[emdeevee]

I was a bit ambivalent about the Fan 2 when I first got them but they are growing on me, unusually even more so after getting the AuR Audio Neon Pro.

To my ear they are an excellent counterpoint to the high energy and detail of Neon Pro just smoothing over the sometimes harsh highs in music like Led Zeppelin for example but never feeling dark in doing so. The twin 6mm DD do bass perfectly for my taste, I like punchy mid bass without added energy over emphasised sub bass.

I have settled on a XINHS 8 wire graphene cable, just because I like the aesthetic, and JVC Spiral Dot tops.

I agree, the Fan2 is pretty perfect for what it is and does! Another great Penon set among so many!

 

[rawbine]

Great impressions. And as you already know, I agree fully that the 10th’s mids not resolving as much as I’d like, though I’m not sure it would bother most folks unless they’ve been thriving on a diet of richly resolving mids such as those of the Volt. I do think the tuning is intentional though.

Thanks!

Highly probable! The 10th is a V shape/light U/W for a reason and besides I was (us) just being overly critical as the graininess isn’t really perceptible. It is just that the lows and highs are a little too good and that too I feel was dialed down to match. Its quite obvious Penon has no intention to go anywhere near Volt‘s territory.

 

[shez.]

My Penon Fan 2 review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-fan2.26145/review/31200/

 

[gael]

Guys, what the hell, why cable matters so much, eh??
I was always sceptical on how much cable affects the sound. Thought it's for those with exceptional hearing. So when I needed another termination on my Fan2 I just switched it to my modular Kinera Leyding, which by the way is a more expensive cable than OS133 that comes with Fan2. But it sounds a bit off with it, hard to explain, I think the emphasis on sibilants is the problem, and maybe the lower mid is too boomy. I was shocked at the difference when switched back to OS133, what the hell!
So my question: is there a cable that complement specifically Fan2 better than the stock cable, or should I just buy another OS133 with the needed termination?

 

[ldo77]

A good TWS : 10TH + AZ15 + Aptx

 

[shez.]

Guys, what the hell, why cable matters so much, eh??
I was always sceptical on how much cable affects the sound. Thought it's for those with exceptional hearing. So when I needed another termination on my Fan2 I just switched it to my modular Kinera Leyding, which by the way is a more expensive cable than OS133 that comes with Fan2. But it sounds a bit off with it, hard to explain, I think the emphasis on sibilants is the problem, and maybe the lower mid is too boomy. I was shocked at the difference when switched back to OS133, what the hell!
So my question: is there a cable that complement specifically Fan2 better than the stock cable, or should I just buy another OS133 with the needed termination?

It is all about preference, if you like how Fan2 sounded with OS133, just buy it, if you don't, consider another but with knowledge of what exactly you want to improve.

 

[Dsnuts]

Guys, what the hell, why cable matters so much, eh??
I was always sceptical on how much cable affects the sound. Thought it's for those with exceptional hearing. So when I needed another termination on my Fan2 I just switched it to my modular Kinera Leyding, which by the way is a more expensive cable than OS133 that comes with Fan2. But it sounds a bit off with it, hard to explain, I think the emphasis on sibilants is the problem, and maybe the lower mid is too boomy. I was shocked at the difference when switched back to OS133, what the hell!
So my question: is there a cable that complement specifically Fan2 better than the stock cable, or should I just buy another OS133 with the needed termination?

You want a better OS133. Look into the Penon Space. It is double the core count of the OS133. You are now finding out about effects of cables. I know there are die hard folks that don't hear any differences with cables but there is a reason why if you shop Aliexpress. There are more cables than there are IEMs they attach to. It is a much bigger industry than you would imagine.

 

[Neithan]

Guys, what the hell, why cable matters so much, eh??
I was always sceptical on how much cable affects the sound. Thought it's for those with exceptional hearing. So when I needed another termination on my Fan2 I just switched it to my modular Kinera Leyding, which by the way is a more expensive cable than OS133 that comes with Fan2. But it sounds a bit off with it, hard to explain, I think the emphasis on sibilants is the problem, and maybe the lower mid is too boomy. I was shocked at the difference when switched back to OS133, what the hell!
So my question: is there a cable that complement specifically Fan2 better than the stock cable, or should I just buy another OS133 with the needed termination?

From recommendation from this thread, I bought the Penon Space... I'm waiting for it to arrive.
Meanwhile I've been using a NiceHCK Superblue cable and I liked the results... I'm not going to do big considerations about the sound difference between the two because the IEM is still in the burning fase

 

[Echalon]

Guys, what the hell, why cable matters so much, eh??
I was always sceptical on how much cable affects the sound. Thought it's for those with exceptional hearing. So when I needed another termination on my Fan2 I just switched it to my modular Kinera Leyding, which by the way is a more expensive cable than OS133 that comes with Fan2. But it sounds a bit off with it, hard to explain, I think the emphasis on sibilants is the problem, and maybe the lower mid is too boomy. I was shocked at the difference when switched back to OS133, what the hell!
So my question: is there a cable that complement specifically Fan2 better than the stock cable, or should I just buy another OS133 with the needed termination?

The OS133 is a great all around cable, and it’s hard to go wrong with it compared to most stock cables. If you want specific tweaks to the EQ or character we might be able to advise, otherwise look through the recommendations to see which seems to give an effect you like for a cost you can accept.

My taste is for a thick warm sound, so I like to pair my Fan 2 with the Penon Bass or ISN C2.

As for why some people refuse to believe cables affect sound, it’s because digital signals should not be affected by the cable. But of course these are analogue signals, and the materials and structure of the conductors very much affect the character of the signal. A well tuned cable is a valuable tool in dialling in as sound you like. And as your experience with the OS133 shows, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a great result.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I was going to suggest the Space Cable too.

You want a better OS133. Look into the Penon Space. It is double the core count of the OS133. You are now finding out about effects of cables. I know there are die hard folks that don't hear any differences with cables but there is a reason why if you shop Aliexpress. There are more cables than there are IEMs they attach to. It is a much bigger industry than you would imagine.

 

[gael]

Great, the Space it is then, thanks all!

 

[shez.]

Back in the day, I spent a lot of money on cables, 300 buck cables for 150 buck IEM. Now then, I instead sell IEM and add money from cable and buy IEM in a class higher. I understand that for R&D to make good cables takes a lot of time and expertise in material sciences, and handmade craftsmanship also plays its role. But still, accessories in the audio industry don’t satisfy their price.

 

[-rowan-]

Impact + XINHS “silver palladium plated” cable

This one surprised me. I used to think all XINHS cables sounded the same - unexceptional - and maybe their budget ones still do, but I’m starting to realise that their slightly higher priced ones ($50-100) are rather decent.

It’s described as “silver palladium-plated” in the listing title but also contains some sort of gold plating or alloy and that’s what I hear more of. Could be someone’s coathanger for all I know, but it sounds good to me.

It’s a relaxed but surprisingly resolving cable that enhances midrange while keeping treble and bass extended without dominating the mix. It also has a blacker background than anything else I’ve tried in its price range.

Other pairings I tried:

Vortex

It is more resolving than the VE Vita (in the same price range) that I’d previously recommended as my cable pairing for the Vortex. Less energetic for sure, but the Vortex doesn’t actually need more energy.

10th

If you feel the 10th has a bit too much treble energy for your liking, this helps ease it without taking it away altogether - which means you keep the nice staging without the fatigue.

And it’s resolving enough that when you switch from the 10th to the Impact, the step up in resolution hits hard. And so my above impressions were formed using the Impact.

Spoiler: Link if anyone’s interested

Link:
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005005357155557.html

Btw I bought and paid for this cable myself at the last AE sale. Since a smaller sale appears to be round the corner, I thought I’d share some impressions. I don’t get a thing whether or not anyone buys or clicks or reads this.

 

[Bosk]

So true. I use an old outdated Sony camera its like 20 years old Lol. I try to use lighting as much as possible. I have suggested to Penon in the past that they might have to look into updating their web site and do better photos but I would imagine that is like at the bottom of the things they are concened with at the moment.

I would argue that to audio purists like myself aesthetics in audio products are secondary in importance to performance, yet I find even my purchasing decisions swayed in the direction of more pleasing-looking products surprisingly often.

To the incomprehensibly larger general audience appearances matter a great deal and guide perception of product quality. From an ecommerce perspective, website design & functionality is crucial for improving conversation rates. In today's modern world the look & feel of a website and the quality of product photos are major indicators we rely on to determine if a business we encounter for the first time is trustworthy & reputable, so the importance of these things can't be overstated.

Like most of you I've been genuinely pleased by every Penon product I've tried, and suspect a relatively high percentage of Penon first-time customers have gone on to become brand advocates due to how impressively their products perform relative to the competition in their respective price brackets. Word of mouth is always the best form of advertising.

What I find quite ironic is that developing quality products that outperform market rivals at similar prices can be significantly more difficult than taking impressive product photos or developing an effective ecommerce website. It feels like Penon really know what they're doing when it comes to tuning & designing products, but perhaps other areas of the business may be lagging behind.

This is a great shame because it's hard not to wonder how much more popular these products could become, and deserve to become given their value, if Penon were to improve in those areas. Improvements in product packaging & customer communication are two further areas I believe could over time translate into more sales.

Which is not to suggest Penon aren't doing very well already, but the downward pressure on prices across the industry further success of Penon products could generate would benefit all of us as consumers, not to mention potentially help spread the hobby to a wider audience.

 

[-rowan-]

Could anyone help me make sense of how these two cables stack up?

ISN GC4 - $179
Single crystal copper gold-plated

Penon GD849 - $99
18K OCC gold-plated

I remember when the GD849 (along with GS849) was around the price of the GC4 or even a bit more, but it has since fallen to almost half the price.

What are the sonic differences between them? Or how do they compare to something like the Obsidian or Impact cable? And is the GC4 still worth the premium over the GD849?

I know, I said I don’t need any more cables.