ISN Audio EBC80

Thanks much to AudioGeek for the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks with the ISN EBC80! I had heard plenty of hype about this IEM, so I was very curious to hear for myself. All my listening was with either the Luxury & Precision P6Pro 10th Anniversary, or my Schiit Bifrost2/ZMF Aegis desktop rig. You can find the EBC80 on Penon's website for $699 RRP.



The EBC80 is packaged almost identically to the ISN H60 I tried out a couple months back. You are getting the same glossy blue cardboard box, nice blue leather case, and generous inclusion of tips. The cable included with the EBC80 feels decent, and lets you swap tips. However, the ISN modular system of this cable falls well behind others such as Eletech and Effect Audio; I found the tips to be loose and fell out of place once or twice when connected to my DAP in my pocket. Then again, this is a tour unit, so maybe it's seen a bit of wear.

The IEMs themselves are a fairly standard clear blue acrylic resin, with nice gold accents on the faceplates. I had no problems initially fitting these, using my go-to Azla SednaEarfit Origin tips, but they would get a little uncomfortable after an hour or so and I'd have to take a break. But otherwise they are pretty nice. Inside the shells, ISN have included 2x Dynamic Drivers, 2x Bone Conduction Drivers, 2x Balanced Armature Drivers, and 2x Estat Drivers.



Sound-wise, the EBC80 is a delight at first listen. They are the kind of IEM that are engaging enough that you want to keep digging into your collection, to hear your favourites again with their flavour. Getting a Quadbrid design to sound coherent and 'right' is a challenge, one that ISN have done rather well with the EBC80. I also appreciate the BCDs in these IEMs, they add a lively vibrance that renders music with a 3-Dimensional holography normally heard in more expensive IEMs.

Bass digs very deep with good texture and resolution. The BCD effect adds nice depth in the bass area, I found myself bopping along to beat-heavy electronic music quite frequently with the EBC80. There is enough midbass to give the EBC80 pleasing warmth without overdoing anything. My own preference is for a few db more in this area, but I think for the majority of listeners this will work well.

Midrange is a little bit forward, but not overdone. Female vocals and details around acoustic instruments are done pretty well. I spent a lot of time listening to this new album from Florist, and enjoyed hearing it with the EBC80.


Treble extends nicely, but feels like the Achilles heal of the EBC80. I suppose it's fine for an IEM at this price point, but there is occasionally a minor bit of sibilance that you don't get with more expensive (and some cheaper!) IEMs. Don't get me wrong, EBC80 is not a sibilant IEM, it's just lacking the last 10-15% of refinement in treble to pull off fine percussion detail in a track like this.


Comparisons.
Vs. NiceHCK NX8 ($199, 1xDD, 6xBA, 1xPiezo)
The first thing I notice here is the NX8 is not as forward in the midrange, and feels like it has less density; on the flipside NX8 pushes the soundstage wider than EBC80. Another difference is that the NX8 feels crisper and cleaner than the EBC80, and even though it is $500 cheaper, I think NX8 has a slight edge when it comes to resolution and detail. EBC80 bass is thicker, and definitely of the more 'fun' variety, but this comes with that small sacrifice to technicalities and details. NX8 is a smaller shell, and I find it to be much more comfortable for longer listening, in fact I've never felt any ear fatigue from it at all. Packaging and accessories included with the EBC80 is definitely better than the NX8, and the EBC80 faceplates are also a lot nicer. But for the budget-conscious, those things might not matter so much.


Vs. Noble Spartacus ($1799, 4xBA, 2xBCD)
Going up the ladder in price to the Noble Spartacus, there is a much more significant difference in performance. Despite using BAs for bass, Spartacus has more sub-bass quantity, while still having a lovely warm-feeling midrange. Spartacus stage is larger in every dimension; and with that added sub-bass giving it better height, it feels much more spherical in shape than EBC80 flatter, oval shape. I think this is down to the better BCD implementation in Spartacus. While EBC80 does render a holographic 3D image, Spartacus extra space and better control give it a much better sense of accuracy within the sound image. And when it comes to resolution and detail retrieval, Spartacus is a hands down winner, with much more precise note definition all up and down the FR. Going back to that Florist track above, Spartacus renders it with much more precise control, and it's better stage imaging lets you hear all of the details lower down in the mix with near-perfect clarity. Yes, $1100 is a LOT more to spend on an IEM, but I think in this case the difference gives you an IEM that has much better technical performance, has a lot more of its own unique character, and for my preferences is a lot more engaging with the music long term.


So at the end of my time with the ISN EBC80, I feel a little conflicted about it. On its own, EBC80 is quite a nice IEM; but when comparing it to IEMs both up and down the price ladder, I'm not sure it's so easy to recommend. $700 is getting to the point where EBC80 isn't exactly a 'cheap' IEM, and expectations rise accordingly. I wonder if those who are more price-conscious would do better to look for something cheaper that performs nearly as well such as the aforementioned NX8 or ISN's own H60, and either putting the difference back in the bank or spending it on an entry level cable upgrade. And on the other side of the ledger, while an IEM like Spartacus is significantly more expensive, I think it could be worth saving a bit more to get an IEM that performs at a much higher level than the EBC80.

I suppose if you're happy to spend $700 on an IEM, then EBC80 is not a bad choice, but I probably wouldn't buy it for myself.

TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 9/10
TIMBRE: 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 9.5/10
IMAGING: 8.2/10
MUSICALITY (subjective): 9/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSOIRES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.5/10

ISN audio is an IEM company from China that specializes in hybrid IEM for more than 4 years now. They aim to offer high sound value IEM with an independent minded tuning philosophy that doesn't follow the harman target trend.

One of their latest releases, the 2DD4BA ISN H60 gained a lot of popularity among audiophiles and headfiers.

Today I will review their very latest IEM which is a departure from their hybrid territory since it’s an 8 drivers IEM using 4 different types of drivers.

Priced 700$, the EBC80 uses 2 dual push dynamic drivers, 2 balanced armature (sonion and knowle), 2 sonion bone conduction (dual), and 2 sonion EST (dual).

When I underlined to Penon my speciality as a reviewer is mid-range IEM offering high sound value, he asked me which one seemed the most interesting. After scrolling all its catalogue, it was clear the EBC80 was the one that stood apart in terms of musical meet technical promise. I’ve tested a lot of ISN in the past and none of them have thin, screamy or wonky mids nor lack mid bass punch, sometime i do feel it lack sparkle or well define mids definition, so the fact EBC80 have both BC and EST seem the miracle solution to achieve my ‘’ISN ideal’’.

Since I have heard more than 10 IEM with BC, let's see if the EBC80 can offer something different that both impresses in the musical and technical department, as well as offering good sound benefit return for the serious investment asking price.

CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES




The construction of EBC80 is made of high quality resin plastic that is thick and shockproof, i’m not afraid it will crack or cause damage to drivers if I drop it on a hard floor.
The front part is translucent blue, very similar to something like Penon 10th, and you can admire fascinating drivers and complex acoustic configuration, which I truly like and to me is a proof ISN don’t hide high quality drivers models they use, unlike some companies that don’t even state BA models, ISN state it and show it profoundly, they are as transparent as their shell with their IEM component.
The back plate is very beautiful, a true art work of shiny hand painting, making all models unique. I like the gold metal around the back plate too.
Shell size is quite big and chunky, something to take in account for people with small ears which isn’t my case. Nozzle is short and since it has the bone conduction port at its side, it’s still important to push it as deep as we can for proper vibration transmission. I find stock ear tips too shallow in fit so I use Tri Clarion to achieve the best seal and ‘’BC connection’’.



Overall shape is smooth and organic, I find the EBC80 comfortable but it’s not an IEM you forget you wear due to their big size.
2 pin connectors aren’t recessed and not fully flat, there is a slight curve that makes connection a bit slippery and can induce pins benting if you're not careful enough, it’s similar with most IEM without recessed connectors.
There is some minimal sound leakage since the venting port is on top, but in terms of isolation it’s very good, big size blocks most outside noise and bone conduction tends to mute even more outside noise.



When it comes to included cable, we have the choice between ISN C2-S2 and H2. I receive S2 which is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC silver-plated wires while C2 I receive too is 72 cors of 6N OCC copper.
These are nice modular cables, without ear hooks which make them versatile for earbuds use too and even headphones (if you have a 2 pin to 3.5mm adapter).
I like the blue color and thick braids which seem durable. In terms of plug, I'm very happy it includes 2.5mm balanced as well as 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single ended. Since 2.5mm isn’t a popular balanced output nowaday, it seems most companies avoid including this type of termination which is a con for me that have 2 DAP with 2.5mm bal out (Xduoo X20 and Questyle QP2R).
Now when it comes to sound transmission difference, I prefer the S2 cleaner crisper rendering that permits better layering-imaging and soundstage openness. But if I go all vocal timbre and presence focus, I will tend to use warmer denser sounding C2 which makes the vocal wider, lusher, smoother, less dry in timbre but less transparent and well defined in micro dynamics too.
If you have a bright aggressive source, I'll suggest C2. If you have a neutral, warm or relaxed source, S2 would be my choice.
As for H2, I haven't tried.
If I go nit picky, I'll say the xlr connector can be unscrewed a bit too easily, and a marker point for proper connecting direction would be appreciated too.



When it comes to box and product presentation, we always get the same shiny blue box that we have with all ISN IEMs. For a flagship product, a slightly different presentation would be appreciated but this isn’t something I care about, I like the smallest box and ecological footprint possible, which is good with ISN.
Accessories are the same I get with all their IEM, apart from the modular cable which is an upgrade.So we have 9 pairs of wide bore silicone eartips in 3 models which are very similar. Shorter wide bore would be a wise choice to include since I find those eartips to congest and overly warm the sound.
The carrying case is elegant and has a magnetic cover, it’s spacious enough for IEM and cable but not much else.
Then we have a cable holder clamp and cleaning tool.

All in all, nice construction and accessories.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS

The tonal balance of the EBC80s can be summarized as follows: a W-shaped dynamic hefty curve where the energy peaks are in the mid bass, upper-mids, and upper-trebles. But it's more complicated than that, due to the bone-transmitting transducer, which complements and emphasizes the midrange frequencies and adds texture to the bass attack.

The musicality is cohesive yet heterogeneous, in the sense that the bass adds warmth and body to the mids, which are enriched with definition and presence with the BCs. Then, the air and openness of the percussion are amplified and emphasized by the electrostatic transducers.

The warmth and density of the bass adds lushness to the mids; these bass hits hard and releases vibrant and wide sub-bass, which expands the soundstage laterally. The musicality of the EBC80s is anything but ordinary; it's extremely immersive and vibrant in its macro dynamics. Its soundstage is the most holographic and immense I've heard among the 11 BC-equipped IEMs I own. It's not just open outside the head, but inside it as well. What's astonishing is the consistency of this very exotic sound, which blends physicality and cerebrality, technicality and musicality.

The bass is fleshy, round, and heavy with impact. The midbass isn't attenuated, and its warmth embraces the other frequencies from the rear, adding flesh and color without overly polishing the texture amplified by the BCs. If you're familiar with the H60s, the EBC80s seem to use the same type of dual DD drivers on opposite sides. This type of driver tends to boost the sustain of the attack and densify the air presence, making it heavier on impact. This makes bass lines more vibrant; for example, the electric bass delivers a juicier and thicker grunt, while the cello gains body and color.
With the H60s, I found the bass attack lacked a bit of bite and texture, but the EBC80s have addressed this with the help of the BC, which complements the weight of the attack with a subtle definition of its texture. It also adds natural reverb information to the kick drum; after its impact, it releases into the air clearly and long without negatively affecting the resolution of the midrange frequencies. This powerful impact doesn't overpower the overall sound; it adds physicality and tactility to the sound, as well as a muscular dynamic engagement, but it's not radically bassy; it's rounded and well-balanced with the rest.
The double bass sound very good, fully bodied and tactile, not the most abrasive in attack lead yet the weight in attack sustain add physical definition and make the presence vibrant and well carved in tone, which is natural and warm. I love listening to jazz trio, as well as first album of Dominique Fils Aimée which is pure bliss with those since double bass has great dynamic and energy with enough long release and low range vocal of the singer don't get blunted by kick and bassist, yet is plenty generous in lower mids fullness.
Although very versatile, the bass performance and tone excel with electronic music like IDM and Drum & Bass, but also with R&B, soul, and pop. As for rock or metal, with ultra-fast double pedals, more texture and definition of attack would be necessary; this "double sustain mixing" tends to slow it down a bit. But compared to the H60, the bass digs deeper and the sub-bass rumbles densely and can reach 20 Hz, so trap rap fans will be more than spoiled with the EBC80!

The midrange is the richest and most compelling frequency range of the EBC80s, thanks to the dynamic and balanced drivers, and the bone conduction that complements their delineation and texture of presence.
So, with music without a punchy bass, the EBC80s could be considered mid range-centric.
Vocals and instruments are brought to the forefront without overdoing the upper mids pressure intensity; their presence is very close to your face, very broad and enveloping, as if your favorite singer were having coffee with you.
The instruments have relief and weight, the piano notes are full, textured and wide, they fall heavily and release their (recorded) resonance generously, as an amateur pianist, it is a real delight to have a restitution close to the listener because often the middle register of the piano is too recessed, too dry or flat or thin, here even albums by Alain Kremski which seemed to me to lack dynamism sound intimate and focused, which makes me want to rediscover more than one pianist's album.
Both male and female vocal are upfront and ‘’sticken’’ above rest of instrumental that is well layered in it’s macro dynamic, their natural warmth to it that come from the background and mix with BA and BC beautifully, this is the second time i don’t find thin mid range of IEM with BC, other one being BQEYZ Wind which sound more in your head and less holographic and open than EBC80. Even UM Mest Mk2 has a flatter, thinner mid range than EBC80.
It’s not what I would call a crisply bright mid range, even if the resolution 's excellent tone is too full and fleshy to boost a sense of transparency, we can't achieve this type of warm readability without BC help, and this is what make these mids so special. It’s very tactile and 3D, it surround the listener from every side in and out of it’s head.
There is a panoramic focus that boosts the sense of center stage size, it’s anti compressed mids, or congested even if the focus isn’t on micro dynamic rendering which the treble handles better.
Texture of instrument like violin is rich in both tone color and timbre details, it’s not overly boosted in micro details so you feel more the bow weight hitting the string than abrasive details info of it's rubbing, so attack lead is authoritative and weighty boosting sustain more than release, without going plain euphonic or dark due to BC extra details drafting.
If i try to nitpick as severly i can, from all instrument I heard, saxophone wasn't the most pleasant and this surprise me, it might be due to the fact air transmission is very important for proper sens of presence openess which seem limited, BC boost the texture and definition so it never get lost in the mix even in complex track of Sons of Kemet, but unlike vocal, piano, violin and cello, we don't have as much lower mids warmth and vibrancy to make it sound as natural as them.
Basson sound great though, very thick and lush, so saxo is truely only wind instrument with trumpet that doesn't make me gush.



While far from subdued, the treble isn't the main focus of the EBC80 and delivers smooth low to mid treble highs with extra crispness on top dealt with ESTs. Delicately vivid with extra micro dynamic and sparkle unlocked the 2 electrostatic drivers, the highs are effortless in layering yet not harsh or aggressive in energy, especially attack release which never go splashy or spiky.The percussion have their own layers of space, they are sharply defined in attack and very speedy and controlled, they sit in the back in a stereophonic way that has width to soundstage and extra dimension to macro dynamic.
It’s not thick, euphonic cymbals and percussions, in fact it can feel smaller and less fully rounded than lower range snare and drums part, but this mean it’s not forced on listener nor overly ahead of main instrument and vocalist-something that can be distracting and affect realism of musical balance.
The treble isn’t analytical nor something that will be enough for treble head, it’s airy and crisp with some darkness to it as well since the main focus is bass and mids with the EBC80.
You can taste EST highs with acoustic music like a singer accompanied with acoustic guitar, this instrument sound finely sharpened with clean snappy attack lead and brilliant release, and BC had a sense of fullness to the note without making it euphonic.
Clavichord sound fantastic with the EBC80, because we have both note weight (very rare to achieve properly with this instrument), sharp note rendering and natural metallic brilliance release, it don’t sound recessed at all and rediscovering Pierre Hantai Scarlatti sonatas is a pure joy, you don’t miss any note even when played fastly, since you don’t have warmth of bass is clean and open sounding but in an intimate way, your near the instrument and it’s focused performance. Only thing I would like more is an even longer resonance release, which is a bit dark here even if brilliance is there.


The Soundstage is one of the main highlights of EBC80 sound experience since nothing can compare to it even from numerous tribrid with EST and BC I tested. It's both multi layered in a panoramic and holographic way, where layers are opposite of compressed and fullfill a gigantic space that seem to go out of your head (!?). This is hard to explain, but you have one wide layer of sound sticken in front of you (in your head) then multiple other surrounding you in 3D openess. It's not an concert hall like big spatiality à la Hidizs MP145 where center stange is deeply recessed, your literally part of the music, in middle of it. Bass is the background when their big rumble it can widen vibrantly, tactily. Then middle stage come out of your head in multiple layers, which is more centered. Then higher harmonic instrument and percussions are widely stereo, adding a very complex, intricating and immersive spatiality richness. Their zero doubt, EBC80 is best tribrid with BC for broad spatiality with articulated macro dynamic.

As for imaging, it's great in term of big layering articulation and excell more in macro than micro positioning. It's not an anylitical IEM nor something ill suggest for monitoring even if it's very fun to produce electronic music with it (i do some maximalist beat à la Iglooghost with it and man, it was phycadelic!). Simply put, for accurate positioning it will depend of music style, with chamber orchestra, acoustic and instrumental it's very good, with folk too, with big beat less so due to warmth that make hazy the bacground and more creamy definition of instruments.

To note:

The EBC80 are very easy to drive but sensitive to source for 2 reason: first its 13ohm of impedance, quite low, so don't pair it with 2ohm output impedance since it will make bass more boosted and euphonic, everything will go warmer and less well resolved, more boosted in sustain.
Then the bone conduction is very revealing of timbre which it boost the texture and details, so very bright source or harsh one will be evident, Fiio KA17 deliver dyer harsher timbre. Aune Yuki is very good but when using balanced output it hard euphony and stole crispness and air to resolution. Questyle QP2R was best for smooth organic free of ''sand paper'' timbre. Xduoo X20+Kaei Tap1pro+Burson V7V was excellent, and boost even more the soundstage size and depth.
Now, last note is about ear tips, extremely important for these since you need to get good seal for bass and deep enough fit for proper BC driver contact and transmission, as well, you need wide enough nozzle tips to not block IEM nozzle hole nor compress the mix of it, with stock eartips i find macro dynamic muddy and too warm, so i tend to use diversify type of sshorter wide bore and one i like alot if Tri Clario since it clean whole spatiality, improve resolution, bass control, mids openess and treble crispness-air-spakle.


COMPARISONS


VS BGVP PHANTOM (2DD2BA2BCD2EST-900$)
The Phatoms' balance is more U-shaped, the macro dynamics are less lively and open, the soundstage more compressed and heady.

There's less warmth in the mids.
The bass is more textured and clear in its separation but less round, less fleshy, less striking, and less deep. There's no vibrant rumble, but rather a sub-bass resonance. The timbre, though more transparent, is drier, and the sustain is less sustained.
The mids are more congested, thin, and cold, the vocals are more prone to sibilance, more pointed in their delivery, less broad in presence, less forward in body. It's less colorful, less prominent, flatter and clinical. A little cleaner because the layers of sound aren't as thick and the bass isn't as warm. The highs are sharper and more biting, more defined in their attack, less airy but clearer and once again compressed in the soundstage, so the percussion lacks openness even though their definition is sharper.

The soundstage is notably larger and wider with the EBC80s, due to a cleaner background; it seems deeper with the Phantoms, although more congested, as I've already noted.

The sharper clarity of the Phantoms allows for clearer and defined positioning, but less spacious and more compressed. There is less space between the layers of sound, but this space is cleaner and quieter. Therefore, for analytical listening, the Phantoms are superior, but less holographic and open in macro dynamics, more focused on micro dynamics.

In the end, the Phantoms are more technical, aggressive, and clinical. The soundstage is much smaller and compressed. The highs dominate the mids more, and the bass lacks punch and body. The EBC80s are also technically capable but warmer in their rendering, more natural and focused on the bass and midrange, the level of musicality is much higher with these to my ears.


VS UNIQUE MELODY MEXT (1DD4BA1BC-1100$)

The Mexts are very different because the BC covers a longer sonic range, so the macro dynamics are much lighter and more restrained, more present in the head than the EBC80s.
The tonality is more neutral and clear, with a more clean and textured bass but less striking, round and fleshy, the sub-bass more focused too, but less rumbling and vibrant, less warm too.
The EBC80's tonality is more W-shaped and dynamic, the weight and impact of the midbass is heavier, it's bassier and warmer in sound, less flat and dry.
The mids are more prominent, less linear and static and receded than the Mexts, less thin, less textured, the vocals have a wider presence, more colorful and thick, more natural and musical. The treble dominates the Mext's balance more; it's drier and more abrasive. There's less air around the percussion, and the attack is less sharp and less brilliant. The fact that the Mext lacks EST drivers affects its aerial extension; the percussion is less scintillating and sparkling. The attack is more euphonious and doesn't release the resonance extension of acoustic guitars, for example.
The soundstage is a little wider and taller with the EBC80s, but less deep because the center stage is less set back.
The imaging is superior with the EBC80s, especially for the separation of the sound layers, which are less glued and compressed together, less stuck in the head than the Mexts.

All in all, Mext sounds notably less musical and dynamic than EBC80, timbre is dryer and noisier, instruments feel way less 3D than EBC80 too ... .which is ridiculously better for 400$ less so it shows sign of time.

VS SOUNDRHYME DTE900 (1DD-4BA-4EST-750$)

DTE900 is brighter, more V shaped with a crisper more analytical treble.
Mid bass hits harder and has more texture but less thick presence and less rumbly, vibrant, elastic and deep sub bass.
Mids are more recessed, thinner with dryer harsher timbre but more boosted sense of transparency, presence of instrument is more compressed, not as wide and anamorphic as more upfront mid range of EBC80 that is magnified with bone conduction. Upper mids of DTE900 are more aggressive and sibilance is more risky too. Vocal lovers will not be charmed by DTE900 while they will be in awe with EBC80. Note weight is heavier for instruments like piano, cello, drum with EBC80 too.
Highs are more detailed and vivid with DTE900, their more clean air around it too, it’s snappier and percussions are sharper in resolution, notch more brilliant too.
Soundstage is notably wider and taller with EBC80, near as deep but the background isn’t as clean as DTE900.
Imaging is sharper and cleaner but more compressed-congested with DTE900, layering is less articulate while percussions and higher range instrument have more resolved and defined positioning.

All in all, DTE900 is more technical, analytical and aggressive sounding and do better for fast rock since kick drum is more resolved and hard punching, electric guitar more abrasive too but that’s perhaps the only music style that surpass lusher W shape sounding EBC80, which offer a more special musicality with bigger mor holographic soundstage, weightier note attack, more natural and dense timbre, less recessed mids and more versatile sound too.

CONCLUSION



After having tested so much IEM with different type of Bone conduction drivers, I was thinking I can't be surprise by the sound experience it deliver and that I must accept the soundstage will always somehow feel too much in your head and lacking grand sens of macro openess....

This is until i heard and get lost for more than 30H in the spacious holographic and muscular in dynamic musicality of this fabulous ISN EBC80.

Nothing sound like those, which to me boost the validity and recommendation of an IEM, in a world where safe and harman tuning all sound the same the EBC80 are a statement of difference, of boldness, of creative musical vision.

The fact we have warmth and crispness cohabiting in same tonality, as well as bone conduction pushing fowards the presence and clarity of instrument and vocal, make the EBC80 versatile as well as reaching this fine musical meet technical balance I always crave for.

The bass is impactfull, round, dense and vibrant and this is already special thanks to dual face 2DD used, the mids are anamorphic, wide and focused, lush and effortlessly multi layered without sounding too bright or clinicaly forced- something impossible to achieve without the help of sonion BCD, then the treble surprise us with it's delicate vivacity, extra sens of airy layer and addictive brilliance that benefit guitar, percussions, harp and clavichord.

At they end, even if technicaly more than capable, EBC80 is a musical sounding set first and foremost, aiming for highest sens of immersivity without overly emphasized frequencies range that can distract listener from main instrument and vocal of it's music.

EBC80 is an IEM that feel like going to IMAX movie, the sound experience is grand in macro dynamic rendering, and for once we can say we have ''4 dimension'' sound rendering since 4th dimension is in your head while 3D openess out of it.

I can't get enough of these nor can suggest them enough, and if you seek the perfect companion for more compressed-in your head neutral musicality of the great (yet suddenly feeling overpriced) UM Mest MK3, the ISN EBC80 is the perfect one since it's more immersive, way bigger in soundstage, more fun and dynamic and it's now my fav IEM with BC, with Mest Mk3 for more analytical and mature musicality.




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PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample after i manifest my intense curiosity about them. I'm not affiliated nor pay to do this review, and EBC80 will now take part of my very big IEM collection.

You can order the ISN EBC80 for 700$ here:
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-EBC80

ISN EBC80 - Blue beast

First of all I would like to give a big shout out to Audio Geek india for letting me have a pleasure of listening to ISN EBC80 as part of the Audio Geek India Tour. All these impressions are my own and not under influence of neither the brand nor the Audio Geek. I am not associated with the brand in any way. Audio Geek you Rock!!

Lets start with the specs of this thing

Driver details

EBC80 is a Hybrid deaign consisting of
ISN Audio EBC80 2 Electrostatic Driver+ 2 Balanced Armature + 2 Dynamic Driver + 2 Bone Conduction Driver Quad Drivers Hybrid 2Pin 0.78mm.
While looking at the choice of drivers used you can get an impression about the true nature of this blue shiny beast.

Gears used for testing

Sony wm1am2, Cayin N6ii, fiio Q7, Earmen angel, ifi gryphon, Questyle M15,

For me it shined very well with Earmen angel and Questyle M15 coz they added a pinch of freshness to it.
Built
Face plate looks nice and like most iems these days shell is made of good quality blue colored transparent resin.


Bass- This is the area where this iem excells and beat its competition like anything. It has very good bass extensions with very good dynamics. You can feel groove of the bass guitar so clearly and can feel the punch of it. Bass waves surrounds you and take you to its depths. Bass is very authoritative fulfilling and voluminous but has everything in total control and has that defining edge in its bass.Its very agile.every detail of bass guitar taps, slides and thumps are tastefully presented for your savoury with top notch precision. I mean you get to feel the subtle nuances of the low frequencies . Big punch in small package.

Soundstaging
It has a very deep soundstage. It presents Very lifelike concert like feeling to it. Stage width is also decent but not as impressive as the depth. Had listened to my usual tracks on it and the increase in stage depth of music was quite palpable. Very impressive immersive experience.


Mids
Mids are smooth and have decent detailing in it. Vocals are bit recessed and sometimes gets supersede by bass which shifts your focus from the singer. A good dark background with good separation in instruments. Mids are natural and never sounded thin or artificial.


Treble
Treble has a decent amount of extension to it but doesn't have edges to it. Its well round to a greater extent. The effect of bass sometimes supersede and the treble misses to give the shine, scratchiness and sparkle. But decent amount of treble freshness is there. This is where it actually lags a bit from mighty annhilator

Timbre

It has very natural timbre with appropriate note weight. Background felt dark to me. Very safe option for those who cant tolerate high frequencies sharpness.

Imaging and Separation

It has surprisingly very accurate and pin pointing imaging. There was never an occasion where instruments felts shifted. There is very good separation between instruments giving a feel of wide open staging.

Genres
This piece of equipment should blow your mind while listening to EDM and trance music. It has that space surrounding you and that mighty blows of bass punch pounding in your head. Bollywood music was decent with good quality audio formats.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a good quality bass in Sub 1k USD category then this is the one you can grab blindly. Barring few misses here and there it is so enjoyable to listen to these.

Disclaimer

This product is part of the AudioGeek tours with samples provided by Penon with no influence in my honest opinion. These impressions are my subjective experiences and, as always, as it was my daily driver not as I’m doing a surgery into the frequency response. Your experience may vary, so always consider auditioning the gear yourself. Respect your fellow forum members and have fun.

Introduction

For good or bad we are in a phase of the hobby where we have IEMs flooding the market every day, to standout in this market some of these almost tries to promise both your soul back and be the next “Kilobuck Killer.” But occasionally, something sneaks under the radar and strikes the market with its incredible sound performance to value rate. That is how I felt about ISN EBC80 when I first heard about it after testing H60. The expectation was high.

This is ISN’s foray into Quadbrid BA world, and while the spec sheet will not make your jaw drop due to current market, your jaw will drop on your second glance when you go over the price <$1k. The EBC80 has its own charm—especially when you pair it with the right cable and lean into what it does best.

Have I mentioned looks already? It looks really nice. The blue (or black) shells with gold details don’t just looks “premium,” they also just so happen to match absurdly well with some Effect Audio cables I have around. Keep reading and you will see.



Specifications


· Driver Configuration: 2x 8mm Liquid Silicone Dynamic Drivers (Lows), 1x Sonion Balanced Armature (Mids), 1x Knowles Balanced Armature (Highs), 2x Sonion Electrostatic Drivers (Ultra-Highs), 2x Sonion Bone Conduction Drivers (Full Range)
· Impedance: 13Ω
· Sensitivity: 106dB
· Connector: 2-pin 0.78mm
· Shell Material: Medical-grade skin-friendly resin (nothing new here )
· Price: Approximately $699 USD (the surprising bit)

All my listening were based on:

o Cayin N6iii
o Eletech Baroque Tips
o Stock cable (unless during cable rolling)
o I do listen a lot to Metal, Soundtracks and Hip-Hop.

Build and Design

ISN’s EBC80 takes a modern and clean design route— transparent resin shells with a subtly contoured faceplate, deep blue (or black) colour, and gold accents that give it a sleek but mature look. It feels solid in the hand, lightweight enough to disappear in the ears, and the fit is deep and comfortable with a decent nozzle length. To make it few even more premium, a stainless-steel nozzle would be welcomed, it would also help with tips retention.

The stock cable is bit plain but in blue to match the IEM. The cable hardware on the other hand, feels cheap. But, for me, it doesn’t matter as I am full time cable rollers. This shell practically screams for Code 24 or Fusion not just for sound, but for the aesthetic pop. It is like an Effect Audio collab design.



Sound Performance (The fun stuff)


Bass

The bass is fast, textured, and clean. EBC80 doesn't try to punch you in the chest like the FatFreq Scarlet or even the Symphonium Titan. But that's fine with me. Because the DD works really well together with the BCD, it creates a refined rumble, gently caressing your ribs.

Sabaton’s marching drums hit with satisfying depth and speed in “The Attack of the Dead Men,” never muddying up the symphonic elements in the background. The bass here isn't earth rumbling, but for fast-paced music with layers of low end, like modern metal (Insomnium and Katatonia) it's excellent and does a great job at immersing you in the song. For Soundtracks, you will probably miss the extended and expansive low end needed for full immersion.

Mids

EBC80’s midrange is clean, resolving, and sometimes a bit dry. It sits slightly recessed, especially in the lower midrange. Here is where things get interesting—and divisive. In a way, vocals sit just behind the instruments—more of a supporting cast than a lead. But many arguments already have happened around that and I will leave this point to library and source dependent. For me it sounded a step back from the rest of the instruments.

A good example is Eminem's "Lose Yourself." The beat is tight, and his breath and vocals are crystal clear. Yet, his voice lacks the body I used to. It's a detail-focused tuning that leans analytical, and depending on your library, that might either get you focused on finding the details you may have missed from other sets or leave you wanting a little more soul.

Highs

The treble is lively but really close to the fine line. It leans to the bright side and can be a bit shouty, especially with poorly recorded or aggressive upper-end content, for example with Slayer or Pantera. In tracks like Thomas Bergersen’s “Flight of the Silverbird,” the orchestral strings shine but can occasionally sound a bit piercing. It doesn’t cross into full-on sibilance, but with the wrong source or cable, it gets spicy. Well, some people like spicy food and music.

This characteristic is also an attempt to extract more resolution and sense of details from the upper drivers, I think ISN got what they wanted here. It does have a good details retrieval and resolution for songs less congested like acoustics or Jazz.

Soundstage and Imaging

In addition to an expansive soundstage, the EBC80's bone conduction drivers add a tactile quality that helps to create a three-dimensional listening experience. Instrument separation is excellent, which allows for pinpoint imaging and accurate instrument placement across complex arrangements.

On Soundtracks like Hans Zimmer’s “Pirates of Caribbean” I can see the soundstage a bit out of my head in a good 3D form. I wish it had a bit more extension and notes decay for higher immersion.

Cable Pairings and Aesthetic Synergy

Effect Audio Code 24

First of all, ISN and EA should come out and say they worked together in this design, I some time I haven’t seen a cable pairing to be so made for each other then this. They look amazing together. Talking about the secondary priority ( ) It improves clarity in the upper frequencies, tightens the bass slightly more, and expands the soundstage. However, it doesn't completely fix the recessed mids but gives them a chance to breathe adding a bit of air there. Code 24 still sounds energetic but is well separated and less congested when compared with the EBC80 stock cable. It looks like like a cherry on top of the cake.



Effect Audio Fusion

Alright, not as “bullet the blue sky” looks, but the gold still matches great with EBC80’s gold accents. This cable follows an slight different sound route, It brings warmth to the mids and a smoother top-end. Vocals step forward, the lower mids gain some density, and the treble calms down just enough to become engaging rather than edgy. It may please a broader range of people due to it’s smooth and musical presentation.

If I had to pick one, Fusion is the musical match, Code 24 the surgical tool. But Code24 maintain EBC80’s sound signature heart more just enhancing its pros.



Comparisons with what I have around (at similar price)

Effect Audio x Elysian Pilgrim Noir

Now this is where it gets tricky. The Pilgrim Noir is fuller, warmer, and more analog. It has more meat on the bones across the mids and bass, while EBC80 feels more precise and leaner. Noir’s vocals are lush and rich, more suited for emotional vocal tracks or live instrumental. However, it lacks the resolution and treble extension that the EBC80 can bring to complex orchestral or metal songs.

The EBC80 has better imaging and technical separation but can feel sterile next to the Pilgrim. If you’re into progressive metal, jazz or epic film scores, EBC80 gives you a sharper image, but lacks that deep reverb on the low end.



Final Thoughts (for now)

The ISN EBC80 is a technical IEM for the modern detail freak, with tight bass and more emphasis on the upper frequencies. It is not for everyone—those looking for thick mids, rich vocals, or romantic warmth will find it a bit dry. But if what you want is resolution, imaging, and a unique tactile bass texture without bleeding into lower mids. Or, upper frequencies that are clean and forward without being clinical, this is an IEM worth checking out.


And with the right cable pairing, the EBC80 transforms. It becomes more versatile, more forgiving, and frankly, more fun. Whether you want a neutral specialist (Code 24) or a musical charmer (Fusion), this IEM plays along beautifully—and looks damn good doing it. There’s a reason for the praise it has received in the forums around. It is indeed good without checking the price, when considering the price and technical specs, it’s a no brainer.

ISN Audio EBC80 Review​

ISN EBC80 Review​

Intro​

Hello, this review covers the latest from the audio brand ISN Audio named the ISN EBC80 ($699). I am very happy to be able to give you my thoughts covering this set as I’m part of the Audio Geeks US Tour. I have to give a huge thanks and shout-out to Penon Audio, as well as Audio Geek. No doubt I would not have the opportunity to hear this set without both parties. So, thank you! Now, the EBC80 is actually an eight-driver “quad-brid” earphone consisting of two dynamic drivers, two balanced armature drivers, two electrostatic drivers, and two bone-conduction drivers. Basically, the EBC80 is absolutely loaded. Without question it’s an ambitious offering from ISN Audio which entails a maximum level of expertise and “know-how” to cohesively tune all of those moving parts in a concerted and homogenized manner. As a fan of audio and a fan of Penon, you have to know that I am excited for the EBC80 to arrive.

ISN Audio​

I think it’s fairly evident to anyone who’s paid even a slight bit of attention to the hobby that ISN Audio is one of the true fan favorites amongst the audio faithful. Iem after iem or cable after cable are strategically and meticulously crafted with ISN’s own “house style” and house tuning blend. It seems that no matter the driver configuration or price point that either Penon or its sister brand ISN Audio… just doesn’t miss. I’ve tried many of their iems and even reviewed their wonderful ISN Neo 5 (Neo 5 Review) late last year and folks I have to be honest with you, the Neo 5 is clearly one of the best warm, rich, bass focused iems that I’ve ever heard under $300. Which is saying a lot. The ISN H60 (still haven’t heard it unfortunately) is also one of the bestselling and most lauded and adored iems under $500, hands down! Look at the rest of their catalog folks! One after the other is solid product after solid product. Of course, we know that ISN Audio comes from a very successful lineage as they share a common DNA with another fan favorite. That being Penon Audio. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a huge shock that a Penon sister brand is also having tremendous success. Of course, I say a lot of this in anticipation of the EBC80 arriving, in exactly two days. So please forgive me for my joyful writing, can’t help myself friends. Should be fun.

My word! ​

Well, the ISN Audio EBC80 just arrived at my door. I should note that since this is a “tour” unit, that I didn’t get any of the packaging. Quite literally I only received the earphones, the cable, and that’s it. Well, they also comfortably placed the EBC80 inside a blue Penon carrying case. At any rate, I can only speak on what I have in my possession. That said, I couldn’t care less because the sound of this set trumps any lacking accessories. My word! What a spectacular sounding set for the cost. This just went from “Should be a fun one” to… “I don’t want to send these away in two weeks”. Of course, I haven’t critically listened yet and so my thoughts may change (not likely). I actually tried to type that with a straight face, lol. Folks, I look forward to sharing my thoughts. So, without further ado, the ISN Audio EBC80…

Non-Affiliated Purchasing Links:​

–Penon Audio

–Amazon

–Aliexpress

Gear used for testing​

–Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro

–Ifi Go Blu

–EPZ TP50

–Simgot Dew4x

–Shanling H0

–Fiio JM21

–IBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2

–Shanling M6 Ultra

–Fiio Q15

Build / Design / Internals / Fit ​

Build Quality​

The ISN EBC80 is another very well-made all-resin set. Actually, looking at the Penon store it states that the EBC80 is actually handmade using medical grade skin friendly resin. Now, I don’t know what is made by hand, I’m assuming the faceplate design and maybe gluing the faceplates to the shell. I would assume that the shells are 3D printed. To be perfectly honest, ISN Audio doesn’t really divulge a whole lot of info about the build. However, I can assure you that the EBC80 is like any other Penon in-ear, it’s built very well. Nothing feels even remotely cheap or chinsy on this set. You know a well-made resin set when you feel it. It isn’t the easiest thing to explain, but it’s easy to understand when the EBC80 is in your ears. So, the EBC80 has about average width nozzles (around 6mm) with average insertion depth. I also see two small metal bordered vent holes, one in the front and one towards the rear of the shells. The EBC80 are very ergonomic with a very clean build. Now, I should also add that the EBC80 is also fairly large. Which makes sense with the high number of different drivers strategically placed inside. So be aware of that.

Design​

The design is one area where the EBC80 just knocks it out of the park. I adore the transparent blue shells showing off the inner components (the drivers, tubes) with such clarity. Truly a nice look. To add to that, the faceplates are pieces of art. A deep blue is the underlying colorway while gold glitter streaks across the faceplates. You see a spattering of vibrant green, blue, purple, and pink colors seemingly randomly sprayed across the faceplates. However, ISN Audio truly nailed this look down with the gold-colored alloy border around the faceplates. Truly gorgeous! What an awesome design! Folks, this set is absolutely beautiful to look at. It all gets tied together when you put the all-blue colored cable on as the look is very nice. I think that ISN Audio did a great job.

Internals​

Like I said earlier, the EBC80 is an eight-driver quad-brid earphone consisting of two 8mm liquid silicone dynamic drivers covering the lows. Each driver takes a portion of the bass region. Next, ISN added one Sonion balanced armature which will cover the whole of the midrange and one Knowles balanced armature to cover the lower to mid treble area. For the upper treble ISN decided upon two Sonion electrostatic drivers. I found that very nice. Lastly, they equipped two frequency-wide bone conduction drivers providing that visceral kinetic feel to the spectrum. I’m sure they added in some sort of a crossover tech within the housing as well, but I have no way of knowing, unfortunately. For whatever reason ISN only listed out the drivers inside of the EBC80. However, I cannot begin to tell you how intrigued I was to learn that ISN went the route that they did for each of the drivers. I feel that they went with the perfect strength of each chosen driver and truly did a wonderful job of meshing those drivers together. But I’ll speak about that in a bit. For now, just know that ISN paired many excellent drivers together within a very nice housing.

Fit/Comfort​

As far as the actual fitment is concerned, I feel like a broken record because the EBC80 quite literally fits perfectly. I’ve said this in many reviews now and I’m starting to think that my ears just form to the shape of each iem. It’s a strange superpower to have, but I have it… Lol. Back to reality, seriously folks, the ISN EBC80 fits so well. No doubt these brands are getting better and better at crafting very ergonomic iems and the EBC80 is no exception. As always, I have to say that I have no idea how the EBC80 will fit you as… you are not me. Still, comfort is top notch, no rough edges, rounded and smooth corners. It’s simply a comfy set of earphones. Now, remember the EBC80 is a large set. This is not a small iem folks. Obviously, it has to be larger to fit all eight drivers. So, if you have small ears then you may want to consider that. Still, very comfortable for me.

Cable​

The cable provided within the packaging is one of good quality. It is none other than the ISN Audio C2 cable which can also be purchased separately at Penon’s website. You also have the option at purchasing to get either the ISN H2 or ISN S2 cables. So, keep that in mind. I obviously received the C2. It’s a modular cable and one which is very easy to swap out jacks. Of course, the cable is the only accessories that was sent to me and so it’s the only accessories that I can speak on. However, as nice as it is, the cable doesn’t have any ear hooks folks. Really it is a very nice wire, it’s a deep blue, perfect match with the EBC80 aesthetically. To be exact the C2 is a 6N + OCC with two sets of wires braided and each carrying 72 cores while reaching 1.2 m in length. Again, the cable is a 3-1 modular cable which comes with a 3.5 single ended, 2.5 balanced, and 4.4 balanced jacks. I used the only jack which came with this tour unit, that being the 4.4 balanced. Really, I have no hard complaints except for the ear hooks. It is quite perplexing folks. For a set which costs this much. One other note, I would think that ISN would provide a cable that sits flush at the 2-pin conjunction. Not a big deal but it would be nice. Overall, it is a solid wire, it’s gorgeous, sonically nice, and it fits aesthetically. Not bad.

Drivability / Pairings​

Driving Power​

The ISN Audio EBC80 is rated with a low impedance of around 13 ohms as well as a sensitivity of 106 dbs. Friends, the EBC80 is a sensitive set that can surely be enjoyed on even lesser powerful sources. I used so many weaker sources in this review. Friends, I had the EBC80 connected to the Fiio UTWS5 for at least a full day and the sound was just great. I listened out of curiosity with my iPad, my old LG V60, another old Android Phone, some no name 3.5 se Amazon dongle dacs too. Every one of those are very weak source devices and 3ach one was met with a dynamic and impressive sound quality out of the EBC80. Having said that, do not be mistaken because as good as the EBC80 sounds “with” weak sources (less than a 50mW @ 32 ohms) when you add some power it certainly shines. Every review, I test with every source that I have on hand, and I’d say that the EBC80 doesn’t necessarily need a megaton of power, but once I set the EPZ TP50 on high gain I could hear the difference. Those ESTs come alive; the bone-conduction drivers seem to wake up too. The bass gets tighter, denser as well. Now, I’m sure a lot also has to do with the caliber of source I’m using which is helping the sound quality. Most of my more powerful sources are also my better sources. Still, I think it’s blatantly obvious that more power gives the EBC80 the engaging quality which makes it so special. Again, you don’t “need” a powerful source, but a slightly more powerful source will reward your listening session.

Source Pairing​

The ISN Audio EBC80 comes across as warm with touches of neutrality, along with some “icing on the cake” style brilliance on the top end. However, it definitely leans warm, rich, and gratifyingly creamy. To my ears the EBC80 pairs best with any source ranging from warm to neutral/bright. Yes, I realize that “warm to neutral/bright” is a wide spanning tonal preference and pairing ability. However, the EBC80 seems to really do well with most any source. Now, you do have a slight bit of edginess toward the upper-mids and so any device which emphasizes that region could possibly get a hair too sharp for anyone sensitive to that region. Having said all of that, I truly loved the way the EBC80 took to all sorts of tonal coloration from my sources. Whether it was the neutral/bright Kiwi Ears Allegro Pro, EPZ TP35, iBasso DX240, or the slightly warmer Shanling M6 Ultra, I was so very happy with how well the EBC80 acclimated to those tonal differences. I personally enjoyed the Fiio Q15 and the M6 Ultra the most of any of my sources, but I could listen all day long with a smile on my face to most any source in my possession.

What do you need? ​

In my opinion anyone who’s picking up the $699 ISN Audio EBC80, will likely already have a substantial source in their possession as well. I don’t think many beginners are buying a $700 iem with only a smartphone to listen with. I suppose I could be wrong, but most people will have an adequately powered source on hand for a set at this price. However, if you have no sources, and you only have a small amount of funds left over to pick up a source then I wouldn’t be too overly worried. In my opinion the tonality of the EBC80 plays nice with many different sources. It is a chameleon in that way. I’d say try to pick up a decently powered dongle dac with a warm to neutral tonal coloration and you should be good to go.

Sound Impressions ​

*Note: I want to preface this entire section with a few details. First off, being that the EBC80 is a tour unit I did not burn them in. I would assume that it’d be helpful to run them in for a couple days, but I can’t say for sure. Also, I use flac or better files which are stored on my devices and rarely stream any music. The Android music players of my choice are always UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) and Hiby Music Player. Certainly, UAPP is my go-to. The eartips that I chose were the Divinus Velvet wide-bore tips. I used those for the entirety of my critical listening. Being that I didn’t get the whole package for review I was forced to tip roll.

What’s it sound like?​

To start, folks, the EBC80 is a very engaging and wholly immersive sounding iem. There’s no other way to say it. Well, I suppose I could come up with a few more ways, but you get the sentiment. The EBC80 has a fullness of sound which comes across as dynamic a presentation as you can get whilst still maintaining impeccable control for the price point. And a few price points above it. Macro-dynamics absolutely sing folks! The dynamic contrast juxtaposed with the prolific cohesion of sound is truly awesome for $699. I feel that the holographic and totally palpable feel of the sound field is like a 4D expression of my music. Okay, maybe “4D” is me going overboard a bit, but what you get is a deeply layered sound with just as much robust note quality, note contour, and clean-lined articulation at the edges of the spectrum as you’ll find in the center. You feel the sound to a certain extent as well. Especially in those highly dynamic portions of your music, adding another slight dimension, which I must assume is helped tremendously by the two full-range Sonion bone-conduction drivers. However, bone-conduction or no bone-conduction, the sound is completely enthralling & all encompassing. The BC drivers simply add to the overall presentation. Simply a very fun tuning and a very technically proficient tuning as well. Fun and technically proficient aren’t two words usually used in conjunction when describing an earphones sonics. The EBC80 maximizes both descriptors.

Sound cont…​

Timbre is near natural with close to organic accentuations and fundamental tones. The EBC80 doesn’t miss that organic moniker by much even though there is some obvious coloration happening. Albeit wonderful coloration. Now, the EBC80 has a warm/neutral tonal color with what I’d probably call a U-shaped or possibly a warm/rich W-shaped signature. No doubt the EBC80 has a certain articulated warmth to its sound. Just enough actually. However, this is not the type of warmth which casts a veil or creates a murky climate for my tunes. This is a very clean warmth with a very euphonic energy which never seems to congest the sound field, never clouds the mental image, and it’s a warmth which offers a high level of transparency. Having said that, there’s plenty of brilliance and vibrance to the sound to offset that warmth and provide the crispness needed to create defined edges, and finer lines, crispness. Though the bass is certainly boosted and very authoritative, I’d still say that the EBC80 doesn’t have a pure bass focus. In fact, I’d say the focus of the EBC80, if any, is in its purely musical and milky midrange. There’s a dynamic and very vigorous spirit to the sound of the EBC80. Like a perfectly contained and controlled boldness which replays the spectrum with rounded and sculpted notes giving the entire frequency range fantastic projection. Every note (especially the midrange) sounds convex and pregnant with what seems to be a tangible density.

Condensed Sound Between the 20’s​

This section I try to condense my thoughts in a very succinct and ultra generalized way. The abridged version you could say. Anyways, the EBC80 has a more lifted bass region, a forward and full midrange and an appropriate level of treble emphasis to add some uplifting sparkle to the sound as well. This is what I mean when I say, “dynamic balance”. There’s a very cohesive nature to this tuning. The speed, cadence, timing, fluidity, and vibrance within each 3rd of the mix (bass, mids, treble) sounds homogenized and tunefully whole. The low-end reaches deep, slams hard, it’s textured and well separated. While the midrange is crystal clear but creamy, warm vibrance, liquid in its body, it’s just as ductile as it is transparent. The treble has a very reserved sparkle and never goes over the top to my ears. It’s a treble that plays its part with that controlled treble bite, that EST crunch, and never forces its resolution. To add to that, it has really nice extension. Moreover, the EBC80 is highly detailed, has great instrument separation, it’s holographic, great micro-dynamics and expressive macro-dynamics too. Friends, the EBC80 is simply so well balanced in every aspect. Truly a fine set with a wonderful tuning.

*Note: I am very sorry as I do not have a frequency graph to share of the ISN EBC80. As soon as I can find one I will update this review. I sincerely apologize.

Bass Region​

The low-end of the spectrum on the ISN EBC80 is one which offers a hefty amount of slam and deep enough extension to sound fun and gratifying, but also taut and agile enough to not sound like a muddy mess. Friends, I truly enjoy a quality bass playback. That can be basshead style or snappy tight. The bass region is the first place I check in every review process, without fail. I can tell you that EBC80’s bass region is one of the most pleasing and delicious bass regions that I’ve heard within the price point. I find the low-end offers quality through and through but also a large dosage of quantity. In my opinion the EBC80 has a very polished bass region. ISN employed two 8mm liquid silicone drivers to handle the lows and they do so remarkably well coupled with the two BC drivers. The bass is so very close to that guilty-pleasure, bass-bois style emphasis, yet without hearing the usual hang ups that come with a fun boosted bass. It’s quality meets quantity and it’s very nice.

Bass cont…​

The bass is hard edged, never soft or pillowy, with wonderful note density, very deep in pitch. The EBC80’s low end generally has a natural transient decay which never feels slow or laggy. To add to that, another lovely feature of this bass region is that you can feel both the sub & mid-bass notes (for the most part) to a small degree on top of the usual feels you get from a boosted sub-bass response. I assume that can be attributed to the bone conduction drivers. This is a low end which provides truly engrossing bass drops, and I have a multitude of tracks to name which provide this. So, satisfying. Bass guitars are generally full bodied, edgy, very strident in their growling drone with the EBC80. You can hear how dense and meaty they can sound on “Undoer” by Geese. Or kick drums which have that tactile initial hit followed by a cavernous & resonance filled hollow boom like in the track “Take on Me” by Weezer. Again, decay is rather natural to my ears while its attack is quite fast, pointed, and you can hear this rather well in this track. To my ears the bass region is unquestionably great and very enchanting to this reviewer.

Sub-Bass​

As I already pointed out, the sublevels of the low-end can reach very deep with a highly controlled rumble. The haptic feel to the sub-bass is only enhanced by the bone conduction drivers which certainly provide just a hair of extra tactility to this region. One of the things which really draws me to the EBC80’s bass region is the fact that the sublevels are lifted and guttural and any other word describing something deep in pitch. However, the sub-bass also doesn’t promote any blurring of the sound field. Most notably it doesn’t make a muddy mess of the mid-bass. There is a distinctness to the sub-bass which hits very hard yet only seems to show up when called upon. I don’t hear a frequency wide influence from this region. Something is very special with those 8mm liquid silicon drivers and how well they handle any track I throw at them. Yes, it’s a big and bulbous bass. No, it is not sloppy in the least. That is something we don’t always hear and I’m happy to report it now. Listening to “Anthem 3” by Blink-182 I can hear that ultra-fast note decay hit with authority in a speedy manner yet never obscure the sound field. Another is “California” by Cmat. This track has all the feels, sounds clean edged, yet it’s also swollen with robust prominence and full-bodied with a thrumming low drone. Nothing fuzzy, nothing grainy, nothing hazy, or oversaturated. The sub-bass simply fits, perfectly.

Mid-Bass​

Now, the mid-bass is one which doesn’t exactly have the same emphasis as the sublevels, but that definitely doesn’t mean that it won’t provide plenty of weight and bullishness for fans of a bigger bass replay. Please believe me… there’s absolutely nothing weak here. Also, the mid-bass is very well textured with a corporeal viscosity adding tactile sensory effects to my listening sessions. Moreover, the mid-bass does a wonderful job of keeping a tight and taut delivery with fantastic agility, even in more complicated tracks. It’s big but it stays within the framework of a dynamically balanced sound, which is simply awesome. The mid-bass comes across as punchy, very vigorous, with a potent attack that’s outlined with some great note definition. Within reason of course, you have to know that I’m speaking these words in respect to the EBC80’s mid-bass quantity. It’s a very authoritative and robust mid-bass that never seems to lose its clean edge. It has very instant stop and go dynamism like fast twitch muscle reflex… but on steroids. Red Hot Chili Peppers in the track “Higher Ground” or Muse in “Hysteria”. Both tracks show off the speed of this hard-hitting mid-bass display and in the same sentence they show off the density provided in those notes. It’s simply a great bass region folks. No doubt about it. In addition to all of that, the mid-bass has just the right amount of measured bleed into the midrange. It adds just enough warmth and weight in my opinion.

Downsides to the Bass Region ​

To my ears there really isn’t much I’d change about the low-end. However, I could certainly see fans of fast, snappy and less intensive bass replays finding the EBC80 a bit too enthusiastic, too robust and too bass focused. The EBC80 has a more natural decay, and you could say a semi atmospheric sound, and while I consider this a fast and pretty darn agile bass for its size, without question there are sets with even tidier and zippier low-ends. Especially a good planar or solid balanced armature low-end. Honestly though, I am really reaching for a downside. Obviously, nothing is for everyone and so no doubt you’ll have preferential issues which may arise. So, with that, just know that the low-end is most definitely boosted with a healthy mix of sub & mid-bass that does steal focus in tracks that offer that focus. Also, there is some bleed into the midrange. So, if you are one who only loves a neutral, crystal-clear midrange untouched by the low-end with a lightning-fast bass, then you’ll likely not totally dig the EBC80. Though, in my opinion, I wouldn’t change anything, the bass region is flat-out great.

Midrange​

ISN Audio EBC80’s midrange is (in my opinion) the star of the show. What a wonderfully honeyed and symphonious sound! It’s dulcet, purely musical, and organically harmonious, yet in the same breath it’s refined and precise. I love the prominence of this region which really helps to make vocals stand out nicely. Nothing is recessed or distant. Vocals project towards the listener with a swelled quality and an almost embossed body to its notes with very nice spatiality.

Technically Musical​

To my ears, the midrange comes across pretty close to organic, very natural sounding. Slightly warmed yet crystal clear. Once again Penon/ISN delivers a supremely engaging midrange performance with the EBC80. It’s simply immersive in every way. Not only is the EBC80’s midrange completely fluid, wonderfully cohesive, and very musical, but it’s also highly detailed with fantastic layering of the sound field and very clean and pin-point imaging capabilities. Usually, a midrange will be one or the other. They either lean musical, or they lean analytical, most of the time anyways. Well, the EBC80 isn’t like most sets. The midrange is excellently tuned to provide a supremely emotional and rhythmic atmosphere as well as a technically proficient and fairly precise playback. I hear solid micro-dynamics leading to micro-details with contoured and clean note outlines which are well articulated. Furthermore, transients are generally tight with a natural decay and every last detail emerges very nicely (with some caveats). You have nice spacing of both vocals and instrumentation. A very euphonic, airy and effervescent presentation sets the stage for well-bodied & semi-rich notes to sound both prominent and bold. It’s really impressive friends. However, to top it off, I rarely hear anything sharp, nothing sibilant, and nothing grainy or metallic… whatsoever. Perhaps there can be some pinna glare in the right tracks, but these moments come very few and far in between to my ears.

Mids cont…​

To add to all of that, the sound within the midrange has great dimensionality with an almost salient 3D sound field which places instruments and voices with well separated partitioned-off placement and an almost corporeal texture. Again, perhaps it’s “in part” because of the bone conduction drivers helping an already holographic psycho-acoustic rendering of the imaginary stage. Of course, I say that because there’s no doubt that the EBC80 simply has something extra. I don’t know how else to say it. I mean, instruments come across fairly naturally in tone and cadence, with well-regulated coloration offering cleanly contoured midrange notes with good body and density. Also, vocalists sound as though they’re in the same room as me. Vocalists are perfectly centered with rounded notes which have mass & density to them. They’re very melodic as well. It’s simply a pleasant midrange. There’s nothing flat, nothing dry, & nothing drab. There’re no odd timbre moments, no peaks, the pinna rise isn’t out of control either. Also, the EBC80’s macro-dynamic expression fulfills every meaning of the word “vigorous” with a very well contrasted sound which feels exciting and fairly energetic, yet never does that energy lose its composure.

Lower-Midrange ​

The lower midrange certainly has some lushness to it. I’d say there is a slight bleed into this region from the bass which adds a touch of warmth. However, in no way do I consider this a detriment as the low-mids carry a fairly high level of resolution. They certainly don’t sound hazy or veiled. Not in the slightest. Male vocalists come through with enough authority to carry a male voice as well as enough clarity to help those voices stand out. I hear some forwardness to this region but in a very smooth way. Tracks like “Bless the Broken Road” by Home Free (acapella group) truly shows off this forward but also very revealing track as every male voice and every last vocal intonation is easily heard and very discernable. It’s detail rich, but also rich in general. There’s simply such a nice prominence to male vocals with the EBC80 in my ears as they never sound recessed, repressed, or pushed back into the sound field like so many sets of late. Chris Stapleton in the track “Higher” truly shines with the EBC80 as it projects his raspy wonderful vocals so well with a buttery tone and it doesn’t exaggerate his more edgy moments at all. He simply sounds awesome. In fact, most males sound awesome with the EBC80.

Upper-Midrange​

The upper midrange to lower treble is predominantly the area where most female vocalists reside (for the most part) and from my perspective female voices on the EBC80 are very likely the crown jewels of the midrange. The upper-mids come across very smooth with just the right amount of note defining crispness and body bolstering moistness. Every female inflection sounds very prominent, forward, and comes with just the right amount of shimmer along with a certain smooth intimacy to their voices. As though every female is put on a pedestal. Again, they come across moist, never dry, but also there’s a certain buoyancy to this region which can go from feathery sweet to resounding with just the right amount of sparkle at the crest of their notes. Instruments follow the same trajectory yet sit ever-so-slightly behind female vocalists. They’re still prominent, still very nice note body, very silvery and sweet toned with a clean note edge which doesn’t seem to ever sound abrasive or coarse. I realize this sounds like an advertisement for the EBC80, but as honest as I can say it… the upper midrange is delectable. Take Gabrielle Aplin in “Half in Half Out” where there’s this lovely controlled vibrance to her voice. Or Ella Henderson in “Everything I Didn’t Say” which sounds subtly soft, sweet, very natural, and very melodic with a moist richness evoking an emotional pull with the EBC80 in my ears. Just two examples of hundreds that I’ve listened to proving to my ears that the EBC80 excels at representing vocals.

Instrumentation​

Like I said, instruments walk the same line, and they too have that euphonic sounding depth, mellifluousness, and organic quality. They too have that semi-rich, textured, and palpable musicality. That said, I can hear every last detail and every lingering subtle harmonic without the sound leaning analytical or clinical. For most any instrument. Obviously, there are tracks which will defy those words, but to a great degree these words hold true in my opinion. Now, stuff like percussion has a very nice crunch and snap on attack without coming across splashy, harsh, too edgy, or out of tune. I can say that for most any cymbal crash. Drums sound full-bodied, thundering, and robust. Snares have the best hard snap I’ve heard in quite some time. You can honestly feel the snap and pointed “pang”. Strings catch every last vibration, every pull, pluck, and finger slide without sounding too dry or papery. Again, there’s a certain acute & pristine moistness and roundness which helps to add depth and an almost tactile texture. Any acoustic strumming guitar, violin passage, cello, mandolin and so many others sound great to my ears. I enjoy any brass instruments too. The timbre is really great, woodwinds are as well. I’m not going to go over every instrument on planet earth, but I will say that the EBC80 does a great job with most of them. Maybe some thrashing & raucous electric guitars will sound a hair too sharp in the right tracks, but those are most definitely infrequent occasions.

Downsides to the Midrange​

If I were to point out some downsides, I would probably say that for any true analytical-head or anyone who adores that dry and meticulously pristine midrange will possibly not completely love the EBC80’s mids. I’d also say that there are some moments in my listening sessions where I detected the onset of some sharpness. If you are a person who is ridiculously sensitive to any elated energy from the pinna rise, then you may have an issue there. I’d say that detail retrieval is great on this set, but the mids can become masked by a heavy bass track. Beyond those “downsides” I’d say there really aren’t many more to add. At least none that I can think of right now. Coincidentally, every word of my two full pages of jotted-down notes while listening to the EBC80 are mostly glowing sentiments.

Treble Region​

The bulk of the clear and vibrant highs on the EBC80 are ushered in by a very well-tuned Knowles BA, while the airiness, the crispness, the crunch, and the extension are provided by two Sonion EST drivers. Couple in the BC drivers adding that last little bit of haptic recognition and you are left with an impressive treble display. I love the mix of these particular drivers. They provide a treble region which has such a smooth delivery whilst also having very tight, contoured, and fine lined crispness, albeit somewhat subdued. I wouldn’t say the treble is BEAMING with radiance. Actually, it’s a very well-balanced treble region to my ears. I find that ISN Audio measured and weighed the emphasis very well to perfectly contrast the low-end warmth. The EBC80’s highs have just the right amount of sparkle and illuminated brilliance for my taste (at the moment). So no, the treble region isn’t the most exuberant and may leave treble heads in wanting. That said, I never feel the treble is dull or boring. You have plenty of dynamism, especially for that percussion pop or the edgy bite with a violin. You have the slightly subdued crunch, and just enough crispness. Folks, the EBC80 has a quality treble which doesn’t need to oversaturate the mix to express that good quality, details, and it never feels like “forced resolution”, in my opinion. Again, not for treble heads, but definitely for fans of a well-tuned and clean treble with all the “icing on the cake” style sparkle, yet without the glare and sharpness.

Technically Speaking​

Again, the treble is seemingly never overcooked or oversaturated, nothing is forced. I love that ISN had the presence in mind to craft a very expressive treble region, but also a non-offensive treble region. I didn’t hear anything tizzy, no mishmash of smeared treble, nothing splashy either. Some worse recordings may offer a bit of those descriptors, but by-and-large the EBC80 always maintains a clean environment free of any of the hangups that come with a cheap sounding treble region. This is quality through and through. This is also the type of treble that doesn’t need to be over emphasized to draw out the technical stuff. Detail retrieval is very nice, spacing and instrument separation is great (generally speaking), transients are tight and very exact, and the treble is one of high resolution. “Evil Twin” by Lindsey Stirling is a track which showcases these tight transients without going overboard in brightness. Literally every last bit of minutiae is easily heard, and the timbre is great without any real fatigue for me. So once again, I really don’t find this to be a bright sounding region as it’s just brilliant enough. In fact, I’m sure that some would even call it safe. No matter what I or anyone else calls it, the EBC80’S treble region is highly capable, wonderfully controlled, highly detailed, and it comes with more than adequate note weight. Additionally, the treble brings enough uplifted energy and sprightly levity to the mix to bring upon a sense of airiness and openness and a very nice technical display to the overall sound.

Extension​

Another aspect of the treble region which seems to be a bright spot is the EBC80’s treble extension into the upper treble region. I find it fairly simple to distinctly hear info out past 10k. Certain harmonics like the secondary harmonics or overtones of a cymbal strike generally come through without the tizz and splash that you’ll usually hear. There are some tracks which go against what I’m saying, such as a few tracks in my playlist where you simply cannot get around that. However, “most” of the time the EBC80 offers a fairly natural upper treble with solid stage stretching extension. There are tracks like “Magnetic Fields, Pt. 1” by Jean Michel Jarre which provide electronic treble which I believe plays around those top end octaves and the EBC80 takes them with a smile reproducing exactly what’s being asked of it with speed, agility, cleanliness, and solid timbre.

Downsides to the Treble Region​

If I were to try to find some issues, I could first say that the treble is not going to be ultra bright for those bright lovers or treble heads who love to hear their music pushed to the brink of comfort. As I said, there’s a balance that the EBC80 achieves which never seems to push the intensity up top. Also, the EBC80 does generally have a smoother treble and while it is highly detailed, it won’t compete in this regard to a flat-out analytically tuned iem. Don’t get me wrong, the EBC80 is a technical wizard of a set, but in truth, musicality is its first claim to fame. The technical stuff is simply a wonderful by-product of great tuning and great drivers. In my opinion anyways. So, treble heads may not totally love the output here. Beyond that, the treble region is pretty awesome folks. There’s nothing artificial, nothing sharp, nothing piercing, no odd peaks and the treble timbre is a strength of this set. Add to that there’s better than adequate treble bite, punch, and crispness defining the outer edges of an otherwise silky-smooth treble replay.

Technicalities​

Soundstage​

The overall stage size is certainly one of the best attributes of the ISN Audio EBC80. Something I noticed instantly was not just the size but also the holographic sound field. The dimensionality of the EBC80’s stage is simply awesome friends. To be honest, I just downplayed the stage. Sorry friends, let me reiterate what I was trying to say. Ehemm. The soundstage is freaking huge! The width is simply out of my head, the height covers all of my mind space, and the depth is fantastic! However, just because you have a holographic and 3D stage doesn’t mean it’s a good one. Imaging and layering have to phase into the equation, or else it’s just a sloppy holographic soundstage. Thankfully the EBC80 is nowhere near sloppy. I hear obvious layering of sounds from front to back and notes have a certain concavity and roundness within that sound field. No doubt about it… the soundstage is a selling point folks.

​

Separation / Imaging​

When it comes to instrument separation, I’d say the EBC80 is average to above average. As always, average is good. We know there is so much more that goes into a great sounding iem and we know there’s reasons why a set may succeed at separating elements of an imaginary psycho-acoustically rendered stage. As far as the EBC80 is concerned, the note weight is on the rich side, its very clean, great resolution, the sound is mostly open and airy, transients go from natural to swift, and notes have a very clean outline. I don’t think the EBC80 separates instruments and voices quite as well as a clinically or analytically tuned iem will separate those same instruments, but man does it do a solid job. I’m only impressed by this set. Now, imaging of the sound field is an even better story because the EBC80’s ability to place objects within the stage is perfectly on-point. Of course, not every recording is created equal and there are some which will confuse the EBC80 a little. However, without question the EBC80 is a fantastic set for imaging purposes. It layers those sounds just as good as well. The depth and holographic euphonic stage creates a stereoscopic 3D sculpture of each element of the stage and there are great front to back layers of sound. Imaging is just… good.

Detail Retrieval ​

I shouldn’t say I was surprised at how well the EBC80 illuminates the subtleties within my music, but I was at least marginally taken aback. Usually, a warmer and richer sound wouldn’t be my 1st pick to be a detail beast. Aside from oddly complicated and congested tracks and tracks with a monumental amount of bass… the EBC80 is a highly detailed quad-brid iem. It really does bring details to the surface very well. Now, I wouldn’t call it “best in class” or anything like that, but I would call it “far above average” and at least somewhat surprisingly I’d definitely refer to the EBC80 as a… “detail beast”.

Is it worth the asking price? ​

This is always a tough question to answer for any set. Let alone a set costing upwards of $700 US. To some folks there’s no set on earth worth $700. I don’t necessarily agree, as there’s a whole lot more that goes into the creation of an iem than the cost of the materials to make them. At any rate, it’s a hard question to answer most of the time. I have this same header question in every review folks. And in every review, I sit and think about it. Now, the fact that I’m reviewing this set at all will tell you I enjoy them. If I don’t like a product, I will not spend my time on it. Too many hours go into these reviews. However, just because I like something doesn’t mean it’s worth the cost of ownership. I’ve heard a lot of awesome sets that were overpriced. Having said all of that, this is one set that I feel is almost priced too low in respect to the competition that I’ve heard. I had similar sentiments for the Elysian Acoustics X-Effect Audio Pilgrim Noir. Which is saying a lot. Say what you will about the market and iem pricing. But against the competition there’s no way I could report to you that the ISN Audio EBC80 isn’t worth the cost. Absolutely, it’s worth every last dime.

The Why​

Well, I cannot speak on the packaging, but from what I can see in pictures it looks decent-to-good for the cost. The cable is a bit perplexing, but it’s still a very nice modular cable that looks slick with the EBC80 attached. Also, look at this set folks. The EBC80 is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. The color combos, the gold trim, the transparent blue shells. What’s not to love? You also get the same robust resin build quality that you get with all Penon/ISN iems. The EBC80 is an eight-driver quad-brid iem consisting of some of the more respected names in driver technology in Knowles and Sonion. So, you know you’re getting quality drivers. Two full range bone-conduction drivers at that! Friends, the EBC80 exudes quality through-and-through.

That sound​

Still, it’s the sound which makes this set an easy target for any prospective buyers. I didn’t speak nearly enough on how cohesive this 8-driver quad-brid set is folks. Truly a wonderfully tuned iem! It’s fun, so very engaging, it’s highly technical, yet fully musical. The EBC80 draws out every morsel of emotion from any track with relative ease. I’m telling you; the bass is simply fantastic. It hits very hard, dense, and deep, with a tight slam that never comes across muddy. You can feel every dynamic swing, every hit, every boom so very well. Such a satisfying display of the bass region. The midrange is one of the more awesome midranges that I’ve heard with a silky smooth, fluid, and rhythmic sound that also illuminates every last detail with enough crispness to create easily discernible fine lines with awesome resolution. Note weight is semi-rich, natural, and always comes across well textured. Also, the timbre of this region is a version of “fun-organic”, or “organic with slight dynamic embellishments”. It’s great. Vocals simply sing on this set folks. Also, the treble is non-fatiguing, nothing shrill, piercing, metallic, or sibilant. You have all the crunch, all the bite, yet you have such a smooth character within the treble region too. Extension is solid, detail retrieval is too, and really the treble is of a very high quality. Technically the EBC80 stands out with a big, wide, deep and holographic stage. Imaging is top notch with fantastic layering of sounds. Again, detail retrieval is great along with tight transients. Honestly folks, this is one of the best sets I’ve ever heard under $1k. Flat-out and hands-down. Truly a special iem. Yes, it’s worth the cost.

Conclusion​

To conclude this feature of the ISN Audio EBC80 I have to give a huge thanks to Penon Audio for supplying this set. Friends, I’ve had this set in my ears non-stop over the course of my time with them, cutting short my time with other reviews and obligations. You may not know it, but for me, that’s saying a lot and speaks volumes. The EBC80 is an easy recommendation from my perspective and a fantastic set which can and will be considered “End Game” worthy to many hobbyists. Of course, I also want to thank Audio Geek for arranging the tour and giving me the opportunity to review and spend time with the EBC80. Lastly, I have to thank you. It means everything to us at Mobileaudiophile.com that you take the time out of your day to click that link and check out this or any other review. It may not seem like much, but it is mobileaudiophile.com’s currency. Clicks, views, and time spent. Thank you.

Other Perspectives​

So, you’ve read this entire review, and you’ve heard my take on the EBC80. Obviously, I feel that this set is one of the best money can buy within its price point. However, that’s just an opinion. An opinion tailored to my personal taste. This hobby is so very diverse, and every person is different. That goes for both consumers as well as reviewers. So, please do yourself a favor and click a few more links to some other ISN Audio EBC80 reviews. There are so many solid reviewers who care just as I do that you get your purchase right. It can only be a help to you in your pursuit of that perfect set tailored to you. Well, folks I think that’s about it. I’ve exhausted every thought I have covering this set. It’s a good one. Please take good care, stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!

Well, after the Tangzu Bajie was defective TWICE (bad bone conductor driver on BOTH samples), I was forced to find an alternative and stumbled upon these. Perhaps it was meant to be because these sound amazing…after EQ. Don’t be disheartened about there being fewer drivers than other IEMs at this price point because in this case, less is more. The main caveat with this set is the tonality needs tweaking with EQ to sound proper (to my ears), and the cable connector sucks. So without further ado, let’s get started!

Bass: Impactful, deep, you get the rumble, and it has an organic timbre to it. Not fast like Planars and your larger 10mm+ dedicated bass DD drivers, but more of a well-textured boomy sound coming off of these. I like it, and this isobaric 8+8mm setup can move some air, but there is a limitation to this implementation that I’ll get to later in the EQ section. Overall, this is some really good bass and fitting for the price, and I prefer it over Moondrop’s 10+10mm isobaric setup. However, I am a bit of a basshead, and I’ll just say that it isn’t enough out of the box. But she does have potential, just not as much as some other sets I’ve listened to.

Mids: Well, the 3Khz-7Khz region is on the forward side, and my ears don’t like it. Detail retrieval is excellent here, but at higher volumes it can make me squint with snares and the like because of the intensity. I’m also getting some sibilance in the upper mids with female vocals. Again, the detail is there, the transients are spot on, the BC is giving the mids nice texture, but it just needs to be dialed down some for my tastes. I don’t think the BC is at fault here, but the midrange BAs just come of as too intense to me. Kind of like it’s a bit too high pitched and it needs to chill a little.

Highs: Airy, detailed, well extended, but could use a bit more glitter. The 2x estats are doing an excellent job with details, but it needs a tiny bit more presence. Perhaps that’s the shortcoming of using 2x vs 4x ESTs, but honestly just 2 is about 95% there. The highs coming off of this sounds very smooth, and I like it more than the magnetostatic unit in the Tangzu Bajie which sounds a bit harsher and edgier. But so far, this is about as good as it gets for detail retrieval goes – ESTs currently give the best treble I’ve heard so far, and they’re fast enough to resolve details that I simply don’t hear in other setups. I’m like wait that’s a new sound, I haven’t heard it sound like this before.

Soundstage & Imaging: Woah, this definitely checks the soundstage box for me. Wide, deep, full and articulate. These compete with headphones on soundstage. Imaging is so good on these as well. The EST is picking up all of those microdetails to let you know exactly where everything is at, and the BC gives you such a good sense of space. The stage on these sound very natural and pleasant. However, the intense upper mids can make some songs sound a little congested. More on that in the EQ section.

Build quality: Very good here. The attention to detail is first rate, and I love that I can see the guts of the IEMs to see how everything works. You have the 2x DDs running to a small port, 2BAs to a larger port, and the ESTs to an equally large port. Show off that craftsmanship! I can’t even feel where they secured the cover plate to the shell. The bone conduction nozzle is flush against the body with no edgy protrusions. Same goes for the breather vent up top. Very smooth with no driver flex. There is a small recess around the circumference of the nozzle for tips to stay in place. At first I thought it wasn’t enough of a recession, but hey it works. I don’t get tips stuck in my ears when pulling them out, and they don’t fall off or anything when dangling off of my shirt collar, so it’s doing its job.

Comfort: Well, it’s a little uncomfortable on my right ear. The shell presses against the curve on my right ear, but my left ear is fine, so that's human anatomy for you. You have to get a flush fit on these IEMs due to the bone conductor magic, but I’ll at least say they don’t slide out like smaller shells do. These fit SNUG, and I have big ears. I wear these to work, and they aren’t moving anywhere. When my ears get moist, they still stay in a good spot, so they did a good job with the shell shape.

Cable: I opted for the S2 cable. I love the color of it, I love the simple 2 core design, I don’t love the termination. I expect to see press-fit connectors on cheap products, not $700 products. What happens is the connection will short over time due to just regular usage, and for me it happened in an astounding 2 days. This needs to either have a threaded connector to make the connection to the tips more secure or it should be terminated strictly in a plug that the buyer specifies on checkout. Fortunately, I have some other decent cables lying around, and although the color-matching is gone until I re-terminate the cable to an angled 4.4mm, I don’t have to worry about it shorting on me. Incorporating earhooks would be very nice as well. I like to dangle one of the IEMs off of my ears so I can hear what's going on sometimes, and it just ends up slowly dropping further down because the earhooks don't keep it in place. Good news is that when I cut the connector off, they have each core isolated within the cable! 4 main cores that are insulated so they aren’t all tangled together. Makes re-terminating easy-peezy. This is a quality cable that will serve me well…once I fix it lol.


EQ: Good news, EQ fixes nearly everything I find wrong with the tonality and my settings do a good job of decongesting the stage on some songs to bring out some more depth. Let’s get into it:

Bass: Yeah, I’m a basshead. Pretty much every IEM that I own needs at least 6dB down low to get that earquake that I love, and these can take it to a certain extent. The thing about isobaric designs that I’m noticing, and IEMs that have a tiny little tube coming off of the bass DD is that they limit how far you can push them before they distort prematurely. Tubeless designs seem to have endless bass boosting capabilities and can give you clean, hard-hitting bass without breaking a sweat. These? The tubes limit that last 5% or so that I need to be fully satisfied, but the 95% that I do get is pretty much perfect. It’s not as bad as something like the Crinacle Dusk where you pretty much have no headroom, but it’s around Dynaquattro levels where you start to hear the distortion when you really crank it up. Normal listening levels, no problem, just the extreme levels that I dabble in when I land on a song that I’m jamming to. But overall, I’m just glad I can get bass like this while having such an amazing soundstage and detail. I’m happy with this setup.

I did a peak filter 25Hz +8dB qfactor 0.5 as well as peak filter 100Hz -2dB qfactor 0.5 to dial in the bass to my tastes. What the first filter does is give you a pretty large shelf in the sub-bass frequencies, and the second filter drops the mid-bass area so it isn’t too boomy. Otherwise, they’ll start bleeding into the lower mids which is a no-no. The 100Hz filter also helps preserve that texture that can sometimes get lost when boosting the bass.

Mids & Highs: The upper midrange intensity can be tamed by dropping the 3-7K region some. Gone is the sibilance, gone is the intensity, and now the timbre sounds more natural and relaxed. Bumping the treble reigion up slightly gave me that zazz I was looking for as well. It wasn’t a huge bump as the EST is already doing a great job here, but the extra nudge helps put a nice clean edge on those microdetails. I’m loving how these are representing instruments. The air, the delicacy, the detail, the separation and layering, so good. I’ve never heard instruments sound so good before.

I dropped 3K down -3dB High-shelf filter, qfactor 1 as well as 8K +5dB High-shelf filter qfactor 1. These two tweaks go in tandem, thus why I’m putting them in together this time around. The 3K high shelf drops 3K-20K down by 3dB, and the 8K high shelf brings up what 3K dropped from 7K-20K and then adds an extra 2dB or so to the treble. The chef’s kiss mwah.

Soundstage & Imaging: While the stage was already the best I’ve ever heard in an IEM, the aforementioned changes to the mids & highs did something pretty neat. The upper mids sounded pretty congested in some songs, and what that did to the stage was reduce the depth and make it more in your head. By dropping the upper mids, they can breathe now, and I’m getting better depth and imaging. I’m not sure if it’s because of the BC playing a role here, but man this is exceptional. No complaints at all here.

Overall: Before EQ- Great. After EQ- Endgame. I know I’m going to have to spend over double to get a marked improvement over these, and I’m not spending that kind of money, so these are it for me. If they make an EBC100 or something thats adds a peizo so the highs can get some BC lovin, adds 2 more ESTs and swap out the 2x8mm DDs for a bery-plated 10mm with a larger tube bore, then maaaaybe I’ll bite, but these really do sound amazing. These are the most “correct” sounding IEM’s I’ve heard to date, coming from a decent number of $60-500 IEMs. The Sonion ESTs handle the treble than every 6mm planar implementation that I’ve heard thus far (7Hz Aurora, TRN Shell, White Tiger, Jaws, SeeAudio Rinko, Tangzu Zetian Wu The Legend), so I’m a believer now. ESTs are the way to go for treble until I can get my hands on some AMTs to see how those sound.

I always thought that more= better with IEMs. Like you need at least 4BAs dedicated to the mids, at least 4ESTs for the highs, that anything under 10mm wasn’t enough, and boy these proved me wrong. Less is more, implementation is key, and while these have some tonality issues to my ears out of the box, they respond favorably to EQ, and the result is something that I didn’t expect to hear.

Other than that, ISN, please upgrade your cable connectors. These cost too much for me to be fixing. I recommend offering the buyer a choice of terminating to 4.4mm or 3.5mm, or offer threaded connectors so that the connection is more secure and less prone to shorting. Simply relying on friction to keep things together will not last because it took just a fraction of a mm of movement for it to short for me.



Bonus, FR Talk:

There are only two measurements on these that I could find, and Jaytiss’ measurements sounded more correct for my sample. Upper mid bump, treble drop, nice mid-bass bump, yep that’s what I’m hearing.

The bass boost is a requirement for me. A large shelf to give you that visceral, deep, authoritative boom, the drop at 100Hz to keep the texture and blend into the lower mids.

You notice that scoop around 1.5-2K? You actually don’t really hear it, and I think that’s because that’s where the BC starts to kick in, and it fills in that gap in a way only a BC can, which is to say it nicely complements that area.

Dropping 3K-7K does wonders to the tonality, and giving 6K onwards a slight bump really helps with giving the treble a bit more prescence.

Overall, simple adjustments that make a huge impact on the tonality in a good way. I’m quite smitten with these lol.

Hope you enjoyed the read!

I'll get right to it. This is one of the easiest IEM reviews that I have written. I'm not a professional reviewer, but as soon as I put these in my ears it was easy to hear what all the fuss is about. After seeing a lot of praise for the EBC80 from my brothers in AudioGeeks, I was certainly curious. But I barely glanced at reviews since I knew one was coming soon on tour. Now after listening, I can see how just about anyone would enjoy the sound of these, especially for the price.

Here's why: the EBC80 is extremely well-balanced. The bass is impactful, but not overdone. The treble has extension and energy without being overly bright or fatiguing. And those mids! Penon/ISN mids are second to none in my experience, and the EBC80 is no exception. As with their other offerings I've owned, such as Neo 5 and 10th Anniversary, the mids sound like they could be coming from a more expensive IEM. Vocals are quite impressive.



My one concern going in was if the upper mids or treble were too spicy. But I actually found my Penon Voltage, which I still loved, to be a bit more peaky and harsh than EBC80, especially around 5khz. To my ears, with the right tips, EBC80 is energetic but still enjoyable up top. I can crank it up with barely any discomfort on brighter tracks. I personally would like just a tad less energy in the upper mids, but I am sensitive there. A little tip rolling to my trusty Penon Liqueur Orange and no problems.



The refinement and tonality at this price point are excellent. I have heard higher performing IEMs, but they come at a substantially higher cost. I currently own the 64 Audio Duo at $1200 and the Oriolus Szalayi at $899, and they perform at a higher level, but you can get close with EBC80. A fairer fight would be with the identically priced $699 FlipEars Aether I formerly owned. From memory, I would have a hard time choosing between the Aether and EBC80. Both are very special IEMs that perform well through the whole frequency range.



At the accessible price of $699, it is easy to understand all the praise EBC80 has been getting. It is obviously well-deserved. This could be my only IEM if I was looking for a reasonably priced one-and-done. Again, I think just about everyone should enjoy these because the tuning is such that nothing is overdone or underdone. I am an eclectic listener of various genres and will switch from the Beatles to bassy electronic to Diana Krall to John Williams Star Wars soundtrack during a listening session. With the EBC80, it all sounds good with no real weak spots. No need for EQ with this beauty!



Conclusion

At $699, this IEM is one of the best values I have come across in audio in a while. The balanced, refined, and fun sound signature works well with every genre. At this price, the EBC80 is hard to beat as an all-rounder!

Thanks to Audio Geek "Brother_Hood of Audiophiles", Sandeep Agarwal & PENON i've been to able to audition ISN EBC80 iem.



It is a high-end in-ear monitor (IEM) priced at $699, offering a premium audio experience with advanced technology. Here's a my review with technical details

Key Features
Driver Configuration: Quadbrid setup with:
2 Sonion Electrostatic Drivers for ultra-high frequencies.
2 Balanced Armature Drivers (Knowles for highs, Sonion for mids).
2 Dynamic Drivers (8mm liquid silicone) for deep, controlled bass.
2 Sonion Bone Conduction Drivers for enhanced soundstage & tactile audio experience.
Frequency Range: 5 Hz to 40 kHz.
Impedance: 13 ohms.
Sensitivity: 106 dB.



Sound Performance

Bass: Deep, punchy, and well-controlled with excellent subbass extension and rumble.

Mids: Clear, emotional, and spacious mids with outstanding instrument separation.

Treble: Smooth yet detailed treble without harshness, a refined listening experience.

Soundstage & Imaging: Expansive, holographic soundstage with precise imaging, resembling high-end open-back headphones.

Build and Comfort

Crafted from medical-grade resin with translucent blue shells and venting to prevent pressure buildup.
Ergonomic design ensures comfort during long sessions, though the large shell size may not suit smaller ears.

Gaming Performance

Exceptional for gaming due to its precise imaging & expansive soundstage. It accurately portrays spatial cues like footsteps & environmental sounds in games like Fortnite & God of War.

Pairing

It has warm natural tuning best paired with ONIX for warm sound & Hugo 2 for more detailed sound.



Pros

• Top-tier technical performance at its price point.
• Easy to drive with most devices.
• Excellent resolution, timbre, and versatility across music genres.

Cons

• Fit might be challenging for users with smaller ears.
• Stock cable quality could be improved.

The ISN EBC80 is a Killobuck killer "endgame" IEM for audiophiles seeking immersive sound quality and cutting-edge technology. It delivers exceptional value in its price range.

Disclaimer

I extend my gratitude to Mr. Sandeep Agarwal of Audio Geeks India for including me in the tour of ISN EBC80 and providing them to me for review purpose, and as such the resulting impressions are unbiased and purely reflect my subjective & neutral take on it. Since I did not receive the full retail unit, unboxing impressions are not included. Lastly, I have reviewed the ISN EBC80 using default ear tips (small) & the included S2 cable only.

About me

I am not a professional reviewer, but a music enthusiast. I started my iem journey about 2 years ago. My choice in iem’s gravitate towards musicality rather than being analytical. That said, I am not a bass-head nor a treble-head but prefer balanced to warm sound signature having good sub bass shelf with thumping mid bass slam, clear weighty mids and well extended smooth detailed treble.

Specifications - Technical details taken from Penon Audio website’s ISN EBC80 page.

Msrp - $699.

Purchase Link (Non-Affiliated) - ISN Audio EBC80

Brand - ISN Audio.

Model - EBC80.

Driver Tech - The ISN EBC80 is a quadbrid iem having 2DD + 2BA + 2EST + 2BCD driver configuration as below.

• 2 x 8mm Liquid Silicon Dynamic Drivers for Low frequencies.
• 1 x Sonion Balanced Armature for Middle frequencies.
• 1 x Knowles Balanced Armature for High frequencies.
• 2 x Sonion Electrostatic Driver for Ultra-high frequencies.
• 2 x Sonion Bone Conduction Driver for Full frequency range.

Impedance - 13ohms.

Sensitivity - 106dB.

Frequency Range - 5Hz to 40KHz.

Cable - While ordering the EBC80, we get the option to choose from 3 types of cables: the ISN C2, H2 & S2. The cable length is 1.2 meters.

• ISN C2 - The C2 cable is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC wires, the wire core is 0.08. C2 focuses on excellent bass, warm details and natural and full mid-range, suitable for users whose main sound source is neutral and bright.
• ISN H2 - The H2 cable is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC & silver-plated OCC hybrid wires, the wire core is 0.08. H2 is a middle choice between C2 and S2, combining half of the characteristics of both.
• ISN S2 - The S2 cable is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC silver-plated wires, the wire core is 0.08. S2 can bring the cleanest sound quality, suitable for users who pay attention to details and use warmer sound sources.

Connectors - Flush mounting 2 pin 0.78mm.

Plugs - 3 in 1 modular gold-plated plugs (in 3.5mm Single Ended + 2.5mm Balanced + 4.4mm Balanced terminations).

Ear Tips - 3 sets of silicon ear tips in 3 sizes (small, medium & large).

Case - Dark blue colored rectangular shaped case with magnetic flap.

Build & Design- The build quality of the EBC80 is remarkably high. The blue medical grade resin shells are 3D printed & transparent, allowing us to see the drivers housed inside. The faceplate is of a beautiful metallic blue color adorned with speckles of gold & magenta, with the impeccably crafted golden ISN logo gracing the centre of the shell that is encircled with a gold collared trim. Inspite of the shell being a bit blingy (SUBJECTIVE), it draws appreciative glances. The shell also features 2 vents to mitigate pressure build-up, one just below the faceplate besides the connector & the second at the base of the nozzle. The 2 pin ports sit flush on the shells & are very convenient for cable rolling. The thickness of the nozzle is a bit concerning but can be adapted to by using small sized ear tips. The length & the angle of the nozzle is just perfect, ensuring a deep fit that is important to feel the effects of the Bone Conduction drivers. The lip of the nozzle holds the supplied ear tips perfectly in place.


Cable - The included ISN S2 modular cable is of a very high quality, looks premium & comes with 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm single ended & 4.4mm balanced terminations. The modular connection is tight & secure, overall, it is very satisfactory. The cable is soft, supple, and the blue coloured braiding perfectly complements the aesthetics of the EBC80 shells & does not get tangled easily. Most importantly, it is completely devoid of any microphonics. The S2 brings forth a clean, balanced sound signature, perfectly suited for listeners having an ear for details. My only nitpick pertaining to the cable is the lack of ear hooks (SUBJECTIVE).


Ergonomics & Comfort - While the shells are of medium size, bordering large, they are somewhat thick and protrude out of the ears, but are ergonomic & highly comfortable for me. The shells have nice, curved edges that follow the shape of the concha and feel smooth & strike a good balance between fit & comfort. The in-ear fit of EBC80 is comfortable & even after 4+ hours of extended use I did not feel any ear fatigue or discomfort nor was there pressure build-up of any sort.

Isolation - The nozzle diameter is on a higher side; hence, I used small sized silicon tips & got a perfect fit. Due to deep insertion, passive isolation is very good (subject to good fit & seal) & I found it effective in blocking out small external sounds.


Now let’s get on to the interesting part of the review…Sound Impressions.

Setup - My impressions are based on the listening sessions by pairing the EBC80 with Hiby R4 utilizing the 4.4mm balanced output. Other pairing was done on my laptop + Shanling UA4 dongle + EBC80 on 4.4mm balanced output.

Music – My library consists of music recorded in high resolution lossless Flac, Wav & SACD formats. My music choices are varied & I enjoy listening classical, instrumental, symphonies, Bollywood songs, ghazals, bhajans, English songs, rock, pop, jazz, edm, trance etc…basically anything that sounds enjoyable & pleasing to my ears.

Sound - I spent about 70+ hours listening with the EBC80 & found it easy to drive. Most of my listening was done at 45/100 volume setting on both, the Hiby R4 & laptop, give or take -/+ 5 points. Out of the box, I felt the EBC80 to be an overall rich sounding iem complemented by an emphasized, visceral, deep reaching & well textured bass having silky-smooth, lush mids with natural vocal presentation that provides an instant emotional connect while having a smooth yet detailed treble response that is free of sibilance & harshness. The dual Full Frequency Sonion Bone Conduction drivers do make their presence felt throughout the sound spectrum by adding more of an out of the head feel, as compared to conventional iem’s, giving the soundstage its 3d holographic vastness.

Bass - This is the first time that I have had the pleasure of listening an iem having such an incredible bass performance. The EBC80 bass has amazing slam & punchy impact having natural decay & well-defined texture. The subbass has nice extension that rumbles deeply when called upon. The mid-bass is full-on impactful & visceral & makes its presence felt quite prominently & imparts physicality to the low end and lower mids, thereby making its presentation rich & thick.

Midrange – Staying true to the PENON lineage, the midrange of EBC80 is supremely natural in tonality, remarkably well-balanced and is not at all eclipsed by the commanding low end. The mids portray a rich, warm musical tonality & natural timbre that exemplifies the luscious vocals and instruments. I noted both male & female vocals to be portraying pleasant, smooth, emotive & natural characteristics without any harshness or sibilance. Overall, the midrange tuning is beautifully executed devoid of any unnatural imbalance.

Treble - I found the treble to be lacking a bit especially when compared to the exceptional bass and midrange response. It presents enough detail & emphasis to provide sufficient balance to the rest of the frequency spectrum. It is well extended having enough air and shimmer, extracts details without causing ear fatigue, just that I was left wanting for more. For listeners that are not looking for incisive sharpness & uber detail, there is enough treble here to satisfy most.

Technicalities

Soundstage - The EBC80 projects a holographic, three-dimensional soundstage that is grand, open, airy & larger than life with excellent extension in all directions with the listener placed right in the centre. Point to note is that the soundstage does full justice to the recording setting as in presenting the scene as intimate, spacious & grand, just as it was recorded.

Imaging - Overall, I found the imaging to be very accurate, sharp & clear. While instrument placement is flawless, the strong bass & midrange presence results in slight lack of air and separation between the instruments. However, the EBC80 does not sound congested in busy tracks, it’s just that picking & pinpointing micro details & nuances requires a bit of focus. I would have preferred the air & spaciousness to be a notch higher in the upper treble region.

Synopsis – If I were to sum up the EBC80 in two words, it would be MUSICAL ALLROUNDER. ISN deserves to be applauded for creating a special iem with the EBC80. It is highly resolving & musical without being analytical, while being technically superb, nonetheless. The tuning is rich with terrific low end, due to excellent implementation of the dual Bone Conduction drivers, having lush & velvety midrange that immediately pulls you into the music with nicely detailed highs. I found myself to be immersed in the music with all the details present to enjoy. All the drivers work flawlessly in cohesion with each other, thereby delivering a rich & immersive auditory experience. For me, the EBC80 is an ENDGAME iem under kilo buck price range & justifiably places itself as the ONE & DONE iem.

Thank you for giving your valuable time to read my review.

Happy listening.

Full disclosure – I am not a reviewer, just an ordinary melophile who loves discovering new audio gear, technology, and music.

Ranking Methodology:

5 Stars – don’t want them out of my ears, sounds great with every genre

4 Stars – don’t want them out of my ears, sounds great with some genres

3 Stars – Pleasant listen – genre specific

2 Stars – Occasionally unpleasant, music specific

1 Star – Unpleasant

My Philosophy:

I believe that most IEMs are “good” regardless of whether they appeal to me personally. Every brain is wired differently, as unique as a fingerprint or a snowflake, we all perceive sound differently and in many cases we all prefer different musical styles and genres. Our perception of sound is affected by our mood, our physiology, and our anatomy. Every IEM that I may not prefer, someone else may love.

The ISN EBC80 was generously provided to me on tour by Audio Geek, Brother_Hood of Audiophiles. I am grateful to them for the opportunity to audition this IEM.

The ISN EBC80 is a very interesting IEM that blends hybrid driver technology with a focus on delivering a warm yet detailed audio presentation. Designed for enthusiasts who seek a balance between bass impact, midrange clarity, and treble smoothness, the EBC80 presents an interesting value proposition in the increasingly competitive IEM market.



Build Quality

The included cable is of high quality—braided with a mix of copper and silver-plated wire, ensuring minimal microphonics and excellent durability. The one caveat, at least for me, is a non-starter; the cable had no ear hooks. This makes it very difficult for comfort and retention for individuals who wear glasses while wearing IEMs. ISN has a large selection of cables ranging through every budget, many with an ear hook option, I’m surprised by the decision to include a cable with no ear hooks for a premium IEM.

The IEM shells are designed to be ergonomic, made with medical grade resin, featuring a semi-custom shape that provides a comfortable fit for long listening sessions. The materials used feel premium, with a gold metal inlay that surrounds the perimeter of the faceplate, and a durable resin combination, without adding excessive weight. The detachable 2-pin connector system adds versatility, allowing users to upgrade cables if desired. I chose a Xinhs 7N copper cable that synergized well with the EBC80 and was very comfortable.




The ISN EBC80 features a hybrid driver setup, that combines a dynamic driver with multiple balanced armatures, ESTs, and Bone Conducting drivers, resulting in a sound that is both rich and detailed.

Driver Configuration: 2EST + 2BA + 2DD + 2BCD

2 Sonion Electrostatic Driver for Ultra-high frequency

1 Knowles Balanced Armature for High frequency

1 Sonion Balanced Armature for Middle frequency

2 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Driver for Low frequency

2 Sonion Bone Conduction Driver for Full frequency

Impedance: 13 ohm

Frequency range: 5 Hz-40 kHz

Sensitivity: 106dB

Bass

The low end is delivered with authority, thanks to the dynamic driver. While this is not a “basshead” IEM, the sub-bass extension is deep and satisfying, providing a decent rumble without bleeding into the mids. Mid-bass has a controlled punchy presence that enhances the warmth of the overall signature, making these a great choice for those who love bass presence, without overwhelming those who prefer a more balanced profile.

Midrange

The mids are slightly recessed, but they retain excellent clarity. Vocals and instruments are well-articulated, though male vocals may sometimes take a backseat due to the emphasis on bass and treble. Female vocals and string instruments, on the other hand, shine with a natural tonality and good timbre. The upper mids have a slight boost, bringing a touch of brightness and energy without becoming sibilant.

Treble

The treble performance of the EBC80 is refined, offering enough sparkle and airiness to keep the sound engaging without becoming fatiguing. Cymbals and high-frequency details are crisp but controlled, no sharp peaks or harshness was noted, there was no sibilance in any of my test tracks. The balanced armatures and ESTs do an excellent job of handling treble distinctions, providing a good amount of detail retrieval.

Soundstage & Imaging

One of the standout features of the EBC80 is its impressive soundstage. The width and depth create listener immersion. Imaging is precise, allowing listeners to identify instruments and vocal placements with accuracy—ideal for genres that rely on layering and spatial awareness.

Comfort & Isolation

The ergonomic design of the EBC80 ensures a snug and secure fit, making them suitable for extended listening sessions without discomfort. Passive noise isolation is above average, effectively blocking out external noise. However, they do not completely isolate sound like some deeper-insertion IEMs, so a noisy environment might still let in some ambient sound. I found the Azla Origin to be the best ear tip pairing.

Conclusion

The ISN EBC80 delivers an exciting, dynamic, and immersive listening experience. With its powerful bass, clear mids, and refined treble, it strikes a well-balanced sound signature. While it may not be the ultimate reference IEM, its tuning and soundstage make it a highly enjoyable set for a wide range of music genres. Given its build quality, sound performance, and overall value, the ISN EBC80 is an excellent choice for those who appreciate a V-shaped tuning with a refined treble presentation. It excels in bass-heavy genres like EDM, and pop but also retains enough detail and separation to handle rock, metal, jazz, and acoustic music with elegance. Gamers and movie enthusiasts may also appreciate its expansive soundstage and precise imaging.



Available here for the retail price of $699

ISN EBC80 Review



Disclaimer

I have been provided with ISN EBC80 IEM for review purposes by Audio Geek, India as part of a review tour. All impressions given by me are purely based on my subjective opinion, listening capabilities and gears used. I am not associated with the brand in any way possible.

About

ISN Audio EBC80 is an 8-driver IEM, comprising of 2 dynamic drivers, 2 balanced armature drivers, 2 electrostatic drivers and 2 bone conduction drivers in each shell in a quad-driver hybrid configuration. It retails for 699 USD. And you have the option of choosing three different stock cables, ISN C2, ISN H2 & ISN S2. Compositions of those cables, one can assume easily by their nomenclature, C2 is copper, H2 is a hybrid and S2 is pure silver. The stock cable I received is the S2. Shells can be made in universal and custom design. Shell is made of resin and has beautiful transparent blue design with gorgeous faceplate, and the cable matches its color perfectly. Fit and finishing are excellent. Fit may be troublesome for some because of its bigger size nozzle. But for me it’s comfortable. Fit is important for any IEM with bone conduction drivers inside.

https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-EBC80.html

Sources Used

• iBasso DC-Elite Dongle DACAMP
• iBasso DX260
• iBasso D16 Taipan 1-Bit DACAMP

Sound Impressions

w/ iBasso DC-Elite

EBC80, straight out of the box, sounds very engaging, musical and with very good technicalities. It is very easy to drive too. This is the first time I am listening to an ISN Audio IEM, but from what I have heard till date, this IEM really punches hard for the price it asks.

EBC80’s bass is very well controlled, tight, and punchy. Sub bass rumble is excellent, and goes very deep with faster decay. Mid bass has very good punch. Bass doesn’t bleed and shows linear transition from bass to mids. Bass performance is excellent in both quality and quantity wise. Very satisfactory and foot tapping bass presentation.

Mids are natural, clean and have very good definition. Notes have excellent thickness, neither too thick nor lean. Male vocals sound slightly recessed but are very natural and clean. Female vocals are very energetic and have excellent extensions while being very natural and clean. Details in mids are nicely portrayed without getting masked.



Sound stage width is decent but has very good depth. Imaging is very precise and accurate. Instrument separation is excellent with very good space maintained between each instrument. It doesn’t have congestion even when busier music is played. Cymbals sound crisp and natural. Detail retrieval capabilities are excellent and very competent for its price range. EBC80 has excellent dynamics.

Treble has very good extensions and sounds airy and energetic. It has excellent sparkle with DC-Elite, sometimes borderline aggressive. I never found it to be harsh and fatiguing though. Dynamic range is very good.

Overall, EBC80 and DC Elite combo sound very engaging and energetic with natural mids, rumbly bass and energetic treble. I wish it had better stage width, and slightly forward lower mids. But yes, this combo does make an excellent pair.

w/ iBasso DX260

EBC80 sounds flatter and more neutral when paired with iBasso DX260 digital audio player. With DX260, bass is fast, tight and punchy, with no boom or muddiness. Sub bass rumble is decent in quantity and very fast, doesn’t go as deep as it does with DC-Elite. Instead, mid bass takes over with excellent punch with faster decay.

Mids section has smoother transition from bass. Mids sound natural, clean and have very good details. Mids take center position perfectly, not too forward nor recessed. Mids have very good definition and carry good note weight and thickness. Male vocals are placed little forward than what it was with DC-Elite. Male vocals sound natural, clean and carry good emotions. Female vocals are natural, clean and energetic. They have excellent extensions.

Treble is very well extended, airy and non-fatiguing. Treble isn’t as energetic as it was with DC-Elite and feels slightly relaxed with DX260. Sound stage has decent width and very good depth. Imaging is very precise and accurate. Instruments have very well-defined space between them with no congestion whatsoever. Cymbal strikes are crisp and natural. The dynamic range is very good. Technicalities are superb for the price with excellent detail retrieval capabilities.

Overall, with iBasso DX260 EBC80 sounds pretty good, but I prefer it with DC-Elite for its energetic and musical performance, and with slightly better technicalities.

w/ iBasso D16 Taipan

EBC80 sounds phenomenal with iBasso D16 Taipan 1-Bit DACAMP. EBC80 sounds very natural and realistic on D16. Bass is very well controlled with excellent punch and very good sub bass rumble. There’s no bleed and has very smooth transition to mids.

Mids sound natural, clean and spacious. With D16, mids sound very realistic and life-like. Mids are little forward placed compared to both DC-Elite and DX260. Female vocals sound energetic and has excellent extensions. Note thickness is very well defined and natural.



Treble with D16 is very natural and has very good extensions. Treble is smoother than how it was with DC-Elite and D16 gives a little bit more air and sparkle than DX260. Treble on D16, is not at all fatiguing and harsh.

Technicalities are excellent all through. Detail retrieval capabilities and dynamics are excellent. Sound stage has excellent width and depth. Wider and deeper than how it sounded on both DC-Elite and DX260. EBC80 on D16 sounds very airy and holographic. Imaging is very precise and accurate. And so is instrument separation, with very well-defined space between each instruments without any congestion.

Overall, D16 and EBC80 make a phenomenal pair with very natural and realistic performance together.

Verdict

ISN EBC80 is an excellent IEM offering from ISN. It surely punches above its designated price range with its stellar performance all through. Perfect balance of musicality and technicality for the price range really puts EBC80 in a league above its asking price. I enjoyed its stay with me for its excellent bass representation, natural mids, airy and sparklier treble. The only gripes that one could find with it is its larger nozzle and slightly relaxed treble. Other than these, EBC80 is a stellar IEM for the price it demands and some. Highly recommend this IEM to anyone who’s looking to buy an IEM under 1000 USD.

Disclaimer:

I’d like to thank AudioGeek group, Sandeep Agrawal, and Penon Audio for including me in the tour of ISN EBC80 IEM. I was given a chance to audition this IEM and provide my honest opinion about this IEM. The impressions shared in this write-up are my unbiased and honest subjective take on the EBC80 IEM.

Introduction (Design and Specs):

EBC80 shells are made with 3D printed medical grade resin, in a beautiful translucent blue color. Faceplates are seriously one of best-looking ones. The shells are a bit on the larger side however have an extremely smooth finish and rounded shape. IEMs fits perfectly in my medium sized ears. No discomfort whatsoever even after 2 to 3 hrs. of continuous use. The large sized shell may cause comfort issue for people with small ears. By using proper tips this can be mitigated to an extent.

EBC80 driver configuration:

2 Sonion Electrostatic Driver for Ultra-high frequency
1 Knowles Balanced Armature for High frequency
1 Sonion Balanced Armature for Middle frequency
2 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Driver for Low frequency
2 Sonion Bone Conduction Driver for Full frequency

Impedance: 13 ohms
Frequency range: 5 Hz-40 kHz
Sensitivity: 106dB

Connector: 2pin 0.78mm





Cables, Tips:

I received EBC80 with ISN S2 cable. S2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC silver-plated wires, the wire core is 0.08. As per Penon site - S2 can bring the cleanest sound quality, suitable for users who pay attention to details and use warmer sound sources. I found this accurate. S2 cable indeed make the sound very clear with great technicalities. Micro details were abundant. Soundstage has that huge 3D holographic feel. Bass frequence sound perfect with great extension and slam when needed.

I tried the Dunu Hulk Pro Mini cable as well. Bass became a bit controlled in this setup. And the magical holographic stage became less evident. Hence my preference is S2 cable.

As for tips, Dunu S&S was excellent pairing with EBC80. With S&S tip I can wear EBC80 for long time without any comfort issues.

IEM setup – EBC80 + ISN S2 Cable + Dunu S&S Eartips



Sources Used:

• Chord Hugo 2
• Dethonray Clarinet
• Onix Alpha
• Test Chains:
• Lenovo Laptop > Tidal > Hugo 2
• Lenovo Laptop > Tidal >Optical Converter >Clarinet
• Samsung S23 Ultra Phone > UAPP > Tidal/local Files > Onix Alpha/Clarinet
• Samsung S23 Ultra Phone > Apple Music > Onix Alpha

ISN EBC80 is an easy to drive IEM. It sounded great with Onix Alpha dongle DAC. The bass has great impact and rumble. Technicalities were above average. Nothing to complain here.

With Hugo 2, EBC80 became sublime. Excellent details retrieval and terrific bass extension. Soundstage is huge and mesmerizing with this setup.

Dethonray clarinet (with optical input) has great synergy with EBC80. This can go neck to neck to neck with Hugo 2 chain. Better midbass impact than Hugo 2 pairing. I enjoyed Clarinet + EBC80 bit more than pairing it with Hugo 2.



Sound Analysis:

ISN EBC80 sounds like a well calibrated theatre. Feels like multi speaker surround system in your head. The EST dig out the tiniest of details, you can hear the details in vocalists’ breath, chatter in the crowd on live recordings. This IEM is so addictive. Don’t have words to describe it. So ethereal sounding. The imaging in space is just simply mind blowing at times and it is unique to IEMs that use these BC drivers.

Bass:

Bass is handled by 2 x 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Drivers. Upon first listen I was really shocked by the bass impact. It’s one of the best bass I have heard recently in an IEM. Can easily trade blows with many multi kilo buck IEMs. The bass is quite impactful and has very good definition. Speed is quite commendable as well, neither slow nor too fast. Perfect and never bleeds into mids. Both midbass and subbass have equal emphasis here. The BCD is aiding in this magical bass performance. I didn’t feel the vibrations, but it feels like there is some physicality to the bass. If you have listened to a high-end closed subwoofer, that’s how the EBC80 bass feels like. The bass contributes to the overall holographic sound of EBC80.

Mids:

The mids tuning is masterful as it is not a forward or shouty type of mids. Very detailed and lovely sense of space and separation. Instrument and vocals are both given equal importance. In some songs the vocals sound so real that I felt singer is right in front of me. It's quite magical to hear your music being projected the way the EBC80 does. Its technical level is on a different level especially in the realm of sound separation and imaging due to what the BC driver is doing.

Male vocals are full bodied. Female vocals are clear and detailed.

The mids overall is excellent and ISN has done a seriously good job making it clean and well separated yet still having that lush organic tonality with 3D presence.

Treble:

Treble is very refined, well extended, and very detailed but never fatiguing. Upper treble has good energy and shimmer. Cymbal crashes felt so real. EST really brings out all the minute details in treble.

Treble has excellent transient quality. The treble extension aids to the airy experience. Overall excellent treble performance.

Technicalities:
Are you not impressed yet? Wait till you hear technical prowess of EBC80.

After hearing EBC80 technicalities, I rechecked the price of EBC80 to make sure that I am not missing a “1” in in front of the mentioned price in dollars. Seriously there is some sorcery going on inside those shells. Terrific technical performance unheard in this price range. Like an IMAX theatre for your ears, seriously. Huge 3D soundstage with well separated sound elements. Felt sound and minute details flying all around me. Not just front projection. I can hear sound from behind in some recordings. Very spooky experience. The layering of the sound is enhanced to the point where everything playing in the tracks has a plane of sound. Transients felt very natural.

The stage gets completely out of your head, a tremendous experience the detail retrieval, stereo imaging, instrument separation is utterly of another level only to be found in much more expensive sets in multi kilo-buck realm. Soundstage makes you feel like listening to an open back headphone or closed back with great soundstage.

Simply put, if you want an IEM with top tier technicalities at a surprisingly pocket friendly price, look no further.



Gaming:

Tried gaming with EBC80 to test its soundstage and imaging performance. Tried with my PS5 on games Fortnite Battle Royale, Doom Eternal, and God of War.

The way EBC80 presents soundstage in Fortnite is exceptional. Very vast, expansive and laser sharp imaging. I can clearly hear the players around me. EBC80 clearly shows where the players are in the map. Whether they are above, below, behind, or same level as me, EBC80 clearly images that. I can clearly hear footsteps and minute details. I can even here gunfights happening very far away and its exact direction and distance. Doom Eternal soundtracks were marvelous when played thru EBC80. God of War is one game with very open atmospheric feeling and EBC80 portrays that atmosphere perfectly. Makes you feel like you are in the game itself. EBC80 is without any doubt one of the best IEMs for gaming.

Comparisons:

I owned/tried multiple IEMs. Brief comparisons with few of them.

ISN H60:
I demoed H60 recently. Thanks to AudioGeek community. H60 is one VFM IEM with beautiful musical tuning and technicalities. EBC80 is a supercharged H60 with improvement on every aspect. Much better bass, Spatial presentation, clarity, and resolution. One area where H60 can come close to EBC80 is in mids presentation. Vocals are great in H60 as it’s a bit forward compared to EBC80. Those who have H60 already and looking for an upgrade should try EBC80.

UM Mest Indigo:
UM Mest Indigo is a multi kilobuck IEM which I owned. It uses a bone conduction driver and a DD for bass. However, I would pick the EBC80 over indigo for bass response. Indigo is a different beast when it comes to soundstage, resolution, and imaging. EBC80 comes dangerously close to that. However, Indigo pulls ahead in micro details and resolution by a small margin. No surprise here as Indigo is a much higher priced IEM. But after having Indigo, I have no problem settling with EBC80. EBC80 is indeed a special IEM.

Penon Voltage:
I got to try Voltage. Thanks to AudioGeek. Voltage and EBC80 has almost similar bass quantity with bass switch ON in voltage. Soundstage depth and width is better in EBC80 thanks to BC drivers. Imaging is on par. EBC80 have an upper hand on 3D holographic stage aided by BC drivers. Apart from that both EBC80 and Voltage are quite enjoyable IEMs. Voltage is like a high-end two channel stereo speaker system and EBC80 like a high-end well calibrated theatre system. Pick one depends on the sound type you prefer.

64 Audio U12T:
64 Audio U12T is another IEM which I owned. For bass, no contest EBC80 is miles ahead. Even though U12T has one of the best BA bass, it’s no match for 2 DD bass of EBC80. U12T has a bit better resolution and micro detailing compared to EBC80. The problem with U12T is it’s a bit boring, not much fun factor. EBC80 has better engagement factor, and I would pick EBC80 over U12T any day.

Conclusion:

EBC80 is one insane value for money IEM. Hats off to ISN for creating such a masterpiece. If you are looking for an IEM with jaw dropping technicalities, look no further. EBC80 with its stellar performance and pocked friendly price will put many top tier IEMs to shame. EBC80 could be the end game for many including myself. I whole heartedly recommend EBC80.

This is not meant to be a full review, just my layman opinion on this set that I bought and I like.
The ISN BCD80 is a 2 Electrostatic Driver+ 2 Balanced Armature + 2 Dynamic Driver + 2 Bone Conduction Driver hybrid, priced at around 700 USD.
The packaging is simple and correct, nothing particular here.

The resin shells are of good quality, aesthetically pleasing with a touch of transparency that lets you peek inside. They are on the big size, but comfort is not really an issue for me. A deep insertion is needed, if you want to take full advantage of the BCD drivers. They do look much better in real life than in the official photos.

The supplied cable looks nice and it matches the color of the shells, It is thin, supple and did not strike me as microphonic. The sound is perfectly fine, I can’t say I have obtained much better results with other cables. In terms of physicalities, for this price, I’d have expected something more qualitative. I have some Penon cables that were reasonably priced and still feel nicer than the one of EBC80. But, on the positive side, the cable is modular. There is a small issue with the 4,4mm plug being a bit bent. Penon said they’re all the same, and I can live with it. It is still usable, only mildly strange looking.



Sound

You’ve heard this before, they need a long burn in to reach their potential. Once settled, they deliver good quality sound with a large soundstage, courtesy of the BCD, while not giving any of the distracting ringing people have come to associate with BCD.

Bass is perfect for me, with a relative flat response for the sub-bass, the rumble being very well controlled, if subdued for some. For me, it is just enough, as the part I’m more interested in is in the mid-bass, which Is one of its strengths. It is articulated, without being intrusive with maybe a tiny less texture than I would like, but nothing to scoff at, really. Here I have to mention that bass is heavily dependent on the choice of tips. Eletech Baroque emphasises the bass quite a bit, Spinfit CP145 renders it more lean. It’s like having switches.

Mids - Ever so slightly depressed compared to the bass, I guess it is a mild U shape?! I will let the FR experts judge…For me the mids are the exact level that I like. I can detect fine nuances in the vocals, and the instruments sound natural enough. Here is where I have some doubts tough, male voices, female voices, everything is rendered beautifully, everything is as it should, but I feel I cannot connect with this set like I do with others, like Maven 2 or Mest 3. Maybe the timbre feels a bit cold, maybe I am simply spoiled by my other sets. Maybe it's simply the fact that the voices are pushed a bit back into the mix, I can’t really put my finger on it, but there is something preventing me from achieving that 100% immersion in music.


Highs - the second highlight for me. There is enough airiness, good energy, and the slight metallic timbre is perfect here. A bit more sparkle would have helped, as I am basically a treble head. But as they are, you can crank up the volume and still listen comfortably, which is a fair trade off.



I prefer to pair them with warmer sources, DX170, Cayin RU7, N3Ultra, SP3000T in tube mode. It is isn't particularly hungry, which is nice. It does scale nicely with more power, though. I also pair them mostly with copper cables.

I don’t have anything in this price range to compare it with, my closest is probably Mest 3. It is also a BCD, but with heavier bass, very nicely textured mid-bass, wonderful mids and a treble that is bothersome to some, but not me. I find it perfect. It’s got better clarity and musicality. It also feels the stage bit better, by comparison EBC80 is lacking a bit of meat on the bones, the stage sounds a bit hollow.

I am still determined to get the best out of it and bring it to 5 stars, so I will keep trying to find a cable that brings voices closer in the mix, tips and maybe some eq.


Conclusion: This is a very good set that nails a lot of things. It fits my preferred musical genre, metal, perfectly. Some minor refinements would make it a 5 stars for me, but until then, a big well done to Penon!

Introduction: I received the ISN EBC80 (https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-EBC80.html) as a part of its India tour conducted by Audio Geeks and Sandeep Agrawal. From Penon’s website- the EBC80 comes with 2 Electrostatic Drivers for ultra-high frequencies, 2 Balanced Armatures (1 Knowles Balanced Armature for high frequencies and 1 Sonion Balanced Armature for middle frequencies), 2 Dynamic Drivers (8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Drivers for low frequencies), and 2 Bone Conduction Drivers (Sonion BCDs for full frequencies).

The EBC80 has three cable options – C2, H2, and S2. I received the S2 cable. The cable also featured a 3-in-1 detachable gold-plated plug (3.5mm audio,2.5mm balanced ,4.4mm balanced). The detachable plug is a nice little touch that enhances the ownership experience.

• ISN C2 cable: C2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC wires, the wire core is 0.08. It focuses on excellent bass, warm details and natural and full mid-range, suitable for users whose main sound source is neutral and bright.
• ISN H2 cable: H2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC & silver-plated OCC hybrid wires, the wire core is 0.08. It is a middle choice between C2 and S2, combining half of the characteristics of both.
• ISN S2 cable: S2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC silver-plated wires, the wire core is 0.08. It brings the cleanest sound quality, suitable for users who pay attention to details and use warmer sound sources.

The product link is also given above for more details.

A little about me: I prefer a balanced to warm sound for enjoying my music. I own sets like the 64 Audio Trio, Final A8000, and Thieaudio Monarch MKII. I dislike any one frequency overpowering or dominating all others, be it bass, mids, or the treble. Occasionally, I do also listen to reference/analytical sets with a flat sound signature. I very rarely prefer all-BA setups, no matter how high-end they are. Technicalities and capabilities aside, I always look for an IEM/HP that grabs my attention the moment it starts playing (trust me, IEMs/HPs that really connect with me always make me listen the moment they start playing). An IEM/HP should sound clear, fun, musical, melodious, draw me into the song, and most importantly make me feel the emotions! If a Rs. 1,500/- (USD 18) IEM does this, I buy it too (e.g., the 7HZ Salnotes Zero v1).


Design, build quality, fit, and comfort: The EBC80’s in-ear fit is extremely comfortable for me, thanks to its light weight and medium size profile. The nozzle is medium thickness and so is its in-ear depth. I used it with the Divinus Velvet (regular bore) ear tips and the EBS80 was lost in my ears even during extended periods of listening (>2 hours). I did not have to adjust it also while listening. Once it was in my ears, it just stayed there without making its presence felt.

The S2 cable has a beautiful blue color. It is a good-quality cable. Its Y-splitter has an ISN logo and “S2” printed on it. This cable is on the stiffer side and hence before using it, I had to keep turning it around until it rested straight. When I didn’t do this (turning it around), the cable stood up and came out from behind my ears. Not a deal breaker, just one of the quirks.

Chain-1: HiBy R8 --> ISN S2 cable (4.4 mm) --> ISN EBC80 --> Divinus Velvet (regular bore) ear tips (M size).

Chain-2: HiBy R8 (4.4 mm line out) --> Ear Audio 4.4 mm to 4.4 mm Ultra-premium dongle --> Kaei Tap-1 Tube Amp (with power supply unit connected, i.e., not running on battery) --> ISN S2 cable (4.4 mm) --> ISN EBC80 --> Divinus Velvet (regular bore) ear tips (M size).

Chain-3: Sony WM1AM2 DAP --> ISN S2 cable (4.4 mm) --> ISN EBC80 --> Divinus Velvet (regular bore) ear tips (M size).


Test Playlist: and many other songs I listen to in the daily routine.


Brief impressions on the sound quality:

The prime aspects that I immediately noticed when I first heard the EBC80 were – natural and cohesive sound and tonality, lovely stage (deep and wide), and ethereal mids that had the male and female vocals floating slightly above the other sounds in the mix. The more I listened to the EBC80, the more I started loving it. To break things up-

• Bass: I am not sure what’s going on, but this is amongst the best bass I have experienced. It is fast when needed, rumbly when needed, and never bleeds into the mids. In ‘Fire Away’ from Chris Stapleton, a song I’ve heard countless times, I could easily distinguish between all the various types of drum-beats that were playing as well as where they were playing. I wasn’t even doing focused listening. I just could hear it all! This is the first time I’ve heard this song sound like this. The theme continued in other songs like ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ and ‘Higher’. The BCD was making its presence felt in a lovely way and I never once felt uncomfortable with the rumbles. In ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, the drumbeats sounded so natural and good that I enjoyed this timeless song in a new way altogether! It was as if I was standing in the studio and listening to the drum beats live. That’s how natural the sound was, and it was an excellent experience. Even in the busier passages towards the end, the drums maintained their position and presence amply and beautifully. ‘All Black’ by Taz Conley the drumbeats were heavy and thumpy with a slight rumble and vibration as they decayed. Almost every time when multiple types of drums or tablas were hit/played, I could hear the bass sounds actually sound a lot different from each other. Boy oh boy, this bass sure is something else!
• Mids: Chris Stapleton is my artist for 2024 and I think he’s going to make it to my timeless list. The EBC80 presented his voice in such a detailed manner that even the minor undulations were heard clearly. I could hear the words clearly and to literally their last sound when they were stretched in the songs. When ‘You should probably leave’ came on, I just wanted to get up and groove. Fortunately, better sense prevailed and people around me were spared the misery. ‘Higher’ and ‘Fire Away’ sounded otherworldly. ‘Fire Away’ especially, literally gave me goosebumps. In some songs like ‘Tu Jaane Na (Unplugged Version)’ there were times when I even felt as if the singer was turning his mouth a little away from the mic. when his voice was reaching a higher pitch. In ‘Luka Chuppi’ the male and female vocals were presented in absolute harmony with each other. I could even make out the minor hums and extensions in the vocals. Again, I heard this song in a new light. It’s like every little nuance is presented in a way that it is heard clearly and yet it maintains its position and doesn’t step on any other frequency’s toes. As the singers sang, the guitar played beautifully in the background as did the tabla and trumpets. Every sound was presented in complete and absolute 100% harmony and cohesion, with no crowding, bleeding, or overstepping.
• Treble: I’ll start by saying it’s very much present and in a musical way. It’s amongst the most musical and enjoyable treble I’ve heard. It is never ever offensive, shrill, or anything of the kind. All the details are there, believe me, ALL OF THEM. And here too they have their own space in which they play beautifully. Again, there’s no bleeding, crowding, overpowering, etc. It’s complete cohesion and harmony. In short, it’s brilliant.
• Soundstage, layering, and imaging: The EBC80 has somehow worked absolute magic into all these aspects. It’s as if every sound has its own clear and sufficient space, is placed correctly in the mix, is forward when necessary, and also fades when needed giving the vocals or another instrument the focus and limelight. As I said earlier, there’s no bleeding, crowding, overstepping, etc. It’s complete harmony, cohesion, and a purely musical sound that’s heard. One of the songs I’ve been listening to for a while now (I forget which one it was), hearing it on the EBC80 made me realize that there were two separate guitars playing, one each on left and right and while they mostly strummed the same chords together, with the EBC80 I could also hear exactly when they played different notes towards the end of the passage. It was simply magical.
• Additional observations: I found that the EBC80 has paired exceptionally well with my Kaei Tap-1 (chain-2) and Sony WM1AM2 (chain-3). Both these devices are already very good, and I couldn’t help but think that many of the sound aspects I have mentioned above will hold true while using any IEM with these two devices. However, when I used other IEMs like the Tangzu Heydey, IE300, IE600, Thieaudio Monarch MKII, etc. with the Tap-1 and WM1AM2, I still think the EBC80 out-performed all of them, and sometimes so by a huge margin. This leads me to believe that the EBC80 is fundamentally capable and an excellent-tuned IEM. When paired with the right gear, it just shines that much more. It’s like feeding a great athlete with nutritious meals. Once he has that, he performs even better and becomes exceptional. So, to summarize this I’d say that the Tap-1 and WM1AM2 are definitely superb devices and their excellent synergy with the ISN EBC80 contributed to taking the auditory sorcery to insane levels. However, the EBC80 is still fundamentally an extremely capable and superbly tuned IEM. With the R8 (chain-1), its sound is still magical. While it may not be at the TAP-1/ WM1AM2’s levels, it’s still magical and there’s no denying that.

Concluding thoughts: I am not sure if my vocabulary is good enough to describe how good the ISN EBC80 sounds. It has hit my preferences 1,000% and then some more. There were times when listening to the EBC80 and Sony WM1AM2 with my eyes closed, a couple of tears escaped my eye. It has brought its own refreshing approach to sound delivery and has absolutely hit the ball out of the park, perhaps too far into the sky. This for me is an IEM that has infused new life into my listening. It is an IEM that makes me want to listen to my entire library once again just to hear the magic.

I’m in this hobby since 2018 and am fortunate enough to have tried out sets like the Canpur CP622B and Rhapsodio Supreme V3. And with that said, I am puzzled and flabbergasted at how exceptionally well the ISN EBC80 performs. At its $699 price, this is one set I am surely going to add into my collection. It’s just a question of when my finances allow it.

ISN AUDIO TOTL EBC80
The final review for Redcarmoose Labs:
January 2nd, 2025

So as far as progress goes, there are always changes, developments and expressions of creation. ISN Audio is a subdivision of Penon Audio, Penon which have been making and retailing audio products since 2013 found the ISN name to represent a substantial shift in their tuning style. Their first IEM was the famous H40, a unique and different IEM than ever to grace the audiophile community. Arriving in 2019 the H40 showcased Penon/ISN’s ability to offer a Hybrid of a 9.2mm driver combined with 3BAs. Next came the Flagship EST50, a more refined version of the H40. The ISN H40 has a forward placement of sound being big and authoritative. The EST50 takes that forwardness of the H40 and positions it way back, to make room for the texture and imaging elements to come forward. History states both the H40 and EST50 have been landmark releases and continue to inspire listeners up to this day!

The EST50 is ISN introducing EST ultra treble producers, along with a Knowles BA for treble and a Sonion BA for midrange. To top all this is the EST50’s giant sounding 10mm bass DD. This epic 10mm not only added exquisite sub-bass but plenty of mid-bass too. People are still waiting for the EST50 successor to arrive!……………..and that my friends is the focus of this very review. The fact that Penon/ISN has taken this opportunity of the ISN EBC80 to introduce a wild and refreshing new sound.

With what started as this last year's H60, ISN started to emulate their parent company house sound a little, actually a lot!

The ISN H60 set records in sales and was the introduction of the new tuning ideas that would take the present day audiophile community by storm. So it was only common sense that ISN would continue down this path, introducing this EBC80 as a more refined and mature sound. Now the crazy part is I see it just like the H40 and EST50 twins in introduction.

Yep the EBC80 takes that sound of the H60 and positions it way back, to make room for the texture and imaging elements to come forward. Only the midrange in the EBC80 stepped even more forward to gift us a satisfying and involving musical experience!

Model: EBC80
Driver: 2EST + 2BA + 2DD + 2BCD
2 Sonion Electrostatic Driver for Ultra-high frequency
1 Knowles Balanced Armature for High frequency
1 Sonion Balanced Armature for Middle frequency
2 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Driver for Low frequency
2 Sonion Bone Conduction Driver for Full frequency
Impedance: 13 ohm
Frequency range: 5 Hz-40 kHz
Sensitivity: 106dB

So what ISN is doing is adding 2 Sonion Bone Conduction drivers per IEM, then adding 2 8mm woofers instead of a single 10mm driver like the EST50. And of course adding in the team of Sonion and Knowles BAs, and the two Sonion EST ultra-treble providers.

So let’s gossip for a moment, OK?
The EST50 was the very first Penon/ISN review I ever did, though being a little late to the party………..writing the review in June of 2022. In the time since the EST50 review I have learned plenty. You see if you look over the usage scenarios for the EST50 owner group you will find two styles of listeners.

Yep, one style that adores the bass levels and balance at hand……just the way the EST50 is day in and day out. Then you have the modifiers, people like myself who have learned to use cables and ear-tips to bring about a more forward midrange……….and afterwards we talk about the success we had. In my early days I had very few cables to add brightness to the EST50……..and the rest is history now. Except I’m one of the listeners who adores the EST50, especially with a Penon cable like the Penon Vocal cable…..or even the $149.00 Silver/copper Penon Mix. You see what audiophiles like myself are doing is milking the detail out, adding contrasts and tightening up the bass.

New direction:
So you can only imagine my happiness to learn the direction ISN was going with this new EBC80. And (lol) ISN didn’t just push the midrange forward, no they launched it into the sonic stratosphere. While adding a more sophisticated bass, tighter……faster and more nimble bass textures. Still using the EST ultra treble to showcase the ultra-highs………but then added the realism and authority of Bone Conduction to bring this whole shebang home! Those Sonion midrange BAs, and Knowles treble BAs, how could ISN ever part ways with that combo? Well what happens when you shift tonal focus away from the bass balance, is those additives walk, they slowly and carefully walk forward into the mix……..and that is exactly what we have! A new and vibrant focus!



Package:
Here is the deal. The choice of included cables are nice as you have 3 sonic choices to choose from. Yet any one of the three cables will get you in the door of what the ISN EBC80 is about. It is just if you are wondering if there are new upscale locations to take the EBC80 into, like dining at a fine restaurant atop a skyscraper, yes with an aftermarket cable you can truly exit your average cable tone, and take to the views and lights of the city! Remember the EBC80 has no switches or knobs, that the only main ways to alter its personality are with a different source, new ear-tips or of course a new and different cable. Later in this review I will go over upgrade cable choices.

C2 means Copper Cable
H2 means Hybrid Silver/Copper Cable
S2 means Silver-plated Cable

Probably if you are not sure just go with the middle as the H2 has a combination of both silver and copper personality. My EBC80 has had a full 5 days of burn-in and I have arraigned a ASOS+ cable to use as kind a the base line as to which to compare into a new of reality what these included cables could be worth? I’m using the WM1A with MrWalkman’s firmware and the PAC LStips.


The test base line:
Model: ASOS+
Materials: 8 strands, 25 cores alloy copper silver-plated + 99 cores single crystal copper silver-plated wire mixed.
Price $215.00

So this goes to show how while these included cables totally work and are better than most companies included cables, there is a simple ASOS+ way to add textures and details. I mean this is not a necessity adding a $215.00 aftermarket cable, yet as you have already spent $699.00 for the EBC80, may as well find a nice home for it to live?

From Penon:
ISN C2:
C2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC wires , the wire core is 0.08.
C2 focuses on excellent bass, warm details and natural and full mid-range, suitable for users whose main sound source is neutral and bright.

ISN H2:
H2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC & silver-plated OCC hybrid wires, the wire core is 0.08.
H2 is a middle choice between C2 and S2, combining half of the characteristics of both.

ISN S2:
S2 is made of 2 shares 72 cores 6N+ OCC silver-plated wires , the wire core is 0.08.
S2 can bring the cleanest sound quality, suitable for users who pay attention to details and use warmer sound sources.

Later in this review I will go into the ASOS+ cable and try and really get you the low-down on what it provides in addition to the included cables. Though I have to say, prior to burn-in the ASOS+ was slightly bright and I wasn’t so sure I would be finding this exact recommendation as an aftermarket cable. But post burn-in, the EBC80 bass has gone hog wild, adding that juice that reminds you that we still have an ISN IEM in our hands. What this does is add heft to what the ASOS+ is about and new added contrast…….more to follow in the cable roll section!

ISN C2:
While as you know there are finicky eaters, those who review IEMs and find fault with 50% of all IEMs out there. My story with the ASOS+ cable and EBC80 Universal IEM concerns a special style of balance and fluidness, one that put me into tears on this very first day of serious IEM study. I mean how do I even do an objective review here, when even my starter set-up has me blown away. LOL…..I will try and get through this? Yep, that is how good the ECB80 is, in fact if you have read the upper paragraphs/past history in this review, you can only imagine where we are at tonally. That and this crazy egotistical emotion that the EBC80 was made especially for Redcarmoose Labs. Yep, this is my exact sound signature and I’m 5 feet off the ground. That the ASOS+ has the addition of a Palladium Purple Plug and Palladium 2Pins which have upgraded the original ASOS sound into heavier note-weight and superior imaging due to this added note-weight.



ISN C2:
After all the cable listening preliminaries, to actually get a grip into how the C2 performs in relation to an upgrade, I can see clearly where this review is going. And as a matter of fact, all is relative, meaning it doesn’t matter how good the IEM is, an addition of an aftermarket cable can at times bring it to a new level. But, wait……..If you didn’t know any better, if all you had been eating is your Mom’s spaghetti for your entire life, it would be special. And that is what we have, an IEM which is 90% there. Meaning the basic ingredients have taken the sound event profile to a grand place. Such a place we would be happy to live in, and could even wait 6 months to upgrade the cable. Just remember that new spaghetti that your Wife makes has olives and a dose of Parmesan cheese to boot! Yep, at times it is the journey not the destination.

So what is the ISN C2:
Thick beefy lows, while not overly low, and while staged well, still…….still we don’t have the operations of the ASOS+, both in clarity of stage and copper deepness of…………….well deepness. LOL I could go on but you get the message, this C2 is more than a starter cable as it is modular and has 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced. I’m using the 4.4mm balanced plug to make my morning. Sure 90% of this enjoyment is the EBC80, you can’t friggin stop it, no stopping it!

ISN H2:
Using the H2 reminded me that these included groups of cables offer truly great quiet ergonomics. As cables continue to be introduced to the market, some older cables can be slightly laughed at and disrespected, due to looks or something. I can tell you right now that when you get either the C2, H2 or S2, take a moment and put it on the EBC80 and listen for cable noise………………yep that’s right, there is none. Actually anyone of the three on offer here, may be the very best at reducing cable noise out of anything in today's testing cable side-by-sides. So don’t make fun of the C2, H2 or S2 color or looks as there is a real reason these cables have been designed the way they have. Here besides that, the H2 is showcasing a broader stage girth, gone is slightly a little of that lower midrange heft, replaced by harmonics, and size. Again, this is really the middle of the road as far as cable sonics, brightness and darkness. All the bass is still almost offered by the EBC80, as how can you stop those 2 8mm bass drivers? It is just a small amount of extra detail has been added to the party here. That detail comes with added midrange luster and size, a small extra shimmer of glamor added to the mids, while sure maybe the treble got an upgrade too, but it is less noticeable, and sure it is there………..only the treble is waiting, patiently waiting for the S2 to arrive.

The ISN S2:
I also want to point out that this series of cables comes with full aluminum hardware, yep…….the plugs all three, the 2Pin barrels, the chin-cinch and the splitter have all been manufactured from aluminum, and have an added layer of carbon fiber to access the better feel in use. At times, we view this carbon fiber look and think that since it is all black, that somehow plastic was used, but no…..not on those components. The S2, slightly even bigger staged than the H2, I mean all these materials do change the sound, and while they add a silver energy to the output signal, probably much of your success could be found with what source you combine this with. That or what sound profile you intrinsically are attracted to. Why, well here there really is slightly less bass and there is a bigger yet ever so slightly thinner stage. But, that stage is offering faster and more nimble additives of tone. I could go on, but this is supposed to be an IEM review. Lol

Cable rolls:
Wait, this is supposed to be an IEM review? Truth to be told, cable rolls help me discover the character of an IEM. If an IEM has a clunky bass, or piercing treble, often a wide range of cable tests will bring those character ideas to light. Actually really this word often does not apply, the cable rolls depending on build will pretty much always disclose the IEMs hidden reality. Within these ideas, at times there are fires to extinguish, or characters to enhance. And some IEMs are more well rounded than others.


Top down:
Penon GD849
Penon ASOS+X
Penon ASOS+
Penon Pyramid VIII

The GD849 is the odd man out of the whole 849 line. Why? Well 18K gold for one. Yep we are adding gold plating on-top of the OCC.

Yep……..8 shares, single share contains 49 cores, a total of 8 × 49. So to try and describe this 18K gold addition, the whole 849 line has a big sound, yet there is a GS849, an OS (which was the first made) and more recently (the last made) the OCC849.

https://penonaudio.com/penon-os849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/penon-gs849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/penon-gd849.html $99.90
https://penonaudio.com/Penon-OCC849.html $99.90

So in a way it is like the GS849, only we have gone all out to make a freak of a cable. And the thing is at times this gold plating will result is a slightly lesser stage, than even the GS849.

Only here today we are basking in the wildness and strangeness of just how much leeway we have to cause trouble with the EBC80!



GD849:
Part of the reason these reviews take so long is you need to do at least 5 days of burn-in to realize the IEMs full character, also there are actually whole days I keep my ears on rest to then move forward to do an IEM review. There is nothing better to take in an IEMs personality than to give your ears a reset. Now that I have heard all three C2, H2 and S2 cables as well as the ASOS+…..I have a pretty good baseline to hear the GD849. Now the only reason I’m including it here was early on in this review the GD849 added a cool feature of smooth yet large midrange additives, and instrument and vocal weight!

The Penon GD849:
What, big, super big and dense. Doing an ability that was never dreamed of with the ASOS+. This collection of extra items is like looking into your car garage and seeing all the stuff on the shelves very clearly. You have a midrange which has been (more) boosted forward (now) and up-front taking vocals along for the ride, bringing you front and center with the experience. To where here there is a midrange anyway, now we are adding a reality to the density and a touchable feeling that everything is just one more step real……..real life! While sure over silver additives the stage is ever so slightly toned down, but not really. LOL

Meaning everything is still very large and in-change here. Each midrange example has more density which carries over to more contrasts and physicality. I could go on, but you get the clues......do I recommend this cable………you bet your sweet behind I do. Could it be your only cable, absolutely it could be your only cable for the EBC80 IEM.



The Penon ASOS+X:
12 shares of 25 cores copper silver-plated + 99 cores single crystal copper copper mixed (Litz & SPC) with Purple 2Pins and plugs. This was the perfect cable to follow the GD849. Why? Well we are now entering a smoother neighborhood. That while still having forward mids, those mids are now spread out like a giant wash of soap suds. Yep the Washer and Dryer (over-flowed) in our fantasy garage here are now covered with white foam. That foam is both not as dense as the GD849, but having the additive of silver alloy is brought into finer focus, showing the GD849 to be a little of a brute, which it is. Because now we have entered the (in-a-way) perfect idea of more illustrious size and openness. The images of wide, tall and thick have now taken over the party, allowing for the sheer size of it all to be very apparent.

Ok, let me get down to business with the ASOS+X:
While sure it is slightly less dense than the GD849 this is really my preferred way to go. At $319.00 the ASOS+X is a grand departure from even the ASOS+. The reason I have already disclosed………again, stage size. But more than that, adding those 4 more shares or wire over the ASOS+ went and also added density. More density of images, and more open, finding stuff like vocals holding a wider, thicker and more front to back statement into being. This stage is also holding added 3D images of instrument textures that could in many ways be thought of as perfect. Deeper bass, faster transients than the GD849 ever dreamed of, and silly me……..to be sidetracked by the GD849. Only yes, it is something special and a full-on improvement change as the progression of cable rolls takes place! Only now we are slowly getting bigger stage size and even more details which can be noted. OK, let me put it this way, when the ECB80 was out of the box, this playback was on the thinner side, yet now after burn-in, I can groove with this full-on idea of paradise, and I want to stay here………..forever!

The Penon ASOS+:
8 shares of 25 cores copper silver-plated + 99 cores single crystal copper copper mixed (Litz & SPC) with Purple 2Pins and plugs. A little bit of a come-down…..but as noted at the start, a great place to live no matter what! Here we have to remember the size difference of the over-the-top ASOS+X, that it is not for everyone. To where a more reasonable way to become a practical listener of the EBC80. Yep, holding all those traits that the ASOS+X had, only a slight bit closer to home. Remember the EBC80 has such a big stage (anyway) that we can relish it still and bask in this wideness! Where the EBC80 just naturally makes life a spacious house to live in, and I will guarantee if you go and purchase the ASOS+ that the stage size will be nothing short of a miracle. At the price of $169.90 the ASOS+ has a fixation on greatness. While sure nothing exactly beats the ASOS+X, only the physical size difference makes the ASOS+ something I would go outside with, where I would never leave the house with the ASOS+X around my neck!



The Penon Pyramid VIII:
8 shares Litz Type 9 Copper-gold alloy and pure silver, copper-silver alloy silver-plated, single crystal copper silver-plated Furukawa high-purity copper winding. OK, this is the heavyweight. At 86 grams there is ample amounts of gold alloy, silver alloy copper and magic in how this was put together for your listening environment. A slight add of reality here, that is how I best describe it. To where the ASOS line was just a smidge floaty, but only slight, now Penon have gone and included the full big breakfast here. Deeper bass, a more clear low-end basement, a more natural midrange, except not quite holding the spread-out way out west and north and south and east of the ASOS+X………..I mean nothing does that, OK?

But what is traded in is a realism and tonal correctness that makes the VIII one of the greatest cables in my life! There is an extra weight that grounds the EBC80, and makes it simply the most real today. And this is not only with the EBC80 IEM, it does this across the board to anything you use it with. Look, I have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s move on, only I don’t want to, just try to take this audio pacifier out of this baby's ears, just try! End game, end game you ask? Hmmmm I think so!

Build:
We already talked about what is inside. And I tried my best to show you in the pictures, only there are a few ideas the pictures do not relay. One is that the EBC80 is actually an economy of scale here. Meaning the EBC80 has more parts than the H60. The $349.00 H60 has 2 Knowles BAs for highs, 2 Sonion BAs for mids and 2 8mm liquid silicone gels for bass. So 6 drivers, where the EBC80 has 2 ESTs by Sonion, 1 Knowles BA for highs, 1 Sonion BA for mids, 2 8mm liquid DDs for bass, then 2 Sonon BCs. To make 8! Yet it is slightly better fitting than the H60 for me personally. The gold trim around the IEM parameter is not offered for the CIEM version. This frame in gold I didn’t think I would like, yet in real life it didn’t look too gaudy. Weighing in at just 6 grams a piece, the EBC80 is the perfect weight and the perfect size. 2Pins mounted flush make cable rolls breeze, plus this is for me the perfect nozzle length. And the whole thing is literally everything about the build is pretty much perfect, the size, the weight the overall feel, even the nozzle lips that seem to hold the ear-tips on. The angle of the nozzles........everything, plus the fit and finish of the IEM themselves, feel well made and sturdy. Probably one of my favorite things was just how easy it was to change cables, and I have a lot of experience with IEMs where cable changes are not so simple and straightforward.

Another feature comes with this new style of vents. Yep, somehow we are witnessing two new vent designs, offering new very small openings. One off the nozzle and one on the side near the faceplate. I can’t help but imagine these vents helping to final focus our perfect pace and IEM tempo ability. Because it is the pace and clean brisk ability that takes the cake!





Side-by-sides:

Left to Right:
TSMR SHOCK, Sound Rhyme SR9, ISN ECB80 and ISN H60

The TSMR SHOCK:
This beast is first as there seems to have been a ton of curiosity surrounding its life-form in relation to the EBC80. Both came out right at the end of 2024, and both have the exact model of Bone Conduction System in place. Using the VIII with PAC LStips and Sony WM1A DAP. To where I want to disregard all past side-by-sides with the EBC80 and SHOCK which I have posted in the forums. Why? Well this is the review kids, and now the EBC80 has a full dose of burn-in. Plus I feel over the past week I have now a better and simpler idea as what we have between the two.

TSMR SHOCK dials set to stock:
Maybe a little more BC thrusted, and only because we don’t have the brightness of the midrange and the actual 3Dness of image creation of the EBC80 mids. Yep, a slightly toned down affair but darn that slight tone down seems to add a dose of physicality and hardness. Yep, you read that right, ever so slight added density to the TSMR SHOCK. Even the treble and midrange hold this ounce of extra weight. But the elephant in the room is the lower midrange, that the SHOCK makes the music deeper and dense, a more compact idea of imaging for a more almost analog formation of imaging to emerge. Yes, deeper, more held down by their very own weight to not hold the midrange vividness and speed the EBC80 does 24/7. The two would actually be complementary to have, where one at the beginning of the night when you ask for a more complete and critical imaging of the EBC50 landscape, then the SHOCK when it is after 10PM and you want to get lost in the deeper and more smooth ideas of playback.



Sound Rhyme SR9:
At $299.00 you could question how and why this is even included. Truth of the matter is performance here. To be honest the SR9 way outdoes its humble price bracket. That the SR9 does this way focused deep bass, that even without BC is dramatic and special. Really in so many ways the perfect IEM to follow the SHOCK in today's tests. Here though the fly in the ointment is that this BA character is great......................though also of full-on BA character notability. Meaning it is this standard tone the BAs hold that broadcasts the overall tone to while fully bass emphasized to a grand local, it is the slight steeliness that the SHOCK and for that matter the EBC80 has somehow overcome.

I mean 8 SR9 BAs and 1 8mm DD. And I don’t know exactly how to word this, except the Bone Conduction adds a realism I think I’m hearing in both the SHOCK and ECB80, that simply is the full-range additive that takes the over all SHOCK sound and ECB80 sound and brings it into thicker closer “realistic” replay. To where if you only had heard the SR9 that curtain may have never been opened, and the extra bass the SR9 is doing can be wonderfully distracting from this timbre tone, as it is not thinness, but a lack of completeness. This is a small issue and for the money spent on what the SR9 does, with this directness of Hybrid magic, there is few and far things to even take issue with, but this is a review in the end, so it is my job to try and be objective. I don’t really have any better word than to call the 8 BAs thin. And I know that maybe makes no sense to most of you readers out there, only once you hear Bone Conduction, and better yet Sonion Bone Conduction, then some of this will start to make more sense. Maybe this paperwork will shed light?





The H60 made by ISN:
HA, this is the highlight of the review, for me anyway. And in a way those extra H60 2 BAs are there, at least I think I can hear the harmonic complexity brought forth by them. Only here, is the deal, and here is why we are all seated in the church of Penon/ISN. This is the magic that is reported on to do with the H60 and the EBC80. And I hate to pick on the SR9, except the SR9 basically represents much of what is out there for sale right now. That companies are simply putting in BAs and tuning them the very best they know how. And even with all the marketing and beautiful shells, and the packaging those other companies seem to provide, they simply don’t, or are not able to provide Penon mids.

HA, I say Penon midrange because that is the main thing of value obtained if you purchase the H60 or EBC80……….your getting Penon mids, and not a little of it, but all the company can seem to muster up. ALL OF THE MIDRANGE!

See when I started to review IEMs every once in a while a set of midrange capability would surface, or not surface. This ability is hard to exactly pin-down as when it is present it is there and you know it is there, and when it is missing the whole signature starts to play catch-up. Meaning just like the SR9, they went and added this full-on bass to gift you what would be otherwise a full midrange, but the mids just don’t sound as thick or of luster……to tell you the truth I can’t describe it. But when the Penon mids start to take-up the stage, you know it ......and everything else is almost secondary, and that is what the H60 and EBC80 are based on, that is what they do that is mid-priceless.

Then the next level was Penon/ISN adding the BCD drivers to the EBC80 to take it all to the next level. So if someone asks me the difference between the H60 and the EBC80 I will say they both have great midrange. Yet the things you get for opting for the $699.00 EBC80 is actually very simple. You get a more clear to Penon statement as to how the mids could be presented, that with less BAs in the EBC80 there is less BS. Then the Bone Conduction adds the realism which simply adds a refinement of tonal character into making the EBC80 sound more real life. That somehow the 4 BAs inside the H60 needed to be there, but the end result is not clarity but a size added, much like the H40. That ISN is using 2 ESTs just like the EST50, only they pulled a fast one on us…………they went and reduced the style of bass found in the EST50 which in-turn propelled the new EBC80 midrange forward into the light. Showcasing better details inside the midrange, opposed to the ISN H60, they went and ran with this character, going and projecting more EST treble details and then carefully diminishing the EBC80 bass into a tighter and more detailed, version of the H60 bass.

Look I could go on and on, about how this EBC80 does this or does that, better than the H60, and sure I would be correct only for me.

Except that this stuff is not that hard to figure out once you have done a few side-by-sides. It boils down to simply more EBC80 details and more EBC80 balance. Such a balance is then opened-up in IEM land with a better cable to bring the gifts to your doorstep. This idea of improvement comes from better EBC80 contrasts (the scale of brightness to dark). The bigger stage, the ESTs opening up a vista where higher quality treble items are created, and the main thing is because of this reduction in bass from past ISN IEMs all these extras can now be fully appreciated. They are real and alive. Alive because music is a living thing, never staying the same, and never exactly repeating itself. You see stuff like timbre can now be better dialed in with only two BAs per side. There is a clarity to the 2X 8mm DDs that seems to promote this location into the perfect place into the stage, with all the rest blossoming outwards into the light! This light to become thought of is mostly midrange, because technically that is how the EBC80 plays out. Except then the ESTs go and take hold of the rest of the top-end and replay it..........no better yet serve it up on a silver platter, perfectly interlocked into the midrange and bass throbs.

$699.00
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-EBC80.html

Disclaimer:
I want to thank Penon Audio for the love and for the ISN EBC80 Universal IEM review sample.

Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 4.4mm balanced
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 4.4mm balanced
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03 4.4mm balanced
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
HiBy R3 II DAP 4.4mm balanced

INTRODUCTION

fellows.....today i am going to share my thoughts on the latest set of monitors coming from ISN AUDIO the EBC80
Straight from the beggining i want to make one thing clear regarding my evaluation on this one .I would have given EBC80 a straight six star evaluation/grade if i that grade was available meaning exactly what you think...it is absolutely the best set i ve encountered so far (always according to my prefferences) during my time at this hobby.So the 5 stars comes as a compromise here ...keep that in mind please.........

This reflects EBC80s 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.............their latest offering simply destroys everything i have litteraly heard till now and had me troubled about how i would been able to describe a sound that totally awed me especially for this price tag.

A FEW WORDS - DISCLAIMER

Purchased EBC80 with my own money using a VIP discount code which was provided for Penon members coming directly from PENON AUDIO , and here¨s a link in any case you get interested..... ISN EBC80

Gear used for the purpose of this review : iBASSO DX 180/160/170 / Shanling M3X / HIBY R5 GEN II / Oriolus BA300S tube amp
Just for the record.. EBC80 as of now has allready completed a total burn in period of more tha 120 hours or so before any kind of critical listening.In fact it was one of those very few sets from which i had the necessary patience not to listen straight ootb following mostly friend @Dsnuts much appreciated and valued opinion for a thorough burn in period of time chasing for the best possible outcome....
Have used the superb stock ISN H2 cable provided there (it was my originally choise among the 2 other choises coming along from ISN AUDIO and some random black wide bore ear tips which seemd to serve me a deep and super secure fit extremely important here and for the purpose of this review,all thoughts following below are completely and absolutely subjective...






ISN EBC80

SPECIFICATIONS

Brand: ISN Audio
Model: EBC80
Driver: 2EST + 2BA + 2DD + 2BCD
2 Sonion Electrostatic Driver for Ultra-high frequency
1 Knowles Balanced Armature for High frequency
1 Sonion Balanced Armature for Middle frequency
2 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Driver for Low frequency
2 Sonion Bone Conduction Driver for Full frequency
Impedance: 13 ohm
Frequency range: 5 Hz-40 kHz
Sensitivity: 106dB




PACKAGE - DESIGN / FIT & COMFORT / TECH INFO

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 3 sets of silicone tips in 3 sizes, and a unique dark blue stylish magnetic case.....this is a downside of course when you re paying for getting a flagship you simply expect a bit more than usual stuff.....,
EBC80 comes with 3 choises of authentic ISN cables (either choise you make ISN provides 3,5 / 2,5 and 4,4 (3 different terminations) easily adjustable to the original cable) which according to your personal preference can have a certain effect to the overal signature ISN C2, H2 and S2 are your choise here...if you are a cable believer you should pay attention here and choose accordingly to ISN AUDIO :
ISN C2 its a pure copper cable and has no silver plating like the other two cables with a main focus on the lower frequencies and improving the bass reproduction division.
ISN H2 has cleaner (in terms sound) overal presentation from the C2 and at the same enhaces the macrodynamics on the larger scale of things..while maintining a better clarity than C2...
ISN S2 last but not least provides the most linear close to neutral tonality to the overal sound
Each and every cable comes with 3 different terminations as i said before..
Fit wise, i would consider EBC80 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 (Divinus Velvet wide bore tips,Final E silicones,,azla sedna,sony hybrids e.t.c.) in order to find the ABSOLUTE BEST ISOLATION quickly ended up using a set of random wide bore black silicone ear tips cause those provided the deepest insertion for me, as well as amazing fit and superb isolation ....some days after though and while kept on going with tip rolling i found out that Final Audio Type E silicones and TRI Clarion silicone ear tips as well were the best for my case providing both the necessary impact/vibrations coming from those BCD drivers included there.... But nevertheless be cautious ..this is definetelly the bigest ISN (this one and H60 up to my knowledge) set of monitors coming from ISN AUDIO thus far, so it might be an issue for smaller ears guys.....
Anyway at EBC80s case it is absolutely reccomended to find a secure fit and deep insertion in order to enjoy it's Gigantic Stage Abilities .every narrow bore silicone ear tip can be of a great help at this case...
















SOUND PROFILE / PERFORMANCE / OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

(...to my ears this is a utterly balanced set with a mild W shape sound signature/tonality ..as you can see from the graph every different part/region of the spectrum is equally emphasized not overshadowing one/another... this tuning reflects on the overall impression of the sound as well...one other thing also to be noticed is the dip around 6K protecting this way female vocals from coming out as too front or shouty.. it is a refined/polished choise and melticulous tuning as well coming from those ISN guys...)


Lows

EBC80 is able to extend its sub-bass well and it has a sufficient quantity. The sub-bass reproduction operates on an agile approach and there is a good consistent punch. The decay is fairly quick with noticeable good transient response. Bass texture on the EBC80 is smooth. Each bass note on the EBC80 is articulated with precision and there is tightness. The mid-bass has a moderate amount of body and there is a quick slam. Overall I would say that bass has great definition without overshadowing/interveining with any part of the lower midrange just playing it's role as a crucial part of the entire reproduction.


Midrange

EBC80 has an fascinating midrange it is to my ears the definition of transparency. The midrange has a really high level of details retrieval and it is rendered in a very transparent and lucid manner. It is presented in a lush and most spacious manner but there is still sufficient body to tackle the vocals section. The lower mids has moderate quantity and male vocals are expressed in a natural manner without any dry feeling. The upper mids is just a bit boosted providing the necessary environment for female vocals to shine. The intimacy level is good and there is energy which gives engagement.i believe this is the part of the spectrum where those BC drivers intervein with the texture of any instrument there providing a most unique feeling /sensation over the texture sending up tickling your eardrum.. And this is a most immersive experience / way to enjoy your favorite music believe me.....

Lower/Upper treble

As far as the treble goes there is certainly a good extension and it shows excellent details retrieval. There is no sibilance /harshness or artificial feeling Due to the succesful SONION EST implementation comes out as velvetly smooth with a moderate amount of brightness. The amount of air rendered is great and it results in an airy feeling at the top end. It is a bit subdued compared to H60s super extended upper treble but its a different tuning aiming at different things. Nevertheless there is a sufficient amount of energy though present and it is a pure pleasure to listen to this natural and polished totally refined upper region. This is the kind of treble reproduction u personally enjoy in any set... A bit dark.. refined and velvet most of all highly musical with authentic instrument timbre.

STAGE / INSTRUMENT SEPARATION / RESOLUTION / DETAIL RETRIEVAL / OVERALL SOUND PERFORMANCE / IMPRESSIONS

I think now its about time to inform anyone here who is acquainted/familiar with the original/established ISN HOUSE SOUND SIGNATURE that things have changed for good...it all started with H60 and here on EBC80 the deviation goes on even more further that we could ever possibly imagine.... Starting with the bass you should really forget everything you knew about big/fat/dominating bass signature sets...this is clearly a PENON bass in terms of texture/definition which seems to be a major influence lately to ISN sound design and tuning...apart from that one the midragne is phenomenally/extraordinarily wide ang glorious dare to say ...the sweetest and most beautiful mids ever created in the history of ISN monitors...off coure the treble could not be an exception to all that new and revised ISN sound....extended and fatique free providing a super smooth experience including more details that you could never even guess coming from any ISN set in the ISN history of making monitors.....another noticeable thing is (upon first listening) that we are obviously dealing with an earphone that was born to create BIG STEREO IMAGES and all this without having to emphasize any particular part of the spectrum in cost of another one....if you ask me its partially due to the super vast opne midrange and the very succesfull imlementation of different drivers doing quite different things but actually sounding so coherent ...this is quite remarkable for any sound engineer to achieve even at today's competitive market if you ask me..........
So.... stage wise this is simply GIGANTIC in terms of capabilities.it is an eliptical totally out of your head scene when everything flows in any possible direction ....Soundstage is wide - really really deep and spacious, congestion is out of the question here, particullary in heavy orchestrated pieces of music including acoustical instruments is where imaging excels at most.
Instrument separation would be a highlight of the EBC80 to my opinion as it is trully exceptional here...Each and every instrument is where it should be on it's right place on stage,with weight and authority,sound effortlessly travels from the left to the right side back anf forth of your head demonstrating an amazing channel separation only to be found on higher price range iems starting from 1K till recently ,you can easily pin-point each and every little element/cue of the original recording..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, EBC80 stays top-clear and musical at the same time ,maintaining this way a very natural timbre.This way EBC80 can easily handle any music genre you like, being always exceptional on vocal/ acoustic/orchestral tracks and physical instruments.At this case, the timbre is just mesmerising.
Coming last but not least i had yet to hear such a brilliant detail retrieval ability coming from any kind of earphones i had personally auditioned over my time at this hobby.Up to the point of re-discovering my entire library hearing sound elements that wasn't to my attention ever before....from this point of view EBC80 indeed surprised me a bit because it's not by any means an analytical/cold signature earphone , but manages to dig the deepest into any kind of recording i threw in there........and being analytical (were and only when called for ....rediscovering sound cues and placing those cues in the exact right position across the scene....) without obtaining a cold sound signature its not easy stuff at least as far as i know guys...... Overall i would say these three factors in this case : Detail Retrieval/Resolution across the entire FR & Instrument Separation/Stereo Image are EBC80's strongest assets/advantages sound wise....

SYNERGY - SCALABILITY WITH SOURCES

To amp .. Or not to amp..?? That's the question....

Recently during this year discovered the one of a kind BA300S Oriolus tube amp and since then each and every set i get goes through this hard test.....in EBC80s case wasn't really excited either surprised pleasently ......The overal sound became immediately and most noticeably warmer as far as tonal character goes , the note weight sounded thicker to me and the bass more prominent and dominating than ever .....overshadowing the lower midrange maybe a bit there.....all these things in the cost of spaciousness and air of the stage....certainly was not ready for such a sacrifice i really adored what i was allready hearing on DX170/180 alone ....one day after that I tested EBC80 using the same Oriolus tube amp along with DX170 on high gain mode .... this time surpisingly enough everything sounded some how correct to my ears surely there was a sense of added body and warm over the timbre but not in the cost of air/space between isntruments /vocals... As almost everything at this hobby the way we perceive sound can actually change from day to day so this is very very subjective as you can tell.. And off course that does not means by any way that this synergy wont please some people.if you are searching for a warmer and more thick overal tonality you can go for it ...For me EBC80 is a monster of its own and as long as you have a good source such any usual modern day dap (in my daps such as : DX170/180 - Shanling M3X - Hiby R3/R5/R5 GenII etc...performed like a champion in each and any case....) you can easily get the best out of it without any pointless addition of any amp....but thats only my opinion as always...




EBC80.............. against the world

SELECTIVE COMPARISONS

vs ISN H60

2 completely different sets / 2 completely different worlds.

H60 : Bright as a summer's clear night sky..
EBC80 : Dark as if cataclysm of sound is heading towards you..

H60 has been ISN's slight or major departure/deviation (it depends at the way you look at it .. ) from the OG established bass orientated sound signature and well known as ISN HOUSE SOUND and a great success as well...
Vocals on H60 are way more upfront as well but more "between the lines" compared to EBC80 ,the airy feeling especially in the upper mids is more noticeable on EBC80.
In terms of spatiality of elements across the stage and spaciousness over the midrange both earphones are equally good and strong with the exception of EBC80 creating bigger stereo images over the entire scene,in this factor helps a lot both of the BC drivers working with the rest of the later one generating a most noticeable depth across the entire FR . Treble is pretty upfront thus more energetic and dynamic in H60 and plays a most crucial role in the entire presentation of H60 scene so in some cases it may be confused as H60 being more extended in pure terms of width dimentions. in the case of EBC80 we are witnessing a superbly polished and refined lower/upper treble region more correct and carefully tuning wise that comes to the feeling of being a bit more subdued in comparison always to H60 (truth is that there is a different tuning approach on EBC80) resulting this way in equally,evently emphasized parts of the spectrum and more 3 dimentional spherical head stage
H60 is more prominent and impactfull in the sub bass region due to its tuning so sub bass becomes apparent immediately on H60 , on the other hand due to the newest technology combination used on EBC80 including not only a couple of 8mm liquid silicone Dynamic Drivers but a couple of Sonion Bone Conduction drivers working for the entire FR as well the bass texture overall is superb and sensational,you can actually feel the bass quitar chords inside your ear canal rythmically pulsating but not overshadowing any other element of the entire recording ...
Both sets are highly musical with H60 obtaining a far more fun orientated sound signature while EBC80 sounds more refined overal and reference alike monitor compared to H60
Regardless of that, both are great but quite different monitors with EBC80 due to its tuning and newer more sophisticated implementation being the more 3 Dimentional and out of your head experience , and H60 the more bright and treble orientated one , a treblehead's dream if i may use this term....

vs Oriveti OH700VB

OH700VB was until recently the company's flagship (the newest Oriveti Supremacy is currently their flaghip) and for the time both of them are selling for 699 $.

OH700VB combines 6 balanced armature drivers ( 2 for high, 4 for mid) and a dynamic driver (for the lows).OH700VB delivers most of all a warm / rich and detailed sound with excellent clarity and accuracy across the entire frequency spectrum. Nevertheless it obtains a dark tonality..same as EBC80.... and as strange as it sounds its somehow close to OH700VB's sound, with a dark and subdued upper treble representation and a spacious deep midrange with one exception...EBC80 is less warm in presentation and EBC80's stage is groundbreaking and enormous compared to the more down to earth stage of OH700VB.Both are atmospheric beasts of the night and in this case its simply a matter of personal prefference and taste if you take under consideration that there is also a significantly mid bass elevation (+3db) having the switch down on OH700VB and that's one more significant difference between those two sets whereas EBC80 feels more balanced and evently tuned ....
Both earphones are equally good as far as sub bass/midrange reproduction goes imho,with EBC80 being the more open one and obtaining a wider and also deeper stage simply because of the energy and the air generated throughout the entire FR (due to EBC80's tuning and BC Driver implementation ) besides all that the treble region on EBC80 feels more smooth spacious and detailed as well but was expected due to Sonion ESTs handling and taking over this region........


vs PENON 10th AE

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 (which is officialy discontinued from Penon production line..) 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 ISN EBC80 is not fair enough imo due to EBC80's more sophisticated implementation using an extra couple of Bone Conduction drivers each side .... EBC80 is darker in tonality ,but aside this factor those two sets share a common DNA ...in fact from all monitors i ve got in my poscesion those two are like siblings...Particularly in the midrange PENON 10TH AE & EBC80 both sit among the clearest and the widest you can get regardless any price range........
10THs midrange is just so crystal clear and transparent one like a lucid dream comes to life that makes it a real struggle to separate one from another here..... The treble on the 10ths is a step forward here while on EBC80s feels a touch more subdued in favor of a more spherical/eliptical head stage.. still both obtain a relaxed and fatique free lower/upper treble region with the PENON 10th being the more sparkly and exciting one as far treble goes,....the note weight across the FR is thicker on PENON 10TH AE imho..But EBC80 was born to create wild stereo images and a holography remarkably rare as far as monitors goes and in terms of stage , atmospherics and dimentionality EBC80 is easily the winner between those two rare diamonds.........


vs ISN NEO 3

NEO 3 is clearly a dark set with subdued and safe treble characteristics and with a remarkable analogue alike note timbre and a tremendous bass department.. EBC80 is a lot wider/taller/deeper as far as stage dimentions goes providing in a substantial way an open feeling but regardless of that difference the depth of the stage on NEO 3 is actually remarkable as well.........Tonallity wise NEO 3 is dense and thick thus reminding more of a vinyl like represantation of sound ,BUT it is way more closed in, and compared to EBC80 is very intimate and average alike in terms of stage dimentions and detail retrieval . imaging its not NEO 3's strongest asset but spatiality of sound elements is really good ...... all these factors makes NEO 3 an atmospheric beast dark and velvetly smooth as well......not designed for critical - accurate listening but for the joy of music ................

midrange on EBC80 is demonstrated in a very lively spacious manner making it way more suitable for vocal lovers and chamber orchestra pop tracks .......both share some similiraties as far as atmospheric representation of sound goes BUT in everything else (resolution,detail retrieval,macrodynamics,head-stage,imaging and separation of instruments etc..) EBC80 is easily another next level league here...


vs UM MEXT




Configuration of UM MEXT : 1 Coil OBC Driver + 1 Bass Dynamic Driver + 2 Mids BA Drivers + 2 Treble BA Drivers
Configuration of ISN EBC80 : 2EST + 2BA + 2DD + 2BCD
Obviously this comes as a more fair comparison ..1kilobuck monitor versus a 699 bucks iem..
Got the MEXT about 2 years 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 OH700VB than EBC80
the 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 at this moment of time and i realised with certainty, that those are quite overestimated (in terms of pure cost of course) against monitors like EBC80
In terms of natural/analoque reproduction of music i would say UM MEXT 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 EBC80 being more airy, more spacious and presenting an even more 3 Dimentional stage with an amazing detail retrieval and Resolution ability aswell.... and besides all that EBC80 obtains a touch more open feeling in the midrange leaving room for the vocals to breathe and showcasing with more ease any emotion there....
UM MEXT is a dark sounding monitor along with EBC80, both are trully unique and remarkable sets / flagships but if you need a heavy bass and warm orientated authentic sound signature you go with it ...but...........if you need a reference alike set obtaining vast sound signature with gigantic stereo image ability and a head stage that surpasses any idea you had about monitors and all these without breaking the bank for just 699$ simply go with blind eyes for EBC80 and have no regrets about it............

vs ROSE TECHNICS QT-X




QT-X has been ROSE TECHNICS current flagship hybrid configuration monitor and a great success as well...
Vocals on QT-X are way more upfront resulting in a substantial amount of culmulated pinna gain ovet the midrange region and more "between the lines" compared to EBC-80 ,the airy feeling especially in the upper mids is more noticeable on QT-X. because no matter of the EBC80s implementation QT-X is a vocalhead's dream being the most reference mid centric tuned monitor among my collection...In terms of spatiality of elements across the stage and spaciousness over the midrange both earphones are quite strong with EBC80 offering the better stage 3 Dimentional wise Treble is pretty energetic and dynamic in both of these sets but due to EBC80s more advance/EST upper treble region it feels more polished ,extended and correct resulting this way in a more vast/open sound experience while on QT-X is a bit subdued (the upper treble that is) and rolled off there...
QT-X is more prominent and impactfull in the sub bass region partially due to its tuning and due to unique TESLA DD hitting like a thunder there......
Both sets are musical with EBC80 obtaining a far more fun orientated sound signature while QT-X sounds more reference like monitor compared to EBC80
Regardless of that, both are great monitors with EBC80 due to its tuning and newer way more sophisticated implementation being wider deepere more holographic and dimentional , and QT-X the more airy and linear sounding between the two of them.

RECOMMENDED TEST TRACKS FOR YOUR SONIC PLEASURE AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH...


Tonik Ensemble - Music Is Mass

Pentagrams Of Discordia - Teleportation to Gliese12b

my two most favorite Electronica / IDM releases of this year : multi layered complex soundscapes with simply enormous emotional weight
EBC80 is of top notch reproduction in both of those records........and because those recordings are full of little sound cues , pads etc... travelling from right to the left upfront and behind of your imaginary head stage / millions of elements in a multi layered sound the amount of detail retrieval EBC80 exhibits/displays over there is simply unbelievable .....the macrodynamics and resolution ability in such types of recordings as well... from the lowest to the highest part of the region creates such a sonic heaven for your head you simply cannot go back to any other kind of reproduction....EBC80 was born for such difficult duties thats the point.....

Luna Li - When a Thought Grows Wings

Luna Li's modern baroque/chamber pop marvel sounds like a lucid bream coming to life on EBC80.....I could even hear those BC drivers in action over the bass/electric quitar chords.....her voice ???? vast... limitless like the night sky in a summer's clear and starry night....Like angels whispering inside your head feeling every single falseto turn and burning from desire to hold on to this unique ethereal moment forever............TOTAL RECOMMENDATION with EBC80....simply because every single physical instrument is where it should be in the first place playing the role thats supposed to play for your audio nirvana.....


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...EBC80 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.........



ELEVEN SHADOWS - lilith





..........and here comes the ethereal beauty of Eleven Shadows... (classic dark wave/neo romantic 4AD era..) on "lilith" (in strange lines and distances LP) the female vocalist sings but actually whispers in most of the track and EBC80 takes over...this is for sure a female vocals specialist above all ....as the sound expands and fills your imaginary head stage slowly/gradually.. her etheric voice floats inside out any digital/synthesized sound used there (and not only) ..... while the stand out feature in this certain track is the undeniably authentic/utterly natural electric bass quitar obtaining a mesmerising timbre....... the way this most common electric instrument is demonstrated via EBC80 reproducing a trully hard to find realistic timbre and natural decay is remarkable at least................

.. Overall keep one thing in mind.. The more complex (heavily orchestrated/produced) a track is.. The better /more exciting EBC80 gets... It is meant for performing difficult tasks....



FINAL WORDS - CLOSURE

so....to sum up...it came apparent to me that EBC80 the latest offering from ISN AUDIO its not only different.. but clearly the Bigest Sounding monitor ISN has ever released till now (in terms of not only stage/dimentionality but creating big gigantic stereo images as well..) ...
i ve been in this hobby since late 2016 , have owned/auditioned more than 60 different sets starting from 100 to 1500$ (iems) BUT.....this kind of resolution EBC80 easily demonstrates in each and every genre i tried.. is really something to speak highly of for months, realized that fact over the last days......i actually..... (believe it or not) managed to listen/pay attention to elements during complex electronica multilayered tracks that i havent ever ever noticed/heard before.........and this fact sounds really weird coming for someone who is in this hobby for some years now.......Resolution and Detail Retrieval wise are both and most definitely on another level here.....next level .....i am not trying to draw anyone's attention here , just speaking my truth and my admiration for what i have in hands over the last days.....for these reasons this one gets my absolute recommendation ...i wish i could give those a 6 star evaluation but you know what? consider that i did so........... :
Happy Listenings as always ..............

ISN EBC80

ISN is a sister company of Penon audio, not really a secret but the tuning direction of the ISN IEM has seen a slight shift. Actually we are seeing somewhat of an evolution of the Penon branded IEMs and even Tansio Mirai which is also a partner company that has seen a shift of sound direction. Traditionally ISN IEMs were the fun version of the Penon tuning angle meaning ISN IEMs always included some bass at the forefront of its tunings. The H60 and now the EBC80 both have that bass emphasis but now sound more like traditional Penon IEMs. I suppose there is no rule that says you have to strictly stick to a tuning method or a type of sound. This sub brand of Penon allows Penon to explore more different tuning angles.
Minus one Penon Turbo the rest of the Penon line up adheres to the “Penon sound.” The new ISN EBC80 sounds more like a Penon branded IEM than an ISN one which again, this tuning angle and direction they are aiming for was more than a surprise to me. If you called the EBC80. Penon Zenith or whatever you want to call it. It would fit in the scheme of their prior releases easily. Minus the naming scheme which indicates the driver make of the EBC80. Does not diminish the fact that it was designed perhaps by the same team that created their Voltage, And their flagships in the Rivals. The ultimate version of the EBC80 is the Rivals which deservedly gets the Penon TOTL title. So where does that put the EBC80?

Maybe it was because Penon did recently release their top end TOTL the Rival that they are using the same Sonion BC drivers for the EBC80. Just my opinion but if you ask me where the true start of diminishing returns begins. It starts at the mid fi level. Budget stuff for now is budget stuff, which always has some limitations for their sound. Open up the driver count, utilize higher end drivers and tunings for a well made mid fi level IEM and now we are talking something very similar to the top of the line IEMs in the industry. Sure the top end IEMs have more refinements to their sonics but going from a well designed mid fi offering to a top level IEM. We are talking about true diminishing returns. Case in point the EBC80 is ISN trying to outdo others in the price range and it has everything to do with the driver choices for its make up.

The EBC80 does not have gaudy numbers as far as drivers go. As the name indicates it includes 8 total drivers that brings the sound of the EBC80 to a nicely respectable higher end level. What makes the EBC80 sound great is a mish mash of driver tech. 2 Sonion Electrostatic Drivers + 1 Knowles BA for highs + 1 Sonion BA for Mids + 2x8mm liquid silicone dynamic drivers for the lows, + 2 Sonion Bone Conduction drivers. The shell size is on the larger side of medium in shape. Folks that currently own the ISN H60, the shell shape and its size are very similar, so you might get a good idea what I am talking about. The shell shape for the given larger sized drivers it has is compact and its looks are very clean in all blue. The classy metallic blue and gold flakes with a clean gold trim for the face plate exudes a bit of luxury and class. With the nicely matching all blue ISN C2, H2, or S2 cable it is arguably one of if not the best looking ISN IEMs they have ever made. The sound is where it's at, however.

The retail price will be sold at $699. The price on the EBC80 is quite aggressive imo. Comparable IEMs with similar drivers and more importantly their sound level will definitely cost more.

When you purchase the EBC80, you are given a choice of 3 different ISN cables. This is the first time I can recall any manufacturer giving the buyer an actual choice on which cable to get for the IEM they are about to purchase. ISN is no stranger to cables, I believe they were making cables even before IEMs. The well matching ISN C2, H2 and S2 are the 3 choices. All are well matching on the EBC80 and by design are modular meaning you will get both single ended and both balanced plugs to go with them. Depending on which cable you choose, you will get a slightly different flavoring to the EBC80 sound signature just based on what the cable introduces to the overall sound. For non-believers of cable effects, I am sure you can just get whatever cable out of the 3, but for folks that believe everything in the sound chain makes a difference these are my findings on what these cables do for the EBC80 sound.

ISN C2
Bass, you want the most impact and focus on the warmth detail of its outstanding bass, natural full bodied mids character while retaining a slightly smoother treble presentation overall. That would be the ISN C2. Its a pure copper cable and has no silver plating like the other two cables. If your main source you use is more of a neutral bright sound in tonal character. You should get the ISN C2 to match up with the ISN EBC80.

The middle ground of these 3 cables is the H2 as it has half the S2 cores and the other half of the C2 pure copper properties.
The H2 has slightly cleaner presentation from the C2 but it mostly retains the dynamics enhancing qualities of the C2 cable while having just a sliver extra better clarity on the EBC80 vs the C2 cable. If you can't choose between wanting the full bass vs the technical enhancing and clarity of the ISN S2. I would choose the ISN H2 as it is literally the middle ground between the C2 and the S2.

ISN S2
It easily will bring the cleanest tonal character out of the 3 cables, not to be confused with bright. The S2 does not have enough pure silver material to make them purposefully bright. This being said. The Copper material on the C2, H2 and the S2 is a higher end 6N OCC and is comparable to UPOCC in quality. Adding a pure silver plating over the cores brings the OCC material to a higher level of clarity and enhances the detail level of the EBC80. The biggest difference between the cables comes from when you compare the C2 vs the S2 as you're going from a pure copper presentation to a silver plated one. For folks that are detail freaks and want the most transparent version of these 3 cables that is where the S2 will be at an advantage. If you're using a warmer source. IFI, IBasso, Shanling. Fiio M15S for example. The S2 will match well.

The S2 brings out the full BA+ 2xEST implementation for its treble performance. It's not that the other two are somehow gimping the trebles here. It's just that the S2 enhances that area with highlighted detail while the C2 is the opposite or bass enhanced in emphasis. Choose accordingly

For an included cable these cables are good throw in and matches well with the Sonics of the EBC80. They are leaps ahead of your standard throw in cables. Not only do they match color wise but they match sonically as well. How you want to match cable performance with the EBC80 as its tonal character is more neutral leaning vs leaning overly warm or cool wise for tonality. So you can tip the sonic flavor toward which side of the fence you want your EBC80 to be enhanced. The smooth natural slightly warmer in the C2 to a more clean, clear, more detailed and airy side in the S2 or somewhere in between in the H2. You really can't lose with any of these cables.

However, I do encourage some cable rolling for seasoned vets at the game. The included cables will give you a good taste of what the EBC80 can do but I highly advise trying out your best cables to customize the sound to your liking. My favorite cable pairing for the EBC80 is the Penon Rivals thus far.

The ISN EBC80 was provided by Penon Audio for the purpose of a review. Was burned in for 1 week and are now ready for evaluation using my sources. IFI Signature, Fiio K9 Pro ESS, Ibasso DX180, Ibasso DX300Max, Ibasso PB5, IFI Gryphon, Fiio M15, and Fiio M15S. You can look them up on Penonaudio website. Here.

Sound of the EBC80 is utilizing one of the newer hotness in driver tech for the IEM world in the dual Sonion Bone Conduction drivers. All of the prior IEMs I have experienced using this driver tech have easily become some of my favorites of this year. The Tansio Mirai Shock, Penon Rivals and now the EBC80. IEM sound presentation becomes different. Way more engaging than your traditional hybrid or tribrid that don't use these drivers. In the past, you had to get a rather larger housing using a lot of drivers for a hybrid or an all BA IEM to present a larger more dimensional stage or at least without using BC drivers. What these drivers introduce for your sound presentation is a stage enhancing ability like nothing else in the market. We banter around the word spacious in how we describe a sound and this word when describing the use of Sonion Bone Conduction drivers takes on a whole new meaning. Sound is more spacious alright but the actual layering of the IEM sound becomes supercharged. It becomes holographic.

Sound separation within the elements of your music brings different layers of sound. How the vocals was recorded with the instruments in the background vs how the percussionists are laying down the rhythm all have their own sound field within the recording. When listening to conventional IEMs. A cohesive experience would have all these elements at play but within the same sound field of your hearing. Not so much with the EBC80. Sound separation between the different layers within the track becomes even greater, throwing out a true holographic dolby type sound. It can be quite jarring the first time you hear it and once you hear what that sounds like for your favorite tracks. Going back to how good you thought your IEMs sounded before does not sound as dimensional.

The out of your head stage on the EBC80 is one of the reasons why the EBC80 sounds more like a much higher end product than the price would indicate but then it also comes down to the tuning. The EBC80 is tuned similarly to its prior sibling the H60. The H60 was and still is a very popular IEM and so it was ideal for ISN to tune the EBC80 in a similar fashion. Now with added EST for its trebles and dual Sonion dynamic drivers. The prior H60 already had a wider stage for IEMs but you can only imagine what that would be like with these bone conduction drivers that spread the sound even more so. Big broad, wider than wide, deeper than deep. The layering of the sound is enhanced to the point where Everything playing in your tracks has a plane of sound. A floaty well recorded track of any type and you are completely surrounded by the music.


Trebles.
The trebles of the EBC80 get a nice upgrade in ability using dual Sonion ESTs. Trebles have plenty of sizzle and pop. Another reason why the EBC80 brings a higher end sound, its balanced and extended treble brings a higher level of treble detail for your music. ISN definitely brought their A game when it came to tuning the EBC80. The single Knowles treble BA does a splendid job at the macro detail level of the treble notes. ESTs handle the upper trebles which brings an articulate treble note handling a lot of the micro nuances for the trebles. Here is where burn in matters. The trebles out of the box was a touch grainy sounding, which no longer sounds like that after the burn in. Despite what you know about burn in. In my experience with EST drivers, these do need a burn in for them to function 100%. BAs on the other hand, while also needing burn in, does not benefit as much as the EST drivers or on the opposite end handling the EBC80 sound their outstanding coaxial bass. Trebles has a clean crisp detailed dynamic tonal character to the treble notes with some very nicely done airy sizzly treble notes when called for.

This track clearly lets the listener imagine the percussionist strumming along the ride cymbals. Each hit of the cymbal you can hear the input of the drummer's emphasis. This is how you can tell just how dynamic and detailed the treble notes are for the EBC80. The extended airy treble notes on the EBC80 clearly shows a higher level of refinement from something like the ISN H60 for example. It's not just a matter of tuning for more treble presence but more so its actual definition ability which I find the EBC80 to be more accurate in tonal character overall.

I was debating whether having 4ESTs or even 8ESTs vs the 2ESTs in the EBC80 makes a big difference. Having reviewed IEMs with multiple EST drivers in different IEMs for me anyways it all seems to come down to how the trebles are tuned vs the number of ESTs in question. There is more of a difference going from 2ESTs to 8ESTs vs going from 2ESTs to 4ESTs. Unless you have the hearing of a child the differences in EST ability and how they help for treble articulation is negligible imo going from 2ESTs to 4ESTs. Unless someone can prove to me otherwise this was my experience anyway with tribrids and hybrids that I have reviewed in the past and in the EBC80.

EBC80 has just as much extension, definition and shizzle as something like the 4ESTs in the Voltage, even more so vs the old Volts that both use 4EST drivers. Treble perception is all over the place due to physical and age limitations for the listener. The important treble end for a higher level of IEM I can argue is more important than even the bass end and how they are tuned. Because even budget fi has offerings that do some really good bass. What separates a higher end sound vs their cheaper counterparts have to do with the trebles and the important mids how it is ultimately presented to the listener. The very definition of articulation has to do with a clear and distinct sound, and or clarity in the production of successive notes. I would also like to add to that element of articulation just how dynamic and defined the treble notes are. The EBC80 trebles notes balances a fine line of high level of definition showing excellent transient qualities. Its extension adds to that an airy full range experience. This is what separates the EBC80. Trebles are just excellent in quality overall and that is just one of the reasons why the EBC80 is easily the best sounding ISN IEM to date.

Mids of the EBC80, when I was describing what the Sonion BC drivers are doing for the EBC80 sound. I was actually describing how its mids sounds. The dual Sonion BC drivers are a full range variety, so it covers the entire sound of the EBC80. Unlike cheaper dish BC drivers, I have heard in the past. The entire sound gets an uplift, most importantly that dolby processing you will definitely appreciate on the EBC80 mids. The mids tuning is masterful as it is not a forward or shouty type of mids character or do they have anything in recession. At the same time the sound is projected like the first time you saw the Movie Avatar on a 3D Imax screen but for your ears. The quality of the Sonion BC drivers in conjunction of the more accurate well balanced rich mids character of the Sonion BA makes it sound like you have 4 BA drivers. It's quite magical to hear your music being projected the way the EBC80 does. Its technical level is on a different level especially in the realm of sound separation and imaging due to what the BC driver is doing. I don't feel a conventional IEM even with 4BAs doing mids can really compare. I do know that using 2 BAs for the mids adds just a bit more extra for the sound imaging and layering. As that is what's on the current Penon flagship the Rivals. But if you told me without knowing a single BA driver was handling the mids of the EBC80. I would have said, you are crazy. Airy well separated, clearly defined levels of imaging that surrounds what your hearing is what I am talking about.

The Sonion BA handling the mids bring their sound character to the EBC80 sound, I would say the overall sound presentation is a rich holographic one. The rich tonal character for its mids are very familiar to me. This is the basis for the Penon house sound and is the reason why I feel these line up with more of a Penon branded IEM vs an ISN offering. Mids with its natural richness, full bodied, have the right amount of definition and clarity in space. Absolutely spectacular technical ability and layering. Imaging on a level of higher end IEMs. I feel the Sonion BC drivers while it will have an effect on all of the sound is the most effective for the mid bands. Mids clearly have a special presentation vs your conventional IEMs. BC drivers are the wave of the future my friends. If you weren't so sold on what BC drivers do for an IEM sound. I encourage you to try one with Sonion BC drivers. It is, in my opinion, a game changer.

Bass. Again rich in tonal character. Dual 8mm liquid silicone dynamics handle the bass and was the perfect choice for the sound of the EBC80. If you're going to have some special sound going on. You can’t just bring a standard bass end right? First time I heard a silicone dynamic being used for the bass for an IEM was on their older flagship, the ISN EST50. This tribrid brought a rich bold stout bass end. I can very much hear the tonal similarities for their sounds in the EST50 vs the new EBC80. However, that is the only aspect that is really similar. Minus the bass emphasis of the EST50, Just about every aspect of the old EST50 gets an upgrade on the EBC80 sound. The EST50 to this day set the standard for a rich bass end for me. The EBC80 using two of them in unison, the bass end is sheer quality. Every single bass note is clearly defined. Punchy, tactile and even edgy when called for. The bass end stays in place with a definition level that is easily as good as the bass end on its more expensive brother the Voltage.

Bass level is a moderate 8dbs of the stuff a bit less for its mid bass, which puts the EBC80 squarely in the more accurate bass category. If you have never heard a dual dynamic bass array punching the bass notes. The bass end sounds and feels like it has more physical emphasis than how it graphs. So the EST50 has about 10dbs of bass with a much more relaxed upper mid emphasis which gives that IEM a more warmer tonal character. EBC80s bass allows for a more refined balancing. It's enough bass to give an accurate punchy upper to low bass presentation. I own bass sets that might have more bass emphasis but the EBC80 has it where it counts, and that is its quality.

The bass end has a defined character that I can only attribute to higher level IEMs. Don’t know how you describe a rich bass character but the EBC80 is so well defined in character that it's nothing but rich. Providing a slightly darker tonal character the bass is the tight, punchy, textured rumbly with authority type when called for. Controlled, sculpted and highly organized. The bass clearly stays away from the broad wide mid range. The only other set that I would say has a richer bass character is its rich older cousin the Penon Rivals. Otherwise, I find the bass to be borderline special on this set. It's not surprising that ISN brought one of their all-time best bass performers on the ISN EBC80, but doubling down on the drivers. The bass end gets a nice quality upshot for its presentation that I absolutely adore on this set. This is the main reason why you want to do a nice one week worth of burn in. The silicone dynamic blooms and becomes the quality bass that it has after that burn in. The only real complaint I have is that the bass decay is a touch slower which makes it sound a bit slower at times but in reality, I don't feel it's slow at all. If anything, bass notes are very accurate with a real high quality bass performance and that is what matters to me.

In the end
ISN has done it again. I can remember their first big bang for buck hybrid that made some waves with the classic ISN H40, I still listen to them on occasion, and it was even evident with the H40 that ISN was onto something. It was more musical in approach vs being the strict harmon tuned or analytical. Nice wide stage, a fundamental warmth with a punchy bass end. The high-end flagship level version of the ISN H40, ISN H50 and the ISN H60 is the EBC80. It's the level of refinements for all parts of its sound that warrants the cost. I can easily say the EBC80 is the best sounding ISN IEM they have ever made. It still retains that musicality, a slight warmth to the mids with a punch bass end that is the house signature of the ISN IEM but now with a strikingly supreme higher end groundbreaking stage element that you have to hear to believe.

Headphone guys get open cans. In the IEM world there is no such thing as an open IEM. Well, I take that back. I do have a few that are semi open but let's be real. IEMs are in your ears and not outside of them. With the use of these new Sonion BC drivers we get something that works on an IEM level and in my opinion brings a level of imaging and immersiveness you would need to pay a premium for in other types of speakers for your ears to achieve. The imaging in space is just simply mind blowing at times and it is definitely unique to IEMs that use these BC drivers. If the true immersive grand 3D sound presentation does not get you to understand what I am talking about. Its supremely balanced tuning with its versatility will. The retail price for the sound you are getting, you better believe, is aggressive. This is a statement piece by ISN and until another IEM pushes the sonic level up one more time. These are the sets that set a new bar at the price they are asking for admission. To my ears there is nothing close and no close second. Thanks for taking the time to read.