Penon Globe is a well-known IEM of 2024. We will review Penon Globe 2. For under $350, the Penon Globe is a hybrid IEM that uses 10mm dynamic drivers for the bass, a Sonion balanced armature for the midrange, and a Knowles BA for the treble. Entering the very competitive mid-tier market, let’s see if the Globe is truly worth it.
Reason to buy:
- Balanced tone with rich bass
- Wide and high soundstage
- Thick and natural mead
- Good note weight
- Cohesive driver implementation
- Comes with a balanced cable
Reason to find an alternative:
- Average technical performance
- Lack of air
- Not good for complex busy tracks
Penon Globe IEM Review 2024
Design
The capsules are made of medical-grade resin. Dark but slightly translucent. Their shape is semi-custom, stylized on the outside, shaped like the African continent but thinner in the southern part.
The capsule’s profile is thick, with vents on the short side protected by a white grille. The inside is smooth and has a subtle shape that matches the edge of the ear.
The mouthpiece is short and has a slight groove at the bottom to separate it from the inside.
There are two holes on the flat end for sound to come out. The connection is 2Pin 0.78mm gold plated and fully integrated into the capsule.
The outside has a pattern of different bright colors, and the inside looks as if it has glitter mixed with black droplets. The right capsule has Globe written in gold and capital letters, and the left capsule has Penon written on it.
The cable consists of 8 SPC strands. The connector sleeve is irregularly cylindrical, with a tapered output end and a rounded center.
It is silver, and metallic and has a legible brand logo in white letters. The splitter pieces are smaller, cylindrical with beveled ends and a rounded center. It has the same configuration as the connector.
The pin is a hard, clear plastic ball with a hole in the center. The gold-plated two-pin connector is mounted on two cylinders that match the rest of the metal part of the cable, but this time is more regular and sleeker.
White R and L letters are legible to distinguish channels. The semi-rigid plastic ears have guides.
Despite its high thickness, the capsule is of average size. The weight is ultra-light, and the exterior pattern is subtle, elegant, comfortable, and eye-catching. It catches the eye in just the right place for understated beauty.
Isolation
The Penon Globe features a black medical-grade resin shell with colorful glitter on the faceplate that changes depending on light and direction.
The shell is larger than the orb, but this growth in size is reflected in depth, while the globe is somewhat smaller but has greater depth.
Like the Orb, this means the globe sticks out from your ear so you can forget about sleeping on your side.
If you’re a low-volume listener like me, this won’t be an issue in most real-world situations when playing music, except in noisy environments.
The Globe is a very comfortable IEM to wear with an average insertion depth and is so light that you quickly forget about it and it disappears from your ears.
The Globe features a 2-pin socket and comes with a small gauge 8-wire cable, which in my case is the 2.5 balanced version, but the Globe comes with a 3.5 cable unless you choose another option.
The cable is flexible and has good ergonomics.
Sound
Upon first listen (after proper burn-in), the Globe is clearly the older brother of the Orb, which retains the original formula of “a fun IEM built on a solid technological foundation”
but with a few twists. Bass suggests that the Orb and the Globe still have more to offer. This is where we have something in common.
Powerful and physical yet controlled and refined bass. The mids are cleaner and more transparent with the same smooth delivery.
The treble is slightly less energetic but more refined, and the overall balance of the treble is different with more emphasis on the higher notes.
It supports a bit more stages in all dimensions compared to the Orb, but the Globe also resolves better with better imaging.
Base
The bass is definitely the Globe’s standout feature and is just as impressive as its smaller sibling. It’s a powerful bass, yet maintains a rare balance of power, control, punch, and rich texture.
The sub-bass extends well with good resonance and has a welcome physicality and presence that fits my ears just right. I want to have enough sub-bass to feel it, but not so much that it obscures the main message.
I had a hard time picking the difference between the Orb and the Globe and that’s good news for me.
Like the Orb, the mids are well balanced in terms of presence with the sub-bass, with no leaning towards either side. The bass line is strong and has a beautiful texture.
The hypnotic drums of Fink’s “Resurgam” or Ayo’s “Throw itaway” have tremendous power and control, and Globe clearly has tremendous authority.
In my Orb review in the bass section, I wrote, “I hope Penon keeps the recipe for future IEMs because it’s truly something special!!!” The Globe certainly followed suit there and I expected nothing less.
Mid
The Globe mids are not as full-bodied as the Orb, but they are more transparent and clear, with better separation.
It has the same attractive, lively midrange as the Orb, but with a more fluid and precise tone. Not only the instruments but also the vocals sound good.
The mid-bass has a good presence but is more balanced than full-bodied like the Orb. This makes the Globe sound more open. The device separation is very good and the image is more accurate.
I found the midrange to be a little less forward than the Orb, the vocal presentation to be a little more distant from the stage, and the instruments to have a little less bite.
This makes sense because an overall more balanced midrange provides a cleaner, more open sound. Globe is better balanced than her younger brother and has more powerful skills but slightly less body and energy.
I love that Penon gives us both flavors.
The male vocals are less powerful and gritty than the Orb, but more faithful and contain more detail. Likewise, the female vocals are not as sweet, but still north of neutral, making them clearer and more emotional overall.
Treble
In the treble region, the Globe has the opposite slope. Where the Orb is slightly tilted toward the lower treble, the Globe has an upward treble tilt that provides more air and pulls in more resolution and better imaging than the Orb.
The lower treble energy is slightly less than the Orb, so I think it’s more energetic but safer for those sensitive to treble sounds.
Globe has good energy but is not as energetic as his brother. Electric guitars have a good but slightly less satisfying buzz.
On the contrary, this makes the Globe less tiring to my ears, but don’t read that the Globe is boring because it’s not as energetic as its little brother.
The Globe is a more resolving IEM that can handle complex tracks with large ensembles much better.
Soundstage
One of the outstanding characteristics of the landscape reproduction that the Penon Globe produces is the space it occupies. The image is large, oval, dense, and has a pronounced three-dimensional volume.
The sound has good width and height and depth, but is a little too forward, with great balance and individual excellence between the three bands. This means that the soundstage is elliptical with no apparent depth.
Another reason is that the limitation of air prevents the reproduction from becoming more subtle or vulgar and makes it look more solid, organic, and analogous.
Fine details aren’t entirely clear, and despite the abundance of nuance, separation isn’t that clear.
The great musicianship and softness of the ensemble produce a euphonic sound with a more subtle and sustained glow, avoiding a more separated, clear, and high-resolution sound.
The background is not revealed explicitly, and silence is not cut with a knife. Perhaps this is the other side of the coin – a warm, musical, and downright passionate sound.
Conclusion
Overall the bass is rich, full, wide, deep, physical yet expressive. Dedicated to those who love bass. The midrange should fall into the lap of what I would call a Penon sound.
With its warm, euphonic range, the IEMS can seem a little more subdued, with more exciting mid-highs. But in fact, it is like lighting up the sunset, the best light of the day, the best atmosphere to enjoy music, the light of the soul, the light of romanticism and passion.
Also read: Oriveti OV800 IEM Review 2024