The PENON official thread

[Scubadevils]

Penon Serial ordered and I got a screenshot from the Swiss authorized retailer

Congrats, Serial is a fantastic IEM - another I regret selling, and often debate buying it again.

 

[wdelta06]

Na. Not overkill. Nothing wrong with optimizing the Vortex. OSG cable if fantastic on everything. If you already own the OSG might as well us it. Will sound fantastic on the Vortex. Speaking of which.


New Obsidian on Vortex is killer. These have quickly become one of the best copper cables I have tested for IEMs.... Unlike 100% GPC cables or gold plated copper cables these are %50 GPC hybrid cables meaning only half the cores are covered in gold. Believe it or not. This is the exact reason that makes these more versatile than 100% GPC copper cables.

Let me explain. I have always put it out there that gold plated copper cables are more niche in cable land in that you have to have the right type of tuning involved in order to fully synergize with a %100 gold plated copper cable. That gold plating darkens a tonal character of an earphone it is attached to.. Sometimes could be a bit too much darkening. This counters neutral to bright sounding IEMs sound which in the end synergizes with such tunings.

The Obsidian give just enough touch of that gold coloration to not overly darken a sound tuning, it seems to enhance richness in a phones sound, I noticed increase depth and a richer tonal character on the Vortex. It gives some fantastic layering of the Vortex sound. Some of the best bass presence for the non modded vortex I got. It also seems to enhance texture qualities of the stock vortex sound making every note more distinct. Love the Obsidian on the Vortex. Might be my favorite pairing to date.

I am going to keep testing the Obsidian cable on the variety of IEMs but for now I am very impressed with Penons newest cable. I know the price seems a bit high for some at $149.. You better believe me when I say this is a relative bargain for what you're getting. Compared to newer offerings by other manufacturers with their fancy looking boxes and even fancier names..

Really tempted right now... Obsidian looks amazing!

Dunu's most recent model, the Amber modular cable, left me...disappointed at best.

Surprisingly Amber is very un-Dunu (kinks like crazy, definitely not supple, stiff & very uncooperative...).

 

[F700]

Congrats, Serial is a fantastic IEM - another I regret selling, and often debate buying it again.

Thanks! The story continues and the music plays on

 

[Scubadevils]

Thanks! The story continues and the music plays on

Indeed, and in a twist of events, I'm listening to the Philips Fidelio X3 headphones tonight - via the Honey H1, which I have on loan - wonderful combo, with some 90s classic trance!

 

[F700]

Indeed, and in a twist of events, I'm listening to the Philips Fidelio X3 headphones tonight - via the Honey H1, which I have on loan - wonderful combo, with some 90s classic trance!

Nice track and definitely 90’s feeling to it.

I had the Honey H1 and loved the sound this portable amp/dac rendered. The device itself is premium looking and feeling too. The volume knob was an issue. It’s a Dethonray’s challenge. Anson is trying hard to solve this since a few years now, but the sound is just amazing.

Tonight, I am on chill-dub modus with Pulshar and their best-of compile. It’s a good one, but nothing they have released tops their double CDs from 2008.

 

[BrokenHill]

How is this song sounding on serial/vortex?



and this:


waiting for your comments

(If you have the ISN H40 I would also like to know)

Hi.
Excellent album. I was able to get some time out over the weekend and recover it (I have it in flac) to do the tests, in case it can help you. I have really enjoyed it again.

I have to say that I'm just a hobbyist, still training my ear, and I don't have the stock setup, so you can't take my impressions literally, and they may not match others.

• Serial with ISN Solar cable and sednafit crystal tips.
• Vortex with TRI Wolfram cable, and sednafit crystal tips.

Sources have been:

• My desktop setup (RME ADI-2 DAC with AK4493 and Burson Soloist 3XP)
• Phone with L&P W2
• Hiby R6 2020

Both IEMs are excellent, and you can't go wrong with either, but they do have nuances. Both have a similar Penon's tuning, the Vortex is more balanced and the Serial a little more V-profile. For me, the Serial stands out in the percussion textures, which I find wonderful.

Easy Way Out
The Serial is generally warmer. When the voice goes into a higher falsetto, it sounds a bit more nasal to me than on the Vortex. It is something that I had not realized until now, and if I had not done the A/B test, I would not have noticed it. In the Vortex the voices are more advanced, and they sound more correct to me throughout the track. When the song gets more complex around 2:25 the Serial presents it as layers, as waves of sound. In the Vortex everything seems more consistent in this aspect (a single driver versus three). You hear everything at once, and it seems to handle the complexity of the track well.

Dreamer
In the Serial this track sounds as if you were listening to it in a larger room. In the Vortex it is closer, a little more intimate. In this track there is less falsetto, and therefore the voice is more similar between both. In the Vortex perhaps the details that are heard below throughout the track appear clearer.

In general, to summarize, I would say that the Serial is warmer, it has a little more soundstage, and this one is more holographic, there is more layering. The voice, in certain moments of "Easy Way Out" has seemed to me somewhat more nasal than in the Vortex. Nothing serious. The basses are more impressive in the Serial, although in these tracks there are not many, but some drum is felt in the chest, and not in the Vortex. The Vortex is consistent across the entire frequency range, and you can focus more on detail. The soundstage is somewhat more intimate. The voice in the Vortex cannot be faulted in these particular tracks.

Hope it helps...

 

[Descoberto]

Oi.
Excelente álbum. Consegui tirar um tempinho no final de semana e recuperá-lo (tenho em flac) para fazer os testes, caso possa te ajudar. Eu realmente gostei de novo.

Devo dizer que sou apenas um hobby, ainda treinando meu ouvido, e não tenho a configuração de estoque, então você não pode tomar minhas impressões literalmente, e elas podem não corresponder a outras.

• Serial com cabo ISN Solar e pontas de cristal sednafit.
• Vortex com cabo TRI Wolfram e pontas de cristal sednafit.

As fontes foram:

• Minha configuração de desktop (RME ADI-2 DAC com AK4493 e Burson Soloist 3XP)
• Telefone com L&P W2
• Hiby R6 2020

Ambos os IEMs são excelentes, e você também não pode errar, mas eles têm nuances. Ambos possuem uma afinação semelhante do Penon, o Vortex é mais balanceado e o Serial um pouco mais em V-perfil. Para mim, o Serial se destaca nas texturas de percussão, que acho maravilhosas.

Saída fácil
O Serial é geralmente mais quente. Quando a voz vai para um falsete mais alto, soa um pouco mais nasal para mim do que no Vortex. É algo que eu não tinha percebido até agora, e se não tivesse feito o teste A/B, não teria percebido. No Vortex as vozes são mais avançadas, e soam mais corretas para mim ao longo da faixa. Quando a música fica mais complexa por volta dos 2:25 o Serial a apresenta como camadas, como ondas de som. No Vortex tudo parece mais consistente neste aspecto (um único driver versus três). Você ouve tudo de uma vez, e parece lidar bem com a complexidade da faixa.

Sonhador
No Serial, esta faixa soa como se você estivesse ouvindo em uma sala maior. No Vortex é mais próximo, um pouco mais íntimo. Nesta faixa há menos falsete e, portanto, a voz é mais semelhante entre ambas. No Vortex talvez os detalhes ouvidos abaixo ao longo da faixa pareçam mais claros.

Em geral, para resumir, eu diria que o Serial é mais quente, tem um pouco mais de palco sonoro, e esse é mais holográfico, tem mais camadas. A voz, em certos momentos de " Easy Way Out " me pareceu um pouco mais nasal do que no Vortex. Nada sério. Os baixos são mais impressionantes no Serial, embora nessas faixas não haja muitos, mas alguns tambores são sentidos no peito, e não no Vortex. O Vortex é consistente em toda a faixa de frequência e você pode se concentrar mais nos detalhes. O palco sonoro é um pouco mais intimista. A voz no Vortex não pode ser criticada nessas faixas específicas.

Espero que ajude...

Muito obrigado, ótima comparação! what is the size of your tips?

 

[jghjkhfd]

Speaking of Penon stuff. Stay tuned folks. I have something to reveal very very soon. Keep tabs. You're gonna be interested I guarontee!!!

New iem, i hope?

 

[BrokenHill]

Muito obrigado, ótima comparação! what is the size of your tips?

I wear ML size. Azla has sizes in between, which is great. In other brands I usually use the L, or when they carve large, and tend to get out, I have to order the M.

 

[SenorChang8]

New iem, i hope?

Pretty sure it is. Penon posted a pre production model some time ago. No idea on the configuration or price range.

 

[Penon]

Thank you all very much for your valuable opinions, so we use this panel design after modification.

 

[freelancr]

@Penon
Can you tell me how I get the polarity right with this cable?
Is the groove supposed to be faced in or out?

 

[BrokenHill]

@Penon
Can you tell me how I get the polarity right with this cable?
Is the groove supposed to be faced in or out?

Groove always face out

 

[freelancr]

Groove always face out

thank you.

 

[Ace Bee]

Thank you all very much for your valuable opinions, so we use this panel design after modification.

Which country is that?

Foreverland, perhaps? One where you keep listening to music for ever and ever?