and regular Pyramid divulge the messages. This VI is also like adding the stage of the ASOS+ to the mix, in that it is larger than any test (so far) today, even the SPACE cable. Though the difference over the SPACE is a dose of clarity, a cleaning of the windows so to speak and an extra lower window into the low-end, where the SPACE is more midrange energy and low-end girth over the included cable, only not on this level. So yes, the $419.00 buys you a house on the lake, with a view and servants. I don’t need to go on. But I will say the Fan 3 does the VI justice, nothing at all is wasted here! Haha
Available versions:
Pyramid : 4 shares, 147 cores per share, 588 cores in total cost $349.00
Pyramid VI : 6 shares, 147 cores per share, 882 cores in total cost $419.00
Pyramid VIII : 8 shares, 147 cores per share, 1176 cores in total cost $499.00
Penon ASOS+X:
12 shares of 25 cores copper silver-plated + 99 cores single crystal copper copper mixed (Litz & SPC) with Purple 2Pins and plugs.
OK, this cable is wild. Really the perfect test schedule was to put it here. At $319.00 it is exactly that, meaning worth every penny, except it could be worth more, and even more than the prior VI only if you were down for this style of dancing. You know the way that girl danced had your heart, and it wasn’t about the technicality of the dance, no it was about the emotion of the dance, the character as well as her technique. So to describe the Fan 3 here, it is lofty now and while still holding the Palladium Purple Plug and Palladium 2Pins added density, we are now gifted with even bigger size than the VI. This is that two story house by the lake, and there is an added lake view from the bedroom. And you know how views go, that’s right, they are priceless. There is no real way to put a concrete value on them. I sound like a real estate salesman and not an IEM salesman. But the truth is here we are basking in more stage size than any cable in the review so far. Inside of that stage there are fully imaged realizations of sculpture and timbre, OH, that timbre is dead-on fabulous. The tone, or should I say the technicalities at the box opening would have never had me believe that this now perceived tone could be so grand but it is. That the ASOS+X went with the burned-in Fan 3 to extrapolate a full-on genuine emotional experience. These ideas are the results of correct placement of imaging, instrument creation and note and vocal fall-offs. That the fall-offs are heard more clearly, because everything is heard more clearly. But it is truly the placement way outside of the stage that gets me the most. That this is a stage IEM when you get down to it, the IEM produces stage size and the ASOS+X takes that and runs with it.

For fun I turned off the BCD:
Here we are in presence of a more focused event in sound. That while still large staged in size, there is a more robust contrast afloat. Wait, less floating here, more clarity. Ha, there is a dose of directness that has you realize that there is added bigger contrasts, and less stage girth. This realistic view is still big and satisfying with what ASOS+X is doing 24/7. Though maybe slightly less dense and holding a boost in vividness, but still nothing too disruptive. I say put the BCD back on as there is an added magic that fills out vocals and adds realism to the instrumentation. Funny as upon first listening to this IEM, I thought the BCD made the sound softer, and in a way it is softer, only the BCD makes it both slightly softer and more life-like in the end?

Music:
These tests were performed with the Fan 3 in BC mode, using the SPACE cable and PAC LStips with the Sony WM1A with Mr Walkman’s firmware. I purposely did these music comparisons before the IEM side-by-side comparison section to insure intimacy with the Fan 3.

Kaveh Cohen, Michael Nielsen
Forza Motorsport OST
Brotherhood
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.
There is a consistent electronic drum beat that starts off right at 00:08. This beat is crucial in understanding an IEMs timbre temperament. That there are two ways this can go. One to have the beat placed way into the background, or the opposite........to showcase the beat so far forward and holding such brightness of timbre that it comes off like a slap. Where here the interesting thing is we have a fully positioned placement both tonally and image-wise. Though the best part is you can hear every aspect of this sound, meaning the sound is actually two ideas here. There is a fast cutting edge to the sound, then there is the body which holds more depth. As I listen more I realize the cutting edge section is not too bright or scathing, which allows for a perfect timbre to be witnessed. Meaning it works here, being the Goldilocks idea of the sound. And really for most uses the sound is utilitarian being it has to be there, but gets used by the mind almost put (in the back seat) away into mental focus………..and it is the introduction of new song ideas that really take the cake here. This OST is a game soundtrack, so it has purposes beyond regular listening, as that beat sets the pace for a background of racing gameplay. Even the bass throbs starting at 00:08 continue to hold as a counter balance to this beat. Even the piano keys start at 00:08 also, finding themselves in really good timbre.
BCD:
Though it is the BCD that is adding the realism here, a slight density to the instruments that is felt almost........and not heard exactly. The 2X DD 6.3mm isobaric bio-diaphragms give this bass an effortless, almost speedy quality. The deepness is real and satisfying. At 00:37-00:38 we start to get a glimpse of just how special this IEM is, being the 3-way crossover and sound tube implantation is going forward to blend, but also to separate added instruments into positional imaging. That is the gold, with songs like this, and there is the sound stage to pull-it-off. At 00:42 there is an introduction that I always look forward to. Here we are witnessing the additional tracks and introduction of a new and dramatic set of synth keys. Yep, this is where (really) the whole feeling of the song is introduced. This warm and added imaging is placed to the new found outskirts of the stage, and this place is when emotion takes place. This is the exact area where if your friend was listening to this set up, he or she would stare at you, and not say a word………….but only stare. Why? Well this is the section when the abilities of the Fan 3 would access into full bloom, and showcase the value obtained. Let’s move on………..

Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.
Gdanian
Induction
Shield Emitter (feat. Tineidae)
44.1kHz - 24bit
This is a big deal for the review. As when out-of-the-box I was able to get an understanding of the Fan 3 from this song. Now to be honest I almost thought at the start we may have a one trick pony on our hands……….but no, the Fan 3 is well rounded in the end. Yet this ambient bass style of music does especially well. Probably the very first thing to grab your attention are the opening sound effects. Before the beginning bass even arrives at 00:08 we are witness to their backwards effects that take a monumental positioning into the stage. Now the only reason I point this out, is I use this song all the time, and many IEMs leave this intro alone, as almost skimming over it emotionally. Where here we are invited to the full-monty of events………..and if this starts off so good, you can only imagine the places we are to be swept away to. At 00:14 the Blade Runner synth takes the lead.
And we are already inside what the artist has envisioned for us, this is a Disneyland ride, and the car has had the safety rails automatically close and we feel the excitement about to start!
Here this song actually asks to be performed a whole gambit of different ways. From the bass heavy, to the thin and detailed, different IEMs just have their own way to interpret the file information at hand. That while the bass is totally there, the bass additives are not overshadowing the whole mix. That there is still the Penon balance, but more than that there have been IEMs I have tested both above this price point and below it that would go forward to showcase a treble element, or somehow itemize an aspect of the song, that while detailed, was not necessarily exactly how the song is suppose to be heard.
That regardless of cost (meaning pricer and less expensive IEMs out there) this single IEM totally makes this song an experience. Probably the stage and separation is what is doing it, and the BCD? That this stage is forward and back, top to bottom and side-to side, majesty.
This is truly maybe the very best I have ever heard this song, and I never say that! To where it is also the physicality of the bass, the BCD and the correct timbre in that everything has its place in the mix, and each aspect is truthfully represented. Then there is the small thing, the stuff that pretty much goes beyond explanation, and I will try. To understand this, think about the background synth at 01:07.............these nuances that have to do with maybe positioning and separation at hand. Of course we know it is the details, only the win-win here is not always the details, but the layering. The layering! Then before you know it the song has arrived at 02:42. Why did I mention 02:42? Nothing really, it is just a forward position in the song. Lol………….but at 03:10 there is a new texture, an introduction of a new synth setting, that or a sound that was not previously used. And that is the thing, that if I was to make one thing very clear in this write-up, that the Fan 3 has this subtle ability that allows you to hear into ambient textures and differentiate between sounds.

Hans Zimmer
Wonder Woman 1984 (sketches)
No Hero Is Born from Lies
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.
This song has been used here at Redcarmoose Labs to show a few wanted sonic results. And using my memory from listening to past IEMs with this song, I have to place the Fan 3 at almost an experimental sound level. Why? It is so darn entertaining, yet somehow gets away with murder. Where the Fan 3 is purposely not showing the small treble brightness in the pitter-pats of percussion here. I’m not referring to low drums, because those are epic no matter what!
But what I’m referring to is the small stick hits, the tiny rhythm accents that would normally be found here, that and even the whole demeanor of the strings……….sound as if they are playing in a different room. Now normally these are fighting words around here at Redcarmoose Labs.
But, here they are used to describe a different take on smoothness. A loving rendition of playback attitude that doesn’t play by any rules, and has no comparisons. Nope, the Fan 3 is as unique and different than any IEM I have ever heard……….and the most perplexing this is it all still works………it works wonderfully. What I’m trying to say is the Cellos and Violins seem to be downplayed (tonally) but still produce the very musical ability they came to represent.
What I’m trying to say is the Cellos and Violins seem to be downplayed (tonally) but still produce the very musical ability they came to represent.
Yes, and I never repeat myself. This resulting tone may have to do with the fact that the timbre is so correct here, that and the stage positioning? That sure, it is more relaxed, how could these strings not be relaxed? Also my kicks are from the huge (kettle) timpani drum that just kicked at 00:28 and 00:31. That there is this excitement that has to do with the midrange letting the 2X DD 6.3mm isobaric bio-diaphragms kick through and become of notice. You see it is not always about driver technicalities, but having an original tune that lets those technicalness blossom, and be showcased.
Sure at 02:10 the same elements that were downplayed at the start have prominent exposure into the light. Yet again they still hold a slight downplay of stings and sticks. At 02:31 we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a sonic pause to where sure the sticks are now found jetting to the left then the right, then the left………………….and even at 02:35 when the song shoots its wad, we are in the presence of the full full-on spectacle that IS the Fan 3, yet everything is so listenable, and not just listenable, but all-day-long listenable.

KMFDM
Paradise
Oh My Goth
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.
With all this talk of smoothness and downplaying, you may be suspect about a lack of pace or bounce. And that is why I put this song here and why it is the very least of our worries. At 00:12 there is a lighting blast, not the thunder, but what sounds like a ruffling of papers. A high point treble sound but at the same time a subtle sound. Truly I don’t know what this sound is to represent, except not all IEMs are able to reproduce it. Now the Fan 3 does showcase this sound, and it is fully heard in its glory, as known or guessed, it is a little subdued, which is fine, I mean that is a great example of how detail can still be found everywhere.
While this song has dramatic pace and bounce, it is the vocals that are of special importance here, really only because I did not talk about vocals yet. While this rhythm is perfectly illustrated and catered to, the vocals are forward enough to where we are not feeling short changed or looking audibly for another IEM. Again it is the fast mix and bounce that this song holds in its grip. There are ways that this song can be played wrong, but the real value here, over everything, is the fact that each and every component is represented here.
We feel like we can hear it all, that and the fact that every instrument plus Lucia Cifarelli’s voice gets heard in great timbre. I mean if there was a single great improvement to IEMs as of late, besides Bone Conduction, I would have to say BA timbre has been the most improved sector of the IEM industry, and here, this is a perfect example of why I feel this way. That while the Fan 3 is not a vocal centric IEM at heart.......still there is enough vocal energy to keep this listener satisfied.

Build:
Coming in at 7 grams the form is the quintessential medium size. While already mentioned, the nozzle length is really perfect and angled right. Ear-tips are held onto an aluminum nozzle tip, complete with a fastened screen. The universal custom database was used to create a 3D printed example of one of the best close fitting designs. One vent near the faceplate and two bone conductors vents on the bottom, I would call this medium as far as noise occlusion. The faceplates continue with the “Island” in the ocean of sparkle design. The DIP-Switch is easy to switch as needed.


Side-by-sides:
All 3 IEMs on test have had 7 days of continuous burn-in.
Left to right ISN H60, Fan 3 and Apevoix Grit
ISN H60 Universal IEM:
4BA and 2DD. There is a symphony of output by the 2X Knowles high BAs, the 2X Sonion mid BAs and the 2X 8mm gel silicone bass DD providers here. Yep, all this creates a wall of sound. The 3-way crossover delegates the band width to the desired equipment, and unique is the best word I have. Unique in that this is one of the most popular IEMs to come in 2024, and I’m not just saying that!
Unique too in that not only is it well-rounded going with every genre and source, but the H60 still has an unmistakable personality making it an enigma on Head-Fi and beyond. The H60 comes across more timid as far as bass accents, not reaching with the full-on physicality of the Fan 3. It was like someone turned off the BCD, Oh…….the H60 hasn’t got one. A slight sheen of treble and midrange that the Fan 3 keeps a little closer to home. And again that balance works wonders to promote the Fan 3 low-end into one more step-up of push!
On the surface the H60 shows a slight extra walk into midrange/treble appointments, but at the same time due to the extra X2 BA midrange/treble (addition) becomes a hair busier and holds a slight blurriness of focus, despite its forwardness. In the end the Fan 3 holds extra density and physicality, and a darker yet cleaner idea of stage positioning. Yet get the ISN H60 holds simple (less rhythmic) bouncing notes to hear, yet the midrange pace somehow becomes more clear and transfixing? In simple words the H60 is more bright, and less grounded, in contrast to the woody effervescence the Penon Fan 3 can’t help but put out 24/7.
This H60 midrange can come-off as a tad faster too. The Fan 3 is closer to the H60 with the BCD turned-off, but till all those H60 BAs are in place and function just as you imagine they would...............as in midrange stage stunts. To me the Fan 3 is the ultimate wild card, not something that you would expect Penon to do, then Penon went and made an ISN H60 and EBC80 both promoting more mids than the Fan 3……..lol. Those are the supposed to be Penon mids in the ISN H60 and ISN EBC80!
Apevoix Grit Universal IEM:
Funny how both of these Bone Conduction IEMs arrived two weeks ago with the Fan 3 a total surprise. Meaning I was informed of the Grit arrival, yet Penon in their humor simply threw in the Fan 3 as an added IEM, out of the blue. It is fully noticeable where the Grit is on the larger side of the street, really chunky is the only world for it. Fortified with 4BAs, 1DD and 1 Bone Conduction Driver….the Grit becomes the lowest cost BCD IEMs of 2025 at just $229.00. On paper you would think that the Grit could pull-off the Fan 3 bass. And while the bass is substantial, the mids of the Grit make fully sure that bass (and even the BCD) becomes slightly less heard. Now I have to say, the Grit is truly my style of signature, becoming a more mainstream idea of a tune than the Fan 3 is. Yet at the same time the Grit is showcasing the 4 BAs a side promotion, finding clarity and broadcasting a vivid idea of colors and holding slightly less (actually a lot less) warmth and down-home grounding like the Fan 3 does 24/7. Yet, here we are in a well lighted room, with all the aspects to be seen and focused upon in true analytical clarity. While both are great, I see use of the spectacular imaging arrived at with the 4BAs holding a more middle of the day (wake-up) call............and the romantic dreamy washes of the Fan 3 to be more after 10PM IEM. In fact they are so very different and both of value, that I would say they are ultimately complementary. While neither does anything wrong, out-of-the-box the Grit was slightly more accessible, yet after burn-in and time spent the Fan 3 really showed what (sound) extra money buys. Plus while both have rolled-off highs, the forward mids of the Grit make it simply less sleepy and more aggressive, holding none of that toned-down set-back character that the Fan 3 does so well. Still I see the two appealing to two 180 degree different listeners, with the more detailed driven Grit demander, and the more poetic and thicker Fan 3 listener being equally satisfied. I mean sure the stage of the Grit is nothing short of a miracle, yet the Fan 3 stage is also one of its better selling points and character charms.


Conclusion:
Out of the blue the Fan 3 arrived on my doorstep; and unexpected surprise. Filled with personality and character, the Fan 3 sides a little on the experimental, and a little in an attempt to show-off.

“Yep, this is also what we can do!" While slightly colored in tonal output, this color is a lot like additives to a meal in that it is the salt and pepper that add that special flavor to a dish, and it is those tastes that you notice and complement on in public, not the actual food foundation.
My fun happened like I can guess it will maybe be for you? That after time of getting to know the Fan 3, it started to grow on me, then grow on me more, then finally love set in.
Sure there is a lot of potential to learn about the Fan 3 with the addition of better cables and DAPs. Heck there is a lot to learn about how the Fan 3 goes about its days. When I first got the Fan 3 I thought that maybe it was not as well rounded as I think now? I mean when you really get around to playing every genre..........the Fan 3 does it all. And I’m supposed to be able to key-in (instantly) on such IEM attributes. All I can say is burn-in really did something, that and mental burn-in. To where the changes found were all in the best of places. I’m not even including a copy of my first impressions in this review, because they are a deterrent to fully understanding the Fan 3. Yep, it is what it is at this very moment in time!
I would recommend the Fan 3 to those who have had bad luck with finding certain IEMs too brilliant or contrasty in the past. As there is an increased listenability that just won’t stop. That and the perplexing thing is you don’t think there would be enough information to hold your attention, but there is, there gloriously is. This Bone Conduction driver is real, now it may not be the same as the Sonion X2 in the ISN EBC80 or TSMR SHOCK but it works wonders! The Bone Conduction System works so well that when I first heard the Fan 3 I liked it better with it off, though later when I did this review I absolutely liked it better tuned-on. I just seemed to feel the realness and density throughout my cable tests and music tests. Bone Conduction is the wave of the future, and if you were wondering if this IEM has it, it has a fully functioning idea as to what Bone Conduction is. The fitment now is 100% perfect, and mark my words the Fan 3 will pretty much fit everyone. That yes, Penon became slightly experimental with this exact IEM tune, but the results were worth the risk. If you do have a collection of cables, try them out, as if you are like me, each cable character seemed to showcase a different style of Fan 3 playback, yet all of them were valuable and fun. That my friends is the sign of a well-rounded IEM, get yours today!
$349.00 or $399.00 with the SPACE cable.
https://penonaudio.com/PENON-FAN-3.html
Disclaimer:
I want to thank Penon Audio for the love and for the Penon Fan 3 Universal IEM review sample.
Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.
Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 4.4mm balanced
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 4.4mm balanced
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03 4.4mm balanced
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Samsung phone 3.5mm output single ended
HiBy R3 II DAP 4.4mm balanced
