PENON QUATTRO 4 Dynamic Driver Universal IEM

PENON Quattro- Bluishly Smooth​

Penon is a well-known manufacturer of iems and cables. They are based out of China and I have been exposed to a small number of their iems like Penon Fan (I still own it ), Penon Serial and Penon Volt. Their cables and connectors are top notch as usual. They have established themselves as a store and as a manufacturer.

While Penon’s core signature comes up easily in the Penon Fan, Penon Serial and Penon Volt iems with different emphasis on different parts of the sound signature, I am excited to try this new iem.

COMING ON TO THE PACKAGING—When I got the iem, I didn’t get much; it was just the iems and the cable with no tips. I have listed out what should be present in the packaging so you can check it up properly.

TECHNICALITIES-

The QUATTRO uses an independent 3-way crossover and 3-independent conduit design for better layering performance.

• Low frequency uses the latest horizontally opposed dual low-frequency driver to enhance the bass effect.
• Middle frequency uses a new generation of graphene materials providing more rich details and listening.
• High frequency uses a new process that makes the sound smoother and more delicate.

SPECIFICATION

• Driver：4 Dynamic driver
• 1 x 6mm custom dynamic driver for High frequency
• 1 x 8mm graphene diaphragm for Medium frequency
• 2 x 10mm composite diaphragm for Low frequency
• Impedance: 16 Ohm
• Sensitivity: 100dB
• Frequency response: 5Hz-30kHz
• Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
• Cable length: 1.2M, with 4.4 Pentaconn connector in the sample

PACKAGE

• Penon QUATTRO
• 9 pairs of silicone ear tips (SML)
• Earphone case
• Pouch
• Brush
• Clip

WARRANTY

18 months warranty is a refresher as its better than a 1 year warranty.

BUILD-

• IEMS-
  
  • These are made of resin and that just shines through with the blue-coloured iems. They are light and have a grill on the nozzle. The nozzle wasn’t too big to hurt my ears. They have 2 vents which are covered with grills and also coloured red and blue to indicate the R and L iems.
  • They fit me well like a lock and key and didn’t move at all. I have averagely sized ears (I use L and ML-sized eartips).

• CABLE-
  
  • The cable enhances the iem’s presence with its complementary blue colour. I didn’t get any cable noise while moving around with the iems and they had pentaconn connector which also looks strong. The cable is heavy, but not as much as EA 8W cable.

DISCLAIMER-

The Penon Quattro is part of a review tour organised by A.G and @Penon in my country. The sample belongs to the brand. I had the opportunity to listen to it for 7 days for the purpose of this review. This review is completely based on my experience with it, and all opinions, positive or negative, are my own and no one else’s. No external factors influence my review; only internal factors like my brain and heart influence it . Please try it yourself, if possible, since we all hear things differently. If you want to purchase it, you can buy it from the official product website from the link. PENON QUATTRO

SOME CONSIDERATIONS-

Source- laptop on battery with the Qobuz beta app and WASPI exclusive and direct mode being used, and also my phone with the Qobuz app set to High Res.

DAC used - PAW S1, no Efx Mode and 4.4 pentaconn cable being used to power them.

AMP – Topping A30s (Burson v5i added) and Xduoo mt 602 with Sylvania 1954 tubes was used to test out whether it was being underpowered and what interactions do I see.

Tips used are as follows: I dont remember their other 2 names but if i do i will add it here. But i settled on the CP 100 (red stem) ones as they were the best sounding and fiiting my ears perfectly.


REVIEW-
Usually, most reviews are based on the sound profile of an iem. But I want to change the format a bit and focus on the song and sound profile so I think it would make it much easier to understand what I am talking about.
So, keeping the legendary sound range of the human ear the same – we begin from the lower end of the spectrum i.e.

BASS and SUB-BASS

The song to be focused here, is FLIP- Glass Animals – Zaba.
It focuses on the beats of the drums with a small percussion working at the same to reach the same note density (I mean the sound volume/ intensity here). It easily distinguishes the instruments even though they are tonally different.
Next, we begin something which has a lot of percussive items along with big drums (like used in ancient tribal areas)- The song being used is -Woodfall Temple (Theophany).
Hearing the different big drums along with different percussive instruments leads me to believe that they are quite tonally distinct and easily felt through the song. The big drum hits at the beginning needs to have a bit more extension in its hit but was appropriate in the body of the note of the drum.
Next we shall see something with sub-bass- Here we going to use a famous track from Hans Zimmer – Why So Serious, check from 3:29 Minutes and you would know what I am talking about.
The sub-bass even though felt but felt a bit dampened. The body is coming through but the extensions seem to be a bit lacking and the thickness is a bit less. Penon seems to be focused on quality over quantity in this iem and separation is a more important factor, but I want a bit more of the sub-bass extension and body.

MIDS, VOCALS, LAYERING AND SEPARATION-

This works together, you have most of the body of notes of instruments in the mids, vocals compete with the instruments and thus what we expect is a certain degree of layering and separation between them. Hence all need to work together to provide some degree of accuracy and musicality.
Let’s, start with vocals- For Female vocals- Midnight at the Oasis – Renne Olstead and Uninvited- Alanis Morisettee; For male vocals – Circle of life – Carmen Twillie and Aint no Mountain high enough- II Divo.

Both vocals are epic, they are quite distinct even between multiple singers. Small sounds like lip smacks also come through easily. The high notes that the artists reach, are maintained but might require a bit more height in the soundstage. Female vocalist’s ssss sounds are handled beautifully and come through really well. I love the female vocals here, they seem appropriate, and the thickness of the voice is spot-on. For Male vocals, I might require a bit more thickness.

There are many songs I went through for the MIDS, Separation, and Layering- Instruments are lovely. They have a good body and tonality doesn’t seem to suffer from multiple instruments in the sound stage. The notes are a bit on the less thick side but probably done to establish the separation between the notes as they are quite easily detectable. I love the separation on this set; even far away instruments come through (check the saxophone/ trumpets in Tonight Tonight song – going at the left ear slowly increasing in the volume). The heights of the notes of different instruments seem a bit similar, ie they aren't reaching too high on the soundstage. But don’t worry, the notes horizontal and vertical spread is great so they won't seem congested. Tonality is slightly on the warmer side to help handle the upper mids and with this, even the harshest songs will be easily tolerable. Layering on an X-Y axis is good and easily separates multiple instruments, which can't be said for the Y-Z axis and X-Z axis; even though separated, the instruments feel way too near to each other.


HIGHS-
Use TANK! (Flix Mix)– COWBOY BEPOP / Moanin’ – Tommy Igoe and the Birdland big band - This iem is for those who want a smooth experience in the highs. This iem smoothed out the highs easily yet keeps a lot of energy in them. They are quite well separated and not thick or cause ear pain on long-term listening (at least 2 hours in my case). They reach good heights on the soundstage and are not too thick. The body of the notes is average but the separation here is also something that specifies quality. This iem does separation in a completely different way. But the tonality and horizontal layering is quite good and accentuate the clarity of the items.


Now let's see how this fares with an improved cable Effect audio Ares S 8W (UP-OCC Pure Copper Litz cable)-

I would be going through the same songs as mentioned above and would give a short overview of the interaction between the iem and the cable ( I do listen to both songs on the stock and the cable being tested to compare, keeping the volume indicator nearly same unless a bit more is required to hear).

Power requirement- I used PAW S1 to compare with the stock cable. A volume indicator of 48 works well with the stock cable, but with the Effect audio cable, it’s 55, and both are being used with High gain. So, it’s a slight bit more extra notches on the volume wheel.
With external amps, it’s a slight increase in my SS amp (A30 with v5i ), but with my hybrid amp ( Xduoo mt602 with Sylvania tubes) it doesn’t require much increase.



Changes that were observed- The first thing I noticed was that the notes reach higher heights in the head-stage with the body of the notes being more enhanced. There was more presence of notes of instruments, and it was more musical. Bass felt more articulate and has good extensions. Sub-bass was slightly more enhanced. Vocals were also equally affected by being more energetic and reaching higher note sizes on the head-stage. The highs felt to have become energetic but not sharp making the music more enjoyable. A Single pull of guitar strings is more enhanced and separated (check Stampede- Alexander Jean) Nuances are also better heard among the music.

Overall, would I recommend this cable. Well as a compliment to the iem nope, but as an upgrade to the iem yes, this cable achieves the energy that I felt was a bit missing in the iem mostly in the high-end and bass extension. Even nuances are better heard so clarity takes a good raise too. I am loving this cable upgrade to the iem.

Verdict- It does vary from the Penon Signature sound that i have listened to, but this is a refresher. The sound feels matured and smooth and a simple cable upgrade makes it a much better iem alltogether. I recommend this, yes but do save for a cable upgrade or if you have good silver or UPOCC copper litz cable.

PENON Quattro: Why So Blue??​

DISCLAIMER: The Penon Quattro was purchased by us directly from Penon Audio with small discounts, we are thankful to the amazing team at Penon Audio for the same. The review reflects our honest opinions as always. However, our evaluation is based on a comparison of the price of the item.

Introduction: -

Penon Audio is a China-based company that was started in the year 201,3 by Chi Kong Hui with the goal of selling the best-selected audio products at the most affordable prices for Audiophiles. Penon Audio needs no introduction in the world of Audiophiles as most of us must have purchased something from Penon Audio in our musical journey. Although they initially started with retailing other Audio brand products, they ventured into manufacturing around 2018 with their lineup of IEMs, Cables, and Accessories. Their IEMs such as Penon Fan 2, Penon 10th Anniversary, and Penon Serial which we have reviewed already in Aural Cafe are quite famous in audiophile circles. Penon Audio IEMs come with their house sound which we can describe as musical yet with lots of details and soul.

Penon Quattro is a Four Dynamic-Driver based in-ear monitor that was launched in November 2023. When it comes to Dynamic-Driver based IEMs, in the earlier days IEMs used to come with a single dynamic driver, moved to double then to triple DD-based IEMs launched and eventually now to 4 DD-based IEMs with the launch of IEMs like Oriolus Monaccha and Penon Quattro. Well, Penon Audio was quite successful with their 3-DD IEMs, Penon Serial which has achieved a ‘Nirvana’ Status in the dictionary of Audiophiles and as a result, the Penon audio fans were quite hyped when they came to know about Penon Quattro. Quattro uses an independent 3-way crossover and 3-independent conduit (independent tubes) design for better layering. The low frequency is taken care of by two 10 mm composite diaphragm-based DDs that are placed horizontally opposed to each other for hard-hitting bass, while the mids are taken care of by single 8 mm graphene diaphragm-based DD drivers. The higher frequency is tuned using a 6 mm custom dynamic driver to achieve smooth and delicate highs.

Penon Quattro can be bought for 399 US$ from Penon Audio's official website.



Specifications: -

• Driver Configuration: 4-Dynamic Drivers per side
• Impedance: 16Ω ± 10%
• Freq Response: 5Hz-30Khz
• Sensitivity: 100dB/mW @1kHz
• Connector: 2-Pin, 0.78 mm
• Cable: 1.2 m with 4.4mm Termination

Packaging & Accessories: -

• Penon Quattro IEMs
• 2-Pin 0.78mm Cable of 1.2m and 4.4mm termination
• 3 types of Ear-Tips, 3 pairs of each
• Cleaning Brush and Clip

Check out the full unboxing video here,






Build & Design Concept: -

Penon Quattro is hand-made using high-quality medical-grade resin material. The use of medical-grade resin helps in designing a durable yet light shell that is comfortable to wear. The size of the shell is surprisingly compact and similar to the Penon Serial despite having 4-DDs on each side. This just shows the focus of the Penon Audio team on the fit and comfort issues of the Audiophiles while designing the shell. The translucent black shell helps in gazing into the complex dynamic driver setup in high-quality 3-way crossovers. The Penon Audio team has made use of 3 independent conduit designs for better layering. the electrical wires are shielded with tubes in order to achieve better layering and reduced distortion. We also feel that this also helps in the durability of the IEMs as there are four DDs inside the shell. The beautiful blue faceplate has a wooden pattern which gives a very soothing and elegant feel to the whole experience. Other than its four dynamic driver setups it's the high-quality shiny blue color graphene cable that gives the Quattro its bold stage. The cable is so attractive that even wireless lovers will come back to cable-based IEMs. The bluish graphene cable just not only has good looks but also sports high-quality connectors and splitters and comes in all 3.5mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm termination which the audiophile can choose while ordering the unit from Penon Audio’s website. Additionally, there is a blue vent present on each shell to mitigate pressure buildup inside. We would also like to add here that the size of the shell is average and provides a comfortable fit vis-a-vis providing above-average passive isolation.

When it comes to accessories as usual the Penon Audio team didn’t compromise with anything. The Quattro comes in a standard blue leather Penon case along with three different quality silicone ear tips in S, M, and L sizes and a small leather strap to manage the cable.




Sound Analysis: -

Credits: @ToneDeafMonk

• Tonality: - The sound quality of Penon Quattro is analyzed after a burn-in of more than 200 hours as they’ve instructed on their website as well. Since it is a 4 DD-based IEMs, we at Aural Cafe made sure that those drivers were properly burned in before the review. When it comes to the tonality of Penon Quattro, it showcases a warm musical signature. The tonality has more warmth than the usual Penon house sound.

• Lows: - The low frequency in Penon Quattro is taken care of by two 10 mm composite diaphragm-based DDs which are placed horizontally opposed to each other. One needs a high-quality powerful source to extract the most out of it. The bass on Penon Quattro is full and hard-hitting if driven by powerful neutral sources. In our case, the Penon Quattro pairs really well with Aune M1p and Dethonray Listening M1. The warmth of the low frequency also plays a major role in the overall warm and musical tonality of the IEMs. The mid-bass is balanced but does take the lead in comparison to the sub-bass. While listening to ‘Heartless’ by the Weekend the mid-bass hits decently hard while remaining buttery smooth across the frequency. When it comes to Sub-bass the Penon Quattro does have sufficient quantity but lacks in quality.

• Mids: - The Mid-range in Penon Quattro is taken care by one 8 mm graphene diaphragm-based Dynamic Driver, where the magic starts. The mids on the IEMs are precisely balanced and one of the highlights of Penon Quattro. The mids are very lush, musical and intoxicating. The notes on the Quattro have the right weight which makes it very fun and immersive while listening to popular pop numbers. Such as ‘One Kiss’ by Dua Lipa and Calvin Harris. Both male and female vocals are very natural and organic in texture. The Penon Quattro surprisingly showcases beautiful and precise timbre when it comes to instruments. We enjoyed listening to ‘Rabb’ (feat Tochi Raina & Jaggi) at Coke Studio India, composed by Amit Trivedi on Penon Quattro. The transient response is above average in comparison to similar-priced IEMs. The upper mids have very precise energy and clarity while the lower mids are thick and warm.

• Highs: - The Highs on the Penon Quattro are balanced and smooth across the frequency. The 6 mm custom Dynamic Driver is tuned beautifully by Penon’s Acoustic Engineers to showcase a cohesive, natural and life-like presentation. There is no hint of shoutiness or nasty peaks and thus very helpful for longer listening sessions. The level of articulation is the most impressive and surprising part of the Quattro, even after having the smooth and forgiving approach. While the lower treble is just average the Quattro despite being warm and musical IEMs showcases a very high-quality upper treble while listening to electronic guitar-based tracks. We also loved the texture of the bass guitar while listening to ‘Late Night Feelings’ by Mark Ronson feat Lykee Li. There is sufficient air across the frequency to balance the highs.

• Soundstage & Imaging: - The Soundstage of Penon Quattro can be best described in one word that is ‘immersive’ The soundstage is above average in width and depth and thus provides sufficient separation in busy rock tracks but here we would like to add that the separation of the instruments could have been better. When it comes to imaging, is one of the other areas where the Penon Quattro excels. The imaging on Penon quattro is quite precise while the layering is just average at best. We enjoyed listening to ‘Zariya’ composed by AR Rahman for Coke Studio India.

• Synergy: - The source matching plays a very important role in the case of Penon Quattro since it is a 4 DD-based IEMs. After testing it for months we at Aural Cafe are very confident to suggest powerful transparent neutral sources such as Dethonray DTR1+, and Aune M1p. The quality of the sources will play a big part in extracting out of those 4 DDs as they love power. Dongles such as Aune Yuki also did a decent job in driving the Penon Quattro but if you want to show the true capability of the Quattro just plug it into a source such as Aune M1p or Dethonray Listening M1 and you will be surprised. When it comes to the tips Penon Quattro pairs well with Spinfit CP145 and neon and grey stock tips. The stock cable does a decent job in extracting micro details from the musical world, but it pairs a bit better with high-quality SPC cable such us Linum SuperBaX, DualBaX and PW Audio Monile two-wire. The soundstage, separation and vocals improve a bit with these SPC cables.

Conclusion: -

Well, Penon Audio did a magnificent job with Penon Serial and when the news of Penon Quattro came in every fan like us of Penon was excited. We can say that the Penon Serial is quite different from the Penon Quattro when it comes to tonality. Penon Serial is like wine that intoxicates you slowly to the galaxy of music. Penon quattro is raw, musical and a bold presentation by the Penon Audio team. If you are into analytical IEMs and more into rock, metal and classical genres of music Penon Quatrro is not for you, For the rest of the genres such as hip-hop, pops etc. Penon Quattro does a wonderful job, just don’t judge it by its cover, by which we mean to give it time and you will understand what Penon Quattro is capable of.

Non-Affiliated Link: -

- https://penonaudio.com/Penon-QUATTRO.html

24-Mar-24




Chain: HiBy R8 à Effect Audio Ares S (8W) 4.4 mm à Penon Quattro à Spinfit W1 ear tips

Introduction: The Quattro and the Ares S 8W cable were loaned to me by my good friend Sandeep Agrawal. The Quattro is a 4DD set with 1 x 6mm custom dynamic driver for High frequency, 1 x 8mm graphene diaphragm for the Medium frequency, and 2 x 10mm composite diaphragm for the Low frequency.

Here are my brief listening impressions of them.

But first, a little about me- I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always grab my attention the moment they start playing). It should sound clear, fun, musical, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too.



Design and Build Quality: This is a very well-made IEM that feels good in-hand. The earpieces look nice with their bright blue faceplates and the Quattro branding on them. No complaints.

Comfort, and fit: I found the Quattro to be medium-heavy with a deep in-ear fit. They are chunky boys and not the lightest. They did feel present in my ear most of the time. While they’re not uncomfortable by any means, they’re definitely not the most comfortable too. As always, YMMV here. The isolation with the W1 ear tips was nice. Nothing mind-blowing and nothing bad too here. It’s good and as expected.

Brief impressions on the sound quality: The first words that come to my mind are warm, musical, detailed, and analog-ish sound. Right from the first song, the music just grabbed my attention and drew me in. While listening to this chain, time and again I was hitting imaginary drums and strumming imaginary guitars in my hands. It was just so much fun! In energetic and pacy songs like Caroline by Patrick Droney, I was expecting the next drum hit and wow’ed when it came. Songs like Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore by Chris Stapleton were extremely emotive and had me lost in them with my eyes closed.

The Quattro’s bass is excellent. Thumpy and heavy, but executed very tastefully. Its vocals are excellent, as is its overall tonality. A very natural and musical sound that can be listened to with zero fatigue for hours. It has a full-bodied sound, which is detailed too. And the details are never sibilant. In fact, they’re very rounded and polished! On going through the Penon website, I see one of the reviews there say that the Quattro has a ‘dark treble’. Having heard it, I now know what this reviewer mean.

Overall, I’d say that the Quattro has an analog-ish sound that’s done extremely tastefully. It has a lovely wide soundstage with an airy sound. The layering and separation are nothing short of impressive! For example, the song Popular Monster by Falling in Reverse gets super-busy after the 2-mins mark. I have heard many IEMs stumble or make a jumbled mess of this song, but the Quattro handled it like a grandmaster! Never once did I find it struggling and it presented even this loud and busy song with a lovely musicality to it. My go to song for testing spicy treble is Into The New World by Girls’ Generation. Here the Quattro handled the sharpness very well and presented this song too with a very musical flavor.

Usually, I hear both these songs purely for testing. But I think this is the first time I actually enjoyed listening to both these songs while testing them! That’s saying a lot about the Quattro and this chain.

Quattro with its stock cable: I heard this for a bit but after listening to the Quattro with the Ares S 8W, I’d say that this chain to still has all the elements and qualities mentioned above but to a lesser degree. With the stock cable, the sound became leaner and slightly less musical.

The Ares S 8W is simply way too superior and brings out the Quattro’s best. I highly recommend it to anyone owning/using the Quattro.

Conclusion: As I wrote in the beginning, the Quattro drew me in with its sound and connected me to the emotions in the music. Any IEM that does this and that too to such a high degree, I give it 12/10. Not gold, this IEM and chain deserve a platinum award.