Yeah, I mean they didn’t hurt. But I’m not going simp for them either. They were the second headphone I bought, when I didn’t know how to not fall for the hype traps. They’re a very pretty headphone though.
Them and the Noirs are for hanging on my stands LOL
Yeah I read about that channel imbalance, that really sucks. The fan 2 seems very interesting
The only reason I’d say get them blind is because that $190-25 deal is worth it. But I would loan them to you some time if you just wanted to scratch the itch
Maybe a loan sometime but I’m in no hurry. Im in a buying freeze right now after pulling the trigger on the serratus and saving for some rikubuds.
EDIT: I’m specifically eyeing the grand rider 2s
Some time down the road we’ll do that. Maybe do a loan trade of something in your mid-fi collection for Fan 2 and other stuff I have by then
You belong here. So welcome home!
Thank you for having me, brother 
Event Horizon…you like to say “I’m not a reviewer and I can’t do that like you guys”. Well BULLSHIT! That was a damn good pull, and you straight up killed it giving us your feelings. Me and the gf both loved it! We could feel your feelings and I couldn’t agree more.
I think it’s one reason why, even though I do reviews and give opinions, I don’t call my thread a review thread. I call it a journey. Because even though we have preferences and can argue about what gear we like and think is best, at the end of the day you nailed it. It’s about enjoying the music, not enjoying the gear. Or it’s about both. But the gear is a conduit to the joy, it’s part of the journey. Not the destination.
The journey is what matters: whether that is the joy of your baby coming home like you had when I gave the Dark Magicians back or you falling so head over heels with the Minis that they found a new home.
It’s watching Mags devolve from “I’m really liking the Pandas” to “you’ll pry them from my ears when I’m dead” in a 5 hour trip of drunken debauchery.
It’s watching me switch from “I’m feeling so jaded” to “I didn’t know you could get this sound” at the budget bracket going from Cadenza to Storm, while simultaneously over analyzing the nitpicks between sets like Fan 2, Dark Magician, and Serratus and trying to figure out if I can find that kind of magic under $100 so that when somebody asks “what should I get my little sister for Christmas” I can tell him exactly what to do and it’s a home run.
If this journey was only about me, I could’ve already stopped. I’ve found plenty of good gear now. But I love building a community where I hang out with @domq422, geeking out cause we both hear the music in similar ways.
I love watching my girl’s face light up the first time she heard Serratus because I talk about IEMs a lot and she can’t get them but earbuds worked.
I love getting to know the gear and the people enough to lead @MMag05 to an $80 set he INSTANTLY puts up with his $700 gear.
I love a hobby where I’d reach for a $17 set more than I’d reach for an objectively better $1000, cause I feel a joy with the $17 set, while I also want to aim for the sun and hear hear beyond my means.
If we don’t aim for the sun, how will we ever reach the stars.
I’m sure you all are getting tired of the thank yous but I’m saying it again. The gear is wonderful, but the music and the people (all of you!) have made the journey. Now let’s go onward and upward.
EXCELSIOR!!!
Appreciate this! Guess I say it often because you and others can formulate long articulate post describing IEMs which I struggle with. I think you’re also more keen on terminology and how to identify it and relay into a post. I always have a hard time with it and making the time needed to do so.
Edit: I’m not a big fan of A/Bing or diving super deep. I’m super grateful you and others do it as it has been extremely helpful to my decisions on what to buy. That’s why I’ve been honored to see your thoughts on the loaner sets. For me I typically just want to throw in set. Do a quick scan of a few tracks that test for instant turnoffs and if passes just enjoy the set. As I did with Panda yesterday. I typically don’t go to in-depth with what I like or don’t.
Wonderfully written, my friend. I agree with you on every point here.
It truly is not about the destination with this hobby, the destination is a cold place of realization that there’s nothing left afterwards.
Discovery, the folks, the music - that’s what it’s all about.
Cheers 
For not being a reviewer, your thoughts are highly detailed and specific; you may not consider yourself a reviewer but I have the feeling you’re not far from one… I mean, listing songs and even timestamps to illustrate your words, really?! who do that appart from reviewers?
From my point of view, you can become a reviewer anytime you want: you just have to decide 
What Is the Next Step In the Journey?
The last 24-48 hours have made me ponder this a lot. I honestly do not know what is next. Just absorbing the last few weeks, the amount of camaraderie, the genuine sense of community and frankly family even in only the past 3 weeks feels nearly overwhelming. It’s been a lot and I’m still processing.
But I kinda feel like there’s been such a shift that things can’t be just “grab a set, test it out, put out thoughts; rinse and repeat.” Like @domq422 was saying, there’s a point where just listening to sets for the sake of listening to them feels like it’s missing the point. I don’t want to just hear things and tell you what I think and you take me at face value or not. I’ve gotten the bug for the spirit of sharing and I want to share with you all.
So I’ve had a couple of thoughts:
I’m very much down for the idea of touring our sets amongst ourselves in this North American cohort. Spreading the love and sharing the experience has been amazing this month, and I want to do that more. Now that I trust you all and have gone back and forth a few times with sets, I’d like to add some of my sets to the pile. I want you all to get to experience some of the sets I’ve found, and hear what I’ve described through your own ears.
When I’m not hunting new budget/bargain sets, I kinda would like to start getting an idea of what you all would like me to try. For example, Hidizs has a set like MD4 I find curious, and a set coming out MS5 that definitely has my attention. Even though it’s an older set, the Aune Jasper is something I’m growing interested in. Of course there’s FOTM like Xenns Top out there too. I guess to share my journey, I’m curious what you all would be interested in me trying out.
Like I said, I dunno where exactly I’m going next so the best thing I can think to do is share the journey with my friends. Where do we go from here?
Thanks, man - I appreciate it … I hope this is a compliment? 
I tried to be as specific as possible, both for fun and sharing thoughts and opinions with others who have heard these particular IEMs but also to try and steer someone in the right direction if this article somehow ends up on their list of things to read if they were to consider spending their money.
I don’t want to be a reviewer though, it’s too much pressure 
it’s a lot easier to spend someone else’s money, If you know what I mean.
I really love what is forming here with the US tours. 2023 was a journey to find my preferred sound and now that I found it it’s a journey to find a set that hits that sound best.
What I would our yours to become is a sharing of our subjective "house sounds via sharing the sets that resonant the most with h us. I love hearing sets that others gush over even if it’s not for me, it helps me better understand the other person’s writing as well as the person themself.
At this point I’m not really into collecting for collecting sake or for listening to as many things as possible. I want to listen to what this crew loves because they love them.
Having said that, now y’all got me wanting to hear the pandas haha
I mean, we know where to find a pair now.
Getting @MMag05 to share might be a production, though HAHAHA
Penons Fan 1, Serial, Vortex, and Fan 2 or One Potato, Two, Potato, Three Potato, SCORE!
Finally, I’m almost at the finish line of my first round of “Hey do you want to try out these sets I have that I’d love to get your thoughts/opinions on” and I think I saved the best (review) for last. Penon Audio is a very interesting company: They are a company that has a bit of hype in our audio communities, but that hype doesn’t exactly translate to wide success, because of the particular business model they follow. Even I feel like I’ve been a prisoner of this trap; Based on reviews, graphs, and impressions Penon is absolutely a company I’d like to patronize, but they are also a company that self-gatekeeps their own products to an extent. It took a lot for me to finally pull the trigger and buy Fan 2, and I feel I was greatly rewarded for that leap of faith. I didn’t think I’d get a chance, however, to try out their other offerings until @cal_lando and @rattlingblanketwoman came through clutch and offered to loan me three more Penons for me to give a try. And with that, I am able to present to my thoughts and feelings on the Penon Audio lineup, and what I feel their place in the market is. I hope you enjoy.
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.
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For Female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
The Curse - Agnes Obel (For violin tonality, layering and separation From 1:45)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre)
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers and Vulf (For bass elements, imaging/layering/separation
Every Step We Take That’s Synchronized, Every Broken Bone; Reminds Me of the Second Time, That I Followed You Home
I’m going to break down each of the Penon IEMs next, and then we will have a discussion on both the quality of the sets and the business model Penon has chosen for their releases, because I think that is as relevant as “Are these IEMs good?”
Sounds like the V-shape fun tuning. Elevated bass, particularly in the sub-bass, that carries the warmth into a forward (for a V-shape) midrange. Low-midrange isn’t overly affected by the bass and still sounds clear. While I still find a set like KBear Rosefinch to have more pure quantity in bass, when I want to go even further, I can respect this as a very well controlled elevated bass. On Speedwalker, the bass guitar steps more forward but it’s not unpleasant or distracting. Vocals have good tonality. All Penons put warmth in the vocals by the nature of their tuning style, Fan 1 is moderate in this degree; female vocals don’t suffer in timbre. The treble is a mixed bag, where resolution sounds good but not great because the lower treble is emphasized but there’s not much in the middle-to-upper treble. This set has a bit of the “clear but not clear” effect of vocals being forward but lacking resolution. Imaging is average. In When I Fall you get right and left sounds of wind, and a faint amount of swirling effect, but no panning. Fit issues are non-existent on Fan 1.
This is balanced-warm tuning for me. The bass is the emphasis on this set: It’s not that it’s elevated in quantity like Fan, but it hits with a very high quality. The reputation of this set for its sub-bass is well deserved. It’s thick and rich, it’s got some boomy and sometimes flabby (But not as an insult. It’s like “Dad Bod” bass. Ask some girls about that if you don’t think I’m serious. It’s a thing). The mid-bass is not emphasized here, and the mids are clean as whistle. DISINTER MY HEART lacks a little in the mid-bass where the kick-drum is dryer than the other parts of the drum and it’s noticeable. The midrange is fine though. Vocals are very good, nothing to take as a negative. Treble is smooth but lacks the last bits of resolution. Timbre, tonality, separation and detail retrieval are good but not great. Serial is like Fan where it can present details like the sound of wind and some of the swirling correctly but cannot produce the panning effect. Serial is a little bigger and could be a fit issue if you don’t handle medium-to-medium large shells well. Sadly, there is an addendum I must add: If you’ve followed along with any talk about Serial here at HFGF, you remember @nymz’s epic struggle with Serial and issues of unacceptable channel imbalance. I wish I could say I have better news but after being tipped by @rattlingblanketwoman about a potential issue, I did hear it myself. Thanks to the Q5K’s new L/R PEQ, I was able to diagnose a 5-6dB imbalance, where putting a ± 2.5-3dB on the left and right ears made Serial sound audibly balanced. Because I’ve heard about several issues with QC (imbalance and build alike), plus my own personal experience, it is disqualifying for me, regarding Serial (with the caveat that it could be a clogged filter issue. If it was something simple like that, it’s no longer disqualifying but I’d be very wary still).
While remembering that everything Penon makes is based in warmth, this is their take on neutral-bright tuning. The first thing I note on this is the soundstage: It is forward, and lacks depth because of it, but has good enough width. This puts instruments and vocals into a more intimate space and makes the details more the star of the show. You’re going to listen more to the singer, or band, rather than sink into the music. The bass emphasis is more in the mid-bass here and it’s replay is way more satisfying than on Fan or Serial; the sub-bass is not as present as on Fan 1 or Serial, so you’re going to get more punch than boom but neither is going to be the overall emphasis for you here. This is about the midrange and vocals, and they’re fantastic. The treble is well done, crispy with good resolution. This set has the best detail retrieval of the trio, as it produces the swirling wind effect in “When I Fall” best. Vortex is the smallest IEM shell I’ve ever seen. If you have the problem of dealing with tiny shells, that’s the only thing I can see as a fit concern. This is very much an alternative to Olina, if you still found Olina to be a little lean.
At Cal’s behest, I did the Vortex Mod, which is to remove the back filter. This gives a substantial increase to the bass quantity. With the filter removed, there is simply too much bass present, and it overwhelms the rest of the otherwise neutral tuning. In order to make this modification feasible as a listening option, it is necessary to use some amount of dampening. Rather than putting the stock filter back, I tried various amounts of micropore tape, covering the vent completely, and then exposing more of the vent, until I found a balance I preferred. At about half covered, I found the amount that worked best for me. The result was a set that felt like a hybrid of Serial and Fan 2: It had a sub-bass emphasis that was closer to Serial and clarity that was more in line with Fan 2…if I was looking at it as a good thing. If I were glass half-empty, I’d say that it doesn’t have the lushness of Serial, and is brighter/harsher (if you’re so inclined) than Fan 2. This mod pushes the stage forward and makes everything sound more pronounced and in your face.
I completely understand why people who have done the mod can prefer it over the stock tuning, but I also understand Penon’s thinking as to why they tuned Vortex the way they did. Modded Vortex sits in a no-man’s land between Serial and Fan 2. It hits a middle ground between the two, but rather than being a Goldilocks “just right” situation, it feels more like it lacks the thing that makes both Serial and Fan 2 special; Vortex can’t match Serial’s bass performance, and it’s lacking Fan 2’s musicality (even as a neutral-style tuning). Vortex was tuned to fit a style Penon had not otherwise touched (neutral-bright), but brings a musicality that I don’t think you find in that style of tuning. Allowing people to experiment with the back filter is a fine compromise, but I don’t think it would have been the right call to tune Vortex like the mod, OOTB.
This is Penon’s house sound tuned to bassy-neutral sound. For me, this is the IEM Penon would make as the child of Serial and Vortex. It has more bass emphasis like Serial but the emphasis is more in the mid-bass. Sub-bass is present, but mid-bass is emphasized. This has the neutral, forward mids of Vortex, and the bright low-treble of Vortex, smoother mid-treble of Serial, and air presence of Vortex. These produce the best drum kit I’ve heard, IEM or earbud. I could not ask for more out of the presence in the midbass/low-mids. Vocals are forward and clear, with some warmth/husk on female vocals, but nothing that I find offensive. Soundstage is very good; not the widest staging but plenty of depth (and an improvement on Vortex). Part of that comes from the extra drivers. They allow for better separation and imaging, which probably plays into the soundstage sounding the way it does. This set nails the swirling wind effect in “When I Fall” in a very satisfying way for an IEM, and certainly handles it the best of the four. The problem with Fan 2, if there is any, is going to be fit: It’s a chunky IEM that has one of the most unique stems you’ll ever find on a universal IEM. It’s going to be a problem for some people, but if you can deal with it, that stem is likely a design choice that helps the IEM produce the sound it does.
What Does This All Mean?
I’ll start with my opinion, on the merits of the sets: None of these sets are bad, and in a vacuum I go from “I wouldn’t stop you from buying it if you wanted” (OG Fan), to “It’s worth it if you want it” (Vortex), to “You get my highest recommendation” (Fan 2). We don’t buy IEMs in a vacuum though, and this here is the rub.
Penon is a “small boutique store”. I think of this like a clothing store. In the US, you can go to a department store like a Marshall’s to find the cheapest prices on clothes. You may find some diamonds in there, but this is amongst the low end of the totem pole. Then you have companies like Old Navy, Gap, etc. that are mass-produced, solid but not spectacular clothes from a reputable brand but they’re more midrange if anything. A department store like Nordstroms is a step-up from Marshall’s or the Old Navy/Gaps of the world, but it’s still mid-range, honestly. Then you have places like Brooks Brothers or Lululemon. Well known companies that charge a premium because their reputations are premium. Penon is not in any of those categories, they’re a boutique shop that you’d find in your city; they’re on the strip of area where you find all kinds of shopping, they don’t have a name brand, but you go in and they have nice looking blouses that cost $250, and you think “why are you charging $250 when I could go to Nordstrom and find something cute enough like this for half the price?
“Why should you buy from Penon when you can find something good enough for cheaper?” Case in point: OG Fan is a very good bass-emphasized 1DD for $135, but why not get Rosefinch which is less refined but has Godly sub-bass quantities for $20? Why buy Serial for its insanely great bass for $300 when Fiio JD7 can get close enough in bass production, and for my HTRF is even-to-better across the rest of the signature, (and avoid the unit lottery of Serial) for $80? Why get Vortex for $220 when Truthear Hexa and Olina exist at $80-100? Why get Fan 2 for $280 when KBear Ormosia exists for $60? Brand loyalty for one. If you don’t run into some of the famous QC issues we’ve heard about from Penon (particularly on Serial), these are good IEMs. And if you can take the leap of faith on a new release (like I did with Fan 2), they offer their best and most market accurate offerings on introductory VIP pricing.
But even though I’ve had a good run with all of these IEMs, I do not recommend Penon IEMs at the prices they charge. If Penon had a pricing scale where OG Fan was as close to $50 as possible, Vortex at $80-120, Serial at $150-200, and Fan 2 at $175-220 I could see the path to being more enthusiastic. I don’t have boutique store money to shop Penon, but if you have money that’s burning a hole in your pocket, and you like warmth in your tunings, then Penon is very much a go-to option. At the end of the day, you have to make that decision if this is giving you your money’s worth. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank For Fan 1: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B-
Rank For Vortex: B
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Rank For Modded Vortex: B
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Rank For Serial: B+
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Re-Rank For Fan 2: A
Rank With Personal Bias: S+
Combined Ranks As a Food: An Expensive Small-Plate Dinner Out
Oh that’s a nymz classic right there
Oh yes
You’ve infected my musical tastes, in your Nymzian way
First (and only) Impressions of Hidizs MD4 or God, How Did We Get Here?
Hidizs has caught my attention with the upcoming MS5 and rather than being a reasonable human being who tries out their budget offerings I went big and tried my first all-BA set, their MD4.
It’s bad. It’s pretty bad. This didn’t kill my enthusiasm for the MS5 but I will be way more cautious and critical now. Let’s talk about how this went so wrong:
PROS
CONS
Long story short. This is definitely a time curiosity killed the cat. Avoid and do not buy!
Fiio JD7 or Why Getting Lost In the Budget Weeds Gets Dangerous
Now that we are on the other side of that extended interlude, it is time to get back to regularly scheduled programming. Back in the budget sector I have been sitting on an IEM review for a few weeks, partly because of the aforementioned interlude, but also because this set had been sent out on loan and I wanted to make sure I had it on hand to confirm my thoughts and feelings before I put word to page. Now that I’ve had a second period to spend time with the Fiio JD7, I am even more convinced of my position about these, so it’s time to write about this very competitive set. Let’s talk about the JD7.
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.
War - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (For brass tonality, bass elements, layering and separation)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
But Take a Little Longer to Make Up Your Mind; I Could Be the One That You’re Wishing You’d Find
For a few weeks now, I’ve been very vocal about the fact that I am burned out on the current (very good but getting played out) neutral-harmanish tunings. In no way am I trying to imply they are bad, or don’t deserve our time. What has been driving me crazy is that in the under $50 bracket the same tuning has been beaten to death, with only incremental adjustments to make new sets “stand out” from the competition. This has also been seen in the $50-100 range where countless “Aria-clones” have come out with the same foundational tuning, which brings the same pros and cons.
We have spent months and months debating the merits of many of these sets but there’s a universal truth: They are mostly tuned the same. From 60Hz-3500Hz on this graph, all of the pictured sets (minus a clear outlier like Rosefinch) are within 3dB of each other and don’t spread further than 5dB apart until past 8k where the graphs are less reliable. Something I’ve gotten tired of doing is nitpicking these tunings because there’s virtually nothing to separate them. It’s time to give more credence to what these sets make us feel and how they play the music. That’s the place I came to when starting this conversation about the JD7 because it is one of the biggest reasons I’m over this tuning; that’s because I think I found my answer.
You Should Want Me, Skin and Bone; Telling Everyone So Everybody Knows
So the JD7 has a very nice form factor. It’s a small bullet-style IEM that fits easy and is as non-obtrusive an IEM as I’ve put in my ears. I can easily lay down in these without issue, which is rare for me. Most IEMs jam their stem deep into my ear canal, but JD7 lays flush in my ear and causes no pain. In terms of sound, it shares the same tuning DNA with so many of the regarded under-$100 sets this year; this version has the modest bass-boost that makes the bass present but not the emphasis, clean lower-mids with no bloat and energetic upper-mids that are clear and without sibilance. The first distinction in favor of the JD7, for me, is the treble tuning. This is a treble that is tuned more like the 7Hz Zero-types than the Aria-clones. The presence and mid-treble areas are emphasized more like the Zero than the Aria, but the biggest difference is in the 10k area where JD7 does not cut out most of the info in this area like the Aria-style tuning does. Everything sounds clean, clear, and balanced on JD7 and it has great resolution. It accomplishes this with less of the muffled or scratchy tone that can haunt the Aria-clones. The other part of the tuning that stands out to me is that it is balanced and not trying to be entirely neutral. Unlike the Olina SE, which is more “accurate” in the way people describe neutral, I’ll take this kind of balanced-neutral every time. Everything sounds accurate, but there’s warmth and fun in the tuning too. For me, that’s huge! Things need to sound right, but I also need to want to pick up a set. JD7 makes me feel that way, and makes me want to listen to one more song.
So that is part of the story, but why am I willing to call this my number one IEM for a safe, balanced neutral-Harman style? It’s the intangibles, dudes! The JD7 has GREAT guts, for a sub-$100 1DD: The imaging this set can produce is top-tier in the under-$100 price range. Layering and separation are as good as I can ask for at the price, But the real hammer comes from the soundstage; it’s not the widest soundstage you can find, but it is one of the deepest I’ve heard from an IEM at any price to this point. Music is able to produce great texture because of the amount of space it has to play in. Particularly with bass, while it is not the most impact or highest quantity bass, I think this quality of bass is hard to find in this price range. This IEM seems like it was tailor-made for my HRTF, in a way that few sets under $100 have. I thought Cadenza hit my HRTF and then I heard this and couldn’t unhear the difference. JD7 is a step beyond.
Why Aren’t You As Good As…?
While the JD7 is an extremely good IEM, as the graph above shows, there’s not much in the frequency response to tell it apart from the multitude of options out there at even cheaper prices. This is something that makes it fall short of a set like the Penon Fan 2. Both JD7 and Fan 2 are well-tuned IEMs, but where Fan 2 stands out is that it brings something unique and special to the table, in its mid-bass response. JD7 is a VERY competent Jack-of-all-trades set, but it’s safe. There are plenty of times where safe is what you want, but that puts a ceiling on how great it can be.
To go back to the conversation I started earlier: There is very little between the three of these sets, in terms of frequency response. The biggest differences are that Zero is a lower-quantity bass, which takes a bit off of the note-weight but helps the perception of resolution and clarity, and the JD7 has a little extra energy from 7-10k that is noticeable for me. It is another way to bring that perception of resolution and clarity, and opens up the signature a little bit more for my ear. But it’s not that big of a difference for me to declare it the king of neutral-Harman tuning. No, where this set steps over all the other competition is in the technicalities; JD7 has the best soundstage I’ve heard under $100. Olina probably has a wider soundstage, but JD7 has unrivaled depth to my ear. And within that depth is some of the best pinpoint imaging I’ve gotten in a budget set. The first :07 of “If I Fall” hasn’t sounded better at the price. Bass also gets to play within all this soundspace and has a better texture to my ear than I have experienced in the under-$50 price range. Cadenza has tuning that nearly rivals JD7, but the technicalities of JD7 blow Cadenza out so much that I’ve moved on from the budget offering. JD7 outclasses it so completely that Cadenza became redundant and something I don’t even consider picking up now.
What Does All This Mean?
The main thing that stands out about the JD7 is both a strong pro but also strong con; This tuning is safe and pleasing but it’s not special. As I’ve shown in the first place; this tuning is a dime a dozen. This set does it well and has some sauce in the technicalities that separate it for me, but it’s not special like a Fan 2, a P1 Max, or a Dark Magician. Those are sets that stand out because they try to do something different, and do so very successfully. They are all sets that are made of magic for me. That is something different than being a pleasant, inoffensive tuning done well. That’s my biggest knock on the JD7. It’s special for being accomplished at what every company is doing; that has great value, but it also can handcuff how much greatness you can pull from a set. The trick here is that it is priced so well and that they absolutely nail the technicalities on JD7 where it is the clear and obvious upgrade from the $20-50 budget sets: If you like the style of a Cadenza, HBB, Zero, so forth and so on, this is step-up model and the last stop you need to make in terms of safe, versatile, consumer friendly tuning under $100. This tuning is something everybody has put out in the last year, and even though the ingredients are basically the same, this is a version that has something extra poured in that truly makes it stand out. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank For JD7: B+
Rank With Personal Bias: A
Ranks As a Food: Nana’s Pound Cake
