Short answer: the Penon Serial. It ranks #857 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.4/5, at $299; the Hidizs MS5 ranks #909, rated 3.3/5, at $299. Close enough in price that the sound-quality gap is the deciding factor.
What the Penon Serial does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 67 against the Harman target. Watch for: Treble about 4 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
What the Hidizs MS5 does well: Lower mids sit within about 0.7 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. The catch: Presence sits about 3.4 dB low with a 12.7 dB dip near 11.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the Penon Serial. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Hidizs MS5 at the same price, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 67 against the Harman target.
Penon Audio $299.00 eBay
Lower mids sit within about 0.7 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural.
Amazon $299.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 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 Serial | Hidizs MS5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.00 | $299.00 |
| Ranked | #857 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #909 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 67 (median of 7 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 65 (median of 12 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.44 dB standard deviation | 2.71 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.68 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.37 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-1.5 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.3 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 3 x dynamic drivers (10mm bio-diaphragm + 8mm titanium-plated + 6mm PU) | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 4 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 18 ohms | 5.3 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 103 dB | - |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 40kHz |
| Weight | - | 0 lbs (13.6 g) |
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 Serial from dl, harpo, hbb, jaytiss, mmagtech, nymz and tgx78; the Hidizs MS5 from aden, bryaudioreviews, dchpgall, digaoreviews, fahryst, hbb, kazi, practiphile, pw, silicagel, timmyv and tonedeafmonk, all via squig.link.
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