I'm lucky enough to be in possession of two outstanding top-tier IEMs. So I figured I'd throw them into a UFC cage and see what happens.
The Not-So-Free…Bird
If you’ve hung around the Head-Fi forums, especially the IEM corners of this wonderful place (hello Watercooler friends!), you’ve probably heard about the legend that is the Oriolus Traillii (aka “the Bird”).The IEM space moves fast and the flavor of the month (or few months) is a real phenomena. The Bird is one of the few IEMs that has actual staying power. For an IEM that’s been around a few years now, it’s still one of the most revered IEMs out there. It’s also expensive. Retailing for nearly $5,000. You can often find it in the classifieds for around $3,000. Still that's...a lot of money.
Enter Penon
Penon is a fascinating company. They put out a wide (very wide!) array of IEMs under the Penon label as well other brands. Of late, they’ve been gunning for the higher-end market and yet still coming in competitively priced - which I appreciate. Their packaging is usually less ornate and spare, which I also appreciate. I owned the Penon Voltage at one point and really enjoyed it.The Penon Impact is their TOTL IEM, at least for a couple more minutes. The new Penon Rival is the new, new TOTL IEM from Penon. If you lurk on these forums, you’ll hear about how the Impact is essentially a Traillii competitor for a lot less money. Mind you, neither of these IEMs are a bargain. The Impact retails for $2499 and the Traillii retails for a whopping $6,600, making it one of the most expensive IEMs on the planet.
As luck would have it, I own the Traillii and just recently my friends at the Audio Geek US Tour sent along a Penon Impact to audition. So naturally, I decided to do a head-to-head. Let’s break it down, but first a disclaimer:
I am not a professional reviewer. I sometimes stare at squiggles but for me great audio gear means a stronger emotional connection with the musict. That said, I’ve owned many low, mid and high-end gear from sources to headphones and IEMs. So I'd like to think I have some perspective here.
With that out of the way, here's a rough breakdown of both IEMs:
| Drivers | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Oriolus Traillii | 8 BA / 4 EST | $6,600 USD |
| Penon Impact | 10 BA / 4 EST | $2,499 USD |
- I’m using that cables that came with each IEM
- For tips, I’m using Spinfit W1
- Source: the mighty little iBasso DC-Elite (because it has no opinion about coloring sound and packs a real punch).
The IEM Obstacle Course Playlist
I have a pretty fun playlist that touches on different aspects of what I want to assess in each IEM. The playlist is shared here:- Vocals.Fix It - Lady Blackbird.
- This song is beautifully produced. Spare jazz vocals with remarkable texture in the recording. The Traillii truly rolls up its sleeves with tracks like this. Its midrange and vocal presentation absolutely soars. The Impact shows up beautifully as well but the depth of texture of the Traillii is so sweet and subtle. The Impact does deliver proper bass. Tight and satisfying. The Traillii cedes that ground. But if you want be in the room with the vocalist, the Traillii wins.
- Winner: Traillii
- Bass/Pop. Praying to a God (Luke Remix) - Mr Probz
- Don’t judge me with this song. It is a tacky dance track but when that bass hits, you can’t help but feel it. It’s produced to generate max fun. The Impact wins hands down here because the Traillii just doesn’t bother. It captures the highs wonderfully but the fun factor is lost because the Traillii is - by design I think - an IEM with subtle bass impact. It’s as if your sophisticated friend finds your pop music lame.
- Winner: Impact
- Soundstage. Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa
- A fun track that really tests the width and depth of any IEMs soundstage. The first few seconds are essentially ping pong balls getting dropped all around you. The Traillii wins here. Its sound stage is at another level. I have no idea what they’re doing here but it’s really impressive. You get a sense of both direction and distance in all directions.
- Winner: Traillii
- Instrument separation. The New Four Seasons - Max Richter
- I first heard this track on a DCA Lina+Susvara at Canjam. There’s a lot going on and it’s layers upon layers, really testing the speed and delivery of sound. It’s probably one of the few tracks that IEMs can’t handle as well as headphones in my opinion. The Traillii and Impact both handle this track beautifully. The Traillii probably wins because it de-emphasizes the lows, which is cheating in some ways. It sounds way more fun on the Impact and it really tries to bring in the lower register instruments.
- Winner: Tie
- Details. Cherie - Darius and Darianna Everett
- From the first second this funky track is thick with details. It pushes across the sound spectrum. Thumping lows and shimmering highs all at once. Let’s be real: both of these IEMs are detail monsters. Stunning reproduction here. Because the Impact is tuned to deliver pretty satisfying lows, it wins here. It’s able to bring in all those details and still give you that satisfying bass.
- Winner: Impact
- Treble. Come Down To Us - Burial
- What better way to test out the treble of anything than with the subtle and oh-so-crunchy sounds of Burial. Both IEMs really kill it here. Their ability to deliver the highs along with rich layering is really amazing. The Traillii tends to deliver more texture (for lack of a better word) and it really does a nice job of delivering atmosphere. But again, the lows on the Impact deliver a fuller sound that actually enhances and sets the stage for the treble.
- Winner: Tie
A word about (clears throat): timbre
Timbre is one of those characteristics that you can toss around while you hold a glass of cabernet in your hand. Wikipedia explains it this way:I’m sure others can enlighten me on how timbre is applied when talking about audio gear. I’ll share how I think about it and you all can yell at me later: timbre represents how well an IEM captures the character and texture of an instrument. It’s a bit of an intangible I suppose, but it’s worth mentioning here because the Traillii has a subtlety that is hard to put into words. I’m speaking mostly about its mids which translate into vocals and the way the highs seem to extend forever and just shimmer. It’s enchanting.
Ok, who’s the real winner here?
Well, it depends. If you want a sophisticated, refined delivery that reflects the music you listen to - jazz, classical, vocal-centric and maybe some other more subtle genres (slowcore?), the Traillii delivers in a very singular way. If you’re looking for some fun and want to bop your head to hip hop, look to the Impact. It’s way more fun and way more satisfying for pop and R&B.But can it deliver jazz? Yes it can. Throw anything at the Impact and you are going to be incredibly happy. It’s a beautifully tuned TOTL iem that is an amazing all-rounder. Unless you need skull-rattling bass or Anole VX-level details, it is as good as any summit-fi out there. It's also worth saying, it's one third the price of the Traillii at retail (though there are often good deals for the Traillii in classifieds - keep looking!). I'm not going to get into diminishing returns here. There are intangibles in each that may make it worthwhile for you if you're willing to spend this much money. But in the end, if I'm forced to pick a winner it would be the Penon Impact. But man-o-man, those Traillii mids...sigh.
But let's be real here folks, these are other-worldy IEMs. Hats off to Oriolus and Penon for shipping these products that truly stand alone in so many ways.
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