[Idontevenknowmyname]

Buyer from Germany here my Package was delivered in 7 days after Ordering and it had a "delay" because our train conducters are on strike... so 9 days are realistic i think.

Makes sense, the strikes are getting out of hand lately. That`s pretty fast given the "delay"! Great to know, whatever magic they apply to make the taxes go away I`m all for Ordering to EU/Germany can sometimes get stupidly expensive when you account for import tax...

 

[RunWithOne]

I can confirm this for Germany.

 

[shabta]

One more question about Phenons express shipping. I thought they would get send out via DHL but am not mad because they are now sent using "tax-free" shipping. The support told me I won`t have to pay any import fees, which sounds almost too good to be true considering their price... Can anyone with experience tell me if that shipping option is mostly hassle free? And are the stated 7-9 days realistic for EU?

Hassle free and tax free to france... Just don't expect a tracking number or even a timely notice that they shipped.

 

[Idontevenknowmyname]

Hassle free and tax free to france... Just don't expect a tracking number or even a timely notice that they shipped.

That`s what almost made me cancel, got the tracking info when it was already at "Hand over to airline". But I don`t mind, they did ship asap when they received the payment. They just forgot to tell And still no mail about it

 

[jotaerre]

[...] That's why I'm so excited: the S12 Pro are a very good value, but the comfort and unnatural timbre/lack of bass make it difficult for me to fully enjoy them. On a song I'm like, "Damn, they sound amazing," and then it's like, where's all the weight/warmth? I'm understanding all the details but sometimes they just lack soul. The equalizer helps, but it brings with it a completely different set of problems [...]

I imagine you haven't tried removing the sponges from under the metal grate to prevent dirt from entering. My S12 Pro has gained a lot... The tonal improvement is very evident.

I just wanted to provide this detail.

 

[Idontevenknowmyname]

I imagine you haven't tried removing the sponges from under the metal grate to prevent dirt from entering. My S12 Pro has gained a lot... The tonal improvement is very evident.

I just wanted to provide this detail.

Thanks a lot, I will try this ASAP

Some thoughts after a very short test: The bass cleans up but gets less in amount -> overall a brighter, more airy signature.

Pros: They sound way more spacious, since the bass is reduced -> responds better to EQ without getting muddy/distorting as easily. Also the pressure buildup seems reduced even with X-Bass on. Don`t hurt my ears nearly as much Also sounds more resolving to me (after some more listening my perception of the bass has improved a lot with the right tracks. While I still would like more, its more tight and controlled now which gives it a different quality)

Cons: The unnatural timbre is more noticeable than before, artifacts from bad recordings are stronger pronounced. And the overall sound is thinner (highly track dependent)

Still gotta have to do a lot more listening but so far so good. Seems like this is closer to original S12 tuning (I think it didn`t have the foams) but it definitely ups what these iems excell at imo: resolution. While its not immediately giving me the "wow" factor, I think I will keep them like this.

Listening to Ezra Collective - Ego Killah sounds nice and plays well with the improved imaging. The bass, although a bit too recessed, has great definition and overall this is one of the songs where the unnatural timbre is almost nonexistent. Its a very clean sound. Instruments sound also great but just a bit on the clinical side.

I guess now the EST50 makes even more sense to compliment them, as in this configuration they definitely sound rather neutral/bright (keep in mind I am using the Hip-Dac with the older firmware which gives a more analogue sound to it, so they would be even brighter with a more neutral source)

While Ego Killah sounded nice, it could have used a bit more warmth/soul and the bass was very recessed. Then I listened to "The Beatles - Come Together" and damn this sounds spectacular with them for me (even though you hear ever little imperfection of the recording). Still not the most natural timbre but very detailed, nice separation and that bass slams on these. They went from neutralish to sounding rather thick, loving this track on them right now.

TLDR: its mostly an improvement, especially considering it made them so much more comfortable to listen to for me. These still wont fullfill every genre/track I throw at them to my liking but when something sounds good on the S12 Pro it sounds really good considering the price. Given that you accept these iems just have a timbre that doesen`t sound quite right to my ears. Its just a bit digital sounding. Guess thats the infamous "planar-timbre"

 

[jsmiller58]

So after i got some time with the 10th i have to say i REALLY like them the most "funny" thing is that this is the most neutral sounding IEM or Headphone i ever heard i know they are not neutral tunning wise but to my ears they perfectly balanced and no FR Range sticks out and they handle EVERY Song i throw at them without breaking a sweat which is nice because i like to Jump genre quite often.
The next thing that suprised me was the comfort they are quite big and i was afraid i would run in the same problem i had with the Moondrop Variations they are also quite big but despite lovimg the sound i had to sell them because after 30 min my ears hurt (Tried a alot of tips) but the 10 are fitting like a glove <3.

all things considered best iem i tried so far but also the most expensive.

And now i thinking about a Small SS Amp i could use on my desk to use them in my home office setup with Roon.

I agree - great IEMs! I like them so much I have 2 sets (one cabled and one on iFi Go Pods).

 

[dharmasteve]

So I bought the Penon Bass cable for the Penon 10th Anniversary....mainly to get a matching cable. I'd been using the Penon 'Bling' Vocal on the 10th which does create beautiful mids. Putting the Penon Bass on the 10th, the stage did expand with more air, the bass was more noticeable, but the stunning mids of the 10th were not at the fore in quite the same way. Looks wise the Penon Bass suits the 10th Anniversary, but sound-wise the 'Vocal' suits the 10th Anniversary a tad more. I put the TSMR X on the Penon Bass and it was a good match. With the XINHS Pure Copper/Pure Silver Cable on my Penon Fan 2, I find that all three IEMs have got matching cables sound-wise now, but not quite as expected..

 

[thaslaya]

So I bought the Penon Bass cable for the Penon 10th Anniversary....mainly to get a matching cable. I'd been using the Penon 'Bling' Vocal on the 10th which does create beautiful mids. Putting the Penon Bass on the 10th, the stage did expand with more air, the bass was more noticeable, but the stunning mids of the 10th were not at the fore in quite the same way. Looks wise the Penon Bass suits the 10th Anniversary, but sound-wise the 'Vocal' suits the 10th Anniversary a tad more. I put the TSMR X on the Penon Bass and it was a good match. With the XINHS Pure Copper/Pure Silver Cable on my Penon Fan 2, I find that all three IEMs have got matching cables sound-wise now, but not quite as expected..

It never quite works out the way you want lol but I think the X with the Bass cable looks really cool.

 

[Singaravelan]

So I bought the Penon Bass cable for the Penon 10th Anniversary....mainly to get a matching cable. I'd been using the Penon 'Bling' Vocal on the 10th which does create beautiful mids. Putting the Penon Bass on the 10th, the stage did expand with more air, the bass was more noticeable, but the stunning mids of the 10th were not at the fore in quite the same way. Looks wise the Penon Bass suits the 10th Anniversary, but sound-wise the 'Vocal' suits the 10th Anniversary a tad more. I put the TSMR X on the Penon Bass and it was a good match. With the XINHS Pure Copper/Pure Silver Cable on my Penon Fan 2, I find that all three IEMs have got matching cables sound-wise now, but not quite as expected..

What does the xinhs cable do to fan2?

 

[dharmasteve]

What does the xinhs cable do to fan2?

The XINHS (average price about £30) is Pure Copper/Silver. Listening now, the mids are perhaps more present and noticeable than with other cables I have used on the Fan 2, and with the slightly warmer Copper musicality. Treble on the Fan 2 is slightly rolled off, but the treble that it has seems to nicely dissolve into the mix. So there is no particular forwards treble, but that is the nature of the Fan 2. The bass well placed and very much in the mix. The cable though does allow the musicality of the Fan 2 to shine through. The Fan 2 is a very well tuned IEM.

 

[PeacockObscura]

The XINHS (average price about £30) is Pure Copper/Silver. Listening now, the mids are perhaps more present and noticeable than with other cables I have used on the Fan 2, and with the slightly warmer Copper musicality. Treble on the Fan 2 is slightly rolled off, but the treble that it has seems to nicely dissolve into the mix. So there is no particular forwards treble, but that is the nature of the Fan 2. The bass well placed and very much in the mix. The cable though does allow the musicality of the Fan 2 to shine through. The Fan 2 is a very well tuned IEM.

I have it I'll give it s try.

 

[Idontevenknowmyname]

Sometimes you get lucky, seems like my package has already landed in EU after 2 days. Guess it should go rather fast after that. So excited for my EST50s

Couldn`t resist and got the Hiby R5 ii today, gonna be interesting to see how they pair. Definitely a different signature than the Hip-Dac (F7.3)! Someone got experience how they pair together?

 

[thaslaya]

Sometimes you get lucky, seems like my package has already landed in EU after 2 days. Guess it should go rather fast after that. So excited for my EST50s

Couldn`t resist and got the Hiby R5 ii today, gonna be interesting to see how they pair. Definitely a different signature than the Hip-Dac (F7.3)! Someone got experience how they pair together?

Not sure about that specific pairing but I can't imagine that pairing is the best considering EST50 is super bassy and the hipdac is warm sounding. Hopefully the R5 II is more neutral/bright.

 

[Idontevenknowmyname]

Not sure about that specific pairing but I can't imagine that pairing is the best considering EST50 is super bassy and the hipdac is warm sounding. Hopefully the R5 II is more neutral/bright.

Actually was referring to the Hiby and after some more listening: yes its way more neutral/bright. So much so that at first I thought: hmm this doesen`t sound quite right to me. Super bright/clean. Then I turned Class A on and honestly the difference shocked me. Gets a lot of weight and sounds less digital/bright. Still nothing compared to the Hip-Dac. But it still sounded kinda off with some tracks

Wasn`t 100% happy with the S12 Pros out of the Hiby so I put the foam back in. What sounded better to me on the Hip-Dac is now reversed. The Hiby sounds amazing and its crazy how nice the low end is. I`m getting more quantity (actually I take that back, its just that I can give the S12 more power until it hurts my ears with the Hiby and they seem to react with stronger bass) and a more refined bass out of the Hiby with Class-A. I think it should pair excellent with the EST50