Penon - Penon Fan 3 Series
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 19, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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"If you can stretch your budget a bit, Penon Fan 3 is superb at $175, but you need to join the Penon VIP email list at the Penon website and wait a few weeks until you receive a code to get that price, which is 50 percent off. ... I would go for the Fan 3 with the VIP code."
"It's worth every penny"
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"But the imaging is INSANE, as the BCD creates almost a holographic effect. Wide soundstage from BCD, too."
"Fan 3 the width is huge and brings a smile to my face- day this as an audio professional of over 10 years -"
"has a soundstage that I would consider to be above average"
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"Balanced bass, exquisite mids, solid treble extension."
"Penon Fan 3 was goated, one of the best midrange I've heard in terms of musicality/enjoyment."
"It's a surprisingly good all-arounder, but anything that leans on mids and spatial cues is excellent. Acoustic, folk, vocals, strings, jazz, Americana, alt-country, classical."
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"Great bass on that set"
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"But the imaging is INSANE, as the BCD creates almost a holographic effect. Wide soundstage from BCD, too."
Disliked most:
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"Just make sure you tip-roll to get the right fit and seal, as the Fan 3 is a bit of a chonky boy."
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"layering and separation is average when compared to other IEMs in that price range nowadays"
"The timbre isn't completely authentic, mainly due to the BCD. So, if you crave total timbral accuracy, steer clear."
Sure you have yours turned on? Mine were defaulted off when I got mine from Penon.
Gotcha. I thought mine were busted at first and had to check headfi. The markings for the switch were also confusing to me because ON could of meant NO and 1 in binary is ON.
Same issue but solved it with sancai tips. I'm usually a medium size but since the Fan3 is a deep fit they get sancai smalls
Penon Fan 3 was goated, one of the best midrange I've heard in terms of musicality/enjoyment. Maybe less correct sounding than Tanchjim but it's a nice colouration.
i literally have my fan 3s in right now ! one of my favorites for sure, especially at 50% off
For gym id get something like the jabra elite active 75t. You can get them under $100 now and they still sound very good for tws. I have hype 4's, fan 3 and cklvx d62 and they're great, but I throw on my elite 75t when mowing lawn or going out on walks. They have app with eq and they sound pretty great even compared to my wired good iems.
They are definitely worth it and get the PEQ from Ducbloke for the Fan 3 then you will hear their full potential
Soundryme is also released by Penon, they are really good too.
Yeah, thought as much. Its a shame though, as others may not even be aware that these brands exist. ISN H60, EBC80, EST80. Penon Archangel, Voltage, Fan 3 Sound Rhyme DTE900, DTE264, SR10. Earacoustic vsa pm crown. All the above are fantastic iems from those brands, it's a shame that a of people aren't aware of them - as Penon and its sister companies probably give the best bang for buck out of most iem manufacturers (as a whole) excluding the likes of bgvp perhaps. I used to follow Jay a lot, until I saw one Facebook post where he said thst the Unique Melody Maven II wasn't an alrounder... I've personally owned the Maven II in the past, and couldn't understand this at all - every other single review regarding those iems also praised them for their versatility. You got one person saying they're not an alrounder vs at least 30 who say they are 😅 it's going to raise some doubts.. The other was his take on the Annihilator, where he talked down to someone for being a "serious audiophile" basically just wasting their money. Funnily though, I also own the anni 23, and have yet to become across an iem that can deliver treble in such a smooth way as the anni can 😅 I'd love a cheaper iem, but no one to this day has recommended me a cheaper iem that can do what the anni does (yet it being ancient in the iem world) Anyways, enough ranting - I hope people stumble across those brands that aren't talked about as much big the big reviewers.
I agree that burn in isn't a thing but after getting bone conduction iems at first I thought they did nothing when I got my Fan3 until they started getting used for a week or so. At first I thought it was brain burn and getting used to them but I got the DMA two months after and the same thing happened, maybe it is because the drives need to loosen up a little bit but I would say in that case it turned out to be real to me.
Explorer is an EXCELLENT choice. Own and love them. But my favorite under $300 is most definitely the Penon Fan 3. Retails for $350 but can be purchased new for much less with the Penon VIP email code.
Sign up for the email list at the Penon website. Almost certain you'll receive a code for the Fan 3 within a few weeks. Trust me: The discount and the Fan 3 are worth the wait.
Space cable. Balanced bass, exquisite mids, solid treble extension. But the imaging is INSANE, as the BCD creates almost a holographic effect. Wide soundstage from BCD, too. Plus they fit me very, very well. The timbre isn't completely authentic, mainly due to the BCD. So, if you crave total timbral accuracy, steer clear. But the sonic colorization creates an intoxicating sound -- I can't get enough of it! -- that works well with a lot of genres.
Which one did you get, the Explorer or Fan 3? P.S.: I just tested the Airoso. Totally unimpressed. Thin, reedy sound -- I guess that's why "Air" is part of its name. Major letdown, and I'm NOT a basshead.
It can take up to six weeks to receive the code. It's not instant.
Don't know -- am so stoked with sound with BCD on that I never flipped the switch! I bought these solely for the BCD implementation, and they have not disappointed.
You should get a unit with a bone conduction driver (BCD) if you crave wide stage and pinpoint imaging. BCD really brings out those two aspects of sound. If you can stretch your budget a bit, Penon Fan 3 is superb at $175, but you need to join the Penon VIP email list at the Penon website and wait a few weeks until you receive a code to get that price, which is 50 percent off. It will happen; you just need to be patient. The Pula Anvil also is an excellent BCD set for around $199. I own the Fan 3 and have tested the Anvil extensively. Both are lovely, but I would go for the Fan 3 with the VIP code. I'm also testing the KiwiEars Aether now. Very good for a big planar driver. No BCD. It's $135 at Amazon right now. Very nice imaging, but stage isn't huge. Still, balanced sound. Don't sleep on the Kefine Klean (single dynamic driver) or Artti T10 (single planar driver), either. Both have excellent balance and vocal clarity, with solid stage and imaging, at just $50 each. Punch WAY above their weight despite no BCD.
Many of the sub-$100 recommendations in this sub-Reddit are older models that have been superseded by newer stuff. Still plenty of Harman-tuned models being recommended, and that tuning -- while OK -- is as old as grandpa's buckskin rubber. As for improvements being minute over $500, I sort of believed in that line of thinking until I bought the BGVP Astrum, which costs $679 new. It is SIGNIFICANTLY better than my three $350ish benchmarks, the Softears Volume S, Penon Fan 3 and ISN H60.
I've been avidly in the audiophile headphone and IEM game -- not Beats and Sony wireless shit -- for a decade. I know what sounds good and doesn't, and I can tell you the Astrum is SIGNIFICANTLY better than most of my $150-200 sets. I have patiently climbed all the price rungs of the audio ladder with both headphones and IEMs so I can discern the differences in sonic quality at each step. I climb because I want better sound, not so I can show off. Nobody in my family and friends circle gives a fuck about audio, anyways. And if you think the sound quality of an elite set at $679 isn't significantly better than an average set at $200, then you're just practicing reverse placebo psychology to justify your choice not to spend more or mollify your sadness that you can't afford better. That's not a blanket statement. There are some kilobuck sets that sound like ass, especially in a hobby as subjective as this. But I have not found diminishing returns yet with IEMs at $650ish. I'm sure that threshold will come soon. But not yet.
Penon Fan 3. Such unique tuning and holographic stage.
$400 budget for EACH: Softears Volume S: Fantastic meta-tuned all-arounder hybrid. $329. Hisenior Cano Cristales: Excellent bass tone and texture without it killing the mids. $399. Kiwi Ears Aether: Best planar under $200. $169. Penon Fan 3: Everyone needs some of that bone conduction special sauce and smooth Penon mids. $349. $400 budget TOTAL: AFUL Explorer: Great mid-bass and mids. Not enough treble extension but a killer chill listen. $99. Artti T10: Best IEM I’ve heard at sub-$100, regardless of driver type. $51. AFUL MagicOne: A single-BA with bass! Yes, it’s possible. Sublime mids. Treble can be a bit metallic. $89. DITA Prelude: Insanely good budget single DD that punches well above its price. Comes with a cool dongle, too. $159.
Definitely use the code for the Fan3. Do not pay full price for those.
My opinions and experience with various budget "bone conduction" iems. CVJ konoka = Tuned for gaming, not good for gaming or music. KB02 = Trash can water. Needs volume, but it sounds like shit to me. But there are so many people that like it so it may work for you. Penon Fan3 = Good iem with subtle texture to sound and stage. Negligible vibration or extremely tip dependant. Kiwi Ears Etude = Another good and fun iem with vibration you can feel. It would be my choice for a starting point. BGVP DMA = Amazing iem with the best overall implementation of bone conduction imo. It has helped convince me to get the ISN Audio EBC80. If the BGVP Astrum had the sonion bcd included, I would get that instead. Once again, these are my opinions, and I would have went after the Anvil if I didn't get the DMA instead. The KB03 has gotten panned from most reviews I've seen. They say to stick with the 02.
