RunWithOne
100+ Head-Fier
Anyone looking for an affordable HP with the magic of the Penon Serial should take a look at the FiiO FT1.
The PENON official thread
- Thread starter Dsnuts
- Start date
I just noticed that a handful of ISN and Penon IEMs are being sold in Amazon! Wow...
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Yes, they have been a presence there for a few months.
The best thing is the Penon brand DAPs they sell.
April fools about the DAPs
Another!
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Sound Rhyme DTE264 Review – A Detail-Rich, Energetic Performer with Engaging Treble
Pros
This is my first experience with an IEM from this brand and it does not disappoint. The shell is made out of a PMMA acrylic fiber material with metal nozzles. The build quality is really good and the IEM has a slight heft and feels good in the hand. Coming to the design it’s a little polarizing but the good thing is that you can get it customized in multiple different color options. Some of the options are really pretty and I’m sure it will please most buyers.
Fit and Comfort – This IEM fit well in my ears and I used them for long periods without any discomfort. The metal nozzle has a small lip and some tips may slide off easily. I used Divinus velvets tips and they stayed on snugly.
Cable - The stock cable doesn’t feel premium for a kilobuck IEM and I feel they should have provided something better. It does come with interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors though. I used an Effect Audio Cadmus cable with this IEM for the review.
Driver Configuration – This is a hybrid set with 12 drivers. 2 DD + 6 balanced armature + 4 electrostatic drivers. Its quite power efficient and was able to run off all my dongles.
Equipment used for testing – Cayin RU7, Acoustune AS2002, Moondrop Echo-B and Hiby R4 all using Apple Music. I used it extensively with the Cayin RU7 as I felt it sounded very musical and engaging. The AS2002 was also a good pairing which brought out slightly more detail in the set.
Sound Impressions
Bass – It’s got the right amount of bass and it feels nice and punchy. The bass texture is also really good.
A song I really enjoyed was Aaja by Nucleya. The bass drop at 1:33 really pumps you up. The bass and details being delivered makes you want to get grooving.
Mids – It has got some nice energetic mids with a boost to the vocals making it very engaging. You get the sense that singers are very close to you. It has got good note weight and both male and female vocals sound really good. The timbre is also very natural.
A track I really enjoyed for male vocals was Bechaini by OAFF and Adarsh Gourav. His vocals sound meaty and engaging. For female vocals I enjoyed Kamli from Dhoom 3. The singer is Sunidhi Chauhan and her vocals sounds angelic.
Treble – This is the highlight of this IEM. Everything feels very clear, detailed and well separated. A lot of micro details can be heard which really captivates you.
A good example is Momentum by Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. One can easily feel the beats and the cymbals in the background with utmost clarity.
Soundstage and imaging – It has very good soundstage with good verticality and depth. Imaging is also really good and instruments can be pinpointed with good accuracy.
Gaming - I used this set for playing a few games of Call of Duty. Everything felt very immersive and the sound was never fatiguing or sharp. The good imaging capabilities lets you to snap on to enemies based on their footsteps.
Conclusion – This is my first IEM from Sound rhyme and I’m pleased with its performance. Sound signature can be characterized as V shaped with good sub bass and treble. Its highly engaging and doesn’t get sibilant. Its treble and details really grow on you and I felt a few of my other sets were lacking after switching over. Other that the stock cable I couldn’t find any issue with this set and I will be keeping an eye out for more offerings from them. I’m really tempted to get this IEM in the TF03 translucent shell.
Pros
- Good build quality
- Energetic sound signature without sibilance
- Easy to drive
- Very good detail retrieval
- Shell is chunky
- Stock cable could have been better for the price
- Could use a little more air
This is my first experience with an IEM from this brand and it does not disappoint. The shell is made out of a PMMA acrylic fiber material with metal nozzles. The build quality is really good and the IEM has a slight heft and feels good in the hand. Coming to the design it’s a little polarizing but the good thing is that you can get it customized in multiple different color options. Some of the options are really pretty and I’m sure it will please most buyers.
Fit and Comfort – This IEM fit well in my ears and I used them for long periods without any discomfort. The metal nozzle has a small lip and some tips may slide off easily. I used Divinus velvets tips and they stayed on snugly.
Cable - The stock cable doesn’t feel premium for a kilobuck IEM and I feel they should have provided something better. It does come with interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors though. I used an Effect Audio Cadmus cable with this IEM for the review.
Driver Configuration – This is a hybrid set with 12 drivers. 2 DD + 6 balanced armature + 4 electrostatic drivers. Its quite power efficient and was able to run off all my dongles.
Equipment used for testing – Cayin RU7, Acoustune AS2002, Moondrop Echo-B and Hiby R4 all using Apple Music. I used it extensively with the Cayin RU7 as I felt it sounded very musical and engaging. The AS2002 was also a good pairing which brought out slightly more detail in the set.
Sound Impressions
Bass – It’s got the right amount of bass and it feels nice and punchy. The bass texture is also really good.
A song I really enjoyed was Aaja by Nucleya. The bass drop at 1:33 really pumps you up. The bass and details being delivered makes you want to get grooving.
Mids – It has got some nice energetic mids with a boost to the vocals making it very engaging. You get the sense that singers are very close to you. It has got good note weight and both male and female vocals sound really good. The timbre is also very natural.
A track I really enjoyed for male vocals was Bechaini by OAFF and Adarsh Gourav. His vocals sound meaty and engaging. For female vocals I enjoyed Kamli from Dhoom 3. The singer is Sunidhi Chauhan and her vocals sounds angelic.
Treble – This is the highlight of this IEM. Everything feels very clear, detailed and well separated. A lot of micro details can be heard which really captivates you.
A good example is Momentum by Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike. One can easily feel the beats and the cymbals in the background with utmost clarity.
Soundstage and imaging – It has very good soundstage with good verticality and depth. Imaging is also really good and instruments can be pinpointed with good accuracy.
Gaming - I used this set for playing a few games of Call of Duty. Everything felt very immersive and the sound was never fatiguing or sharp. The good imaging capabilities lets you to snap on to enemies based on their footsteps.
Conclusion – This is my first IEM from Sound rhyme and I’m pleased with its performance. Sound signature can be characterized as V shaped with good sub bass and treble. Its highly engaging and doesn’t get sibilant. Its treble and details really grow on you and I felt a few of my other sets were lacking after switching over. Other that the stock cable I couldn’t find any issue with this set and I will be keeping an eye out for more offerings from them. I’m really tempted to get this IEM in the TF03 translucent shell.
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STRATEGIST
New Head-Fier
SONIC SHOCK OF EXCELLENCE
Pros: Highly versatile iem that validates the JACK of ALL title.
Robust build quality.
Impeccable driver selection & performance cohesion.
Technically solid yet shows commendable musical prowess.
Micro adjustable tuning knobs work very well, perfectly executed.
Impactful bass response that has great quantity & quality.
Outstanding midrange performance that backs vocals & instruments with good note weight.
Well extended, sibilance free, airy, crisp, treble…simply flawless.
Fantastic implementation of the dual Bone Conduction Drivers adds to the richness of the sound.
3d holographic sound stage having good width, height & depth.
Cons: Purple translucent shell colour might not be suitable for all.
Ear tips prone to slip due to the absence of lip on the nozzles.
Good secure fit is constrained due to short stubby nozzles thereby possibly limiting the Bone Conduction Drivers effect.
DISCLAIMER
I extend my gratitude to Mr. Sandeep Agarwal of Audio Geeks India for including me in the tour of TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK and providing them to me for review purpose, and as such the resulting impressions are unbiased and purely reflect my subjective & neutral take on it. The tuning knobs were set at the stock position of 2 for Bass (Yellow) and 4 for Treble (Brown). Lastly & more importantly, I tried the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK with aftermarket ear tips & cables & experienced that it scales much better to them unlike the stock ones. However, to maintain fairness to the bundled stock package I reviewed the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK using default green core silicon ear tips (medium) & the included stock cable having 4.4mm balanced termination.
About me
I am not a professional reviewer, but a music enthusiast. I started my iem journey about 2 years ago. My choice in iem’s gravitate towards musicality rather than being analytical. That said, I am not a bass-head nor a treble-head but prefer balanced to warm sound signature having good sub bass shelf with thumping mid bass slam, clear weighty mids and well extended smooth detailed treble.
Specifications - Technical details taken from Penon Audio website’s TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK page.
Description - TANSIO MIRAI TSMR SHOCK is a 2DD + 4BA + 2 Bone Conduction Driver Hybrid Audiophile IEM Earphone with 2 Tuning Knobs that adopts a new sound design by implementing Dual-Frequency hardware EQ adjustment system with 2 tuning knobs that adjust low-frequency and high-frequency range very intuitively, making tuning easier & provide greater flexibility to the sound & widely adapt to personal preferences. Yellow knob controls low frequencies & Brown knob controls high frequencies.
Msrp - $599.
Purchase Link (Non-Affiliated) – TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK
Brand – Tansio Mirai.
Model - Shock.
Drivers - 2 Dynamic Drivers + 4 Balanced Armatures + 2 Bone Conduction Drivers per iem.
Impedance - 10ohms @ 1kHz.
Sensitivity - 10dBs @ 1kHz.
Frequency Range - 5Hz to 40KHz.
Cable - Silver-plated OCC.
Connectors - Flush mounting 2 pin 0.78mm.
Plugs - Choice of 2 plugs while ordering (3.5mm Single Ended or 4.4mm Balanced).
Ear Tips - 8 pairs of silicon ear tips.
Nozzle Diameter - 6.4mm.
Nozzle Height - 5.00mm.
Tools - Cleaning brush & flathead screwdriver for adjusting the tuning knobs.
Case - Light brown colored leatherette rectangular zippered case.
Driver Tech - The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is a tribrid iem having 8 drivers per side, totaling 16 drivers 2DD + 4BA + 2BCD x 2 driver configurations for the pair as below.
Cable - While ordering the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK, we get the option to choose a cable having either 3.5mm Single Ended or 4.4mm Balanced termination. The cable included is silver plated OCC type & is of a good quality & looks premium while the purple-coloured metal housings of connector pins & termination plug perfectly match the translucent purple shells of the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK. The silvery white braided cable is a bit rigid but is tangle free & not having any microphonics. The ear hooks are nicely curved & help to retain the iems in the ear. Performance-wise, I felt that the included cable does not do full justice to the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK & felt that it scales up much better with aftermarket cables.
Build & Design- The build quality of the iems is great overall & the purple medical grade resin shells are 3D printed & transparent allowing us to see the drivers housed inside, while being reminiscent of the TANSIO MIRAI X. The faceplate embeds two tuning knobs. The two pin ports sit flush on the shells & are very convenient for cable rolling. For me, the short length & the thickness of the nozzle are worrisome as they can make or break the Bone Conduction Driver effects as it is difficult to get a good secure deep fit in the ears due to the possibility of the ear tips coming off due to the lack of lip on the nozzle, hence ear tips play a large defining role in experiencing the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK to the full.
Ergonomics & Comfort – The shells are large & thick & protrude out of the ears. As mentioned above, the fit & comfort is heavily dependent on the getting the right ear tips. However, once you get a good fit the comfort is high due to the ergonomic shape & the curved edges of the shell. Subject to good fit, the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is comfortable for extended listening sessions devoid of any ear fatigue or discomfort due to the efficient venting of pressure build-up.
Setup - My impressions are based on the listening sessions by pairing the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK with Hiby R4 utilizing the 4.4mm balanced output. Other pairing was done on my laptop with Shanling UA4 dongle on 4.4mm balanced output.
Music – My library consists of music recorded in high resolution lossless Flac, Wav & SACD formats. My music choices are varied & I enjoy listening classical, instrumental, symphonies, Bollywood songs, ghazals, bhajans, English songs, rock, pop, jazz, edm, trance etc, basically anything that sounds enjoyable & pleasing to my ears.
Sound - I spent about 60+ hours listening with the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK & found it easy to drive. Most of my listening was done at 40/100 volume setting, give or take -/+ 5 points. The tuning knobs were set at the stock position of 2 for Bass (Yellow) and 4 for Treble (Brown). The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is one hell of an iem. It is a very well-tuned, fun sounding & musically engaging iem that does not sacrifice on subtle nuances & technicalities. Plus, the icing on the cake are the two micro adjustable knobs that can be rotated to adapt to wide genres of music. Overall, I found the bass to be perfect. Midrange is superb with lush tonality & accurate timbre with full body vocals & instruments. Treble is detailed, very well rounded & extended while being airy & crisp, however, the true stars of the show are the 2x full frequency Bone Conduction Drivers that are incessantly weaving their magic & unfolding an unparalleled sonic experience to the listener.
Bass - Hands down, the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK has one of the best bass that I have heard, even though I am not a bass head, I thoroughly enjoyed the bass being offered, with the Bone Conduction Drivers also providing warmth, added texture & physicality to it such that it that can be felt when it hits…deep & impactful & having boatloads of not only quantity but also quality to boot.
Midrange – The midrange on TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is immaculate. It projects vocals & instruments accurately both in timbre & tonality. Male voices have good weight & density, whereas female vocals sound lively & clean without being shrill. Here we find the Bone Conduction Drivers radiating extra presence and details to the midrange, giving richness to vocals & instruments, without causing any tonal imbalance. Overall, the midrange is sweet in details & sounds lush.
Treble – The treble on TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is very well tuned. It effortlessly extracts all the details from the tracks such that I was awestruck when I found myself hearing microdetails in the tracks that I am familiar with. The air in the upper treble is so finely tuned that it has a sense of sparkle & brilliance to it & comes forth as fast, clean & transparent. This does not mean that the treble is harsh, fatiguing or offensive, on the contrary, I feel that it perfectly complements the robust bass & the superb midrange without any sizzle. Here, I feel that the Bone Conduction Drivers are adding more dynamics to the treble, making it more open, airy, spacious & giving it a heightened presence & perception.
Technicalities -
Soundstage, Imaging & Separation - The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK projects an out of head, vast, 3D holographic soundstage. Listener occupies the midpoint with all the instruments placed inside a spherical periphery. Particularly important is that the soundstage does full justice to the recording setting as in presenting the scene as intimate, spacious & grand, just as it was recorded. Imaging is excellent with great layering. There is plenty of air and separation between the vocals & the instruments, such that it gives the soundstage a widespread feel, wherein each of the vocals & instruments can be perfectly identified & zeroed in on effortlessly.
Synopsis – Kudos to TANSIO MIRAI team for designing & creating a groundbreaking iem in the form of SHOCK. It is a very versatile iem that will find appreciation among bass heads, neutral heads & treble heads alike. Just a rotation of the knob will deliver the sonic experience suited to individual preference. Needless to say, that it is a JACK of ALL iems & deservingly so. For me it is truly an ENDGAME iem transcending the KILOBUCK threshold easily.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Thank you for giving your valuable time to read my review.
Happy listening.
Pros: Highly versatile iem that validates the JACK of ALL title.
Robust build quality.
Impeccable driver selection & performance cohesion.
Technically solid yet shows commendable musical prowess.
Micro adjustable tuning knobs work very well, perfectly executed.
Impactful bass response that has great quantity & quality.
Outstanding midrange performance that backs vocals & instruments with good note weight.
Well extended, sibilance free, airy, crisp, treble…simply flawless.
Fantastic implementation of the dual Bone Conduction Drivers adds to the richness of the sound.
3d holographic sound stage having good width, height & depth.
Cons: Purple translucent shell colour might not be suitable for all.
Ear tips prone to slip due to the absence of lip on the nozzles.
Good secure fit is constrained due to short stubby nozzles thereby possibly limiting the Bone Conduction Drivers effect.
DISCLAIMER
I extend my gratitude to Mr. Sandeep Agarwal of Audio Geeks India for including me in the tour of TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK and providing them to me for review purpose, and as such the resulting impressions are unbiased and purely reflect my subjective & neutral take on it. The tuning knobs were set at the stock position of 2 for Bass (Yellow) and 4 for Treble (Brown). Lastly & more importantly, I tried the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK with aftermarket ear tips & cables & experienced that it scales much better to them unlike the stock ones. However, to maintain fairness to the bundled stock package I reviewed the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK using default green core silicon ear tips (medium) & the included stock cable having 4.4mm balanced termination.
About me
I am not a professional reviewer, but a music enthusiast. I started my iem journey about 2 years ago. My choice in iem’s gravitate towards musicality rather than being analytical. That said, I am not a bass-head nor a treble-head but prefer balanced to warm sound signature having good sub bass shelf with thumping mid bass slam, clear weighty mids and well extended smooth detailed treble.
Specifications - Technical details taken from Penon Audio website’s TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK page.
Description - TANSIO MIRAI TSMR SHOCK is a 2DD + 4BA + 2 Bone Conduction Driver Hybrid Audiophile IEM Earphone with 2 Tuning Knobs that adopts a new sound design by implementing Dual-Frequency hardware EQ adjustment system with 2 tuning knobs that adjust low-frequency and high-frequency range very intuitively, making tuning easier & provide greater flexibility to the sound & widely adapt to personal preferences. Yellow knob controls low frequencies & Brown knob controls high frequencies.
Msrp - $599.
Purchase Link (Non-Affiliated) – TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK
Brand – Tansio Mirai.
Model - Shock.
Drivers - 2 Dynamic Drivers + 4 Balanced Armatures + 2 Bone Conduction Drivers per iem.
Impedance - 10ohms @ 1kHz.
Sensitivity - 10dBs @ 1kHz.
Frequency Range - 5Hz to 40KHz.
Cable - Silver-plated OCC.
Connectors - Flush mounting 2 pin 0.78mm.
Plugs - Choice of 2 plugs while ordering (3.5mm Single Ended or 4.4mm Balanced).
Ear Tips - 8 pairs of silicon ear tips.
Nozzle Diameter - 6.4mm.
Nozzle Height - 5.00mm.
Tools - Cleaning brush & flathead screwdriver for adjusting the tuning knobs.
Case - Light brown colored leatherette rectangular zippered case.
Driver Tech - The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is a tribrid iem having 8 drivers per side, totaling 16 drivers 2DD + 4BA + 2BCD x 2 driver configurations for the pair as below.
- 2 x 8mm dynamic drivers, hollow coaxial structure, carbon hybrid diaphragm for Low frequency.
- 2 x Knowles Balanced Armature for Mid-frequency.
- 2 x Sonion Balanced Armature for High frequency.
- 2 x Sonion Bone Conduction Drivers covering Full frequency range.
Cable - While ordering the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK, we get the option to choose a cable having either 3.5mm Single Ended or 4.4mm Balanced termination. The cable included is silver plated OCC type & is of a good quality & looks premium while the purple-coloured metal housings of connector pins & termination plug perfectly match the translucent purple shells of the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK. The silvery white braided cable is a bit rigid but is tangle free & not having any microphonics. The ear hooks are nicely curved & help to retain the iems in the ear. Performance-wise, I felt that the included cable does not do full justice to the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK & felt that it scales up much better with aftermarket cables.
Build & Design- The build quality of the iems is great overall & the purple medical grade resin shells are 3D printed & transparent allowing us to see the drivers housed inside, while being reminiscent of the TANSIO MIRAI X. The faceplate embeds two tuning knobs. The two pin ports sit flush on the shells & are very convenient for cable rolling. For me, the short length & the thickness of the nozzle are worrisome as they can make or break the Bone Conduction Driver effects as it is difficult to get a good secure deep fit in the ears due to the possibility of the ear tips coming off due to the lack of lip on the nozzle, hence ear tips play a large defining role in experiencing the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK to the full.
Ergonomics & Comfort – The shells are large & thick & protrude out of the ears. As mentioned above, the fit & comfort is heavily dependent on the getting the right ear tips. However, once you get a good fit the comfort is high due to the ergonomic shape & the curved edges of the shell. Subject to good fit, the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is comfortable for extended listening sessions devoid of any ear fatigue or discomfort due to the efficient venting of pressure build-up.
Setup - My impressions are based on the listening sessions by pairing the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK with Hiby R4 utilizing the 4.4mm balanced output. Other pairing was done on my laptop with Shanling UA4 dongle on 4.4mm balanced output.
Music – My library consists of music recorded in high resolution lossless Flac, Wav & SACD formats. My music choices are varied & I enjoy listening classical, instrumental, symphonies, Bollywood songs, ghazals, bhajans, English songs, rock, pop, jazz, edm, trance etc, basically anything that sounds enjoyable & pleasing to my ears.
Sound - I spent about 60+ hours listening with the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK & found it easy to drive. Most of my listening was done at 40/100 volume setting, give or take -/+ 5 points. The tuning knobs were set at the stock position of 2 for Bass (Yellow) and 4 for Treble (Brown). The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is one hell of an iem. It is a very well-tuned, fun sounding & musically engaging iem that does not sacrifice on subtle nuances & technicalities. Plus, the icing on the cake are the two micro adjustable knobs that can be rotated to adapt to wide genres of music. Overall, I found the bass to be perfect. Midrange is superb with lush tonality & accurate timbre with full body vocals & instruments. Treble is detailed, very well rounded & extended while being airy & crisp, however, the true stars of the show are the 2x full frequency Bone Conduction Drivers that are incessantly weaving their magic & unfolding an unparalleled sonic experience to the listener.
Bass - Hands down, the TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK has one of the best bass that I have heard, even though I am not a bass head, I thoroughly enjoyed the bass being offered, with the Bone Conduction Drivers also providing warmth, added texture & physicality to it such that it that can be felt when it hits…deep & impactful & having boatloads of not only quantity but also quality to boot.
Midrange – The midrange on TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is immaculate. It projects vocals & instruments accurately both in timbre & tonality. Male voices have good weight & density, whereas female vocals sound lively & clean without being shrill. Here we find the Bone Conduction Drivers radiating extra presence and details to the midrange, giving richness to vocals & instruments, without causing any tonal imbalance. Overall, the midrange is sweet in details & sounds lush.
Treble – The treble on TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK is very well tuned. It effortlessly extracts all the details from the tracks such that I was awestruck when I found myself hearing microdetails in the tracks that I am familiar with. The air in the upper treble is so finely tuned that it has a sense of sparkle & brilliance to it & comes forth as fast, clean & transparent. This does not mean that the treble is harsh, fatiguing or offensive, on the contrary, I feel that it perfectly complements the robust bass & the superb midrange without any sizzle. Here, I feel that the Bone Conduction Drivers are adding more dynamics to the treble, making it more open, airy, spacious & giving it a heightened presence & perception.
Technicalities -
Soundstage, Imaging & Separation - The TANSIO MIRAI SHOCK projects an out of head, vast, 3D holographic soundstage. Listener occupies the midpoint with all the instruments placed inside a spherical periphery. Particularly important is that the soundstage does full justice to the recording setting as in presenting the scene as intimate, spacious & grand, just as it was recorded. Imaging is excellent with great layering. There is plenty of air and separation between the vocals & the instruments, such that it gives the soundstage a widespread feel, wherein each of the vocals & instruments can be perfectly identified & zeroed in on effortlessly.
Synopsis – Kudos to TANSIO MIRAI team for designing & creating a groundbreaking iem in the form of SHOCK. It is a very versatile iem that will find appreciation among bass heads, neutral heads & treble heads alike. Just a rotation of the knob will deliver the sonic experience suited to individual preference. Needless to say, that it is a JACK of ALL iems & deservingly so. For me it is truly an ENDGAME iem transcending the KILOBUCK threshold easily.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Thank you for giving your valuable time to read my review.
Happy listening.
DrewVz
1000+ Head-Fier
Excellent review above. Totally agree on all fronts. Shock is definitely an endgame worthy IEM.
Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Posts
- 16,276
- Likes
- 39,633
Stay tuned folks. I have a MAJOR announcement regarding a soon to be released Penon product!
Looking forward to knowing what it's all about, I just hope it doesn't cost 4000 dalores again 
Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Posts
- 16,276
- Likes
- 39,633
Nope. Here is a clue. Its Penon's first Collab! Like I said stay tuned. I will post some photos and what it is exactly tonight.
I'm intrigued right now, I thought it would be the iem announced on Facebook but that doesn't seem like a collaboration
@Dsnuts
Due to time differences how many hours until it's night exactly??
@Dsnuts
Due to time differences how many hours until it's night exactly??
Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Posts
- 16,276
- Likes
- 39,633
Nope it was all tight lipped till now. I would say about 8 hours from now.
Waqar
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2010
- Posts
- 587
- Likes
- 840
Me like
FreeWheelinAudioLuv2
Headphoneus Supremus
While I wait for the latest Penon release news from @Dsnuts, let me remark that the latest Penon/ISN release before the reveal, is the ISN H20. This is one of the best value picks in the sub $100.00 market, and to be quite honest with all of you, the sheer effortless, lush sound signature, and orbital stage provided is plying in the $200.00 price range, and all this for $69.00 (less with VIP code). The steal of 2025 so far (along with the TRN Shell)!!! Let's hope this reveal IEM takes it's place for 2025 as the value king?
Also the very best colorway + synergy cable for the H20 is the stellar Tripowin Moonshadow cable. Hard to beat combo.
www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Tripowin-Moonshadow-Silver-Plated-Replacement/dp/B0DCJR8WSG/ref=sr_1_1
Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Posts
- 16,276
- Likes
- 39,633
Penon x Effect Audio Archangel
Ok folks so this one was a surprise to me as Penon does not do collabs but here we are, a collab with none other than boutique cable manufacturer Effect Audio. I know many of you are very familiar with Effect Audio and their handy work. A lot of you guys dab or partially buy into cables off of the express but it's like all good things. More premium stuff costs more money and in the case of cables, Effect Audio only makes premium cables. Hence their cables simply cost more.
What it comes down to is the actual materials they are using and the idea of using certain types of geometry to get their end goals. More premium the materials ends up being more money for the consumer unfortunately. When you see cable descriptions on the express they are about as trustworthy as telemarketers that call you to help save on car insurance.
What separates the Effect Audio cable vs the flashy looking and so called higher end cables that don't even cost a 1/3rd of the Cadmus II for example? Well these folks that sell their wares on the express make up for the lack of quality by making the cable and naming them as colorful as they can. A lot of them are eye-catching even using metallic more blingy hardware to accentuate the cable's looks. When it comes down to it. You do get what you are paying for. I know first hand that a lot of the cables online are ok to even surprisingly good by today's standards. They will for the most part be an upgrade to the included cables that come with your budget IEMs so I suppose not all is at a loss there. However what these folks claim as a higher end copper cable is in reality not exactly what Effect Audio uses.
The base material that Effect Audio uses is material called UPOCC or Ultra Pure Ohno Continuous Cast. Real UPOCC takes longer to produce through a much more rigorous process for the cables material, hence it costs more than your standard crystal copper or OCC variants. The end result is that cables that are made using this material definitely has a leg up in quality over other types of copper variants when it comes to transparency and how it translates to what you hear for your IEMs. All the prior Effect Audio Signature Series of cables are very popular due to using this material and new to the updated Signature Series of cables comes in the form of some trickle down geometry learned from making what was called the Code23 cable. I reviewed an early prototype of the Code23 and it was and still is a groundbreaking and ground standing cable due to just how spacious and dimensional the cable here helps your sound to get. Ground standing cuz it was way too stiff for it to be practical for IEM use. Yes the cable could stand by itself if flexed that way.
This material Effect Audio uses answers the old time question: are all copper cables the same?. No they are not. The Cadmus II that is used for the new Archangel is not the same material that you have used on your IEMs. Cadmus uses at its cores this UPOCC and then plates the cores with pure silver. This gives an added bonus for even more transparency, detail enhancing, imaging and spacial stage aspects of what the cables here helps to produce for IEMs. Ok so what about the IEMs?
Penon was tasked to produce an IEM worthy of this venture. If you ask me what IEM that stood out last year that still makes waves today. That would be the Tansio Mirai Shocks. You can read my review of them here. The Shocks brought something new to the table. Not only was the sound on point but you can adjust the bass and trebles to your liking on the fly using dials that represent the area.
The Archangel drivers make up mimic what the Shocks have but! Take a look at the dynamic driver make up.
Configuration:
2 Dynamic Driver + 4 Balanced Armature + 2 Bone Conduction Driver
Low frequency: 2 coaxial 8mm PET + carbon nanotube diaphragm
Middle frequency: 2 Knowles composite middle frequency Balanced Armature
High frequency: 2 Sonion composite high frequency Balanced Armature
Full frequency: 2 Sonion composite bone conduction driver
Parameters:
Impedance: 12ohm@1kHz
Sensitivity: 105dB@1kHz
Frequency response range: 10~40kHz
Switch definition:
Switch 1: Control low frequency, turn on to enhance low frequency, turn off to normal mode
Switch 2: Control high frequency, turn on to enhance high frequency, turn off to normal mode
So we do get some switch variants here but it's not really like the tune a dial of the Shocks. The other thing is these are on the larger side of shell size, larger than the Shocks and equivalent to the Rivals. Larger shells obviously will not be so comfortable for smaller eared folks however Larger more roomier housings has an advantage for sound presentations. Larger shells generally means bigger stage and boy do these have a big large stage. Larger than the shocks easily rivaling some of their most spacious sounding IEMs I have heard to date. Rival level is what I am talking about.
Even though the driver count here mimics the Shocks. These are not exactly the same. These reminds me of some of Penons best made IEMs including the Impacts, voltage, Similar to the H60 balancing but now with a bass dynamic combination that I have never seen before. A PET and a carbon nanotube. Bringing the best ability of both drivers for its bass presentation. Bass authority agility and ability that reminds me more of top end ISN IEMs. Coaxial bass is in play here just like the bass end of the Shocks but somehow the quality gets an upgrade, bit more organic sounding. Deep impactful and full bodied. If you need more, the switch gives what I am guessing is about a 3db increase in the region.
The bass end on this set will make you take notice. But then it's not just about the bass end. It has some of the best mids I have heard on a Penon product. Rivaling something like the Impacts mids range. Trebles are tuned to enhance what the mids and bass are doing so, clean fantastically detailed with plenty of sparkle. it's got fundamental balancing intact. For folks that want just a bit more treble and or bass, you get that with the switches. All that, finished off by utilizing some of the best BC drivers in the industry. Sonion dual BC composite drivers. Same BC drivers in ISN EBC80, Shocks and Rivals. Now the new Archangel.
For Voltage owners, imagine getting the Voltage with BC drivers. Impact owners imagine getting the Impacts with BC drivers and dynamic dual array coaxial bass. ISN H60 owners. This would be a direct upgrade on that sound balancing. For TSMR Shock owners you want a more spacious sound with more lower mids body to your Shocks sound? Don't know how similar the drivers are being used but I am hearing a more richer tonal character via Penon house sound vs the Shocks which seems a touch more dryer in that regard. Different bass character with a more organic deep bass presentation. More closer to the Rival bass vs the Shocks. I am a huge fan of the EBC80 but the Archangel is the Penon equivalent and adds to that a premium Cadmus II cable that matches splendidly.
The end result is a rich, fluid, dimensional large full bodied, nicely technical, extremely well balanced sound that encompasses your hearing in one of the largest spacious head stage presentations for IEMs. These are not just another Penon release my friends. These have some of the best of the best aspects of what Penon does best while Effect Audio is adding a cable no one will argue does not match well with the IEM. Nope not this time. This time we have the premium optimized cable to go with this large and in charge sound that enhances everything it is doing.
This is not a case if you already own the IEMs I mentioned on this impression, that all you would have to do is buy yourself a Cadmus II and it will be like the Archangel. Nope this is an entirely new product and while you might have parts of prior top Penon made IEMs representing. This combination represents one of the best bass presentations with Penons house sound touches here and there adding to all this the addition of BC drivers that brings a stage and dimensional aspect. Effect Audio bringing their Cadmus II into the mix which adds an element of better precise imaging, more technical, a canvas for micro and macro detail, better sound separation with even a greater stage presence. This is a match as they say made in heaven.
For vocal lovers, what this sounds like for vocals is one for the books. But it is so much more than some goosebump raising vocal performances. Way more. If you’re into your EDM. Ya these might be one of the very best IEMs I have heard for Trance music. That large and in charge stage with some crazy deep hitting quality textured bass. Astounding. These are gonna make waves.
By the way, if you are attending Singapore Can Jam this weekend. You will be able to audition the Archangel at the Effect Audio. Booth. I am looking forward to seeing what patrons of the show have to say about them.
Canjam Singapore 2025
Date: Saturday & Sunday April 5-6
Location: Pan Pacific Singapore
Booth F11-14
Ok folks so this one was a surprise to me as Penon does not do collabs but here we are, a collab with none other than boutique cable manufacturer Effect Audio. I know many of you are very familiar with Effect Audio and their handy work. A lot of you guys dab or partially buy into cables off of the express but it's like all good things. More premium stuff costs more money and in the case of cables, Effect Audio only makes premium cables. Hence their cables simply cost more.
What it comes down to is the actual materials they are using and the idea of using certain types of geometry to get their end goals. More premium the materials ends up being more money for the consumer unfortunately. When you see cable descriptions on the express they are about as trustworthy as telemarketers that call you to help save on car insurance.
What separates the Effect Audio cable vs the flashy looking and so called higher end cables that don't even cost a 1/3rd of the Cadmus II for example? Well these folks that sell their wares on the express make up for the lack of quality by making the cable and naming them as colorful as they can. A lot of them are eye-catching even using metallic more blingy hardware to accentuate the cable's looks. When it comes down to it. You do get what you are paying for. I know first hand that a lot of the cables online are ok to even surprisingly good by today's standards. They will for the most part be an upgrade to the included cables that come with your budget IEMs so I suppose not all is at a loss there. However what these folks claim as a higher end copper cable is in reality not exactly what Effect Audio uses.
The base material that Effect Audio uses is material called UPOCC or Ultra Pure Ohno Continuous Cast. Real UPOCC takes longer to produce through a much more rigorous process for the cables material, hence it costs more than your standard crystal copper or OCC variants. The end result is that cables that are made using this material definitely has a leg up in quality over other types of copper variants when it comes to transparency and how it translates to what you hear for your IEMs. All the prior Effect Audio Signature Series of cables are very popular due to using this material and new to the updated Signature Series of cables comes in the form of some trickle down geometry learned from making what was called the Code23 cable. I reviewed an early prototype of the Code23 and it was and still is a groundbreaking and ground standing cable due to just how spacious and dimensional the cable here helps your sound to get. Ground standing cuz it was way too stiff for it to be practical for IEM use. Yes the cable could stand by itself if flexed that way.
This material Effect Audio uses answers the old time question: are all copper cables the same?. No they are not. The Cadmus II that is used for the new Archangel is not the same material that you have used on your IEMs. Cadmus uses at its cores this UPOCC and then plates the cores with pure silver. This gives an added bonus for even more transparency, detail enhancing, imaging and spacial stage aspects of what the cables here helps to produce for IEMs. Ok so what about the IEMs?
Penon was tasked to produce an IEM worthy of this venture. If you ask me what IEM that stood out last year that still makes waves today. That would be the Tansio Mirai Shocks. You can read my review of them here. The Shocks brought something new to the table. Not only was the sound on point but you can adjust the bass and trebles to your liking on the fly using dials that represent the area.
The Archangel drivers make up mimic what the Shocks have but! Take a look at the dynamic driver make up.
Configuration:
2 Dynamic Driver + 4 Balanced Armature + 2 Bone Conduction Driver
Low frequency: 2 coaxial 8mm PET + carbon nanotube diaphragm
Middle frequency: 2 Knowles composite middle frequency Balanced Armature
High frequency: 2 Sonion composite high frequency Balanced Armature
Full frequency: 2 Sonion composite bone conduction driver
Parameters:
Impedance: 12ohm@1kHz
Sensitivity: 105dB@1kHz
Frequency response range: 10~40kHz
Switch definition:
Switch 1: Control low frequency, turn on to enhance low frequency, turn off to normal mode
Switch 2: Control high frequency, turn on to enhance high frequency, turn off to normal mode
So we do get some switch variants here but it's not really like the tune a dial of the Shocks. The other thing is these are on the larger side of shell size, larger than the Shocks and equivalent to the Rivals. Larger shells obviously will not be so comfortable for smaller eared folks however Larger more roomier housings has an advantage for sound presentations. Larger shells generally means bigger stage and boy do these have a big large stage. Larger than the shocks easily rivaling some of their most spacious sounding IEMs I have heard to date. Rival level is what I am talking about.
Even though the driver count here mimics the Shocks. These are not exactly the same. These reminds me of some of Penons best made IEMs including the Impacts, voltage, Similar to the H60 balancing but now with a bass dynamic combination that I have never seen before. A PET and a carbon nanotube. Bringing the best ability of both drivers for its bass presentation. Bass authority agility and ability that reminds me more of top end ISN IEMs. Coaxial bass is in play here just like the bass end of the Shocks but somehow the quality gets an upgrade, bit more organic sounding. Deep impactful and full bodied. If you need more, the switch gives what I am guessing is about a 3db increase in the region.
The bass end on this set will make you take notice. But then it's not just about the bass end. It has some of the best mids I have heard on a Penon product. Rivaling something like the Impacts mids range. Trebles are tuned to enhance what the mids and bass are doing so, clean fantastically detailed with plenty of sparkle. it's got fundamental balancing intact. For folks that want just a bit more treble and or bass, you get that with the switches. All that, finished off by utilizing some of the best BC drivers in the industry. Sonion dual BC composite drivers. Same BC drivers in ISN EBC80, Shocks and Rivals. Now the new Archangel.
For Voltage owners, imagine getting the Voltage with BC drivers. Impact owners imagine getting the Impacts with BC drivers and dynamic dual array coaxial bass. ISN H60 owners. This would be a direct upgrade on that sound balancing. For TSMR Shock owners you want a more spacious sound with more lower mids body to your Shocks sound? Don't know how similar the drivers are being used but I am hearing a more richer tonal character via Penon house sound vs the Shocks which seems a touch more dryer in that regard. Different bass character with a more organic deep bass presentation. More closer to the Rival bass vs the Shocks. I am a huge fan of the EBC80 but the Archangel is the Penon equivalent and adds to that a premium Cadmus II cable that matches splendidly.
The end result is a rich, fluid, dimensional large full bodied, nicely technical, extremely well balanced sound that encompasses your hearing in one of the largest spacious head stage presentations for IEMs. These are not just another Penon release my friends. These have some of the best of the best aspects of what Penon does best while Effect Audio is adding a cable no one will argue does not match well with the IEM. Nope not this time. This time we have the premium optimized cable to go with this large and in charge sound that enhances everything it is doing.
This is not a case if you already own the IEMs I mentioned on this impression, that all you would have to do is buy yourself a Cadmus II and it will be like the Archangel. Nope this is an entirely new product and while you might have parts of prior top Penon made IEMs representing. This combination represents one of the best bass presentations with Penons house sound touches here and there adding to all this the addition of BC drivers that brings a stage and dimensional aspect. Effect Audio bringing their Cadmus II into the mix which adds an element of better precise imaging, more technical, a canvas for micro and macro detail, better sound separation with even a greater stage presence. This is a match as they say made in heaven.
For vocal lovers, what this sounds like for vocals is one for the books. But it is so much more than some goosebump raising vocal performances. Way more. If you’re into your EDM. Ya these might be one of the very best IEMs I have heard for Trance music. That large and in charge stage with some crazy deep hitting quality textured bass. Astounding. These are gonna make waves.
By the way, if you are attending Singapore Can Jam this weekend. You will be able to audition the Archangel at the Effect Audio. Booth. I am looking forward to seeing what patrons of the show have to say about them.
Canjam Singapore 2025
Date: Saturday & Sunday April 5-6
Location: Pan Pacific Singapore
Booth F11-14
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