By Nick Smith, 1st September 2024
In a world of consumerism pushing us towards our next purchase… is more always better?
SUVs dominate our highways & McMansions dot the landscape – the world encourages us to believe bigger is better, but is it?
Well yeah, it is. At least in the world of audio.
Bigger amps & drivers create bigger bass, bigger portable players perform better and bigger pricetags often buy better sound… but how about cables?
Earlier this year I had the crazy idea after reviewing Penon’s 8 wire ASOS+ cable of asking them if building a 12 wire version was possible, not expecting anything to come of it…
To my surprise & delight Penon built a 12W prototype and sent it to me! Based partly on my positive feedback they’ve now released a retail version, which they supplied in exchange for my thoughts – this is the cable I’m reviewing today.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Penon ASOS+X is that it is H-U-G-E. It makes nearly every other cable look inferior, but does it also make them sound inferior?
This review’s gonna be BIG!
Packaging
The USD $319 Penon ASOS+X arrives in a small cardboard box, inside is a decently-sized fabric carry case, a leather cable organiser, leather shirt clip and the cable itself.
It’s a fairly spartan package given the cable’s considerable cost, but at least the majority of one’s purchase price has gone towards the cable itself.
The carry case is larger than those Penon usually include with their cables due to ASOS+X’s massive size – if the case were any smaller the cable with IEMs attached simply wouldn’t fit.
Case quality isn’t amazing but does the job, I like that its quite flat to help it slide into a pocket easier.
Ergonomics & Build Quality
At 72 grams ASOS+X isn’t the absolute heaviest IEM cable I’ve used but it’s right up there!
This isn’t a cable you’re going to forget you’re using unless you’re seated at a desk or lying in bed, where most of the weight is supported. If you’re walking around then ASOS+X is still perfectly usable, but you’re going to feel the weight through the earhooks more than most other cables.
The good news is ASOS+X is incredibly flexible – far more than you might assume by looking at photos. This aids comfort greatly, which makes the cable much more pleasantly usable than I’d have guessed a 12 wire behemoth of this size ever could be.
The hardware looks like its made from aluminium with a mixture of brushed & polished finishes that reminds me of fancy watch bezels, it’s a fairly distinctive look but thankfully not too glitzy.
So how usable is it? Tough for me to say given how much individual comfort preferences vary.
Put it this way – if you already use big, heavy 8 wire cables then yes ASOS+X will be slightly beefier but the difference will be fairly minor and maybe less than you imagine. Whereas if you’re still using thin 4 wire cables.. ASOS+X will probably be a real shock to the system.
That said, I’d much rather use a heavy but very flexible cable like ASOS+X than a stiff cable like EA’s Code 23 or even more-recent Code 24. Sitting down with my desk supporting the weight I barely notice ASOS+X, but if I were walking around for hours I’d probably choose a lighter cable.
One thing I do recommend is purchasing the ASOS+X with earhooks. Penon gives you the option which is nice, and though I’m generally not a fan of earhooks… with a heavier cable like this they’ll distribute the weight across your ears more evenly & help keep the cable in place.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging, Ergonomics & Build Quality
Page 2 – Sound Impressions
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
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