[rattlingblanketwoman]

I had said it looked like the Vernus graph roughly, but it might look a little more like the Zen Pro with a tad less sub bass roll-off actually.

 

[cqtek]

Nice Penon cables with 2.5mm plug. With them I intend to get the best sound out of my balanced sources.

 

[morndewey]

Little off topic.
I think it can be readily agreed upon there’s a real difference between resonant and reverberant.
Penon Legend.
Switches tend to make for reverberation not resonance. Unfortunately.

 

[ericf]

I had said it looked like the Vernus graph roughly, but it might look a little more like the Zen Pro with a tad less sub bass roll-off actually.

I'd still say it's a typical Penon/ISN profile that is devoid of anything close to a moderately technical tuning. Treble will still be muted too much and the technical performance will suffer from it. Not my cup of tea. Not expecting detail monsters, though.
Sorry, I can't get over buying the ISN EST50 (Penon's sister brand) on impulse when only one review and several positive comments in the ISN thread existed and finding it almost impossible to listen to even after 100+ hours of 'burn-in'. The bass on that earphone is total destruction for me. The soundscape is totally muddy.

 

[LakeOfTheWyles]

I'd still say it's a typical Penon/ISN profile that is devoid of anything close to a moderately technical tuning. Treble will still be muted too much and the technical performance will suffer from it. Not my cup of tea. Not expecting detail monsters, though.
Sorry, I can't get over buying the ISN EST50 (Penon's sister brand) on impulse when only one review and several positive comments in the ISN thread existed and finding it almost impossible to listen to even after 100+ hours of 'burn-in'. The bass on that earphone is total destruction for me. The soundscape is totally muddy.

Have and like the Serials, but have been considering grabbing a tribrid. Was considering the est50, but not many reviews. Guess I’ll keep looking

 

[Acuno]

Sorry, I can't get over buying the ISN EST50 (Penon's sister brand) on impulse when only one review and several positive comments in the ISN thread existed and finding it almost impossible to listen to even after 100+ hours of 'burn-in'. The bass on that earphone is total destruction for me. The soundscape is totally muddy.

In the future I would recommend doing your due diligence before purchasing an IEM, and at least put in the effort to check graphs. One glance at the EST50 graph would tell you it has +10db bass and that would be the dominant characteristic of the IEM.

I'd still say it's a typical Penon/ISN profile that is devoid of anything close to a moderately technical tuning

 

[ericf]

At the time the graph that was provided by Penon wasn't that easy to read, actually. Still, not all earhpones get measured and then you do have to go by opinions only. Because of the opinions at the time, I didn't get the picture that this would be so heavily tilted towards the bass. Not one single review or opinion written in the ISN thread has been as negative as I am. It just means that my idea of a lot of bass and what it does to the rest of the frequencies is different than others. I do read opinions and reviews obsessively before I order something and I really like Penon's customer service.

 

[Acuno]

At the time the graph that was provided by Penon wasn't that easy to read, actually. Still, not all earhpones get measured and then you do have to go by opinions only. Because of the opinions at the time, I didn't get the picture that this would be so heavily tilted towards the bass. Not one single review or opinion written in the ISN thread has been as negative as I am. It just means that my idea of a lot of bass and what it does to the rest of the frequencies is different than others. I do read opinions and reviews obsessively before I order something and I really like Penon's customer service.

I definitely agree that it can be hard to get a clear idea of what an IEM sounds like from impressions/reviews. Not many people can properly articulate what they are hearing, especially since audio is so subjective.

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Have and like the Serials, but have been considering grabbing a tribrid. Was considering the est50, but not many reviews. Guess I’ll keep looking

I should have the Yanyin Moonlight in hand this afternoon to confirm but I would think that would be the one to go with if you want something relatively close to the Serial's tuning.

 

[ericf]

This graph from ISN/Penon for EST50: ISN EST50 graph
makes it look like the bass is max 5 db above the treble to me.
If one EQs the Serial to another target (say Thieaudio Oracle. Crinacles comparison tool can help), are the technicals more apparent or is the original tuning prevalent in such a way that it dampens the treble even with EQ? I don't know how that works. Filters in the nozzle seems to be the most common method to dampen treble if I'm not completely off. I like the idea of 3 DDs (sad about KZ DQ6 but do like that earphone even if I'd like a wider nozzle on those. It's difficult to tip roll when it's not 5mm wide) so I'd like to be more positive. It's a bit expensive, though. At $200 I'd be less hesitant to at least try it.

 

[Acuno]

This graph from ISN/Penon for EST50: ISN EST50 graph
makes it look like the bass is max 5 db above the treble to me.
If one EQs the Serial to another target (say Thieaudio Oracle. Crinacles comparison tool can help), are the technicals more apparent or is the original tuning prevalent in such a way that it dampens the treble even with EQ? I don't know how that works. Filters in the nozzle seems to be the most common method to dampen treble if I'm not completely off. I like the idea of 3 DDs (sad about KZ DQ6 but do like that earphone even if I'd like a wider nozzle on those. It's difficult to tip roll when it's not 5mm wide) so I'd like to be more positive. It's a bit expensive, though. At $200 I'd be less hesitant to at least try it.

One thing to keep in mind is that Penon's IEM tunings typically have a treble dip from ~5-7khz, Serial included. In my opinion, this removes fatigue but also takes some energy away from that range.

 

[marklivia]

The EST50 is awesome once you tame the bass a bit with a good solid silver cable and put on wide open ear tips. This IEM does some things better than my Trailii....

 

[Dsnuts]

I'd still say it's a typical Penon/ISN profile that is devoid of anything close to a moderately technical tuning. Treble will still be muted too much and the technical performance will suffer from it. Not my cup of tea. Not expecting detail monsters, though.
Sorry, I can't get over buying the ISN EST50 (Penon's sister brand) on impulse when only one review and several positive comments in the ISN thread existed and finding it almost impossible to listen to even after 100+ hours of 'burn-in'. The bass on that earphone is total destruction for me. The soundscape is totally muddy.

Seems your into analytical tunings. I see you also own the Lands. I was gonna mention you need to check out the Sands that came out recently. No real need to get the Sands if you already own the Lands. Though I feel the Sands are tuned a bit better over the Lands with a bit less in its lower treble emphasis and a bit more lower mids for its presentation. It is one of the most technical tunings that I have heard anywhere near its price point.

Also check out the new Yanyin Moonlight. Very good iems.

Moonlight has one of the best balanced signatures I have heard. It has excellent extension on both ends with very good technicals. Excellent imaging detail, space and with accurate timbre for BAs. Cohesion is very awesome on this set as well for using 3 types of drivers. One of the best EST implementations for Tribrids as well. These are getting a lot of ear time from me recently. One of the best IEMs I have heard all year actually.

 

[Dsnuts]

If the EST50 is not to your liking. You can easily sell those as you don't see too many of those in the sales forums. It is all about finding what you like in a sound.

 

[LakeOfTheWyles]

I should have the Yanyin Moonlight in hand this afternoon to confirm but I would think that would be the one to go with if you want something relatively close to the Serial's tuning.

The moonlight has definitely piqued my interest. Looking at the graph it seems like it might be a little too light on bass for me. Someone on hifiguides described it as an OG tea with est treble. Which does sound interesting. Tea 2 w/ est treble would be