By Nick Smith, 30th September 2024
What makes a delicious cake – is it the quality of ingredients or ingenuity of the recipe?
Recently I reviewed the gigantic 12-wire ASOS+X cable and was hugely impressed, so when Penon mentioned a more expensive 4-wire offering called Pyramid & proposed sending me one in exchange for my thoughts I wondered how it compared.
Was I crazy for assuming no way could a 4-wire cable compete with a 12-wire monster 22 grams heavier?
Then there was the price: At USD $349 this was obviously no ordinary copper or silver cable!
Now that it’s arrived, I can safely say Pyramid is something special. Read on to learn why…
Packaging
The USD $349 Penon Pyramid arrives in a small cardboard box, with a leather cable holder, shirt clip & small fabric case. It’s a minimalist package that gets the job done without being ostentatious.
The case is nice because being relatively flat it slides into a pocket fairly easily, however I’d love to see a leather case included for a cable in this price range.
Ergonomics
Unlike some of the behemoth 8 wire monsters I’ve reviewed lately, Pyramid feels like a relatively normal 4 wire cable albeit moderately heavier at 50.3 grams than many I’ve tried.
The Y-split is on the heavier side too, though this weightiness helps lend the cable a feeling of solidity we associate with luxury objects.
The wire itself is extremely soft and flexible, draping comfortably with no stiffness or memory effect.
Build Quality
Penon have chosen both OFC copper 2pin connectors and an OFC plug (in your choice of 4.4mm or 3.5mm) which affirm Pyramid’s flagship cable status, as these tend to be costlier to produce.
Indeed its been my experience that connector quality impacts cable performance massively, so I’m very glad to see high end choices used here – OFC connectors do sound better to my ears.
Cosmetically, the hardware is fashioned from brass and is rather weighty, with a rustic matte Egyptian hieroglyphic appearance that’s fairly unique in the hobby, though reminiscent of the mythology inspired aesthetic many high-end cable brands use to popular effect.
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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