Trying the Sg3 with crystal tips after limited listening at all at the hospital… don’t know if the desktop amp is key here, or time away from comparisons, but I’m very impressed.
Seems like an all rounder with good vocals.
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Even with discount it’s a big ask for ANOTHER 1+4 hybrid to add to the melee.
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Geez Goober. Listened to the En1000 just on an 8 minute drive to get my girls to bring them home. It’s a “top 2” set for me.
Raging Lung by The Knife - absurdly good for all those raspy sounds with low end behind them
Summer 3 - Max Richter - perhaps the most accurate violin. And when more instruments come in to support, necessary warmth is there.
Such a generous gift. Definitely appreciated.
Edit: and thanks for mailing it, big Marcus!
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It has at least the black filters in the nozzles.
I don’t even know the driver configuration, I’m about to look it up. My guess would be a boss single DD but then I’m confused that it was designed to have different profiles based on resistance? I don’t need no DM.
1 Like
It’s just an EN1000 stock, with Olina filters over the top of the grills. Probably any filter at 500 grade or better will do enough, if they ever go bad.
You’re super welcome, John, and that’s why I did it. I don’t have enough time to listen to all the gear I do have, and Ozar is eating up a lot of the time I do have, so passing along something I know you’d enjoy is the easiest choice to make. You deserve it tons, man! And yes, it’s just a 1DD (allegedly a Beryllium-coated DLC).
I’ve been gifted enough sets that it’s worth it to pay it forward, even with a set I loved, because I know you savages do the same. I’m just scared of what you’re going to do for me and my birthday, when you’re passing out Pandas for party favors just because 
PLUS if there’s a new Simgot flagship coming, I better clear space for that LOL
5 Likes
I had been in IEM comparison mode for a few days and I hadn’t just listened to my earbuds in a minute.
Man, does Ripples have the sauce. I know new stuff keeps coming out and it’s probably better in some ways, but I honestly don’t need more than this. These are so good
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Yeah Ripples is just the 24/7 earbud. So musical
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I’m really beginning to think there’s something that clicks with sets we each really enjoy and we don’t fully understand why. We try and spent hours and money doing so for pointless returns. When a set clicks we should stop breaking it down and remember the music.
Maybe it’s just the sum of all the things we try and break down and analyze. When a set hits with me you’ve witnessed first hand my reaction in threads from a Panda romance night to Damn It’s Bongers. Neither of those are really better, in the context you may be getting at, but as a sum of all the parts they’re epic.
I know my moments don’t help many in here when I go into euphoria mode yet, it’s all I can do. My favorite sets are all ones that jam so hard I just stick them in and get lost in the sauce. Personally at this point I’m not wanting to analyze them or A/B. They bring me to the pinnacle of what brought me here which was the music and getting lost.
UP, Panda and Glamdring aren’t necessarily better. UP is an old release by todays standards, Panda and Glamdring are just a simply one planar and they all do it. Someone just hit the spot for my preferences and I happened to stumble into them. My only better set is probably the U4s and even that just comes down to the sum of all things just happening to hit near perfection.
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Jesus, I was listening to this song and Ripples had me jump-scaring because I thought someone was yelling for my attention outside of the room I’m sitting in.
Fucking dynamic range, yo!
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I think you mean planar? Glamdring is a planar right?
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Yup, it’s just a modded S12 pro
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No idea why I typed that. Thanks for the catch.
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For sure a well tuned bud plays so effortlessly, seamlessly and that timbre 
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Some Housekeeping:
I’ve done some work and upgraded my Rankings list to a 2.1 version (1.1 for earbuds): The changes are as follows:
- Changing my tuning grades from just sub-bass/midbass/etc. to specifying the grade is for emphasis of each frequency
- The intent behind this is to provide clarity/clarification where sometimes I grade highly for quantity or quality, and it’s hard to tell difference in a number snapshot
- An example for this, going forward, is Yanyin Canon and how it has more midbass emphasis in 0-0-0 setting versus 0-1-0 setting, and how the grades shift for midbass and lower midrange emphasis.
This change is reflected in the heading for each grade column
-
Adjusted the explanation for the tuning scores 1-5, to better represent how I’mg grading the emphasis of each frequency
-
Added borders to the chart for quality-of-life purposes, in terms of reading each row/column
I hope these changes are helpful, and make navigating my spreadsheet a little better 
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If you want me to save you money: Who wants a $40 Yanyin Canon?
(disclaimer: Of course it’s not actually the Canon. But you can get the tuning for 1/8th the price)
Or a bassier version (though likely lesser driver) of one the best 1DDs I’ve heard:
Happy Father’s Day to you all
Thanks to @MMag05 for letting me deliver them direct to him for graphing
Also got the Whizzer BS1 up…for the neutral-heads
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Yo great Father’s Day surprise out of a $40 set to help bring me out of the depression the Neon Pro put me in. Already placed my order for one.
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Budget King takes care of you, fam! 
Penon 10th Anniversary Edition or When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong
So I have four Tribrid IEMs with three different tuning styles in my possession at once: The ISN EST50, Letshuoer EJ07M, Sound Rhyme DTE500, and the subject of the current thoughts and impressions: The Penon 10th Anniversary Edition IEM. For me, it was easy to drop the ISN because in direct comparison to the DTE500 it was quite lacking. But the other two contenders are true heavy hitters that deserve the conversation we’re about to have. So let’s spend some time considering the 10th, and where it stands amongst the competition.
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.
Playlist
Swashers/Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa (For imaging/detail retrieval (:00-1:00 Swashers), general technicalities check (both), soundstage depth/dynamics/layering/separation (:00-:30 Bubbles))
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers (For bass elements, particularly sub-bass/mid-bass interplay, drum kits, soundstage/layering)
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, male/female vocal interplay)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage width 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
THE SOUND
I was thinking something sweet, but you wouldn’t let me speak; And in my head I’m thinking oh no, don’t go
Adios - JAWNY
(IEM Tuning Style: V-Shape)
To be honest, the 10th is a great early test of the adjustments I’ve made to my personal rankings and how to convey them to you all. Previously, I would’ve tried to talk myself into how to explain the Penon mids, to (in my opinion) possibly oversell just what they’re doing. Now that I’m working on how to judge emphasis, rather than subjective quality, it’s a little easier to break down how the 10th works: It’s a straight up V-shape, with primarily sub-bass and mid-treble emphasis. Where the chief complaint on the Penon Fan 2 is that the bass emphasis was too much in the midbass and lacking in the sub-bass for some, the 10th fixes that completely. The bass has a lot more balance between the sub and mid bass and will be pretty satisfying for a large percentage of listeners, though I would personally take the Fan 2s bass playback over the 10th. I find the 10th has a little bit of flabby bass in comparison to the 10th, and lacks the impact that I prefer.
The midrange is where this set gets interesting, and may well get me in trouble. I want to preface this by saying I do think the 10th has good mids, but I am going to analyze them and I’m going to sound harsh. But that’s because at $500, if you don’t have that unmistakable emotional reaction to a set you do have to get into the weeds on it. I think the lower-mids are okay but they are NOT emphasized. The 10th handles the recessed lower-mids well but it is a fact that you are not getting them as a focus. The upper-mids are well emphasized though. Female vocals sound pretty solid on this set, and with the way things are balanced, I’d take those vocals on the 10th over Fan 2 or an ISN EST50.
The treble is where I’m both impressed and feeling like I’m just missing something. On the one hand, the treble performance on these is neck and neck with the DTE500: they are the first two sets that I heard that gave me a good feeling as to why people like EST treble so much. I am getting the extra air, and sense of floating in the music from both of those sets, that I hadn’t heard in other EST implementations. The problem with it is that the boost and emphasis feels a little bit artificial to me; While I think the midbass and bleed into the lower mids does lend good weight overall, it still feels a little bit weightless to me, because of that lack of lower-mid emphasis with the mid-treble boost. The tonality sounds correct but lacks texture, and I can’t shake it off.
Soundstage is okay, but very tip dependent: Tri Clarions open up the soundstage, and balance the bass and lower-mids better but I think that takes away from what the 10th is actually trying to do. A tip like the TRN T-Ears gives a meaty bass thump with good weight, but absolutely squeezes the soundstage and makes it a very in-your-head experience. Technicalities are fine, but probably not a highlight for a set of this price and configuration. Imaging is fine but not enough to crush my usual tests (like with Swashers, I’m not hearing the waves all the way from left to right, they die at center), and the dynamics are not up to par on a track like Bubbles, where the bouncing balls lack texture and sound more similar than distinct.
THE GOOD
- Balanced bass response that’s sub over mid
- Great EST treble implementation
- Airy tonality overall
- Well handled midrange for V-Shape signature
- A Penon hallmark
- Solid female vocals
- Volume scales well, in my opinion
THE BAD
- Lacks texture, even though it’s got a bass emphasis, it still feels too light-handed
- Technicalities aren’t what I expect of price/configuration - dynamic range is not on par for me
- Very tip sensitive for soundstage and tonality
- Lacks actual balance, particularly in the midbass/lower-midrange
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- Fans of the Penon ecosystem
- If you like the Penon house sound, this will do for you
- Someone who hasn’t dipped their toes in the tribrid waters and wants a good example of EST treble
- Anybody who wants an energetic, more musical-leaning sound
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- Midbass fans
- It’s going to leave you lacking
- Technicals chasers
- Anyone who doesn’t enjoy a V-Shape tuning - the lack of balance is a dealbreaker that holds this set back from the upper tiers for me
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
What it means for me is that the Penon 10th Anniversary Edition has a lot going for it: It’s got very good, balanced bass, nails the Penon house sound, and brings a very good treble playback to the table. But for me, it’s lacking in good midbass and balance in the lower-mids, and has middling soundstage and technicalities (relative to my expectations). There’s a lot of good meat on the bones, but the whole thing gets messed up with elements that don’t really fit together coherently, even though I can appreciate the individual parts. So if I was going to pick a Penon IEM, I’d definitely still go with the Fan 2 or even lean towards the Serial first. And if I wanted a tribrid, my choice would still be the DTE500…though we have one last contender to judge before I make my final call on that one. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank for Penon 10th Anniversary Edition: B+
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Recommendation Level: Lukewarm Recommendation Relative to Other Options (V-Shape)
Rank As a Food: Salad With a Sloppy Joe
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