The PENON official thread

[Redcarmoose]

Would have purchased in a heartbeat if not the US tariff situation. TOTEM adaptor cable made me a believer. If the upgrade effect is not subtle, no reason not to buy. Such a holographic and epic sound presentation infused all the downstream cables and IEMs even with 2 cores but now 4 cores?

No big deal, have a friend buy it at the retail price in another country (and use the cable for awhile) then later forwarding the used product along to you! Easy. Plus as you know it will be worth it! Cheers!

 

[drspeter]

No big deal, have a friend buy it at the retail price in another country (and use the cable for awhile) then later forwarding the used product along to you! Easy. Plus as you know it will be worth it! Cheers!

haha I was also thinking about a way to reroute the package or waiting for this situation resolves. I was only wondering if it is worth buying the 4 core version when I already have the original totem adapter. But what you have written actually confirms that 4 core makes the difference. Thanks for your testing and sharing your impressions.

 

[Redcarmoose]

haha I was also thinking about a way to reroute the package or waiting for this situation resolves. I was only wondering if it is worth buying the 4 core version when I already have the original totem adapter. But what you have written actually confirms that 4 core makes the difference. Thanks for your testing and sharing your impressions.

I didn’t think it there would be that much difference, but at the end of all my tests I did rotate the regular TOTEM and compared the ULTRA back to back, and just like adding material to the ASOS+ to make the sonics bigger with the ASOS+X, there was a significant difference......wild?

 

[Saraugie]

No big deal, have a friend buy it at the retail price in another country (and use the cable for awhile) then later forwarding the used product along to you! Easy. Plus as you know it will be worth it! Cheers!

A strategy best kept on the QT.

 

[Redcarmoose]

A strategy best kept on the QT.

So true, as I was not sure about posting such tactics. Future days may see this style of political antic pass and America will have a different import stance, then life will go on as normal.

 

[STRATEGIST]

AURAL JOLT OF SUPREMELY SUBLIME MUSICAL BLISS

Pros: Superb build quality & stunningly gorgeous looks.
Enjoyable balanced tuning.
Warm, musical, relaxed & very pleasing sound signature.
Satisfactory lows…not suitable for bass heads.
Wonderful organic, warm midrange rendering with lush, velvety forward vocals.
Well rounded, smooth treble…not suitable for treble heads.
Perfect for fatigue free extended listening sessions.
Balanced technicalities in terms of soundstage, layering & instrument separation.

Cons: Being laid-back, relaxed & less spirited overall, might not appeal to listeners that prefer energetic sound signature.
Disclaimer

I extend my gratitude to Mr. Sandeep Agarwal of Audio Geeks India for including me in the tour of PENON VOLTAGE 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. Since I did not receive the full retail unit, unboxing impressions are not included. Lastly, I reviewed the PENON VOLTAGE utilizing the ‘00’ position of the tuning switches, using default Clear Red ear tips (small) & the included stock cable with balanced 4.4mm termination.

About me

I am not a professional reviewer, but a music enthusiast. I started my iem journey about 3 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 PENON-VOLTAGE webpage.

Msrp - $1199.

Purchase Link (Non-Affiliated) - PENON VOLTAGE

Brand - PENON.

Model - VOLTAGE.

Driver Tech - The PENON VOLTAGE is a tribrid iem having 4EST + 4BA + 2DD driver configuration as below.

• 4 x Sonion Electrostatic for ultra- high frequency.
• 2 x Sonion Balanced Armature for high frequency.
• 2 x Sonion Balanced Armature for middle frequency.
• 2 x 8mm dynamic driver for low frequency.
• 4-way crossover, 4 tubes.

Impedance - 13ohms.

Sensitivity - 106dB.

Frequency Range - 5Hz to 70KHz.

Cable - The included stock cable is 1.2 metres in length consisting of 4 Shares OCC & 18K Gold-plated OCC Mixed.

Connectors - Flush mounting 2 pin 0.78mm.

Plugs - 3 in 1 modular plug (in 3.5mm Single Ended + 2.5mm Balanced + 4.4mm Balanced terminations).

Ear Tips - 3 pairs each of Grey – Green, Clear Green & Clear Red silicon ear tips in 3 sizes (small, medium & large).

Case - 1 portable carry earphone case & 1 protective case for earpieces.

Build & Design - PENON VOLTAGE has an exceptional build quality. The stunning red colourway lends credence to its visual appeal. The iem shells are 3D printed using transparent medical grade resin, allowing us to see the drivers housed inside. The faceplate of the iem is of a resplendent red color interspersed with gold flakes, with the name PENON in golden coloured font placed at the base of the shell. Visually the shell is stunning, attractive & catches the attention of the beholder. The shell features a single vent to alleviate pressure build-up & is placed just besides the tuning switches. The standout feature of PENON VOLTAGE is the presence of 2 tuning switches placed between the 2-pin connector port & pressure relief vent. The 2-pin ports are placed flush on the shells & facilitate ease of cable rolling. The thickness of the nozzle is on a higher side but can be compensated by using small sized ear tips. The length & the angle of the nozzle is perfectly suited for a good deep fit. The lip of the nozzle holds the supplied ear tips perfectly in place.

Cable - The included modular cable is of a very good quality & comes with 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm single ended & 4.4mm balanced terminations. The black coloured braided cable with scattered gold bits is soft, supple, tangle free & does not generate any microphonics.

Ergonomics & Comfort - Considering that the shells are housing 10 drivers each side, they are medium in size & only protrude slightly out of the ears for me. The shells are ergonomic & have smooth curved edges that follow the shape of the concha striking a good balance between fit & comfort such that I did not feel any ear fatigue or discomfort even after having them in ears for 6+ hours, nor was there pressure build-up of any sort due to excellent functioning of the pressure relief vent.

Isolation - The nozzle diameter is somewhat large but using the small sized silicon tips I got a perfect fit. I got very good passive isolation due to the deep insertion & it was effective in blocking out external sounds to a large extent.

Setup – I paired PENON VOLTAGE with HIBY R4 on High Gain utilizing the 4.4mm balanced output. Other pairings were done on my laptop using HIFIMAN EF400 on Low Gain NOS & Shanling UA4 dongle on High Gain paired to PENON VOLTAGE on 4.4mm balanced output respectively.

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 found PENON VOLTAGE easy to drive & spent about 60+ hours listening to music at 40/100 volume on both the Hiby R4 & Shanling UA4, whereas with EF400 the volume knob was at 9 o’clock position. Out of the box, I felt the PENON VOLTAGE to be an overall rich sounding iem complemented by a good well textured bass having melodious, lush mids with natural forward vocal presentation & a smooth treble response that is free of sibilance & harshness.

Bass - The PENON VOLTAGE bass has natural decay & well-defined texture. The sub-bass has nice extension with adequate rumble. The mid-bass makes its presence felt when required. The bass imparts overall weight to the low end and lower mids, thereby making its presentation rich.

Midrange - The midrange of PENON VOLTAGE is lush & musical imparting natural timbre & tonality. The vocals are a bit forward compared to the instruments. Both male & female vocals were a pleasure to listen to & exuded a warm & smooth attribute without any shrillness.

Treble - Fatigue free, rounded & smoothed out is how I will describe the treble on Penon Voltage. It exhibits just about adequate details & does not dominate the low end & the midrange. This remarkable tuning of treble effectively mitigates listening fatigue.

Technicalities

Soundstage - The PENON VOLTAGE delivers a realistic soundstage, meaning it does full justice to the recording & projects the stage in the corresponding manner.

Imaging - Imaging is very good, as a result instruments can be pinpointed accurately, however, the overall warmth subdues the air and somewhat eases the instrument separation. But I perceive this warmth as perfectly complimenting the musical tuning of PENON VOLTAGE.

Synopsis – Accolades to PENON for bringing in the VOLTAGE, 3 years down the line in this hobby, unreservedly, it is the most musical, laid back & relaxing set of iem that I have heard from PENON. It is perfect for unwinding at the end of the day & immerse yourself into the music without being incisive & analytical. Its tuning is rich & balanced with good low end, engaging midrange & nicely detailed highs. All the drivers work flawlessly in cohesion with each other, thereby delivering a rich & immersive auditory experience. Then, for the discerning audiophiles there are the tuning switches that nicely change the sound signature as per choice. Unlike analytical listeners, connoisseurs & newbies alike that are inclined musically will be absolutely revelled after experiencing PENON VOLTAGE.

Thank you for giving your valuable time to read my review.

Happy listening.

 

[alexandros a]

This actually just in..........

...been waiting for this one over a week...( more or so ) and found the strength/courage to avoid any first listening upon unboxing just like i did on ISN EBC80......So any kind of critical listening real time impressions will follow the exact same procedure ( a total & concinuous burn in process of 200 Hrs) due to the twin BCD implementation inside Archangel.....patience is what i need most right now ....i really do not want to get dissapointed in any way and trying to get the best possible out of this beauty so thinking of following religiously this procedure that proved EBC80 to be a very.. very special and important valuable set i am currently/also waiting for the package cover art to follow (along with many of you i suppose so....) over the next days
..what is funny/strange with ARCHANGEL is that you simply cannot bring together the 2 faceplates (meaning one facing the other) it behaves immediatelly like trying to collide two opposite poles of a magnet........I have encountered so far this strange phenomenon only once upon receiving UM MEXT tribrid which also uses BCD technology ...i suppose some really powerfull magnets are definitely inside these gorgeous shells of the ARCHANGEL as well.....i have recently reviewed EBC80 over Headfi saying that
"if i was able i would have placed a 6 star evaluation over that one" so makes it kind of interesting for those two in terms of comparison having in mind that both are very close/similar as far as price brackets goes......

so guys stay tuned .....................for more to come during next week......

 

[DannyBai]

Archangel is very addicting. If EBC80 was and still is a big hit, more people need to get onboard with archangel if it’s attainable. This sound will knock your socks off.

 

[Kordonrules]

Has anyone compared the Archangel to the Voltage even at it higher price point?

 

[DannyBai]

I think voltage still has some advantages over archangel, especially if you like your music slightly more balanced and not boosted in the bass region. I still found voltage to be slightly more detailed over archangel but I find the archangel way more engaging with metal and electronic music.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I got a ton of sources, but this DAP (Hiby R3 II untethered) in particular really synergizes so well with the Penon Archangel. As you can see, these two are synergy sisters in more ways than one, and with the XINHS K12 (monocrystalline copper, high purity silver, palladium, and gold), it's the perfect mix of alloys and colorway with both the IEM and the DAP! The sonics I get from this rig is simply stellar and TOTL, despite the entire combo being under kilobuck range. Doesn't matter. This is killerbuck sound, folks. TRUTH.

i'm in love, and this rig right here is desert island. If I had to sell off all my sources and IEMs, I'd stick with this rig and be perfectly happy and satisfied.

 

[pedregapop]

I got a ton of sources, but this DAP (Hiby R3 II untethered) in particular really synergizes so well with the Penon Archangel. As you can see, these two are synergy sisters in more ways than one, and with the XINHS K12 (monocrystalline copper, high purity silver, palladium, and gold), it's the perfect mix of alloys and colorway with both the IEM and the DAP! The sonics I get from this rig is simply stellar and TOTL, despite the entire combo being under kilobuck range. Doesn't matter. This is killerbuck sound, folks. TRUTH.

i'm in love, and this rig right here is desert island. If I had to sell off all my sources and IEMs, I'd stick with this rig and be perfectly happy and satisfied.

You are not usign the effect audio cable that comes with the archangel, i guess why

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

You are not usign the effect audio cable that comes with the archangel, i guess why

I use it, but that cable is 4.4mm ONLY, and it's also a warmer cable. So when I listen to my Sony's (which is quite often, I typically will switch from the EA to the XINHS), I go with the brighter cable in 3.5mm. The EA brings out the bass quite a bit, and it's already quite the bassy set, so I prefer to use silver/palladium/monocrystalline copper cable on it just to bring more balance, and it works. This is a fantastic cable! The EA Cadmus cable kicks ass too, but I prefer to use it with brighter, or more neutral sources.

 

[alexandros a]

I think voltage still has some advantages over archangel, especially if you like your music slightly more balanced and not boosted in the bass region. I still found voltage to be slightly more detailed over archangel but I find the archangel way more engaging with metal and electronic music.

As far as i can tell Voltage was tuned to be more of a reference set thus definitely a more balanced one in opposite to Archangel which is clearly a V shaped set (seemingly to TSMR SCHOCK as an example....) and this explains why the switches are over ths shells of Archangel (one for bass and the other for treble adjustment....) so to fine tune lows/highs according to anyone's preference but besides that... as far as detail retrieval goes... let's not forget the essential presence of 4 Sonion Electrostatic drivers for ultra- high frequencies implementation over Voltage so for the listener not to miss the slightest detail over that part of the spectrum.....

 

[FalseProphet]

This actually just in..........

...been waiting for this one over a week...( more or so ) and found the strength/courage to avoid any first listening upon unboxing just like i did on ISN EBC80......So any kind of critical listening real time impressions will follow the exact same procedure ( a total & concinuous burn in process of 200 Hrs) due to the twin BCD implementation inside Archangel.....patience is what i need most right now ....i really do not want to get dissapointed in any way and trying to get the best possible out of this beauty so thinking of following religiously this procedure that proved EBC80 to be a very.. very special and important valuable set i am currently/also waiting for the package cover art to follow (along with many of you i suppose so....) over the next days
..what is funny/strange with ARCHANGEL is that you simply cannot bring together the 2 faceplates (meaning one facing the other) it behaves immediatelly like trying to collide two opposite poles of a magnet........I have encountered so far this strange phenomenon only once upon receiving UM MEXT tribrid which also uses BCD technology ...i suppose some really powerfull magnets are definitely inside these gorgeous shells of the ARCHANGEL as well.....i have recently reviewed EBC80 over Headfi saying that
"if i was able i would have placed a 6 star evaluation over that one" so makes it kind of interesting for those two in terms of comparison having in mind that both are very close/similar as far as price brackets goes......







so guys stay tuned .....................for more to come during next week......

Wow, nice waiting for your impressions mate! EBC80 lover will do it justice and comapre both sets fairly!