Reviews by alexandros a
INTRODUCTION
Hi everyone, today i am going to share my thoughts on the latest set of monitors coming from ISN AUDIO the ISN NEO 3.
Straight from the beggining i want to make one thing clear regarding my evaluation on this one .I would have given NEO 3 a straight five star if i wasn't to compare it with some much higher end models coming from a completely different price range.So the 4,5 stars comes directly from those comparisons which you are about to find out later on.
..... That's because over the last two years i only purchased a few monitors from a higher price range so unfortunatelly i won't be able to give you some important comparisons from nowdays sets that belong to the NEO 3's price range .
This reflects NEO 3's obvious & unique value in today's market against much higher priced sets of monitors, and in some cases with some really sophisticated implementations
ABOUT ISN AUDIO
ISN AUDIO has been an old player in the industry with some solid releases back in the day ....
They have started some years ago (around 2020 if i am right ) with the mighty H40 , a hybrid model with the configuration of 3 Balanced Armatures: Custom 1 BA for middle Frequency + composite 2BA for high frequency plus one Dynamic driver : 9.2mm taking care of the Bass region
....... back on those days H40 was really an ABSOLUTE BANGER !!!!!! An absolute VFM set regardless of any price range coming out for those audiophiles who really appreciate BIG/WARM & BASSY signatures with NATURAL TIMBRE all the way........ .This was my introduction to this company and since then i have purcashed numerous sets from those guys yet to be dissapointed from them.............
SPECIFICATIONS
ISN NEO 3
Drivers:1 Planar Driver + 2 Dynamic Driver
1 x 5.8mm planar driver for high frequency
1 x 6mm dynamic driver for middle frequency
1 x 6mm dynamic driver for low frequency
Impedance: 15ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB
Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz
Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
Cable : 8 strands , 19 cores per strand OCC wire
DISCLAIMER
Purchased NEO 3 with my own money using a discount code which was provided for Penon members coming directly from PENON AUDIO , and here¨s a link in any case you get interested..... NEO 3
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160/170 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II
Just for the record.. NEO 3 had allready completed a total burn in period of 72 hours before any kind of critical listening.
Have used the stock cable and Tri Clarion ear tips for the purpose of this review,all thoughts following below are completely and absolutely subjective,,,,
PACKAGE / FIT / ACCESSORIES
Package is pretty simple (and that has become a tradition for all ISN monitors even the most expensive ones)
as for accessories goes, yοu get two sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, , and a unique dark blue stylish magnetic case ,a metallic shirt clip and a black plastic cleaning tool for the nozzles.
NEO 3 comes with a unique ISN cable (8 strands , 19 cores per strand OCC wire) very beutifull and soft, obtaining 2pin 0.78mm , ending in 3,5 / 2,5 / 4,4 balanced (termination of your choise)
Fit wise, i would consider NEO 3 the closest anyone can get to custom fit,in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using Clarion Tri tips ,founding that those served the best sound overall. As a matter of fact at the NEO 3 the deep insertion plays a crucial role in my humble opinion for the lower frequencies to find their way to your ear and be more dominating,alive and vibrant .........the deepest you get the better the outcome will be as far as bass reproduction is concerned.
SOUND PROFILE
As i stated at the beggining on the Pros of NEO 3 this is the definition of how a Dark orientated earphone sould sound like to be realistic and believable to the listener.
This one and Oriveti OH700VB which i purchased late December 2023 and belongs to a completely different price range up to 699 $. we ll see how it goes against it later on...
Now......NEO 3 ......is a warm , dark , analogue or even vinyl alike presentation which results to a natural reproduction of sound regardless of any recording.
i consider their tuning as balanced with bigger emphasis on the very low end ,slightly elevated mids and more subdued treble region that sits behind the other parts of the spectrum being smooth and organic with no strange peaks whatsoever....
Note weight is on the thicker side of things,so is the body all over the FR from the lower to the highest notes. Tonality is dense and thick but lush at the same time especially talking about the midrange this feeling of lushness is all over the place there..
As far as Soundstage / instrument placement goes.. what you get is a really wide holographic scene elliptical you might say. Sound expands easily towards any direction ending in a certain amount of ambience hard to be achieved by any monitor at this price target for sure.....and this is the strongest characteristic of NEO 3,the strongest by far,it amazes me each and every time i use them with multiple music genres.The sound spatiality here is something memorable beyond this price tag no question about it....it's tuned and supposed to be like that....elements from the recordings travel easily inside/outside your head,front and back,right and left providing a sonic headroom outside the periphery of your head....
There is an accurate placement of instruments, right on spot, giving a strong palm of realism in every track even if image is not a strong asset of NEO 3.
Detail retrieval is not something that you take notice at first audition but it's pretty descent. Not in your face of course, in the background ...taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recording.i would characterize NEO 3 as an utterly atmospheric beast being so dark and mysterious sounding.
BASS
Big and bold but controlled at the same time with fast attacks and descent decays for acoustical instruments in this region
the one and only downside is that ocassionaly bass can be sound a touch boomy but it's not an everyday issue that one....
Never bleeds into the midrange,to be more precise the transition into the mids is smooth as butter, makes you think there is only one driver working in the entire FR providing cohesive steady solid sound.but the biggest feature here is the sub bass impact
To be more specific about it, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) NEO 3 does pretty good job ,seems that despite the fact that there's only one small 6mmDD taking care of that region it manages to push a lot of air there effortless resulting in this exciting outcome.....
Even at the lowest volume levels you can feel that woofer tickling your ears and that makes a huge difference....
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound.
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and unique implementation and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors as i allready have mentioned)
MIDS
one small 6mmDD taking care of the midrange as well and once again the cohesiveness is trully admirable,there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at this price range
Spacious,emotional,lush with weight at the same time,seems like ISN AUDIO enginners found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre.
Enganging and euphoric vocals is what should be expected from NEO 3 midrange reproduction
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price range, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to the Oriveti OH700VB which is way way more expensive monitor.
TREBLE
Now this is something never being tried before...something unique for ISN AUDIO. One 5.8mm planar driver handles the higher frequencies lower and higher region and it sure does a pretty good job there....
Clearly this part of the region takes a step back regarding the rest of the spectrum cleverly avoiding this way any unnecessary fatiqueness or unatural feeling.
Extended but subdued taking a gentle approach , sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its a relaxed laid back treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial,whith no strange peaks obtaining zero glare / grain or harshness , but on the contrary natural and forgiving even at the poorly recorded tracks.
RECOMMENDED TEST TRACKS
Angel Olsen - Endgame
This is a unique opportunity to test NEO 3 in female vocals and besides that to find out about it's tremendous capacity regarding the spatiality of sound elements across the stage as well....
Olsen's angelic voice floats above / and in-between every single instrument at this case in a ethereal way,meanwhile the majority of the percussion included at this recording (drums/timpanis,plates,cymbals,hi-hats etc.. )as well as the rest of the orchestra instruments travels with ease from left to right and vice versa providing a most fascinating sense of openess to the song.everything feels comletely natural and authentic here , the space and headroom with NEO 3 is nothing less than spectacular at this one.....
Roger Fakhr - East of any place
A perfect example, of how natural sound should really sound like
This one was recorded in a single day sessions in the late 1970s, the song remain untouched, preserving the rawness and authenticity of the moment with impeccable folk-driven arrangements and lyricism shining throughout
Roger Fakhr's lower male vocals comes out with authority and emotion as well while acoustic quitars dancing around the main stage note weight and decay coming from the acoustic quitar players here is just as it should be in real life , like if you where attending this session sitting somewhere inside the studio during that recording. astonished............
Röyksopp - Sorry
Jamie Irrepressible's dark and profound voice is reproduced here with a feeling of sincere emotionality while the lows are taking care of the whole atmosphere being created pulsating and vibrating with distinct presence not overwhelming the rest of the spectrum resulting in a unique ambience and a most remarkable headstage for the listener,the depth of the scene here is trully admirable... NEO 3 is made for this kind of recordings , being such a strange atmospheric beast makes you forget of the less important stuff in music and gives you the unique opportunity to focus on the most important ones .....emotion and musicality.........
Anonymous Various Artists - Contact
This is most probably the best Electronica Compilation for 2023 coming again from Touched Records late December.
All artists here remain completely anonymous while i choosed "Contact" (probably Jon Hopkins behind this gem) as an example for the vibrating low end reproduction that NEO 3 is able of providing not blurring any lines or bleeding in the midrange in any way but giving a spacious and open feeling across the FR in the best possible way around....
Futureheaven - Imber
Nevertheless....if anyone really wants to have a taste of NEO 3's tremendous sonic abilities have certainly to listen to Imber from Futureheaven...an old school but at the same time modern shoegaze anthem. This one is a clear evidence of NEO 3's amazing sonic demonstration...
The headroom being created by the tones of reverb/delay/echo using pedal effects are beyond anyone's imagination.........
the voices sound like coming from inside a cave , the depth of the scene is something else here....the sonic expansion is crazy ,makes NEO 3 a true refference of how a dynamic earphone should sound like nowdays.....
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Last but not least and speaking in terms of integrity/originality and unmistakable - natural reproduction i could not slip away from this track...
Everything here....meaning really everything sounds so unmistakably correct to my ears the pianos,the sax,electric bass,the percussion,Bowie's vocals.....
Piano notes from the lowest to the highest octaves dancing around your head with just totally perfect timbre and decay,the sax sounds so original and physical,electric bass providing the pace in just the correct place with an utterly correct tone....i could listen to that track all day long just using NEO 3.
Such a treat for my ears and soul !!!!!
COMPARISONS
vs H40
with a 9.2 DD & 3 BAs (1BA for the mids - 2BAs for the highs) H40 is a bass focused hybrid ,the epitomy of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND a much beloved for many headfiers monitor and a personal favorite.NEO 3 is the more balanced and the less bulky one between them.Its the one with a prominent sub bass emphasis against the vast bass signature of the H40s which from time to time, dominates and thus overshadows the rest of the frequency range. Vocals on NEO 3 are more organic and smoother than H40 and the airy feeling is more noticeable too. Treble is not H40s biggest advantage too,resulting in a more polite sound experience,its not like NEO 3 is more aggresive at all.its just that H40 is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning, Regardless of that both are great hybrid monitors with NEO 3 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and balanced sounding between them obtaining a more ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener.
Anyway... FYI I still consider till this day H40 for their cost, an absolute VFM ideal all rounder........
vs UM MEXT
Configuration : 1 Coil OBC Driver + 1 Bass Dynamic Driver + 2 Mids BA Drivers + 2 Treble BA Drivers
Obviously what comes first in mind is the question : is this a fair comparison ? i mean come on...1kilobuck monitor versus a 199 bucks iem ???????
Got the MEXT about a year ago so lets start with a major downisde of the MEXT........It is by far the biggest monitor I ve ever tried, and certainly not the most comfortable experience for the average user....
it is a bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to H40 than NEO 3
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause MEXT is my one and only kilobuck monitor and i realised with certainty, that those are quite overestimated (in terms of pure cost of course) against monitors like ISN NEO 3
In terms of natural/analoque reproduction of music i would say NEO 3 is pretty close there ..
in terms of timbre / note weight both are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on the MEXTs side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand NEO 3 being more airy obtains a touch more open feeling in the midrange leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
MEXT is a dark sounding monitor along with NEO3, and both obtain a more "heavy feeling" more basshead friendly if you like...with the MEXT being the more refined one,the more polished one if you like so... but if you consider their HUGE price difference the fact that NEO 3 is really really close in terms of music represantation is totally/absolutelly remarkable
vs EST50s
EST 50s was to me love Love at first audition and still is one of my all time favorites monitor. ISN AUDIO is a true master as far BASS goes and in this case their flagship EST50s is the perfect proof of what happens when a group of proffesional engineers who happens to love bass frequencies a little more than the rest of the spectrum........... are doing their best effort to bring such a miracle as the EST50s.Off course the impact from 20 to 250hz is obviously bigger at EST50 's case, and of course the transients over this region become quickly more than noticeable and distinctive but it's supposed to be this way around.. cause we re talking about the flagship of a company dedicated to Authentic Bass reproduction since it's origins....BUT this does not mean in any way that NEO 3 is lacking at this department.Not in terms of texture. body and quality..On NEO 3 bass comes in waves like a wall of sound,mid bass is vast with minimal bleeding over the lower mids providing a strong sensation of organs and leading the way..it's an ISN monitor it just couldn't be any other way..
Now on the mids....Here the midrange is taken care by a SONION BA driver which make the mids so ,so ,so, beautifull and sweet ,up to the point where you can simply forget how marvelous the bass sounds ,and the upper treble uses 2 Sonion ESTs micro tweeters so this results in a perfect natural representation of the higher regions. strangely enough NEO 3 sits really close to that ISN flagship if you can live without the overly dominating and authoritative bass impact of the EST50s and appreciate the more balanced and fair bass & overall tuning of the NEO 3 then everything becomes easier as a choise.....
other than that.......Midrange is more refined airy and polished on EST50s but this is expected as Sonion is the best BA over there ,and the details on the treble region of the EST50s are purely suberb and more natural and sparkly than the subdued treble of the NEO 3. at this case i am afraid i would go for the EST50s it is a hell of a monitor.......
..........though giving a second thought and taking under consideration their big price difference ..can't help but thinking both are really close in terms of overall representation of sound and providing equally a 3Dimentional open stage.. with NEO 3 being the slightly less refined one...
vs PENON 10th AE
This is a tough one for sure...
During 2023 i was lucky enough to get one of the most value for money monitors i ever purchased 7 years now in this hobby, and that is the PENON 10TH AE.As far as i am concerned this is a TOTL KILLER , a truly unique set of monitors with tremendous personality/value and capabilities,it happens to be one of my all time favorites and i consider it the absolute most balanced sounding monitor i have till now
......compared with NEO 3 is not fair enough its more than double NEO 3's price with far more sophisticated implementation but anyway............NEO 3 is darker ,far more darker and warmer monitor with more fat and wide bass like a veil while PENON 10th's bass is impactfull with definition but more "inside the lines" with longer decays and faster attack and presence.midrange over the NEO 3 is more moisterous and analogue/vinyl alike while on the 10ths is more airy and spacious more vivid and exciting one.Particularly in the midrange PENON 10TH AE sits among the the clearest you can get regardless any price range...10THs midrange is just so crystal clear and transparent one like a lucid dream that makes it a real struggle for most of the monitors to follow there.... The treble on the 10ths is the most fascinating and fatique free EST treble i ve ever heard more extended than NEO 3s treble with more energy and details there....But still both obtain a relaxed and fatique free treble region with the PENON 10th being the more sparkly and exciting one as far treble goes,....but providing that the note weight across the FR is substantially thicker on NEO 3 imho....and given the fact that anyone outthere looking for a more analogue like sound representation easily picks NEO 3 over the 10TH AE because the first sounds more vinyl alike and a bit more natural, both these factors makes for me at least.. so difficult to choose between those two.....overal in most of the cases i prefer NEO 3s more analogue reproduction and it's better sense of stage depth due to it's tuning....
vs Oriveti OH700VB
another unfair comparison follows right after.........
lol...................
cause new on the market hybrid Oriveti OH700VB for 699 $ playing easily at the same range of 1K plus monitors is not what you consider as a fair battle...............
i think so..............
lol
Despite all that i consider NEO 3s sound overall as the "twin brother" of OH700VB
Both are dark, warm , analogue and utterly atmospheric animals with the OH700VB being the more refined one from those two but just ever so slightly more refined..considering their big price difference that is....
Both are FUN SIGNATURE orientated and i have to make clear at this point that OH700VB is my personal definition of a Fun absolutely atmospheric monitor regardless any price range till now. it is dark but not as dark as NEO 3 with impactfull bass response when it is called upon and furthermore providing you with the unique choise of a switch over the faceplates that offers two different tuning styles to the listener.Turning the switch up and everything goes balanced,turning the switch down adds 3dbs of additional bass and impact to the lows thus turning into an atmospheric animal with a unique depth and spatiality of sound elements across the entire FR.
In the midrange OH700VB provides a touch more airy feeling and space between the instruments so ends up being more 3Dimentional in terms of reproduction of the stage and a bit more accurate in terms of instrument placement in the stage but nevertheless NEO 3 is really very very close overall to this utterly atmospheric representation of sound.
Treble sits behind in both of these sets providing a more relaxed laid back response sharing lots of similarities there..
NEO 3 shares the same DNA as far as spatiality of elements and soundstage goes ,and besides that both sound very very analoque alike the absolute opposite of a digital sound. both share this unique feature of a very realistic and natural timbre with OH700VB giving bigger proportions to the stage and having more texture and definition to the bass department.but NEO 3 really follows very close to OH700VBs reproduction just being slightly less refined and polished overall,if i had to purchase one of them right now i would easily go for NEO 3 given that you can get the same atmospheric sound outcome without breaking the bank..............
FINAL WORDS
At this hobby it has always been a matter of personal taste and flavor when it comes to the choise of getting an iem that suits any individual΄s different point of view.
From my side at least i cannot reccomend enough ISN NEO 3. imhoc ISN audio engineers really surpassed themselves making this fabulous set of monitors.For any audiophile out there that is on the look for a dark / warm / analogue and atmospheric as well as utterly natural sound reproduction without having to spent a fortune this is an absolute killer , for it's price its absolutely a no brainer and one great value regardless of any price there....able to faithfully reproduce any kind of recording or music genre effortlessly ,and the main point is that NEO 3 has nothing to envy from much higher priced monitors coming from well established companies , or monitors using more sophisticated implementations.
All this for barely 199 bucks.....
Nowdays you don't have to spend a fortune in order to get a descent all rounder,and NEO 3 is a solid proof of that, along with NEO 3 you 're getting a mature sound not usually related with monitors at this price range..that and only that makes NEO 3 a unigue gem, trust me guys
Thanks for reading.............
* All things stated above are purely subjective opinion of mine and everyone here is welcome to argue on that, cause each and every person as we all understand hear things quite differently here, and everyone's opinion on things is always appreciated.
Hi everyone, today i am going to share my thoughts on the latest set of monitors coming from ISN AUDIO the ISN NEO 3.
Straight from the beggining i want to make one thing clear regarding my evaluation on this one .I would have given NEO 3 a straight five star if i wasn't to compare it with some much higher end models coming from a completely different price range.So the 4,5 stars comes directly from those comparisons which you are about to find out later on.
..... That's because over the last two years i only purchased a few monitors from a higher price range so unfortunatelly i won't be able to give you some important comparisons from nowdays sets that belong to the NEO 3's price range .
This reflects NEO 3's obvious & unique value in today's market against much higher priced sets of monitors, and in some cases with some really sophisticated implementations
ABOUT ISN AUDIO
ISN AUDIO has been an old player in the industry with some solid releases back in the day ....
They have started some years ago (around 2020 if i am right ) with the mighty H40 , a hybrid model with the configuration of 3 Balanced Armatures: Custom 1 BA for middle Frequency + composite 2BA for high frequency plus one Dynamic driver : 9.2mm taking care of the Bass region
....... back on those days H40 was really an ABSOLUTE BANGER !!!!!! An absolute VFM set regardless of any price range coming out for those audiophiles who really appreciate BIG/WARM & BASSY signatures with NATURAL TIMBRE all the way........ .This was my introduction to this company and since then i have purcashed numerous sets from those guys yet to be dissapointed from them.............
SPECIFICATIONS
ISN NEO 3
Drivers:1 Planar Driver + 2 Dynamic Driver
1 x 5.8mm planar driver for high frequency
1 x 6mm dynamic driver for middle frequency
1 x 6mm dynamic driver for low frequency
Impedance: 15ohm
Sensitivity: 105dB
Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz
Connector: 2pin 0.78mm
Cable : 8 strands , 19 cores per strand OCC wire
DISCLAIMER
Purchased NEO 3 with my own money using a discount code which was provided for Penon members coming directly from PENON AUDIO , and here¨s a link in any case you get interested..... NEO 3
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160/170 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II
Just for the record.. NEO 3 had allready completed a total burn in period of 72 hours before any kind of critical listening.
Have used the stock cable and Tri Clarion ear tips for the purpose of this review,all thoughts following below are completely and absolutely subjective,,,,
PACKAGE / FIT / ACCESSORIES
Package is pretty simple (and that has become a tradition for all ISN monitors even the most expensive ones)
as for accessories goes, yοu get two sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, , and a unique dark blue stylish magnetic case ,a metallic shirt clip and a black plastic cleaning tool for the nozzles.
NEO 3 comes with a unique ISN cable (8 strands , 19 cores per strand OCC wire) very beutifull and soft, obtaining 2pin 0.78mm , ending in 3,5 / 2,5 / 4,4 balanced (termination of your choise)
Fit wise, i would consider NEO 3 the closest anyone can get to custom fit,in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using Clarion Tri tips ,founding that those served the best sound overall. As a matter of fact at the NEO 3 the deep insertion plays a crucial role in my humble opinion for the lower frequencies to find their way to your ear and be more dominating,alive and vibrant .........the deepest you get the better the outcome will be as far as bass reproduction is concerned.
SOUND PROFILE
As i stated at the beggining on the Pros of NEO 3 this is the definition of how a Dark orientated earphone sould sound like to be realistic and believable to the listener.
This one and Oriveti OH700VB which i purchased late December 2023 and belongs to a completely different price range up to 699 $. we ll see how it goes against it later on...
Now......NEO 3 ......is a warm , dark , analogue or even vinyl alike presentation which results to a natural reproduction of sound regardless of any recording.
i consider their tuning as balanced with bigger emphasis on the very low end ,slightly elevated mids and more subdued treble region that sits behind the other parts of the spectrum being smooth and organic with no strange peaks whatsoever....
Note weight is on the thicker side of things,so is the body all over the FR from the lower to the highest notes. Tonality is dense and thick but lush at the same time especially talking about the midrange this feeling of lushness is all over the place there..
As far as Soundstage / instrument placement goes.. what you get is a really wide holographic scene elliptical you might say. Sound expands easily towards any direction ending in a certain amount of ambience hard to be achieved by any monitor at this price target for sure.....and this is the strongest characteristic of NEO 3,the strongest by far,it amazes me each and every time i use them with multiple music genres.The sound spatiality here is something memorable beyond this price tag no question about it....it's tuned and supposed to be like that....elements from the recordings travel easily inside/outside your head,front and back,right and left providing a sonic headroom outside the periphery of your head....
There is an accurate placement of instruments, right on spot, giving a strong palm of realism in every track even if image is not a strong asset of NEO 3.
Detail retrieval is not something that you take notice at first audition but it's pretty descent. Not in your face of course, in the background ...taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recording.i would characterize NEO 3 as an utterly atmospheric beast being so dark and mysterious sounding.
BASS
Big and bold but controlled at the same time with fast attacks and descent decays for acoustical instruments in this region
the one and only downside is that ocassionaly bass can be sound a touch boomy but it's not an everyday issue that one....
Never bleeds into the midrange,to be more precise the transition into the mids is smooth as butter, makes you think there is only one driver working in the entire FR providing cohesive steady solid sound.but the biggest feature here is the sub bass impact
To be more specific about it, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) NEO 3 does pretty good job ,seems that despite the fact that there's only one small 6mmDD taking care of that region it manages to push a lot of air there effortless resulting in this exciting outcome.....
Even at the lowest volume levels you can feel that woofer tickling your ears and that makes a huge difference....
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound.
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and unique implementation and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors as i allready have mentioned)
MIDS
one small 6mmDD taking care of the midrange as well and once again the cohesiveness is trully admirable,there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at this price range
Spacious,emotional,lush with weight at the same time,seems like ISN AUDIO enginners found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre.
Enganging and euphoric vocals is what should be expected from NEO 3 midrange reproduction
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price range, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to the Oriveti OH700VB which is way way more expensive monitor.
TREBLE
Now this is something never being tried before...something unique for ISN AUDIO. One 5.8mm planar driver handles the higher frequencies lower and higher region and it sure does a pretty good job there....
Clearly this part of the region takes a step back regarding the rest of the spectrum cleverly avoiding this way any unnecessary fatiqueness or unatural feeling.
Extended but subdued taking a gentle approach , sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its a relaxed laid back treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial,whith no strange peaks obtaining zero glare / grain or harshness , but on the contrary natural and forgiving even at the poorly recorded tracks.
RECOMMENDED TEST TRACKS
Angel Olsen - Endgame
This is a unique opportunity to test NEO 3 in female vocals and besides that to find out about it's tremendous capacity regarding the spatiality of sound elements across the stage as well....
Olsen's angelic voice floats above / and in-between every single instrument at this case in a ethereal way,meanwhile the majority of the percussion included at this recording (drums/timpanis,plates,cymbals,hi-hats etc.. )as well as the rest of the orchestra instruments travels with ease from left to right and vice versa providing a most fascinating sense of openess to the song.everything feels comletely natural and authentic here , the space and headroom with NEO 3 is nothing less than spectacular at this one.....
Roger Fakhr - East of any place
A perfect example, of how natural sound should really sound like
This one was recorded in a single day sessions in the late 1970s, the song remain untouched, preserving the rawness and authenticity of the moment with impeccable folk-driven arrangements and lyricism shining throughout
Roger Fakhr's lower male vocals comes out with authority and emotion as well while acoustic quitars dancing around the main stage note weight and decay coming from the acoustic quitar players here is just as it should be in real life , like if you where attending this session sitting somewhere inside the studio during that recording. astonished............
Röyksopp - Sorry
Jamie Irrepressible's dark and profound voice is reproduced here with a feeling of sincere emotionality while the lows are taking care of the whole atmosphere being created pulsating and vibrating with distinct presence not overwhelming the rest of the spectrum resulting in a unique ambience and a most remarkable headstage for the listener,the depth of the scene here is trully admirable... NEO 3 is made for this kind of recordings , being such a strange atmospheric beast makes you forget of the less important stuff in music and gives you the unique opportunity to focus on the most important ones .....emotion and musicality.........
Anonymous Various Artists - Contact
This is most probably the best Electronica Compilation for 2023 coming again from Touched Records late December.
All artists here remain completely anonymous while i choosed "Contact" (probably Jon Hopkins behind this gem) as an example for the vibrating low end reproduction that NEO 3 is able of providing not blurring any lines or bleeding in the midrange in any way but giving a spacious and open feeling across the FR in the best possible way around....
Futureheaven - Imber
Nevertheless....if anyone really wants to have a taste of NEO 3's tremendous sonic abilities have certainly to listen to Imber from Futureheaven...an old school but at the same time modern shoegaze anthem. This one is a clear evidence of NEO 3's amazing sonic demonstration...
The headroom being created by the tones of reverb/delay/echo using pedal effects are beyond anyone's imagination.........
the voices sound like coming from inside a cave , the depth of the scene is something else here....the sonic expansion is crazy ,makes NEO 3 a true refference of how a dynamic earphone should sound like nowdays.....
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Last but not least and speaking in terms of integrity/originality and unmistakable - natural reproduction i could not slip away from this track...
Everything here....meaning really everything sounds so unmistakably correct to my ears the pianos,the sax,electric bass,the percussion,Bowie's vocals.....
Piano notes from the lowest to the highest octaves dancing around your head with just totally perfect timbre and decay,the sax sounds so original and physical,electric bass providing the pace in just the correct place with an utterly correct tone....i could listen to that track all day long just using NEO 3.
Such a treat for my ears and soul !!!!!
COMPARISONS
vs H40
with a 9.2 DD & 3 BAs (1BA for the mids - 2BAs for the highs) H40 is a bass focused hybrid ,the epitomy of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND a much beloved for many headfiers monitor and a personal favorite.NEO 3 is the more balanced and the less bulky one between them.Its the one with a prominent sub bass emphasis against the vast bass signature of the H40s which from time to time, dominates and thus overshadows the rest of the frequency range. Vocals on NEO 3 are more organic and smoother than H40 and the airy feeling is more noticeable too. Treble is not H40s biggest advantage too,resulting in a more polite sound experience,its not like NEO 3 is more aggresive at all.its just that H40 is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning, Regardless of that both are great hybrid monitors with NEO 3 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and balanced sounding between them obtaining a more ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener.
Anyway... FYI I still consider till this day H40 for their cost, an absolute VFM ideal all rounder........
vs UM MEXT
Configuration : 1 Coil OBC Driver + 1 Bass Dynamic Driver + 2 Mids BA Drivers + 2 Treble BA Drivers
Obviously what comes first in mind is the question : is this a fair comparison ? i mean come on...1kilobuck monitor versus a 199 bucks iem ???????
Got the MEXT about a year ago so lets start with a major downisde of the MEXT........It is by far the biggest monitor I ve ever tried, and certainly not the most comfortable experience for the average user....
it is a bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to H40 than NEO 3
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause MEXT is my one and only kilobuck monitor and i realised with certainty, that those are quite overestimated (in terms of pure cost of course) against monitors like ISN NEO 3
In terms of natural/analoque reproduction of music i would say NEO 3 is pretty close there ..
in terms of timbre / note weight both are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on the MEXTs side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand NEO 3 being more airy obtains a touch more open feeling in the midrange leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
MEXT is a dark sounding monitor along with NEO3, and both obtain a more "heavy feeling" more basshead friendly if you like...with the MEXT being the more refined one,the more polished one if you like so... but if you consider their HUGE price difference the fact that NEO 3 is really really close in terms of music represantation is totally/absolutelly remarkable
vs EST50s
EST 50s was to me love Love at first audition and still is one of my all time favorites monitor. ISN AUDIO is a true master as far BASS goes and in this case their flagship EST50s is the perfect proof of what happens when a group of proffesional engineers who happens to love bass frequencies a little more than the rest of the spectrum........... are doing their best effort to bring such a miracle as the EST50s.Off course the impact from 20 to 250hz is obviously bigger at EST50 's case, and of course the transients over this region become quickly more than noticeable and distinctive but it's supposed to be this way around.. cause we re talking about the flagship of a company dedicated to Authentic Bass reproduction since it's origins....BUT this does not mean in any way that NEO 3 is lacking at this department.Not in terms of texture. body and quality..On NEO 3 bass comes in waves like a wall of sound,mid bass is vast with minimal bleeding over the lower mids providing a strong sensation of organs and leading the way..it's an ISN monitor it just couldn't be any other way..
Now on the mids....Here the midrange is taken care by a SONION BA driver which make the mids so ,so ,so, beautifull and sweet ,up to the point where you can simply forget how marvelous the bass sounds ,and the upper treble uses 2 Sonion ESTs micro tweeters so this results in a perfect natural representation of the higher regions. strangely enough NEO 3 sits really close to that ISN flagship if you can live without the overly dominating and authoritative bass impact of the EST50s and appreciate the more balanced and fair bass & overall tuning of the NEO 3 then everything becomes easier as a choise.....
other than that.......Midrange is more refined airy and polished on EST50s but this is expected as Sonion is the best BA over there ,and the details on the treble region of the EST50s are purely suberb and more natural and sparkly than the subdued treble of the NEO 3. at this case i am afraid i would go for the EST50s it is a hell of a monitor.......
..........though giving a second thought and taking under consideration their big price difference ..can't help but thinking both are really close in terms of overall representation of sound and providing equally a 3Dimentional open stage.. with NEO 3 being the slightly less refined one...
vs PENON 10th AE
This is a tough one for sure...
During 2023 i was lucky enough to get one of the most value for money monitors i ever purchased 7 years now in this hobby, and that is the PENON 10TH AE.As far as i am concerned this is a TOTL KILLER , a truly unique set of monitors with tremendous personality/value and capabilities,it happens to be one of my all time favorites and i consider it the absolute most balanced sounding monitor i have till now
......compared with NEO 3 is not fair enough its more than double NEO 3's price with far more sophisticated implementation but anyway............NEO 3 is darker ,far more darker and warmer monitor with more fat and wide bass like a veil while PENON 10th's bass is impactfull with definition but more "inside the lines" with longer decays and faster attack and presence.midrange over the NEO 3 is more moisterous and analogue/vinyl alike while on the 10ths is more airy and spacious more vivid and exciting one.Particularly in the midrange PENON 10TH AE sits among the the clearest you can get regardless any price range...10THs midrange is just so crystal clear and transparent one like a lucid dream that makes it a real struggle for most of the monitors to follow there.... The treble on the 10ths is the most fascinating and fatique free EST treble i ve ever heard more extended than NEO 3s treble with more energy and details there....But still both obtain a relaxed and fatique free treble region with the PENON 10th being the more sparkly and exciting one as far treble goes,....but providing that the note weight across the FR is substantially thicker on NEO 3 imho....and given the fact that anyone outthere looking for a more analogue like sound representation easily picks NEO 3 over the 10TH AE because the first sounds more vinyl alike and a bit more natural, both these factors makes for me at least.. so difficult to choose between those two.....overal in most of the cases i prefer NEO 3s more analogue reproduction and it's better sense of stage depth due to it's tuning....
vs Oriveti OH700VB
another unfair comparison follows right after.........
lol...................cause new on the market hybrid Oriveti OH700VB for 699 $ playing easily at the same range of 1K plus monitors is not what you consider as a fair battle...............
i think so..............
lol
Despite all that i consider NEO 3s sound overall as the "twin brother" of OH700VB
Both are dark, warm , analogue and utterly atmospheric animals with the OH700VB being the more refined one from those two but just ever so slightly more refined..considering their big price difference that is....
Both are FUN SIGNATURE orientated and i have to make clear at this point that OH700VB is my personal definition of a Fun absolutely atmospheric monitor regardless any price range till now. it is dark but not as dark as NEO 3 with impactfull bass response when it is called upon and furthermore providing you with the unique choise of a switch over the faceplates that offers two different tuning styles to the listener.Turning the switch up and everything goes balanced,turning the switch down adds 3dbs of additional bass and impact to the lows thus turning into an atmospheric animal with a unique depth and spatiality of sound elements across the entire FR.
In the midrange OH700VB provides a touch more airy feeling and space between the instruments so ends up being more 3Dimentional in terms of reproduction of the stage and a bit more accurate in terms of instrument placement in the stage but nevertheless NEO 3 is really very very close overall to this utterly atmospheric representation of sound.
Treble sits behind in both of these sets providing a more relaxed laid back response sharing lots of similarities there..
NEO 3 shares the same DNA as far as spatiality of elements and soundstage goes ,and besides that both sound very very analoque alike the absolute opposite of a digital sound. both share this unique feature of a very realistic and natural timbre with OH700VB giving bigger proportions to the stage and having more texture and definition to the bass department.but NEO 3 really follows very close to OH700VBs reproduction just being slightly less refined and polished overall,if i had to purchase one of them right now i would easily go for NEO 3 given that you can get the same atmospheric sound outcome without breaking the bank..............
FINAL WORDS
At this hobby it has always been a matter of personal taste and flavor when it comes to the choise of getting an iem that suits any individual΄s different point of view.
From my side at least i cannot reccomend enough ISN NEO 3. imhoc ISN audio engineers really surpassed themselves making this fabulous set of monitors.For any audiophile out there that is on the look for a dark / warm / analogue and atmospheric as well as utterly natural sound reproduction without having to spent a fortune this is an absolute killer , for it's price its absolutely a no brainer and one great value regardless of any price there....able to faithfully reproduce any kind of recording or music genre effortlessly ,and the main point is that NEO 3 has nothing to envy from much higher priced monitors coming from well established companies , or monitors using more sophisticated implementations.
All this for barely 199 bucks.....
Nowdays you don't have to spend a fortune in order to get a descent all rounder,and NEO 3 is a solid proof of that, along with NEO 3 you 're getting a mature sound not usually related with monitors at this price range..that and only that makes NEO 3 a unigue gem, trust me guys
Thanks for reading.............
* All things stated above are purely subjective opinion of mine and everyone here is welcome to argue on that, cause each and every person as we all understand hear things quite differently here, and everyone's opinion on things is always appreciated.
Attachments
michaelkevin
Thank you for referring to Oriveti OH700VB as 'dark iem'. I'd wish that it would be easier to find dark setup, as it isn't as common signature as bassy.
alexandros a
@michaelkevin NEO 3 is the closest I have heard to OH700VB you know..
To begin this minimal review of mine have to make clear one thing straight from the beggining :
me not much of a cable believer..
At least not ,till now..............
A FEW WORDS / INTRODUCTION
PENON needs no introduction imho, not from me anyway.Been established as a company in the Audio Business years now and have proved themselves not only as a retailing company but as audio experts as well producing over the recent years a big deal of in ear monitors gaining thus way a reknowned place in Asia's and not only market.What separates those guys from many others is simply their passion & devotion as well to the audiophile community and their experimentation with different new technologies/implementations regarding audio equipment goes....
Now to the point.....recently purchased from Penon guys Penon 10th AE MONITOR that literally blew my mind and ears as sound goes overall...and convinced me to write down a review for that one as well ,all that just a few weeks ago....Since then been reading lot's of stuff about a recent entry in their cable manufacturing line named PENON BASS CABLE and many guys mostly Penon's devotees praising that cable's characteristics and sound effect in such a way that made my choise so much easier and triggerd my curiosity how that cable could enhance an already flagship sound signature monitor like the 10th.
So......in order to be honest here i bought Penon Bass Cable not to experiment around but just hoping that this one would be a perfect match for my beloved 10th not only aesthetically speaking bust most importantly sound wise cause that's my one and only motivation at this game regadless of anything else coming along here........
You can purchase for yourself Penon Bass Cable in any case you re interested using this link over here :
Penon Bass Cable
PACKAGE / MATERIALS / SPECIFICATIONS
Description
Considering the thickness of this particular cable Penon thoughtfully provides inside a large blue plastic case with the glod PENON logo on top so that any monitor sits comfortably inside the case along with the Bass cable.Nothing fancy but it does the job perfectly well .....have to admit that.
fabric material is to my opinion a wise choise Penon made if you take under consideration that cable's specs ( 2 shares, single share is 20 cores, a total of 2 × 20 ).
it comes with a termination of your choise (balanced or single ended) and as expected you can choose the connectors to be MMCX or 2Pin 0.78 mm as well.
I ordered the 4.4 balanced option along with 2pin connectors to use it (hoping permanently) with PENON 10th AE
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS / TEST TRACKS
As i allready mentioned from the beggining of this, my only and main motivation was this cable to be a good match to my beloved 10TH AE and i can say now rensponsibly that it easily surpassed my expectations there............
So.....the moment i realised that there was a noticeable improvement over 10th's original CS819 PENON cable it stayed there for good............i have to be completely honest to you :
No further comparisons were made during this test with other monitors or other cables just because i could no see any reason for me to try it on different ones,it was simply the perfect match BOTH aesthetically and sound wise Bass Cable & PENON 10th AE
As a source i choosed to try iBASSO DX170 dap which is a highly transparent and tonally accurent neutral source.
What you see above is 10th's FR curve, a W sound signature monitor with emphasized lows mids and highs as well.
Penon 10th comes with CS819 original stock cable, which is a Penon highly selling product on it's own, due to its highly transparent sound properties . A Silver-plated Mixed Braided cable that does the job pretty well and fits (sound wise) with plenty of different monitors out there sonically speaking. No complain whatsoever on this one...
Until l i plugged in PENON BASS CABLE .......
The ELEVATION OF THE STAGE was what struck me at once and the most ....up to the point that triggered me to wonder about cable's impedance. Couldn't find much there my self,either Penon had anything to add regarding this subject
So.....i had to trust only my ears on this one ...
One may ask himself? An ELEVATION measurable on dBs ?? Well....nothing like that at all....it's a most noticeable note weight improvement in every division of the FR starting from the very lows and reaching on the very higher registries.
the most spectacular thing though is the conservation of the overal air flowing among instruments and the uplifting of their image all these at the same time.................
The ambience that is created using the Bass Cable is trully remakable !!! so is the cohesiveness even at the most higher volume. Listening sessions comes with a certainly WoW factor regarding the sub bass / bass regions providing an "oomph" feeling without being blurry or veiled at all....it's all about texture and articulation when it comes to bass using the Bass Cable.
That robust sense of reproduction doesn't mean lack of airyness at all. just adds bigger proportions to the stage as an outcome and enlarges the listener's head-stage allowing at the same time to turn up the volume without being afraid of resulting into shoutiness or distorted images as well.....
The midrange becomes more authoritative and full bodied with accurate instrument imaging and placement ,the lines between different instruments and voices are more distinctive than ever... and the highs are protected from any kind of hint or glare or even harshness even at poor recorded tracks.
This cable certainly does not alters 10th's tonality at least ,only brings to the table a more stereophonic approach towards all axes of the stage and a most REMARKABLE DEPTH to the scene which at the first place was not one of 10th's stronger aspects. if i had to mention one and only one improvement over the stock CS819 cable, that one would be the noticeable improvement on the depth of the scene coming as a result of an improved and more robust note weight maintaining at the same time all the amount of air and the openess of the scene.
Who can really tell ?? maybe those guys from Penon had in mind this particular combo at the first place..... ( just cannot get out of my head how great those two match together in terms of aesthetics as well..........)
i strongly advice/recommend to anyone who has purchased both of them to check out those tracks and find out for themeselves the phenomenal powers / characteristics of the PENON BASS CABLE :
Svaneborg Kardyb - Orbit
Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg - Wurlitzer, Juno, piano and Jonas Kardyb - drums, percussion a multi-award-winning duo from Denmark, where they won two "grammys" at the Danish Music Awards Jazz 2019: New artist of the year and Composer of the year. Drawing on Danish folk music and Scandinavian jazz influences, their music is an exquisite and joyful melding of beautiful melodies, delicate minimalism, catchy grooves, and subtle electronica vibes,
at this particular track percussion takes rule of everything and matters the most creating the whole ambience of the scene .the "ooomph" and weight at the bass region created using penon bass cable with the 10th is trully unbelievable ,the drums hit with authority and substance in a most unique and natural manner leaving you with the illusion that you re in a middle of a live recording session standing there with awe and admiration for this phenomenon.
Vega Trails - Love your grace
Vega Trails is a new project from double-bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick, a founder member of Portico Quartet, who has also performed with the likes of Nick Mulvey and Jono McCleary and features saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands, Sunda Arc) in a richly powerful duo bringing together two powerfully charismatic musicians creating one hell of a record there.............
Double bass is the key instrument here and the physicality that this is presented is further enhanced using the Penon Bass Cable bringing out pure naturaliness and acoustic nirvana to your ears....
SUM UP
Have started this brief description of Penon Bass Cable declaring that i am not particularly much of a cable believer ...
That one still counts.....but nevertheless this one particular cable coming from PENON headquarters surprised the hell out of me....The one and only reason explaining why i havent tested it with more monitors from my collection (believe it or not) is at one hand being afraid of damaging the connectors of that cable and at the other hand finding that PERFECTLY MATCHES PENON 10TH AE which still is one of my most beloved monitors in my possession . in fact not only matches perfectly but enhances the overal performance there in a most unique way enlarging the stereo image providing authority and substance to each and every track listened there.....if this was up to my i would have named it the SPACE CABLE meaning that the effect that this cable has to the stage of any track is remarkable. i strongly suggest to anyone (and not only) allready obtains PENON 10th AE to grab one of these cables ABSOLUTELY , an undoubtedly perfect and right choise to go with, no question about it.........
Thanks for reading.............................................
me not much of a cable believer..
At least not ,till now..............
A FEW WORDS / INTRODUCTION
PENON needs no introduction imho, not from me anyway.Been established as a company in the Audio Business years now and have proved themselves not only as a retailing company but as audio experts as well producing over the recent years a big deal of in ear monitors gaining thus way a reknowned place in Asia's and not only market.What separates those guys from many others is simply their passion & devotion as well to the audiophile community and their experimentation with different new technologies/implementations regarding audio equipment goes....
Now to the point.....recently purchased from Penon guys Penon 10th AE MONITOR that literally blew my mind and ears as sound goes overall...and convinced me to write down a review for that one as well ,all that just a few weeks ago....Since then been reading lot's of stuff about a recent entry in their cable manufacturing line named PENON BASS CABLE and many guys mostly Penon's devotees praising that cable's characteristics and sound effect in such a way that made my choise so much easier and triggerd my curiosity how that cable could enhance an already flagship sound signature monitor like the 10th.
So......in order to be honest here i bought Penon Bass Cable not to experiment around but just hoping that this one would be a perfect match for my beloved 10th not only aesthetically speaking bust most importantly sound wise cause that's my one and only motivation at this game regadless of anything else coming along here........
You can purchase for yourself Penon Bass Cable in any case you re interested using this link over here :
Penon Bass Cable
PACKAGE / MATERIALS / SPECIFICATIONS
Description
- Red and blue mixed cloth skin
- Copper silver alloy + oxygen free copper IEM cable
- 2 shares, single share is 20 cores, a total of 2 × 20
- Single core copper silver alloy diameter is 0.08mm
- Single core oxygen free copper diameter is 0.06mm
- Copper and silver alloy contains 75% copper and 25% silver
- Antioxidant shield
- Carbon fiber material plug and splitter
- MMCX/2Pin 0.78mm connector
- 3.5mm audio/2.5mm/4.4mm balanced Gold-plated plug
- Cable length: 1.2M
Considering the thickness of this particular cable Penon thoughtfully provides inside a large blue plastic case with the glod PENON logo on top so that any monitor sits comfortably inside the case along with the Bass cable.Nothing fancy but it does the job perfectly well .....have to admit that.
fabric material is to my opinion a wise choise Penon made if you take under consideration that cable's specs ( 2 shares, single share is 20 cores, a total of 2 × 20 ).
it comes with a termination of your choise (balanced or single ended) and as expected you can choose the connectors to be MMCX or 2Pin 0.78 mm as well.
I ordered the 4.4 balanced option along with 2pin connectors to use it (hoping permanently) with PENON 10th AE
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS / TEST TRACKS
As i allready mentioned from the beggining of this, my only and main motivation was this cable to be a good match to my beloved 10TH AE and i can say now rensponsibly that it easily surpassed my expectations there............
So.....the moment i realised that there was a noticeable improvement over 10th's original CS819 PENON cable it stayed there for good............i have to be completely honest to you :
No further comparisons were made during this test with other monitors or other cables just because i could no see any reason for me to try it on different ones,it was simply the perfect match BOTH aesthetically and sound wise Bass Cable & PENON 10th AE
As a source i choosed to try iBASSO DX170 dap which is a highly transparent and tonally accurent neutral source.
What you see above is 10th's FR curve, a W sound signature monitor with emphasized lows mids and highs as well.
Penon 10th comes with CS819 original stock cable, which is a Penon highly selling product on it's own, due to its highly transparent sound properties . A Silver-plated Mixed Braided cable that does the job pretty well and fits (sound wise) with plenty of different monitors out there sonically speaking. No complain whatsoever on this one...
Until l i plugged in PENON BASS CABLE .......
The ELEVATION OF THE STAGE was what struck me at once and the most ....up to the point that triggered me to wonder about cable's impedance. Couldn't find much there my self,either Penon had anything to add regarding this subject
So.....i had to trust only my ears on this one ...
One may ask himself? An ELEVATION measurable on dBs ?? Well....nothing like that at all....it's a most noticeable note weight improvement in every division of the FR starting from the very lows and reaching on the very higher registries.
the most spectacular thing though is the conservation of the overal air flowing among instruments and the uplifting of their image all these at the same time.................
The ambience that is created using the Bass Cable is trully remakable !!! so is the cohesiveness even at the most higher volume. Listening sessions comes with a certainly WoW factor regarding the sub bass / bass regions providing an "oomph" feeling without being blurry or veiled at all....it's all about texture and articulation when it comes to bass using the Bass Cable.
That robust sense of reproduction doesn't mean lack of airyness at all. just adds bigger proportions to the stage as an outcome and enlarges the listener's head-stage allowing at the same time to turn up the volume without being afraid of resulting into shoutiness or distorted images as well.....
The midrange becomes more authoritative and full bodied with accurate instrument imaging and placement ,the lines between different instruments and voices are more distinctive than ever... and the highs are protected from any kind of hint or glare or even harshness even at poor recorded tracks.
This cable certainly does not alters 10th's tonality at least ,only brings to the table a more stereophonic approach towards all axes of the stage and a most REMARKABLE DEPTH to the scene which at the first place was not one of 10th's stronger aspects. if i had to mention one and only one improvement over the stock CS819 cable, that one would be the noticeable improvement on the depth of the scene coming as a result of an improved and more robust note weight maintaining at the same time all the amount of air and the openess of the scene.
Who can really tell ?? maybe those guys from Penon had in mind this particular combo at the first place..... ( just cannot get out of my head how great those two match together in terms of aesthetics as well..........)
i strongly advice/recommend to anyone who has purchased both of them to check out those tracks and find out for themeselves the phenomenal powers / characteristics of the PENON BASS CABLE :
Svaneborg Kardyb - Orbit
Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg - Wurlitzer, Juno, piano and Jonas Kardyb - drums, percussion a multi-award-winning duo from Denmark, where they won two "grammys" at the Danish Music Awards Jazz 2019: New artist of the year and Composer of the year. Drawing on Danish folk music and Scandinavian jazz influences, their music is an exquisite and joyful melding of beautiful melodies, delicate minimalism, catchy grooves, and subtle electronica vibes,
at this particular track percussion takes rule of everything and matters the most creating the whole ambience of the scene .the "ooomph" and weight at the bass region created using penon bass cable with the 10th is trully unbelievable ,the drums hit with authority and substance in a most unique and natural manner leaving you with the illusion that you re in a middle of a live recording session standing there with awe and admiration for this phenomenon.
Vega Trails - Love your grace
Vega Trails is a new project from double-bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick, a founder member of Portico Quartet, who has also performed with the likes of Nick Mulvey and Jono McCleary and features saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands, Sunda Arc) in a richly powerful duo bringing together two powerfully charismatic musicians creating one hell of a record there.............
Double bass is the key instrument here and the physicality that this is presented is further enhanced using the Penon Bass Cable bringing out pure naturaliness and acoustic nirvana to your ears....
SUM UP
Have started this brief description of Penon Bass Cable declaring that i am not particularly much of a cable believer ...
That one still counts.....but nevertheless this one particular cable coming from PENON headquarters surprised the hell out of me....The one and only reason explaining why i havent tested it with more monitors from my collection (believe it or not) is at one hand being afraid of damaging the connectors of that cable and at the other hand finding that PERFECTLY MATCHES PENON 10TH AE which still is one of my most beloved monitors in my possession . in fact not only matches perfectly but enhances the overal performance there in a most unique way enlarging the stereo image providing authority and substance to each and every track listened there.....if this was up to my i would have named it the SPACE CABLE meaning that the effect that this cable has to the stage of any track is remarkable. i strongly suggest to anyone (and not only) allready obtains PENON 10th AE to grab one of these cables ABSOLUTELY , an undoubtedly perfect and right choise to go with, no question about it.........
Thanks for reading.............................................
Attachments
Redcarmoose
Cool!
Redcarmoose
The Bass cable makes my favorite Penon, the 10th even better.
INTRODUCTION / A FEW WORDS
You guys must have guessed till now that I only find the spare time to write anything down (due to heavy work schedule that is ...) when it matters to me a lot.
well this time I was litteraly speachless ,i was awed right from the first audition up to the point where I gave up on the burn in procedure of the monitors cause really could not see how this set could gain any advantadge from that procedure during time....
it was simply one of those times that I could not make the descision to take those monitors out of my ears …......
i simply reached that state of NIRVANA.And believe me if I could grade them with a 6 star grade I would . No question about that.........If you re seaking for the answer to that just keep reading.....
But keep in mind that there are already 5 reviews here before this one that praises the 10th even more than this one here.....
so that couldnt be a coincidence could it ?
I want to make clear at this point that the 10th was purchased a month ago from Penon's original site and in any case you ll be interested here's a link for your convinience :
10th Anniversary
SPECIFICATIONS
Driver: 2 Electrostatic+ 2 balanced armature + 2 Dynamic driver
4-way crossover, 3 tube channel
Impedance: 9ohm±10%
Sensitivity: 110dB
Frequency response: 15Hz-70kHz
Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
PACKAGE - ACCESSORIES - FIT
Package is pretty awesome here (and that has become a tradition many years now for all PENON monitors BUT there is also a nice addittion of a leather case here which makes me at least a very happy person...
3D printed shell, medical grade resin material is what Penon uses here for these monitors and in terms of comfort is really a unique experience.....that's what my ears keep telling me at least.......
Faceplates of the shells are trully adorable in deep blue and red mixture with the PENON / AUDIO lego on them (one on the left and the other on the right faceplate)
as for accessories goes, yοu get three sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, , a cleaning brush for the monitor's nozzle and a stylish cloth clipper
The 10th comes with CS819 famous Penon cable and 2-pin connection plug, ending in a termination of your choise balanced 4.4/2.5 or single ended.
Fit wise, in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids,Final Audio E tips e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using some azla sednafit transparent ones cause those provided the comfort i was searching for as well as amazing fit and superb isolation .At this point i would strongly suggest everybody to use wide bore tips in order to take advantadge of the 10th's tremendous stage and stereo image abilities in full bloom...........
Nevertheless ......the included silicone tips are pretty amazing as well ,maintaning the warm tonallity and the original sound character of this jewel.
As it is pictured above there are two open vents upon the shells establishing that the air moves effortlessly between the drivers contributing thus way to a dynamic & fatique free sound performance.
SOUND PROFILE / STAGE / IMAGE ABILITIES
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160 & DX170 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II
Now to the point.....
The 10TH are to my ears a W sound signature set of monitors with a clear emphasis on the lows / highs and midrange as well..
What stroked me the most (straight out of the box) was the superb balance across the FR due to that one the10th is the
ONE & ONLY monitor that forced me revisit & re-evaluate the WHOLE ****ING LIBRARY...
One by one.... 3000 plus tracks.......cause each one of them gets to occupy more space, providing a different more open head stage during listening..
7 years on this hobby never this occurred before
Owning twice it's price monitors that is.....
Being 100 percent honest here... Never before..
Trying to find the answer why that's happening i suspect partially due to 10th's unique abilities to stay coherent and stable even at the highest volumes..... And without the slightest hint of congestion at all !!!!!!!!
At this price range its not easy at all to find another monitor with such a tremendous sound stage , with such a tremendous stereo image and layering abilities.Resolution across the FR is top notch and can easily blow your mind
There is a unique 3 dimentional sense of surrounding cyclotic sound up to the point you wont realise where the sound is coming from.......
Imaging is superb too there,you can easily pin point each and every instrument of the stage and its exact potition there.
Detail retrieval pretty fine despite of the fact that 10th's main target is to loose your self inside the music forgetting anything else around you.. Musicality is the name of the game with this one ....Nevertheless all the details are still there , but not in your face leaving room for airyness and vocals to shine.
Another unique thing about this set is that once you turn up the volume there is no way back but only keep increasing the volume all the way up to the end .........The sound remains coherent even at the loudest volume .Constinstency even under extreme high pitched volume is the main characteristic of this earphone. It is the absolute definition of a superbly balanced sound exceeding anyone's expectations....
Have to mention at this point that this set is so very easy to drive with pretty much anything as a source but despite that fact it also scales pretty amazing with better sources(daps-amps.) The better the source.. the better the whole experience gets...for example paired with Hiby R5 Gen II (A class amp mode) ends in an even more dynamic presentation of sound with faster attacks and even more natural decays ....so do not be afraid to turn up the volume......it just gets better and better....a complete sonic experience .
10th Anniversary edition IEM Official graph
Besides the obvious bass elevation (guessing somewhere between 5 to 8 dbs at the lowest sub bass region) there is also a dip around 6 to 8 Khz to help the vocals come front smoothly with lushness/spaciouness and to provide any harsh or metallic/artificial feeling on the lower trebles
Other than that from 20Hz to 500Hz according to this FR graph there's a very smooth transition from mid bass region to the lower midrange which is the true case here and always according to my hearing ability there's no bass bleed to the lower mids/midrange which comes front crystal clear and lush as well.......
BASS
1 million dollar question follows : how can any bass response be so precise,tight,agile,vigorous and vast,enormous at the same time ? I wonder my self how can this be even possible..believe it or not this is the case here with this set of monitors. Never oveshadowing,never overwhelming the midrange but leaving the air to flow flawlessly those two small 6mm “chrystaline plated biofilm” DDs are responsible for all those aformentioned things above.......showcasing brilliant texture and attacks it's s impactfull as an earthquake,and precise as a spirit level.................
Never bleeds into the mids area ,never oveshadowing the rest of the spectrum and capable of producing goose bumps in any track upon it is called for...Transients are fast,decays are too perfect to be true and the bass timbre has a unique analogue feeling in terms of representation of the recordings........from 20 to 250 Hz everything is vibrant, alive and kicking. Sub bass frequencies in particular are more than noticeable making a big time difference there providing the appropriate rumble and vibration when and each time are called for duty.....
A perfect example of that tremendous and well controlled bass / sub bass would be the following track :
Demen - Ambur
This one could easily be a lost 4AD records jewel but it isnt...............The lower/lowest frequencies here do create the whole ambience and all the info between 250 and 20 Hz are responsible for the magic atmosphere along with the cymbal crushes at the higher registries and the addition of angelic female vocals.....And the 10th gets to be just perfect for this one as those DDs pushes effortlesly the air between the instruments leaving room at the same time for the female vocals to shine
speaking of 4ADs older treasure songs.......... this might be just perfect for the 10ths :
Dead Can Dance - Dawn of the iconoclast
it is beyond description this reproduction using the 10ths .....There s an most admirable absolute balance regading the majority of the physical instruments here ( Bass Trombone, Tuba ,military snare,Timbani,trompet,violas and violins all together work as an entity flawing in perfect harmony along with Gerrad's most precious vocals producing this way a most unique rare moment in time and place. A trully unique experience
MIDRANGE
It would be highly unfair to judge and grade this set from its tremendous bass abilities so guess what......mids have nothing to fear from that bass ,nothing at all,because mids are the main star of the show here showcasing the tuning craftmanship of Penon's most exquisite House Sound ,natural and lush,vibrant and spacious ,not to front ,not to back,somewhere in the middle of the stage ,not being shouty ,not being particularly laidback, but finding the correct spot and place in the scene . The timbre of both male and female vocals feels extremely natural and real to life. Silky smooth buttery spaciousness would be the most precise definition of the vocals and in all cases they are represented with passion and intimacy providing a unique feeling of engangementwith the appropriate note weight and presence for both male and female vocalists .But the absolute victory for this set is the amount of air rendered and the illusion that provides to the listener that every tiny element and cue from the recording floats inside/outside your head in perfect place and harmony
Listening to Divine Comedy's "A lady of a certain age" is such a treat on these babys..... all the strings of the orchestra sound so natural there without the slightest hing of artificiallity or harshness,the timbre of Hanon's voice is so humanly warm and correct and blends tremendously well with the rest of the instruments
Divine Comedy - A lady of a certain age
As for vocal lovers i strongly suggest to listen to the next one :
Autumn's Grey Solace - Absent the body
This is the romantic aspect of the 10th's representing in the best possible aspect their majestic midrange which is lush .spacious ,dream like.....the female singer in this song extends here angelic voice up to the highest possible and the result using this set listening is beyond anyone's imagination. the wideness of the scene here is remarkable the electric quitars and bass quitars portaying such an intensity and cohesiveness with remarkable reverb and decay rarely to be found in any reproduction its so damned electrifying the whole experience with the 10ths ,and all the magic happens in that addictive midrange where all instruments works together as a unity bringing us a whole different universe of sound.
HIGHS / BRILLIANCE
Easily the most natural and airy ESTs I have personally heard in any monitor in my small experience and always till now .imagine this one like a projection of your hearing ability …...a repair of your hearing loss towards the higher registries , avoiding in every genre artificial or metallic sounding.......
cymbals,hi-hats,violins,strings everything here sounds natural and sweet
Absolutelly zero sibilance or hotness.
so smooth,so velvet, Unbelievable amount of microdetails to sounds and instrument lines due to this successfull implementation. A Knowles BA and Sonion ESTs along with the masterclass tuning brought by the masters at Penon
two particular tracks showcasing those ESTs strengh ,coherence and admirable microdetail retrieval follows right after :
36 - Minerva
"minerva" coming from 36 is a modern ambient masterpiece mostly worked on higher registries and manages to create such a strong sense of atmosphere using Ableton Live that can really travel you away from this planet...............in this case the way 10th easily handles both lower and higher frequencies so effortlesly and smoothly that results in a unique mesmerising experience.............the stage using this set of monitors takes off our small solar system to discover the rest of our galaxy........everything feels like floating away and beyond our dimentions into ethereal realm...............
Glass Moon - Leland Whitty
Leland , produced an absolutely beautiful solo record last year and in this particular track every physical instrument like double bass is a real treat with the 10ths....The sound gets immediatelly addictive just right from the begging of the song takes you in, absorbs your mind.. right from the very first seconds.......,double bass,flutes,drums,Rhodes etc.... showcasing an utterly natural timbre,true to the original recording, i suppose you ll be 100% surprised of how close to real life this track sounds in terms of correct and natural sound reproduction .but particularly when it comes to strings it just feels like you re in the concert hall or the studio recording session,your choise..........
DIRECT COMPARISONS
VS DUNU EST112
EST112 from DUNU is a tribrid monitor with a 13.5 mm DD Driver with Dual-Sided Beryllium Coating ,one Custom Knowles BA tweeter and 2 Sonion EST supertweeters
I loved those straight out of the box ,for their vast wide soundstage,their polished sound,their clarity,their unbelievable detail retrieval.BUT as far as bass goes (strangely enough having a large 13.5 woofer) is way too polite if you compare it directly with a monitor like the 10th.The impact is missing, the sub bass kick lacks of energy, something that PENON AUDIO is a really a specialist at.Though EST112΄s treble is really something else (propably the most airy treble i personally had ever heard utill the 10th arrived) it lacks some energy ,weight,or body i would say.On the contrary this is not the case with the 10ths where the body and sparkle goes hand by hand with the sub bass providing authority and definition to every single note.....
As far as resolution goes i believe the 10th has slightly the upper hand overt the EST112 in big orchestras and symphonic tracks. apart from that EST112 is really a pain in the ass as far as fit goes (using azla sedna tips was the only way for these really heavy monitors to stay tight on my ears) while the 10th obtains superb fit and comfort way beyond competition.................
vs ISN EST50
EST 50s was to me love Love at first audition if it wasn't for the 10th to invade in my life it would still be my all time favorite monitor. ISN AUDIO is a true master as far BASS goes and in this case their flagship EST50s is the perfect proof of what happens when a group of proffesional engineers who happens to love bass frequencies a little more than the rest of the spectrum........... are doing their best effort to bring such a miracle as the EST50s.Here the midrange is taken care by a SONION BA driver which make the mids so ,so ,so, beautifull and sweet ,p to the point where you simply forget how marvelous the bass sounds ,and the upper treble uses 2 Sonion ESTs micro tweeters so this results in a perfect natural representation of the higher regions.but here comes the 10ths tremendous ABSOLUTE BALANCE with a bass full of authority that does not overshadows the midrange under any circurmstances which unfortunatelly is not the case with EST50s but thats reallity am afraid so .....you win something/you lose something else.....i do love those two almost the same ,just a hint more the 10ths i being the more natural and spacious sounding one.Both are amazing earphones at their price and both worth every single dollar.
vs UM MEXT
MEXT is a warm and bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to ISN EST50 than PENON 10th
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause instantly upon first listen the 10ths felted immediately more spacious and wide open sounding with a tremendous sense of a head stage i personally never had to the luck to hear before.........
In terms of airy/spaciousness feeling though this is quite subjective I would say those two are completely on par with the 10ths being just a touch more advance in terms of clarity and stage
in terms of timbre / note weight bot are natural and realistic with remarkable note weight while the MEXT is clearly the warmer one with a much warmer/darker more of an obscure tonality all that in the cost of total clarity something that the 10th has clearly the upper hand
Due to this reason the MEXT has a noticeable depth in the scene which helps a lot to create a superb 3D hollographic soundstage.
...... in the other hand the 10ths being more airy, provides a more open feeling to the listener (in the midrange) leaving room for the vocals to breathe and make room for clarity to prevail across the entire FR there....
The MEXT is more of an organic/analoque sounding monitor thus more thick / dark sounding while the 10ths is by far more wide in terms of stage and airy one
vs Oriolus Szalayi
The Szalayi is a most capable tribrid monitor relatively new in the market ,obtaining a 14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver along with a High-Performance Balanced Armature Driver & a 10mm Dynamic Driver.
The Szalayi says : " Do you really want to mess around with the ABSOLUTE GOD OF BASS ?? "
The 10th answers : " well......maybe i would so....."
at this point take under consideration that the SZAs (Szalayi that is) are adressed mainly to BassHead territory because its really a dramatic , tremendous , vast Bass experience more like the EST50s from ISN AUDIO
.............and its a tough competition out there as well.............i like both the 10ths & SZAs in them in terms of bass reproduction both are my cup of tea actually BUT stage wise i have to give the open feeling and air to the 10ths while the depth of the scene to SZAs which really obtain a remarkable depth due to their tuning actually and their driver implementation. Both sound natural with excellent timbre in about everything but in terms of tonallity i would go with the 10th its simply more close to what i find as correct and true.
FINAL WORDS / CLOSURE
From my side at least i cannot reccomend enough PENON 10th. I really believe this time PENON audio engineers really surpassed themselves making this fabulous set of monitors.BUT they should be remarkably proud of it as this set is supposed to bethe landmark for PENON's 10th anniversary in audio manufacturing business
It is an absolute TOTL, regardless of their price there....able to faithfully reproduce any kind of recording or music genre effortlessly ,and the main point is that the 10th has nothing to envy from much higher priced monitors coming from well established companies , or monitors using more sophisticated implementations.
All this for barely 499 bucks.....
Engagement is the name of the game here, and those 10ths definitely deliver that. it's one of the most engaging and addictive as well monitors I have ever listened to. If musicality and absolute balance goes hand by hand in your prefferences then you re getting one hell of a deal here ..................................
Thanks for reading this much.............
Attachments
Redcarmoose
@alexandros a
Congratulations............on finding the 10th Anniversary. Also I’m happy to read it’s your favorite, as the 10th is my favorite Penon too. Being able to playback any genre with any device is the tour de force of personal audio. Ohh......and by the way, they sound luscious doing it too. They really are end-game, which is ridiculous for $499.00.
Congratulations............on finding the 10th Anniversary. Also I’m happy to read it’s your favorite, as the 10th is my favorite Penon too. Being able to playback any genre with any device is the tour de force of personal audio. Ohh......and by the way, they sound luscious doing it too. They really are end-game, which is ridiculous for $499.00.
lucanato
CT007 you are right, I always thought that all these review were in some way biased. For example, me, trusting in all these reviews have bought isn h50 and I found it horrible and in two days I need to sell them. I reviewed them here and gave them 4 stars cause they have some strengths but maybe I'd give them 3 stars.
I gave them 4 cause I respect a lot other PENON products cause I have vortex, serial and have had fan2 that are truly gems! And also love PENON assistance and speed in response and give solutions for your needs!
So PENON is a 5 star company and until now I love all their iems,but I have to say that when I tried to give 2 stars to isn S2 cable on their site they censured this score... and yes this is not fair!!!!
I find the 10th anniversary so ugly, esthetically speaking, but if they will make a good discount maybe in the future I will try them.
I gave them 4 cause I respect a lot other PENON products cause I have vortex, serial and have had fan2 that are truly gems! And also love PENON assistance and speed in response and give solutions for your needs!
So PENON is a 5 star company and until now I love all their iems,but I have to say that when I tried to give 2 stars to isn S2 cable on their site they censured this score... and yes this is not fair!!!!
I find the 10th anniversary so ugly, esthetically speaking, but if they will make a good discount maybe in the future I will try them.
marcos antônio
CL007 I agree with you .It's very strange and well observed, it seems that everything they launch are excellent products with no negatives, I'm not saying that it isn't because I own the Globe and I really like them but I would never give it 5 stars but 4 but it's close to my taste but Fan2 it was a total disappointment, lifeless iem, there is no treble in it because I don't even like iem with intense trebles because I'm sensitive to that region but in it I had to raise the upper mids and treble anyway to hear metal it didn't please me, the mids are well filled out and there is no lack of weight in this region however it doesn't have much impact and the guitars sound a little dull, I bought it allowing myself to be influenced by critics and I was disappointed, it's not all that they say and it's not even a matter of taste but of logic, no You can tell how sincere the criticisms are.
Introduction
Can you recall the time when hearing a monitor (for the first time) felt like actually striking thunders during a clear day?
It's most certainly one of those times with this one , when i take proud and joy from reviewing such a delightfull monitor that simply ticks every single box for my taste ,so.....right from the begging of this review let me say l really really like this set.
I mean really like it A LOT .....
Oriolus is a well known established company for many headfiers and this model is supposed to be a reincarnation of a previous most successful model from this company the Oriolus MKII (which managed to gather quite a few positive opinions around the audiophile world) only this time we see newest technologies take place and a quite interesting implementation approach using 3 different drivers :
1 dynamic driver for the bass/sub bass
1 planar magnetic for the midrange
1 BA for the lower/upper highs
Let's see how this Szalayi stands up to MKII's reputation.
Disclaimer
Purchased Szalayi with my own money directly from HiFiGO and here΄s a link in case you are interested : Szalayi
SPECIFICATIONS
>14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver.
>High-Performance Balanced Armature Driver.
>10mm Dynamic Driver.
>3D Printed Photopolymer Ear Shells.
>High-Grade Pure OFC(Oxygen-Free Copper) with Silver-Plating Cable.
>Impedance: 10Ω.
>Sensitivity: 110dB/mW.
>Frequency Response Range: 10Hz-40kHz.
>Termination Plug: 4.4mm Balanced.
Packadge / Unboxing / Cable / Fit
Package is pretty simple here (and that has become a tradition many years now for all Oriolus monitors even the most expensive ones like their flagship Traillii )
It is for some time now that a case comes along with your purchase (very simple but does the job pretty allright),(in my opinion regarding the previous models not including any case for this prize you pay and for this monitor its simply unacceptable and a shame for such an established brand like Oriolus
Faceplates of the shells are trully adorable in deep blue reminiscent of the deep ocean just like the unique sound of these monsters.......
as for accessories goes, yοu get three sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, and some pairs of comply foams, a cleaning brush for the monitor's nozzle and a stylish yellow cloth clipper
Szalayi comes with a nice fabric cable obtaining a recessed 2-pin connection plug, ending in a 4.4 balanced termination.
Fit wise, in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids,Final Audio E tips e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using some Spinfits cause those provided the deepest insert for me, as well as amazing fit and superb isolation .
The included silicone tips are pretty amazing as well ,maintaning the warm tonallity and the original sound character of this monitor.
Anyway considered your self warned guys because this is a real BIG monitor in terms of size ( very close to the size of the UM MEXT) and i consider this would be definetelly an issue for those with smaller ear canals unfortunatelly.
Sound Profile
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II
Just for the record.. Szalayi had allready completed a total burn in period of 120 hours before any kind of critical listening.
And to be more specific these monitors need indeed a REALLY LOT OF BURN IN period of time in order to bring up the juice,to reach out to their full potentials and characteristics.
Now to the point.....this is a MONSTER in terms of reproduction and nothing less than that .the sound is full-dynamic,explosive in some cases .The soundstage is beyond limitations here...... we re talking about VAST SOUND FIELD and nothing less than this. BIG SOUND towards any direction out side of your head experience 100% that is...
Me at least haven't heard any other monitor till now with such a tremendous sound stage , with such a tremendous depth of the scene ,with such a tremendous layering and imaging abilities.Once you find the proper fit using the proper ear tips these monsters simply can blow your mind away easily..............
There is a unique 3 dimentional sense of surrounding cyclotic sound up to the point you wont realise where the sound is coming from.......
Imaging is top notch too there,you can easily pin point each and every instrument of the stage and its exact potition there.
Detail retrieval is not the strongest point of this set ,and it souldn't be because their main target is to loose your self inside the music forgetting anything else around you.. Nevertheless details are still there , in the background taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recordings.
Another unique thing about this set is that once you turn up the volume there is no way back but only keep increasing the volume all the way up to the end .........The sound remains coherent even at the loudest volume .Constinstency even under extreme high pitched volume is the main characteristic of this earphone. It is the absolute definition of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND exceeding anyone's expectations....
Have to mention at this point that this set scales pretty amazing with better sources-daps-amps. Needs power to reach its full potential and as long as you have a capable dap (such as DX160-170) everything is going to be just fine but the higher the source - the better the whole experience gets...for example paired with Hiby R5 Gen II (A class amp mode) ends in an even more dynamic presentation of sound with faster attacks and even more natural decays ....so do not be afraid to turn up the volume......it just gets better and better....a complete sonic experience .
BASS
Impactfull at least, BIG & BOLD up to point that categorizes this monitor to the BASSHEAD territory with ease but int the most delightfull way. Transients are fast,decays are too perfect to be true and the bass timbre has a unique analogue feeling in terms of representation of the recordings.It creates an atmosphere not easy to be found in monitors at any price range even the most expensive ones ,Its like you own a very expensive HiFi home set up system and a pair of 3 way floor speakers including sub woofer .
Bass here is not only about quantity but quality as well. Its textured,fully articulated takes you in and makes you forget that you even excist !!!!!!!!!!
Never bleeds into the mids area ,never oveshadowing the rest of the spectrum and capable of producing goose bumps in any track upon it is called for.....
Sub bass is really explosive material as long as it is there in the recordings can easily make you feel under the attack of an earthquake or something.....
It has to be heard to be fully undestanded, the thing that a monitor is capable of such a BOMBASTIC bass representation maintaning such a unheard quality is trully astonishing !!!!!!
MIDRANGE
Spacious enough,lush mellow,liquid and most of all with the correct note weight and natural timbre between others this is where the 14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver takes place and does its magic........
there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at any price range
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound
it exhibits great personality being not to close or not to far away either, just at the right place in the center of the stage
Those monitors have found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre always enganging and euphoric absolutelly natural is the most right word here....
male and female vocals are represented with passion and intimacy providing a unique feeling of engangement to the listener,never shouty or to close to your face.Its such a delight to hear.
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to UM MEXT which is a more expensive monitor.
TREBLE
Extended and energetic, sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its an exciting,bright and sparkly treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial, but natural and resolving even at the most complex passages taken care by a single BA and this and only is a rare thing for this kind of airy reproduction.Not the strongest point of this monitor anyway but does the job pretty well, complementing the other frequencies
cymbals,hi-hats,violins,strings everything here sounds natural and sweet
Absolutelly zero sibilance or hotness.
anyway in this case it is important to select the right tips that can help you avoid any hint of glare there but this is more like nitpicking here....It is an amazing treble all right just not the most noticeable characteristic upon first listening
Suggested test tracks
As an example of this utterly mesmerizing presentation of sound i suggest you take a listen on this track
Sea song - Maria Chiara Argiro
in every part of the FR the Szalayis excels.Physical organs like contrabass, saxhophones,clarinets,drums have unbelievable natural sound and decays,her voice sounds so fluid,so lush, sweet and warm ,real to life, it is a pure delight to listen to...............and as Maria says in this track "this endless blue will ease your mind" a perfect definition for Szalayi s sound.....
....in other cases it is also a superior monitor in more complex,modern electronica synthesis like
4T Thieves's latest record ¨Elder Dawn¨which is a pure delight on this monsterus set,as the lowest frequencies pulsing together,interelating with the rest of the spectrum creating the whole unique and mesmerising atmosphere of this brilliant record from 4T Thieve's genious mind.
4T Thieves - Elder Dawn
Another fine example of Szalayi's superior representation in every part of the frequency range is beyond any doubt the following track:
Ova - Godless
Ova is Elizabeth Crompton's previous act. In this track the amount of lower tones digitally recreated are simply overwhelming.. Despite that one.. the moment her magical voice appears in the track everything turns out pure heaven for the listener.. as her voice stands out so clearly with such an authority and majesty, creating this way such a lush and spacious atmosphere.
Midrange stays here absolutely safe from any kind of bleeding coming from the overpowering lower frequencies. The total amount of ambience created here is simply beyond words....
OUTSTANDING!!!!
I could hear this song 24/7 on repeat using only the Szalayis... An unbelievable magical experience, one that very few monitors are capable of........
BUT...... if in any case someone wants to evaluate the Szalayi's impeccable strenghts definitely has to listen to
this one....
Glass Moon - Leland Whitty
Leland being a long time member of BADBADNOTGOOD modern jazz group , produced an absolutely beautiful solo record last year and in this particular track every physical instrument like double bass is a real treat with the Szalayis....The sound gets immediatelly EXPANSIVE just right from the begging of the song takes you in, absorbs your mind.. right from the very first seconds.......,double bass,flutes,drums,Rhodes etc.... showcasing an utterly natural timbre,true to the original recording, i suppose you ll be 100% surprised of how close to real life this track sounds in terms of correct and natural sound reproduction .
Oriolus Szalayi graph
The elevetad sub bass self does all the magic here and recreating a deeply and utterly oceanic feeling i would say... providing in combination with the overall tuning the sound vastness that this monitor sould be knowned for.
From 20 to 60 Hz every single note has a substantial weight and impact showcasing in the best way the bass lines of each track leading and creating a kind of unique ambience.This is a case where the FR graph pictures melticulously the sound profile of this monitor,where the bass is the main star of the show portraying especially well and correct any physical organ falls into this territory,but its not about quantity here ,its all about quality,every note drops between 20 to 250 Hz is the definition of Naturalism and authentic timbre.
The transition into the midrange as you can tell is smooth as butter and the mild peak between 1k and 2k helps especially female vocals to shine and sound breathy and airy. in other places no strange peaks or dips, everything flows here in perfect harmony.
SELECTIVE COMPARISONS
vs ISN H50
Vocals on H50 are more upfront than the Szalayi and the airy feeling is more noticeable on H50 too. Treble is not the Szalayi's biggest advantage but being a more bass orientated earphone it souldnt be in the first place,resulting this way in a more vast/open sound experience
that Szalayi monster is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning,with more note weight and it is the more musical one between those two by far....
Regardless that, both are great monitors with H50 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and linear sounding between the two of them, BUT the OSCAR goes easily to the Szalayi being by far the more refined and qualitive earphone providing an utterly ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener. Soundstage is something the Szalayi should be really proud for...........
vs UM MEXT
MEXT is a warm and bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to the Szalayi than H50..
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause instantly upon first listen the Szalayi felt much more bigger/deeper/wider sounding with a tremendous soundstage i personally never had to the luck to hear before.........
In terms of airy/spaciousness feeling though this is quite subjective I would say those two are completely on par with the Szalayi being just the cheaper one and thats quite an accomplishment allright.............
in terms of timbre / note weight bot are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on theSzalayi's side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand the MEXT being more airy, obtains a touch more open feeling (in the midrange) leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
The Szalayi is more of a darker sounding monitor more "heavy feeling" more bass head friendly if you like...more fun sounding signature if you wish.....
MEXT has been widely promoted for their newest technologies (Bone conducting driver) and the effects of that in the perception of the sound as we know it till now..
but believe me, if i wouldn't to know, between those two monitors (MEXT / Szalayi ) where this bone conductor driver lies, I would suspect the latest (Szalayi) just because it has an ABSOLUTELY THUNDEROUS SUB BASS IMPACT that manages to drug you in so much in that atmosphere not easily explained by simple words and phrases....
vs ISN EST50
EST 50s was to me love at first sight...........Love at first audition if you wish so.....An all time favorite of mine and the closest anyone can get to the Oriolus Szalayi's sound signature and tuninng at the half of the Szalayi's price. ISN AUDIO is a true master as far BASS goes and in this case their flagship EST50s is the perfect proof of what happens when a group of proffesional engineers who happens to love bass frequencies a little more than the rest of the spectrum........... are doing their best effort to bring such a miracle as the EST50s.Here the midrange is taken care by a SONION BA driver which make the mids so ,so ,so, beautifull and sweet ,p to the point where you simply forget how marvelous the bass sounds ,and the treble uses 2 Sonion ESTs micro tweeters so this results in a perfect natural representation of the higher regions.
if it wasn't for the Szalayi's tremendous thunderous sub bass impact and the airy utterly mesmerizing treble reproduction of the EST50s i would call them twins BUT .....this is life ....you win something/you lose something else.....i do love those two equally ,just a hint more the Szalayi being the more vast and big sounding one.Both are amazing earphones at their price and both worth every single dollar. If Szalayi seems to expensive to you i would highly reccomend EST50s at the half of their price being the closest you can get at this signature.
Final words
from my side i cannot recommend enough the Oriolus Szalayi if your preference is a quality fun sounding earphone with HUGE BIG BOMBASTIC SOUND & STAGE then you won't find any better at least at this price point.
It is an absolute TOTL, regardless of any price range,mainly orientated to bass lovers but not only
anyone that prefers musical and natural as well reproduction of sound not focusing too much on the microdetails of the recordings but instead is in search of loosing his/hers self into an ocean of sound sould be consider this monitor for sure.
For me it is in simple words an END GAME monitor of unearthed beauty , a tremendous set of BIG FLOOR SPEAKERS INSIDE MY HUMPLE EARS........
After the first hour of the very first audition with these my first thought was....΄΄who needs a home hifi floor speakers when owns this one?'' not me anyway............................
If Szalayi was a movie.. it would certainly be this one.....
Thanks for reading and have a good time always with your music as your partener........................................
Can you recall the time when hearing a monitor (for the first time) felt like actually striking thunders during a clear day?
It's most certainly one of those times with this one , when i take proud and joy from reviewing such a delightfull monitor that simply ticks every single box for my taste ,so.....right from the begging of this review let me say l really really like this set.
I mean really like it A LOT .....
Oriolus is a well known established company for many headfiers and this model is supposed to be a reincarnation of a previous most successful model from this company the Oriolus MKII (which managed to gather quite a few positive opinions around the audiophile world) only this time we see newest technologies take place and a quite interesting implementation approach using 3 different drivers :
1 dynamic driver for the bass/sub bass
1 planar magnetic for the midrange
1 BA for the lower/upper highs
Let's see how this Szalayi stands up to MKII's reputation.
Disclaimer
Purchased Szalayi with my own money directly from HiFiGO and here΄s a link in case you are interested : Szalayi
SPECIFICATIONS
>14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver.
>High-Performance Balanced Armature Driver.
>10mm Dynamic Driver.
>3D Printed Photopolymer Ear Shells.
>High-Grade Pure OFC(Oxygen-Free Copper) with Silver-Plating Cable.
>Impedance: 10Ω.
>Sensitivity: 110dB/mW.
>Frequency Response Range: 10Hz-40kHz.
>Termination Plug: 4.4mm Balanced.
Packadge / Unboxing / Cable / Fit
Package is pretty simple here (and that has become a tradition many years now for all Oriolus monitors even the most expensive ones like their flagship Traillii )
It is for some time now that a case comes along with your purchase (very simple but does the job pretty allright),(in my opinion regarding the previous models not including any case for this prize you pay and for this monitor its simply unacceptable and a shame for such an established brand like Oriolus
Faceplates of the shells are trully adorable in deep blue reminiscent of the deep ocean just like the unique sound of these monsters.......
as for accessories goes, yοu get three sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, and some pairs of comply foams, a cleaning brush for the monitor's nozzle and a stylish yellow cloth clipper
Szalayi comes with a nice fabric cable obtaining a recessed 2-pin connection plug, ending in a 4.4 balanced termination.
Fit wise, in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids,Final Audio E tips e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using some Spinfits cause those provided the deepest insert for me, as well as amazing fit and superb isolation .
The included silicone tips are pretty amazing as well ,maintaning the warm tonallity and the original sound character of this monitor.
Anyway considered your self warned guys because this is a real BIG monitor in terms of size ( very close to the size of the UM MEXT) and i consider this would be definetelly an issue for those with smaller ear canals unfortunatelly.
Sound Profile
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II
Just for the record.. Szalayi had allready completed a total burn in period of 120 hours before any kind of critical listening.
And to be more specific these monitors need indeed a REALLY LOT OF BURN IN period of time in order to bring up the juice,to reach out to their full potentials and characteristics.
Now to the point.....this is a MONSTER in terms of reproduction and nothing less than that .the sound is full-dynamic,explosive in some cases .The soundstage is beyond limitations here...... we re talking about VAST SOUND FIELD and nothing less than this. BIG SOUND towards any direction out side of your head experience 100% that is...
Me at least haven't heard any other monitor till now with such a tremendous sound stage , with such a tremendous depth of the scene ,with such a tremendous layering and imaging abilities.Once you find the proper fit using the proper ear tips these monsters simply can blow your mind away easily..............
There is a unique 3 dimentional sense of surrounding cyclotic sound up to the point you wont realise where the sound is coming from.......
Imaging is top notch too there,you can easily pin point each and every instrument of the stage and its exact potition there.
Detail retrieval is not the strongest point of this set ,and it souldn't be because their main target is to loose your self inside the music forgetting anything else around you.. Nevertheless details are still there , in the background taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recordings.
Another unique thing about this set is that once you turn up the volume there is no way back but only keep increasing the volume all the way up to the end .........The sound remains coherent even at the loudest volume .Constinstency even under extreme high pitched volume is the main characteristic of this earphone. It is the absolute definition of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND exceeding anyone's expectations....
Have to mention at this point that this set scales pretty amazing with better sources-daps-amps. Needs power to reach its full potential and as long as you have a capable dap (such as DX160-170) everything is going to be just fine but the higher the source - the better the whole experience gets...for example paired with Hiby R5 Gen II (A class amp mode) ends in an even more dynamic presentation of sound with faster attacks and even more natural decays ....so do not be afraid to turn up the volume......it just gets better and better....a complete sonic experience .
BASS
Impactfull at least, BIG & BOLD up to point that categorizes this monitor to the BASSHEAD territory with ease but int the most delightfull way. Transients are fast,decays are too perfect to be true and the bass timbre has a unique analogue feeling in terms of representation of the recordings.It creates an atmosphere not easy to be found in monitors at any price range even the most expensive ones ,Its like you own a very expensive HiFi home set up system and a pair of 3 way floor speakers including sub woofer .
Bass here is not only about quantity but quality as well. Its textured,fully articulated takes you in and makes you forget that you even excist !!!!!!!!!!
Never bleeds into the mids area ,never oveshadowing the rest of the spectrum and capable of producing goose bumps in any track upon it is called for.....
Sub bass is really explosive material as long as it is there in the recordings can easily make you feel under the attack of an earthquake or something.....
It has to be heard to be fully undestanded, the thing that a monitor is capable of such a BOMBASTIC bass representation maintaning such a unheard quality is trully astonishing !!!!!!
MIDRANGE
Spacious enough,lush mellow,liquid and most of all with the correct note weight and natural timbre between others this is where the 14mm Planar Diaphragm Driver takes place and does its magic........
there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at any price range
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound
it exhibits great personality being not to close or not to far away either, just at the right place in the center of the stage
Those monitors have found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre always enganging and euphoric absolutelly natural is the most right word here....
male and female vocals are represented with passion and intimacy providing a unique feeling of engangement to the listener,never shouty or to close to your face.Its such a delight to hear.
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to UM MEXT which is a more expensive monitor.
TREBLE
Extended and energetic, sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its an exciting,bright and sparkly treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial, but natural and resolving even at the most complex passages taken care by a single BA and this and only is a rare thing for this kind of airy reproduction.Not the strongest point of this monitor anyway but does the job pretty well, complementing the other frequencies
cymbals,hi-hats,violins,strings everything here sounds natural and sweet
Absolutelly zero sibilance or hotness.
anyway in this case it is important to select the right tips that can help you avoid any hint of glare there but this is more like nitpicking here....It is an amazing treble all right just not the most noticeable characteristic upon first listening
Suggested test tracks
As an example of this utterly mesmerizing presentation of sound i suggest you take a listen on this track
Sea song - Maria Chiara Argiro
in every part of the FR the Szalayis excels.Physical organs like contrabass, saxhophones,clarinets,drums have unbelievable natural sound and decays,her voice sounds so fluid,so lush, sweet and warm ,real to life, it is a pure delight to listen to...............and as Maria says in this track "this endless blue will ease your mind" a perfect definition for Szalayi s sound.....
....in other cases it is also a superior monitor in more complex,modern electronica synthesis like
4T Thieves's latest record ¨Elder Dawn¨which is a pure delight on this monsterus set,as the lowest frequencies pulsing together,interelating with the rest of the spectrum creating the whole unique and mesmerising atmosphere of this brilliant record from 4T Thieve's genious mind.
4T Thieves - Elder Dawn
Another fine example of Szalayi's superior representation in every part of the frequency range is beyond any doubt the following track:
Ova - Godless
Ova is Elizabeth Crompton's previous act. In this track the amount of lower tones digitally recreated are simply overwhelming.. Despite that one.. the moment her magical voice appears in the track everything turns out pure heaven for the listener.. as her voice stands out so clearly with such an authority and majesty, creating this way such a lush and spacious atmosphere.
Midrange stays here absolutely safe from any kind of bleeding coming from the overpowering lower frequencies. The total amount of ambience created here is simply beyond words....
OUTSTANDING!!!!
I could hear this song 24/7 on repeat using only the Szalayis... An unbelievable magical experience, one that very few monitors are capable of........
BUT...... if in any case someone wants to evaluate the Szalayi's impeccable strenghts definitely has to listen to
this one....
Glass Moon - Leland Whitty
Leland being a long time member of BADBADNOTGOOD modern jazz group , produced an absolutely beautiful solo record last year and in this particular track every physical instrument like double bass is a real treat with the Szalayis....The sound gets immediatelly EXPANSIVE just right from the begging of the song takes you in, absorbs your mind.. right from the very first seconds.......,double bass,flutes,drums,Rhodes etc.... showcasing an utterly natural timbre,true to the original recording, i suppose you ll be 100% surprised of how close to real life this track sounds in terms of correct and natural sound reproduction .
Oriolus Szalayi graph
The elevetad sub bass self does all the magic here and recreating a deeply and utterly oceanic feeling i would say... providing in combination with the overall tuning the sound vastness that this monitor sould be knowned for.
From 20 to 60 Hz every single note has a substantial weight and impact showcasing in the best way the bass lines of each track leading and creating a kind of unique ambience.This is a case where the FR graph pictures melticulously the sound profile of this monitor,where the bass is the main star of the show portraying especially well and correct any physical organ falls into this territory,but its not about quantity here ,its all about quality,every note drops between 20 to 250 Hz is the definition of Naturalism and authentic timbre.
The transition into the midrange as you can tell is smooth as butter and the mild peak between 1k and 2k helps especially female vocals to shine and sound breathy and airy. in other places no strange peaks or dips, everything flows here in perfect harmony.
SELECTIVE COMPARISONS
vs ISN H50
Vocals on H50 are more upfront than the Szalayi and the airy feeling is more noticeable on H50 too. Treble is not the Szalayi's biggest advantage but being a more bass orientated earphone it souldnt be in the first place,resulting this way in a more vast/open sound experience
that Szalayi monster is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning,with more note weight and it is the more musical one between those two by far....
Regardless that, both are great monitors with H50 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and linear sounding between the two of them, BUT the OSCAR goes easily to the Szalayi being by far the more refined and qualitive earphone providing an utterly ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener. Soundstage is something the Szalayi should be really proud for...........
vs UM MEXT
MEXT is a warm and bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to the Szalayi than H50..
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause instantly upon first listen the Szalayi felt much more bigger/deeper/wider sounding with a tremendous soundstage i personally never had to the luck to hear before.........
In terms of airy/spaciousness feeling though this is quite subjective I would say those two are completely on par with the Szalayi being just the cheaper one and thats quite an accomplishment allright.............
in terms of timbre / note weight bot are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on theSzalayi's side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand the MEXT being more airy, obtains a touch more open feeling (in the midrange) leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
The Szalayi is more of a darker sounding monitor more "heavy feeling" more bass head friendly if you like...more fun sounding signature if you wish.....
MEXT has been widely promoted for their newest technologies (Bone conducting driver) and the effects of that in the perception of the sound as we know it till now..
but believe me, if i wouldn't to know, between those two monitors (MEXT / Szalayi ) where this bone conductor driver lies, I would suspect the latest (Szalayi) just because it has an ABSOLUTELY THUNDEROUS SUB BASS IMPACT that manages to drug you in so much in that atmosphere not easily explained by simple words and phrases....
vs ISN EST50
EST 50s was to me love at first sight...........Love at first audition if you wish so.....An all time favorite of mine and the closest anyone can get to the Oriolus Szalayi's sound signature and tuninng at the half of the Szalayi's price. ISN AUDIO is a true master as far BASS goes and in this case their flagship EST50s is the perfect proof of what happens when a group of proffesional engineers who happens to love bass frequencies a little more than the rest of the spectrum........... are doing their best effort to bring such a miracle as the EST50s.Here the midrange is taken care by a SONION BA driver which make the mids so ,so ,so, beautifull and sweet ,p to the point where you simply forget how marvelous the bass sounds ,and the treble uses 2 Sonion ESTs micro tweeters so this results in a perfect natural representation of the higher regions.
if it wasn't for the Szalayi's tremendous thunderous sub bass impact and the airy utterly mesmerizing treble reproduction of the EST50s i would call them twins BUT .....this is life ....you win something/you lose something else.....i do love those two equally ,just a hint more the Szalayi being the more vast and big sounding one.Both are amazing earphones at their price and both worth every single dollar. If Szalayi seems to expensive to you i would highly reccomend EST50s at the half of their price being the closest you can get at this signature.
Final words
from my side i cannot recommend enough the Oriolus Szalayi if your preference is a quality fun sounding earphone with HUGE BIG BOMBASTIC SOUND & STAGE then you won't find any better at least at this price point.
It is an absolute TOTL, regardless of any price range,mainly orientated to bass lovers but not only
anyone that prefers musical and natural as well reproduction of sound not focusing too much on the microdetails of the recordings but instead is in search of loosing his/hers self into an ocean of sound sould be consider this monitor for sure.
For me it is in simple words an END GAME monitor of unearthed beauty , a tremendous set of BIG FLOOR SPEAKERS INSIDE MY HUMPLE EARS........
After the first hour of the very first audition with these my first thought was....΄΄who needs a home hifi floor speakers when owns this one?'' not me anyway............................
If Szalayi was a movie.. it would certainly be this one.....
Thanks for reading and have a good time always with your music as your partener........................................
Attachments
szore
I do not know those 2 IEMs, sorry!
We all know how Audio Market has become a saturated market, especially during the last years making it even harder for any of us to choose a monitor that suits our personal flavor (its a paradox but the more choises one has, the more difficult it gets for that person to make a decision , and having a plethora of choises doesn΄t really help much,that situation occurs more and more in our everyday life and affects most people΄s life in every level)
Νevertheless H50 was not a blind shot for my case....
Having bought during the last 3 years from ISN AUDIO company H40,D10 and D02 iems has proved to be a safe solid choise and thus it was easy to follow ISN on their latest release H50 monitor.
Giving H50 a straight 5 star was really easy for me, as it impressed me the most straight out of the box from the very first listening.
I can recall 2 or 3 times the most, that other monitors had an immediate impact to my ears (one of those time would be their previous H40 model)
Disclaimer
Purchased H50 with my own money directly from PENON AUDIO and here¨s a link in case you are interest...ISN H50
ISN H50
Driver: 4 Balanced Armature + 1 Dynamic driver
2BA for high frequency + 2BA for middle frequency
10MM composite diaphragm Dynamic for low frequency
Impedance: 25ohm
Sensitivity: 108dB
Frequency response: 20-20kHz
3 channels 3-way crossover
Handmade resin shell
Stainless steel nozzle
Connector: MMCX
Cable:8 Strands 19 Cores OCC Silver-plated
Plug: Gold-plated
Cable length: 1.2M
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5
Just for the record.. H50 had allready completed a total burn in period of 200 hours before any kind of critical listening.
Package is pretty simple (and that has become a tradition for all ISN monitors even the most expensive ones)
as for accessories goes, yοu get two sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, one pair of large size comply foams, and a unique dark blue stylish magnetic case
H50 comes with an ISN S8 mmcx cable in 3,5 / 2,5 / 4,4 balanced (termination of your choise)
Fit wise, i would consider H50 the closest anyone can get to custom fit,in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using Final Audio E tips cause those provided the deepest insert for me, as well as amazing fit and superb isolation .
SOUND
........or in other words this is where things get really exciting !!
FYI.... being a funny guy...
I am always trying to reach for a "full headroom experience" for example..(DX160 high gain 60 - 70 step).. (in cost of my hearing health am afraid) nevertheless I still feel able to hear every single tiny detail / nuances in the majority of the recordings I am listening to...
....with an impedance of 25ohms ,this is a a very easy to drive pair of monitors either you use them straight out of a smartphone plug, or with an entry level dap such as Hiby R3. I currently use iBasso DX160 .Hiby R5 & Sanhling M3X with H50, all of them resulting in an exciting audition.
I consider their tuning as a balanced slight W shaped with bigger emphasis on the very low end ,slightly elevated mids and more emphasized sparkly treble.
Another noticeable thing regardless the music genre and the complexity of any track is the strong resolution of these monitors only to be found in much more complex implementations and way more expensive higher end iems.EFFORTLESS is the name of the game here.....
As far as Soundstage / image goes what you get is a really wide holographic scene elliptical you might say. Sound expands easily towards any direction ending in a certain amount of ambience hard to be achieved by any monitor in today's market.
accurate placement of instruments, right on spot, giving a strong palm of realism in every track.
Detail retrieval is also top tier on H50. Not in your face of course, in the background taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recording.
BASS
Vast but controlled at the same time with fast attacks and longer decays for acoustical instruments in this region
Never bleeds into the midrange,to be more precise the transition into the mids is smooth as butter, makes you think there is only one driver working in the entire FR providing cohesive steady solid sound. The 10MM composite diaphragm Dynamic driver for low frequency, is a new addition from ISN family and the biggest difference from their previous H40 model.But the biggest feature here is the sub bass impact.
To be more specific about it, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) H50 does all the "vibration magic thing",seems that the DD pushes a lot of air there effortless resulting in this exciting outcome.....
Even at the lowest volume levels you can feel that woofer tickling your ears and that makes a huge difference....
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound.
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors as i allready have mentioned)
i suggest as a test track : LOCAL TOURIST - colors that one sounds completely a gem in the lowest region
Local Tourist - Colors
MIDS
2 BAs talking care of the midrange and once again the cohesiveness is trully admirable,there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at this price range
Spacious,emotional,lush with weight at the same time,seems like ISN AUDIO enginners found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre.
Enganging and euphoric vocals is what should be expected from H50 midrange reproduction
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to the DUNU EST112 which is way more expensive monitor.
Imaging is really accurate , you can easily pin point each and every instrument in the sound field
Luna Li : Αfterglow is a perfect test track for the high level of engangment this earphone can provide......
Luna Li - Αfterglow
TREBLE
2BAs there as well working together for lower and higher department.
Extended but pollished, sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its an exciting,bright and sparkly treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial, but natural and resolving even at the most complex passages
i would suggest Portico Quartet΄s : Captured time with the fascinating percussive and string section there ending up to a trully heavenly listening experience
Portico Quartet - captured time
H50 graph
COMPARISONS
vs H40
with a 9.2 DD & 3 BAs (1BA for the mids - 2BAs for the highs) H40 is a bass focused hybrid ,the epitomy of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND a much beloved for many headfiers monitor and a personal favorite.H50 is the more balanced and the less bulky one between them.Its the one with a prominent sub bass emphasis against the vast bass signature of the H40s which from time to time, dominates and thus overshadows the rest of the frequency range. Vocals on H50 are more upfront than H40 and the airy feeling is more noticeable too. Treble is not H40s biggest advantage too,resulting in a more polite sound experience,its not like H50 is more aggresive at all.its just that H40 is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning, Regardless that both are great hybrid monitors with H50 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and linear sounding between them obtaining a more ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener.
Anyway... FYI I still consider till this day H40 for their cost, an absolute VFM ideal all rounder........
vs DUNU EST112
EST112 from DUNU is a tribrid monitor with a 13.5 mm DD Driver with Dual-Sided Beryllium Coating ,one Custom Knowles BA tweeter and 2 Sonion EST supertweeters
I loved those straight out of the box ,for their vast wide soundstage,their polished sound,their clarity,their unbelievable detail retrieval.BUT as far as bass goes (strangely enough having a large 13.5 woofer) is way too polite if you compare it directly with a monitor like H50.The impact is missing, the sub bass kick lacks of energy, something that ISN AUDIO is a really specialist at.Though EST112΄s treble is really something else (propably the most airy treble i personally ever heard till now) it lacks some weight,or body i would say.On the contrary this is not the case with H50 where the body and sparkle goes hand by hand with the sub bass providing authority and definition to every single note.....
As far as resolution goes EST112 has slightly the upper hand overt the H50 in big orchestras and symphonic tracks. apart from that EST112 is really a pain in the ass as far as fit goes (using azla sedna tips was the only way for these really heavy monitors to stay tight on my ears).
vs UM MEXT
Configuration : 1 Coil OBC Driver + 1 Bass Dynamic Driver + 2 Mids BA Drivers + 2 Treble BA Drivers
Obviously what comes first in mind is the question : is this a fair comparison ? i mean come on...1kilobuck monitor versus a 300 bucks iem ???????
Got the MEXT just a week ago so lets start with a major downisde of the MEXT........It is by far the biggest monitor I ve ever tried, and certainly not the most comfortable experience for the average user....
it is a bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to H40 than H50.
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause MEXT is my one and only kilobuck monitor and i realised with certainty, that those are quite overestimated (in terms of pure cost of course) against monitors like ISN H40 / H50...
In terms of airy/spaciousness feeling though this is quite subjective I would say H50 wins here... seems due it's more linear approach in the midrange and the treble region air/distance between instruments and vocals is more than noticeable leaving room for every single instrument to really shine in its own space....
in terms of timbre / note weight bot are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on the MEXTs side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand H50 being more airy obtains a touch more open feeling in the midrange leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
MEXT is a darker sounding monitor more "heavy feeling" more bass head friendly if you like...
on the other hand H50 is more reference like tuning, more balanced than the MEXT and more audiophile approach.... it's a brighter one with more precision and presence in the higher registries...
MEXT has been widely promoted for their newest technologies (Bone conducting driver) and the effects of that in the perception of the sound as we know it till now..
but believe me, if i wouldn't to know, between those two monitors (MEXT / H50) where this bone conductor driver lies, I would suspect the latest (H50).
To be more specific about it, as i stated earlier, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) H50 does all the magic you ll ever need .......
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors)
So...... I am afraid as far as fit goes... H50 are beyond any competition and certainly way above the MEXT (which is a bulky monitor) and I would highly suggest (cause of that) to anyone who is thinking of purchasing those..... don't do it with blind eyes...otherwise it will be a pain in the ass to get a comfortable fit, try them first then go on....
other than that i consider both monitor on par in terms of pure music pleasure and excitement .......
Final words
At this hobby it has always been a matter of personal taste and flavor when it comes to the choise of getting any iem that suits any individual΄s different point of view.
From my side at least i cannot reccomend enough the ISN H50. IMHO, ISN audio engineers really surpassed themselves making this fabulous set of monitors.
It is an absolute TOTL, regardless of their price there....able to faithfully reproduce any kind of recording or music genre effortless ,and the main point is that H50 has nothing to envy from much higher priced monitors coming from well established companies , or monitors using more sophisticated implementations.
All this for barely 300 bucks.....
Engagement is the name of the game here, and those H50s definitely deliver that. it's one of the most engaging monitors I have ever listened to.
Thanks for reading.............
Νevertheless H50 was not a blind shot for my case....
Having bought during the last 3 years from ISN AUDIO company H40,D10 and D02 iems has proved to be a safe solid choise and thus it was easy to follow ISN on their latest release H50 monitor.
Giving H50 a straight 5 star was really easy for me, as it impressed me the most straight out of the box from the very first listening.
I can recall 2 or 3 times the most, that other monitors had an immediate impact to my ears (one of those time would be their previous H40 model)
Disclaimer
Purchased H50 with my own money directly from PENON AUDIO and here¨s a link in case you are interest...ISN H50
ISN H50
Driver: 4 Balanced Armature + 1 Dynamic driver
2BA for high frequency + 2BA for middle frequency
10MM composite diaphragm Dynamic for low frequency
Impedance: 25ohm
Sensitivity: 108dB
Frequency response: 20-20kHz
3 channels 3-way crossover
Handmade resin shell
Stainless steel nozzle
Connector: MMCX
Cable:8 Strands 19 Cores OCC Silver-plated
Plug: Gold-plated
Cable length: 1.2M
Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 160 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5
Just for the record.. H50 had allready completed a total burn in period of 200 hours before any kind of critical listening.
Package is pretty simple (and that has become a tradition for all ISN monitors even the most expensive ones)
as for accessories goes, yοu get two sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, one pair of large size comply foams, and a unique dark blue stylish magnetic case
H50 comes with an ISN S8 mmcx cable in 3,5 / 2,5 / 4,4 balanced (termination of your choise)
Fit wise, i would consider H50 the closest anyone can get to custom fit,in my case at least fits like a glove to my extra large ear cavities and having tried several tips (symbio,azla sedna,sony hybrids e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using Final Audio E tips cause those provided the deepest insert for me, as well as amazing fit and superb isolation .
SOUND
........or in other words this is where things get really exciting !!
FYI.... being a funny guy...
....with an impedance of 25ohms ,this is a a very easy to drive pair of monitors either you use them straight out of a smartphone plug, or with an entry level dap such as Hiby R3. I currently use iBasso DX160 .Hiby R5 & Sanhling M3X with H50, all of them resulting in an exciting audition.
I consider their tuning as a balanced slight W shaped with bigger emphasis on the very low end ,slightly elevated mids and more emphasized sparkly treble.
Another noticeable thing regardless the music genre and the complexity of any track is the strong resolution of these monitors only to be found in much more complex implementations and way more expensive higher end iems.EFFORTLESS is the name of the game here.....
As far as Soundstage / image goes what you get is a really wide holographic scene elliptical you might say. Sound expands easily towards any direction ending in a certain amount of ambience hard to be achieved by any monitor in today's market.
accurate placement of instruments, right on spot, giving a strong palm of realism in every track.
Detail retrieval is also top tier on H50. Not in your face of course, in the background taking a back seat creating this way a unique atmospheric sense of the recording.
BASS
Vast but controlled at the same time with fast attacks and longer decays for acoustical instruments in this region
Never bleeds into the midrange,to be more precise the transition into the mids is smooth as butter, makes you think there is only one driver working in the entire FR providing cohesive steady solid sound. The 10MM composite diaphragm Dynamic driver for low frequency, is a new addition from ISN family and the biggest difference from their previous H40 model.But the biggest feature here is the sub bass impact.
To be more specific about it, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) H50 does all the "vibration magic thing",seems that the DD pushes a lot of air there effortless resulting in this exciting outcome.....
Even at the lowest volume levels you can feel that woofer tickling your ears and that makes a huge difference....
it΄s almost like you can feel the music rather than just hearing the sound.
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors as i allready have mentioned)
i suggest as a test track : LOCAL TOURIST - colors that one sounds completely a gem in the lowest region
Local Tourist - Colors
MIDS
2 BAs talking care of the midrange and once again the cohesiveness is trully admirable,there is a noticeable airy feeling between voices and instruments a balance hard to find at this price range
Spacious,emotional,lush with weight at the same time,seems like ISN AUDIO enginners found the right spot between thick and thin mids resulting to a unique and very realistic timbre.
Enganging and euphoric vocals is what should be expected from H50 midrange reproduction
Furthermore, the amount of air, especially in the midrange is really remarkable for any iem at this price, and i would easily compare the airy atmosphere in the mids (which is trully amazing) to the DUNU EST112 which is way more expensive monitor.
Imaging is really accurate , you can easily pin point each and every instrument in the sound field
Luna Li : Αfterglow is a perfect test track for the high level of engangment this earphone can provide......
Luna Li - Αfterglow
TREBLE
2BAs there as well working together for lower and higher department.
Extended but pollished, sparkly but fatigue free at the same time.all the upper region details are there ,not at your face ,at the background moving slowly inside your head filling you gently with all the information present at the recordings.
its an exciting,bright and sparkly treble providing at the same time an absolute fatique free experience suggested for long term listening sessions
Not hot,neither artificial, but natural and resolving even at the most complex passages
i would suggest Portico Quartet΄s : Captured time with the fascinating percussive and string section there ending up to a trully heavenly listening experience
Portico Quartet - captured time
H50 graph
COMPARISONS
vs H40
with a 9.2 DD & 3 BAs (1BA for the mids - 2BAs for the highs) H40 is a bass focused hybrid ,the epitomy of a FUN SIGNATURE SOUND a much beloved for many headfiers monitor and a personal favorite.H50 is the more balanced and the less bulky one between them.Its the one with a prominent sub bass emphasis against the vast bass signature of the H40s which from time to time, dominates and thus overshadows the rest of the frequency range. Vocals on H50 are more upfront than H40 and the airy feeling is more noticeable too. Treble is not H40s biggest advantage too,resulting in a more polite sound experience,its not like H50 is more aggresive at all.its just that H40 is more prominent in the bass region due to its tuning, Regardless that both are great hybrid monitors with H50 due to its tuning and implementation ,being the more airy and linear sounding between them obtaining a more ¨out of the head experience¨to the listener.
Anyway... FYI I still consider till this day H40 for their cost, an absolute VFM ideal all rounder........
vs DUNU EST112
EST112 from DUNU is a tribrid monitor with a 13.5 mm DD Driver with Dual-Sided Beryllium Coating ,one Custom Knowles BA tweeter and 2 Sonion EST supertweeters
I loved those straight out of the box ,for their vast wide soundstage,their polished sound,their clarity,their unbelievable detail retrieval.BUT as far as bass goes (strangely enough having a large 13.5 woofer) is way too polite if you compare it directly with a monitor like H50.The impact is missing, the sub bass kick lacks of energy, something that ISN AUDIO is a really specialist at.Though EST112΄s treble is really something else (propably the most airy treble i personally ever heard till now) it lacks some weight,or body i would say.On the contrary this is not the case with H50 where the body and sparkle goes hand by hand with the sub bass providing authority and definition to every single note.....
As far as resolution goes EST112 has slightly the upper hand overt the H50 in big orchestras and symphonic tracks. apart from that EST112 is really a pain in the ass as far as fit goes (using azla sedna tips was the only way for these really heavy monitors to stay tight on my ears).
vs UM MEXT
Configuration : 1 Coil OBC Driver + 1 Bass Dynamic Driver + 2 Mids BA Drivers + 2 Treble BA Drivers
Obviously what comes first in mind is the question : is this a fair comparison ? i mean come on...1kilobuck monitor versus a 300 bucks iem ???????
Got the MEXT just a week ago so lets start with a major downisde of the MEXT........It is by far the biggest monitor I ve ever tried, and certainly not the most comfortable experience for the average user....
it is a bass friendly monitor with a HUGE FUN SIGNATURE closer to H40 than H50.
MEXT is indeed a perfect all rounder, ideal for bass lovers obtaining a huge soundstage,top tier resolution ,fantastic mids and fascinating treble response.
nevertheless i have to admit that I was quite surprised during this comparison cause MEXT is my one and only kilobuck monitor and i realised with certainty, that those are quite overestimated (in terms of pure cost of course) against monitors like ISN H40 / H50...
In terms of airy/spaciousness feeling though this is quite subjective I would say H50 wins here... seems due it's more linear approach in the midrange and the treble region air/distance between instruments and vocals is more than noticeable leaving room for every single instrument to really shine in its own space....
in terms of timbre / note weight bot are natural and realistic with note weight being a bit more on the MEXTs side due to it's tuning mainly.
But.. in the other hand H50 being more airy obtains a touch more open feeling in the midrange leaving room for the vocals to breathe....
MEXT is a darker sounding monitor more "heavy feeling" more bass head friendly if you like...
on the other hand H50 is more reference like tuning, more balanced than the MEXT and more audiophile approach.... it's a brighter one with more precision and presence in the higher registries...
MEXT has been widely promoted for their newest technologies (Bone conducting driver) and the effects of that in the perception of the sound as we know it till now..
but believe me, if i wouldn't to know, between those two monitors (MEXT / H50) where this bone conductor driver lies, I would suspect the latest (H50).
To be more specific about it, as i stated earlier, in the sub bass region (20 - 60 Hz) H50 does all the magic you ll ever need .......
I suspect partially due to their fantastic tuning and also due to their unique custom like fit which allows everyone regardless of their ear cavity size to experience a most unique fitting experience (the closest you can get to custom monitors)
So...... I am afraid as far as fit goes... H50 are beyond any competition and certainly way above the MEXT (which is a bulky monitor) and I would highly suggest (cause of that) to anyone who is thinking of purchasing those..... don't do it with blind eyes...otherwise it will be a pain in the ass to get a comfortable fit, try them first then go on....
other than that i consider both monitor on par in terms of pure music pleasure and excitement .......
Final words
At this hobby it has always been a matter of personal taste and flavor when it comes to the choise of getting any iem that suits any individual΄s different point of view.
From my side at least i cannot reccomend enough the ISN H50. IMHO, ISN audio engineers really surpassed themselves making this fabulous set of monitors.
It is an absolute TOTL, regardless of their price there....able to faithfully reproduce any kind of recording or music genre effortless ,and the main point is that H50 has nothing to envy from much higher priced monitors coming from well established companies , or monitors using more sophisticated implementations.
All this for barely 300 bucks.....
Engagement is the name of the game here, and those H50s definitely deliver that. it's one of the most engaging monitors I have ever listened to.
Thanks for reading.............
Gustavo1976
Great review. I know that not a good comparison but do you try Dusk or S8 ?? What do you think?
alexandros a
@Gustavo1976 havent heard either of them sorry,
as far as i can remember the reason why i wasnt interested in the first place for both of these two monitors was that i had reached out in a conclusion that their sound signature was too linear/reference for my taste (based on reviews i had read) thus providing both of them a weaker bass response/impact....
as far as i can remember the reason why i wasnt interested in the first place for both of these two monitors was that i had reached out in a conclusion that their sound signature was too linear/reference for my taste (based on reviews i had read) thus providing both of them a weaker bass response/impact....
ernie633124
by the way alexandros a I took the recommendation and yours as well on the ISN Audio H50, and pull the trigger ordered in Aliexpress on this year 11/11 sale so the final price was around $267.00 USD and it will arrived around 11/20 via DHL
Friends audiomaniacs.....
till recent years was trully an odyssey just to get a decent sound from in ear monitors and could easily cost everyone a fortune to get a high end sounding in ear monitor set.
Nowdays this is just a bad dream from the past...since more and more audio companies from all around the globe have gained a strong reputation in audio market proving themselves each and every day with their products...
A veteran in Audio business ,PENON being a retailer in the industry for years now ,just recently started producing IEMS with their own brand name
- First example were the SPHERES (1BA) which gathered some very positive opionions from audiophiles around the globe,followed soon after by the ORB (1DD,1BA) which grabbed my attention and finally purchased it after all.....
You can purchase the ORBs directly from penon for $259 at the time...
But just lets get straight into that, dont mean to waste any of your time guys
Before that, just want to say Thank You
@Dsnuts,if it wasn't for your suggestion I wouldn't had the opportunity to grab this wonderful iem..
Penon used for the shells medical grade resin material and each shell is made by hand resulting in jewel alike monitor very very pretty and with a high degree of craftamanship too....
Ergonomically speaking the fit is superb and fits my relatively big ears like a glove..
The packadge is simple enought with 2 sets of silicone ear tips a cleaning tool,a very handsome carrying case,some stickers etc....
Specifications
Driver: Balanced Armature full frequency + 10mm Dynamic driver
Impedance: 10 Ω @1khz
Sensitivity: 112 ± 3dB @1khz
Frequency response: 20hz-20Khz
Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
Plug: 3.5mm / 2.5mm plug
Cable length: 1.2M
ORB prooved to be a real gem at least for my ears just straight out of the box,and really made me a very very happy person indeed.
Regarding the sound :
BASS
Really fast,fully articulated,speed and texture are both fantastic,providing this way a solid impact on each and every note there.....Even bassheads will be pleasantly amazed by the quality bass here...which do not overshadows any of the other frequencies nor bleed into the mid frequencies as well...this quality bass contributes in a fascinating dynamic presentation and do not dominates the scene by any negative way anyway
Subb-bass is more than noticeable here and comes across where called for, with authority and decent rumble....
MIDS
there is an open feeling all across the mid frequencies,vocals come across with depth and unbelievable clarity,so transparent but yet solid that makes you feel its the closest you can get from a monitor to real life circumstances....
the degree of clarity/transparency is more than evident in the mids
male & female vocals are much enganging and with plenty of musicality as well.....
TREBLE
High frequencies regarding the orbs are smooth as butter with zero to none degree of harshness or metallic feeling....Everything flows naturally here,the timbre of the cymbals/hi hats is most natural/thus mesmerising.....
even if not the most extended treble in iems ,the feeling remains extremely pleasant and quite natural as well providing this way a most relaxed listening and totally recommended for long listening sections without any sign of fatique feeling to your ears....
Its totally suitable for most music genres,from acoustic /instruments/vocals to modern produced IDM/eletrconica/heavy bass tracks (especially in this kind of music the bass impact /rumble is just out of this world.....)
SELECTIVE COMPARISONS
Having tested the ORBS with lots of different sources(sounded great and even greater when amped) and have compared them to some othere iems in my small collection like ISN H40,MANGIRD TEA & iBASSO AM05 this is what i found out:
Penon ORB:
It's the most natural /analogical sounding iem i have ever heard,on par with ISN H40 i would say.
I mean it's the closest to real life reproduction or studio master if you prefer..... Correct imaging and strong resolution in much highier volumes
Every note has the correct weight and presence, every instrument has it's correct placement in the scene, impressive separation & soundstage, dynamic life like presentation.
Mangird Tea:
The most airy/sensitive sounding of them all here.....
3 dimensional sounding portraying each and every tinny detail in the recording.
The most noticeable difference between this and the ORBS is the air flowing between the instruments giving a brilliant sense of space and in addition to this the TEAS compared with the ORBS its for sure a detail monster all right......not saying that the TEAS are in any way analytical sounding but its really extreme detailed particullary in the treble/upper treble region.
iBASSO AM05:
Precise, linear, reference like sound, very fair in the entire frequency spectrum not favoring any region in the cost of any other, musical and engaging as well..... Bass is linear & superb but feels light when compared to the impactfull bass of the ORBS, and in direct comparison the air flowing between the instruments seems greater on the ORBS
ISN H40:
Its a completely different animal or..beast i should say.....
BASS dominates everything here but.....in the most fantastic manner you have ever heard........
very thick but with quality as well,weighty sound,FANTASTIC soundstage hollographic,3D surrounding ,much more prominent bass than the ORBS and midbass especially,smoother treble and more extended than the ORBS as well
its more like a 3way speakers experience than any other iem i have tried so far.
FINAL THOUGHTS
At this price range (200-300 $) lies plenty of competition especially in the chi-fi market,where the ORBs could easily cost (at least to my opinion more than 300$ easily)
i could easily say that resolution & image quality there rivals straightly with way more expensive iems (Fearless S6ui/ iBASSO AM05 etc...)
The bass and only that, is one strong reason for listening at least to this tinny miracle
it's quality its out of this world..its a stellar BIG BASS performance guys....
IMO its a totall gem at this price and should grab your attention regardless the competition out there......
till recent years was trully an odyssey just to get a decent sound from in ear monitors and could easily cost everyone a fortune to get a high end sounding in ear monitor set.
Nowdays this is just a bad dream from the past...since more and more audio companies from all around the globe have gained a strong reputation in audio market proving themselves each and every day with their products...
A veteran in Audio business ,PENON being a retailer in the industry for years now ,just recently started producing IEMS with their own brand name
- First example were the SPHERES (1BA) which gathered some very positive opionions from audiophiles around the globe,followed soon after by the ORB (1DD,1BA) which grabbed my attention and finally purchased it after all.....
You can purchase the ORBs directly from penon for $259 at the time...
But just lets get straight into that, dont mean to waste any of your time guys
Before that, just want to say Thank You
@Dsnuts,if it wasn't for your suggestion I wouldn't had the opportunity to grab this wonderful iem..
Penon used for the shells medical grade resin material and each shell is made by hand resulting in jewel alike monitor very very pretty and with a high degree of craftamanship too....
Ergonomically speaking the fit is superb and fits my relatively big ears like a glove..
The packadge is simple enought with 2 sets of silicone ear tips a cleaning tool,a very handsome carrying case,some stickers etc....
Specifications
Driver: Balanced Armature full frequency + 10mm Dynamic driver
Impedance: 10 Ω @1khz
Sensitivity: 112 ± 3dB @1khz
Frequency response: 20hz-20Khz
Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm
Plug: 3.5mm / 2.5mm plug
Cable length: 1.2M
ORB prooved to be a real gem at least for my ears just straight out of the box,and really made me a very very happy person indeed.
Regarding the sound :
BASS
Really fast,fully articulated,speed and texture are both fantastic,providing this way a solid impact on each and every note there.....Even bassheads will be pleasantly amazed by the quality bass here...which do not overshadows any of the other frequencies nor bleed into the mid frequencies as well...this quality bass contributes in a fascinating dynamic presentation and do not dominates the scene by any negative way anyway
Subb-bass is more than noticeable here and comes across where called for, with authority and decent rumble....
MIDS
there is an open feeling all across the mid frequencies,vocals come across with depth and unbelievable clarity,so transparent but yet solid that makes you feel its the closest you can get from a monitor to real life circumstances....
the degree of clarity/transparency is more than evident in the mids
male & female vocals are much enganging and with plenty of musicality as well.....
TREBLE
High frequencies regarding the orbs are smooth as butter with zero to none degree of harshness or metallic feeling....Everything flows naturally here,the timbre of the cymbals/hi hats is most natural/thus mesmerising.....
even if not the most extended treble in iems ,the feeling remains extremely pleasant and quite natural as well providing this way a most relaxed listening and totally recommended for long listening sections without any sign of fatique feeling to your ears....
Its totally suitable for most music genres,from acoustic /instruments/vocals to modern produced IDM/eletrconica/heavy bass tracks (especially in this kind of music the bass impact /rumble is just out of this world.....)
SELECTIVE COMPARISONS
Having tested the ORBS with lots of different sources(sounded great and even greater when amped) and have compared them to some othere iems in my small collection like ISN H40,MANGIRD TEA & iBASSO AM05 this is what i found out:
Penon ORB:
It's the most natural /analogical sounding iem i have ever heard,on par with ISN H40 i would say.
I mean it's the closest to real life reproduction or studio master if you prefer..... Correct imaging and strong resolution in much highier volumes
Every note has the correct weight and presence, every instrument has it's correct placement in the scene, impressive separation & soundstage, dynamic life like presentation.
Mangird Tea:
The most airy/sensitive sounding of them all here.....
3 dimensional sounding portraying each and every tinny detail in the recording.
The most noticeable difference between this and the ORBS is the air flowing between the instruments giving a brilliant sense of space and in addition to this the TEAS compared with the ORBS its for sure a detail monster all right......not saying that the TEAS are in any way analytical sounding but its really extreme detailed particullary in the treble/upper treble region.
iBASSO AM05:
Precise, linear, reference like sound, very fair in the entire frequency spectrum not favoring any region in the cost of any other, musical and engaging as well..... Bass is linear & superb but feels light when compared to the impactfull bass of the ORBS, and in direct comparison the air flowing between the instruments seems greater on the ORBS
ISN H40:
Its a completely different animal or..beast i should say.....
BASS dominates everything here but.....in the most fantastic manner you have ever heard........
very thick but with quality as well,weighty sound,FANTASTIC soundstage hollographic,3D surrounding ,much more prominent bass than the ORBS and midbass especially,smoother treble and more extended than the ORBS as well
its more like a 3way speakers experience than any other iem i have tried so far.
FINAL THOUGHTS
At this price range (200-300 $) lies plenty of competition especially in the chi-fi market,where the ORBs could easily cost (at least to my opinion more than 300$ easily)
i could easily say that resolution & image quality there rivals straightly with way more expensive iems (Fearless S6ui/ iBASSO AM05 etc...)
The bass and only that, is one strong reason for listening at least to this tinny miracle
it's quality its out of this world..its a stellar BIG BASS performance guys....
IMO its a totall gem at this price and should grab your attention regardless the competition out there......
cscales
Tinny is not a misspelling of tiny? Explain, please? My apologies if I presumed
.
.
alexandros a
Probably, yes indeed it is
My fault
My fault
cscales
I only smiled because "tinny" would actually not be a good thing with an iem. It's a charming mistake to make under the circumstances. I like to laugh at myself a little bit when I do stuff like that
.
.
(A few words about me):
This is my first attempt to review a product here in Head-Fi so.......guys please be gentle to me.....
I do not consider my self as an audiophile .I see my self more like a music enthusiast celebrating music each and every day in my life,and i am by no means a person of graphs and measurements.You can call me music junkie if you like.....I have my heart and ears focused on music 24/7.
My ears listen,my heart feels.....
Intro :
iBASSO is a well knowned established name in the Audio industry since....the creation of the universe.......
I have purchased lots of stuff from the company including daps/amps i.e.....
Recently they released their first 5BA Knowles iem with a 4-way crossover design, AM05 iem
For now you can purchase AM05 iem directly from the iBasso site or from Penon Audio for 299$.
Technical Specifications :
Driver : 5 Knowles balanced armature
Frequency response:10-40kHz
Sensitivity: 115±2dB(at 1 kHz)
Impedance: 32ohm
Passive noise reduction: -30dB
Rated power: 5mW
Distortion: <2%(at 1kHz/1mW)
Package,Cable,Accessories,Build Quality,Fit :
Attention to the detail is the keyword here,and those guys seem to be quite proffecional at this area since years now...
Package includes a nice hardshell alluminium case,a high-purity silver-plated 2.5mm mmcx balanced cable,a full set of silicone eartips,as well as foam tips. A nice addition to the set is the inclusion of a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cable, as well as a warranty card and an instructive manual guide.
iBasso guys used resin inverted mold technology production for AM05 iem, and the result is monitors with transparent resin shells & transparent colored faceplate(green or blue),nothing but astounding.The fit is superb-super ergonomic and probably the closest you can get to a ciem at least for my ears,thus the isolation is way above average(up to -30dB) leaving all external noise outside for good......
Sound :
Been used to FUN sound signatures mostly, AM05 came as a surpise to me with it's neutral tonality and natural timbre.
Being a fan of big bass response, most of my IEMS obtain a certain "fun factor" and this one really impressed me with it's true to life reproduction capabilities.There are no particular frequencies overshadowing neither overwhelming each other ,it's a linear and spacious at the same time presentation which obtains a high degree of musicality and engangement.In fact engangement is the keyword here as i started to listen having in mind 2 or 3 songs and ended up 2 hours later asking for more .......
These monitors kept me craving for more and more.....they do have a unique natural timbre which does magic especially in the midrange.
For example, on DX80/PB3 Angel Olsen's "Endgame" sounds like heaven with AM05 ,her voice sounds totally seductive and mesmerizing filling my head with ethereal sounds from somewhere out of this world,while Suzzane Vega's "night vision" and "solitude standing"as long as the rest of her acoustic works sounds otherwordly beatifull and majestic.
In more words: a new delicate transparent universe had open it's doors to my ears...
FR :
Channel imbalance is almost zero on AM05 (FR L/FR R)
It's a neutral tonality with some slight peaks first would be around 2Khz adding presence and energy on the vocals(especially female vocals do shine on AM05)followed by the second peak at around 8Khz providing some airyness and space on the higher regions.
Gear used with AM05:
- iBasso DX80 & PB3 amp (balanced mode)
- Hiby R3 & iBasso DC01 dac/amp (balanced mode)
- Colorfly C200 & Fiio E12A IEM amp
- Fiio X3II & HUM Hypno amp
- Colorfly C10
Bass/Sub-bass :
There is a decent extension to sub-bass area,bass is punchy and tight,the decay is fast,overall the bass is smooth and neutral not affecting the mids in any way.People having used to heavier bass signatures may be dissapointed and even to my taste i would prefer a little more bass but i suppose it is a matter of "mind burn-in"procedure to get used to a neutral signature after all.
Mids :
The midrange is at least to my personal opinion, the highlight of AM05.Its super resolving with unbelievable detail retrieval but not in the cost of sounding cold or analytical in any way,and not in the cost of musicality off course.
Female voices sound fantastic and airy.there is a spacious and open feeling and vocals come slightly upfront in the mix (partially due to the slight 2khz elevation).Vocals come with a high level of transparency and musicality resulting in a higher engangement level.Sweet and smooth as butter with incredible authority and true to life reproduction.In the midrange,this is where the magic happens
Highs :
There is great extension in the upper frequencies and the amount or air rendered is amazing as well.Partially due to the slight peak at around 8Khz there is plenty of space and an transparent/airy feeling near the top end.
Treble never sounds harsh or artificial/metallic, on the contrary there is a smooth and natural way of reproduction of high hats and cymbals.Sibilance is not an issue on AM05 something out of the question at this case.
Highs are smooth and ideal for long listening periods,absolutely non fatique listening,and airy as the stratosphere......
Stage,Imaging,Resolution,Overall Performance,Synergy with sources :
Instrument separation would be the 2nd highlight of the AM05 to my opinion as it is trully exceptional here...Each and every instrument is where it should be on stage with weight and authority,sound effortlessly travels from the left to the right side of your head demonstrating an amazing channel separation only to be found on higher price range iems,and you can easily pin-point each and every little element/cue of the original recording.All this taking under consideration making AM05 a really revealing and faithfull to the original/master recording earphone.Resolution is amazing as well,in heavier electronic tracks or heavily orchestrated pieces (string/brass sections) of music when plenty of instruments are involved and take place in the scene, AM05 stays top-clear and musical at the same time ,maintaining this way a very natural timbre.This way AM05 can easily handle any music genre you like, being always exceptional on acoustic/orchestra tracks and physical instruments.At this case, the timbre is just mesmerising.Soundstage is wide and spacious, congestion is out of the question here, particullary in heavy orchestrated pieces of music is where imaging excels at most.
AM05 clearly benefits from amplification,so DX80/PB3 & Fiio X3II/HUM Hypno amp are ideal pairings, offering a slightly warmer tonallity, and a lush midrange
Selected Comparisons :
BR5/BR5 MKII
Rose Technics BR5 was the first multi BA iem in my collection followed by the revised version later (BR5 MKII)
Rose Technics used 5 BA configuration including SONION & KNOWLES balance armature drivers with a 3way crossover design.While BR5/MKII is a spacious earphone no doubt about it,it is prone to sibilance occasionally and in higher volumes you can get some piercing metallic highs from time to time making it sound artificial ocassionally.That's not an issue here with AM05,musicality dominates everything on AM05 the treble is spacious but gentle at the same time providing a pleasurable and long listening experience.In addition to this vocals on AM05 come to be more sweet and realistic and the overall sound is totally uncoloured.
FiiO FA7
FA7 is a totally different beast .The definition of the Fun sound signature and U shaped sound with enhanced lows and soften treble the overall experience is more soft/sweet ,mainly due to the mids tunning which on FA7 are really remarkable and reminiscend of AM05 which is a direct contender at this area. FA7 has big bass which can be described best as dominating sometimes over the cost of the mid frequency but the vocals on FA7 is nothing more than amazing.
On the other side neutrallity and uncoloured sound is what AM05 stands for making it a totally different iem from FA7
BGVP DM6
On DM6 resolution & instrument separation reminds of AM05 with AM05 being the winner of those two and the more natural timbre of the vocals makes AM05 a better choise imo...
nevertheless bass on DM6 is clearly more than noticeable with much more sub bass rumble and due to this a probably better all-rounder for pop and mainstream listening.
TSMR - 3Pro
Those two (AM05 & TSMR 3Pro) sounds (to my ears at least) more similar than the previous iems.
Both have wide stage,very good imaging,and above all transparent midrange with excellent detail retrieval with TSMR-3PRO being the more linear presentation and less resolving monitor.Both excellent choises
Final Thoughts:
Listening to AM05 is trully a musical treat, that offers a very high level of engagement.Friends of vocal and acoustic tracks will adore that one.For the rest of us would be an interest view of how music should be auditioned in the first place.....everything on AM05 is demonstrated neutral with zero colouration in an absolute natural manner.A spacious feeling dominates the overall presentation providing this way a unique musical experience.
If you like neutral uncoloured sound signature,exceptional heaven like vocals,amazing detail retrieval and super crazy imaging/resolution go for AM05.
After all......AM goes for All Music right??
Thanks for your attention.....
This is my first attempt to review a product here in Head-Fi so.......guys please be gentle to me.....
I do not consider my self as an audiophile .I see my self more like a music enthusiast celebrating music each and every day in my life,and i am by no means a person of graphs and measurements.You can call me music junkie if you like.....I have my heart and ears focused on music 24/7.
My ears listen,my heart feels.....
Intro :
iBASSO is a well knowned established name in the Audio industry since....the creation of the universe.......
I have purchased lots of stuff from the company including daps/amps i.e.....
Recently they released their first 5BA Knowles iem with a 4-way crossover design, AM05 iem
For now you can purchase AM05 iem directly from the iBasso site or from Penon Audio for 299$.
Technical Specifications :
Driver : 5 Knowles balanced armature
Frequency response:10-40kHz
Sensitivity: 115±2dB(at 1 kHz)
Impedance: 32ohm
Passive noise reduction: -30dB
Rated power: 5mW
Distortion: <2%(at 1kHz/1mW)
Package,Cable,Accessories,Build Quality,Fit :
Attention to the detail is the keyword here,and those guys seem to be quite proffecional at this area since years now...
Package includes a nice hardshell alluminium case,a high-purity silver-plated 2.5mm mmcx balanced cable,a full set of silicone eartips,as well as foam tips. A nice addition to the set is the inclusion of a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter cable, as well as a warranty card and an instructive manual guide.
iBasso guys used resin inverted mold technology production for AM05 iem, and the result is monitors with transparent resin shells & transparent colored faceplate(green or blue),nothing but astounding.The fit is superb-super ergonomic and probably the closest you can get to a ciem at least for my ears,thus the isolation is way above average(up to -30dB) leaving all external noise outside for good......
Sound :
Been used to FUN sound signatures mostly, AM05 came as a surpise to me with it's neutral tonality and natural timbre.
Being a fan of big bass response, most of my IEMS obtain a certain "fun factor" and this one really impressed me with it's true to life reproduction capabilities.There are no particular frequencies overshadowing neither overwhelming each other ,it's a linear and spacious at the same time presentation which obtains a high degree of musicality and engangement.In fact engangement is the keyword here as i started to listen having in mind 2 or 3 songs and ended up 2 hours later asking for more .......
These monitors kept me craving for more and more.....they do have a unique natural timbre which does magic especially in the midrange.
For example, on DX80/PB3 Angel Olsen's "Endgame" sounds like heaven with AM05 ,her voice sounds totally seductive and mesmerizing filling my head with ethereal sounds from somewhere out of this world,while Suzzane Vega's "night vision" and "solitude standing"as long as the rest of her acoustic works sounds otherwordly beatifull and majestic.
In more words: a new delicate transparent universe had open it's doors to my ears...
FR :
Channel imbalance is almost zero on AM05 (FR L/FR R)
It's a neutral tonality with some slight peaks first would be around 2Khz adding presence and energy on the vocals(especially female vocals do shine on AM05)followed by the second peak at around 8Khz providing some airyness and space on the higher regions.
Gear used with AM05:
- iBasso DX80 & PB3 amp (balanced mode)
- Hiby R3 & iBasso DC01 dac/amp (balanced mode)
- Colorfly C200 & Fiio E12A IEM amp
- Fiio X3II & HUM Hypno amp
- Colorfly C10
Bass/Sub-bass :
There is a decent extension to sub-bass area,bass is punchy and tight,the decay is fast,overall the bass is smooth and neutral not affecting the mids in any way.People having used to heavier bass signatures may be dissapointed and even to my taste i would prefer a little more bass but i suppose it is a matter of "mind burn-in"procedure to get used to a neutral signature after all.
Mids :
The midrange is at least to my personal opinion, the highlight of AM05.Its super resolving with unbelievable detail retrieval but not in the cost of sounding cold or analytical in any way,and not in the cost of musicality off course.
Female voices sound fantastic and airy.there is a spacious and open feeling and vocals come slightly upfront in the mix (partially due to the slight 2khz elevation).Vocals come with a high level of transparency and musicality resulting in a higher engangement level.Sweet and smooth as butter with incredible authority and true to life reproduction.In the midrange,this is where the magic happens
Highs :
There is great extension in the upper frequencies and the amount or air rendered is amazing as well.Partially due to the slight peak at around 8Khz there is plenty of space and an transparent/airy feeling near the top end.
Treble never sounds harsh or artificial/metallic, on the contrary there is a smooth and natural way of reproduction of high hats and cymbals.Sibilance is not an issue on AM05 something out of the question at this case.
Highs are smooth and ideal for long listening periods,absolutely non fatique listening,and airy as the stratosphere......
Stage,Imaging,Resolution,Overall Performance,Synergy with sources :
Instrument separation would be the 2nd highlight of the AM05 to my opinion as it is trully exceptional here...Each and every instrument is where it should be on stage with weight and authority,sound effortlessly travels from the left to the right side of your head demonstrating an amazing channel separation only to be found on higher price range iems,and you can easily pin-point each and every little element/cue of the original recording.All this taking under consideration making AM05 a really revealing and faithfull to the original/master recording earphone.Resolution is amazing as well,in heavier electronic tracks or heavily orchestrated pieces (string/brass sections) of music when plenty of instruments are involved and take place in the scene, AM05 stays top-clear and musical at the same time ,maintaining this way a very natural timbre.This way AM05 can easily handle any music genre you like, being always exceptional on acoustic/orchestra tracks and physical instruments.At this case, the timbre is just mesmerising.Soundstage is wide and spacious, congestion is out of the question here, particullary in heavy orchestrated pieces of music is where imaging excels at most.
AM05 clearly benefits from amplification,so DX80/PB3 & Fiio X3II/HUM Hypno amp are ideal pairings, offering a slightly warmer tonallity, and a lush midrange
Selected Comparisons :
BR5/BR5 MKII
Rose Technics BR5 was the first multi BA iem in my collection followed by the revised version later (BR5 MKII)
Rose Technics used 5 BA configuration including SONION & KNOWLES balance armature drivers with a 3way crossover design.While BR5/MKII is a spacious earphone no doubt about it,it is prone to sibilance occasionally and in higher volumes you can get some piercing metallic highs from time to time making it sound artificial ocassionally.That's not an issue here with AM05,musicality dominates everything on AM05 the treble is spacious but gentle at the same time providing a pleasurable and long listening experience.In addition to this vocals on AM05 come to be more sweet and realistic and the overall sound is totally uncoloured.
FiiO FA7
FA7 is a totally different beast .The definition of the Fun sound signature and U shaped sound with enhanced lows and soften treble the overall experience is more soft/sweet ,mainly due to the mids tunning which on FA7 are really remarkable and reminiscend of AM05 which is a direct contender at this area. FA7 has big bass which can be described best as dominating sometimes over the cost of the mid frequency but the vocals on FA7 is nothing more than amazing.
On the other side neutrallity and uncoloured sound is what AM05 stands for making it a totally different iem from FA7
BGVP DM6
On DM6 resolution & instrument separation reminds of AM05 with AM05 being the winner of those two and the more natural timbre of the vocals makes AM05 a better choise imo...
nevertheless bass on DM6 is clearly more than noticeable with much more sub bass rumble and due to this a probably better all-rounder for pop and mainstream listening.
TSMR - 3Pro
Those two (AM05 & TSMR 3Pro) sounds (to my ears at least) more similar than the previous iems.
Both have wide stage,very good imaging,and above all transparent midrange with excellent detail retrieval with TSMR-3PRO being the more linear presentation and less resolving monitor.Both excellent choises
Final Thoughts:
Listening to AM05 is trully a musical treat, that offers a very high level of engagement.Friends of vocal and acoustic tracks will adore that one.For the rest of us would be an interest view of how music should be auditioned in the first place.....everything on AM05 is demonstrated neutral with zero colouration in an absolute natural manner.A spacious feeling dominates the overall presentation providing this way a unique musical experience.
If you like neutral uncoloured sound signature,exceptional heaven like vocals,amazing detail retrieval and super crazy imaging/resolution go for AM05.
After all......AM goes for All Music right??
Thanks for your attention.....
alexandros a
No man... . Don't even bother..
Save your cash for a flagship iem bro if you already own FH7...
Save your cash for a flagship iem bro if you already own FH7...
alexandros a
I recommend Shanling M3X which is a warm source absolutelly GOOD synergy with an neutral/bright earphone as the AM05.
