kajetanjazz
100+ Head-Fier
How do you like the Traillii out of bliss? I’m waiting for mine to arrive and i wonder how the 2ohm impedance of 4.4mm affects bird’s sound, as well as high Z 17ohm
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
- Start date
If Audeze or ZMF attends a CanJam you attend, they usually bring the stack with them.Very much appreciate the suggestion, Holo is hard to audition here. But I will be on the lookout for a place todo so. Or maybe a shop with great return policy
dpeterfy32
100+ Head-Fier
is a new champion born? It is probably unbeatable in its price/value ratio category, but I think it will be one of the best even under $2,000. elysian acoustic labs pilgrim welcome
A long time back I mentioned this in an entry. The Traillii does actually scale and it is shockingly good on the Bliss. So good it rivals HPs. No, not Susvara, but LCD 2 snd many others are clearly in its sites.
It sounds excellent out of the 4.4mm output or the XLR with 4.4mm adapter ( I use the one from ddhifi). I just tested this again for you using the 4.4mm output. Its bass has more power and the mids are a perfect match for the Bliss. Treble is excellent and detailed. Vocals are excellent.
I just tested using Modul 15 by Nik Bartsch ( great for bass testing). The bass is hitting just about as hard as my Empyrean HP which is saying something. When the “whacks” come in at 45 seconds, I thought something fell off my desk it was so real. While the Empyrean is deeper in tone, the Traillii provides more clarity and retains its almost perfect timbre. This is where I always say it is most like the Susvara. The Empyrean does go a bit deeper, but the Traillii is so close it is shocking combined with its fabulous mids. And just as detailed. The Susvara does everything Traillii can do combined with a more detailed bass. I did prefer the Traillii on this track to the Empyrean with its stock cable ( my Traillii is attached to an Orpheus for the extra bass ).
We will see if this remains after my silver cable comes for the Empyrean. I was at a volume level of -30 on the Bliss with the Traillii attached.
@kajetanjazz I was using Low Z by the way. With high Z it may be a bit quieter, but I was not going lower than -30 on the volume and it had more power in Low Z.
kajetanjazz
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the impressions! Yes High Z will have less power, but that’s still about 2.5W. I’m curious what solution is gonna be better, overpowered desktop amp or smaller IEM suited mass kobo (connected to the same dac)
I have tested many other smaller amps ( not the smaller Mass Kobo, though I also have the 465 and it does not simply dust the Bliss). I do not feel any of them compare to the Bliss. It is that good in comparison. For example, the small Cayin amps ( the DAP like amps ) and the Mjolnir do not compete with it. Now the Mjolnir is portable and is for a separate niche and is probably the best amp in its category, the Bliss is in no way portable.
If you want to go portable, forget desktop. If you want desktop in addition to mobile DAPs then I always say go desktop amp as they are typically much better than portable amps and can drive HPs if ever desired.
And please, as always, IMHO.
I spent the weekend letting the new Penon Voltage burn-in for 100 hrs (tho Penon suggests as much as 200) and figured it would be a good thing to report some first impressions on this soon-to-be-released "flagship" from Penon (it's not really the flagship, which is Impact, but it is the flagship tribrid in the Penon line, now). It has been awhile since Penon released an iem at over a kilobuck (aforementioned Impact, all BA/EST, was over $2000), but this one has arrived with an MSRP of $1199 (meaning those who are on the Penon email list, or those who ask Penon directly, will be offered a nice discount). I got an early shot at a set at the discounted price, which I'm not allowed to reveal, but let's say, you will not be disappointed by it!
Here, Penon tries and succeeds in stepping up to compete with their brethren by releasing Voltage, a new tribrid with 2xDD, 4xBA and 4xEST in this very crowded price category. I have not given this much listening time yet; I did check-in on it over the burn-in and heard the subtle changes occurring and I think there still are some happening, but it seems to have stabilized, so first impressions! It's a gorgeous, red with gold accented, resin shell that is light and pretty small for 10 drivers. Fit is easy and I find the Penon liqueur orange tips to have a good synergy, but will try others. It comes with a "Penon Obsidian" cable, a 4w Copper/Gold plated-copper cable that itself retails at $149. A very solid cable which I listened to for a couple hours before trying a little cable rolling. Actually, most cables I tried sounded great, and stock does not need to be switched, but I found a particularly good synergies with Penon Renata and EA Code 24c that got me pretty happy; but good on Penon for including a great stock cable!
The shocker for me arrived when I started really listening to Voltage having heard and owned several other Penons. I listened thru both my L&P P6Pro and Sony NW-WM1Z, and also with both DAPs amped by my ibassso PB5 whose stock interconnect cable I recently switched for a Penon Totem i/c (this produced a beautiful difference from stock, making PB5 sound more punchy and even deepening an already deep soundstage - inexpensive and much recommended for any PB5 owners!!). These sources tend to make a lot of good stuff sound great, some great stuff even epic, and the Voltage, just amazing!!!
Penon came to compete! This is by far the most mature sound and tuning I've heard from a Penon iem, outclassing every single other of theirs that I've tried as well as some other bigger names (for example, in a few hours, I could tell that I liked Voltage more than the similarly tuned FF MSE by a longshot and I liked MSE!). Now, tuning here is a bit of a moving target, which some of you will (like me) love and some will not (I see you, Todd!) because, yes, there are the dreaded tuning switches! Voltage has 2 switches and each does something specific, so there are 4 potential alterations to the stock (both switches down) tuning, which does remain prevalent throughout regardless of switch position. While I've not heard the Impacts, Voltage has, without question, the best mids I've heard in a Penon and maybe period. The mids seem least affected by the switches, remaining perhaps the star of the show, but actually, it's the overall balance, from deep sub-bass, to mid-bass, upper mids to trebles, everything matters and is the star with the stock switch (down) position offering the most W-shaped sound where switching them both up yields a slightly more U to V shape. Switch 1 increases or reduces bass, and switch 2 does the same for treble. I ran thru all of the switch positions and found that, while not basshead level, with switch 1 up/2 down, the Voltage has terrific, loud but still balanced bass. With the bass switch down and the treble up, you do get an amazing treblehead tuning that still includes nice, tasteful bass. I think I'm preferring the stock setting, but that could change.
In a nutshell, I'm hearing these 10 drivers come together with very impactful sub-bass, clear and forward mids, and massive, detailed, sparkly treble. I'm no treblehead, and bright, sharp treble can be the first thing to kill an iem for me, but here, Penon have executed upper mids and treble as well as I've ever heard it with details for days. It rivals Anni 23 treble to me, but it's overall tuning is more balanced and I prefer Voltage bass, as well. Note weight is thick and wet, but the soundstage is still huge and holographic with airy upper mids and treble again trying to steal the show. The sub-bass here reminds me of the Penon Quattro, but where Quattro has a very odd, but satisfying tuning, Voltage is a true all-arounder that should work with any kind of music. It's a very straightforward tuning that should offend no one and likely to surprise everyone.
We recently had a Watercooler poll that asked for under $2k favorites; this new Voltage would have taken either the Quattro or CFA Black Star off my list. It's uber competitive at its price and sounds like a lot of other TOTL on the market that cost double or triple this price. Nicely done, @Penon, Voltage is your best iem yet, I think! I'm looking forward to digging in deeper with it over the coming weeks, and will be comparing it to Elysian's new Noir when I get that.
Here, Penon tries and succeeds in stepping up to compete with their brethren by releasing Voltage, a new tribrid with 2xDD, 4xBA and 4xEST in this very crowded price category. I have not given this much listening time yet; I did check-in on it over the burn-in and heard the subtle changes occurring and I think there still are some happening, but it seems to have stabilized, so first impressions! It's a gorgeous, red with gold accented, resin shell that is light and pretty small for 10 drivers. Fit is easy and I find the Penon liqueur orange tips to have a good synergy, but will try others. It comes with a "Penon Obsidian" cable, a 4w Copper/Gold plated-copper cable that itself retails at $149. A very solid cable which I listened to for a couple hours before trying a little cable rolling. Actually, most cables I tried sounded great, and stock does not need to be switched, but I found a particularly good synergies with Penon Renata and EA Code 24c that got me pretty happy; but good on Penon for including a great stock cable!
The shocker for me arrived when I started really listening to Voltage having heard and owned several other Penons. I listened thru both my L&P P6Pro and Sony NW-WM1Z, and also with both DAPs amped by my ibassso PB5 whose stock interconnect cable I recently switched for a Penon Totem i/c (this produced a beautiful difference from stock, making PB5 sound more punchy and even deepening an already deep soundstage - inexpensive and much recommended for any PB5 owners!!). These sources tend to make a lot of good stuff sound great, some great stuff even epic, and the Voltage, just amazing!!!
Penon came to compete! This is by far the most mature sound and tuning I've heard from a Penon iem, outclassing every single other of theirs that I've tried as well as some other bigger names (for example, in a few hours, I could tell that I liked Voltage more than the similarly tuned FF MSE by a longshot and I liked MSE!). Now, tuning here is a bit of a moving target, which some of you will (like me) love and some will not (I see you, Todd!) because, yes, there are the dreaded tuning switches! Voltage has 2 switches and each does something specific, so there are 4 potential alterations to the stock (both switches down) tuning, which does remain prevalent throughout regardless of switch position. While I've not heard the Impacts, Voltage has, without question, the best mids I've heard in a Penon and maybe period. The mids seem least affected by the switches, remaining perhaps the star of the show, but actually, it's the overall balance, from deep sub-bass, to mid-bass, upper mids to trebles, everything matters and is the star with the stock switch (down) position offering the most W-shaped sound where switching them both up yields a slightly more U to V shape. Switch 1 increases or reduces bass, and switch 2 does the same for treble. I ran thru all of the switch positions and found that, while not basshead level, with switch 1 up/2 down, the Voltage has terrific, loud but still balanced bass. With the bass switch down and the treble up, you do get an amazing treblehead tuning that still includes nice, tasteful bass. I think I'm preferring the stock setting, but that could change.
In a nutshell, I'm hearing these 10 drivers come together with very impactful sub-bass, clear and forward mids, and massive, detailed, sparkly treble. I'm no treblehead, and bright, sharp treble can be the first thing to kill an iem for me, but here, Penon have executed upper mids and treble as well as I've ever heard it with details for days. It rivals Anni 23 treble to me, but it's overall tuning is more balanced and I prefer Voltage bass, as well. Note weight is thick and wet, but the soundstage is still huge and holographic with airy upper mids and treble again trying to steal the show. The sub-bass here reminds me of the Penon Quattro, but where Quattro has a very odd, but satisfying tuning, Voltage is a true all-arounder that should work with any kind of music. It's a very straightforward tuning that should offend no one and likely to surprise everyone.
We recently had a Watercooler poll that asked for under $2k favorites; this new Voltage would have taken either the Quattro or CFA Black Star off my list. It's uber competitive at its price and sounds like a lot of other TOTL on the market that cost double or triple this price. Nicely done, @Penon, Voltage is your best iem yet, I think! I'm looking forward to digging in deeper with it over the coming weeks, and will be comparing it to Elysian's new Noir when I get that.
Attachments
jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
Hey Cooler Friends 
This post is not gear related at all, just an fyi! This is a music post. I just wanted to share some upcoming shows I’ll be attending the next few months here in San Francisco.
I have three shows this month of May!
I have back to back nights with the one and only Dave Holland!! This is a life long dream of mine as he is my all time favorite “living” upright bassist! I’ll be seeing him on his first night with a trio consisting of his bass, guitar and drums in the vein of Gateway. Which included John Abercrombie on guitar and Jack DeJohnette on drums. This trio will not include those amazing musicians but will be in this spirit. Hit the blue text for Qobuz link to the first Gateway album.
Gateway album
The next night is still a trio but this time with the legendary Zakir Hussain on Tabla.
This will be legendary!! Check this album for a taste of what that experience will be like
Good Hope album.
The end of May will end with one of my favorite indie/folk/instrumental acts of the last 2+ decades…Six Organs of Admittance. Ben Chasney’s newest album Time is Glass is already a highlight for me this year. Check it out below.
Time is Glass Album.
It is also worth checking out his albums Companion Rise and Burning the Threshold if you enjoy the above album.
In June I will get to see another favorite. GoGo Penguin, who I’ve just recently in the last year fallen in love with. This should be a really great show as it will also be at SFJAZZ center which is always an impeccable venu in every way.
Gogo penguins newest live album From the North is a real gem and should provide a glimpse of a live offering. Production and mastering here is sublime IMO. Check it below.
From the North album live.
The next show scheduled for June is a very highly anticipated one for me as I’ve been a fan ever since she graced my city of San Francisco with her presence, living here and capturing a few albums that I’ve been a fan of since…..None other than Jessica Pratt! She will be performing her newest album Here In The Pitch at one of my favorite intimate clubs in the city….Bimbo’s in North Beach! This show sold out quickly and her music is timeless. Please check this album out if no others! This may be album of the year for me! It’s in the running.
Here in The Pitch album.
That is all I have lined up for now. Arooj Aftab will be here soon as well, but those ticket are not yet on sale. Very excited for her newest album.
I just wanted to share my enthusiasm and maybe turn someone on to some cool new tunes.
Happy Monday! Peace and Love!
This post is not gear related at all, just an fyi! This is a music post. I just wanted to share some upcoming shows I’ll be attending the next few months here in San Francisco.
I have three shows this month of May!
I have back to back nights with the one and only Dave Holland!! This is a life long dream of mine as he is my all time favorite “living” upright bassist! I’ll be seeing him on his first night with a trio consisting of his bass, guitar and drums in the vein of Gateway. Which included John Abercrombie on guitar and Jack DeJohnette on drums. This trio will not include those amazing musicians but will be in this spirit. Hit the blue text for Qobuz link to the first Gateway album.
Gateway album
The next night is still a trio but this time with the legendary Zakir Hussain on Tabla.
This will be legendary!! Check this album for a taste of what that experience will be like
Good Hope album.
The end of May will end with one of my favorite indie/folk/instrumental acts of the last 2+ decades…Six Organs of Admittance. Ben Chasney’s newest album Time is Glass is already a highlight for me this year. Check it out below.
Time is Glass Album.
It is also worth checking out his albums Companion Rise and Burning the Threshold if you enjoy the above album.
In June I will get to see another favorite. GoGo Penguin, who I’ve just recently in the last year fallen in love with. This should be a really great show as it will also be at SFJAZZ center which is always an impeccable venu in every way.
Gogo penguins newest live album From the North is a real gem and should provide a glimpse of a live offering. Production and mastering here is sublime IMO. Check it below.
From the North album live.
The next show scheduled for June is a very highly anticipated one for me as I’ve been a fan ever since she graced my city of San Francisco with her presence, living here and capturing a few albums that I’ve been a fan of since…..None other than Jessica Pratt! She will be performing her newest album Here In The Pitch at one of my favorite intimate clubs in the city….Bimbo’s in North Beach! This show sold out quickly and her music is timeless. Please check this album out if no others! This may be album of the year for me! It’s in the running.
Here in The Pitch album.
That is all I have lined up for now. Arooj Aftab will be here soon as well, but those ticket are not yet on sale. Very excited for her newest album.
I just wanted to share my enthusiasm and maybe turn someone on to some cool new tunes.
Happy Monday! Peace and Love!
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Hmm, I think this is the only Penon (other than the Quattro) that I've been intrigued by!
Well I FINALLY got some stuff in from Aliexpress... dang that app kept refunding me on all my orders, saying there's shipping problems -mostly with their bundle deals... anyhow got the KZ D-fi in and I was like... I paid 4$, is this a fake? I opened it up and nearly panicked when I saw no switches...!!! I look on the back of the box and it says the option is no mic, no switches. I check the KZ website, and sure enough, you can get the D-fi with no switches. Guess that's the sets no one wants so they're being dumped for cheap. EVERYONE here was going on about the switches so I never realized they sold a non-switch version. Besides, Iistening to them for a minute or two before hooking them up to burn in a little, they sounded good enough I could tell they weren't fakes. Guess my old KZ single DD king is about to fall! (the EDX.)
I have the EDX, AND the EDX PRO X (the latest one,) and think the old model sounds more exciting and dynamic, and the new one sounds very "reference," and safe... am giving that away. A shame, because it looks great in cyan. The D-fi, though, might be a whole other beast! Am also getting the ZVX because they said that was their flagship in a single DD (Presumably older than the D-fi?) and the TRN Conch because of the accessories, and the reputed great sound. I'm going to have me a budget single DD face-off!Ugh, I have the EDX Pro here and I haven't even gotten around to opening it!
wolfstar76
Headphoneus Supremus
I bumped into someone in discover thread, and his or her signature has 50+ KZ and 50+ CCA IEMs, with 25+ different DAPs, numerous chifi cables. That's absolutely belongs to compulsive purchase.
I spent the weekend letting the new Penon Voltage burn-in for 100 hrs (tho Penon suggests as much as 200) and figured it would be a good thing to report some first impressions on this soon-to-be-released "flagship" from Penon (it's not really the flagship, which is Impact, but it is the flagship tribrid in the Penon line, now). It has been awhile since Penon released an iem at over a kilobuck (aforementioned Impact, all BA/EST, was over $2000), but this one has arrived with an MSRP of $1199 (meaning those who are on the Penon email list, or those who ask Penon directly, will be offered a nice discount). I got an early shot at a set at the discounted price, which I'm not allowed to reveal, but let's say, you will not be disappointed by it!
Here, Penon tries and succeeds in stepping up to compete with their brethren by releasing Voltage, a new tribrid with 2xDD, 4xBA and 4xEST in this very crowded price category. I have not given this much listening time yet; I did check-in on it over the burn-in and heard the subtle changes occurring and I think there still are some happening, but it seems to have stabilized, so first impressions! It's a gorgeous, red with gold accented, resin shell that is light and pretty small for 10 drivers. Fit is easy and I find the Penon liqueur orange tips to have a good synergy, but will try others. It comes with a "Penon Obsidian" cable, a 4w Copper/Gold plated-copper cable that itself retails at $149. A very solid cable which I listened to for a couple hours before trying a little cable rolling. Actually, most cables I tried sounded great, and stock does not need to be switched, but I found a particularly good synergies with Penon Renata and EA Code 24c that got me pretty happy; but good on Penon for including a great stock cable!
The shocker for me arrived when I started really listening to Voltage having heard and owned several other Penons. I listened thru both my L&P P6Pro and Sony NW-WM1Z, and also with both DAPs amped by my ibassso PB5 whose stock interconnect cable I recently switched for a Penon Totem i/c (this produced a beautiful difference from stock, making PB5 sound more punchy and even deepening an already deep soundstage - inexpensive and much recommended for any PB5 owners!!). These sources tend to make a lot of good stuff sound great, some great stuff even epic, and the Voltage, just amazing!!!
Penon came to compete! This is by far the most mature sound and tuning I've heard from a Penon iem, outclassing every single other of theirs that I've tried as well as some other bigger names (for example, in a few hours, I could tell that I liked Voltage more than the similarly tuned FF MSE by a longshot and I liked MSE!). Now, tuning here is a bit of a moving target, which some of you will (like me) love and some will not (I see you, Todd!) because, yes, there are the dreaded tuning switches! Voltage has 2 switches and each does something specific, so there are 4 potential alterations to the stock (both switches down) tuning, which does remain prevalent throughout regardless of switch position. While I've not heard the Impacts, Voltage has, without question, the best mids I've heard in a Penon and maybe period. The mids seem least affected by the switches, remaining perhaps the star of the show, but actually, it's the overall balance, from deep sub-bass, to mid-bass, upper mids to trebles, everything matters and is the star with the stock switch (down) position offering the most W-shaped sound where switching them both up yields a slightly more U to V shape. Switch 1 increases or reduces bass, and switch 2 does the same for treble. I ran thru all of the switch positions and found that, while not basshead level, with switch 1 up/2 down, the Voltage has terrific, loud but still balanced bass. With the bass switch down and the treble up, you do get an amazing treblehead tuning that still includes nice, tasteful bass. I think I'm preferring the stock setting, but that could change.
In a nutshell, I'm hearing these 10 drivers come together with very impactful sub-bass, clear and forward mids, and massive, detailed, sparkly treble. I'm no treblehead, and bright, sharp treble can be the first thing to kill an iem for me, but here, Penon have executed upper mids and treble as well as I've ever heard it with details for days. It rivals Anni 23 treble to me, but it's overall tuning is more balanced and I prefer Voltage bass, as well. Note weight is thick and wet, but the soundstage is still huge and holographic with airy upper mids and treble again trying to steal the show. The sub-bass here reminds me of the Penon Quattro, but where Quattro has a very odd, but satisfying tuning, Voltage is a true all-arounder that should work with any kind of music. It's a very straightforward tuning that should offend no one and likely to surprise everyone.
We recently had a Watercooler poll that asked for under $2k favorites; this new Voltage would have taken either the Quattro or CFA Black Star off my list. It's uber competitive at its price and sounds like a lot of other TOTL on the market that cost double or triple this price. Nicely done, @Penon, Voltage is your best iem yet, I think! I'm looking forward to digging in deeper with it over the coming weeks, and will be comparing it to Elysian's new Noir when I get that.
I'm really curious to try these now... (and, as a bonus, these looks really cool
)