[dbull12]

Well done getting him to help explain his preferences! Maybe the Fan 2 (sign up to their newsletter for a discount, if they still do that). Or the ISN H30. Best to get advice from others here too as my hearing is treble sensitive, the opposite of him. Do keep the EA1000 on the list, it’s a lot of fun.

If you are really itching to spend more, you can also get him a DAC. The Creative Super X-Fi Amp is often heavily reduced these days, and the Reiyin DA-Pro is fantastic for the cost. Either should be under $50. Of course it depends what system he uses to listen.

Thanks! I'll keep watching and reading reviews of various Penon and ISN IEMs, but right now the EA1000 is at the top of my list. My dad's all about ease-of-use and portability so I'm going to get him a nice dongle DAC/amp since he'll just be using his iPhone and iPad. After looking into things I think I'd go with the HiBy FC6 if I get the EA1000 since the EA1000 cable is 3.5mm and the FC6 only has a 3.5mm SE output so that would keep things simple, plus it would provide some of that natural R2R timbre while still supposedly being more neutral and less muddy than other R2R dongles like the Cayin RU6.

 

[pradiptacr7]

Penon Fan 2 review is live.
- https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-fan2.26145/reviews#review-32257

 

[RunWithOne]

Anticipating the upcoming Quattro, which I'm eagerly looking forward to, I'm currently listening with the Serial and Vocal cables. The Spinfit W1 provides a perfect seal. The sound is melt-worthy, as many of you know. Visually, the Vocal cable also fits really well here. But joking aside, the sound is still the more important factor. The Serial isn't analytical; it simply brings a lot of joy with its musical performance.

 

[gooberbm]

Thanks! I'll keep watching and reading reviews of various Penon and ISN IEMs, but right now the EA1000 is at the top of my list. My dad's all about ease-of-use and portability so I'm going to get him a nice dongle DAC/amp since he'll just be using his iPhone and iPad. After looking into things I think I'd go with the HiBy FC6 if I get the EA1000 since the EA1000 cable is 3.5mm and the FC6 only has a 3.5mm SE output so that would keep things simple, plus it would provide some of that natural R2R timbre while still supposedly being more neutral and less muddy than other R2R dongles like the Cayin RU6.

Nothing I've heard in the Penon catalog in this price range (Fan 1, Fan 2, Vortex, Serial) touches EA1000 in upper-end details. Vortex would be closest but it does not have the bass quality that EA1000. EA1000 is a better IEM. Especially since your dad's preference is leaning to getting the best upper-range performance, EA1000 is the one for him, IMO

 

[dharmasteve]

Thanks! I'll keep watching and reading reviews of various Penon and ISN IEMs, but right now the EA1000 is at the top of my list. My dad's all about ease-of-use and portability so I'm going to get him a nice dongle DAC/amp since he'll just be using his iPhone and iPad. After looking into things I think I'd go with the HiBy FC6 if I get the EA1000 since the EA1000 cable is 3.5mm and the FC6 only has a 3.5mm SE output so that would keep things simple, plus it would provide some of that natural R2R timbre while still supposedly being more neutral and less muddy than other R2R dongles like the Cayin RU6.

For your dad I recommend the Penon 10th Anniversary. I'm an old-un too. The EST treble is so much better than both dynamic and BA treble. The bass is excellent....and mids beautiful. Much better than the Penon Serial or my Simgot EA500. If your dad likes jazz the 10th Anniversary is . Very special IEM, if you can stretch to it.

 

[Click]

For your dad I recommend the Penon 10th Anniversary. I'm an old-un too. The EST treble is so much better than both dynamic and BA treble. The bass is excellent....and mids beautiful. Much better than the Penon Serial or my Simgot EA500. If your dad likes jazz the 10th Anniversary is . Very special IEM, if you can stretch to it.

I love the 10th AE and it's an easy rec for anyone willing to spend $500 on an IEM but he said his budget is $300, so I think it's too far out of his reach.

Sadly, it's one of the only items Penon did not discount at all for their BF/CM sale. I guess 10th AE is selling well enough without discounts, or the profit margin isn't too high for Penon to discount it.

 

[dbull12]

I love the 10th AE and it's an easy rec for anyone willing to spend $500 on an IEM but he said his budget is $300, so I think it's too far out of his reach.

Sadly, it's one of the only items Penon did not discount at all for their BF/CM sale. I guess 10th AE is selling well enough without discounts, or the profit margin isn't too high for Penon to discount it.

How easy is the 10th AE to drive? I could possibly get that and forego getting a dongle DAC, so then my dad would just be using it with Apple dongles

 

[Click]

How easy is the 10th AE to drive? I could possibly get that and forego getting a dongle DAC, so then my dad would just be using it with Apple dongles

Not hard to drive, it's very efficient, but I would still recommend a cheap, good DAC/amp dongle.

HiBy FC4 is really cheap and good for its price. Lots of other options out there if you want to spend a bit more.

 

[NymPHONOmaniac]

Ive publish my Penon Dome review on headfi lately and tremendously enjoy the tonality of it, especially thick vibrant rumbly bass and lush fowards vocal.
Ill put them is similar fam than ISN Neo5, ISN H50 and Penon Globe.

Not a technical sounding set, it's all about musicality fullness and naturalness here and hybrid configuration permit good holographic multi layering as well as open enough soundstage.

Give a read here for more insight: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/penon-dome-universal-hybrid-iem.26832/reviews#review-32256
Pros:
-lush cohesive balance
-thick rumbly bass with good tactility and elasticity
-full bodied male and female vocal
-natural timbre
-wide soundstage
-good note weight
-lively yet not fatiguing macro dynamic
-good layering that avoid muddyness
-comfortable design
-great accessories and cable
Cons:
-average resolution
-average imaging
-bass separation isn't the cleanest
-treble lack sparkle and air

 

[iscorpio71]

Hello everyone,

It's just a story/update. I recently acquired the 10th after hearing the Fan 2 for well over a month; the best-tuned-sounding iem I've listened to thus far before I heard the DOME and did not like the tuning; the midbass bloated to my ears and sounded congested. So, I ended up getting the 10 AE.

I read in the forum that it is a slight "V" or "W" shape tunning. I think it's more neutral and plays well with most music genres.

First comparison impressions with the Fan 2 would lead me to say it is an upscaled Fan 2. It has a similar tonality but is smoother, has a deeper soundstage, is mellower in most sound frequencies, and has more excellent detail retrieval besides being more comfortable to wear.

They both use the same color pattern, but the 10 AE transparent guts are fantastic.

 

[RunWithOne]

Does anyone have the 10th and impact on hand? Are the cases the same size, and is the sound output identical in shape?

 

[Questhate]

Yeah. Not everyone will agree, just my preference that’s all. Might be my main music genres too (stoner rock, doom metal etc).

Both Serial and Fan 2 blend seamlessly from bass to mids; whereas bass sticks out unnaturally on 10th to me. So from a coherency point of view I can really tell (with 10th) I’m listening to different driver types and it’s not ideal for my tastes (10th bass is also rather clean and I prefer a bit more lower mids).

Also, I guess it’s to do with the jobs they perform for me. Serial is unique in driver setup and tonality. Fan 2 has tremendous bass and mids (albeit rolled off highs) and is an absolutely steal at the price (I got it for about 1/3 of the price of 10th). I’ve also got Impact and 10th doesn’t do anything special to that in comparison (which is not it’s fault at all!)

So it’s not personal; and it is a great IEM. Just the one that I use least and will likely sell on at some point.

Edit: It’s also just how I’m feeling right now. When I spend a bit more time with 10th I may change my tune. I’m just blessed with a lot of great sets at the minute.

I don't have the Serial but I just got the 10th and Fan 2 in a couple of weeks ago. I'm catching up on this thread trying to calibrate my impressions and came across your post. I totally agree with you that I much prefer the Fan 2 over the 10th. The bass bleed into the lower mids on the 10th is bad and makes timbre sound way off, especially with male vocals. The mids sound so thin buried behind the bass and sounds very incoherent. I'm surprised I had to scroll back so far to see someone mention this.

 

[emdeevee]

I don't have the Serial but I just got the 10th and Fan 2 in a couple of weeks ago. I'm catching up on this thread trying to calibrate my impressions and came across your post. I totally agree with you that I much prefer the Fan 2 over the 10th. The bass bleed into the lower mids on the 10th is bad and makes timbre sound way off, especially with male vocals. The mids sound so thin buried behind the bass and sounds very incoherent. I'm surprised I had to scroll back so far to see someone mention this.

What should be interesting is the new Quattro 4x DD coming very soon. Pretty excited to hear a new iteration of Serial, if that's what it ends up being, or possibly something dramatically different but I doubt that.

 

[Redcarmoose]

A new ISN Neo1 review on Head-Fi.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/isn-neo1.26852/reviews#review-32282

 

[seanman]

Where does the Fan 2 actually lie in terms of money to value group? I see it's on sale constantly for like $140 so is it a 100-150 iem that punches above its weight or truly a sub-300 range iem? how would it compare to an orchestra lite or a yanyin canon 2 for example?