[cn11]

Wholeheartedly agree on the texturing! The bass is just so deep yet quick, and tuneful... and well the mids are insanely textured.

Have a listen to the strings texturing starting around 1:20 on this track (I discovered this artist a couple days ago - Ghostpoet, and totally dig his music):

 

[ian91]

Wholeheartedly agree on the texturing! The bass is just so deep yet quick, and tuneful... and well the mids are insanely textured.

Have a listen to the strings texturing starting around 1:20 on this track (I discovered this artist a couple days ago - Ghostpoet, and totally dig his music):

Great track. Will check more of this artist out.

My test track for double bass is this one:



A lot of sets can't reproduce the detail in first quarter where the notes hit very low. They just sound fluffy. The Vortex holds tight to the strings the whole way through.

 

[cn11]

That's awesome to listen to... thanks for posting it. I also liked how toward the end, around 3:18, you can very faintly hear his fingers sliding on the strings about 3 or 4 times.

 

[ian91]

Try this quite dry, airy guitar recording from a great guitarist. It really picks out the metallic strings well and shines on the Vortex

 

[Acuno]

Listed a set of Vortex for sale in the classifieds.


My observations/opinions:

• Strings are presented very well
• Stems are a bit short, so you might need longer tips
• These make the Serial redundant
• Extended, non-peaky treble. However, this pushes the mids back ever so slightly.
• Better mid-bass presentation than Serial (~2db? more, and higher quality)

I planned to re-sell these when I purchased them. I think Legend owners will understand what I mean when I say I prefer the richer, smoother, more mid-forward presentation it has.

 

[ssantan2]

Listed a set of Vortex for sale in the classifieds.


My observations/opinions:

• Strings are presented very well
• Stems are a bit short, so you might need longer tips
• These make the Serial redundant
• Extended, non-peaky treble. However, this pushes the mids back ever so slightly.
• Better mid-bass presentation than Serial (~2db? more, and higher quality)

I planned to re-sell these when I purchased them. I think Legend owners will understand what I mean when I say I prefer the richer, smoother, more mid-forward presentation it has.

Man I would have jumped on this if I saw it sooner, looks like it's probably spoken for.

 

[KutuzovGambit]

My review of the Penon Vortex is now published. Penon is breaking out from the niche they have inhabited up to this point with their house sound, and are now challenging the wider market. The Vortex is playing at an absolutely class-leading level in the technical department, while retaining a much more restrained version of their trademark lower mids tuning prowess.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Just in awe of the bass texture on string instruments that the Vortex produces. Many sets either lack quantity or quality or seem limited in their ability to express body and detail at the same time. Not the Vortex. Such an accomplished driver they're using here and it really helps they nailed the tuning too.

Vortex seems like a potential sleeper. The price is right and the cobalt blue shells are gorgeous.

 

[ssantan2]

My review of the Penon Vortex is now published. Penon is breaking out from the niche they have inhabited up to this point with their house sound, and are now challenging the wider market. The Vortex is playing at an absolutely class-leading level in the technical department, while retaining a much more restrained version of their trademark lower mids tuning prowess.

[ATTACH

My review of the Penon Vortex is now published. Penon is breaking out from the niche they have inhabited up to this point with their house sound, and are now challenging the wider market. The Vortex is playing at an absolutely class-leading level in the technical department, while retaining a much more restrained version of their trademark lower mids tuning prowess.

Your review and a few others have mentioned lack of bass quantity. Do you think the driver could handle a bass boost to get it up to say Serial levels of bass?

 

[KutuzovGambit]

Your review and a few others have mentioned lack of bass quantity. Do you think the driver could handle a bass boost to get it up to say Serial levels of bass?

I’ve never really experimented with EQ in general so I’m not the best one to ask unfortunately.

 

[ssantan2]

I’ve never really experimented with EQ in general so I’m not the best one to ask unfortunately.

No biggie, once my Vortex arrives I'll play with EQ and A/B them

 

[rawbine]

Treble: Here’s something I thought I would never write about a Penon IEM: the treble is the Vortex’s bread and butter, with this being easily the best treble I have yet heard from Penon Audio. It's very well extended, sparkly and clear but without any offensive peaks or brightness. From the graph I was afraid that the lower treble scoop would result in muted instrumental harmonics, but the size of the scoop turns out to be quite judicious, and while it might be lacking much shimmer I also never found it to sound muted or hollow either. There is a clarity bump around 5K that some people might find to be a bit fatiguing, though personally it is well within my tolerances and it isn’t exaggerated enough to impact the timbral accuracy, which remains excellent.

Fantastic review as always @KutuzovGambit !

I particularly liked your brief comparison to the NF duo as well as discussing both shimmer and hollowness in the treble section. Though I find the shimmer adequate, but at times I can’t help it but find some hollowness on some recordings. The Vortex indeed is a well rounded package diverging from its well known house sound by injecting a good dose of technicalities into it but I still felt that Penon threaded the line carefully as not to cannibalize or render its older lineup obsolete. A brave move by Penon I must say…

 

[rawbine]

Just in awe of the bass texture on string instruments that the Vortex produces. Many sets either lack quantity or quality or seem limited in their ability to express body and detail at the same time. Not the Vortex. Such an accomplished driver they're using here and it really helps they nailed the tuning too.

Agree.

The texturing across the band are really superb and for me voices on the Vortex are mighty addictive not only in its texture but also its superior timbral accuracy.

 

[rawbine]

Weekend Vortex vibe

 

[Glaven]

I'm selling my Penon Globes if anyone is interested.
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/penon-globe.28390/