By Nick Smith, 7th May 2024
Let’s talk about fetishes.
No, I’m not admitting to owning a waifu pillow… at least not yet. I mean audio fetishes, one of mine in particular being the benefits of solder joints vs friction-fit connections.
My audio pals are sick of me saying it, but I don’t like friction-fit modular plugs or ConX type connectors.
Why? Because to my ears they sound worse than a solder joint in the same spot, and I know many audiophiles who agree. We’ve lacked hard data to validate our findings because everything’s frustratingly subjective in this hobby, but at last a perfect test case has arrived.
Penon sent me their new ASOS+ cable in exchange for my thoughts which uses identical wire to the ASOS I reviewed (8 wires of 25AWG OCC copper litz & SPC) so only the connectors are different.
ASOS+ has a fixed “Purple Copper” 4.4mm plug, whereas ASOS uses a modular friction-fit 4.4mm plug.
Same wire, different connectors. Do they perform any different though?
Packaging
The USD $215 Penon ASOS+ arrives in a smallish cardboard box, inside is a medium-sized fabric carry case & leather cable holder.
The ASOS+ is available in your choice of 4.4mm or 3.5mm termination with 2pin connectors, interestingly there’s no MMCX or modular-plug options. Instead, both the plug & 2pin connectors are high-end “Purple Copper” variants which apparently utilise palladium-plated copper.
You can also order the cable with or without clear heatshrink earhooks, which is a nice choice to have.
Ergonomics & Build Quality
ASOS+ is supple by 8 wire cable standards thanks to its’ soft PVC insulation, so stiffness isn’t an issue. However at 53 grams this is a fairly chunky cable you’ll notice more than slender 4 wire alternatives.
By larger cable standards ASOS+’s ergonomics are quite good, I do find the no-earhook version slightly more comfortable despite heatshrinked earhooks being the norm for larger cables.
The carbon-fiber “purple copper” plug, y-split & 2pin connectors are finished attractively, being fairly minimalist but with just enough bling to look premium.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging, Ergonomics & Build Quality
Page 2 – Sound Impressions & IEM Comparisons
Page 3 – Cable Comparisons
Page 4 – Conclusion
Nice one, have you tried ISN Audio T-OCC cable? I wonder how would it fit in
Ant I can’t say I’ve tried the T-OCC yet, so not sure how it compares. I will be reviewing Penon’s Renata soonish which seems to have a similar form factor.