Penon Audio sent me the Seahf AWK-009 IEM for review, and these are certainly interesting. Overall, these sound above their price of $15, meaning the VE Monk+ is the main competition for these.

These come with small, medium, and large silicone tips, a shirt clip, and no other accessories. This is perfectly acceptable though at this price.

The AWK-009 is relatively comfortable, with decent silicone tips, and a small housing. These can be worn either straight down or over-ear, and I have found that wearing them over-ear helps tame the unruly cable. The isolation is pretty standard

Build on these is decent. The housings are made of plastic, but feel decent enough for $15, though the less expensive Monk+ feels more sturdy than these. The cable, however, is highly obnoxious. It is stiff, and bends in every direction, and feels very light and rubbery. It seems to be built alright though, as I have had no connection issues. While the build on these is adequate, the Monk+ blows these out of the water for durability. I have heard of people having issues with driver flex on these, but I have had no issues with this, though it is worth keeping that in mind. There does seem to be a slight hiss in the left channel whenever something is playing, however.

The sound of these is overall a heavily bass-leaning V-shape. The bass is rather elevated, sometimes feeling bloated, and does crowd the midrange a little. It does have enough punch to pass though. The midrange is a bit recessed. Vocals can sound a little thin, as there is more upper midrange than lower midrange, but still sounds pretty good overall. Instruments sound pretty good, sounding relatives natural. The treble is this IEM’s main flaw, and is also elevated and uneven. There seems to have a spike in the mid/low treble somewhere, though I cannot seem to place where, and a rolloff in the higher treble. It feels a little bit overly sharp at times, but does not sound harsh. Some treble notes can sound rather metallic, and the highest treble sounds like a shimmering haze. Detail is actually pretty good, ahead of the Monk+ in this category. The sound certainly does sound better than the low price tag would indicate. Soundstage is fairly wide for an IEM, providing enough for instruments to sound separate. Imaging is surprisingly good for the price, the intro to Yosi Horikawa’s Letter sounded pretty good.

To compare these to the Monk+, the Seahf beats the Monk+ at producing low end, comfort, imaging, isolation, and detail. The Monk+ beats the Seahf in build quality, natural sound, midrange tone, and treble cleanness. Both are a decent option, though I personally prefer the Monk+.

The Seahf has its flaws, but I think it is a pretty good value, and I’d like to thank Penon for sending it to me.

-TheOmegaCarrot