I love the physicality of the Archangel, but I feel like the midrange lacks some of the weight and emotional impact I expected. The bass and the treble are top notch, and extremely satisfying to listen to so I'm keeping the pair. I did some research and found the QOA misty blue which seems to cover what I feel the Archangel lacks, while having a significant discount on aliexpress because of the anniversary sale.
Truthear zero blue 2. Well, I don’t really regret it because they were my first IEMs, but in hindsight I would have preferred getting a cheaper pair for that purpose since I have the Penon Archangel now and I don’t have a use for the blue 2 anymore.
I've only tried the Archangel and I'm definitely not an expert, but I would call it full, rich, energetic and clear. I have a sensitivity to shouty mids and harsh treble. That issue is non-existent on the archangel.
The kids and treble are just about perfect for my ear. Bass is definitely boomy, especially with the bass switch on. One of my favorite things about them is how well they take EQ.
DAC/AMP - Topping DX5II
IEM - Penon Audio Archangel with EA Cadmus II cable
Headphones - DCA Noire X
DAP/Portable combo - Chord Mojo 2+ Poly
I am sort of set for 2026 unless something mind blowing comes out. Focusing more on speakers this year.
https://preview.redd.it/6zui0ppecrag1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b11298c55d620fd0ab68544f359e8b20d9dff59
I’ve tried both Thieaudio Origin and RSV MK2, and I highly prefer RSV MK2. Origin is really disjointed sounding, and the bass at times feels like it loses control in a bad way. It sounds blurry and messy. Yes, RSV MK2 is not a “true” basshead set, but it has incredible slam and a really satisfying and natural tonality to its sound. I highly recommend tip rolling with it. I ended up settling on Tri Clarion eartips but I think it’s worth trying any sort of wide bore eartips.
I’ve also tried Penon Archangel, which arguably has “faster” bass due to it having 2 BCD and 2 DD drivers, but I still prefer RSV MK2’s midrange presentation and tonality. Archangel could be the better pick however if you are less sensitive to timbre presentation and/or you want cleaner and harder hitting subbass.
First, I think RSV MK2 and Archangel is pretty close in term of bass response, Archangel just have more energy up top and the Vent just leak some sound so there's report that the Archangel behave like Open-Back headphone.
Usually, Balance Armature have different kind of how the bass feel than Dynamic Driver, like the BA will fill more snappy and less rumbly, But RSV Mk2 Do pretty good job by making BA bass have a rumble effect like DD. To me anyways, Each ear perceive sound different.
Yeah Niche brand will always have disadvantage of less people have them on hand to compare.
From what I've seen, Yu9 Que, are more Neutral bright kind of signature rather than Mid bass warm kind, They have some bass for sure but surely less than Volume S.
Just butting in, but as a fellow Archangel owner I'd say that the treble detail and sparkle is more than plenty for me.
You get a good amount of it, with cymbals and hi-hats retaining a good amount of extension and bite when needed, while not really feeling harsh or too artificial.
For reference I find the Tea Pro's upper treble feels a bit more forced and not really smooth compared to the Archangel.
There's tuning switches, too, if you prefer to have more treble or bass.
Btw if you plan on buying it, the set really benefits from a deep and flush fit so the BCDs get good contact and the treble doesn't become harsh. You may or may not need to tip roll and cable roll for ergonomics and fit.
Oh yeah, this is definitely a problem I wrestled with as well, u/higherdotedu can attest.
I think the vent is for the rear of the dual DDs so there's no direct full venting.
Penon has offered to fix it if I send it back to them, but I haven't taken them up on the offer yet.
Give them a contact and see if they'll allow it.
Outside of that there's a few things you can do. For trying other tips, I'd recommend Tanchjim T-APB tips and Tanzu Sonic HE as well if you haven't tried them yet.
I was also recommended Eletech Baroque by another Archangel user, but I've yet to invest that much into 1 pair of eartips.
The biggest thing that helped me was actually swapping cables to a lighter one.
Turns out the Cadmus II cable was putting an odd weight on the IEM and made it hard to insert fully without feeling a ton of ear pressure.
I swapped to a more plasticky NiceHCK cable and it made insertion much easier. Pressure over time didn't build up as much either.
No problem!
The Archangel definitely will still have a bit of pressure even after getting a flush fit, so don't worry too much about it. The only issue is if they have a suction cup effect on deep insertion or if the bass sounds imbalanced, which can be mitigated with insertion technique. Btw how are you seating your eartips on the Archangel's nozzle? I found that pressure didn't really build up too much if I pulled it down enough to cover the cylindrical shaft entirely.
You want the nozzle tip to sit a couple millimeters from the eartip's outlet though.
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Budget gaming pick, but poor cables and polarizing bass.
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