[AUDIOBREEDER]

Ordered this yesterday blindly.
 
Now I see some debate on the treble.
 
Is it as bad as the 'metallic' sound of Sony XBA3?
 
Now me worried.

 

[Music freak]

  Ordered this yesterday blindly.
 
Now I see some debate on the treble.
 
Is it as bad as the 'metallic' sound of Sony XBA3?
 
Now me worried.

which one did you order? I had the iSines 10, and the treble harshness was not an issue for me. The treble sounded far from metallic, it  did not sound as smooth as the LCD 2 or the HD 650s, but it was nicely extended without sounding sharp. If you pair them with a warm source, then the treble becomes smooth, still not as smooth as the LCD 2s , but comes close, in exchange of some airiness ofcourse. I can't comment on the 20s, I have not heard them.
I really loved the sound of the iSines. if only they were comfortable enough for me. I had ear pain after 30 mins of usage, so had to return them.  
Also, if you are not happy with the original signature, you can always EQ. The drivers on the iSines are the best drivers ever made according to Audeze. hence, responds to EQ very well without bringing any distortion in the sound even at loud volumes. 
So feel free to experiment

 

[clerkpalmer]

Pardon my inquiry as I'm a noob and just getting into some of this stuff. Currently using RhAt20s with my Google pixel which I find to be excellent. I also have p7 wireless and I love those too. I'm wondering whether these isine 10s are for me. Will the increase in price from the RHAs blow me away? At this point, I'm concerned about the limitations of my pixel. I have a. S8 on order so that might improve things a bit. I could see myself getting a dac/amp down the road but not immediately. Trying to avoid the slippery slope. I guess my question generally is "are these worth the upgrade given my set up limitations?". Appreciate the feedback everyone.

 

[Jupiteri]

Isine20 sound is impressive. I have ever heard Yello's music sounding as clear and crispy. And the low bass drum and organ sound is perfect in Alexander Desplat Canto At Gabelmeister's Peak. But there is more, they are convenient! For a first time I can use my phone (ip7, tidal) as main source, no need for laptop, external dac's and cables. I sold my chord hugo mainly because I was tired of carry it around. 

 

[clerkpalmer]

Do you use the cipher cable? One hesitation is no cipher for Android and by all accounts the cipher improves sq.

 

[Jupiteri]

yes, it makes big difference for what I have used to, more portable without sacrificing sq

 

[clerkpalmer]

RIght and that's my hesitation.  Can any comment on the isine 10s using analog over a cell phone?  Would love to hear some feedback on that set up.  I don't need audiophile grade quality but want to have some comfort that I'm not wasting these headphones. 

 

[Jupiteri]

I rarely write on this forum, mostly just reading reviews. But now I have to say that I found something so new and different that I can't put it to words. I just can't believe I found this good with so little effort. This reminds me when I bought my first active monitors (Genelec), they revolutionized my music listening with a simple setup of quality streamer + active monitors.

 

[-rowan-]

Responding to a bunch of posts...
 

  For example, the instructions suggest starting with the smallest plug and working your way up. I feel like this is the way they were meant to be heard. There's definitely a lot of detail and soundstage etc but, for me, it's lacking the impact I was expecting.

 
My tips of choice atm are the Grado/Ortofon silicones, which can easily be stretched to fit.
 
Earlier, I posted about how they were marginally better than the stock tips. Returning to stock tips after using the Grado ones exclusively for a few weeks, my impression is that the stock tips have slightly bigger soundstage but less impact - like a picture with a softer focus.
 
I reckon I'll be using the Grado tips for now...
 

  "Got the new tips in today. The deeper fit and harder silicon makes for a much better seal that doesn't slip out even without ear clips or hooks. In regards to sound, I find there's a bit more treble presence in like the high cymbal range. There may be a bit tighter bass but the effect is so small it might just be expectation bias. The treble change is all I can say I hear for certain. I like it and find it to be an improvement, adds a tiny bit more "air" to the sound.

 
More treble presence sounds like a useful improvement.
 
The treble on the 20, while really rather smooth and well-extended, isn't exactly the star of the show, at least not in the larger scheme of things where the iSines are concerned, so this might might do the trick.
 
I hope Audeze get these new tips out worldwide. 
 

  which one did you order? I had the iSines 10, and the treble harshness was not an issue for me. The treble sounded far from metallic, it  did not sound as smooth as the LCD 2 or the HD 650s, but it was nicely extended without sounding sharp.

 
I personally thought that the iSine 10 were a bit rough around the edges on the upper end - almost like it was trying too hard.
The 20 fared noticeably better in this respect - fast and smooth and effortless in its delivery.
 

  RIght and that's my hesitation.  Can any comment on the isine 10s using analog over a cell phone?  Would love to hear some feedback on that set up.  I don't need audiophile grade quality but want to have some comfort that I'm not wasting these headphones. 

 
You absolutely aren't wasting them imo.
At the end of the day, I still prefer the 3.5mm cable - although the cipher isn't half bad once I dial down that crazy 4kHz bump.
 
Not sure what cellphone you're using, but for anyone with set-up limitations, don't forget that there's a bunch of chi-fi DAPs out there that can give you pretty amazing sound quality for relatively little outlay. (User interface and firmware is another thing altogether though...)

 

[-rowan-]

Nice. I was getting the 002 less to compete and more to compliment. I wanted the electrostatic magic but I love quirkiness and the 002 definitely has that...

I'm a speed whore right after soundstage whore so having a small, well controlled e-stat driver sounds like the way to go for speed. I believe it's the same tech in the 007, just much smaller.

If the two, which would you say you prefer and why? The 002 seems to be the only real direct competitor to the iSine in terms of design.

 
I honestly thought the iSine 20 was end-game stuff. It almost completely took away the desire to covet new and better toys.
 
But this... presses all my buttons.
 
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to the comparisons.

 

[makne]

  RIght and that's my hesitation.  Can any comment on the isine 10s using analog over a cell phone?  Would love to hear some feedback on that set up.  I don't need audiophile grade quality but want to have some comfort that I'm not wasting these headphones. 

I have the iSine 20's and while I do like the cipher sound more, they still sound awesome with the analog cable. The analog cable has a more mid-centric sound, smoother but less airy. Some prefer the analog, some prefer the cipher. From what I've heard the 10's and 20's aren't that different, so I assume my impression should relate to the 10's aswell.

 

[bmichels]

Saw an add for a LCD i4 in-ear at 2450$ available in May !! Is this à Joke ????

 

[Br777]

nope, they've been teasing it for a while now, though i've never seen anything about it, or any ads, and I can't seem to find anything else about it anywhere, even on the site you are on.
Regardless, It's certainly out of my price range but I'd absolutely love to compare it to the 20's.  It would have to be pretty darn mind blowing to justify that price, that's all I can say.  It's hard to imagine 4 times better sound coming from a headphone with the same form factor, but it was hard to imagine the 20's would sound as good as they do so hey, you never know.

 

[Shure or bust]

I believe I saw the i4 being tested at can jam along with a silver housing variant. Most likely prototypes from what Sankar said.

 

[Kazekeil]

   
I honestly thought the iSine 20 was end-game stuff. It almost completely took away the desire to covet new and better toys.
 
But this... presses all my buttons.
 
Anyway, I'll be looking forward to the comparisons.

Well they're pressing the **** out of all my buttons right now. The Stax have what feels like more treble, but it's less fatiguing than the i20. Details jump out at you, like the HD800, instead of being in the background like the i20. The Stax have a slightly wider soundstage, but this big feeling of depth that I haven't really heard in much else apart from my HD800. The stax are noticeably faster and cleaner than the i20(which was already quite fast and clean). Sub bass volume is similar on both sets, with the Stax having better speed and texture. The low bass range is more emphasized on the i20 while the Stax has a mid-low bass emphasis. That being said, the bass feels overall bigger on the i20, and the i20 has more air impact. The stax, on the other hand, has more impact by way of transients. The stax cracks transients just like the HD800, giving everything a crystalline edge. The stax are much less mid focused than the i20, regardless of cable. I feel like the stax, while still warm, give me a much more accurate representation of the midrange. In a couple tracks off a favorite acoustic album, I can hear the different mic frequency responses for the artists guitar and voice on the stax where I really have to squint my ears to hear the difference on the i20.
 
Stax srs-002 system at $350 vs iSine 20(even at the $420 I paid) is no contest. Stax all the way for my tastes. Where the iSine really wins though is convenience. The cipher is really a godsend for going out and about. The stax have a thin, kinky cable that I'm going to have to baby. I also need to lug around a (non rechargeable) battery powered amp with a 4-6 hour battery life.
 
Sorry for the stream of consciousness style writeup, but I'm still in the first few hours and am typing while listening.
 
I'm kinda in a weird place right now because I've been wanting to start an iSine crusade over how good they are, but the stax are another level. I have a month to let the new toy syndrome wear off and decide if I need both in my life.