Yes, I pulled the plug on Orb. Will get it within a month if possible.
The PENON official thread
- Thread starter Dsnuts
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veggiedinner
New Head-Fier
How does the imaging/instrument separation of the Orb compare to the ISN H40? Was ready to jump on the latter, but between here and reddit, I've seen quite a few comparisons between the two IEM's.
Would be powering these via a phone or laptop (jazz/rock/hip-hop/r&b if it matters).
Would be powering these via a phone or laptop (jazz/rock/hip-hop/r&b if it matters).
Codename john
100+ Head-Fier
To my ears the orbs have better imaging and separation, the h40 has a wider stage.. The imaging /separation on the orbs are superb. It locates instruments perfectly.
Ziggomatic
500+ Head-Fier
Somewhat different take: I hear the separation & detail of the H40 standing out compared to the ORB due (I think) to the better treble extension, though the ORB is certainly no slouch. I agree the H40 has the more open, wider image. The ORB is more intimate, but the overall image is more coherent (better center channel presence, for example) with a better sense of depth.
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Tristan88
New Head-Fier
Hey guys, is the penon orb a good all rounder iem? Been looking at the mangird tea also but worried about the driver flex and just stumbled upon the orb now. Which would be better between the two for an all rounder?
IEMusic
Headphoneus Supremus
I have yet to read a comparison between these two IEMs, despite them being direct competitors, so if anyone has both, I too would like to know your opinions. FWIW, I get a lot of driver flex with my Mangird Teas, but I think most other people don’t.
Tristan88
New Head-Fier
So the driver flex with the tea's is not necessarily a common issue?
IEMusic
Headphoneus Supremus
I haven’t read about many people having issues with driver flex with the Tea. I think only 1-2 other people mentioned having any driver flex, that I noticed.
pr0b3r
Headphoneus Supremus
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I love my Orb and I consider them as specialist in most music genres I listen to. However, ISN's H40 and D02 will probably be a better choice for testing broader selection of music as their tuning are more complete (but not necessarily better than Orb's).
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Id say no, they are not an all-arounder due to the treble being behind the mix.
Tristan88
New Head-Fier
Ok thanks for the help @IEMusic @pr0b3r @Darkestred, If the teas are a safe choice then I'll stick with that
Tristan88
New Head-Fier
May I ask which music genres you listen to?
IEMusic
Headphoneus Supremus
I like the Tea a lot, and find it versatile. I think all genres of music sound good on it, but I‘d say the main weaknesses are if you want a lot of bass, especially mid bass (it has a very tasteful sub bass bias to keep the mids clean), or if you want a lot of micro details, which are sometimes masked by the tuning, which aims at being non-fatiguing. It‘s major strengths are being able to enjoy listening to it for really long periods, and amazing imaging/instrument separation. It does all frequencies well, but really is a midrange specialist IMHO. It also has probably the best isolation for me, outside of CIEMs or Etymotic/Shure IEMs with multi-flange tips. I haven’t compared it to the Orb, which also reportedly has excellent isolation.
pr0b3r
Headphoneus Supremus
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I mainly listen to vocal centric tracks on various genres like acoustic, jazz, ballad, hip-hop, trip-hop, pop, and r&b. At times, I listen to a lot of different metal genres too but I try to use IEMs with more treble energy, though some metal recordings are okay with Orb as well.
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Tristan88
New Head-Fier
A lot about the the mangird tea seems to be perfect for my tastes (that's if I understand my tastes correctly). I would like something that i can listen to for long periods at a time without discomfort for situations like working in the lab or shutting the world out when I'm not keen on having the open back experience from my headphones. I got the Legacy 3 earlier this year and have been continually blown away by how good it sounds but i find i can't wear them for more than an hour or two. I think wearing fatigue is definitely part of the case but i think the bass may also be a bit overwhelming because if i put on some electronic music i get fatigued much faster (though it sounds great and i enjoy the sound for the first few songs but then need to take the earphones out).
The sound signature of the Tea seems to be perfect because i have a broad music range but i'm not good with distinguishing genres so i'm not sure what most of my music can be subdivided into. The only thing is that the orb has such good reviews for fit (and the sound is no slouch either) and i'd love the tea sound in the orb's shell. I hear the tea isn't a large iem either but what's its size compared to the legacy 3? because even if it's got the sound i want it wont help that i can't be comfortable with it for a good amount of time.
Or am i expecting too much when it comes to comfort and practically all iem's create wearing fatigue after an hour or two?
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