[-rowan-]

Thanks for sharing so what have you ended up with on your quattro and how are you finding it?

Quattro + Han Sound Vodun

I really like this pairing. It generally stays faithful to the balance of the stock pairing but is a noticeable step up in everything - resolution, texture, detail.

It’s a bit of a firehose in that it lets more of everything through compared with stock - but without losing the control, subtlety or nuance that keeps timbre natural.

It supports and even brings more heft to Quattro’s lower mids and bass weight while keeping it articulate. I also hear smoother, more open and more extended treble and upper treble handling even though it is no more prominent than stock. It gains clarity without resorting to the trick of attenuating or accentuating any part of the frequency range unnaturally.

It has better technicalities than stock, although it is by no means a technical cable.

I picked up Vodun when I was looking for a cable for the Impact and that pairing works as well (though I eventually settled with Raphael for it).

Like Quattro, Vodun is a weighted towards the lower mids and bass, so you could say its colouration matches Quattro more closely. But if you don’t like the weighty, darker, warmer tilt towards lower mids/bass in stock Quattro to begin with, don’t even think of it.

Potential drawbacks: the plug is a bit large and may not fit in the cutout of some DAP cases. Seems like a small thing but it is a pain when it happens. And the cable is on the heavy side, though a little lighter than Asos I would say.

Tl;dr - would recommend this cable if you already like the stock tuning and want to make everything more of itself.

 

[shiningtofu]

Quattro + Han Sound Vodun

I really like this pairing. It generally stays faithful to the balance of the stock pairing but is a noticeable step up in everything - resolution, texture, detail.

It’s a bit of a firehose in that it lets more of everything through compared with stock - but without losing the control, subtlety or nuance that keeps timbre natural.

It supports and even brings more heft to Quattro’s lower mids and bass weight while keeping it articulate. I also hear smoother, more open and more extended treble and upper treble handling even though it is no more prominent than stock. It gains clarity without resorting to the trick of attenuating or accentuating any part of the frequency range unnaturally.

It has better technicalities than stock, although it is by no means a technical cable.

I picked up Vodun when I was looking for a cable for the Impact and that pairing works as well (though I eventually settled with Raphael for it).

Like Quattro, Vodun is a weighted towards the lower mids and bass, so you could say its colouration matches Quattro more closely. But if you don’t like the weighty, darker, warmer tilt towards lower mids/bass in stock Quattro to begin with, don’t even think of it.

Potential drawbacks: the plug is a bit large and may not fit in the cutout of some DAP cases. Seems like a small thing but it is a pain when it happens. And the cable is on the heavy side, though a little lighter than Asos I would say.

Tl;dr - would recommend this cable if you already like the stock tuning and want to make everything more of itself.

That looks lovely! I've been hunting for a good step up from the stock cable which retains its exact signature so this could be it. Just...I'm not sure I'm ready to fork out over half the cost of the quattro haha. I tried the ASOS with the quattro but felt it added too much in the lower mids and bass and somehow made the presentation too thick. A part of me is thinking just accept that Penon just got it right with this cable pairing and leave it at that. Another part of me wonders whether the xinhs 8 core SPC and graphene cable could get me what I want. Or if should just fork out the money for the Vodun or even the Penon OSG at that point.

 

[-rowan-]

That looks lovely! I've been hunting for a good step up from the stock cable which retains its exact signature so this could be it. Just...I'm not sure I'm ready to fork out over half the cost of the quattro haha. I tried the ASOS with the quattro but felt it added too much in the lower mids and bass and somehow made the presentation too thick.

Vodun may not be the safest cable for you then - I hear Asos as being the brighter of the two on the Quattro, or at least giving more prominence to the upper mids and lower treble and emphasising some of those peaks, while Vodun has more weight in the lower mids and bass while keeping it quite linear and smooth up top. Vodun is also more resolving so that’s where its detail comes from.

A part of me is thinking just accept that Penon just got it right with this cable pairing and leave it at that.

Yes, this is my thinking as well, at least for my preferences, which is why I’ve actually stayed on stock for a good part of the time I’ve had the Quattro. Asos cranked up the fun factor but I felt that changed its presentation too much so went back to stock. But Vodun is resolving enough that it’s hard to go back. Anyway we’ll see how long it stays with the Quattro.

A nice, less bassy, more midcentric pairing that I also like very much is the Wagnus Neu-Klein which I posted about here, but it’s no cheaper and has to be ordered from Japan.

Another part of me wonders whether the xinhs 8 core SPC and graphene cable could get me what I want. Or if should just fork out the money for the Vodun or even the Penon OSG at that point.

This reminds me, I should try the OSG at some point… maybe next change. I picked up that Xinhs graphene cable a few years ago and have to say I didn’t hear any meaningful difference with the pairings I tried… not sure though if they’ve improved it since or if there are other versions now.

 

[emdeevee]

That looks lovely! I've been hunting for a good step up from the stock cable which retains its exact signature so this could be it. Just...I'm not sure I'm ready to fork out over half the cost of the quattro haha. I tried the ASOS with the quattro but felt it added too much in the lower mids and bass and somehow made the presentation too thick. A part of me is thinking just accept that Penon just got it right with this cable pairing and leave it at that. Another part of me wonders whether the xinhs 8 core SPC and graphene cable could get me what I want. Or if should just fork out the money for the Vodun or even the Penon OSG at that point.

Funny, I'm using Code 24 which retails for twice the Quattro. Yes, I'm crazy.

 

[shiningtofu]

Vodun may not be the safest cable for you then - I hear Asos as being the brighter of the two on the Quattro, or at least giving more prominence to the upper mids and lower treble and emphasising some of those peaks, while Vodun has more weight in the lower mids and bass while keeping it quite linear and smooth up top. Vodun is also more resolving so that’s where its detail comes from.



Yes, this is my thinking as well, at least for my preferences, which is why I’ve actually stayed on stock for a good part of the time I’ve had the Quattro. Asos cranked up the fun factor but I felt that changed its presentation too much so went back to stock. But Vodun is resolving enough that it’s hard to go back. Anyway we’ll see how long it stays with the Quattro.

A nice, less bassy, more midcentric pairing that I also like very much is the Wagnus Neu-Klein which I posted about here, but it’s no cheaper and has to be ordered from Japan.



This reminds me, I should try the OSG at some point… maybe next change. I picked up that Xinhs graphene cable a few years ago and have to say I didn’t hear any meaningful difference with the pairings I tried… not sure though if they’ve improved it since or if there are other versions now.

Thanks for sharing that. You just saved me a bunch of cash with cable experiments haha. Will probably just stick to the stock cable till I can demo something convincely better

Funny, I'm using Code 24 which retails for twice the Quattro. Yes, I'm crazy.

Out of curiosity, with a cable like that are you constantly switching it around or do you just stick it on the iem that has the best synergy from it? I could potentially justify a kilobuck cable with the thought of using it on multiple things but I feel the pins will wear out really fast

 

[Bosk]

Out of curiosity, with a cable like that are you constantly switching it around or do you just stick it on the iem that has the best synergy from it? I could potentially justify a kilobuck cable with the thought of using it on multiple things but I feel the pins will wear out really fast

In my experience you needn't be overly concerned with the pins on your 2pin IEM cable wearing out due to frequent swaps with different earphones.

What is more of a concern is the 2pin sockets on a particular IEM loosening up over time after plugging & unplugging too many cables into them. This will assuredly happen eventually, though it's difficult to say how many cable swaps are necessary before you'll notice a difference.

In my experience swapping cables on an IEM as few as 20 times may be enough for the sockets to feel looser, and the danger is once they become excessively loose the shells may have trouble gripping the 2pin connectors.

Having said that 2pin is still by far my preferred connector since MMCX & P-Ear connectors have issues of their own.

 

[emdeevee]

Thanks for sharing that. You just saved me a bunch of cash with cable experiments haha. Will probably just stick to the stock cable till I can demo something convincely better


Out of curiosity, with a cable like that are you constantly switching it around or do you just stick it on the iem that has the best synergy from it? I could potentially justify a kilobuck cable with the thought of using it on multiple things but I feel the pins will wear out really fast

Well, my intent was to keep it on Quattro, but I have been playing with it and found similar synergy with Indigo, so that's where it sits now. Code 23 back on Quattro!

 

[weexisttocease]

New flagship cable.

 

[superuser1]

New flagship cable.

Wait where is the cable??

oh there it is between King Tut's sphinx

 

[ian91]

Wait where is the cable??

oh there it is between King Tut's sphinx

Some scholars claim that when Howard Carter opened King Tuts canopic jars there was a mysterious 4.4mm cable made with precious alloys and soaked in formaldehyde to improve conductivity. The prevailing theory is that King Tut was, in fact, a hardcore audiophile and journeying into the afterlife without his favourite IEM and cable was not an option.


(every good flagship needs a backstory)

 

[-rowan-]

In my experience you needn't be overly concerned with the pins on your 2pin IEM cable wearing out due to frequent swaps with different earphones.

What is more of a concern is the 2pin sockets on a particular IEM loosening up over time after plugging & unplugging too many cables into them. This will assuredly happen eventually, though it's difficult to say how many cable swaps are necessary before you'll notice a difference.

In my experience swapping cables on an IEM as few as 20 times may be enough for the sockets to feel looser, and the danger is once they become excessively loose the shells may have trouble gripping the 2pin connectors.

Having said that 2pin is still by far my preferred connector since MMCX & P-Ear connectors have issues of their own.

+1 to literally everything here, from the loosening sockets (in my case, it happened to Serial, which is why I’m being extra cautious with Quattro) to 2-pin being the least of the evils.

New flagship cable.

I’m sorry but the faux hieroglyphics on the cable hardware are an immediate turn off.

Some scholars claim that when Howard Carter opened King Tuts canopic jars there was a mysterious 4.4mm cable made with precious alloys and soaked in formaldehyde to improve conductivity. The prevailing theory is that King Tut was, in fact, a hardcore audiophile and journeying into the afterlife without his favourite IEM and cable was not an option.


(every good flagship needs a backstory)

This backstory is better, though I find it difficult to believe that King Tut could take only one cable with him, especially when it is from a manufacturer with an extensive catalogue of cables as Penon.

 

[-rowan-]

Or if should just fork out the money for the Vodun or even the Penon OSG at that point.

Well I tried OSG with Quattro and it ended up helping me better crystallise my thoughts about Vodun as well.

Tl;dr - Vodun has way better highs and articulation.

OSG is quite similar to stock but has more and deeper sub bass - it really makes Quattro rumble, kick and thump in a way that neither stock nor Vodun does.

But when you listen to upper harmonics in percussion, hi hats, cowbells, hands striking a drum head, fingers snapping - all these sound crispest and most natural on Vodun and oddly blunted, muddy and lacking in detail on OSG. (This surprised me. It’s funny because I had never perceived OSG as being dark or rolled off, and I used to use it with Volt.)

So going back and forth with Vodun, OSG and stock, it becomes clear that it’s Vodun’s comprehensive upper end extension that also keeps Quattro’s mids so intelligible and carries its timbral realism despite the richness and weight. Instrument textures like a bow being drawn over strings, sound reverberating in a wood cavity or a room, all sound that much more complete.

At this point I’m thinking Vodun and Quattro could be long term.

 

[emdeevee]

I think since you own some of the higher end stuff. You of all people will appreciate the TSMR-X. Now you can take that level of sound on the go without worrying so much about how expensive it is. But then again you will like the sound so much you will probably baby it anyway. Lol.

I would switch out cables. I don't think its the best for the TSMR-X. I get it. Its what they had on hand. Its the same cable used for a few of their IEMs the Akiba, RGB, Sands.
Because of the tuning switches you can really tweak the sound to your liking. And since it is a nicely detailed fairly sensitive IEM @ 10 ohms they take to cable rolling like a champ.

So far I like hybrid cables the best. ISN H2, GS849, Cadmus X ErosS. I know you will be cable rolling anyways. All in due time my friend. Looking forward to see what you have to say about them.

They arrived this morning, and even OOTB, I am liking them a whole lot, so you were quite right about these for me. I put the Cadmus 8w on with black liqueur tips, and tho I think it needs some burn, the immediate feeling is WOW, I'm going to like these a lot! I cheated and already tried your 2 settings - the bass setting is quite serious! Well done, TSMR!

Penon selling 2 amazing $400 iems right now...quattro and this new TSMR X! We are pretty lucky!

 

[dharmasteve]

My Tansio Mirai X has become a bass cannon. John Martyn, 'Glory Box' on Amazon HD...deep, deep bass on the bass setting 1on, 2 off, 3 off... absolutely no EQ or dynamics.. Once the twin DDs open up over use, some of the deepest bass notes I've heard from an IEM. Part of an octave deeper than other IEMs. My mixed Copper and Silver XINHS cable with Penon Orange massive tips support this. This is a very different IEM. On the bass setting big, big sound.

Edit
Red Right Hand, Nick Cave 2011 Remaster...track from Peaky Blinders. Deep, Deep bass notes on the bass setting...I'm smitten. Staging also on the right tracks is very special. The DDs need quite some break in. This IEM is very cable and tip dependant, so it may take some time to get it to your taste. It will reward you greatly to get it right. A very special IEM.

 

[iscorpio71]

I'm still waiting on my TSMR-X; it's somewhere in FL...

Edit: I received a notice, it is in IL, so it will be arriving later than expected.