Penon X Effect Audio Archangel Review

August 14, 2025

Pros

Premium cable (of course)
Deep, rumbly, crazy sub bass
Well balanced midrange
Smooth lower and mid treble
Great treble extension
Slightly thick yet natural timbre
Decent detail retrieval
Deep, immersive soundstage

Cons

Average ear tips inclusion
Big and bulky shell
Sub bass can be overpowering
Not the best bass control
Lower and mid treble lacks a bit of sparkle

Disclaimer

Huge thanks to Penon for providing the opportunity for me to review the Penon X Effect Audio Archangel through a discount on the Archangel. I really do appreciate it. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way.

Please take this review with only a grain of salt, as everyone's hearing, fit, and gears may differ, so our experience may be different.

Price(MSRP)

$799.00

Ear tips used

Symbio W Peel

Drivability

Easy to drive.

Any decent, modern dongle DAC/Amp should be more than sufficient.

Packaging

Penon X Effect Audio Archangel IEM

Cleaning brush

Ear tips

3 pairs of generic wide bore silicone ear tips

3 pairs of generic narrow bore silicone ear tips

Carrying Case

A bit too small for the thick cable and IEM.

Very hard to open.

EA Cadmus II 4.4mm balanced Cable

Not a huge fan of this cable too, but it's decent.

Can be a bit thick, not the softest but fairly manageable

Decent comfort but not the best either.

(Picture from official Penon site)

Build Quality

Average full resin build. Nothing much to note.

Fit

These are huge and bulky IEMs, definitely not for smaller ears.

My ears start to hurt a little after extended period of usage.

Tonality

U to V shaped

Tuning Switch Profiles

Balanced mild U-shaped signature.

Most balanced sound profile to my ears, perfect blend of fun and clarity.

Easiest to listen for long sessions for my taste.

This will be my go to pick, and will be used as the benchmark throughout this review.

Bright tilted mild U-shaped signature.

Adds a little more sparkle and air, providing extra clarity and brightness, but also becomes a bit less natural and more metallic.

However, it is actually done very well and is perfect if you're in the mood for a more energetic listen, and you can turn it off if it gets too fatiguing over time.

Bassy V-shaped signature.

Becomes a complete bass head IEM. Rumbles and slam super hard without distorting much but it is way too distracting for me. Not my preferred setting.

Deep V-shaped signature.

A bit more balanced and better than 10 setting for me, as the treble slightly balances the bass out, but it is still very bassy. Not my preferred setting.

Bass

Not sure if it's because of the BCD but it has a VERY deep, rumbly sub bass.

The bass also has great texture, physicality, and slam to it, which makes it very impactful and enjoyable.

While being powerful, it is also has decent control and speed, with a nice and natural decay, just not the best in class.

The mid bass has a nice punch to it but it doesn't take the spotlight, unlike the sub bass.

Despite all the good qualities of the bass region, I find the quantity a bit much to my taste, even at the 00 setting. I find the bass to be slightly distracting at times, and not by much either.

Midrange

Lower Midrange:

On the warmer and more musical side, not thin at all.

Well-bodied but without sounding overly muddy or bloated.

Maintained decent clarity even with the warmth.

Overall lower midrange a bit thick and heavy but it is still quite natural.

Upper Midrange:

Slightly recessed but still doesn't sound muffled at all.

Vocals are not forward but not exactly drowned either, just slightly relaxed and laid back.

Treble

For the lower to mid treble, it is slightly dark, perhaps even lacking a small touch of sparkle to balance things out, but it is very smooth and easy to listen to.

However, it gets brighter on the upper treble and air region.

Although the graph shows a huge peak, I personally did not experience this, and I don't find the peak to make it sound metallic or unnatural in any way.

In fact, I find it a good addition as it brings the high hats to life and boosts a fair amount of overall clarity

Technicalities/Others

Decent detail retrieval for the price, not outstanding or overwhelming.
Staging is above average and immersive, quite wide and deep to me, with an emphasis on depth.
Imaging is more 2.5D than 3D, while close to holographic and certainly good, it isn't the most sharp.
Decent overall separation and layering but not superb, doesn't do very well on extremely fast tracks but is perfectly acceptable most of the time.
Timbre is on the thicker side but is quite natural to my ears and taste.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the Penon X Effect Audio Archangel is a relatively versatile mild V-shaped set with some emphasis on the bass frequency region.

On the stock tuning, it is already somewhat bassy but still maintaining a good enough balance on other aspects.

And Penon even provided a few options like going absolutely ham, or just adding a little spice to the tuning, which are very well done and are great additions.

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