Short answer: the SoftEars Cerberus. Both are rated 3.2/5 for sound quality (#972 and #995 of 1369 in-ear headphones), and the SoftEars Cerberus costs $2,099.99 against $2,499 for the Penon Impact, so with nothing between them on sound quality, price settles it.
Why pick the Penon Impact: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The catch: Treble about 5 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Why pick the SoftEars Cerberus: A seven driver hybrid with a dynamic woofer, four balanced armatures and two electrostatic tweeters, tuned with a warm, relaxed balance. The catch: Treble runs about 4 to 6 dB below target from 3 to 16 kHz, with a 9.8 dB dip near 6.1 kHz, so cymbals, string texture and vocal consonants sound dim and distant.
Buy the SoftEars Cerberus. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $399.01 less than the Penon Impact.
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A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Penon Audio $2,499.00 eBay
A seven driver hybrid with a dynamic woofer, four balanced armatures and two electrostatic tweeters, tuned with a warm, relaxed balance.
HiFiGo $2,099.99 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Penon Impact | SoftEars Cerberus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,499.00 | $2,099.99 |
| Ranked | #995 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #972 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 64 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 64 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.87 dB standard deviation | 2.89 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.56 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.11 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.9 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-3.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Driver Type | Hybrid | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 4 balanced armature + 2 electrostatic) |
| Drivers | 14 drivers (10 balanced armatures + 4 electrostatic drivers) | 1 x dynamic + 4 x balanced armature + 2 x electrostatic |
| Impedance | 21 ohms | 5 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 112 dB | 104 dB/100mV |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 70kHz | 10Hz - 80kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Built-in Microphone | - | No |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Penon Impact from ducbloke, eliseaudio, tgx78 and tonedeafmonk; the SoftEars Cerberus from animagus, atechreviews, audioamigo, bukanaudiophile, koi, precog and pw, all via squig.link.
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