ISN Earphones impression thread. New ISN H20!

[Sheeno101]

PENON / ISN MUSICALITY + EXCELLENT BASS BEYOND ANY LIMITATIONS

So I've heard! A full, musical, warm signature is exactly what I'm looking for, with fun bass and forward mids, so I think an ISN/Penon purchase is very likely to be my next. Problem is there are so many appealing options - 10th AE, Quattro, NEO 5, NEO 3 etc!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these I can see in your sig you also have the 10th AE, it would great to hear how these compare. I know the 10ths are over 2x the price so you'd expect them to be substantially better, but the price and size does put me off them a bit, and treble and soundstage aren't a huge priority for me, so if the NEO 3 holds up in other aspects then maybe it ticks all the right boxes. Cheers!

 

[alexandros a]

I know the 10ths are over 2x the price so you'd expect them to be substantially better

substantially better

.......these things are quite subjective as you may know ..and it all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day..
what i mean here : it just can't be substantially better in every different aspect of the sound no matter the price diference there, and at the end it's up to you to decide whether the overall signature ticks all or some of your boxes or not...just saying....
judging from your posts.....and being personally addicted to ISN HOUSE SOUND for a long time ...if i had to guess .. i would suppose it ll be a battle between NEO 5 & NEO 3 for you

 

[dharmasteve]

Seeing the Neo 3 now on sale, I'm in two minds. Can a Micro Planar manage highs and treble like a larger 14-15mm Planar? My issue is that the great forte of the larger Planars drivers I have, is that they reproduce amazing realism of drum skin textures that....both the Letshoer S12, 14.8mm, and Timeless 7Hz 14.2mm Planars do amazingly good, accurate drums. Would/Do the Micro-Drivers of the ISN Neo 3 bring a very musical sound profile? I do like the Micro 6mm DDs in my Penon Fan 2 and Penon 10th Anniversary, but I do like good low ISN bass with some impact. No bass, no happy! What are the highs like on the Neo 3....are they detailed?

So friends.....does the Planar on this Neo 3 do the full planar job? Finger on the button waiting.

 

[Dsnuts]

Seeing the Neo 3 now on sale, I'm in two minds. Can a Micro Planar manage highs and treble like a larger 14-15mm Planar? My issue is that the great forte of the larger Planars drivers I have, is that they reproduce amazing realism of drum skin textures that....both the Letshoer S12, 14.8mm, and Timeless 7Hz 14.2mm Planars do amazingly good, accurate drums. Would/Do the Micro-Drivers of the ISN Neo 3 bring a very musical sound profile? I do like the Micro 6mm DDs in my Penon Fan 2 and Penon 10th Anniversary, but I do like good low ISN bass with some impact. No bass, no happy! What are the highs like on the Neo 3....are they detailed?

So friends.....does the Planar on this Neo 3 do the full planar job? Finger on the button waiting.

The balancing for the 3 zones are excellent on the NEO3 for being a colored IEM. This being said the trebles are not what will get your attention. It will be the lovely forward full bodied mids. Its like the treble and bass ends are supporting the musical mids and body of the NEO3 sound. Its one of those sounds that just becomes an immersive experience. These are not neutral but so very musical. You guys will understand once you get a good workout for them and have a good listen.

 

[alexandros a]

. Its one of those sounds that just becomes an immersive experien

Good for us as bro....
Awesome awesome awesome
I have yet to be let down from those ISN guys........

 

[Dsnuts]

Now remember they sound a bit off on open listen. They do have 3 different drivers which all have to be fully loose before coherency happens. So yes get your best bassy tracks on repeat and burn them

 

[Dsnuts]

The great news about the NEO3. They do scale nicely with better cables. I mentioned it here and will post a pic of the stock cable, when I get a chance but it is your garden variety OCC copper type cable. Which is not exaclty a good match up with the NEO3. its ok but just my opinion, they do much better with some silver in the mix. Be it an SPC type or even pure silver which will depend on just how much treble skew you want from these. The default sound profile is a bit warm, again with a body of sound your hard pressed to hear from IEMs at the $200 range. I think they sound better with some silver in the mix. Accentuates that treble shizzle balances the sound even better. Thankfully these don't rerquire too much fussing around before you get optimal sound that is minus burn in. Otherwise they are not nearly as tip dependent as the Quattros. However. I do highly recommend a more transparent cable vs what was included. You all will understand once you get your NEO3s. Happy listening to the early adaptors. You guys are in for a serious treat.

Penon ASOS shown with the NEO3

 

[Wyvern74]

The great news about the NEO3. They do scale nicely with better cables. I mentioned it here and will post a pic of the stock cable, when I get a chance but it is your garden variety OCC copper type cable. Which is not exaclty a good match up with the NEO3. its ok but just my opinion, they do much better with some silver in the mix. Be it an SPC type or even pure silver which will depend on just how much treble skew you want from these. The default sound profile is a bit warm, again with a body of sound your hard pressed to hear from IEMs at the $200 range. I think they sound better with some silver in the mix. Accentuates that treble shizzle balances the sound even better. Thankfully these don't rerquire too much fussing around before you get optimal sound that is minus burn in. Otherwise they are not nearly as tip dependent as the Quattros. However. I do highly recommend a more transparent cable vs what was included. You all will understand once you get your NEO3s. Happy listening to the early adaptors. You guys are in for a serious treat.


Penon ASOS shown with the NEO3

Was thinking to get H40, should I get Neo3 instead?

 

[Echalon]

Was thinking to get H40, should I get Neo3 instead?

They are very different IEMs. The H40 is thick and bassy with a darker treble, while the Neo 3 is more mid focused with a more crisply defined treble. Both are very musical, both very engaging. It’s up to you which appeals more (or whether you prefer a different sound signature entirely).

 

[dharmasteve]

Was thinking to get H40, should I get Neo3 instead?

I doubt if the bass on the Neo 3 will be anything like the H40 bass. If you like big bass the H40 is special.

 

[omarccxr]

The shells on the NEO 3 look quite tiny and therefore comfy, anybody got a pic that better visualizes their size?

 

[alexandros a]

They are very different IEMs. The H40 is thick and bassy with a darker treble, while the Neo 3 is more mid focused with a more crisply defined treble. Both are very musical, both very engaging. It’s up to you which appeals more (or whether you prefer a different sound signature entirely).

that makes it even more interesting though..........a slight turn or even experimentation as far as sound profile goes from ISN is always a welcomed procedure. H40 has been the first to make this company widely known to the public for it's remarkable tuning/note weight coloured & organic sound overall. that one was an absolute VFM monitor back there upon it's release and still is btw....

 

[Dsnuts]

The shells on the NEO 3 look quite tiny and therefore comfy, anybody got a pic that better visualizes their size?

I call it Smedium. Its not exaclty small but smaller side of medium. Very comfy in the ears. No weird nozzle like the Fan2. Next to it is the Penon Serial which I consider actual medium size.

 

[omarccxr]

I call it Smedium. Its not exaclty small but smaller side of medium. Very comfy in the ears. No weird nozzle like the Fan2. Next to it is the Penon Serial which I consider actual medium size.

Thank you! I got the Serial so that is perfect. I'd go out and buy one right now if I hadn't just gotten the Raptgo Bridge which is quite impressive for the price. I'll keep waiting to see what you guys think of it.
Is it as power hungry as the Serial?

 

[Dsnuts]

I believe it is a bit more efficient vs Serials. It is the new Quattro that is power hungry. Not so much the NEO3. Though by nature of its drivers, they scale nicely to more power but certainly dont need an amp to drive them.