Sep 17, 2024 at 4:48 AM Post #15,211 of 15,750
Hello all, so I've recently purchased a Penon 10th Anniversary Edition (and really loved it). Today I've had the chance to audition Penon Fan 3 as well. I found the Fan 3 to have a more mid centric tuning, while the 10th has more authorative bass and better details in the upper-highs. But overall both has the Penon sound (tuning), very lush and fun sounding.

Now I'm getting a good discount to purchase the Penon Fan 3 and space cable. And I'm wondering is it worth having both of should I consider investing in another brand since I already own the Penon 10th?

Looking forward to your thoughts, TIA.
What is the story with the Space Cable?
 
Sep 17, 2024 at 10:01 AM Post #15,212 of 15,750
What is the story with the Space Cable?
It retails for $100, is on special sale when purchasing the Fan3 as it matches extremely well with them. Its included cable is a OS133 which is a base form of the Space cable. So it was only natural to offer the upgraded cable and it was nice of Penon to offer it with a half price discount for buyers.

OS133 itself is not a bad cable but the Space is double the cores and if you guys know what doubling the cores does for a cables ability, ( there is a reason why it is called SPACE), then you will have a good idea why the space cable is an upgrade. You can certainly try other cables on the Fan3 which can yeild some good results for the sound but Penon has already done the work for you. Its always an option and not something that is needed. If you already own a few cables you can always try those and see how that matches up of course.
 
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Sep 17, 2024 at 11:47 AM Post #15,213 of 15,750
It retails for $100, is on special sale when purchasing the Fan3 as it matches extremely well with them. Its included cable is a OS133 which is a base form of the Space cable. So it was only natural to offer the upgraded cable and it was nice of Penon to offer it with a half price discount for buyers.

OS133 itself is not a bad cable but the Space is double the cores and if you guys know what doubling the cores does for a cables ability, ( there is a reason why it is called SPACE), then you will have a good idea why the space cable is an upgrade. You can certainly try other cables on the Fan3 which can yeild some good results for the sound but Penon has already done the work for you. Its always an option and not something that is needed. If you already own a few cables you can always try those and see how that matches up of course.
Sounds interesting. I might grap one.
For now I have the Fan 3 an a Bluetooth cable. That crops some of it's potential I know, but portability is a big factor for me these days.
 
Sep 17, 2024 at 11:50 AM Post #15,214 of 15,750
Sounds interesting. I might grap one.
For now I have the Fan 3 an a Bluetooth cable. That crops some of it's potential I know, but portability is a big factor for me these days.

Should still work, but I am very certain Penon tuned the Fan3 with the OS133 cable and the Space is just and extension of those but better. It is difficult to use the OS133 after using the Space cable on the Fan3. Lol. For me at least.

You get a greater holographic effect from using the Space IMO. Which is what the whole point of the Fan3.
 
Sep 18, 2024 at 3:03 AM Post #15,215 of 15,750
The Penon/ISN Solar Cable has been permanently reduced in price from $399.00 to $349.00! One of the single best cables I have ever heard!
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Sep 18, 2024 at 4:11 PM Post #15,216 of 15,750
Not sure about the cable solder/join to the plug as I'm having a channel drop-out from it.

Have you tried contacting Penon about it? I had that issue early on and they sorted it out fast. It shouldn’t even be happening, least of all with something on the level of Impact, but I’m glad for their customer support.

Rival - Immediate depth and scale from the dual BCD. I have a tenuous relationship with boners. They rely on a proper fit and contact which isn't difficult but if your IEM isn't aligned or rotated out of axis, the loss of the BCD is immediately noticeable.

Do you feel the loss of the BCD when the Rival is not making proper fit and contact?

Curious because I’m fairly sure the Conductor’s BCD doesn’t need contact since it’s barely making any. Not sure how similar the driver or the tech is, as there are so many BCDs now.
 
Sep 19, 2024 at 8:21 PM Post #15,220 of 15,750


I recently reviewed the ISN H60s and loved them so much that I paid Penon to build me a pair in CIEM form!

The CIEMs sound surprisingly different from the universal version. They're far more precise with imaging that's appreciably sharper, and the background feels blacker. Picking out tiny details is more effortless, and from a tuning perspective they feel a bit less warm & boomy and more neutral overall. The soundstage feels deeper too.

Of course all the usual benefits of custom earphones apply here - much better noise isolation, a more comfortable fit that's even better at selling the illusion there's nothing in your ears, and they're easier to keep in for hours without the urge to re-position them.

Since taking the plunge on CIEMs one of my strongest recommendations to anyone in the hobby is to own a pair yourself, even if (like me) you feel universal IEMs are perfectly adequate for fit & comfort. CIEMs are just so much nicer in some ways, and for listening on noisy trips or loud environments there's absolutely no substitute for that extra isolation - even the most snug, form-fitting UIEM does not come close!

CIEM H60s are a great low cost option if you're thinking of taking the plunge, and it literally took an audiologist less than 15 minutes to get my ear impressions done.
 
Sep 19, 2024 at 8:29 PM Post #15,221 of 15,750
I would be curious to know how many Rivals Penon sold and if it was worth their while to create a $4K iem.
You’re much more likely to get an answer in that regard by contacting the individual Rival owners. Ask them if it was worth it, and if you already read the reviews, you don’t even have to do that. :)
 
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Sep 19, 2024 at 10:22 PM Post #15,222 of 15,750
Your much more likely to get an answer in that regard by contacting the individual Rival owners. Ask them if it was worth it, and if you already read the reviews, you don’t even have to do that. :)
Asking new owners of 4k IEMs if they think they made a mistake with their purchase? Good luck with that. Lol.
 
Sep 19, 2024 at 10:55 PM Post #15,223 of 15,750
Asking new owners of 4k IEMs if they think they made a mistake with their purchase? Good luck with that. Lol.
I haven't heard the Rival, but it is common sense that if a manufacture keeps adding parts..............each set of parts goes to install a new set of harmonics into the ear-canal. As such, of course there are diminishing returns for the dollar spent, and sweet spots that hit most of the bases in music listening........on a basic level.

Yet to displace the size of encounter you need complications of involvement as to a number of parts activating. Those activations start with a positive wire and a negative wire and displace a bigger sound as more parts are added. Sure if it is a bad tune then it is an exercise in futility......................but do you really think Penon would make an awful tune? :)

More complications to the IEM normally (if done right) exhibit a larger recreation of musical reality. Think of an un-amplified guitar singer song-writer on a stage vs a full orchestra? More pieces always normally exhibit a greater chance of involvement to the sound field. Through-out my audiophile history of almost 50 years, I have normally seen bigger and more expensive examples of the art-form reproduce better musical involvement. This goes for a (if tuned right) $150K 2 channel set-up, to as simple as an IEM or DAP. People who don't have access to such toys often make statements like it is for show, or an elitist venture, I'm better than you style of statements. But in reality those folks don't have access to such products and are simply guessing or delusional in their beliefs. The internet is full of individuals sporting such talk. :)
 
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Sep 20, 2024 at 5:47 PM Post #15,224 of 15,750
You’re much more likely to get an answer in that regard by contacting the individual Rival owners. Ask them if it was worth it, and if you already read the reviews, you don’t even have to do that. :)

I think I’ve noticed 2 owners. 1 purchased and 1 freebie review sample, hence my curiosity. I have no question on how good it sounds. I’m sure Penon appreciates your dedication to their brand/brands.
 
Sep 20, 2024 at 6:10 PM Post #15,225 of 15,750
I think I’ve noticed 2 owners. 1 purchased and 1 freebie review sample, hence my curiosity. I have no question on how good it sounds. I’m sure Penon appreciates your dedication to their brand/brands.
It is maybe a question of company curiosity and a show of creative skill in that a few years ago only the Penon Volt existed. As time goes on and other IEMs come out by other manufacturers.........now Penon have chances to explore other options in effort.......to Rival the other products. Sure 4K is not an IEM priced product that you will see fly off the shelf like medium to lower priced audio consumer goods. Still though the difference here is the total cost is the same as 8 different $500.00 IEM purchases, which a few people do in time. It maybe depends how much you want to obtain (an example of) premium sound?
 
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