This is Penon’s first graphene silver-plated copper cable. The Penon OSG caused a stir on the IEM forum. Perhaps its long-term success was due to three things.
First, it has a special sound. Now the sound is completely natural and remains true to the source and IEM, except for some recovery characteristics.
Second, the overall ergonomics are profound. That means there are plenty of cables out there that sound great but require an excuse as to why they’re difficult to use.
Because it’s stiff or thick. It’s just inconvenient for everyday use. You know us as audiophiles, but we go to great lengths to add sonic benefits to everyday listening.
Third, OSG is actually a value. I did some comparisons and the OSG delivers on both build and sound quality. This simply shows that Penon offers a practical cable that delivers on many fronts.
Penon OSG IEM Cable Review
Build of Penon OSG
OSG is a four-strand cable, with each strand packing over 71 cores. The braiding is perfect both before and after the Y split and the OSG cable looks very premium and sturdy.
The carbon fiber metal splitter and sliders look sleek and everything is perfectly adjusted. The terminations are rhodium-plated and in my case are 4.4.
Penon OSG IEM Cable Comfort
The OSG has excellent ergonomics and no microphone. I like the color-coded 2-pin connectors. This is something that annoys me with too many cables having to look for little L/R markings with poor contrast
OSG also has color-coded rings on the carbon portion of the connector. The OSG doesn’t pull down on the IEM while moving and it’s not a heavy cable that’s good for moving around.
There are no pre-made ear hooks, so you’ll need to use sliders to hold the cable in place.
This is where I’m a bit frustrated with OSG. It may happen that the slider becomes loose during movement and needs to be readjusted.
I would have liked a slightly stiffer slider there. Other than that, the OSG is quickly forgotten and very comfortable.
Penon OSG Cable Sound
Penon OSG Cable is a very interesting cable because it has a very linear profile and is fairly neutral across the frequency range.
No matter which IEM I plugged in, the OSG stayed true to its character, so it’s not an “analog EQ”.
It doesn’t expand the soundstage or make it smaller as some cables do, but I found it improved image quality. So does that mean OSG doesn’t affect the sound? Absolutely not!
Firstly, it features an impressive jet-black background that definitely enhances note contrast. Basically, all the IEMs I’ve plugged in have a more focused and better resolution sound, as we’ll see.
Second, it significantly enhances the bass presentation, bringing more control and punch to the table. Third, it provides the most accurate tone that an IEM can produce.
Based on OSG IEM
Not since the Dunu Hulk have I heard a cable that can boost the bass so much. In fact, after some A/B, OSG goes further because it is very neutral in frequency response.
The OSG doesn’t add bass presence, it just makes it much tighter with excellent control, which coincidentally combined with the black background and sharper attack and faster decay gives a better perception of speed.
As you can see in the pairing section, this makes a difference to the overall presentation of my IEMs.
OSG Cable Mid
The OSG didn’t affect the midrange frequencies by bringing them down somewhat (or slightly so), but the exception was that the blacker background helped separate the instruments with greater contrast.
OSG also offers the best tonal accuracy of any cable, leaving only the tone color applied to the IEM itself.
Lastly, I found that the OSG provided more energy and speed with a sharper attack and note decay.
The treble of Penon OSG IEM Cable
The OSG is very consistent and doesn’t color the treble or add/remove presence to the lower or upper treble sections.
However, the black background complemented the greater note contrast, and I felt there was slightly more energy in the lower treble and better delineation in the upper treble, making the OSG a marine cable.
Conclusion
The Penon OSG cable experience was a personal journey. What started out as a way to add clarity to bass-heavy IEMs ended up introducing new magic that cable can do.
OSG cables provide a sophisticated yet subtle aftertaste the more you learn to understand what is going on, the more noticeable it becomes.
Ergonomically, the OSG positions itself much better than many cables that cost $100 or $500 more.
The fact that they are not extreme in size and mobility, that they are flexible and move easily, and that they are never argumentative or hostile.
There is no cable noise and the OSG does not try to pull on the inserted IEM. But most of all the attributes that will endear you to it focus on the smooth relocation and glorious clarity/speed that OSG offers to its users.
None of these changes are strange or even sonic mishaps, but they are welcome differences that result in you never wanting to take the IEMs out of your ears.
Also read: Best IEM Cables of 2024