Thoughts on Penon Mix
A little preface before I continue;
Reader discretion is advised: For cable folks that able to discern only.
I recently got the Penon Mix cable specifically for the Globe in-ear and I’d like to share with you what I thought of it.
I mostly prefer silver, silver plated copper or the combination of silver and copper as my sonic preference are skewered towards engaging and immersive listening hence I often seek out enhancements in dynamism, vividness, liveliness and realism.
Naturally good tuning play the most important role here.
Thus far I’ve only paired the Globe with silver plated copper which is the default configuration in aim to maintain its gorgeous sound signature.
Most in-ear we see today on the market are commonly packaged with either pure copper or silver plated copper variant, hardly any hybrid and almost never pure silver usually for good reasons all in part due to their versatility unless we’re talking top tier in-ears, costs of course being another factor. I’m also a believer in matching each and every chain of an audio setup so that the final sonic reproduction closely matches my preference.
Now, I’m a big fan of Penon’s stock balanced cable that came packaged with Globe and Orb but those are tangly and kinda look and feel inadequate if I were to nitpick. But don’t get me wrong, tangibles aside it however doesn’t an ounce detract the fact that it synergizes optimally with those two in-ears, a tall order in my opinion for any upgrade cable to best what’s on offer.
Most decent upgrade cable in my limited and highly subjective experience do a certain things like making notes slightly fuller, stage expansion, treble elevation just to name a few, in another word what they do is emphasizing/de-emphasizing certain characteristics. There’s always 2 sides to a coin, the subtle changes to the sonic can be either a boon or bane, ultimately our ears will be the judge.
Now the outward appearance of the Mix may indicate that it has an equal amount of materials in their respective cores, 120 strands of pure silver and 115 strands for single crystal copper, however upon closer visual inspection it is evident the Mix has more copper content than silver. I’d say the Mix is more like a 65/35 ratio instead of 50/50.
The Mix in my mind presents the goldilocks of what I was looking for. The Orb for instance with an upgraded silver plated copper though sounded good but didn’t quite work out for me as it took away the balance from what the stock cable was delivering. Same can be said for the Globe though it is much more forgiving but still the synergy wasn’t optimal. Hence I’m moving away from silver plated route to a cable with more silver content in search of a true upgrade.
Since this thread is all things Penon, suffice to say only Penon cables applies here
Before I begin please note that I’m mostly using a neutral source and ePro Horn eartips for my testing.
Below are my highly unscientific observations, babbling if you will of the Mix paired with Globe:
What can I say?
Perfect synergy!
Now beating the already very good and balanced stock cable is a tall order, the Mix here best it a notch, no… make that three.
I’ll explain the best I can and in the simplest manner beginning with the lows, bass are definitely more controlled, tighter, speedier and textured while the already well ratio-ed note weight became slightly fuller.
In the mid band, improvements in clarity and transparency are quite noticeable, vocals on the other hand are a touch more forward particularly in the upper register.
High frequencies are now at a higher level and I felt the improvements are quite significant over stock resulting in more sparkles, airiness, openness as well as extension.
As you can tell, the improvements I observed are quite linear throughout the entire frequency range which equates to tonal quality, musicality and refinements being preserved with no noticeable harshness such as sibilance or annoying peaks.
Overall I’d categorize the Mix as an energetic, engaging and immersive pairing, details that otherwise semi obscured surfaces with the Mix. The soundstage is also noticeably larger in all directions projecting a broader sense of vividness, liveliness and realism due to improved imaging, resolution and importantly better defined micro details which is what I loved most about the Mix.
So after a few months of going back and forth I’ve finally found the perfect companion for the Globe!
How about on the Orb you ask?
Orb + Mix
I’m not one bit surprised that this pairing has almost the same synergy as the Globe as both uses the same stock cable. From my observations I’ve no doubt the Mix here is a direct upgrade where all of the goodness were retained and then some. Similar to Globe, improvements are also very linear with Orb.
Orb and Globe both share Penon’s in-house tuning but that doesn’t mean they are the same, Orb by default doesn’t have the repertoire of the Globe with its two driver count and are more of a specialist with its own unique characteristics that focus on the low to lower mid region topping off with just enough treble energy for smooth listening.
What we have here in the end is a lusher sounding in-ear, as organic and more transparent with refine treble quality yet still on the relaxing side of things just as intended.
vs
Orb + Neo
Neo in my mind is also a direct upgrade from the stock cable though its made entirely out of pure silver. The synergy between the stock and Neo are quite similar but being pure silver we’d get some solid improvements in soundstage, imaging, airiness, micro details, clarity, transparency, sparkles and especially overall treble energy. What really surprised me is that Neo were able to retained all of Orb’s note weight and it’s thundering bass which is a huge bonus.
The only downside of Neo is it’s fragility, the cores are rather thin (thinner than stock) and are prone to frustrating tangles. Redeeming from its flimsiness in return we’d get a set of premium carbon fiber hardwares as eye candy.
With more details now available the Orb sounds more complete, a signature I think most folks would enjoy, me especially. However if one were to look for lushness and smoothness I’d think the Mix will do a slightly better job. Neo is a good option to have as I’d think skinny cables does have its use-case especially if one dislike thicker and heavier cables.
Alternatively there’s also Leo, one of the best pure silver cable out there with its stout construct, the only drawback with Leo is that it will cost almost as much as the Orb.
Between the two
To be honest both cables are excellent in their own right and are difficult to choose one over the other. However the Mix does has some clear advantages over Neo especially with its premium an solid built as well as having a slightly higher level of refinements in sonics. What made it even more attractive is that it’s only a mere $10 premium over Neo in balanced option. Neo on the other hand I’d say is well suited for those who has a strong preference for thin and lightweight cable say for use during commute and besides the bass performance are fully intact despite being a pure silver cable.
That’s all for now folks. Thanks for taking time for the read!
A little preface before I continue;
Reader discretion is advised: For cable folks that able to discern only.
I recently got the Penon Mix cable specifically for the Globe in-ear and I’d like to share with you what I thought of it.
I mostly prefer silver, silver plated copper or the combination of silver and copper as my sonic preference are skewered towards engaging and immersive listening hence I often seek out enhancements in dynamism, vividness, liveliness and realism.
Naturally good tuning play the most important role here.
Thus far I’ve only paired the Globe with silver plated copper which is the default configuration in aim to maintain its gorgeous sound signature.
Most in-ear we see today on the market are commonly packaged with either pure copper or silver plated copper variant, hardly any hybrid and almost never pure silver usually for good reasons all in part due to their versatility unless we’re talking top tier in-ears, costs of course being another factor. I’m also a believer in matching each and every chain of an audio setup so that the final sonic reproduction closely matches my preference.
Now, I’m a big fan of Penon’s stock balanced cable that came packaged with Globe and Orb but those are tangly and kinda look and feel inadequate if I were to nitpick. But don’t get me wrong, tangibles aside it however doesn’t an ounce detract the fact that it synergizes optimally with those two in-ears, a tall order in my opinion for any upgrade cable to best what’s on offer.
Most decent upgrade cable in my limited and highly subjective experience do a certain things like making notes slightly fuller, stage expansion, treble elevation just to name a few, in another word what they do is emphasizing/de-emphasizing certain characteristics. There’s always 2 sides to a coin, the subtle changes to the sonic can be either a boon or bane, ultimately our ears will be the judge.
Now the outward appearance of the Mix may indicate that it has an equal amount of materials in their respective cores, 120 strands of pure silver and 115 strands for single crystal copper, however upon closer visual inspection it is evident the Mix has more copper content than silver. I’d say the Mix is more like a 65/35 ratio instead of 50/50.
The Mix in my mind presents the goldilocks of what I was looking for. The Orb for instance with an upgraded silver plated copper though sounded good but didn’t quite work out for me as it took away the balance from what the stock cable was delivering. Same can be said for the Globe though it is much more forgiving but still the synergy wasn’t optimal. Hence I’m moving away from silver plated route to a cable with more silver content in search of a true upgrade.
Since this thread is all things Penon, suffice to say only Penon cables applies here
Before I begin please note that I’m mostly using a neutral source and ePro Horn eartips for my testing.
Below are my highly unscientific observations, babbling if you will of the Mix paired with Globe:
What can I say?
Perfect synergy!
Now beating the already very good and balanced stock cable is a tall order, the Mix here best it a notch, no… make that three.
I’ll explain the best I can and in the simplest manner beginning with the lows, bass are definitely more controlled, tighter, speedier and textured while the already well ratio-ed note weight became slightly fuller.
In the mid band, improvements in clarity and transparency are quite noticeable, vocals on the other hand are a touch more forward particularly in the upper register.
High frequencies are now at a higher level and I felt the improvements are quite significant over stock resulting in more sparkles, airiness, openness as well as extension.
As you can tell, the improvements I observed are quite linear throughout the entire frequency range which equates to tonal quality, musicality and refinements being preserved with no noticeable harshness such as sibilance or annoying peaks.
Overall I’d categorize the Mix as an energetic, engaging and immersive pairing, details that otherwise semi obscured surfaces with the Mix. The soundstage is also noticeably larger in all directions projecting a broader sense of vividness, liveliness and realism due to improved imaging, resolution and importantly better defined micro details which is what I loved most about the Mix.
So after a few months of going back and forth I’ve finally found the perfect companion for the Globe!
How about on the Orb you ask?
Orb + Mix
I’m not one bit surprised that this pairing has almost the same synergy as the Globe as both uses the same stock cable. From my observations I’ve no doubt the Mix here is a direct upgrade where all of the goodness were retained and then some. Similar to Globe, improvements are also very linear with Orb.
Orb and Globe both share Penon’s in-house tuning but that doesn’t mean they are the same, Orb by default doesn’t have the repertoire of the Globe with its two driver count and are more of a specialist with its own unique characteristics that focus on the low to lower mid region topping off with just enough treble energy for smooth listening.
What we have here in the end is a lusher sounding in-ear, as organic and more transparent with refine treble quality yet still on the relaxing side of things just as intended.
vs
Orb + Neo
Neo in my mind is also a direct upgrade from the stock cable though its made entirely out of pure silver. The synergy between the stock and Neo are quite similar but being pure silver we’d get some solid improvements in soundstage, imaging, airiness, micro details, clarity, transparency, sparkles and especially overall treble energy. What really surprised me is that Neo were able to retained all of Orb’s note weight and it’s thundering bass which is a huge bonus.
The only downside of Neo is it’s fragility, the cores are rather thin (thinner than stock) and are prone to frustrating tangles. Redeeming from its flimsiness in return we’d get a set of premium carbon fiber hardwares as eye candy.
With more details now available the Orb sounds more complete, a signature I think most folks would enjoy, me especially. However if one were to look for lushness and smoothness I’d think the Mix will do a slightly better job. Neo is a good option to have as I’d think skinny cables does have its use-case especially if one dislike thicker and heavier cables.
Alternatively there’s also Leo, one of the best pure silver cable out there with its stout construct, the only drawback with Leo is that it will cost almost as much as the Orb.
Between the two
To be honest both cables are excellent in their own right and are difficult to choose one over the other. However the Mix does has some clear advantages over Neo especially with its premium an solid built as well as having a slightly higher level of refinements in sonics. What made it even more attractive is that it’s only a mere $10 premium over Neo in balanced option. Neo on the other hand I’d say is well suited for those who has a strong preference for thin and lightweight cable say for use during commute and besides the bass performance are fully intact despite being a pure silver cable.
That’s all for now folks. Thanks for taking time for the read!
