By Nick Smith, 14th June 2025
Anticipation builds expectations, but do expectations cruel enjoyment?
Let me explain. For years I’ve been tremendously curious about the Totem, Penon’s flagship cable which I’ve tottered on the verge of purchasing many times.
Now it may surprise or even shock non-audio folk I fixate over things as extraneous as earphone cables, but being an audio purist I’m sure you’ll understand.
You know as well as I do cables can absolutely make or break an IEM, and though flagship cables can be expensive the sonic improvements they bring are often startling.
Fast forward to several weeks ago (or should that be rewind?) and I received the joyous news Penon were shipping me a Totem in exchange for my honest thoughts on how it performs.
So… after years of reading gushing praise from other owners, at last my time’s come to either sing Totem’s praises or howl with disappointment – either way its about to get noisy!
Packaging
The USD $649 Penon Totem arrives in a small cardboard box, inside is a modest fabric carry case, three swappable plugs in 2.5mm, 3.5mm & 4.4mm terminations, a leather cable holder and the cable itself.
The blue case is perfectly sized to slide into a jacket pocket without being too small to hold the cable and a beefy pair of IEMs, but I would’ve preferred a genuine leather case at this pricepoint.
Overall the package feels decidedly spartan, and though I personally don’t place a great deal of importance on presentation many of my friends in the hobby seem to.
Ergonomics & Build Quality
Totem is extremely configurable out of the box – with not only 2.5, 3.5 & 4.4mm plugs included, but also swappable 2pin & MMCX connectors. (I was sent a hardwired 2pin version you see pictured above)
The cable is remarkably light by flagship standards at a mere 56.2 grams, and also extremely flexible. There’s a hint of springiness which is normal for shielded cables, but comfort levels are outstanding – I’m used to flagship cables being stiff, heavy monstrosities and Totem feels nothing like that at all.. ergonomically it is superb.
The plugs unscrew to attach and are very secure, but the hardware itself does feel less ostentatiously ornamental than I’m used to seeing from flagship cables worth thousands. The wire is also quite unobtrusive, being plain black with tiny flecks of red that only occasionally glisten in the light.
This is a comfortable, subdued cable that prioritises performance above aesthetics.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging, Ergonomics & Build Quality
Page 2 – Sound Impressions, Technical Performance & Tuning Plugs
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
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