Is there any impressions of the iSine10 vs iSine20? What I've seen so far, there is a difference, but probably not $200 worth. Just trying to gauge where money is better spent. I'm not on iOS, so Cypher cable makes little difference in the impression to me.
Unfortunately, the only "somewhat" credible source has been "Z" reviews... and I'm not a big fan of his reviews...
I got to listen to both the 10 and 20 at audiovision SF. Great folks btw, they gave me the set, let me plug it into my zx2, sat me down on their comfy leather couch, and walked away and left me alone. Really nice to have that peace of mind as I tested both out. fwiw, I used the analog cable there in both cases - no cipher cable at all.
There *is* a difference between 10 and 20 that I heard - the 20's sounded slightly less congested and had a bit of clarity. The 10's had some slight graininess in the upper mids that I noticed with male vocals - the 20's seemed to have solved it with some simulatenous clarity + smoothness. I'd be *very* curious to hear the i10 + cypher vs i20 + analog; at this point the i10 might be the better buy but that's just a guess at this point.
But again, the differences were not absolutely mind blowing. Double blind, I'd probably have to concentrate a bit to determine which is which, and I don't have too much faith in my ears to be able to say I'd get more than 90% correct. Yes, there *is* a difference I believe, but whether it's worth a $200 difference or not, I'm not too sure. It's similar to the grado labs SR125 vs SR225 differences imo.
FWIW, the i20 isn't perfect either. Well - maybe the cipher cable spoiled me, but now when I listen on my ZX2 (which is already known for having a smooth powerful midrange), the mids and upper mids seem to sound a bit boxy - like there's some resonance making it echo and reverb or so. I've been able to compensate on the ZX2 by re-enabling sound adjustments to get the EQ, and dropping the 1k range about 6db. Boosting clearbass to +3 and raising the upper end by about 3db seems to create a sound much closer to the cipher cable, but with the impact and smoothness the ZX2 is known for.
If I hadn't heard the iphone and cipher cable combination, I'd be perfectly happy with no-EQ on the zx2. But the iphone + cipher seems to tilt the mid-forward nature of the i20's over to a more neutral, airy, and reference-tuned sound, and that kind of spoiled me. Still haven't decided which setup I like better; currently settled on the ZX2 with cipher-like-EQ but hard to be 100% satisfied with it knowing how good the more portable iphone+cipher solution sounds.
Oh, strangely - on the shuttle or any environment with a lot of ambient noise, the cipher cable setup starts to sound relaly lean, thin, and brittle. Using the non-EQ'ed zx2 brings the fullness and weight back. But in a quiet environment the cipher starts to sound much more balanced and light on its feet..
This would probably be my only complaint about the i20's. I can't just "set it and forget it". I'm constantly switching the cable back and forth (which I know isn't good for the unit either), and can't decide between what setup I should enjoy. It raises more questions than it answers. I feel like I'm getting 80% of its full potential on one setup, and 80% of its full potential (but different strengths) on the other setup. I'd rather have 100% of it on one setup. On the other hand, I finally figured out how to use the earlocks - I can wear these forever and on the bumpy shuttle ride to work they didnt' move or feel like they were going to fall out, so I'm sold. Using the earhooks at work yesterday, after an hour the outer ear cartilage was starting to hurt and ache.
Sorry for the rant. Started off with 10 vs 20 and took a tangent, oops.