[Astonish]

If you check the iSine 10/20 thread, there's a lot of info about how to EQ the iSine. You don't need to use the cipher cable if you don't want to. (But the cipher cable is certainly extremely convenient if you're an iOS user.)

Yea exactly it was worth the $60 for the convenience of losing the doggle, plus I wanted to see how the amp and dac compare to that. Made the isines a lot more enjoyable than stock though

 

[MICHAELSD]

For some reason can't find comparisons, but sound-wise, how do iSine compare to Sine (with stock on-ear pads)?

Similar sound signature with Cipher cable. iSine is more open-sounding. I greatly favored the fit of the Sine, iSine has a love-it-or-hate-it fitment. Too finnicky to fit as little changes affect the sound. I’d be open to trying iSine again if I can figure out a comfortable fit but my preference is the Sine.

 

[Slashn77]

Would it be better to use the $99 fiio Q1 attached to my iPhone as a dac/amp over the cipher cable?

 

[pricewool]

Had my iSine LX’s about a week. Listening to mostly classical, jazz, and some rock. These have a nice, airiness to them as a semi-open should. Very smooth upper range and I find them most pleasurable on jazz and classical. This open design does not lend itself to a noisy environment or where you might bother others around you. If you need headphones for the road, look elsewhere.
Build seems fine and I found it very easy to get a fit and seal. There’s actually a short video on YouTube from Audeze that shows how to set these up.
I bought these to stream Tidal HiFi from my iPad and iPhone. I use the Cipher Lightning cable and EQing these to get the best sound is essential. They sound pretty unremarkable when listened to flat in this system, but sing when they’ve been EQ’d. Couldn’t care how they look cosmetically. Great audio isn’t a fashion show.
For the right application, these are quite excellent and at a great price.

 

[AudioBear]

Had my iSine LX’s about a week. Listening to mostly classical, jazz, and some rock. These have a nice, airiness to them as a semi-open should. Very smooth upper range and I find them most pleasurable on jazz and classical. This open design does not lend itself to a noisy environment or where you might bother others around you. If you need headphones for the road, look elsewhere.
Build seems fine and I found it very easy to get a fit and seal. There’s actually a short video on YouTube from Audeze that shows how to set these up.
I bought these to stream Tidal HiFi from my iPad and iPhone. I use the Cipher Lightning cable and EQing these to get the best sound is essential. They sound pretty unremarkable when listened to flat in this system, but sing when they’ve been EQ’d. Couldn’t care how they look cosmetically. Great audio isn’t a fashion show.
For the right application, these are quite excellent and at a great price.

My use and needs are the same and I can confirm your observations. Cipher plus EQ = happiness.

 

[musicfan145]

This open design does not lend itself to a noisy environment or where you might bother others around you. If you need headphones for the road, look elsewhere.
[...] Couldn’t care how they look cosmetically. Great audio isn’t a fashion show.

Agreed. They have an open design with little isolation, so they are mostly for use while alone. That being the case, the appearance doesn’t matter that much.

 

[Astonish]

It seems like these are cipher cable or bust in terms of sound quality, but with the cipher cable.... damn they’re good

 

[Bubblejuice]

It seems like these are cipher cable or bust in terms of sound quality, but with the cipher cable.... damn they’re good

Maybe consider the Earstudio ES100? It's an APTX HD bluetooth DAC/AMP receiver with a lot of functionality. My favorite part is that you can download an App on your phone or android based DAP and you can EQ the device. It will save the last EQ you put into it so you don't need to have the APP on to benefit.

Though... it doesn't sound quite as good as wired, it's about 80% of the way there. It's pretty impressive. It can also be used as a wired DAC with it's micro usb port, there the audio quality isn't impaired and you still get the last EQ you used. It could be a pretty interesting option instead of a cipher cable. On top of that, it has a few other useful functions.

Is the LX worth getting over the other iSines if you are able to EQ it?

 

[kukkurovaca]

Pardon if this was already posted here:

http://inearspace.com/2018/03/25/audeze-isine-lx-10-an-i-for-everyone/2/

 

[timb5881]

Bass on m300 is adequate. You just need to use the right tips. All the silicone tips packaged with the m300 add extra treble but sound hollow. The included thin foam tips have a warm sound, slightly reduced treble and nice soundstage. Musical IMO. The other option is Comply comfort tips 600 series. These are great. Natural sounding, all frequencies are present. FYI m300 cable is heavy, but you can get decent MMCX cables on Amazon for $20-$40

The M300's react to what fou feed it with. I use my M300's with a Cyberdrive Feather usb dac, and the bass is boosted, when compared to my Korg DS-DAC100m. I have also noticed that what type of headphone amp you use will affect the clarity as well. 22 Ohms is difficult for some headphone amps, my Creek OB11 modified amp which has a lot of power, just reduces the clarity.

 

[bobsherman]

My use and needs are the same and I can confirm your observations. Cipher plus EQ = happiness.

Curious, what eq changes did you make from the flat Cipher settings?

 

[AudioBear]

I tried the Audessy pre-set for the iSIne 10 and 20. It was a big improvement. I think the iSines are really targeted to pair with iPhones. I also have used a 3-4dB bass bump and because I have age-related HF roll-off, I bumped up the HF above 8 up to 6 dB at 12Khz. Yup, that's what happens as you age. The manual tweaking wasn't as good as the pre-sets. Bass is impressive for what the LX is but you can't expect it to be like an Audessy headphone. Most listeners would not want to lift the treble like I do.

 

[bobsherman]

I tried the Audessy pre-set for the iSIne 10 and 20. It was a big improvement. I think the iSines are really targeted to pair with iPhones. I also have used a 3-4dB bass bump and because I have age-related HF roll-off, I bumped up the HF above 8 up to 6 dB at 12Khz. Yup, that's what happens as you age. The manual tweaking wasn't as good as the pre-sets. Bass is impressive for what the LX is but you can't expect it to be like an Audessy headphone. Most listeners would not want to lift the treble like I do.

Thanks for the info. I am slightly over 21 also so the HF boost couldn't hurt.

 

[marcusd]

Yeah, the Cipher cable/LX certainly seems to make a positive difference for iPhone usage, perhaps more so than the 10 and 20:

Mike did a review for us on the LX and compared with the 10/20: https://headfonics.com/2018/05/audeze-isine-lx-review/

Hopefully, I can churn out a i4 review next month which does not come with the Cipher cable, will try it anyhow just for fun

 

[Deckard916]

Got a pair of these when they first started shipping, been using with PC / Schiit Stack and Foobar GEQ and convolver with Roon presets. Great sound for the $$. Looking at taking the plunge and getting the 20s when I can find B stock somewhere. Argh waiting!