1More Penta P50 review: quite the earful

Introduction

Whereas the remainder of the world appears pleased to ditch cables in favour of Bluetooth listening, the vocal audiophile contingent says you continue to can’t beat wired headphones for sound high quality. Most are pleased to spend severe money on their cans in pursuit of sonic perfection, however what in the event you’re on a tighter finances? That’s the place the 1More Penta P50 is available in.

This innocuous-looking in-ears really pack a whopping 5 drivers every, and but will solely set you again slightly more money than single-driver rivals just like the Sennheiser IE200. In addition they enhance on 1More’s earlier high-end efforts with replaceable cables and a bundled USB adaptor, so trendy telephone homeowners can nonetheless get in on the motion.

1More has a historical past of nice worth headphones. Is that this yet one more so as to add to the listing?

Design & construct: discover your match

The Penta P50 is a break from the norm for 1More. Its earlier multi-driver in-ears used a conventional, hang-down earbud design, which isn’t all the time nice for weight distribution – particularly in case your lugs are on the small aspect. Right here you get an over-ear design, the place the cable retains the ‘bud in place even if you’re on the transfer, and it’s by no means dragged misplaced by its personal weight..

They’re deceptively small, given the variety of drivers squeezed inside; the earpiece slots comfortably into your ear canal and the principle physique sits flush along with your outer ear. We might fortunately put on them for hours with out listening fatigue. The ear hooks aren’t a difficulty for glasses-wearers, both, and the ear ideas present a large amount of passive isolation from exterior noise.

Every bud is machined from aluminium, with a transparent finish cap prominently displaying the 1More brand. We just like the delicate glitter impact, which is meant to imitate stars within the night time sky. It’s a disgrace the cable’s plastic MCXX connectors aren’t an ideal color match to the buds, however you’d need to pay very shut consideration to noice the distinction.

Options: the total bundle

Wired headphones don’t have flaky Bluetooth codecs or flat batteries to cope with – however a dodgy cable will be simply as irksome. That’s why it’s nice to see 1More use MCXX connectors right here, letting you substitute the bundled 1.25m cable ought to it ever break. It’s manufactured from silver-plated, oxygen-free copper (par for the course with excessive grade headphone cables), wrapped in sturdy rubber.

We’d have most well-liked a braided cable, which doesn’t desk so simply, though the harmonics (that rustling you hear when the cable rubs towards your garments) are fairly good total. It ends in a 90-degree jack, which must be extra sturdy than a straight one, although it might sit at an odd angle in your pocket relying on what you plug it into.

The three button in-line distant is a welcome addition, letting you play/pause, skip tracks and regulate quantity with out reaching to your system, nevertheless it sits very excessive up the cable. That’s helpful for the built-in mic, which doesn’t have the wind discount cleverness seen on most true wi-fi ‘buds and ensures your voice stays clear when making calls, however means weight is slightly unbalanced between every ear.

1More would possibly main on worth, however the Penta P50 doesn’t skimp on equipment. There are 4 units of rubber ear ideas and three pairs foam ones, in quite a lot of sizes, plus an ultra-slim USB-C to three.5mm adapter thrown in for good measure. 1More doesn’t say what DAC it makes use of, and discerning audiophiles will in all probability need to swap it for a extra premium various just like the Atell & Kern AK HC3; nonetheless, it’s helpful for hooking into smartphones that don’t have any headphone port. Apple customers nonetheless want their very own Lightning adapter, although.

There’s additionally a fabric carry pouch within the field, for maintaining the earphones protected whereas in your travels. The fabric feels low cost, although, and it doesn’t present as a lot safety as a tough case would possibly.

Sound high quality: element oriented

Every Penta P50 earbud comprises a single dynamic driver, made utilizing diamond-like carbon (DLC) for added power and floor stress, and 4 planar models. Not less than, in line with 1More they do; the drivers proven in exploded diagrams on the agency’s web site look loads like balanced armatures. Nonetheless, they cowl a large 20Hz-40kHz frequency vary that’ll do justice to Hello-Res Audio information, and must be drivable by just about any system with a 3.5mm headphone port, due to a low 32 ohms sensitivity.

Feed it a Tidal Masters recording or lossless FLAC file and the Penta P50 delivers a really competent efficiency certainly. There’s nice steadiness throughout your entire frequency vary; mids and vocals are concise, with actual heat and loads of element, and the high-end has good readability with out ever sounding too sharp.

Low-end management is very spectacular, with depth to the bass and sub-bass we not often encounter at this value. We encountered layers in James Blake’s energetic Inform me that aren’t perceptible on cheaper earphones. Supply largely stayed composed, even throughout extra frantic tracks.

Are they going to outsing the very best multi-driver efforts from Shure, Sennheiser and the like? No, we don’t really feel there’s sufficient precision right here for that, and the extra dynamic tuning gained’t please audiophiles wanting a impartial presentation. There’s a component of enjoyable right here, with barely boosted bass, you gained’t discover on these pricier fashions. We will’t fault the expansive soundstage, although. There’s an actual sense of being surrounded by your songs, somewhat than being tightly constricted by every instrument.

1More Penta P50 verdict

Extra drivers don’t all the time equal higher sound, however there’s no denying the Penta P50’s audio association does a stand-up job. They gained’t set you again a complete lot greater than entry-level IEMs just like the Sennheiser IE200, but they ship an expansive soundstage, a large and well-balanced frequency vary, and loads of dynamism. They’re additionally brilliantly snug, and replaceable cables ought to imply they’ve an extended lifespan than earlier 1More fashions.

Construct and supplies high quality are first rate sufficient for the cash, with a beneficiant accent bundle that hits a lot of the proper notes. Positive, they lack the comfort of true wi-fi earbuds, however in the event you’re on a finances these are a unbelievable wired alternative. You possibly can additionally spend much less with lesser-known wired IEM manufacturers working out of the Far East, however few can be as nuanced and interesting as this.

1More Penta P50 technical specs