I spent last evening with RS6 --> Fan3, also excellent!I am listening to FAN3 from RS2, this cheap combo is amazing, easily I can talk away from this hobby with just FAN3/RS2.
The PENON official thread
- Thread starter Dsnuts
- Start date
In that math the UM Maven II might be worth a listen over the MEST MK III as the Maven beats the Voltage (which is really a great set imo) by quite a margin....
karaokeroanoke
Head-Fier
perfect write-up, I will grab em as soon as I can to fill the void my missing Mext has left me
It's pretty unbelievable, right!? Fan 3 is such a whole iem, it delivers so much more than any of its competitors.I am listening to FAN3 from RS2, this cheap combo is amazing, easily I can talk away from this hobby with just FAN3/RS2.
BTW, Fan 3 + Asos+X=even better.
Guys, what model of Penon/ISN/TM/SR would be the equivalent of the Oracle MKIII? Remember, I love my NEO 5.
I just want to climb in advance of 11-11. Yes, it's two months away, but if I decide in advance, my disorder will be over.
I just want to climb in advance of 11-11. Yes, it's two months away, but if I decide in advance, my disorder will be over.
shiningtofu
New Head-Fier
Back after short hiatus with some updates. Firstly, thank you everyone that chimed in about my question regarding serial vs 10th anniversary. In the end I did what any reasonable audiophile would do....I GOT BOTH! My serial is still on the way to me as Penon kindly agreed to do a custom paint shell with the colours that I like. My decision to get the 10th was driven by the INSANE deal I got on an almost mint set...paid 270 USD.
Initial impressions on the Penon 10th Anniversary in 2024:
It's unlike anything I have every heard before...in a good way. At first, I was slightly confused. The sound felt disjointed - mainly because I was coming from the Mega5est 7th Anniversary, a particularly neutral set. Disappointed, I left in on for awhile and suddenly it clicked. I finally understand what people mean when they say "musical". Music, almost all music, simply sounded good. Thick, sufficiently detailed, coloured but cohesive, with an extremely pleasing timbre/tonality that feels natural and right. Based on the graph, I expected a more bass dominant sound but what came across felt like a mainly mids-focussed sound. The treble had presence but lacked any sibilance in the places that hurt for me. Definitely not the largest stage in terms of the extremes, but I never felt it wanting and actually preferred it that way to suit the 10ths more condensed style of sound that makes music easier to enjoy as a whole rather than analyse. Separation, like stage, was sufficient and instruments are clearly delineated but not clinically separated. Although I'm still early in with the 10th, I feel strongly that it is a set that can't really be discussed in terms of bass, mids, and treble because the true magic in this set is how they come together rather than any single one standing out.
Getting this set just a few days after my Mega5est was something of a mistake. The Mega5est is like a well-executed but lean steak, nuanced and textured - a healthy serving of protein with minimal fat emphasising the taste of the meat. I honestly was loving it. Then I listened to 10th anniversary and it was like someone plunked the juiciest cheese burger on the table across from me. As a general preference, I love neutrally tuned IEMs with great mids like the Softears Studio 4 and Twilight. Mega5est is right in that vein. But in the days that have followed, I've felt more like reaching for the 10th than the Mega5est. I'm still in the early days of understanding the tuning of the 10th and how it does what it does but I do have to say I love how it sounds. In a post Blessing 1-3 landscape where many things are better or worse implementations of harman-like, the tuning of the 10th is something of a gem that I'm glad to have discovered.
Last word, I honestly did not love the stock cable. I really felt they could have done better or updated the stock cable that comes with it in 2024 to make it more competitive. My impressions were off the Liquid Links Conti.
Initial impressions on the Penon 10th Anniversary in 2024:
It's unlike anything I have every heard before...in a good way. At first, I was slightly confused. The sound felt disjointed - mainly because I was coming from the Mega5est 7th Anniversary, a particularly neutral set. Disappointed, I left in on for awhile and suddenly it clicked. I finally understand what people mean when they say "musical". Music, almost all music, simply sounded good. Thick, sufficiently detailed, coloured but cohesive, with an extremely pleasing timbre/tonality that feels natural and right. Based on the graph, I expected a more bass dominant sound but what came across felt like a mainly mids-focussed sound. The treble had presence but lacked any sibilance in the places that hurt for me. Definitely not the largest stage in terms of the extremes, but I never felt it wanting and actually preferred it that way to suit the 10ths more condensed style of sound that makes music easier to enjoy as a whole rather than analyse. Separation, like stage, was sufficient and instruments are clearly delineated but not clinically separated. Although I'm still early in with the 10th, I feel strongly that it is a set that can't really be discussed in terms of bass, mids, and treble because the true magic in this set is how they come together rather than any single one standing out.
Getting this set just a few days after my Mega5est was something of a mistake. The Mega5est is like a well-executed but lean steak, nuanced and textured - a healthy serving of protein with minimal fat emphasising the taste of the meat. I honestly was loving it. Then I listened to 10th anniversary and it was like someone plunked the juiciest cheese burger on the table across from me. As a general preference, I love neutrally tuned IEMs with great mids like the Softears Studio 4 and Twilight. Mega5est is right in that vein. But in the days that have followed, I've felt more like reaching for the 10th than the Mega5est. I'm still in the early days of understanding the tuning of the 10th and how it does what it does but I do have to say I love how it sounds. In a post Blessing 1-3 landscape where many things are better or worse implementations of harman-like, the tuning of the 10th is something of a gem that I'm glad to have discovered.
Last word, I honestly did not love the stock cable. I really felt they could have done better or updated the stock cable that comes with it in 2024 to make it more competitive. My impressions were off the Liquid Links Conti.
Hearing the mids of the 10th has gotten me really excited for my Serial to come! One thing I am more confident about now owning both the 10th and Quattro is that Penon excels at tonality and I can't wait to see how that plays out in the Serial.
I actually do own the Quattro! Another unique set for sure and in terms of tonality I definitely hear similarities with the 10th! But funnily enough, I think I prefer the 10th to the Quattro and find it maybe even more natural. I think for me that has to do with the treble which I feel is smoother than the Quattro's which comes across to me as slightly peaky. The Quattro also has a somewhat odd presentation of mids that requires a pretty big volume shove to reach its true potential. But once it gets there it definitely is an experience.
If I could find a second hand volt at around 500 USD I'd do it! That said if buying a flagship direct from Penon, perhaps I should spring for the Voltage?
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Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Congratulations!
That’s the magic, that the midrange can be done by Penon in subtle variations, and still be golden! Cheers!
-rowan-
1000+ Head-Fier
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Ooh I’ve never seen a custom Serial. Awesome that Penon agreed to do it. Show photos when you get it? Would love to see how it turned out.
Right?! This line should be immortalised as the definitive description of the 10th.
And now if you’ll excuse me, I need to have a juicy cheeseburger, the juiciest I can find.
Yeah I don’t like to summarily dismiss stock cables (though I still do) but it really didn’t do the 10th any favours. I can’t even remember what it was now. CS819 possibly? Contributing to the stash of unused CS819 stock cables I have languishing in a drawer somewhere.
I recall Conti to be a pretty dark sounding cable which probably helped smooth over some of the treble spice and juice up the mids.
Yes, go for the Voltage if you can!
Though I was just revisiting the Volt + Totem to see how it would sound with the DC Elite and Velvet wide bores, neither of which existed at the time - and man it was sweet. Volt bass traditionally plays more a supporting role in its tuning but the DCE is punchier and more dynamic than many sources and it drove Volt hard enough to bring out its bass texture and impact in a way that I’ve seldom if ever heard it.
That said, getting Totem pretty much doubles the price of the Volt, so it probably just makes more sense to get Voltage at this point unless you’re specifically after the thiccc smoof juicy analogue mids of the Volt.
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I’ve received Shocks and decided to test them at work. OOoooo my god they leak soooo much sound. Like an openback headphone if not more
I didn’t realized that until my colleague tapped on my shoulder asking to turn the volume down, never ever in my life before anyone asked that when I wear IEMs
Shells filed with resin don’t think leakage comes from DD or armatures unless dials make seal very poor? Or maybe bone driver vibrate shells and emits all that?
Also dials very hard to eyeball to same level on both earphones as notches is very hard to see even in my reading glasses.
Cant use them at work or on busy train on my commute, back on Symphonium Titan I go and search for ideal basshead set continues
test track if anyone interested
I didn’t realized that until my colleague tapped on my shoulder asking to turn the volume down, never ever in my life before anyone asked that when I wear IEMs
Shells filed with resin don’t think leakage comes from DD or armatures unless dials make seal very poor? Or maybe bone driver vibrate shells and emits all that?
Also dials very hard to eyeball to same level on both earphones as notches is very hard to see even in my reading glasses.
Cant use them at work or on busy train on my commute, back on Symphonium Titan I go and search for ideal basshead set continues
test track if anyone interested
I'm currently enjoying my favourite combo of Quattro + EA Ares 8W with WM1Z .
Would you say that Volt + Totem would be an upgrade in regard to those juicy mids ?
24 Hrs with the TSMR SHOCK 
️
My First Impressions - For anyone interested - On the Discovery Thread
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-18323998
️My First Impressions - For anyone interested - On the Discovery Thread
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-18323998
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-rowan-
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
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I don’t have the Ares 8W but I do have the rest so gave them a quick whirl on the 1Z to confirm my thoughts. Quattro with stock cable, Volt with Totem and both with Velvet wide bores.
The Quattro leans clearly towards lower mids, warmed by a more generous bass, which favours male voices, lower female voices and instruments in that register, like cello and bass guitar. What I hear, especially on the 1Z, is that when a singer - whether female or male - accesses the higher register of their voice, it doesn’t sound bad per se but I can tell it’s not hitting the Quattro’s sweet spot. It’s less obvious with the Totem, or with a source like DC Elite.
Volt is more balanced. It favours upper and lower mids evenly - or just mids, period, without any overt preference for either. Its mids also have better clarity, detail and layering, although it’s not a technical set. The 1Z does well to flesh out its low end (though I still prefer the DC Elite’s effect on its bass
If it’s the thick, dark mids of the Quattro that you’re after, the Volt won’t do that - there’s nothing else I know of in the Penon stable that’s quite like it. But in every other way I prefer the Volt’s mids (plus it’s easier to drive than the Quattro, which requires more juice than probably any other Penon).
And just because Volt is still one of Penon’s best looking IEMs and it’s been some time since I last posted Volt pr0n:
I had no idea. I seldom use IEMs when out and about (except on flights and long train rides) or in the company of people as I prefer to maintain some situational awareness. But I tried your test track and held my fingers over the nozzles and yes, it is very much audible. When I also cover these vents at the bottom of the shells the sound is much less, so that’s where it’s leaking from:
The Achilles heelp of that Quattro setup is the stock cable. It's a great cable, just not on Quattro. Asos+X is nice with it, Code 24 even better.
jon parker
Headphoneus Supremus
PENON VOLTAGE 4EST+4BA+2DD Hybrid with 2 Tuning Switches Flagship Audiophile In-ear Monitor
https://penonaudio.com/PENON-VOLTAGE.html
My impressions:
There are already a fair few reviews so I'll just add my impressions for now. Profound thanks to ian91 for the loan
Main listening done using foam tips/stock cable - Sony NW-WM1A / Wide range of music 16-44 to 256DSD
Ive long been a fan of EST drivers so was looking forward to spending some time with the Voltage.
In summary I found the Voltage to be Elegant, restrained and controlled
I think its fair to say the VT is all about clarity, detail and presenting audio as purely as possible. Perhaps more for the 'mature & seasoned' Audiophile
than a new-to-the-hobby raver or a dedicated rocker
I read a few years back that [at that time] EST drivers gave the 'best' real-to-life sound of any driver and as my own personal audio journey has been
very much led by the wish to experience this I very much enjoyed this aspect of the VT
I personally think that the xMEMS is now surpassing the aspect of realism presentation of drivers but thats another story! and Im still trying to work out exactly
what it means or better to say how the presentation of drivers 'should' sound like in terms of comparing both the sound of music in 'real life' but also the 'experience' of the sound to the listening mind.
With this in mind I found the
The mids and highs to be very clean, pure and detailed. I never heard any 'BA sound' which is good as Im not a fan of this type of sound. Im not sure what role the BA's play in the over all tuning although I believe they tend to be implemented in set ups like this to help with presentation and imaging as opposed to, in the main, adding much to the sound itself.
The clarity of each note is frighteningly clean and detailed. It sounds like every note is individually super clean, polished and brand new, there is not 'dirt' on any of them so you hear the music as a whole, quite refreshing and very detailed
It almost seems like a contradiction to have such profound separation and each note being perfectly audible in own place and to also say it sounds very natural and yet that is what I find with such well implemented EST drivers
Its such a wonderful experience to be able to explore deeply into all areas of the music due to the profound separation and clarity, to even at times explore the room the music was recorded in !!
and yet in the next moment to just sit back and relax INTO the music
THIS is a perfect example for me of a 'perfectly' tuned and implemented IEM - That it offers special characteristics that you can explore but that you can also simply relax into and enjoy the music
In this way it can satisfy both Music lovers and Audiophiles alike
So... mids and highs work very well with vocals, natural clean pure well placed where they should be in the mix. Its hard to say much about them as they simply sound as they should and that is a high compliment. Its easy to make music or vocals sound LIKE something but its very difficult to achieve naturalness and in this regard the VT works very well
The Lows and Sub bass
This is the only area where I think the character of the VT becomes important to consider.
As it says on the website:
The two independent 8mm Dynamic Drivers use fiber composite biofilms plus flexible hanging edge diaphragms. The characteristics of the high damping of biofilms ensure that the Dynamic Drivers will not produce additional resonance due to split vibration at medium and high frequencies, and at the same time bring smooth and natural timbre features
I find this is a fair and accurate description. If you have any experience of dynamic drivers you will perhaps know or appreciate the type of bass that drivers of this material and size will offer.
Its more of a back stage bass, a professional bass that is very much a team player - it is not trying to show off or be big and bold, it is there to support the music as a whole and offer realistic low end.
Here is the one area that my personal preference comes into play. I confess to preferring a thick note weight with warm thick thunderous bass <when called for in the music - but that takes a back seat when not needed>
With the VT I found the bass literally perfect for many albums but much more so with Jazz and classical mixed and produced music. Occasionally I would have preferred - not exactly a better or bigger bass but more a different type of bass from a different dynamic driver but to be fair, more with fat 1970's rock level of music!
Even so I could still very much appreciate the quality and fast transients and control of the bass throughout all my listening experiences
To pre-summarize! - the VT is always going to be well controlled, precise, pure - a bit like the difference between a classical musician and a rock musician. This being a weakness perhaps for some but also for others, the VT's strength - It is tuned for and offers specific qualities so if it is what you want then you will be very happy with it as it executes what it is tuned for extremely well
The Sub bass was certainly present and audible but was not loud enough to over power anything - a good thing in terms of keeping everything well balanced but on the other hand it never reached levels where by I could hear and experience the textures within the sub bass notes. To be fair though that level of sub bass needs to be tuned for
I mainly kept to one switch setting which kept everything well balanced and did not make anything un naturally stand out. I tried the bass-boosted switch but personally I found it leaned more towards mid bass than bass - subtle but because I noticed this from time to time I ultimately returned to the balanced setting
I also tried the treble boosted switch but again found the highs a little too boosted and maybe a tad grainy for my preference. There may have been other switching set ups that I missed but simply put I didn't want to mess too much with a potentially delicate aspect of an IEM that was on loan !
The switches felt solid and clicked into place though with a satisfying click but my eyesight is not what it used to be and I was paranoid about pushing too hard or missing and scratching the surface to be honest!
I will say though the tuning I found was so well implemented I felt no need to change it
I think Ive covered all I wanted to say. I hope this might be useful
Final summary:
Very well tuned and implemented IEM - My abiding thoughts and memory remains as - Natural, clean, pure, elegant, balanced and pretty much perfectly tuned! but to balance that then: perhaps due to the Dynamic driver type and implementation leaning slightly more towards the mature listener, the Audiophile as opposed to a bass head rocker the Penon Voltage does have a certain characteristic of putting purity of tone foremost
Thanks again to ian91 for the loan
https://penonaudio.com/PENON-VOLTAGE.html
My impressions:
There are already a fair few reviews so I'll just add my impressions for now. Profound thanks to ian91 for the loan
Main listening done using foam tips/stock cable - Sony NW-WM1A / Wide range of music 16-44 to 256DSD
Ive long been a fan of EST drivers so was looking forward to spending some time with the Voltage.
In summary I found the Voltage to be Elegant, restrained and controlled
I think its fair to say the VT is all about clarity, detail and presenting audio as purely as possible. Perhaps more for the 'mature & seasoned' Audiophile
than a new-to-the-hobby raver
or a dedicated rockerI read a few years back that [at that time] EST drivers gave the 'best' real-to-life sound of any driver and as my own personal audio journey has been
very much led by the wish to experience this I very much enjoyed this aspect of the VT
I personally think that the xMEMS is now surpassing the aspect of realism presentation of drivers but thats another story! and Im still trying to work out exactly
what it means or better to say how the presentation of drivers 'should' sound like in terms of comparing both the sound of music in 'real life' but also the 'experience' of the sound to the listening mind.
With this in mind I found the
The mids and highs to be very clean, pure and detailed. I never heard any 'BA sound' which is good as Im not a fan of this type of sound. Im not sure what role the BA's play in the over all tuning although I believe they tend to be implemented in set ups like this to help with presentation and imaging as opposed to, in the main, adding much to the sound itself.
The clarity of each note is frighteningly clean and detailed. It sounds like every note is individually super clean, polished and brand new, there is not 'dirt' on any of them so you hear the music as a whole, quite refreshing and very detailed
It almost seems like a contradiction to have such profound separation and each note being perfectly audible in own place and to also say it sounds very natural and yet that is what I find with such well implemented EST drivers
Its such a wonderful experience to be able to explore deeply into all areas of the music due to the profound separation and clarity, to even at times explore the room the music was recorded in !!
and yet in the next moment to just sit back and relax INTO the music
THIS is a perfect example for me of a 'perfectly' tuned and implemented IEM - That it offers special characteristics that you can explore but that you can also simply relax into and enjoy the music
In this way it can satisfy both Music lovers and Audiophiles alike
So... mids and highs work very well with vocals, natural clean pure well placed where they should be in the mix. Its hard to say much about them as they simply sound as they should and that is a high compliment. Its easy to make music or vocals sound LIKE something but its very difficult to achieve naturalness and in this regard the VT works very well
The Lows and Sub bass
This is the only area where I think the character of the VT becomes important to consider.
As it says on the website:
The two independent 8mm Dynamic Drivers use fiber composite biofilms plus flexible hanging edge diaphragms. The characteristics of the high damping of biofilms ensure that the Dynamic Drivers will not produce additional resonance due to split vibration at medium and high frequencies, and at the same time bring smooth and natural timbre features
I find this is a fair and accurate description. If you have any experience of dynamic drivers you will perhaps know or appreciate the type of bass that drivers of this material and size will offer.
Its more of a back stage bass, a professional bass that is very much a team player - it is not trying to show off or be big and bold, it is there to support the music as a whole and offer realistic low end.
Here is the one area that my personal preference comes into play. I confess to preferring a thick note weight with warm thick thunderous bass <when called for in the music - but that takes a back seat when not needed>
With the VT I found the bass literally perfect for many albums but much more so with Jazz and classical mixed and produced music. Occasionally I would have preferred - not exactly a better or bigger bass but more a different type of bass from a different dynamic driver but to be fair, more with fat 1970's rock level of music!
Even so I could still very much appreciate the quality and fast transients and control of the bass throughout all my listening experiences
To pre-summarize! - the VT is always going to be well controlled, precise, pure - a bit like the difference between a classical musician and a rock musician. This being a weakness perhaps for some but also for others, the VT's strength - It is tuned for and offers specific qualities so if it is what you want then you will be very happy with it as it executes what it is tuned for extremely well
The Sub bass was certainly present and audible but was not loud enough to over power anything - a good thing in terms of keeping everything well balanced but on the other hand it never reached levels where by I could hear and experience the textures within the sub bass notes. To be fair though that level of sub bass needs to be tuned for
I mainly kept to one switch setting which kept everything well balanced and did not make anything un naturally stand out. I tried the bass-boosted switch but personally I found it leaned more towards mid bass than bass - subtle but because I noticed this from time to time I ultimately returned to the balanced setting
I also tried the treble boosted switch but again found the highs a little too boosted and maybe a tad grainy for my preference. There may have been other switching set ups that I missed but simply put I didn't want to mess too much with a potentially delicate aspect of an IEM that was on loan !
The switches felt solid and clicked into place though with a satisfying click but my eyesight is not what it used to be and I was paranoid about pushing too hard or missing and scratching the surface to be honest!
I will say though the tuning I found was so well implemented I felt no need to change it
I think Ive covered all I wanted to say. I hope this might be useful
Final summary:
Very well tuned and implemented IEM - My abiding thoughts and memory remains as - Natural, clean, pure, elegant, balanced and pretty much perfectly tuned! but to balance that then: perhaps due to the Dynamic driver type and implementation leaning slightly more towards the mature listener, the Audiophile as opposed to a bass head rocker the Penon Voltage does have a certain characteristic of putting purity of tone foremost
Thanks again to ian91 for the loan
