[Jimmy Gazelle]

I find the mid's aren even more refined and lush/airy compared to the HD 650, they are both great tho mid wise

Soundstage is about the same for me, i think it might depend which source you are driving them?

yeah, they are very refined and lush, thats true.
you are probably right about the source. I drive the isines from my iphone + cipher, hd650 was always driven by an 80s revox b250 amp

 

[jody2k]

the cipher v2 totally gives it a more "analogue" sound if you know what I mean. I'm enjoying it.

I think i know what you mean, i think i have a simelar option in Viper4android calling "dynamic system" it's also enabled for me i like it too
Gives bit more bite/attack in sound and also gives "bigger sound" especially in the low ends
Not exactly sure we are talking about the same thing, but ofcourse hardware driven sound is always better than software driven

 

[bogdanopolis]

If someone from Europe want's to sale his cipher v2 please PM me.

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

did anyone get the ear locks to work properly for them? for me it is physically not really possible to get them to lock in, since the distance of the earphone to the ear will never be close enough. I don´t have small ears, but i have a feeling the tips may not get in my ear deep enough (even with the smallest tip)? anyone having any tips? i never wear iems, so dont know how far the tip is suppose to be able to get in. when i wear the phones, it definetely does not look as good as a fit as when you see some folks wearng them on pics....lol

EDIT: the earhooks are good, but even the larger one is small enough to press done on my ear o the top and fold it slightly...can´t imagine id be the only one. pretty medium sized ears..

 

[MICHAELSD]

I’m actually grateful Audeze took so long to ship my headphones from Black Friday since I was buying them as a birthday gift to myself and my birthday is Tuesday . I’ve held off the past few days since receiving them so that I can open at least the Sine on my birthday, and maybe save the EL-8 for Christmas.

Been wanting Audeze headphones for the longest time, particularly the gorgeous designs from BMW Designworks and a Cipher cable so that I can drive them properly from my iPhone X.

Hoping Sine and EL-8 live up to my expectations since the iSine10 I tried a few months ago sounded excellent when they were fitted properly. I personally don’t like IEM’s and didn’t like the odd fit of the iSine either but I’m sure I’ll be ecstatic with at least one of these headphones. One more day to hold off from opening my giant Audeze box!

Oddly enough I’ve found that I like on-ear headphones so the Sine might end up being a diamond in the rough (lots of people don’t like this form factor), and the EL-8 Titanium is one of the most beautiful headphones ever made. I drive a BMW i3 which was designed by the same team that designed the Sine and EL-8 Ti so I’ll wear them proudly either way.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I find the mid's aren even more refined and lush/airy compared to the HD 650, they are both great tho mid wise

Soundstage is about the same for me, i think it might depend which source you are driving them?

Whether/how you EQ them can also influence perceived soundstage. I don't know if this is true generally, but I definitely find it to be true for the iSine. I was surprised.

I don't think the iSine soundstage is huuuuge, but imaging is v. good. For a very wide soundstage in a similar form factor, a high-end earbud is probably the way to go.

 

[kukkurovaca]

did anyone get the ear locks to work properly for them? for me it is physically not really possible to get them to lock in, since the distance of the earphone to the ear will never be close enough. I don´t have small ears, but i have a feeling the tips may not get in my ear deep enough (even with the smallest tip)? anyone having any tips? i never wear iems, so dont know how far the tip is suppose to be able to get in. when i wear the phones, it definetely does not look as good as a fit as when you see some folks wearng them on pics....lol

EDIT: the earhooks are good, but even the larger one is small enough to press done on my ear o the top and fold it slightly...can´t imagine id be the only one. pretty medium sized ears..

I had a similar experience with the earlocks; to get them to seat securely, I had to get a deeper insertion depth than would have been comfortable with the stock tips, because otherwise the earlock would not be at the correct angle relative to the anatomy of my ear. (Lol)

You may want to try JVC Spiral Dot tips. These are very short, so they don't extend much beyond the end of the nozzle. Audeze's groovy eartips are also shorter than the original tips, but because they're quite rigid, I found they got uncomfortable when i was wearing them for a long time.

Another good option is Spinfits, which are very flexible. They have a wide-bore version of the original Spinfit coming out, which will probably be quite good.

Currently I'm using one of their dual-flange versions, the CP-230M. However, I'm not currently using the earlocks, b/c I found the earlocks unreliable. My first pair broke b/c of a manufacturing defect; the second pair appeared to be sturdier but would not stay securely attached to the iSines. The new larger matte finish earhooks are fortunately comfortable enough for me that I don't miss the earlocks.

Another option for the earhooks is to cover them in some silicone or neoprene tubing as some folks here have done. This will increase the surface area and reduce pinching/hot spots.

 

[wldcohso]

I had a similar experience with the earlocks; to get them to seat securely, I had to get a deeper insertion depth than would have been comfortable with the stock tips, because otherwise the earlock would not be at the correct angle relative to the anatomy of my ear. (Lol)

You may want to try JVC Spiral Dot tips. These are very short, so they don't extend much beyond the end of the nozzle. Audeze's groovy eartips are also shorter than the original tips, but because they're quite rigid, I found they got uncomfortable when i was wearing them for a long time.

Another good option is Spinfits, which are very flexible. They have a wide-bore version of the original Spinfit coming out, which will probably be quite good.

Currently I'm using one of their dual-flange versions, the CP-230M. However, I'm not currently using the earlocks, b/c I found the earlocks unreliable. My first pair broke b/c of a manufacturing defect; the second pair appeared to be sturdier but would not stay securely attached to the iSines. The new larger matte finish earhooks are fortunately comfortable enough for me that I don't miss the earlocks.

Another option for the earhooks is to cover them in some silicone or neoprene tubing as some folks here have done. This will increase the surface area and reduce pinching/hot spots.

I swear if you gotta do all this just to enjoy them what’s the point... they should’ve put more into R&D regarding fit. Is the music even important after putting so much energy into the fit... think I’d be too frustrated and just move on.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I swear if you gotta do all this just to enjoy them what’s the point... they should’ve put more into R&D regarding fit. Is the music even important after putting so much energy into the fit... think I’d be too frustrated and just move on.

I certainly agree. It sucks to buy a first-gen product and have to basically pay to be the beta tester. That being said, it's extremely common nowadays, to the point where when I'm buying a first-gen product I pretty much expect it. ::

For sure the safer bet is to wait until the bugs have been worked out and pick up a later revision, or go for a competing product. (The Unique Melody Me.1 has what looks like a much less fraught fitting and it has generally been reviewed better than the iSines.)

I really wanted a pair of very good semi-open earphones, at a time shortly after the iSines came out and when there weren't other similar options on the market (still not many), and I decided it was worth the potential hassle. (And I'd say that for me, it was.)

 

[jody2k]

Whether/how you EQ them can also influence perceived soundstage. I don't know if this is true generally, but I definitely find it to be true for the iSine. I was surprised.

I don't think the iSine soundstage is huuuuge, but imaging is v. good. For a very wide soundstage in a similar form factor, a high-end earbud is probably the way to go.

Could also make perfectly sense as i told in my previous post i noticed these isine's have insane EQ potential and room
If i compare soundstage with default settings it goes from a regular show "in a bar" to a soundstage in a "big mainstage on a festival"
Such difference it is with good EQ and some settings in vipermod like "dynamic system" making the sound even bigger

For me the soundstage is almost holographic on my isine's 20 and i can't get enough of these mid tones, it sounds like smooth butter with icecream in my ears

I'm suffering 6 year from tinnitus in my left ear.. it doesn't trigger it in any way, normally after couple of hours listening to music it's getting louder the ear ringing and i need to stop
With these i don't have these issues, love it
Maybe planar technology are more ear friendly? I wouldn't know

 

[Audiosonic]

I had a similar experience with the earlocks; to get them to seat securely, I had to get a deeper insertion depth than would have been comfortable with the stock tips, because otherwise the earlock would not be at the correct angle relative to the anatomy of my ear. (Lol)

You may want to try JVC Spiral Dot tips. These are very short, so they don't extend much beyond the end of the nozzle. Audeze's groovy eartips are also shorter than the original tips, but because they're quite rigid, I found they got uncomfortable when i was wearing them for a long time.

Another good option is Spinfits, which are very flexible. They have a wide-bore version of the original Spinfit coming out, which will probably be quite good.

Currently I'm using one of their dual-flange versions, the CP-230M. However, I'm not currently using the earlocks, b/c I found the earlocks unreliable. My first pair broke b/c of a manufacturing defect; the second pair appeared to be sturdier but would not stay securely attached to the iSines. The new larger matte finish earhooks are fortunately comfortable enough for me that I don't miss the earlocks.

Another option for the earhooks is to cover them in some silicone or neoprene tubing as some folks here have done. This will increase the surface area and reduce pinching/hot spots.

My i20s came with the first generation earhooks, earlocks and silicone tips. However I found the earhooks uncomfortable because they gripped the back of my ears too tightly. The earlocks on the other hand, were just right. Paired with the stock cable, the earlocks could support the weight.

After receiving my Toxic Silver Widow 22, the earlocks could not support the weight of the cable. The i20s would droop out of my ears. But I had already purchased the Groovy Tip kit, which came with revised earhooks. These earhooks weren't so narrow and they fit more comfortably around my ear. So now the i20s are securely mounted.

One observation about the Groovy Tips is that some bass impact is lost. For example, the deep rumble of organ music isn't as pronounced with the Groovy tips, as compared to the silicone tips. I've tried the mid and large sized tips of both variants, and the results are the same. The silicone tips give better bass. Maybe it's the shape of my outer ear.

 

[donato]

Does anyone know what the capabilities of the DAC in the cipher cable are? It sounds like it upconverts everything to 24 bit, but what about the bandwidth? It will certainly accept and playback 192khz/24-bit flac files (I use the Onkyo HF player). Does it actually process or does it just resample to lower bandwidth. The primarily practical concern I have is just storage (i.e. why bother to load up with 192/24 flac files if it's just downsampling).

 

[davehutch]

The Apple component (Lightning Audio Module) is limited to 24-bit/48KHz, according to Audeze. So anything stored at higher rates will always be downsampled eventually. If storage is an issue don’t bother storing anything higher than the limit Apple places on the playback chain.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...netic-earphones.818870/page-270#post-13834358

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

I had a similar experience with the earlocks; to get them to seat securely, I had to get a deeper insertion depth than would have been comfortable with the stock tips, because otherwise the earlock would not be at the correct angle relative to the anatomy of my ear. (Lol)

You may want to try JVC Spiral Dot tips. These are very short, so they don't extend much beyond the end of the nozzle. Audeze's groovy eartips are also shorter than the original tips, but because they're quite rigid, I found they got uncomfortable when i was wearing them for a long time.

Another good option is Spinfits, which are very flexible. They have a wide-bore version of the original Spinfit coming out, which will probably be quite good.

Currently I'm using one of their dual-flange versions, the CP-230M. However, I'm not currently using the earlocks, b/c I found the earlocks unreliable. My first pair broke b/c of a manufacturing defect; the second pair appeared to be sturdier but would not stay securely attached to the iSines. The new larger matte finish earhooks are fortunately comfortable enough for me that I don't miss the earlocks.

Another option for the earhooks is to cover them in some silicone or neoprene tubing as some folks here have done. This will increase the surface area and reduce pinching/hot spots.

thnks for the elaborate reply! appreciate it

 

[Jimmy Gazelle]

I have found that if your listening to compressed music the difference or advantage of better gear is lessened. My LCD-4 doesn't sound much better than my LCD-2 with mp3's. If your going to listen to streaming or lower quality files off your phone your better off spending your money on something other than high quality phones.

how can i stream hi res files from my iphone? I currently listen to mp3 files streamed from spotify (in their highest quality) since the cipher cable is so hyped, i assume i should keep using it, what limits me to the phone use..? (honest question)