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ISN H20 : A Bassy, Energetic Hybrid With Plenty of Character

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Penon UNIQ : A Single-DD Built for the Love of Music

  Pros:  • Fun, musical tuning with excellent bass physicality • Deep, controlled subbass with punchy midbass • Warm, natural and textured midrange • Energetic but smooth and extended treble • Good soundstage, imaging and layering • Impressive technical performance for a single DD • Natural timbre and strong dynamics • Easy to drive • Excellent build quality, fit and stock accessories • Very cohesive and engaging presentation Cons:  • Bass-heavy tuning won't suit those looking for strict neutrality • Warmth can slightly soften overall clarity compared with brighter/reference sets • Treble is smooth rather than highly incisive or analytical I had just finished pulling a perfect shot of espresso when an unexpected mail call arrived. And this was a good one. Inside was the Penon UNIQ, and my first reaction was pretty simple: this thing looks seriously good. I wasn't expecting the UNIQ to have quite this much presence in person. Photos don't really do the shell justice. The c...

FiiO JadeAudio JT9: A proper Evolution of the JT7

  Pros:  • Warm, natural and highly musical tuning • Deep, clean sub-bass for an open-back planar • Fast, punchy and well-textured mid-bass • Excellent note weight and vocal realism • Strong resolution, dynamics and transient response • Easier to drive • Scales well with a powerful amplifier like the GIGAS 1 • Comfortable and practical foldable design • Includes 4.4 mm balanced cable and hard carrying case Cons:  • Warm tuning may not suit listeners looking for a strictly neutral or analytical presentation The new FiiO JadeAudio JT9 immediately caught my attention because, at first glance, it feels like an evolutionary continuation of one of my favorite fun planar headphones, the original JT7. I've always had a soft spot for the JT7. It has a warm, natural presentation that makes it easy to listen to for hours, but it still retains the speed, transient response and general technical behavior I enjoy from a planar magnetic driver. What really made it stand out to me, thoug...