Some more stuff came in:
TRN ORCA:
TRN CONCH:
EPZ x TIPSY STAR ONE:
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Looks like you like the Wan’er, to be chasing that signature with all these mods lol
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Oh lol I just use Waner because most people probably heard them so better reference for comparison
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I didn’t think the vocals were unusually good, I found this in my notes:
“Second critique: Vocals. I don’t think the mids climb too steeply from the valley after midbass, but the mini peak at 5k isn’t something I think that area needs, adding a little sharpness to vocals. Not an excessive amount, unlike the BQEYZ Autumn and other sets with a 5k peak I wouldn’t say it makes female vocals too aggressive/nasal/raspy, but it’s more of a nit-pick, as far as a tuning decision I think it veers closer to causing issues and at elevated volumes it’s of course more prominent. I think it should have been left out for the sake of a smoother curve.”
I think overall it’s a very good set for sound but the asking price of $350 is completely absurd in my mind. What do you think about the price?
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Imo it would be too smooth without the small peaks for more dynamic contrast, since the overall sound is already warm leaning along with the tamer treble, it’d just end up too laid back for me. I think the vocals being nasally is mostly in the 1.5K boost+the low-end, 5K is more for clarity, opens up the notes a bit.
I dig the sound, but for $350 though, kinda a hard sell lol. I think it shoud be priced around $100-$150 max.
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The Dome was a unusual set I had a real hard time getting to like it. Once I have the groove of the thing I was enjoying the set. But as soon as I put a more resolving set it I felt I had to relearn to like it. Does that make sense
Same reaction Kevin had and Kyle from our group.
The Quattro’s was even more polarized.
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Update: Monster Boomrang just as goodn’t
Both are muddy, no imaging basically, no front staging yadayada
Personally I’d buy a cheaper one and just use it for youtube when I’m cooking lol
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Thanks for taking the hit, guess fomo aint getting me this time.
(although if that sony flagship was half as pricey I probably would have fallen to my sony-fanboyism.)
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Today we have 3 IEMs of 3 different flavours, and starting with the Penon Dome these are for you guys who love a slightly warm but luscious sound, without feeling bloated. The vocals are the main star of the show, forward, thick, and very powerful and resonating - you can really feel the chest voice and vibrations from the lower octaves from Artists like Adele and Frank Sinatra. The boost in the 1.5K region creates this intimate vocal experience while not feeling congested because the low-end is well controlled, along with the small peaks at 5K and past 8K that brings some dynamic contrast and energy that opens up the sound a bit.
Likewise the bass is forward leaning, has a nice body to the notes, and adds that extra little bit of warmness to the vocals, but never overcoloring them because the Dome adjusts itself back at the 300hz mark, and gives enough room for the low-end to still have authority but also be separated enough from the mids and not bleeding together. Although this forward presentation in the bass and especially the vocals does mask other instruments, so not the most clean and well-separated versus something like the B3, male vocals can get nasally, but the Dome does execute the warm/smooth signature nicely. The uppermids and treble is on the tamer side, not that sparkly or lively like the EA1000s, but smoother dynamically and you can blast these way up, scales very well and imo it’s how they’re meant to be experienced. Because the more and more you turn up the volume the more intimate the music gets, where eventually you just end up losing yourself in the sauce.
So overall a very comforting and lush experience - even though the Dome is very intimate it comes off more neutral-warm because the low-end is fairly “normal”. It most likely has to do with the adjusted mid-bass compared to some other warm sets like the OD200, which is your traditional “warmer” tuning, so if you want something warmer but still resolving, OD200 would be the pick. Tech wise, nothing crazy here, the Dome gets the job done - if you want something more resolving the EA1000s would be the better pick as they’re sharper in the imaging and notes as well. The low-end feels more tactile on the Fermats whereas the Dome is more heavy and forward, and just overall the Fermats are a lot brighter and lively whereas the Dome is the opposite of that.
However, vocals and the overall playback is more immersive and smoother on the Dome, So this is where the whole tonal preference versus diminishing returns really comes into play. Strictly speaking the Nova and EA500LM are similar tech wise, but you’re not going to get that same special feeling of the music just hugging and enveloping around you with the Dome. As an all rounder the Nova or LM would be better value wise, but personally I like the Dome more - it just has a very special “homie” feeling to it if that makes sense. Although the asking price is quite steep at $350, and can’t really compete tech wise with others in its price range (B3, Quintet, EA1000). If you want these, I would sign up for Penon’s VIP newsletter because they have a lot of big sales for their “VIPS” - I’ve seen stuff go on sale for 40-50% off, so keep an eye on that.
EPZ x TIPSY STAR ONE
Now, on the opposite side of the spectrum we have the EPZ STAR ONE Which is your more traditional harman sound, but with a twist. For those who like the Waner, the Star One is pretty much a direct upgrade to the Waner but with a better driver, and focusing more on the female vocals. The overall sound is clean with a bass-boost, very enjoyable, most people who try these are going to like them. Female vocals are the main star of the show, sweet, light, but doesn’t float off or become thin, the Star One does a great job in balancing the right amount of note-weight in the low-end while subtly highlighting the air in female artists.
Now, the 2 small peaks in the uppermids can look intimidating, but because the 1.5K is pulled back, the vocals are less forward, no masking, which results you still getting all that detail and airy nuance from the increased energy, but without becoming shrill and fatiguing because it’s further away. Which is why female vocals have that little bit of airiness and sparkle while being able to still sound natural and not overly done. The dynamics are also pretty smooth, the treble is airy and well-extended, not treblehead by any means but adds that extra little bit of liveliness to the sound.
The low-end does its job as well as a supporting role for the mids and vocals, it’s well separated, punchy, is the right amount, could use more slam, but you know it fits the tuning. And In-terms of vocals, the Star One is one of the best under $100, and probably the best for female vocals, where the other stand out vocal wise would be the Letshuoer DZ4 that’s more neutral, less airy, and more balanced. Tech wise it’s a step behind the LM and Nova, with the LM being warmer leaning, and Nova is more balanced, they’re a little more well-rounded and less specialised, but vocal wise, I like the Star One better. You can’t really crank these up too much past 75-80dbs because of the boosted uppermids, but mid-volume the Star One sounds great, and with a 300 mesh filter you can also turn the Star One into an all-rounder, scales better as well, more “harman” and balanced.
BQEYZ WIND
However, if you’re looking for something less neutral, less warm, brighter, then we have the BQEYZ WIND. Looking at the graph it looks like the OG EA500, and is similar in that it’s also bright leaning, but with better resolution this time. The treble is pronounced, not as smooth as the others, but the peaks brings in some nice dynamic contrast and makes the sound sparkly; if you’re a treblehead or likes to be bombarded with sharp imaging, then these are for you. The vocals on the WIND are clean, clear, more energetic and engaging versus the Star One, but not too forward and warm-leaning like the Dome.
Female vocals are very sparkly, you can clearly hear the details and the sharp transients on the end consonants, even more than the Star One, and male vocals sound good as well, brighter, just not as full and husky, but no masking at all. The driver they’re using is pretty good, although I’m not really picking up the BC drivers, but bass texture is solid, well-controlled, tactile, and has a nice slam in the mid-bass. Low-end is pretty similar to the Fermats actually, which is great, but just not as deep in the sub-bass - overall though, still one of the better bass sets compared to stuff like the Chopin and Quintet.
Resolution wise the WIND is slightly behind the EA1000, and the soundstage feels a little bit smaller, maybe because the vocals are more forward? And the treble also isn’t as refined, as it’s more sharp leaning than airy. The WIND is a mid to lower volume set as they don’t scale too well because of the brighter sound, but with a 500 mesh filter it scales way better, and basically becomes a less bright version of the EA1000s, and smoothes out the treble as well.
Now, even though the WIND is a solid set, I do still think the LM would be the better choice for most people since it’s half the price and smoother with similar technical performance. If the WIND was priced around $100, then I can see it being a nice, brighter alternative to the LM and Star One, but at $200, that’s a hard pill to swallow, especially since the EA1000 is still the king there for me.
Overall though, all three of these have a different sound profile, and it really comes down to your own personal preference. If you love a clean, sparkly sound with that liveliness in the treble, then the WIND is still good, although overpriced imo. If you’re looking for an intimate and warm-leaning set, the Dome is fantastic. And do you want sweet female vocals? Then you have the Star One. So, these are all very complementary sets to each other, and you can get even more out of them with a simple filter mod, but at the end of the day it really comes down to, “are they worth the asking price to you”?
DOME Final Rankings:
Tonality: A+/S-
Tech: A-/A
Overall: A
STAR ONE Final Rankings:
Tonality: A
Tech: B+/A-
Overall: A-
WIND Final Rankings:
Tonality: A-
Tech: A
Overall: A-
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Hey big shout out to @VIVIDICI_111 For sending me some stuff to review. Thanks! prayer hands I got a lot of stuff to check out.
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It’s too bad they still need taming but worth the effort once you do.
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Oh they’re pretty smooth overall, but I was just messing around and came across this
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So how is the 2000 anyway?
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Same driver as the EA1000s I believe, resolution, bass texture, timbre is solid, just that the two peaks in the uppermids kills a lot of songs lol, also not as airy more energetic/vocal focused, but with the mod tho? Mmm bass…
SO, I finally have the retail nozzles for the LM, aaaand it’s basically the same as the prototype ones. Which means my thoughts from the initial review remains the same and I don’t have to redo them wooo, it’s still smooth, warm-leaning, with superb resolution for its price, the best value IEM you can get right now. I’m not going to repeat the review, so instead in this one I’m going to compare the LM to some other DDs aside from the EA1000 and OG EA500 (& planars), as I already went into a deep breakdown for those, so go check out the initial review for more info:
Now, the first IEM is the Oriveti OD200. The Silver nozzles version of these are warmer sounding than the LM with more bass impact in the low-end. The bass feels more forward and thicker, huskier vocals, fuller, but they’re also less airy and extended in the treble versus the LM. With this combination of more mid-bass and darker treble, the OD200 shifts the overall focus more on the low-end where male vocals, bass guitars, and drums have more authority to them and feels meatier. I find the OD200s more enjoyable with hiphop and rock where the low-end energy makes the tracks more powerful and “goes harder”, whereas I prefer the LM with pop/edm tracks that works better with more sub-bass rumble and treble energy.
With the Black nozzles the OD200 becomes less warm and around the same as the LM but less rumbly, and with more emphasis in the female vocals. Again, it’s not as smooth and extended in the treble, and the uppermids can get sharp on certain genres like kpop and jpop, and the soundstage overall feels smaller than the LM because of the treble dip, less air, and more forward vocals, but if you’re looking for vocals then there are better sets for cheaper like the DZ4 and the Star One. Personally, if you want a warmer LM I would just mod the LM with a tanya filter on the brass nozzle, sounds airier, smoother, has deeper sub-bass, and also half the price with better resolution. I think it’s very worth to grab the tuning kit and mess around with it as you can get a lot of different variety that may match your preferences better.
As for the the OD100 I think it’s a solid set if you want something more exciting as a sidegrade to the LM, it sounds livelier, more exciting and sparkly with more treble emphasis. It has just enough mid-bass to not make everything overly bright and shrill, vocals have that sparkle and extension without sounding jarring because of the decreased 1.5K, resulting in the voices being more laid back, further away, and allowing more focus in the air and treble like cymbal crashes. The OD100s are very enjoyable on indie and slower tracks that allows the vocals and the treble to bring more life into the music with that extra bit of energy, and obviously, the OD100 is not a high volume set, it does get sharp with energetic genres, but it is a well-tuned bright-leaning signature, although resolution wise the LM still takes the cake.
As for the EPZ Star One, it’s cleaner than the LM with the focus on the vocals where Female Artists sound more open, extended, sparklier and less husky and heavy. They’re more noticeable and stand out more on busier tracks, however, the bass texture isn’t as good, lighter, not as impactful, as well as the treble is less airy and more neutral. Although, in-terms of dynamics the Star One is fairly smooth, not as smooth as the LM, but one of the better sets under $100 - it doesn’t get sharp unless you blast them, and the small peaks also helps bring out some dynamic contrast that adds that extra sweetness to the vocals, however Resolution wise, the LM is still better.
Now, for you bassheads the LM has great bass texture, but it’s not a basshead set, the low-end isn’t as forward and enough basshead wise, and you won’t get that face slamming immersion versus something like the T5S or Legato which gives you that extra meat and impact. If you really want to, I guess you can turn it into one if you add enough Tanya filters on it, but, no guarantees. Then there’s also the EA2000s, but very bright in the gain, piercing on many songs. I wouldn’t buy them at full price, but if you find a nice deal or already have these you can try the double filter mod to tame the uppermid - they actually sound pretty good. Basically with the mod, the EA2000 turns from a bright signature to a bassy tuning, very satisfying low-end with the mod, slams nicely without sounding bloated, and it pretty much turns into a basshead set. Resolution wise the EA2000s around the same as the LM and EA1000s since they’re essentially just using the same drivers as the EA1000s, but obviously not as smooth and airy as the other 2, and with the mod it takes a slight hit, but worth it imo.
There’s also the BQEYZ WIND which is a brighter version of the LM with similar resolution and bass texture, they graph similar but the WIND isn’t as smooth, it has more dynamic contrast with the peaks, adds more sparkle and energy - still a pretty solid if you like a neutral-bright sound, although it is double the price of the LM, so, not the best value wise, and this is where the whole tonality versus diminishing returns thing kicks in. I mean hey, at least it’s not the Aria 2 right? That set is obsolete now, please don’t buy it.
Even though it’s still too early to say since the year has just started, but it’s looking like the LM is probably going to be one of the best value IEMs this year already. No promises since this is Chifi and things change and get replaced fast, but for as for now, the EA500LM is the new value king.
Final Rankings:
Tonality: A+
Tech: A
Overall: A
Thanks for reading 
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Oppity and Drams vibes, plating looks dope tho (reminds me of the Anole VX)
Thanks to @Jaytiss for da loan 
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