[ExTubeGamer]

OMG thanks for sharing the lack of vent on the DTE500 that's a no go for me. I get driver flex and pressure build up.

I can be ok with driver flex if it is not too extreme - we will see when my DTE500 arrives. The right tips should make this easy.

 

[anyone007]

All 3 are excellent at vocals. They sit on a continuum of IEMs that render vocals exceptionally well. The difference is how vocals are presented, and that comes down to a matter of taste and choice of music.

In Butastur, vocals are balanced more evenly with the rest of the instruments, whereas they are lusher, more forward and more refined in the Volt and Aurora.

Between Volt and Aurora, Aurora has more bass, particularly sub bass, although it’s very well controlled and you won’t hear it if the music doesn’t call for it. When it kicks in however, it can neutralise the vocals a bit.

Volt has the warmer, richer, more forward presentation, particularly in the lower mids and if you’re looking for vocal performance above all else, it’s still hard to beat and I’m not surprised it’s still getting rave reviews as recently as 2 weeks ago.

Thanks! You nailed the sound profile of Aurora and Volt, and good thing I'm still hearing it objectively even my bias with vocals. lol

I can already imagine the sound profile of Butastur but I'll skip it. I just can't survive without DD.

I'm not sure if I missed reading it or anything, but by any chance you'll have DTE900 in the future and compare it with Aurora and Volt? It's just that your impressions are always exactly what I'm hearing. Thanks!

 

[PapaThrust]

All 3 are excellent at vocals. They sit on a continuum of IEMs that render vocals exceptionally well. The difference is how vocals are presented, and that comes down to a matter of taste and choice of music.

In Butastur, vocals are balanced more evenly with the rest of the instruments, whereas they are lusher, more forward and more refined in the Volt and Aurora.

Between Volt and Aurora, Aurora has more bass, particularly sub bass, although it’s very well controlled and you won’t hear it if the music doesn’t call for it. When it kicks in however, it can neutralise the vocals a bit.

Volt has the warmer, richer, more forward presentation, particularly in the lower mids and if you’re looking for vocal performance above all else, it’s still hard to beat and I’m not surprised it’s still getting rave reviews as recently as 2 weeks ago.

Thank you for that great reply. More spending has been triggered...dammit
It's never really vocals above all else, but sub bass over mid bass, strong middle w/slightly forward vocals, treble leaning relaxed- like Butastur in down position. Having ability to play loud without giving up the ghost is a high priority.
What just came up is an op to get a used Monarch MK2, which I never auditioned, is that playing in the same box as these others?

 

[Bosk]

I hope you're having a great weekend! I've just posted a review of the Penon Globe IEMs, which you're invited to read here.

 

[Dsnuts]

Rhodium plated plug. I know many of you folks might be reading this thinking no way does a simple coating of Rhodium on a copper plug enhance a cable and therefor enhance an IEM sound. I am gonna tell you. These plugs enhance the Obsidian cables. Sound becomes more transparent vs the stock plug leading to better treble articulation and details, a slight noticeable increase in stage vs the stock plug. You gotta remember for the obsidian cables the gold plated plug accentuates the gold plated copper cores that are used for its tonal and mids enhancing ability. Hence these Rhodium plated plugs brings a different aspect to the cables make up. Obsidian with this plug gives better balance to the Impacts due to this plug of all things. Mids are not as forward and highlights treble notes a bit better than the stock Obsidian plugs. I will test it out on some of the other cables using Penons modularity but for now.

There must be a reason why Penon sells these things right? Yet another aspect to your sound chain that gets a bit of a boost in transparency. If you own the Impacts and want a bit more technical sound from the Impacts. You might want to try these plugs.

 

[jsmiller58]

There must be a reason why Penon sells these things right?

I won’t disagree that they can affect sound, because I haven’t tried these plugs myself. But I will point out that there is another answer to your question… Maybe they sell it because people will buy it.

 

[Dsnuts]

Well I just went back n forth about 5X in a row with the standard plug to the new plug to get the sound differences using the Impacts. It does change up the sound but then you have to ask yourself do you want to keep the Obsidian cable but want a slight change up in what they do or do you want to put that money towards a new cable or even a new set of tips.

I can understand why boutique cable makers end up using Rhodium plated plugs, its just another way to add to the bottom line of the cable. I suppose if your going to fork out a lot of money for a cable it has to have the absolute best components.

A new plug is not the most ideal way to enhance your sound chain but it does exist. The effect of the plug I would equate right up there with getting a nice aftermarket tip that fits better and sounds better for your ear shape. For some IEMs all these little things are worth it to get the best sound possible out of them. So I suppose these plugs for that reason alone.

 

[-rowan-]

Thanks! You nailed the sound profile of Aurora and Volt, and good thing I'm still hearing it objectively even my bias with vocals. lol

I can already imagine the sound profile of Butastur but I'll skip it. I just can't survive without DD.

Funny that you mention this. I’m much easier to convince when there’s a DD or two on bass duties. But the Butastur bass BA gets it right and it comes uncannily close to a DD in the note weight it manages to convey.

All the same, if your bias is overwhelmingly, perfectionistically towards vocals, yeah, skip it. If I were to nitpick, I’d say it’s the upper mids that come across as being a bit more BA-like than the rest of the frequency range. It probably won’t bother most people but I’m a sucker for coherency and already spoilt by the likes of Volt and Aurora mids.

I'm not sure if I missed reading it or anything, but by any chance you'll have DTE900 in the future and compare it with Aurora and Volt? It's just that your impressions are always exactly what I'm hearing. Thanks!

DTE900 sounds right up my alley but I’m pretty happy with what I have at the moment. Still, I’ve been reading the impressions with interest as they come in, so never say never.

Thank you for that great reply. More spending has been triggered...dammit
It's never really vocals above all else, but sub bass over mid bass, strong middle w/slightly forward vocals, treble leaning relaxed- like Butastur in down position.

Also sounds like the Aurora, actually!

What just came up is an op to get a used Monarch MK2, which I never auditioned, is that playing in the same box as these others?

I’ve never auditioned the Monarch Mk2 either. Didn’t really feel compelled to seek them out. They seem to get talked about quite a lot though, so hopefully someone else may be able to contribute impressions.

I hope you're having a great weekend! I've just posted a review of the Penon Globe IEMs, which you're invited to read here.

Great impressions of a very underrated - and as you rightly point out, under the radar - IEM.

To quote a bit of your review:

Ironically some of the stiffest competition comes from Penon’s own collection in the form of Turbo, 10th Anniversary, Fan 2, and Serial. Despite being great all-rounders, you may find the Globes lack a compelling reason to purchase them over one of those instead.

I own all of these and a few more and to me, the reason why Globe still has a place in my collection is that it’s unabashedly warm and engaging and it does lower mids and smooth, liquid bass in a way that these others don’t quite. The Impact may make me a better bass player, in that it makes me hear all my bad habits for what they are. But the Globe is what I like to think that I sound like

 

[-rowan-]

Rhodium plated plug. I know many of you folks might be reading this thinking no way does a simple coating of Rhodium on a copper plug enhance a cable and therefor enhance an IEM sound. I am gonna tell you. These plugs enhance the Obsidian cables. Sound becomes more transparent vs the stock plug leading to better treble articulation and details, a slight noticeable increase in stage vs the stock plug.

My Obsidian is no longer modular, but I plan to pick up this rhodium plug, based on what I’ve heard on the CSO2. Maybe I’ll try it with the S2 or C2.

As you know, I generally believe that cables can help shape sound, but the more cables I try, the more my experience seems to corroborate the theory that a lot of low to mid range cables sound similar after a while as they tend to cheap out on plugs and most likely source them from the same few factories. So any cable maker that attempts to use better/different plugs and bring them to a wider audience outside the kilobuck boutique crowd gets my interest and support.

 

[LeonidK]

Yes, they are on their way to me, but they are probably not gonna reach me before my holidays, and I'm impatient like all of us audio enthusiasts, so I'm curious what do you guys think about 10th's technicalities? Meaning sheer detail retrieval, separation/layering, imaging. I was surprised to come across numerous reviews that list it as a negative aspect of those IEMs. Coming from Fan 2 I am aware that Penon house sound can be very captivating and sort of pulling the wool of your eyes, but being as objective as possible I wonder how do they compare to other competitors in $300-500 price bracket. I can't wait to compare them with my Yanyin Moonlight, but these are particularly excellent at resolution, wide stage and imaging so I am prepared for 10th to get sort of crushed here. Some user even wrote 10th are less clear and resolving than Serial, which is shocking to me as Serial is widely known as being noticeably less resolving than Fan 2, and then I heard many times that 10th is a significant step up in technical aspect from Fan 2, which I rate highly in that regard.​

 

[Bosk]

Rhodium plated plug. I know many of you folks might be reading this thinking no way does a simple coating of Rhodium on a copper plug enhance a cable and therefor enhance an IEM sound. I am gonna tell you. These plugs enhance the Obsidian cables. Sound becomes more transparent vs the stock plug leading to better treble articulation and details, a slight noticeable increase in stage vs the stock plug. You gotta remember for the obsidian cables the gold plated plug accentuates the gold plated copper cores that are used for its tonal and mids enhancing ability. Hence these Rhodium plated plugs brings a different aspect to the cables make up. Obsidian with this plug gives better balance to the Impacts due to this plug of all things. Mids are not as forward and highlights treble notes a bit better than the stock Obsidian plugs. I will test it out on some of the other cables using Penons modularity but for now.

There must be a reason why Penon sells these things right? Yet another aspect to your sound chain that gets a bit of a boost in transparency. If you own the Impacts and want a bit more technical sound from the Impacts. You might want to try these plugs.

My DIY cable experiments have led me to the same conclusion, that rhodium plated plugs & rhodiums plated 2pin connectors can brighten & widen a cable's sound compared to gold plated connectors which tend to sound a little smoother and perhaps earthier.

The Impacts in particular may benefit from rhodium plating given their treble is very smooth and I prefer it to be a little more prominent. I've recently switched to the Hakugei Sky Bolt on the Impacts which widens their stage substantially, that being the other area they really benefit from enhancement.

 

[Bosk]

Great impressions of a very underrated - and as you rightly point out, under the radar - IEM.

To quote a bit of your review:



I own all of these and a few more and to me, the reason why Globe still has a place in my collection is that it’s unabashedly warm and engaging and it does lower mids and smooth, liquid bass in a way that these others don’t quite. The Impact may make me a better bass player, in that it makes me hear all my bad habits for what they are. But the Globe is what I like to think that I sound like

The Globes are certainly very engaging and have an addictive quality to them. They can sound more raw than EST hybrids but there's a certain charm to that.

Shame I didn't have access to Cadmus 8 wire when completing the Globe review because that would've been an interesting combination to try.

 

[weexisttocease]

For those interested, I just got confirmation from Penon they will release 2 new sets soon, probably by the end of October. A Tribrid DD/BA/EST set (Volt sucessor?, also available in CIEM) and a 4DD set. Really curious about the 4DD set.

 

[RunWithOne]

The 4DD set is certainly the successor to the Serial. In any case, it remains interesting. I'm looking forward to the measurements.

 

[vandung2510]

Since Serial is 3DD with 300$ price tag, imma assume the new 4DD would be at least 499$ (with it being unique and stuff)