Just like some other Chinese stores penon had also jumped into the IEM market a few years ago but their recently launched ORB has been making plenty of waves in the audiophile market. After the success of the Sphere which was received well both critically and commercially they had to up the ante and added an extra dynamic driver to a full range BA driver.
The Penon ORB has only one color option, clear and is priced at $259. It faces tough competition from DM7, DK2001 and ISN H40. Let’s find out what is so special about this piece of earphone.
Get one for yourself from here:
https://penonaudio.com/penon-orb.html
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:-
The ORB comes with a small but aptly spacious looking box. Most of the accessories are placed inside the Blue colored carry case, which is slightly on the bigger side with room for an extra cable or even a DAP with small pouches for I think adapters or ear tips. The case is made out of semi hard material but still can withstand plenty of beating and rough handling. The earphone, cable and all the tips are placed inside the carry case. There are few things placed under the case too.
There is small and soft velvet pouch if you just want to carry the earphones. A cleaning tool along with a cable clip is placed inside it. Another interesting thing is a small pouch to carry some extra accessories, it can’t hold cables so I assume it is for tips.
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE:-
Just like most of the earphones in this price range the ORB too uses medical grade resin material as the shell which eliminates any type of irritation. The shell is not exactly semicustom type as it lacks a concha wing for better traction and grip inside the ear. Thanks to lack of higher number of drivers the shell is marginally smaller than the DM7 but the DK2001 is even smaller. The ORB has a basic type of driver setup and only has two bores design and thanks to that the nozzle is not big and can fit anything from T200 to T400 size tips without much problem. Some might find the nozzle to be on the shorter side but it is perfect for most of us and provides plenty of isolation with right tips.
The build is sturdy. Don’t put brute force on it and it will survive without any problem. It might not survive drops on marble or concrete floors either. Thanks to the resin material and lesser number of drivers the ORB is very light and stay comfortably inside the ear without falling out.
HOW IS THE CABLE:-
The ORB ships with an audiophile grade SPC cable with total of 8 cores braided fairly loosely without having any memory problem. The cables are really supple, suppler than any other cables in this price bracket. It has a more premium feel than the TSMR 4 and AF180 mk2 cables. It complements the ORB aesthetically.
The cable guides are very supple, holds the ear nicely and don’t exert much pressure on the ear. The cable splitter has a low profile. The cable slider or chin slider is neither very loose nor very tight and slides smoothly on the cable. The straight 3.5mm is very light and feels solid to the hand. This cable barely has any microphonics to worry about.
