TONALITY: 8.5/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 8.8/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 7.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8.2/10
INTRO
ISN is an IEM company owned by Penon. This company is specialize in cable making too and offer a wide range of them. In term of IEMs, they seem specialize in hybrid with the like of H30, H40 and Neo5.
Today I will review a fifth IEM from this company, the H50.
Priced 295$, the H50 is an hybrid using 1 dynamic driver and 4 balanced armature. While the BA models aren't stated, we can expect it to be either knowles or sonion, since even entry level H30 use those BA models.
As a big fan of both H40 and Neo5, let see in this review if the H50 is another winner from ISN.
CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES
The H50 housing is made of high grade resin plastic that is smooth for the skin, it feel thick and very sturdy and when I drop it on my table or the floor, i'm not scare it will broke easily.
The shape is quite chunky in thickness, but not that big overall. Front shape is based on 3D scan data of human ears and offer a ergonomic universal shape that is very comfortable. Nozzle isn't that long and not thinked for deep insertion.
Back of housing design is very elegant, with gold leafs and gold logo of ISN that match well togheter.
Their a venting hole at side of body, which has a mesh to avoid dust entering the housing, it's a sign of meticulous cratfmanship.
One thing you can always expect with ISN IEMs is to get a great quality cable and H50 is no exception. The cable included is the S8, which is an 8 strands single crystal copper silver plated cable. You can choose it in 3 plug version: 3.5mm, 2.5mm bal or 4.4mm bal. The cable is very flexible and don't need ear hook to shape well around your ears. I wish more IEMs maker included excellent quality cable like this, which doesn't justify an urgent need to upgrade it.
It seem all ISN IEMs come with same packaging, which is a looker in it's own right. It include a very generous amount of accessories which consist of an elegant carrying case, 12 silicone eartips pair (4 models), a cleaning tool, a cable clamp and the S8 cable.
As always, ISN is examplary in term of accessories quality and generosity.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
Coming from ISN H40, the H50 is more balanced and mid centric, more energic in a W shape way too. It share the mids of H30 with rumbly thick bass of H40, thisis good news for people searching a proper upgrade of both these but with similar DNA, in the sens ISN musical persona is fully blossom with the H50.
What hit me first is how wide, tall and holographic is the soundstage. When I see the chunky housing I was expecting big spatiality, but this even surpass my attempt since we are granted with a vast and immersive sound tapestry.
Then, for audiophile used to listen to lean neutral IEMs, the H50 will suprise by it's bass authority, thick slam and vibrant speedy rumble. By speedy, I mean the slam sustain is well layered and doesn't go into unwanted resonance blur.
Let just say going into H50 musicality feel like coming back into a cozzy, good hearthed home. Especially after the Neo5 I review, which is quite similar, but even more basshead.
So, I would summarize the tonal balance as a bumpy W shape, not a spiky one, everything is full and well rounded and we don't feel any bass, mids or highs are lacking. Well, unless your a demanding treble head since the W bump are all glued togheter here, it doesnt go far pass 10khz like brighter-crisper balance.
We are in Warmish W shape Welcoming musical Wonder.
And it's lush, and nothing is thin, nothing is shouty, nothing is agression. Your cuddle with the H50, you can get lost in it easily or just float on it's laid back musicality. Thei some IEMs i can't review with them in my ears, H50 aren't one of them, unless i crank up the volume hard and listen to bass heavy music like Kaytranada then it will be hard to focus on demanding writing task.
With hybrid IEM using multiple i'm always afraid of 3 things: tonal-timbre balance between drivers, timbre naturalness and density and attack control-shoutyness. Let's begin by saying the H50 doesn't suffer from any issue in those department, which explain it was a crush at first listen, without exactly being an intense wow effect in term of resolution or micro dynamic rendering.
As always, the ear tips will greatly inflict on final sound impression, I use the wide bore eartips from KBear call KB07, which is the same as green wide bore included with H50. It tend to expend soundstage wideness and add a hint of bass warmth and extra headroom in slam.
That BASS sure ask for attention, but what is fabulouse it's how it act as a wide bass shelf that stay well layered in the back, sure, it stole a bit of clean clarity in term of spatial deepness but had extra wideness to the sound too.
As it often happen with ISN and Penon IEMs, both sub and mid bass is boosted, but here it's in a wide way, in the sens it include whole low harmonic section and had tone lushness insteadn of extra texture grain or bite. So, it's a very tactile and physical bass presentation but not the sharpest in instrument presence definition and separation.
When the slam is needed, the H50 show you it can deliver with plenty of authority and weight, the kick drum are warm, round and gain extra weight but not extra definition, the texture is softed here so for digital kick drum that are more like pure tone it does better, the heavy round boom of soul, r&B, trip hop and rap are super juicy and tactile with a natural decay that don't invade sound spectrum.
Cello sound wonderfull too, tone color and body fullness are magnify while texture artefacts of bow stroke or strings vibrating are near completly erase.
What I like about this special bass presentation is that both kick and sub bass physicality can cohabity in a well layered way, adding dynamism richness.
This is a versatile bass response that even fit well rock because of this bass line grunt and dense vibrant sustained extension we have, as well as full bodied male vocal. it make rock track like ''Athens France'' from Black Country, New Road band safe yet lively sounding, safe in the sens nothing go screamy or splashy to ruin the inherent cymbals crash or electric guitar fuzz, lively because we have the kick boom, the bassist full bodied line, the smooth male vocal with full low harmonic covering and an engaging dynamic rendering.
The mid range is very unique here, and we can say anti-harman target in it's balance, in the sens their more boost and focus on lower mids than upper mids, unlike harman all-in instrument presence to the cost of half done tone, the H50 go all in fundamentals harmonic and rather low pinna gain, still above amount of bass boost. Those mids are more colored with extra bass butter than extra uppermids salt and this is pure candy for those ears that don't want their music resolution to be forced, to the cost of sounding artificial in lotta Harman scenario, Moondrop and Thieaudio being prime example of this tuning ideal i'm not afound of.
So, begining with female vocal, those I listen the most: they are thick, breahty and smooth, just slightly fowards and more so than male vocal, but as fully bodied. Soprano singer will get an extra fowards treatment due to slight lower treble boost, then alto will not have as sharp definition of presence and are more at risk of mixing up with other mid range instrument in a hazy way.
The piano sound very natural, laid back and weight in note impact, this impact have a wide presentation and don't feel compressed in presence, yet warmed with extra lower harmonic boost. But that's the magic with H50, whatever I say about this definition sharpness, it's well layered due to 4BAs and don't go macro muddy or too hazy. So let say the fundamental note of 3 note chord will add extra sustain roundness to glue 2 other higher pitch note in a warmed way.
Back to male vocal, it's lush and full bodied, lean in dynamic a bit but not what I would say recessed, it's just not shooted at you in term of presence rendering, but it will be above the bass still, glued to it.
Simply put, the mid range will sound more open with bass light or less music, it deliver versatile representation of all instrument, with smoothen edge and not hash timbre, saxophone sound excellent as well as all woodwind instrument and don't lack articulation of the blow, violin gain lushness and can perhaps feel a bit cello like due to extra low harmonic coloring but In prefer this than agressive and shouty presentation.
And now for the treble, if I rave so much about bass and mids, their should be a big trade off in term of highs frequencies right? Not really since it's not plain dark and in fact even sound a bit airy but not because we have plenty of open brilliance and sparkle.
Highs are full sounding, gently crunchy so most high pitch instrument have minimal attack definition and well rounded tone.
Dynamic amplitude is there, but the attack release isn't boosted so we don't have splashness or shoutyness going on.
It's safe and refined, but not analytical or extremely crisp.
Sound info are darkened in certain space, whic permit great versatility even for poor recording with background hissing, which will be softed here.
Acoustic guitar snap is softed too, so is the brilliance and sparkle release, it doesn't sound thin, artificial or metallic.
Percussions stay in the back, well layered and can be perceive with active listening, but it's not the most accurate in timing precision nor in clean definition. Still, the rendering is well resolve and effortless, just not end game in definition delimitation.
The treble follow same approach of bass and mids which is all about magnifying tone color and dynamism, without boosting brightness agressivity or texture micro details too much.
The soundstage is very wide and tall, it surround you in a 3D way, near 360 degree we can say which explain this ''holographic'' terminology I over abuse in this review. Deepness can be above average if no bass hit occur.
The imaging isn't amplify in accuracy or separation sharpness here, the H50 aren't monitor IEM at all even if the sound layering is very good and avoid compressed muddyness where we would struggle to perceive instrument placement. This positioning is a bit vague though, since both definition edge and presence grain are softed. Readibility is affected by this, even if tactile imagery is well articulated. Nope, H50 aren't master of instrument separation.
COMPARISONS
VS SOUNDRHYME SR7 (1DD+6BAs-360$)
The SR7 have 2 different tuning option, one is warm and very bassy, other is warm neutral to mid centric.
It make the H50 feel more V shape and open even if near mid centric too we don't have as much lower mids warmth and density, so while female vocal are smoother, better define in presence and more transparent the male vocal are thicker and warmer with the SR7.
The bass quality is less good with SR7, it's more excited and bleedy, darker in definition, roundness feel more hazy than tighterr H50 bass.
Mids are fuller, warmer and even more thick in macro dynamic which you are put in the middle with SR7, in that regard H50 feel cleaner and more open, your in middle of music but not as mixed with instrument, holographic rendering is more even and readable with H50. This is when we choose extra bass switch, without it, mids are thinner with the SR7 in fact, but still leaner and less transparent and airy.
Then with 2 knowles extra BA more for treble section, SR7 should deliver notably more details right? Well, yes, H50 is darker and smoother, but highs feel more cohesive in an organic way, their less BA timbre in highs too.
Spatiality is a notch wider with SR7, but taller and deeper with the H50.
Imaging of both these IEM isn't their highlight, but since SR7 extract more sound info on top, it permit sharper instrument presence positioning.
All in all, to my ears the tonal balance of H50 is more cohesive and organic as a whole, its strange to say but it sit between 2 tuning choice of SR7, which is best of both world for me. Technical performance are very similar, bass is superior in quality, speed and control with H50, while mids and treble have richer layering and more sound info with SR7.
VS ISN Neo5 (1DD+4 knowles BAs-290$)
The Neo5 is direct ''competitor'' to own ISN line up. But tonal balance is quite different, the Neo5 feel more U shape as well as more bass head, the rumble is notably more boosted and longer in release, while H50 have more midbass punch focus, so it kick in a rounder way but have more compressed rumble sustain that doesn't resonate as much. Kick drum is way darker with Neo5 too, bass line will dominate and swallow it unlike better layered sub and mid bass of H50.
This time, male vocal are thinner than H50, and female vocal too but not as recessed as male, but they are a notch brighter in presence, more textured, and grainy.
Treble is fuller, more open, more snappy and clean with the Neo5, in that regard, I wish H50 was less colored, it's easier to follow complex percussions with Neo5, sound layers feel a bit more spacious too. Neo5 have notably more upper mids and lower treble presence boost and texture, without going plain agressive bright at all.
Soundstage is slightly wider and taller and notably deeper with the Neo5.
Imaging is superior too because bass bleed is more about sub and mid bass while H50 is more about thick haze lower mids that affect more clarity of instrument separation.
All in all, the Neo5 is more basshead and technical sounding, but less warm, lush and thick in mid range, and ultimately not as natural sounding and well balanced in organic cohesiveness. Ultimately, i need both of these sound signature, and we can say H50 is more warm neutral and darker sounding, so for extreme treble sensitive people it's a better bet.
CONCLUSION
The ISN H50 are very easy to love due to their bassy near mid centric lush musicality that offer a weighty dynamic and most of all, intimate vocal with dense presence and natural timbre.
Those are IEMs for tone and timbre lover that like a hint of lower mids warmth.
It's not an IEM for treble head, it's laid back and wide open and the mid range embrace the listener very sweetly.
If you aren't following the Harman target questionnable musicality and wish for thick bass and mids as well as smooth balance free of shouty pina gain and forced presence boost, the H50 certainly worth a check.
Musicality spell is a mystery, yet ISN nail it again for me!
Recommended!
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PS: I want to thanks Penon for sending me this review sample. As always, those are my independant minded audio opinion, free of affiliated link or website sponsors adds bias.
You can order the H50 for 295$ here:
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-h50?search=isn&description=true