[assassin10000]

Anyone ever compare the Sphere to the FA1?

 

[Dsnuts]

Sound tuning is similar but Penon managed to do more with less. Both have similar dimensional sound qualities. A bit more mid bass influence on the H40 vs sub bass of the Orb. I want to say treble is cleaner on the Orb. The H40 has a touch wider stage but that is due to the large housing and extra BAs they are using on it. Bass quality hands down is better on the Orb. Both mids have similar smooth warmish qualitites to it so it is a draw there. I think the Orb might be a smidge better at female vocals over the H40. Both are great for the price but Orb is a more refined version of that similar musical tuning.

@Ziggomatic His reaction on the bass was exactly how I heard them. I remember being impressed by the powerful punch of the H40 but with the Orb it was like. Damn. Dat Bass! I only have one earphone in the price range that competes in the bass end and that is the DK-2001. Orb might have the best sub bass I have heard in an earphone. It will take something like my Solaris to dethrone the sub bass on the Orbs. Bottom line Bass on the Orb is addictive. Guilty pleasure. You bet!.

 

[BobJS]

These were delivered a couple of hours ago. These are extremely good. Very tip sensitive. I instantly thought they were top notch, but they didn't knock me out of my seat at first listen like the H40 did.

So after an hour I compared them back to back. I actually think the H40 are slightly superior IF you can handle the bass. Obviously many variables like tips, cables, and such. Especially tips.

There have been a few occasions (what I was listening to, where, my mood, etc) where the H40 were too much. These would have been perfect. Like most say, these sound similar --- they have a bit of the mid bass scooped out, and to my ears the highs are slightly more sizzly. Mind you, this is out of the box.

I'm A/B 'g as I write this. Yes, I think I prefer the H40. It's a bit darker. Could also be that the H40 fits my ears just perfectly -- they melt right in.


Gonna burn these Orbs in a while and see if anything changes.

Oh another difference in my listening session is I'm listening to the H40 balanced, while the Orbs are with their original single ended cable, so it might not be a fair fight.

 

[Slater]

These were delivered a couple of hours ago. These are extremely good. Very tip sensitive. I instantly thought they were top notch, but they didn't knock me out of my seat at first listen like the H40 did.

So after an hour I compared them back to back. I actually think the H40 are slightly superior IF you can handle the bass. Obviously many variables like tips, cables, and such. Especially tips.

There have been a few occasions (what I was listening to, where, my mood, etc) where the H40 were too much. These would have been perfect. Like most say, these sound similar --- they have a bit of the mid bass scooped out, and to my ears the highs are slightly more sizzly. Mind you, this is out of the box.

I'm A/B 'g as I write this. Yes, I think I prefer the H40. It's a bit darker. Could also be that the H40 fits my ears just perfectly -- they melt right in.


Gonna burn these Orbs in a while and see if anything changes.

Oh another difference in my listening session is I'm listening to the H40 balanced, while the Orbs are with their original single ended cable, so it might not be a fair fight.

So would it be fair to say that they’re realistically kind of a sidegrade to the H40 in your opinion?

 

[Ziggomatic]

If you enjoy the Beatles, I highly recommend checking out Oh! Darling on the ORB.

 

[Dsnuts]

These were delivered a couple of hours ago. These are extremely good. Very tip sensitive. I instantly thought they were top notch, but they didn't knock me out of my seat at first listen like the H40 did.

So after an hour I compared them back to back. I actually think the H40 are slightly superior IF you can handle the bass. Obviously many variables like tips, cables, and such. Especially tips.

There have been a few occasions (what I was listening to, where, my mood, etc) where the H40 were too much. These would have been perfect. Like most say, these sound similar --- they have a bit of the mid bass scooped out, and to my ears the highs are slightly more sizzly. Mind you, this is out of the box.

I'm A/B 'g as I write this. Yes, I think I prefer the H40. It's a bit darker. Could also be that the H40 fits my ears just perfectly -- they melt right in.


Gonna burn these Orbs in a while and see if anything changes.

Oh another difference in my listening session is I'm listening to the H40 balanced, while the Orbs are with their original single ended cable, so it might not be a fair fight.

I think the H40 has more of a wow affect due to its large stage and big sound in general. Your initial impressions of the Orb is identical to mine actually. However the more I got to know the Orb sound the more I realized the differences between them. Orb started to grow on me the more I spent time with them.

 

[Carlsan]

I would think balanced vs. non-balanced would also make a difference.

 

[Darkestred]

Ok. First, let me type 14 paragraphs about how my delivery date was june 22 but i got them today after ordering last thursday and only type a sentence for my thoughts...

I'm going to echo a lot of opinions here. Over the last 3 years I have purchased the Periodic Be, Adv m5, Nx7pro, H40 and now the Orb. In that order. The adv is a $450 CIEM (which is now 499). The H40 and Orb are sub $300 iems and better. That, makes me sad.

Im a bit torn as to which i think is better between the H40 and the Orb. Someone mentioned would this be a sidegrade. I believe this answer falls somewhere in the middle. You wont be missing much if you get the Orb over the H40 and vice versa.

ORB VS H40

Disclaimer: Using Effect Thor 2. Compared to the stock some small changes which is par for me with this cable. The set opened up a bit more and the cymbals are more articulate and spaced better.

The orb does a better job with seperation and sounds more coherent. Female vocals are a touch cleaner and controlled. The mid-range is slightly less thick and of course you're missing that midbass deliciousness from the H40. Bass and Guitars come through the mix better.

Overall, this is a more lively set than the H40 and because of this, at least for me, i can see these coming off as bright. This may affect treble sensitive listeners at higher volumes; The irony in that last statement is cymbals. The Orb is not as prominent as the h40 but as mentioned, everything (including treble) is cleaner and tighter. The H40 is a little loose (bass) and not as precise when comparing cymbals.

Bass quality is more impressive and perhaps with the midbass hump not there, kick drums come off more cohesive and with better attack. I switched to jriver and added some 32 and 61hz to the bass and now it has similar characteristics as the H40. Hmm.

Which is better? This is real tough one for me. H40 or the Orb? I like the TOTL type separation and possibly imaging the Orb portrays. The H40s are such a fun listen, though. With that said: The Orbs are not TOTL killers.

Fitment. These are definitely smaller and the nozzle is shorter. I had to swap to a larger set of tips for a better seal.

With any set that is considered good (to the user) the more one listens to one over the other, the easier it becomes to forget the other. It's only until trying the other set(s) do things missing become clearer. Win/win or a lose/lose depending on how you look at it.

 

[Slater]

Ok. First, let me type 14 paragraphs about how my delivery date was june 22 but i got them today after ordering last thursday and only type a sentence for my thoughts...

haha, I spit bourbon out of my nose when I read that

 

[Owludio]

Please forgive me for side-tracking this conversation, but I need to address this about Blessing 2:

What is the point of putting in a larger dynamic in the design when you purposefully detune the bass?

For my "bass sensitive days" Blessing 2 comes to the rescue, as its bass has BA level yet DD dynamics and rumble -Perfect! I'm not sure yet which treble I prefer as BL2 trble is quite good too, albeit only for "those days".
About H40, completely agree with statement below:

I want to say treble is cleaner on the Orb. The H40 has a touch wider stage but that is due to the large housing and extra BAs they are using on it. Bass quality hands down is better on the Orb.

Clean, clean & clean. About 2 hours of listening out of the box, Orb makes easily the most inoffensive, yet fun & dynamic sound with FINALLY correct bass without bloated low-mid bass and nicely articulated sub bass. Mids are also impressively clean with no haze and very natural tonality reminiscent and possibly better than iBasso AM05. Sub bass is not as striking and ground shaking as iBasso it04 but better balanced, as I find it04 very Sub bass heavy most of the time. Treble is also very clean, dare I say cleaner than Fearless Roland maybe? (not sure about that, will need several days to assess with different genres and sources) Granted, Rolands EST implementation isn't the best and high mid BA there ruin it farther with their harmonics. I think Orb might be getting more ear-time then $1K Roland. Will see...
The fastest delivery from HK by DHL. Ordered Friday, which makes it under 5 days to NYC! Cudos Penon!
Isolation is excellent as well as comfort. Orb is smaller than BL2 and I have to use Large TCM Tornado tips with it, which also help to balance out the bass that tends to pull tonality to the darker side otherwise. Getting nice U type signature with good balance between offensiveness and fun (important for me).

 

[Dsnuts]

Good to see folks get their Orbs. Its a new toy. Do your rituals and get them nice n proper. Try this try that. Tips and cables sources as well. Enjoy fellas and yes it does get better.

As a side note the Orb is much more tip sensitive vs the H40s. If you feel there is a bit too much warmth. Try something like spiral dots if you have them. Will open up the treble end a touch more than what is included in the box.

For bass guys. Yes it is possible to get the Orb to basshead levels just using tips.

 

[audio123]

These were delivered a couple of hours ago. These are extremely good. Very tip sensitive. I instantly thought they were top notch, but they didn't knock me out of my seat at first listen like the H40 did.

So after an hour I compared them back to back. I actually think the H40 are slightly superior IF you can handle the bass. Obviously many variables like tips, cables, and such. Especially tips.

There have been a few occasions (what I was listening to, where, my mood, etc) where the H40 were too much. These would have been perfect. Like most say, these sound similar --- they have a bit of the mid bass scooped out, and to my ears the highs are slightly more sizzly. Mind you, this is out of the box.

I'm A/B 'g as I write this. Yes, I think I prefer the H40. It's a bit darker. Could also be that the H40 fits my ears just perfectly -- they melt right in.


Gonna burn these Orbs in a while and see if anything changes.

Oh another difference in my listening session is I'm listening to the H40 balanced, while the Orbs are with their original single ended cable, so it might not be a fair fight.

Yea definitely. Balanced is better than single ended, hence not a fair fight.

 

[John Massaria]

I usually use my Etymotic Er4p/s and have not had one IEM come close to closing the gap on balance - I’ve tried the ThieAudio Voyager 3 and returned it among a dozen others- a few by NS Audio NS3 (nice for price and gorgeous wood) (see pic) and NS5 Extra Bass (hardly any bass) and Cora (yuck),

1Mores triple and quad both terrible synergy imho - and all returned same week, ShureSE215, SE315 and SE425 models, a few models from RHA I only remember the RHA MA750s (wow bad) and a bunch more that were forgetable —— but these Penon Orbs do it with just the right balance of musical bliss & fun usually lacking in the Etymotic ER4 p/s - I am set with the Orb and love how they sound, isolate and fit. I use the two tear clear stepped tips (flange) and they isolate easier than Etymotic without having to jam them all the way in- I use memory foam on Etymotic but can’t seem to use the two tear flange tips with them as easily as W/Orbs. These fit extremely well and are much more comfortable while making music fun. The sound is so balanced. I typically can’t get into multi driver IEMs b/c I am extremely sensitive to driver timing. I like very few speakers b/c of this - so I love time and phase correct speakers like Vandersteen and Magnepan. Okay so as far as regular HPs- I use Master Dynamic MH30 On Ear Wired (excellent value and construction + fun sounding), my trusty Sennheiser HD600 with Hybrid pads with lambskin and velvet (amazing seal and bass+comfort), a bunch of Sony Studio Monitors HP (they all need to be sold). I just ordered Kennerton Magni and Ghorn (Gjallarhorn) and will do a video for them- I am moving up in HPs and feel there are keepers and ones that need to go... and the ORBS are definitely keepers, I don't need a million HPs just one or two in each category that fit a need- and desire. For IEMs - the Etymotic ER4p/s are clinical and the Orbs are pure pleasure- thats all I really need. The HD600s are nearly perfect open HPs- the Kennerton Magni's will fill closed backs for serious listening and the Ghorns will fill the fun side... Hope this helps - cheers.

 

[audio123]

I usually use my Etymotic Er4p/s and have not had one item come close to closing the gap on balance - I’ve tried the ThieAudio Voyager 3 and returned it among a dozen others- but these Penon Orbs do it with just the right balance of musical bliss And fun lacking in the Er4p/s - I am set with the Orb and love how they sound, isolate and fit. I use the two tear clear stepped tips and they isolate easier than Etymotic without having to jam them all the way in- I use memory foam on Etymotic but can’t seem to use the two tear tips with them as easily as W/Orbs. These fit extremely well and are much more comfortable while making music fun. The sound is so balanced. I trypically can’t get into multi driver IEMs b/c I am extremely sensitive to driver timing. I like very few speakers b/c of this - so I love time and phase correct speakers like Vandersteen and Magnepan. Hope this helps - cheers.

The balance on the Orb is really spot-on. Musical & technical at the same time without overdoing it on both aspects. This is why I rate the Orb so highly and this balance is hard to find in IEMs at this price point so it makes the Orb all the more a no-brainer.

 

[alexandros a]

Isolation tested this morning. I have a simple way to testing Isolation. Oh by the way there is zero driver flex from the outstanding dynamic in the orb. I drive to my work with my IEMs. Ya it aint safe. Lol But I do it for the sake of science. I couldnt hear the outside noise from them with music on. If I was to guess these might have an outstanding 28 plus dbs of passive isolation. That is outstanding. It is certainly better than the H40 and recent NF audio NM2 I did a review on that has 25dbs of isolation. They are made of solid Resin pieces so Isolation is excellent.

Also addressing actual size of the ear pieces. These will fit very comfortably for anyone. They are overall a medium sized shell but leaning a bit smaller than medium. No where near a large shell like the H40. Very ergonomic and will fit just about anyone. Penon did an outstanding job on the housing for these.

So.....I followed some months ago your opinion, and purchased H40,which by the way prooved to be one of my all time fav iems there.....
Would you suggest this one too with the same passion???
Don't really mean to be a neard here,but given the fact that nowdays audio market offers really lots and lots of different options at this price range.....should i go for it??what do you think??