[zikarus]

Do you have any tracks to suggest where you hear these differences?

The tracks I usually start to listen to with all new gear are linked in my sig...

 

[jsmiller58]

The tracks I usually start to listen to with all new gear is linked in my sig...

Thank you. I have disabled signatures to shorten posts. I'll check it out.

 

[vikinguy]

Wowzers that’s crazy you are hearing the set I bought so differently. I’m not sure how every other set isn’t unlistenable for you haha. What source you using? I’m pumped you like it tho. Glad it’s at a good home

Haha yeah man. It’s really pretty great for my preferences.

IFi Idsd signature Finale and Dita Navigator.

 

[vikinguy]

IMO the bass on this set is extremely unique and so far in a good way. The Timbre is also difficult to describe but I dig it.

Faudio Spring and Quattro are my only iems currently and I’m pretty happy at about $800 out the door.

 

[emdeevee]

Anyway, the reality is you and I probably don't perceive the Quattro that differently, it is just how we feel about what we hear is colored by our personal tastes. I prefer a warmer sound signature while my guess is you don't, and there is nothing wrong or right in either perspective.

What I find fascinating is that others don't perceive the recessed treble and bass that I perceive. But we are all absolutely different. And my hearing at the sub bass and at the higher treble registers might no longer be capable of hearing what others can hear there. So maybe the Quattro has a slamming sub bass and airy treble I cannot hear.

Yeah, I think so. I'm hearing reasonable slamming sub and reasonable airy treble

I'm hearing TOTL type sound that's truly blowing my mind!

 

[kaeswiss]

IMO the bass on this set is extremely unique and so far in a good way. The Timbre is also difficult to describe but I dig it.

Faudio Spring and Quattro are my only iems currently and I’m pretty happy at about $800 out the door.

Sounds like you got a good deal on both, considering they'd add up to over 1k retail!

 

[-rowan-]

Just keep in mind I am older than most here so my hearing of upper registers is compromised (I can pick out 13K-14K sometimes), so if you are in your 20s or 30s you can definitely pick up more in the higher frequencies. Whether or not there is much there in recordings is a different discussion!

What I find fascinating is that others don't perceive the recessed treble and bass that I perceive. But we are all absolutely different. And my hearing at the sub bass and at the higher treble registers might no longer be capable of hearing what others can hear there. So maybe the Quattro has a slamming sub bass and airy treble I cannot hear.

I perceive Quattro’s treble as being more subtle compared to something like the 10th which imo can be more literal and in your face. Quattro has a decent amount of lower treble but maybe not enough (I imagine) to be fatiguing to those who are sensitive to it, but what I really love about its upper treble is the wealth of positional cues, spatial information and harmonics that it brings to the Quattro’s overall sonic presentation. To me, that’s where the value in its treble lies, and not in being outright bright.

 

[soundblast75]

The reason for the different perceptions of the Quattro might be its specific bass characteristic with large amounts of subbass while offering less - comparably few - midbass. Usually the amount of sub- and midbass are more in line with each other. A few examples:

When I listen to the Singularity it has both - lots of sub- and even more midbass (which ruins it for me, as the bass imo drowns the mids).

The DTE900 has quite the same amount of sub- but less midbass and therefore doesn't bleed into the mids like the Singularity. The Bass of the DTE900 is also faster than that of the Singularity.

The 10th AE has an even slower bass with longer decay (like the Singularity) and offers less sub- but equal amounts of midbass compared to the DTE900 (but more midbass than the Quattro).

And finally there is the Ascension, which is a tad slower than the DTE900 / Quattro, has a bit less subbass and sits inbetween those two midbasswise and inbetween these and Singularity / 10th AE decaywise...

This to my ears is an accurate description, dte900 in general sounds more BA somehow but with extended sub,but bass is very smooth yet fast,Quattro has distinct DD flavours being with less mid bass, mine doesn’t have more than 20 hours and needs to clean up a bit, both sets are incredible, every time im grinning especially with Xuelin Clear getting more amazing every day too, this set up beats anything portable in my many years Audiofool journey, there’s been some pricey sets but generally too soft and underpowered like many A&K, Cowons, Ibassos Cayins etc, this newer generation of portable daps has achieved that much needed extra power and clean delivery, in terms of iems, i see little reason to splash 3k with the availability of so many mid priced better tuned sets like these, last totl i had was Odyssey, id take DTE900 any day

 

[Sheeno101]

Welcome! I like the 10th a lot, but is there any particular reason you aren’t considering the Quattro as well?

FWIW, 10th can feel larger than life. Quattro feels more true to life and I personally prefer it for any genre that involves acoustic/unamplified instruments, and especially with live performances.

Both are fundamentally musical, engaging sets but I personally hear Quattro as being the more technical of the two, especially in the bass and mids.

In terms of bass, Quattro simply has better tyres - more grip and bite, better control, digs deeper. 10th’s bass has a bigger, speaker-like quality to it and its rumble and thump is a lot of fun. Quattro’s bass is more restrained but feels like being there and listening to actual instruments.

10th has lovely mids but in terms of technicalities the bottleneck is the BA that imo is a bit grainy and not as finely resolving as their higher end sets like the Volt; Quattro on the other hand has an unusually capable and detailed DD doing the heavy lifting on midrange duty.

I can’t compare them with the Canon (my only experience with Yanyin is the Moonlight, which is a very different creature) but I’m sure someone else can.

Thanks a lot for the really helpful response I wasn't considering the Quattro as much only because I hadn't heard as much about it, but I'm very interested having read these recent comparisons. I definitely prefer quite a full sound, prioritising warmth rather than technical clarity and space between the instruments (why I don't like my S12 Pros except for metal), which makes me lean towards the Quattros based on some of what people have said. I think my priorities are having a forward, impactful midrange, but with a fair bit of bass to support it, more to add warmth and lushness to the sound rather than to give rumble and thump (though that is fun too!)

And in response to Erkil:

Do you have the name of a couple of songs you like? Then I can try to compare OG Canon and 10th.

Thanks a lot Sure, a few songs I really like that I've been listening to a lot recently when comparing IEMs are:

• Lana Del Rey - The Greatest (one of my favourites and a very full sound to stretch the IEMs)
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Psychedelic Switch (pop song driven by female vocals which also needs fun bass e.g. in the chorus)
• FKA Twigs - Cellophane (seeing female vocal impact across a broad range)
• Sufjan Stevens - Vesuvius (male vocals with very layered sound)
• Depeche Mode - In Your Room (male vocals in deeper register)
• Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (instrumental to test how impactful the fullness and warmth of the sound is)
• And then there are a few metal songs I also use, but if an IEM is good for the above five songs I tend to find it's not as good for metal (where the warmth doesn't work as well). A good all-rounder metal song I use to test the metal side is Slough Feg - Vargr Theme / Confrontation (Genetic Prophesy)

Don't feel obliged to test them all, but any impressions on the two IEMs for some of these would be appreciated! I used to listen to my Canons on 110 before I lost them, if that helps. Thanks again!

 

[o0genesis0o]

Howdy folks,

My review of Penon Turbo is online on head-fi and my blog.

Spoiler: tl;dr:

I must admit that I approached Turbo with a fair share of scepticism due to various factors. However, I was pleasantly surprised that not only my scepticism was overturned, my expectations were exceeded. Turbo is a well-crafted, versatile, and technically competent IEM that has been tuned with character. If you are looking for the “next step” IEM, Turbo receives a recommendation from this reviewer.

Absolute Sonic Quality Rating: 4.5/5 (Tonality: 4/5; Resolution: 4/5; Spatial: 4/5; Bass and Dynamic: 5/5)

Bias Score: 4/5 (I like this IEM)

Value proposition: Very high

Updated: January 7, 2024

 

[Tonytex]

 

[zikarus]

Thanks a lot for the really helpful response I wasn't considering the Quattro as much only because I hadn't heard as much about it, but I'm very interested having read these recent comparisons. I definitely prefer quite a full sound, prioritising warmth rather than technical clarity and space between the instruments (why I don't like my S12 Pros except for metal), which makes me lean towards the Quattros based on some of what people have said. I think my priorities are having a forward, impactful midrange, but with a fair bit of bass to support it, more to add warmth and lushness to the sound rather than to give rumble and thump (though that is fun too!)

And in response to Erkil:

Thanks a lot Sure, a few songs I really like that I've been listening to a lot recently when comparing IEMs are:

• Lana Del Rey - The Greatest (one of my favourites and a very full sound to stretch the IEMs)
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Psychedelic Switch (pop song driven by female vocals which also needs fun bass e.g. in the chorus)
• FKA Twigs - Cellophane (seeing female vocal impact across a broad range)
• Sufjan Stevens - Vesuvius (male vocals with very layered sound)
• Depeche Mode - In Your Room (male vocals in deeper register)
• Fleetwood Mac - Albatross (instrumental to test how impactful the fullness and warmth of the sound is)
• And then there are a few metal songs I also use, but if an IEM is good for the above five songs I tend to find it's not as good for metal (where the warmth doesn't work as well). A good all-rounder metal song I use to test the metal side is Slough Feg - Vargr Theme / Confrontation (Genetic Prophesy)

Don't feel obliged to test them all, but any impressions on the two IEMs for some of these would be appreciated! I used to listen to my Canons on 110 before I lost them, if that helps. Thanks again!

Based on what you wish for and if funds allow you should also take the AüR Ascension into consideration. It complements the Quattro very well and would be my preference over the 10th AE...

 

[vikinguy]

Thoroughly impressed.

 

[vikinguy]

Fit and finish is really pretty crazy at this price.

 

[iscorpio71]

Fit and finish is really pretty crazy at this price.

It's, as you wrote, pretty. Don't know about the crazy part, because at Its price and even lower there are other well made and designed iems.

Not to take away from the Quattro, there are other values out there. The market has become very competitive, especially in Asia.

Most of my latest iem are from China and specifically Penon lol.