The BS1, a Gentleman in the World of Earbuds

 

 

Introduction:

Penon Audio is well known in the Audiophile World as retailer of various Hi-Fi equipments, and this is the first earbud of this company. The Penon BS1 that I will review is not the final product; it is the experience version of the upcoming Official Version that will be the flagship of this company.

The Peon BS1 Experience Version costs 39,00 USD

Here is the purchase link: Penon BS1 Expierence Version

I will mention the Penon BS1 Experience Version in my review in short Penon BS1 or BS1.

PS: Penon Audio indents to deduct this 39,00 USD to the one who bought already the Experience Version and would like to buy the BS1 Official Version.

 

Disclaimer:

First of all, I would like to thank Penon Audio for sending me this pair of Penon Audio BS1 Experience Version as gift with some other purchased items.

I found this earbud so good that I have decided to write a review and share it with my honest opinion.

 

Package and Accessories:

The Penon BS1 comes in a small blue card box.

This card box includes the following contents;

• 1 pcs Penon BS1
• 1 pcs. of hard case
• 2 bags with various sets of foam tips
• 1 pair of ear hook
• 1 pcs. of shirt clips
• 1 pcs of Penon Velcro Strap

The case provided has some storage bags for your earbud foams that I find very useful!

Design, Fit and Build Quality:

The Peonon BS1 comes in a mat black color with a different design than regular Chi-Fi earbud. It doesn’t looks impressive like my Rose Masya or the Ourart Ti7 but has a minimalistic nice curved design.

The build quality looks and feels good and it should last longer then regular budget earbuds. The cable of the BS1 is one of the best I have ever seen in this price category. The silver plated OFC (oxygen free cooper) copper cable is protected with a transparent PVC coating that has nice finish and feel.

The Y-Splitter and straight styled 3.5mm plug is made of metal (looks like aluminum) and has a black finish. The 3.5mm headphone plug is an SE (single ended) TRS plug that has a gold plated finish.

The fit of the Penon BS1 is pretty good. I like the way it holds in my ears; quit comfortable and ideal for long listening periods. I prefer the BS1 design over the outdated shell of the classic Sennheiser MX500. The BS1 is also a good option for people who listen to music while sleeping.

I did notice only a very low amount of microphonics due this review that should not be a big issue.

Technical Specifications:

• Driver Config: Single Dynamic Driver
• Driver Diameter: 15.4mm Ø
• Frequency response: 15Hz – 25KHz
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity: 114dB
• Cable length: 1.2m
• Plug: 3.5mm

Drivability:

The Penon BS1 has an impedance of 32 ohm, so that it is easy to drive from almost any source (phone, ipod etc.)

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – Up Close “Album” (DSF) – Binaural Recording
• Dire Straits – Money For Nothing (DSF)
• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (DSF)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Norah Johns – Sunrise (DSF)
• Dr. Chesky’s Binaural Album (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Metallica – The Black Album (Flac 24bit/96Hz)
• Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• Melody Gardot – Who Will Comfort Me (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• Daft Punk – Get Lucky (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard – A Watchful Guardian (Flac 16bit/44kHz)
• Céline Dion – The Power of Love (Flac 16bit/44kHz)

Sources used for this review:

Erabud : Penon BS1 Expirence Version
DAP/DAC : Chord Mojo, Aune M2 ProSmart Player (aka Yin Lu Mei) D200+, Zishan Z2, Ipad Air2

The Sound:

This review is written after an intensive burn-in process of +120 hours. I have used the stock provided full foams due this review.

Tonality:

The Penon BS1 is a relative bright sounding earbud. It sounds clear, crisp and balanced. The Penon BS1 is one of the most engaging earbuds in my collection.

Bass:

First of all please note that the BS1 is not a bass oriented earbud. It’s not bass light but the tuning is not very ideal for bass demanding genres like Electronic, Hip-Hop etc. But it has the right amount for genres like Classic, Jazz, Blues and Rock music. I loved the way guitar sounds in Otto Liebert and Luna Negra’s song “The River”. My only complain could come to the bass extension that is not really bad for this price point.

I would only wish that the BS1 had more bass presence around the 250Hz band to add more warmth to the music that would also not affect the overall definition.

Because of this I would recommend to use warm sources like the Chor Mojo and Aune M2 Pro that can add the missing warmth to this earbud.

PS: Penon Audio has informed me that they will solve the missing fullness and warmth in the bass section, especially around the 250 Hz region.

Mids:

One of the best parts of the BS1 is the mid section. It sounds clean, clear and detailed and has also a nice texture. Male vocals sound superb, but the Penon BS1 truly shines with female vocals like Melody Gardot or Diana Krall, especially while pairing with my new favorite DAP the Aune M2 Pro.

The Penon BS1 has a decent instrument separation that I highly regard. I didn’t hear any noticeable interference problems, even in very complex passages with lots of instruments like classical music.

There is a small amount of stress in the upper mid region (2 – 4 kHz) that is in a tolerable level. I would advice again to pair the BS1 with a full bodied and warm source to hear its true potential.

Treble:

As mentioned before, the BS1 is a relative bright sounding earbud with an airy and detailed presentation. The treble region is well controlled and doesn’t sound aggressive or ear-piercing. I didn’t hear any noticeable sibilance while listening to one of my favorite female voices Céline Dion on the track “The Power of Love”.

The upper treble has a slightly boost (around 4 kHz) that gives the BS1 an overall clarity and a good definition.

The upper treble region (around 8 – 12 kHz) gives the Penon BS1 a really nice Hi-Fi sound signature.

In short; the BS1 is a fatiguing free earbud with a smooth treble presence for that I would always recommend to use a warm source due its slightly bright presentation.

Soundstage:

The Penon BS1 has a really good soundstage. It is expansive; especially the width of the soundstage is one of the best I have heard from an earbud in this price category. The depth of the soundstage is also good but not as impressive like the width that I mentioned before.

Final thoughts:

The Penon BS1 Experience Version gives us a good idea for the upcoming final product. It is a very promising earbud for the price and I think that the Penon BS1 “Final Version” will be a great bang for the buck.

Pros and Cons:
+ Clear, Crisp and balanced sound
+ Good build quality
+ Great fit

– Missing some fullness and warmth in the 250 HZ region