How how would you describe thr Fan 2 compared to Up and H50? I’m interested in getting a Penon IEM
I don’t go all-in, full throat “this is really good and you have to get it” shill mode often.
And I don’t go there for Fan 2 (at full MSRP price).
But anytime you can get under $200 (and the further you get to the Penon VIP offer price), the more I say you cannot beat Fan 2.
There’s a reason why only the Diva (when modded to hit my ear better) is the only IEM that I’ve heard that I have to stop and be like “Yeah that might be better”.
That set is pretty special and I’d say this very comfortably: Under $300, if you prefer warmer tunings that are bass dominant, either Serial (for sub-bass) or Fan 2 (for midbass) are “walk away from the hobby” level good.
Up is more sub-bass emphasis with airy treble. Fan 2 is more midbass emphasis with a smooth, clear treble.
On the Musical ---- Technical scale, I’d say Up is 70/30-80/20 musical, I’d say Fan 2 is 55/45musical-60/40 technical.
Up is a more traditional, easy to understand IEM, Fan 2 is a trailblazer that you might not get but if it clicks with you it’s going to hit you hard
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I would agree with what Goobs said. The F2 has the same slamming bass as UP just moved 30HZ up the frequency spectrum.
The F2 managed to keep just a hint of warmth from its brother’s and make the FAN2 quite neutral a set with the best technicalities of any Penon I tried.
The H50 and UP both have more air in the far end of the highs .
I am only day 2 with the F2 and when my UP,s get back from being on tour i will shoot my video. I miss my up’s so much will be interesting to see If i am still in love after 2 months out of ears.
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Man you guys really do suffer for your review art 
but we appreciate it 
….no way I could be without my Z1R’s for that amount of time lol
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Being without my favorites is a small price to pay to get to try Elysian Diva in my own house, on my own gear, in non-CanJam conditions lol
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INTERLUDE: THE SECOND
My Impressions of Juzear 41T or Maybe I Don’t Have to Spend Thousands of Dollars to Be Satisfied With My Sound After All?
So before I get to the Dunu SA6 Ultra, we need to make one more stop because we need to talk about where ChiFi is at in 2023. The biggest thing I’ve picked up the last 6 months is that the market has moved incredibly fast to make quality IEMs available at any price bracket. Now are you getting all the best tech, cutting edge tuning, or the greatest build quality below $500, $1000…$5000? Not really, no. But you can find lots of goodness even for cheap prices. Case in point, the Elysian Diva is an amazing sounding IEM. The $20 KBear Xuanwu has a better shell. Period.
Where this existential quandary pops up is when ChiFi offers up a 1DD + 4BA hybrid with a graph that is compared to the Softears Cerberus for $110. Considering the level of cheapskate I am (ahem value hunter), I decided to take this one for the team and try them out. If you follow along on the journey, you already know I’m not disappointed…by the sound. So why haven’t I been screaming about these and trying to stir up a hype train? Well it’s not because of:
THE SOUND
Like I said in the Up impressions, the 41T hits in the same family of sound as the Penon Serial and the Ups themselves. This is a warm, easy-listening signature. It’s not going to pop details like IE600 or Diva, and it won’t go as deep and hard as a Rosefinch or (I’m guessing at this point) Legato. But if you want a set that plays everything well enough to be satisfying, this will be your boy.
The bass is well articulated, with good (but not great) sub-bass replay but great midbass. It is heavy, impactful bass with a little bit of bleed (that would make @VIVIDICI_111 a sad boy. Sorry to pick on you but I was watching your videos this morning). But the warmth and body are so on point. You feel like you’re getting a hug. In stock form, the biggest nitpick I had with the sound was in the upper midrange.
While vocals sounded exactly how I’d want them to be, there was a bit of grain, bordering on harshness, that could pop up. Especially when trying to volume scale (because this signature should scale well), I was picking up a hot spot that made me pull back. Once I put a low-density foam inside the nozzles (more on that later), the hot spot went away and the scaling was immaculate. Which means the treble is on point too. There is no peakiness to be found and once I pulled the upper-mids down just a little, the treble came unblocked and there was a better sense of air to be found.
The ONLY caveat to the foams is that in putting them in, I ended up taking away one of the shocking strengths of this set: In stock form it is IMMERSIVE in how it utilizes the soundstage. I played some Polyphia early on and was pulled out of the song by how the different elements bounced around, circled, and enveloped my headspace. That said, I was still willing to give up that special sauce for a little bit more consistency from the playback. If you don’t find yourself having the same hotspot, then consider yourself warned: you’ll get an amazing experience there.
THE GOOD
- Price to performance champ: I think this set is neck and neck with Xenns Up. Wanna save $X00? These are your boys
- An all-arounder set that is right in my wheelhouse. If you like midbass emphasis, these are your boys
- Great technicalities that compete with the big boys
- Have you seen this shell? This is a BEAUTIFUL clear shell
THE BAD
- This is ChiFi at it’s best and it’s worst
- All of the positives, at the price point we’re at make ChiFi great. ChiFi quality is what makes ChiFi terrifying
- Build issues and the corresponding customer service to alleviate issues
- I had a left nozzle cover that came completely off. I glued it down after inserting the low-density foam, so it was nice from a DIY perspective. But I should not be getting that out of the box
- I also have heard of driver rattling issues, and some less than stellar customer service in dealing with issues.
- Volume scaling, in stock form, didn’t go as well as it could because of a hotspot in the upper end.
- In stock form, the upper-mids are just a TOUCH too elevated and they mask the treble, giving a little bit of a scratchy tonality to the set at times
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- The bold and adventurous:
- This isn’t even “early adopter” adventurous. This is “setting your money on fire might be a better investment” adventurous.
- Price to performance kings (and queens):
- If you hit the unit lottery, this competes with (and beats many) sets at 4,5,6X the price in sheer sound quality
- People wanting a balanced sound, with mid-to-high level technical chops
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- The prudent and cautious
- Anyone who would prefer to wait out a company and see their reputation grow before adopting is wise to sit this out
- Anyone who doesn’t like what I like or thinks I’m an idiot
- Fair play: If you don’t agree with my tastes, this isn’t a look for you
What Does It All Mean???
What it means is if this came out as the Moondrop Blessing 3: Dusk for $350, or Thieaudio threw some ESTs in there and charged $500, or Penon dropped this for $399, the various fanboys of each company would nut on the spot.
This IEM is that good…
If you hit the lottery.
But I cannot, will not, tell you to trust a company we don’t know. I said this deal was too good for me to pass on, and I hit the jackpot. Will you do the same if you take the shot? The hell do I know. That’s why all I can do is lay out the facts, and leave it to you to make your own decisions. Good luck and Godspeed.
Okay, next time (for real) we’re doing the Dunu SA6 Ultra. We’re done for now, so see you next time!
Grade For Juzear 41T (Stock): B+
Grade For Juzear 41T (Filter Mod): A
Grade With Personal Bias: A
Grade As a Food: That Last Slammin’ Jamaican Beef Patty You Know Has Been Sitting Out Way Too Long And Might Make You Sick But You’re Gonna Eat It Anyway. YOLO~!
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Thanks for the comparison! Also thank you @ToneDeafMonk! Guess I’ll be on the lookout for a cheapie Fan 2
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Hey stop bullying me 
Great write-up man. If it’s that close to the UP then I might think of grabbing one for myself since I do want a bassier set for hiphop and stuff, but also looking at the Dunu Vulkan 
And man that patty looks good
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If you get Vulkan, I need to hear that. For science. That is THE IEM living rent-free in my head
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We’re calling a Cornish pasty what now?
I wonder if sailors brought it to the West Indies or if it has independent origins.
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I mean that just looks like an empanada to me. It is damn good regardless
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Everybody has their own form of a meatpie, just go with it people. SHEESH!
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According to wikipedia it was cornish immigrants that inspired it
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And this is mine:
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My Penon journey has found me in love with the FAN2 deeply. Oh my. This is not a Serial or Globe.
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For the amount of stick I give Penon, for their pricing and all, I do firmly believe they make mostly good products and that everybody can find a Penon IEM that is their spirit animal.
There is at least one Penon model for everybody and when you find yours, you’re falling hard. Looks like another one bites the dust lol
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My Impressions of Dunu SA6 Ultra or You Are the King of the Hill But Not the Shape of My Heart
Yes…I pulled out a Sting song. No apologies.
I’m being silly because after all the other words said, we’re here at the end of the tour and the final set. The one that won the day…but why didn’t it win my heart? Let’s talk about the SA6U.
THE SOUND
For me, this was the best all-arounder all-BA set I heard on the tour. These had the best BA bass (which really comes out to good, solid but not great) DD bass. It has more sub-bass impact than the other BA sets, a touch more than even the RSV. It has that fast, snappy BA midbass. It’s good bass, especially for the technicalities that surround it.
It’s got a clean, easy-listening midrange. I think the RSV or the Monarchs pop a little more in the vocals, but SA6U is super close to them, but being a little more versatile to non-vocal genres to my taste. Tonality-wise, I think it’s between RSV and Monarchs: RSV is warmer, Monarch leaner. SA6U has enough weight compared to Monarch but maintains better midrange clarity than RSV.
Treble is smooth but has more elevation than sets that faltered (Meteor/Mahina). This is the real deal! Soundstage is not the most expansive in width but it has engaging enough depth for me, and very good technical chops. Imaging/layering is done great, and it has enough dynamic range to play Yosi Horikawa tracks well. If I need to explain the technicals more than that, then you need to listen to more Yosi Horikawa tracks.
THE GOOD
- The best all-around all-BA set I heard on tour
- Fit is remarkable for 6BA set. This is top-2 fit with Meteor for the whole tour
- Could MAYBE be too bright with the wrong tip selection, but very good treble for me
THE BAD
- 300 unit Zeos collaboration that is very hard to get your hands on
- Might not be better than the SA6 Mk II which is now available
- Price considerations, if you do find it
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- Value Seekers
- Seriously: Yes, these are $600, but if you want a sound that competes with Kilobuck+ IEMs at a fraction of the price, this is a shout
- Fans of BA bass: all 6 of you. This is the best I heard without augmentation from amp or PEQ
- Small ear people
- Those who have an inner Thanos and seek balance
- Rabid collectors of limited edition items
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- Anti-collaboration people
- People who don’t hunt the secondhand market
- Just buy the Mk II
- Anybody who flat out doesn’t like all-BA sets
- This is the best chance to change your mind but I wouldn’t bet on it
What Does It All Mean?
At the end of the journey here on this tour, I can safely say that if I liked one set the most, it was the SA6 Ultra: It’s a configuration I don’t have in my collection, that plays the most of my library at a high level. When I decide on an all-BA set to add to my collection, this shot the Mk II up my list…which isn’t supposed to be the point of listening to the Ultra but that’s what happened.
The next move for me is to see if the hobby moves in a way to bring this kind of quality to a price point I feel comfortable in. I’ve never spent $200 on an IEM, and I’m kind of proud of being able to find value that can compete with the big boys. So while I will keep the SA6 in mind, it has set a standard for me to try to reach in my journey for budget bangers. So for that, I thank you Dunu SA6 Ultra. And with that, we are at the end of this journey. Onward to the next one, and see you next time!
Grade for Dunu SA6 Ultra: A
Grade With Personal Bias: A
Grade as a Food: Bagel and Lox
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Glad you enjoyed the Ultras so much - thought it would be one of your least favourite tbh LOL. Trying my friend’s SA6 MK2 next week (or whenever it comes in), so I’ll let you know if you should drop the dough or nah 
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Goober’s heart can hardly be won by IEM. But let’s see, something may come along to break this icy heart 
!
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Another fun thing to file in the “ears and listening to music is weird” thing:
I’m listening to earbuds this morning to give my ears an IEM break, and just to take other parts of my collection out for a spin and I started out with one bud: The Blur Limited Editions I got, and they’re good, solid buds, with a little brighter sound (reminds me of Grand Archer in that way).
Then I put in a bud with more low end heft: The Blur 173 PK 32s. Going back and forth it’s only then that the LEs timbre starts sounding…weird or eh, like too energetic in the upper end and the ethereal sounding treble becomes more of a con than a pro.
Did some more swapping, adding in TGXear Alpha, then went back to the LEs. Three songs later, they sound closer to the first listen than the “did these just get wonky?” sound when comparing them to other sets.
Ears are funny, man. And maybe ease up with the A/B pyscho comparing everything, Goobs? 
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