[ChrisOc]

So i guess Penon wanted to start by making sure they mastered the BA tuning first. And then they thought it was missing bass extension, so they added a DD, and then they thought it needed more treble extension. So they added ESTs.

Wonder how effective is to deliver a TOTL this way.

I would imagine it is an effective way to deliver a TOTL IEM, because as you said, "they mastered the....tuning".

After mastering the tuning, then comes tuning for their target audience, finding the right price point, presentation and marketing. With those pieces in place they might just deliver a masterpiece for their target audience.

 

[Ziggomatic]

There's something about Sony Walkman NW-A55 that separates it from the rest. It's not the sound output, which is good but not the best in class. It's not as powerful as the Cowon Plenue V and Hiby R3 Pro as both gets louder. This also doesn't have Android like the Fiio M6.

It's more about the overall package. The build is stellar, display is sharp and has good contrast, the buttons are clicky and got little nubs on them to identify blindly, the headphone jack is logically placed at the bottom and of course it holds charge for a long, long time and you don't need to turn it off to achieve that. There's also BT receiver mode so you can stream from Tidal/Spotify running on your phone. The feel in hand is perfect and it's so easy to grip I didn't even bother with a case.

Really nice DAP overall and if you don't need to run power hungry headphones or Final IEMs with very low sensitivity - this will serve really well.

Makes for a great transport, too!

 

[Slater]

Makes for a great transport, too!

Walkman makes for a great case too (at least the WM-AF54 does):

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chinese-asian-brand-iem-info-thread.820747/page-1309#post-14591962

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I would imagine it is an effective way to deliver a TOTL IEM, because as you said, "they mastered the....tuning".

After mastering the tuning, then comes tuning for their target audience, finding the right price point, presentation and marketing. With those pieces in place they might just deliver a masterpiece for their target audience.

they did a great job with the Trio. yeah yeah, it says Mofasest, but who is that anyways? i think it's Penon.

 

[unifutomaki]

There's something about Sony Walkman NW-A55 that separates it from the rest. It's not the sound output, which is good but not the best in class. It's not as powerful as the Cowon Plenue V and Hiby R3 Pro as both gets louder. This also doesn't have Android like the Fiio M6.

It's more about the overall package. The build is stellar, display is sharp and has good contrast, the buttons are clicky and got little nubs on them to identify blindly, the headphone jack is logically placed at the bottom and of course it holds charge for a long, long time and you don't need to turn it off to achieve that. There's also BT receiver mode so you can stream from Tidal/Spotify running on your phone. The feel in hand is perfect and it's so easy to grip I didn't even bother with a case.

Really nice DAP overall and if you don't need to run power hungry headphones or Final IEMs with very low sensitivity - this will serve really well.

I'm in love with my A55 as well; as you say it is simply a very well thought out device overall, the kind that is greater than the sum of its parts. I have mine in a silicone case purely to keep its aluminium corners pristine, but I might pick up the official Sony flip case from Japan down the line. It is warm and musical, the DSP features are actually worth using, and you can put @MrWalkman firmware on it to get the most out of it in terms of sound quality.

I have a feeling that the A55 is the last of its kind; Sony is pushing the A105 as its replacement as yet another consumer electronics segment is forced to homogenise around Android. People seemingly cannot be bothered to make their own mixes and maintain a music library anymore. My A55 has a manufacturing date of Aug 2020 and I'm babying the heck out of it. From here my next step up would be the ZX507 or its eventual successor, at which point I would have already spent a thousand local dollars on a portable source and can call it a day.

 

[activatorfly]

they did a great job with the Trio. yeah yeah, it says Mofasest, but who is that anyways? i think it's Penon.

Yeah obviously it's made by Penon...Trio was just a teaser for the Volt!

 

[moondowner]

https://twitter.com/ddhifi_com/status/1318123610213548032

I have high expectations on this one given the asking price of $199. They do seem to have put a good thought in these and some in-house innovations.

 

[baskingshark]

https://twitter.com/ddhifi_com/status/1318123610213548032

I have high expectations on this one given the asking price of $199. They do seem to have put a good thought in these and some in-house innovations.

Looks nice. Though the $199 USD price for a single DD has tough competition in the Tanchjim Oxygen and NM2+.

I wonder what they mean about the tuning papers. Is this IEM tunable for different sound signatures?

Frankly, I wonder if the 2 pin/MMCX connectors on the Janus is just a marketing gimmick? Most of us would just put a cable on an IEM and not frequently change it. Other than say a cable reviewer, would most other laymen frequently switch between MMCX and 2 pin cables on a single IEM?

 

[nraymond]

Frankly, I wonder if the 2 pin/MMCX connectors on the Janus is just a marketing gimmick? Most of us would just put a cable on an IEM and not frequently change it. Other than say a cable reviewer, would most other laymen frequently switch between MMCX and 2 pin cables on a single IEM?

Think about it this way, if you make an IEM with MMCX or 2-pin, you alienate people who are fans of one or the other (or have an investment already in a cable for one or the other). You could make the IEM with two different cable options, but then you have to stock both and now you're dealing with unpredictable demand for one type over the other. If you make the IEM with both cable connector types in one unit, you satisfy your whole potential customer base with a single SKU, which simplifies things for everyone.

 

[baskingshark]

Think about it this way, if you make an IEM with MMCX or 2-pin, you alienate people who are fans of one or the other (or have an investment already in a cable for one or the other). You could make the IEM with two different cable options, but then you have to stock both and now you're dealing with unpredictable demand for one type over the other. If you make the IEM with both cable connector types in one unit, you satisfy your whole potential customer base with a single SKU, which simplifies things for everyone.

Good point there. Though I would suppose most of us long enough in this hobby will have a few aftermarket cables with both MMCX and 2 pins lying about.

 

[chinerino]

I'm in love with my A55 as well; as you say it is simply a very well thought out device overall, the kind that is greater than the sum of its parts. I have mine in a silicone case purely to keep its aluminium corners pristine, but I might pick up the official Sony flip case from Japan down the line. It is warm and musical, the DSP features are actually worth using, and you can put @MrWalkman firmware on it to get the most out of it in terms of sound quality.

I have a feeling that the A55 is the last of its kind; Sony is pushing the A105 as its replacement as yet another consumer electronics segment is forced to homogenise around Android. People seemingly cannot be bothered to make their own mixes and maintain a music library anymore. My A55 has a manufacturing date of Aug 2020 and I'm babying the heck out of it. From here my next step up would be the ZX507 or its eventual successor, at which point I would have already spent a thousand local dollars on a portable source and can call it a day.

IMO as from a consumer point of view,

i really liked a few things about the A55
- good software, honestly one of the smoothest and easiest to understand
- decent build and battery life
- Sound effects
- DSP

some stuff that i find it questionable
- playlist creation, managing music library on com is mediocre
- cable
- measurements on sony proven to be sub par yet the shill on the S master HX

 

[chinerino]

Here is my review of the Shozy rouge! https://www.perrivanaudio.com/post/shozy-rouge-review

 

[unifutomaki]

IMO as from a consumer point of view,

i really liked a few things about the A55
- good software, honestly one of the smoothest and easiest to understand
- decent build and battery life
- Sound effects
- DSP

some stuff that i find it questionable
- playlist creation, managing music library on com is mediocre
- cable
- measurements on sony proven to be sub par yet the shill on the S master HX

Really couldn't care less about measurements of sources personally, especially when they manage to sound warm and analoguish instead of clinical and digital. The Music Center app is rubbish, but its predecessor Media Go works beautifully. WMPort cables are cheap and plentiful, so I'm not too fussed.

 

[chinerino]

Really couldn't care less about measurements of sources personally, especially when they manage to sound warm and analoguish instead of clinical and digital. The Music Center app is rubbish, but its predecessor Media Go works beautifully. WMPort cables are cheap and plentiful, so I'm not too fussed.

yeah they are going for that subjective sound feel which i agree, but i dont agree with their signaling on the tech side of things. I do enjoy the sound of the player though.

 

[chinmie]

https://twitter.com/ddhifi_com/status/1318123610213548032

I have high expectations on this one given the asking price of $199. They do seem to have put a good thought in these and some in-house innovations.

am i the only one who's thinking to try and plug both connectors at the same time to two different source? that would be (awkwardly) interesting