Being told they’re tiny does not prepare you for how small they are
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That is the exact verbiage I used - they are shockingly small and I had a small laughing fit when Brandon put them in my hands I can’t lie 
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How long are ya’ll gonna make us wait to hear about how the listening session went!?
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You mean they discussed more than the size of the Vortex before parting ways?
Then I want to hear it too!
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LOL!
I love you guys 
I’m in the process of writing some notes down on the sets RBW sent us, so it’s in progress 
After I finish having dinner with my lady
Dinner with your lady? You must have made her an earbud or something.
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We were reading @nymz’s TGXears reviews and discussing going halfsies on Tantalus…so I guess that’s close
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Okay, okay. Time for me to settle in and give you some notes, thoughts, and impressions from the second listening session with Dom:
The majority of the session was devoted to inundating Dom with 11 different IEMs and earbuds, I only had 4 sets to demo and spend time with today:
- Thieaudio Monarch Mk II (my second session)
- Truthear Hexa
- QKZ x HBB (my second session)
- 7Hz Timeless (he loaned this to me for an extended demo)
Of the three sets I listened to more extensively at the library:
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I’ll give a little more credit to HBB. I’ve been picky on it. The low end and low-mids are the best in the $20ish neutral/harman-ish tunings. Rosefinch still has more bass but if you just wanted to get good elevated bass and not bass god levels of bass, HBB is your choice. I confirmed that my big gripe about the treble is still valid and there. It’s just darker than I want this tuning to be. That’s fully a preference thing.
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Truthear Hexa is an Olina sidegrade. If I had more time to A/B them and really put my thoughts together, I’m sure I’d find some give and take that one does better than the other. But at the end of the day, they’re sidegrades. If you have one, you don’t need the other. If you have neither, then flip a coin and go with it.
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I spent the most time with Monarch because that’s the set Dom is the least likely to let me take home and really demo it. Which is fair, I get that. Monarch is a VERY good all-around IEM. I can throw anything at it and it will sound very good. Two things stand out for me though.
- While they are an exemplary set, I didn’t feel any tingles from them. They’re not boring, they’re not lacking, but nothing about them excited me. They’re a very utilitarian kilobuck IEM. Shell aesthetics aside. Monarch feels like a more expensive Olina for me; I know what I’m getting from it, and it would make for a very good bellwether to judge everything else against. But on my personal time, Monarch is not the first set I’d reach for. It might not be the fourth or fifth set I’d reach for either.
- Serratus is 1000% an equal and rival to Monarch. And I found those to be more engaging on an emotional level. For 1/5th the price. Given the option of one or the other, it’s not a very hard choice for me to pick Serratus.
So yeah, again thanks to Dom for hanging out and listening to sets, to @rattlingblanketwoman @cal_lando @MMag05 and whomever else I’m missing that helped make this happen. I literally crossed bucket list IEMs/earbuds off of the list because of what you did for us. I cannot thank you all enough.
Bless up, yo!
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It too, is my turn to give some thoughts on the sets I currently have my hands on, and the sets I was able to demo yesterday at the library with Brandon. He’s graciously allowed me the space here on his own thread to share my thoughts and opinions with you all so for that, I say thank you, sir. Very kind of you. I’ve been treating the IEM thread a little too selfishly, bogging up the thread with long paragraphs and droning essays regarding my experiences, I didn’t want to do that anymore and making my own thread didn’t make any sense so again, an invitation was sent over my way by Brandon - thanks, bruv 
Disclaimer time:
Summary
I am not a reviewer. Please keep that in mind throughout this read. I may have some experience with some genuinely wondrous IEMs and buds at this point, so I have some baselines to lay down and compare next to, but I can understand that my ears are novice and probably always will be. I am simply not that picky when it comes to IEMs. If they sound halfway decent, I do not feel the need to nitpick as harshly as some others, dissecting the frequency response like a brain surgeon that has something to prove. This just isn’t me. Music always comes first and foremost and for a majority of the time, if I can find some enjoyment from an IEM or bud, I will only point out what really stands out.
With that out of the way, thank you to @cal_lando @rattlingblanketwoman and of course @MMag05 for being absolute legends and allowing for this to happen. Collectively, you’ve all had a hand at making some Audio dreams come true for me, and I’m sure Brandon as well. Muchas Gracias Gentleman 
Now. Onto the impressions.
Songs I’ve used for these impressions:
Adele - One and Only
daft punk - Give Life Back to Music
daft punk - Voyager
Lunar Vacation - Daytime
Japanese Breakfast - Slide Tackle
Parcels - Everyroad
Parcels - Withorwithout
Crumb - Vinta
From the Whiplash soundtrack - Caravan
MEAOES Eagle - At times, female vocals can come across as thin, with less than ideal body to them. Cymbals sound extra splashy but not in a negative way, while they are quite enjoyable, for a person looking for a natural replay, it could come off as offensive. I do not fall into that group. Stage is expansive but Mid range as a whole sounds recessed, mid bass is boosted to be front and center (this may be helping the stage?) one thing that stood out as a negative, slightly harsh with consonants (Slide Tackle by Japanese Breakfast) Male vocals seem to be a touch thin as well (Withorwithout by The Parcels). Cool tuning, plenty of stage capabilities, good separation and above average resolution to my ears but a little too forward with some instruments and vocal presentations. However - I quite enjoyed them, actually. Interesting set this one.
Penon Fan 1 - aggressively V, unapologetic V. Big mid bass. Consonants are smoother than the eagles though. Artificial claps (slide tackle Japanese Breakfast) are like CLAAAAP in my ears, had to lower the volume a touch. Vocals have a sense of space, reverb is nicely rendered. Mid bass is a little uncontrolled, it’s present in large quantities but bass guitar sounds more like a blob rather than individual notes being played when it’s fronted on the mix. Male vocals have good timbre and tonality, they’re full bodied (tieduprightnow - parcels) piano also sounds full bodied, in a song where the voice is untouched by filters, female vocals have a touch too much body to them (one and only - Adele) I wouldn’t call it offensive, just not as natural as I’ve heard. Different flavor. Still enjoyable however. Kick drums sound awesome (vinta - crumb) drum kit sounds great as a whole, just that kick drum is ever enchanting and a touch distracting (caravan - whiplash soundtrack) overall fun set, decent technicalities, probably average for the price range. Decent width, small depth, found a “sonic wall” in front of me with most of these songs.
Penon Serial - This set was one of the ones I was clambering to get my hands on. Unfortunately, bad news. I can’t get an accurate assessment due to a severe channel imbalance. It just so happens the right channel is far lower in volume to the left channel, that just so happens to be my bad ear. From what I can hear however, they sound good, more laid back but with good texture and resolvability (Daft punk - bring life back to music) the claps on the 2 and 4 beat come through crips and clear, mid bass has good body, snappy and not slow. Essential for this song. Bass guitar is well defined. So sad because from what little I can hear, they sound really good. Consonants are well controlled (slide tackle Japanese Breakfast) mid bass is damn snappy. Really enjoyable. Untouched female vocals (Adele) sound more natural than Fan 1 but still have decent body to them. Much more texture in the voice as well. Sub bass rumble is also very nicely textured (everyroad parcels) tough test but they pass with flying colors. I hope I get a proper go with them one day …
HIFIBOY OSV3 - These come off as slightly dark to me. I haven’t looked at a graph yet so maybe I’m crazy but that’s what I’m hearing. Subdued female vocals (daytime - lunar vacation) average techs, cymbals sound a little thin but are present and cut through the mix decently. Mid bass is present but is missing something, sounds almost hollow. Similar to how the timeless renders kick drums. Pillowy almost (tieduprightnow parcels) fun set but sounds slightly… flat?
Now for the sets @GooberBM brought along and allowed me to listen to. The Fan 2 I was able to take home so I received more time with them. The Vortex and the Cadenza were both quick listens with the time we had.
Penon Fan 2 - These have a very smooth replay, everything has good presence across the FR. Claps on the 2 and 4 beat (daft punk give life back to music) are less pronounced and maybe a little more natural? Not my preference but it is more natural. Nile on the guitar sounds a touch muted but has good tonality. Mid bass has nice pulls and releases, coming through with a natural vibe (vinta crumb) bass guitar is very well controlled, with great texture and clarity. Top marks here. Vocals are pushed back a touch but not an issue. Imaging and placement is great (caravan whiplash soundtrack) going from floor Tom, to mid tom to snare can be tracked going from right to left. Crash cymbal comes across very natural, not splashy but also maybe lacking in some extension. Hits on the ride cymbal are nice though, crisp and I mean crisp. Kick drum is right in the center. Maybe not the widest stage? But imaging gets top marks from me. Snare isn’t as aggressive as it may be in person but it has good tonality. Resolving 
around 6 minute mark, kick drum ghost notes are heard clearly and we’ll defined, hard to do for some sets. Starting at 6:45, this crazy section is well defined. Fast snare hits are well defined as well. Sub bass sounds rolled off a little but still remains present with good texture (everyroad parcels) Really nice set overall, balanced and these get the seal of approval when it comes to rendering a drum kit.
Penon Vortex - These are so small that it made me laugh upon first glance - but genuinely comfortable, s tier comfort. They disappear in your ears. Neutral bright, bordering on too much for me. I’m sure it’s good at what it does but it isn’t for me. Too thin, no sub bass to be perceived. Mid bass is … there, but again, not enough to be the driving force for the music I listen to, which in most cases, it needs to be.
Kiwi Ears Cadenza - I would say that overall these punch above its price point when it comes to bass texture. Sub bass has nice extension and texture. Layering is slightly better than most of the $20 and below sets I’ve heard but not miles ahead. One big caveat, and this one is big for me in particular. Female vocals came off as grainy, they lack finesse, they lack that smooth delivery and for me, that’s when they were ejected out of my ears. For new comers and budget hounds, these are a great set no doubt. But for those of us who have heard higher end, with a large female vocal ensemble located in their library, it’s most likely a no go.
Alright, that’s it. That’s all I got this was fun - thank you all for reading if you got to the end here, I appreciate all of you!
Oh … what’s that?
What about Serratus you say? Well, give me a few more days with them. I’d love to A/B them against the Monarch MKII because from the 4 or 5 songs I’ve had with them so far … they’re neck and god damned neck. That’s saying something. I also have two Riku buds that I will be listening to tomorrow night as well. I’ll be back with more! (As long as Brandon doesn’t strangle me for writing a college essay today )
Photo dump.
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MOAR WORDS!!!
But yeah, love it bro. Feel free to keep going.
And tell them about Storm 
And meeting the bass god ex800st
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Oh FUCK - Storm - that’s right.
Oof. That’s a big one. Let me write something up from memory on that one in just a little.
But thanks again, brother! Will be back soon with another declaration of audio impressions
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KBear takes make me tingly 
I wish I had done the filter mod on it before sending it to you but I wanted you both to experience it stock. With the back vent filter off it gets a lot of bass, like kind of stupid bass and turns it into a V shape. I’m not saying it necessarily makes the IEM “better” but it’s def better to me. @GooberBM if you want to try that before you send them back feel free to remove the filters and give it a listen! I’m gonna do it when I get them back anyway so I don’t care if the filters get damaged in the process
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You sure you don’t care? I’ll give it a go and see
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Yeah have at it!
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I removed the filters without destroying them. I will pack them in your Penon case so that if you ever change your mind, they’re there. I’d feel gross otherwise
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Thanks! I appreciate it
Oh, these are more fun. I think no-filter swings the balance too much to bass though. Because of how tight the frequencies are, it’s too much sub-bass. Taking off the Penon filter and then covering the vent with micropore tape (Playing with how much of the vent I cover) is my personal sweet spot. There’s a better balance with the upper-mids because of the added sub-bass but not overdone. I see why people who did the mod are happy with it.
But it makes sense why they tuned Vortex the way they did.
Modded Vortex is a no-man’s land between OG Fan and Serial: It’s not as V-shape as Fan, and not as lush as Serial (though the right amount of venting to get “Brighter Serial, but a teeny bit less special bass” is…intriguing). And modded Vortex is a not-as-good as Fan 2 version of neutral-ish.
Penon is fucking good at bass though. Vortex drums are pushing up against Fan 2 levels of enjoyment.
I’m going to pack the Vortex back up, with the vent taped to the level I enjoyed them. You can tell me what you think when you get them back
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