Wavaya Penta Review

About Penta

 

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The Penta is a 5 driver custom monitor, utilizing 3 Balanced Armature (BA) and 2 Electrostatic (EST) drivers. It uses the BA and EST drivers separately, while BAs having a dedicated crossover for themselves. This is not the flagship monitor though, for that there’s the Octa model which has 4 Electrostatic drivers instead of 2.

With the Penta, Wavaya targets a very balanced and linear response with a flat sound signature, until just before 10Khz (around 8Khz). That is the area that the EST drivers come into play, showcasing their abilities to produce articulated and resolving highs.

Another thing to note is that Wavaya doesn’t use any acoustic tubes. There are 2 or 3 bores depending on your ear-canal size, but the sound of the drivers are given to you with a tube-less outlet design.

Ordering Process

Pasquale Mazzone, the CEO of Wavaya, wanted me to take the whole ordering process. So I went through all of the steps just like any other customer, and my experience was absolutely great. This is the first time I experienced a full ordering process with a brand, but I’m very impressed by their attention to detail and their continuous support.

Wavaya Penta

Ordering is very easy with Wavaya, other than choosing your design. That is the tough part, because almost all of the options look very good and sleek. I struggled to settle with a single design but I knew that I didn’t want a very flashy one. Other than that, everything is online and if you ever face a problem, the team is very responsive to e-mails.

I provided 3D ear impression files to them but if you send physical impressions they also apply a 3D scan to produce your CIEMs. The lead time of your order is longer then the usual 1 month period that we’re used to, since porcelain needs more steps and extensive treatment compared to acrylic. However, we also know what there are some companies that already need more than one month to send your CIEMs, so I didn’t find the lead time absurd.

The best part I found about the process of Wavaya is the constant e-mail updates. Once you finish your order, you constantly get new e-mails about the current state of your order in detail. They let you know step by step and even share photographs of your shells at their latest condition. You don’t have to demand any news from them in particular. They don’t forget you after the order. This is great in my opinion.

Customization

Wavaya has an online customization tool to design your CIEM. Several companies use this method and it’s great to see what your design would look like as a whole. You can also customize your carrying case with either red or black color. One detail I liked about Wavaya is that, when you select the carrying case color and the cable type, it also appears on the page to let you know how they look like. Another nice detail here.

Wavaya Penta

In the end I opted for the “Mother Pearl” white shell which costs 100 EUR more because it is shinier than the standard glossy treatment.  I chose the silver Wavaya logo to finish the design. There are more flashy and eye-catching design choices out there, but I wanted it to be simple and cool.

The Wavaya logo is mandatory and there’s no option on that part. The only choice without the logo is the Jewelry Series I’ve mentioned on the previous page. The company’s logo is very cool so it’s totally fine for me, but you might think differently.

Package

As with everything else, Wavaya is also different when it comes to the box. Your order arrives in an eye catching red carton package. The inside is quite rich. You get a lot of merchandise such as cards, buttons and stickers. Other than that, you have information cards about how to treat these CIEMs. You also get a Quality Card, which is signed by Leonidas Savvides himself, the director of the production lab.

There’s even a plastic box that contain some ear cleaning tools. This was the first time I saw something like this, and actually I’m not sure how to use them properly. So I think another informative card for ear cleaning would’ve been nice. The box is very rich and tidy but I think they could’ve used a different color inside, instead of white.

Lastly you have a leather case which is shaped as a rectangle. Inside you have the CIEMs, another leather accessory to wrap the cable around, and that accessory also stores the cleaning tool. Everything about Wavaya screams difference, and this carrying case is the definition of it. The leather here is absolutely genuine, and you can understand it from its smell. Leather is for keeping the moisture out of your CIEMs which is very nice. There are also small magnets which you can stick inside the carrying case so you can attach your case to some metal parts, especially like a microphone stand. This is very thoughtful for stage artists.

Wavaya Penta

At first I found it quite strange to work with this case to be honest, as it’s nothing like I’ve seen before with any of my samples. After a few weeks however, I became quite used to it. Sure, these things require extra attention since they can chip off or break because of porcelain, and it’s not very straightforward to put them inside this case. It’s not large or big in any way.

But I think this is a very ideal solution because you don’t want these things to rattle inside the case and hit each other. The case, with its small room, prevents any unnecessary movement. Also if you use the leather strap provided, it’s not difficult to put the CIEMs inside nicely. Also the case is very compact and very easy to carry around.

Continue to build quality, fit and sound on PAGE 3

5/5 - (7 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

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