[ExTubeGamer]

If anyone is looking for a good cable for the Sands. The Tripowin Altea sounds super clean and brings out even more details then the PAC480.

 

[nc8000]

If anyone is looking for a good cable for the Sands. The Tripowin Altea sounds super clean and brings out even more details then the PAC480.

To me the PAC480 muffled everything and took away way too much of what makes the Sands special while the stock cable was too much for me

 

[Nick24JJ]

So, I've received my Penon PAC480 4.4mm cable around December 29, after waiting for 20+ days, due to Royal Mail strike, to be fair and honest.

As soon as I plugged it into the 4.4mm of my FiiO BTR7, I immediately noticed that the right channel was playing in a slightly lower volume than the left channel. The cable is firmly plugged in, it locks, but I still need to push it harder inside for both L/R channels to sound equally loud. When I connect my Sands with my HOOK-X stock cable 4.4mm, this channel imbalance does not happen. When I use my HOOK-X with the Penon cable, the same imbalance happens, and again I have to push the cable hard, inside the 4.4mm BTR7 plug, to sound equally(?) loud.

Anyone observed anything like this with the PAC480 4.4mm?

I've emailed, @Penon on Dec 29. They asked me for some pics, to show them how I am connecting it. I've send them the pics. I just plug it in, firmly, it clicks. Why do I have to push it hard, like a motherf@cker, for it to work properly - IF it works properly.

I have not heard from them again.

 

[Nick24JJ]

@Dsnuts and @Redcarmoose

I really-really need your help!!

My PAC480 cable is on its way back to Hong King due to the channel imbalance I was facing with the 4.4mm connector on my BTR7. Right now I am listening to my Sands from my FiiO UTWS5 and sometimes it is truly unbearable! It is not that I am close-minded or anything but I am listening to Amazon Music Unlimited, listening to New Order or Pet Shop Boys or Electronic, and I cannot listen more than 15 minutes! The treble is piercing my eardrums! The bass can be faintly heard, have you ever listened to New Order? When it comes to YouTube, I cannot listen almost at all, it really sucks! The only music I can enjoy is some Electronica albums I have saved on my phone in .WAV

Then, I am then wearing my HOOK-X with the stock Sands cable and I am fully enjoying my music to the ultimate degree, independently from if it is YouTube, Amazon, or local files.

Why is this happening?! Am I doing something wrong? Is the UTWS5 such a bad match, @Dsnuts , what do you think? Should I order another cable and not the PAC480? The PAC was playing nicely with my BTR7 but I have used it for a tiny amount of time, because I felt the urge to return it, as it was faulty. Now, I can get a replacement. Is there any other cable you would suggest, costing max £60, from Penon Audio? Or, is the PAC the best I can get at this price range?

Which ear-tips would you suggest? Now I am using the SpinFit CP100+, I am using these with all of my IEMs, they play fine for me.

Please, help! Too much treble, way too much brightness, and the true base only exists on WAV via UAPP. Why is it like this with my Sands?

 

[Dsnuts]

Sounds like your not getting a good seal in the ear. The UTWS5 and the BTR7 both are a touch on the warmer side, the UTWS5 more so as far as sources goes. Shouldnt sound that bright and with little bass? That is strange to me. You try it on the BTR7 and get the same results?

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Hello there. I am a Sands owner that only uses his IEM with a lot of DSP and heavy EQ. According to my experience, the Sands can only be tamed by reducing the loudness at 2500 Hz. You should try the EQ function on your BTR7.

 

[Dsnuts]

No question the Sands got ample trebles but little bass? That is what makes that statement kind of strange. No way does the Sand have little bass or lack of punch.

 

[Nick24JJ]

Sounds like your not getting a good seal in the ear. The UTWS5 and the BTR7 both are a touch on the warmer side, the UTWS5 more so as far as sources goes. Shouldnt sound that bright and with little bass? That is strange to me. You try it on the BTR7 and get the same results?

I am not sure if the SpinFit 100+ I am using are the most appropriate tip for the Sands but I have perfect seal plus I am using the SpinFits with my 7Hz Timeless and HOOK-X with perfect results, for me.

Do you have Amazon Music Unlimited? Can you please listen to New Order: Round and Round and to Electronic: The patience of a Saint, and tell me how do you find the male vocals, if you can feel the bass guitar and how do you find the drums? Sorry if I am asking too much...

Is the PAC480 the best cable I can afford or is there something better from Penon Audio? I can get a replacement or something different, they said. Should I insist to the PAC?

The only other 2-pin cable I have is the stock from the HOOK-X. I will try it again tomorrow.
This disappointment from the UTWS5 + SANDS combo feels like a really cold shower

 

[Nick24JJ]

Hello there. I am a Sands owner that only uses his IEM with a lot of DSP and heavy EQ. According to my experience, the Sands can only be tamed by reducing the loudness at 2500 Hz. You should try the EQ function on your BTR7.

Hi, thanks for your response! I am never using any EQ with any of my IEMs but, as it seems, unfortunately, I might have to use EQ.
From the Qudelix PEQ to Mojo 2's DSP.

I am trying to avoid it, though, and do my best to bring the sound to my taste without EQ. Trying cables and tips first. I am really open-minded but I cannot accept to pierce my eardrums.

 

[Redcarmoose]

@Dsnuts and @Redcarmoose

I really-really need your help!!

My PAC480 cable is on its way back to Hong King due to the channel imbalance I was facing with the 4.4mm connector on my BTR7. Right now I am listening to my Sands from my FiiO UTWS5 and sometimes it is truly unbearable! It is not that I am close-minded or anything but I am listening to Amazon Music Unlimited, listening to New Order or Pet Shop Boys or Electronic, and I cannot listen more than 15 minutes! The treble is piercing my eardrums! The bass can be faintly heard, have you ever listened to New Order? When it comes to YouTube, I cannot listen almost at all, it really sucks! The only music I can enjoy is some Electronica albums I have saved on my phone in .WAV

Then, I am then wearing my HOOK-X with the stock Sands cable and I am fully enjoying my music to the ultimate degree, independently from if it is YouTube, Amazon, or local files.

Why is this happening?! Am I doing something wrong? Is the UTWS5 such a bad match, @Dsnuts , what do you think? Should I order another cable and not the PAC480? The PAC was playing nicely with my BTR7 but I have used it for a tiny amount of time, because I felt the urge to return it, as it was faulty. Now, I can get a replacement. Is there any other cable you would suggest, costing max £60, from Penon Audio? Or, is the PAC the best I can get at this price range?

Which ear-tips would you suggest? Now I am using the SpinFit CP100+, I am using these with all of my IEMs, they play fine for me.

Please, help! Too much treble, way too much brightness, and the true base only exists on WAV via UAPP. Why is it like this with my Sands?

I am not sure if the SpinFit 100+ I am using are the most appropriate tip for the Sands but I have perfect seal plus I am using the SpinFits with my 7Hz Timeless and HOOK-X with perfect results, for me.

Do you have Amazon Music Unlimited? Can you please listen to New Order: Round and Round and to Electronic: The patience of a Saint, and tell me how do you find the male vocals, if you can feel the bass guitar and how do you find the drums? Sorry if I am asking too much...

Is the PAC480 the best cable I can afford or is there something better from Penon Audio? I can get a replacement or something different, they said. Should I insist to the PAC?

The only other 2-pin cable I have is the stock from the HOOK-X. I will try it again tomorrow.
This disappointment from the UTWS5 + SANDS combo feels like a really cold shower

Just remember that the Sands in bright, that’s its nature and it is a double edged sword in that if you can find a way to balance that brightness it’s also maybe one of the Sands best qualities.

So literally everything affects the signal. The cable, the DAP, the music. I don’t have Amazon Music Unlimited but after 25 years I pulled out my 80’s albums from my school days and sure enough they were mixed thin. Meaning back when New Order was new the sound the producers wanted was a very fast, bass shy tone. After listening to all these records on my new turntable I finally pulled the exact albums I was using so many years ago, only to find them not audiophile at all. We just came through years of bass heavy music in the 1970s and producers were looking to change things up, smaller bookshelf speakers were the rage, and people were getting rid of their floor standers for the exact same reason, too boomy. It was an amazing time in the recording industry and you can imagine how different the music was, it was trying to actually sound different and taking away the bass tone was how they achieved it.

The PAC480 is really the ticket with the Sands, the other thing you can try is narrow-bore tips, just look through your collection and find the smallest circumstance of output port on the end of the tips. Combine that with a good air-tight seal and it will maybe work out, only remember that the sound starts in the file and you can’t always add what is not there to begin with. But I use the WM1Z, the PAC480 and wide-bore tips as I don’t need to tone down the treble. It really depends on the individual and the sonic needs of their personal sound/tone preference.

Your DAP or Dongle quality plays just as important roll, believe me, I deal with trying to find the best synergy everyday. Each amp and DAC has a character and you simply need to experiment to find the best combo. Some IEMs need a faster midrange, but the Sands needs your most lovingly deep dark source. Good luck!

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Hi, thanks for your response! I am never using any EQ with any of my IEMs but, as it seems, unfortunately, I might have to use EQ.
From the Qudelix PEQ to Mojo 2's DSP.

I am trying to avoid it, though, and do my best to bring the sound to my taste without EQ. Trying cables and tips first. I am really open-minded but I cannot accept to pierce my eardrums.

My current setup includes -4dB on 840Hz Q4,00 and -2dB on 2500Hz Q0,71. This is the most important part. These changes clean up the mid-range and reduce the treble.

 

[Nick24JJ]

@Redcarmoose , thank you so very much for your brilliant explanation, amazing, thank you! I will stick with the PAC cable then, I hope my replacement will arrive soon.
I have changed back to the stock tips, the black ones with the yellow, and 80s Pop/Rock sounds a bit better from Amazon. Right now, listening to my .WAV files and they sound great! Please, suggest me some tips like those you mean, with narrow bore. I will look in my collections for some, I do not have any collection of tips, just what came with the IEMs I own. It's just that, the few IEMs I have, the 7Hz, the HOOK-X, the TRI I3, all of them have given me lots of hours of amazingly pleasant musical experiences, plenty of goosebumps, without any EQ, without anything much else. Just a cable swap, like the stock SANDS on the HOOK-X = Amazing, or the TRI Grace on the 7Hz Timeless = Awesome.

@Dsnuts , please, if you'll find a minute, can you try the Sands on your UTWS5? I'm asking because you own one, I think. Just need to know your opinion on the synergy.

Thank you, guys!

 

[Nick24JJ]

My current setup includes -4dB on 840Hz Q4,00 and -2dB on 2500Hz Q0,71. This is the most important part. These changes clean up the mid-range and reduce the treble.

Thank you! I will definitely try it! Is that on the Qudelix 5K?

 

[ExTubeGamer]

Thank you! I will definitely try it! Is that on the Qudelix 5K?

I am using this setting on EasyEffects, that is a desktop application for linux systems. You should be able to use the same settings on your Qudelix app.

Type	Freq	dB	Q
Pre-gain:		-2.00dB
LOW_SHELF	110Hz	2.00dB	Q0.71
PEAK	840Hz	-4.00dB	Q4.00
PEAK	1500Hz	1.00dB	Q4.00
HIGH_SHELF	2500Hz	-2.00dB	Q0.71
PEAK	4000Hz	1.00dB	Q4.00
HIGH_SHELF	8000Hz	1.50dB	Q0.71
HIGH_SHELF	12000Hz	1.50dB	Q4.00

DIP Switches set to 120.
These are my complete EQ settings.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Some of the most bass emphasis in my listening comes from the Sony EP-EX11 tips. They are still for sale but all mine came with original Sony gear. Meaning you may want to source yours directly from Japan. Note post here. But his nomenclature is off, they are the correct tip he is talking about but he refers to them as Hybrid Tips. They are called dual density and the Hybrids have a different 2 material construction where the center is foam. Note the dual density ones that have nothing in the very center, just like the pictures here.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-iem-tips.626895/post-15496559

But typically if you actually use the originals they are very soft and offer a smaller than usual circumference, but also they somehow make the tone even smoother and I don’t know why? But something about the design? They were my first tips to have success with the HOOK-X too.

Beware even DUNU has copied them, but only the originals are really the correct rendition of this tip. The later Sony IER series has clear dual density tips and while close to the same, even those are more midcentric.