[DaveStarWalker]

For me, by a margin, my Aure Audio Ringo's.

Vocals and more generally speaking, timbres and tones : pure magical poison but at the same time realistic.

Next : FitEar 334 (v3), but this is more a special sauce than we are talking about.

Oups ... I have already responded .... So ... Time flies but answers remains the same

 

[-rowan-]

I'm considering the Isabellae, Impact, or Diva for vocals mainly, but also want it to be a good all-rounder.

I recommended the Impact and Diva here earlier but haven’t heard the Isabellae. I picked up the new Penon 10th anniversary IEM recently and I can say it’s an excellent all-rounder and contender for what you’re looking for at 1/3rd the price of the Diva.

Like all Penon IEMs, the 10th is tuned around vocals, and unlike the Impact and Diva, it has 2 DDs (as opposed to BAs) on bass duties and with it, the excellent sub bass extension, rumble, visceral impact and timbre that come with well implemented DDs.

I’ve posted more impressions in the Penon thread, as have other early adopters.

Anywho, in forums, it seems the only potential weaknesses of the Isabellae and Impact is the sub-bass extension from what I've read, whereas for the Diva, you can switch the tunable switch setting to lowest bass.

The Diva’s bass dial is fun but turning it on does make the mids a little leaner in comparison. I prefer leaving the bass dial off for vocal-centric music. Mine is the OG Diva but I don’t expect the 2023 one to be much different.

The Impact in fact has very good sub bass extension and can even give the impression it’s pushing a lot of air. It’s just that its stock cable is very vocal-centric and doesn’t show off this aspect of the Impact.

 

[Smirk 24]

I recommended the Impact and Diva here earlier but haven’t heard the Isabellae. I picked up the new Penon 10th anniversary IEM recently and I can say it’s an excellent all-rounder and contender for what you’re looking for at 1/3rd the price of the Diva.

Like all Penon IEMs, the 10th is tuned around vocals, and unlike the Impact and Diva, it has 2 DDs (as opposed to BAs) on bass duties and with it, the excellent sub bass extension, rumble, visceral impact and timbre that come with well implemented DDs.

I’ve posted more impressions in the Penon thread, as have other early adopters.



The Diva’s bass dial is fun but turning it on does make the mids a little leaner in comparison. I prefer leaving the bass dial off for vocal-centric music. Mine is the OG Diva but I don’t expect the 2023 one to be much different.

The Impact in fact has very good sub bass extension and can even give the impression it’s pushing a lot of air. It’s just that its stock cable is very vocal-centric and doesn’t show off this aspect of the Impact.

I’ve never heard of Penon until today! I’m intrigued. How does the Penon 10th compare to the Moondrop Variations, if you’ve own or have heard it before?

 

[-rowan-]

I’ve never heard of Penon until today! I’m intrigued. How does the Penon 10th compare to the Moondrop Variations, if you’ve own or have heard it before?

Sorry, never heard the Variations.

But how could I neglect to mention the Penon Volt in a thread asking about the best IEM for vocals. Fixed that now.

 

[Altes]

I recommended the Impact and Diva here earlier but haven’t heard the Isabellae. I picked up the new Penon 10th anniversary IEM recently and I can say it’s an excellent all-rounder and contender for what you’re looking for at 1/3rd the price of the Diva.

Like all Penon IEMs, the 10th is tuned around vocals, and unlike the Impact and Diva, it has 2 DDs (as opposed to BAs) on bass duties and with it, the excellent sub bass extension, rumble, visceral impact and timbre that come with well implemented DDs.

I’ve posted more impressions in the Penon thread, as have other early adopters.

Wow, interesting how much Penon is coming up as I've just learned about them. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that the Penon 10th Anniversary IEM trades blows with Diva and Impact, or that it's a step or a few below, but great value? Would you say the vocals on the 10th anniversary are as ear-catching as the others?

From the ones you've heard, assuming someone puts it on without intent to evaluate technicalities, which do you think would have the most wow factor on the first listen?

I assume Impact and Diva are overall tied in your opinion?

 

[Fantanest]

So far Traillii/QDC Tiger/Cerberus/VE EXT

 

[-rowan-]

Wow, interesting how much Penon is coming up as I've just learned about them. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that the Penon 10th Anniversary IEM trades blows with Diva and Impact, or that it's a step or a few below, but great value?

No; they are still in different price brackets for good reason. Having said that, the 10th hits a sweet spot as a strong all-rounder, and it has DD bass which the others don’t.

Whether it’s the best all-rounder for you depends on a whole clutch of other factors. Do you have any other preferences (apart from presumably vocals)? Are you sensitive to any part of the frequency range? What is your budget? What other IEMs have you listened to and what do you like/dislike about them? What source(s) do you plan to use them with? What genres do you mainly listen to? E.g. if you listen mainly to classical or jazz, your preferences may be different from someone who listens to rock or pop. Etc.

Also bear in mind that this is just one data point. If you pose this question in one of the general threads with more traffic, you’ll probably get as many different recommendations as you get answers.

Would you say the vocals on the 10th anniversary are as ear-catching as the others?

From the ones you've heard, assuming someone puts it on without intent to evaluate technicalities, which do you think would have the most wow factor on the first listen?

The Impact wowed me on first listen. For me, technical ability is part of, though not the only thing that constitutes the wow factor so I wouldn’t separate them entirely.

The 10th is a very complete IEM for me. But if you’re focusing on the quality of vocals in particular, Impact and Volt are above it for a reason.

I assume Impact and Diva are overall tied in your opinion?

Not at all, the Impact is firmly above.

 

[Altes]

No; they are still in different price brackets for good reason. Having said that, the 10th hits a sweet spot as a strong all-rounder, and it has DD bass which the others don’t.

Whether it’s the best all-rounder for you depends on a whole clutch of other factors. Do you have any other preferences (apart from presumably vocals)? Are you sensitive to any part of the frequency range? What is your budget? What other IEMs have you listened to and what do you like/dislike about them? What source(s) do you plan to use them with? What genres do you mainly listen to? E.g. if you listen mainly to classical or jazz, your preferences may be different from someone who listens to rock or pop. Etc.

Also bear in mind that this is just one data point. If you pose this question in one of the general threads with more traffic, you’ll probably get as many different recommendations as you get answers.



The Impact wowed me on first listen. For me, technical ability is part of, though not the only thing that constitutes the wow factor so I wouldn’t separate them entirely.

The 10th is a very complete IEM for me. But if you’re focusing on the quality of vocals in particular, Impact and Volt are above it for a reason.



Not at all, the Impact is firmly above.

thanks! very informative and provided new insights. the reason i had my eye on Diva was due to the tier lists of Gizaudio, HBB, ShuwaT, Precogvision, etc., but now it's beginning to shift toward the Impact (which sadly no mainstream reviewers have heard). Currently, I use the Mest Indigo with mostly neutral DAPs or USB laptop DAC but I want to get an IEM that highlights vocals with a wow factor (i.e., avoid good IEMs like the U12t which is high scoring when consciously evaluating it, but bland/dry/neutral/plain to any non-audiophile looking to just enjoy their music).

So far, all my gear (headphones/earbuds/IEMs) are either neutral, warm, U-shaped, or V-shaped. I don't have any gear highlighting vocals and Gizaudio mainly got me hunting for a vocal IEM.

It sounds like both Impact and 10th can handle multiple genres, but the Impact has the extra sauce. 10th in that case might not impress me (enough) since I'm used to the Indigo's techs already.

It sounds like the Impact will not lose out much of the technicalities I'm used to with the Indigo, while highlighting vocals with a wow factor on first listen. Extra pros are probably smaller nozzle diameter and shell size.

I still have time to research because I'm waiting for new eartips to arrive in a few weeks which were recommended by another Indigo owner for boosting Indigo's vocals and resolution, so I at least won't be pulling the trigger soon.

Isabellae could be a contender given it's price is comparatively lower than the Diva and Impact (similar to the 10th) but that one review saying it lacks extension on both ends means I need to research more about it.

Note: i will say for reference that gizaudio ranked monarch mk2 at #3(?) for vocals but the monarch mk2 didn't wow me.

 

[-rowan-]

thanks! very informative and provided new insights. the reason i had my eye on Diva was due to the tier lists of Gizaudio, HBB, ShuwaT, Precogvision, etc., but now it's beginning to shift toward the Impact (which sadly no mainstream reviewers have heard). Currently, I use the Mest Indigo with mostly neutral DAPs or USB laptop DAC but I want to get an IEM that highlights vocals with a wow factor (i.e., avoid good IEMs like the U12t which is high scoring when consciously evaluating it, but bland/dry/neutral/plain to any non-audiophile looking to just enjoy their music).

So far, all my gear (headphones/earbuds/IEMs) are either neutral, warm, U-shaped, or V-shaped. I don't have any gear highlighting vocals and Gizaudio mainly got me hunting for a vocal IEM.

It sounds like both Impact and 10th can handle multiple genres, but the Impact has the extra sauce. 10th in that case might not impress me (enough) since I'm used to the Indigo's techs already.

It sounds like the Impact will not lose out much of the technicalities I'm used to with the Indigo, while highlighting vocals with a wow factor on first listen. Extra pros are probably smaller nozzle diameter and shell size.

I still have time to research because I'm waiting for new eartips to arrive in a few weeks which were recommended by another Indigo owner for boosting Indigo's vocals and resolution, so I at least won't be pulling the trigger soon.

Isabellae could be a contender given it's price is comparatively lower than the Diva and Impact (similar to the 10th) but that one review saying it lacks extension on both ends means I need to research more about it.

Note: i will say for reference that gizaudio ranked monarch mk2 at #3(?) for vocals but the monarch mk2 didn't wow me.

Ah, I would nudge you towards the Impact then. I see you’re in Canada. Why not get on the Watercooler tour? I see there’s a unit currently on tour. Or even if you decide not to, have a trawl around the Watercooler thread - there are several people who have posted Impact impressions there. Many of them have extensive experience with TOTL sets & may have other recs with the wow factor.

 

[jjb3]

Noble Kadence is surprisingly good for female vocals

 

[kevin638880]

VE Erlkonig / LE
VE Phonix / LE
VE EXT (male)
VE Elysium
Elysian Annihilator (female)
Elysian Gaea (young (Asian) female limited)
Elysian Diva

 

[Tawek]

GL - AMT16
PF -X-CC

 

[Deferenz]

I have the Traillii and the Phonix and they both have great vocals ability. Another one I’d throw into the mix is the Elysian Annihilator 2023. I heard it at Canjam and it was very impressive.

 

[Steranko]

Some of my favorite IEMs for vocals:

1) Anything Oriolus: Reborn (female vocals especially), Traillii, Isabellae
2) Vision Ears: Elysium (female vocals), EXT (male vocals), Phonix (both)
3) Elysian Diva & Effect/Elysian Gaea (female vocals).
4) Penon Impact
5) IER Z1R (female vocals)
6) Dunu Zen Pro

Edit: I'll also add that the Campfire Solaris SE had some of the nicest male vocals I've ever heard.

Guys, there is a new IEM coming out from Obravo in 3 weeks. It is the Platinum Obravo supposedly the mother of all IEM better than the Obravo CU. It is priced at $15K GBP.
No, this is not a typo. 15 thousand UK pounds. It's by invite only to purchase. Anyone interested? Anyone here who tested it? Any comments?

I may be looking to purchase this if it sounds good but I need to sell my house first