Penon Fan 2 or The Time 11/11 Became Less Relevant For Me
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for an IEM lover, as we’re gearing up for the 11/11 sales. And yet, as much fun as it is to watch the preparations being made, the secondhand sales to free up funds for new investments, and an excitement for the new gear about to drop, frankly I’m kinda not all that interested. This is mostly because Penon dropped a late-October surprise that has blown me out of the water. And I’m going to tell you about why you might want to put the Fan 2 on your wishlist.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Vertigo - Alice Merton (For bass elements, female vocals, clarity)
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love - Red Garland (For piano tonality, layering, note weight)
All Comes Crashing - Metric (For imaging, clarity and resolution, mids performance)
Holdin’ Onto Your Silence - Jozels (For female vocals, imaging and layering, bass response)
Going, Going, Gone - Wires and Lights (For male vocals, drum and guitar elements, treble response and resolution)
I Wanna Live, I Wanna Give
I followed along with the discussion and announcement of a new Fan model from Penon, especially once it was rumored to have a more neutral, mid-bass centric signature; this is said to be a departure from the rest of the Penon IEM line. I’m not saying I was interested because of the idea that I wouldn’t like other Penon IEMs, but the fact that they were making an IEM that is closer to what we understand neutral to be was something that caught my eye because I was trying to find a good set for what my ears find neutral. Sets that I’ve tried that are supposed to be more neutral simply come off as thin in the bass and brighter than what I think neutral should be. The idea that the Fan 2 could hit the sweet spot of energetic upper frequencies but having enough bass was very appealing to me. That said, I still didn’t find myself compelled to buy the Fan 2 when it was released until I received my Penon newsletter that offered up a code for the Fan 2 at a reduced price. That made the deal too good to pass on for me. The fact that for the last 10 days, I’ve barely been able to get the F2s out of my ears is something undeniable. It turns out that, for me, these IEMs may have been inevitable.
I’ve Been In My Mind, It’s Such a Fine Line
The very first thing that stood out to me on my first listen is that the F2s are an energetic set. I think a misconception I cannot wrap my head around is that sets people call “neutral” do actually lack energy, usually most pronounced in the mid-bass area. In order to get the “clean mids” that are expected in a neutral tuning the mid-bass gets reduced, if not flat out neutered, and the consequence of that is those sets get more pronounced in the upper-mids area. So in reality, the sets aren’t neutral without an emphasis in any one range, but they actually do push a particular range forward. To me, neutral actually strikes a balance that everything is appropriately present.
In the bass area, I’ve heard commentary and complaints that the F2 is bass-light or lacks presence. This is flat-out not true. In either Vertigo, or Holdin’ Onto Your Silence, there is no lack of thump in the very present bass responses. There is not a deep sub-bass response, and if that is what your focus or preference is, then I can understand this set not ticking your boxes, but even there I wouldn’t call them lacking. They have an appropriate amount of sub-bass: this set won’t make you feel like you’re experiencing a deep bass rumble, but for me there is a very forward mid-bass slam. The drums in Going, Going, Gone are not forward or a focus of the song (nor is the bass being played either) but if you wanted to pull them out and focus on them they are right there to be found too.
The mids on this set knock my socks off. With the focused amount of energy in the mid-bass, you could get too much energy that drags into the mids and muddies up the sound, but this set doesn’t do that at all. The DD provides the energy from the mid-bass but it never overpowers the mids response. They sound clean and clear, with a proper amount of forwardness. Songs that shouldn’t be dominated by bass or treble never are, and the mids have the space to exist and thrive. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love makes the piano the absolute star of the show it is, and sounds like I could be sitting in the room as the track is being recorded because the piano sounds so fresh and energetic. The bass sounds rich but never overdone. The light touches of the cymbals could not be played with better subtlety. And then when it’s time for them to back off and let the piano take back over they hand the space back like it’s nothing. Same with All Comes Crashing. The elements that are in the lead get to lead (particularly the vocals, which could get overwhelmed by the instrumentation if the balance is off). The upper mids and treble get an energetic treatment that also knows when to show restraint and not be overly pushy. Frankly, I’ve never heard a set always be this good at weaving between the bass, mid, and treble elements. It never actually puts a wrong foot forward for me.
But Why Aren’t You as Good as the 7Hz Zero?
The only thing I got for you is that you might not have the $280 budget. On a set versus set comparison, I have no reason to tell you not to get the Fan 2 over the Zero. They may be sets that can be argued are neutral sets, but the difference between these two is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. The same follows for all of the $20 sets I have shown an affinity for. They’re not in the same class as this set at all.
Versus Tri Starsea - Before my last few IEMs showed up, the Starsea was my favorite. It had the combination of balanced tuning with technicalities that were my absolute measuring stick. And nothing had surpassed them, so for that I would say that I did overlook flaws that have been pointed out about them (or they didn’t bother me). The Fan 2 makes me re-evaluate that assessment. Where I have to now address the driver pressure issues that Starsea has been plagued with, I’ll just say up front that with Fan 2, the big issue is the nozzle length. It is a longer-than-average nozzle and if that is the kind of issue that will be a dealbreaker for you, then it’s good to get that out of the way up front. But if you can deal with that, Fan 2 brings a balanced signature like Starsea does but it does it just a little better. They both have more emphasis for me in the mid-bass but Fan brings a little more presence when it’s called upon. The mids are just as clean but have a little more fullness, that never oversteps into mud, and can match Starsea in upper-mid and treble energy. They both have fantastic resolution but they have different strengths. Starsea is still my soundstage king, it just creates a bubble that makes you feel the music surrounding you like your head is in a fishbowl of audio magic. Fan 2 doesn’t fall far behind, because I absolutely have periods where it doesn’t sound like I hear the music like I’m listening to it, I hear the music like I’m feeling it. I think that that comes from the advantage it has over the Starsea that I will come to momentarily…
Versus Tripowin x HBB Olina SE - My two new kids in town are battling for my heart and mind, and I don’t know if this is a fair fight or who the bully actually is. Olina is the best 1DD I have and Fan 2 is the best hybrid, but can they really compare against each other? Olina is incredible that with one driver, at $100, it can create the sound it does. It has a good bass response, what I would call professionally proficient. You get almost exactly what is offered in the song, no more and no less. There is no color added to bass response, and it is just barely past too thin. It is appropriate. Fan is appropriate, but good. There is no extra color in the bass, especially if you are looking for that bit of sub-bass, and for me the bump in mid-bass doesn’t color the sound in a way that detracts from the other frequencies. It puts the most correct amount of weight on the sound. This is like a stack of pancakes being covered in syrup; too much and the syrup is just thick and dominating over the entire meal, to the point of being beyond excessive. But not enough, and you’re just eating a stack of dough. Which is doable but it is not the ideal experience. But the right amount of syrup keeps the pancakes moist and adds the flavor that makes pancakes the experience they are. Fan 2 is that amount of syrup for me. Which gives it an edge into the lower-mids.
That said, Olina does get a slight advantage in the upper-mids because it has a slight emphasis in that region, and the retuning that it got from the OG Olina controls that emphasis in a very pleasurable way. Fan 2 is okay with that though because it’s a slightly smoother listen in the upper registers. It gives up just a touch of the energy Olina has, in order to have better control of the whole range. Olina’s technical prowess is unmatched in its class, but at the end of the day Fan 2 just has the advantage of having multiple drivers to produce impeccable imaging for what I’ve heard. Olina is an overall cleaner reproduction, but I’m not always looking for the cleanest, most neutral listen. I want fun musicality in my IEMs, but I shouldn’t have to compromise details, soundstage, imaging, or technicalities I don’t want to in order to get it. I had thought before that I had a set where there didn’t feel like there was a compromise. But I think now, I’ve had my previous expectations and understandings shattered.
What Does This All Mean?
The short version of what this all means is that I have a new gold standard for my personal IEM journey. But how we got here is what makes this so interesting. I have an IEM in my ears at this very moment that I would be willing to put up against any set I buy or listen to going forward and say “You have to beat the Fan 2,” but I almost missed this experience completely. I would not have paid $300 for this set, as a blind buy. The only reason I got it was because I got a deal I couldn’t pass up. Now that I have heard it, I have to consider if it is worth someone else buying blind, and taking the leap I wouldn’t have for myself. I wish I could have a good answer for that, like saying “now that I know what I know, I would pay full price for it.” But that is a small bit disingenuous and a little unfair. What I can say is that having the experience with this IEM that I have, I would greatly regret it if I had missed out on having this set in my life. If you can find a deal on this set, and want a neutral leaning IEM, this is an easy no-brainer. This set has done a lot to make me question what I want or need to do in the hobby right now, because I don’t think there’s anything near this price range that isn’t a sidegrade or compliment to this set. I guess my next goal, eventually, is to find where the next upgrade to this set resides. But Today Goober is just going to let that be a Tomorrow problem. Right now, I’m going to let Fan 2 be amazing in my earholes. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank: A
Rank With Personal Bias: S-