you wouldn't happen to know how the SHOCK is against UM Mest or Mext do you?
I'm looking to grab Shock as a replacement for my Lost Mext so I'm trying to set proper expectations Bass wise, I'm hoping it rumbles my head like Mext does
A couple of brief notes about the Rival as I continue to listen and learn.
First, the Divinus Velvet wide bore tips, which are short and stubby, when pushed completely onto the nozzle have provided me the deepest insertion and greatest bcd effect. These tips have gotten Rival close to ciem fit for me, YMMV.
Second, I just appreciate the zero driver flex, which is something I realize I have come to expect with BCD sets. But not Rival, not even a hint of it, and that's so nice but no one will mention it.
Still absolutely loving Rival with green mid and white upper dampers, with bass dial at 10 o'clock. Totem cable is a perfect match.
After many days listening to the Penon Conductor bud alongside the Rose Masya Pro bud and the Dunu Alpha 3 bud, I have returned to my favourite Penon....the Penon 10th Anniversary. This time with the stunning Penon OCC 849 cable. An amazing marriage that is significantly beautified by the wonderful Copper OCC 849, which unlike any other Copper cable I have heard, crisps note edges yet musicalizes them in the most natural way possible. Again unlike any other Copper cable I have heard, bass is not fattened up, yet it gets some extra seasoning of musical flavour. A wonderful combination of an affordable Penon EST IEM and one of the finest Penon cables (particularly at the VIP offer) I have used. Do cables matter.....Yesssss
the Mext has a better experience BC bass wise, it quakes much better and feels better, It's most apparent on a song like big boi kill jill, which is a given considering it's so much more expensive. I prefer the Mext myself but the Fan 3 is absolutely fun still, it's an amazing entry point for people who wanna try out the BC feel
the Fan will quake on that song from 0:33 till 0:40 but that's where Mext wins because Fan doesn't do the lower hz rumble as well as Mext, I'm very impressed considering how much Fan 3 is. I quite love it
Taking it all in. Just to give us an idea of how much bass we’re talking about, how does the quantity of bass compare with say, Shock? Which has more bass with the dial at maximum? And how about at minimum?
I do like that it has the option to tune the mids as well. It’s one thing I wanted from Shock. How significant is the effect of those dampers on the mids - do they bring them more forward or further back? Or is mainly in terms of upper mid/lower treble energy?
And is the rhodium plug on the custom Totem the same modular rhodium plug that Penon are selling?
Looking forward to more impressions, especially comparisons with the current crop of TOTLs. At that price, they are no longer giant-killers, they are taking their place alongside giants.
Edited to add: I’ve been spoiled by some really nice gear of late but today is one of those days I’m listening once again to Volt on the DC Elite just streaming right through my Bandcamp feed and thinking, how much better does it get than this? Yes, the DCE keeps showing that Volt is still relevant.
Will give a better break down on the bass when I get the time to do so but I stay by my statement on my reader. The subbass end of the Rivals sounds identical to separated subs from something like your home entertainment system with a dedicated 15" subwoofer. Its pretty crazy after you accept what that bass presentation is going for.
As per quantity. This graph indicates anywhere from a mild 7dbs to what looks like somewhere in the 17dbs of subbass range. Mid and upper bass is tuned to where it will stay in control and is not as burly as the lower bass end but it's got plenty of impact. Will be back with some comparisons when I get a chance.
By the way there is a reason why I mention the Volts on my Rival reader. It is because I find of all the prior flagship IEMs it is the Volts rich mids character that the Rivals mids reminds me of but then the bass and treble end gets the TOTL treatment. Then adding them BC drivers and Totem cable. You can imagine what that will do to a rich full bodied mids character of a Penon TOTL IEM.
So the mids damper does affect just how much pinna gain you want from the Rival. I am guessing my tweak to be roughly 10dbs of gain. Stock is about 9dbs and the one that @emdeevee has done with his green will be roughly 7-8dbs. This brings more focus on warmth and fullness to your mids vs the slight added clarity and vocal presence for the way I have tuned the Rival. It is a learning experience but once you get them adjusted the way you want them. They will blow your mind just how good they sound.
So the bass adjustment ability here is something they learned from developing the Penon Turbo of all IEMs it looks like but this time coaxial carbon hybrid dynamics. Bass definition here is insane.
Going from The Rival to the Shock. There is drop in texture both have similar impact and emphasis when cranked but it is the Rival as you would expect that has better control and definition. Shock on max dial is not good imo. I dont know if I would listen to the Rivals on max dial either. Just too much bass in general. Lol. Starts to sacrifice mids and trebles for the sake of that big bass. Both the Shocks and the Rivals are supposed to be using carbon-based dynamics but the Rival is clearly at a different level in both texture and definition overall. There are some vague wording as far as descriptors goes for the Rival bass as I asked what dynamics they were using and the answer I got was Carbon hybrid.
I am thinking it is a silicone dynamic with a carbon coating. Just a theory. I just threw on my IER-Z1R and the Z1Rs bass quality is one of the best on the planet as far as I am concerned and once again the Rival bass end. Not only does it dig deeper in the subs but it sounds more powerful over the Z1Rs bass end. Rivals bass texture is top shelf as far as I know. I haven't really heard better texture for bass notes.
Bass control, power, impact and definition. With the ability to crank that up if you wish. That is what the Rival bass brings. It's a new bench for Penon bass. I have yet to hear anything they have made in the past that eclipse what the Bass is doing on the Rivals.
the Mext has a better experience BC bass wise, it quakes much better and feels better, It's most apparent on a song like big boi kill jill, which is a given considering it's so much more expensive. I prefer the Mext myself but the Fan 3 is absolutely fun still, it's an amazing entry point for people who wanna try out the BC feel
the Fan will quake on that song from 0:33 till 0:40 but that's where Mext wins because Fan doesn't do the lower hz rumble as well as Mext, I'm very impressed considering how much Fan 3 is. I quite love it
I interchanged MEXT and Fan 3 on a Fiio KA17 listening to the song you mention above.
I would say that for me it isn't the bass that differs that much. Fan 3 rumble is more than adequate to my ears and not really lacking.
But one thing that does stand out in the sound signature is that the treble sounds more controlled with MEXT. Overall the sound with mids and treble is more coherent and natural I might say. The upper mids and vocals more full and real.
Overall Fan 3 is a fantastic IEM and I guess with other genres there might even be an edge over MEXT. But the latter sounds here as a more 'grown-up's' IEM , if I may be allowed the term.
I interchanged MEXT and Fan 3 on a Fiio KA17 listening to the song you mention above.
I would say that for me it isn't the bass that differs that much. Fan 3 rumble is more than adequate to my ears and not really lacking.
But one thing that does stand out in the sound signature is that the treble sounds more controlled with MEXT. Overall the sound with mids and treble is more coherent and natural I might say. The upper mids and vocals more full and real.
Overall Fan 3 is a fantastic IEM and I guess with other genres there might even be an edge over MEXT. But the latter sounds here as a more 'grown-up's' IEM , if I may be allowed the term.
Yep that sounds correct, I found Mext the better overall in everything but I bought Fan 3 to see if the BC would perform as good as Mext which it didn't quite reach it. The rumble wasn't as good for me
It's a great set overall price wise and certainly a good rec for anyone starting out. It was never a fair fight between the two but I'll say the reason my Mext even got lost was because I didn't pay attention to it cause I was using Fan 3 more lol.
Shameless plug for gear I'll put up for sale next week due to the incoming Volt + Totem cable :
Penon 10TH AE + Vocal cable 4.4 terminated
Penon Fan 3 + Space 3-in-1 cable
Quattro cable 4.4 terminated
Penon OCC849 4.4 terminated
ISN Neo 1 4.4 version
AFUL Explorer 4.4 version
By the way there is a reason why I mention the Volts on my Rival reader. It is because I find of all the prior flagship IEMs it is the Volts rich mids character that the Rivals mids reminds me of but then the bass and treble end gets the TOTL treatment. Then adding them BC drivers and Totem cable. You can imagine what that will do to a rich full bodied mids character of a Penon TOTL IEM.
Yea, Shock with bass dial on 5 is when it gets too muddy for my tastes. I dial it down to something like 4.8 and it still just about still works for me. It’s probably the point at which Shock’s bass drivers reach the limit of their capabilities. When I compare it with say, a dedicated basshead IEM like the Symphonium Titan, it’s the Titan that packs an even bigger bass boost and still manages to keep it clean. Then again it’s nearly twice the price of Shock, so I would put it down to Shock giving it a good run for its money. But now I’m wondering how Rival would do against something like that. More texture, grip and detail all the way to the lowest register would be mandatory for starters, I would expect.
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