[stmiller]

For a taste of exactly how isolating the isines can get, buy a pair of spinfit cp155.

 

[billypepper]

For a taste of exactly how isolating the isines can get, buy a pair of spinfit cp155.

Interesting, didn’t know swiveling buds existed.
(noob question: does it even make sense to enhance bud isolation when the headphones are open anyways?)

Currently I’m using the Audeze “ribbed for ear pleasure” spiral groovy eartip, the smallest size...I use the earhooks to keep them from falling...not a fan of “steam” build up in the ears or of feeling pressure on the ear walls from a medium size bud...so without much thought I went for small and groovy...

 

[UncleGrandpa]

Damm, my local dealer is charging me 200$ for my iSine 20's left driver replacement, but what is more is that the replacement only comes with 1 moth warranty, and I worried that my iSine may fail one more time. Don't know what to do now @@

 

[billypepper]

200$ sounds about right compared to a full iSine20 set, would be cool if Audeze itself sold spares from its site. (have you tried asking them?)

 

[UncleGrandpa]

200$ sounds about right compared to a full iSine20 set, would be cool if Audeze itself sold spares from its site. (have you tried asking them?)

I'm mailing them now. Hope to receive some better ways.
For the replacement, 200$ is a GOOD price, it is. But what is not is that 1-month warranty. It failed once, nothing can guarantee it won't fail one more time right after this warranty ends. Moreover, I read on this thread there is a member who must replaced his left-side twice in two weeks, that's why I can't take that serious risk. Maybe I will send them to the US for replacement from Audeze with 3 years warranty. Damm, I like the iSine so much and just hate waiting

 

[Deckard916]

For me the spinfits give a much better seal than either of the tips that come with the isine (smoot / groovy). The isines had plenty of bass before getting the spinfits, but now they have a much better quality of bass. I can acutally hear the basslines on Mastodon's Leviathan album!

 

[billypepper]

I just tried to have a better seal with smooth M and even L buds, I immediately went back to S groovy buds, I feel I could wear them for a straight week, whereas bigger/smooth buds make me
aware of them and start building up dampness in the ear.

Also I’m still struggling to understand how a better seal would produce better bass if you have a giant hole in the back anyway with open back headphones such these.

So for me it’s all about the comfort, and I like the unobtrusiveness of the S groovy buds.

 

[YCHANGE]

Anybody had experience with these Penon cables with Isine 10 or 20? If i choose the 2 pin option will it fit Isine?

https://penon-official.com/product/penon-os849/

 

[Rozenberg]

Anybody had experience with these Penon cables with Isine 10 or 20? If i choose the 2 pin option will it fit Isine?

https://penon-official.com/product/penon-os849/

Not sure, I once bought the CS819 and while it could go into the socket, it didn't seem to fit tightly. A bit of tug when the cable was swinging would be enough to unplug one side, so I sold it.
Maybe others have different experience?

 

[kasimodem]

Hi,
Here's my contribution to this iSine thread.

I bought an iSine 10 at Apple Store (only store you can find it in France) 6 monthes ago, it was included with a Cipher V1 cable. My needs was to have a light and simple solution, no external DAC, so I knew I would have to accept technical compromises. As I have a Qobuz subscription to stream hi-res audio, I use it everyday on my iPhone to listen to music outdoors and the sound is really great.

Because of Apple Lightning Audio Module limitations, you can "only" decode 24 bits / 48 Khz audio through the Lightning connector of an iPhone if you want to keep the mic / Siri function. The Lightning connector does not provide enough power to decode at higher quality unless you plug a powerbank to power the DAC, but in that case you would loose the internal mic function and Siri, which means to unplug the Cipher to answer calls. I have verified this with my small Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS I use on my Mac. If I plug the DacMagix XS to the Lightning to USB3 Apple adapter in the iPhone, I get same 24/48 (blue LED on DAC), but as soon as I plug a power source in the USB adapter second port, the DacMagic XS LED change from blue to purple, which means full 24/192 decode. You can see the process on my image here.

As the Qobuz catalog is rarely 24/192, I accepted the compromise to have 24/48 sound in a single Cipher cable without external plugged complement and beeing able to answer calls too. Also, I'm not sure I could personnaly make difference between the two rates on each album I hear.

One more thing about the Cipher. I registered my iSine 10 on the Audeze website so I could buy the Cipher V2 with the 50% discount. I received the V2 last week from US and it's a great improvement because it's lighter, smaller and the remote commands are easier to use. However, the sound is a complete disaster ! I tried many settings in the iOS Audeze HQ App but none sounds as good as the Cipher V1. Simple test, if I push the sound to max on a Qobuz hi-res track, the sound keeps clear and clean on the V1, but is completely saturated on V2. I tried on a second iPhone, and it's the same. I guess it's because of the iSine 10 limitations, it would probably sound good on iSine 20 or LCDi4. So I continue to use my iSine 10 with the Cipher V1 cable and it's really a great experience. It could also be a Qobuz hi-res compatibility problem, but I don't really see how this would work well on V1 and not V2 with same hi-res track.

As it's my first experience in portable hi-res audio, I will keep this configuration for now and see later how to improve it

 

[billypepper]

Thank you kasimodem, very interesting.
I never tried Cipher V1, but I can confirm that sound from Cipher V2 out of the box is crap (to me; I’m no expert or audiophile). After I EQ it with Audeze app (from the top: 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, -1, 2, 1, -4, -8; maybe give this EQ a try on the V2), it’s sparkling and unique, almost fantastic (except some “messy” moments in some songs). But now you made me curious about the v1.

 

[Deckard916]

If you add 4db to 4khz on V2 it sounds similar to the V1.

 

[billypepper]

If you add 4db to 4khz on V2 it sounds similar to the V1.

I will give it a try.
My instinct was to remove 4db from 4khz to cut the “dry” peaks of cymbals, handclaps and such...or hear cutting “S”es...

 

[-rowan-]

Fell off this thread some time ago and my iSine 20 was sitting around doing nothing for a while until I thought I'd try my new OS849 cable on them... and let's just say the difference was significant enough for me to check back in here - only to find y'all guys talking about these things

My main problem with the iSine 20 was the mids can get a bit honky and it affects the timbre of some voices and instruments - particularly the piano - on some recordings, making them less than natural.

To my ears, the OS849 cleans that up so well that it's a joy to revisit those recordings. I also find that the 849 has a good bit of air and a nice wide stage, which plays well with the already spacious iSine 20.

Back then I tried cable-rolling with a few cheapies (chiefly because the iSine stock cable fell apart so quickly) but failed to pursue it further as none of them improved the sound to this extent.

Anybody had experience with these Penon cables with Isine 10 or 20? If i choose the 2 pin option will it fit Isine?

https://penon-official.com/product/penon-os849/

Not sure, I once bought the CS819 and while it could go into the socket, it didn't seem to fit tightly. A bit of tug when the cable was swinging would be enough to unplug one side, so I sold it.
Maybe others have different experience?

Yes, they are meant to fit all 2-pin 0.78mm sockets and they do fit the iSine, but the bad news is that they are loose as Rozenberg says.

I'm not sure that this is exactly a fault of Penon's as the connectors of the 849 fit snugly in a number of my other IEMs but the iSine for some reason feels the loosest of the lot.

I have seen folks in other threads talk about how they use tape or even a spot of glue to secure the connectors, so that may be worth checking out. Personally I don't move around much while listening so will probably continue with this pairing as it is. It's certainly the most natural reproduction of sound I've heard coming from my iSine 20 yet.

Famous last words, maybe...

 

[426563]

Is there a good EQ Setting for the Cipher 2 Cable for Mids or Bass?