[zepmaj]

Trying out some speed metal on the D10. Testament. Bass is indeed tight on the D10 and speedy. If I was a guessing man I can swear the bass characteristics is like a carbon based dynamic. Carbon nanotube or graphene. These don't sound like a garden variety dynamic driver to me. But I could be wrong.

Sounds great on the DX160 by the way.

Can i ask, which one do you prefer for metal and why, H40 or D10?

 

[microphonic]

Dsnuts: Could you (or anyone else) offer a brief comparison of the D10 and the NF audio NA1, or just any signifcant points of difference between the two?

thanks

 

[Dsnuts]

Can i ask, which one do you prefer for metal and why, H40 or D10?

Both do metal well but I think the D10 has a slight edge for metal. It has the faster bass out of the two. Both has punchy bass but it seems the D10 has a more quicker decay which matters for double kick drums. H40 bass dynamic is not the fastest

Dsnuts: Could you (or anyone else) offer a brief comparison of the D10 and the NF audio NA1, or just any signifcant points of difference between the two?

thanks

I mentioned earlier but both has good stage. NA1 is tuned to have that reference type definition. It has a slight cooler tonality due to the treble extension and detail. If your a treble guy or a macro/micro detail guy. NA1 will be enlightening for you.

The D10 has more in the way of bass emphasis vs the treble skew U fr tuning of the NA1. Sub bass on the NA1 is no weak sauce. Both might be similar there but since the D10 is not a treble biased tuning, It is more sub bass biased. D10 has a bit wider stage vs the NA1. Isolates a bit better too. NA1 is a more for discriminating detail oriented listen. The D10 is more you can listen to it the whole day, enjoy a punchy bass w excellent low end rumble, engaging and fun to listen to all day type of listen. Hope this helps.

Your getting an excellent premium cable with the D10 by the way. The NA1 has a gimpy noodle stock cable with a stiff ear guides that you will be able to feel behind your ears. This alone will make you want to change up the stock cable. Value= D10 wins in that category all day long.

 

[Dsnuts]

Not a fan of the cables that come with the NA1 or NA2. They fall in the category of it is usable but your so gonna want to change these. They are that qdc 2 pin type by the way so whatever aftermarket 2 pin set you put on them works but will stick out more than you would like.

Vs

The ISN S4 mmcx cable that comes with the D10 by itself cost almost $60. Actually almost double the value of the cable that comes with the H40 by the way. These are the only cables that ISN makes that do have ear guides but it is the softest ear guides in existence. Not stiff like the previous cable on the NA1.

And as an added bonus you can choose what termination you want when you order. Which you can't do for the NA1 or NA2. Balanced for the win.

 

[DynamicEars]

Not a fan of the cables that come with the NA1 or NA2. They fall in the category of it is usable but your so gonna want to change these. They are that qdc 2 pin type by the way so whatever aftermarket 2 pin set you put on them works but will stick out more than you would like.

Vs

The ISN S4 mmcx cable that comes with the D10 by itself cost almost $60. Actually almost double the value of the cable that comes with the H40 by the way. These are the only cables that ISN makes that do have ear guides but it is the softest ear guides in existence. Not stiff like the previous cable on the NA1.

And as an added bonus you can choose what termination you want when you order. Which you can't do for the NA1 or NA2. Balanced for the win.

speaking about balanced, a bit OOT but i just curious is balanced termination suck out more battery of the DAP compared to 3.5mm? I realize my DX160 batt level is dropping faster when im using it with balanced jack.

 

[Dsnuts]

More power is needed for balanced out in DAPs. This is true with all DAPs not just the DX160. The advantage of getting a cable in balanced. I usually go for 2.5mm balanced since all my daps have it and use a pigtail adapter to go single ended if I want to conserve some battery.

You can't go the other way around unfortunately.

 

[jant71]

Maybe the D10 wasn't taking off as much as they hoped?? The code they sent pretty quick was quite good. They took $40 off the D10. Think they did try to get some back as I am pretty sure the faster shipping was $10 but now is $15.

So, if a Penon customer you can get them for $135 shipped if you stick with the free shipping. That's a solid deal.

 

[Darkestred]

Change to different tips! Whack the Azla Sedna tips on and there is a definite increase in treble.

I guess my way of describing treble mainly is with cymbals. My main barometer on how well iems can do "treble" didn't do a great job with.

Some recordings come out better than others but in every song while there is good detail, cymbals are soft and lose out in the mix. This also takes some of the crunch from guitars away, too.

I'd rather not have to crank the volume up to get more of it as i dont like that kind of loudness for long periods. I have a plenty capage rig - so that isn't an issue.

I have tried wide bore, narrow bore,medium bore, short, long. The sound barely changes, if any.

 

[Dsnuts]

Glad you wrote about this Jant. So Penon in these times are giving up a crazy deal for all their patrons. Not a 100% certain but they are sending out codes for discount on the D10?

Some insight. I was told they tried to do a unique color on the initial batch of the D10 and used a darker purple hue. It turned out more black than purple so these are the ones they are selling. The new batch will be more blue in hue. Their loss your gain.

 

[Dsnuts]

I guess my way of describing treble mainly is with cymbals. My main barometer on how well iems can do "treble" didn't do a great job with.

Some recordings come out better than others but in every song while there is good detail, cymbals are soft and lose out in the mix. This also takes some of the crunch from guitars away, too.

I'd rather not have to crank the volume up to get more of it as i dont like that kind of loudness for long periods. I have a plenty capage rig - so that isn't an issue.

I have tried wide bore, narrow bore,medium bore, short, long. The sound barely changes, if any.

You have any silver cables? and something like Azla Sendafit or Spiral Dots.

 

[Darkestred]

You have any silver cables? and something like Azla Sendafit or Spiral Dots.

I only have 2pin cables (silver and copper). I honestly do not see the cable bringing forth the cymbals much to be appreciable. Because of this i cannot justify 20 bucks for an adapter.

No. I have a bunch of spin fits, symbio orange, auvio(sp), double flanges, comply foam

 

[Dsnuts]

I see. Well I can say silver has a positive effect on the treble end of the H40. Cable I am using currently the ISN SC4 is half pure silver with an inlay of crystal copper. I suppose it isn't ideal to get separate accessories. At one time or another just a pointer. Spiral dots and Alza tips are highly recommended. What you got there are all medium to narrow bored tips and nothing really wide. We are talking 5mm opening wide. Wide bore tips matter as there are a lot of drivers in the H40 and maximizing the sonics of earphones is one thing I do with each in ear. Not all in ears need wider bored tips but I personally like a widest possible on the H40.

In an ideal world manufacturers would all include high end cables and sonically maximized tips. I have only seen a few actually do this. DUNU for one. IBasso is another.

If you end up selling them I doubt you will loose much in the way of how much you spent on them. I know a lot of guys are still snapping up the H40 from what I can see. I can say your not hearing their full potential but who wants to be told that when they paid good money for an iem. This is a case where ISN gives the best they can for the money paid. Good cable and a selection of standard tips. But since I have heard the H40 at max potential. Ya they require after market tips and a higher end cable for max potential.

As a side note. At least the H40 is $195 and not $1000 I paid for the EE Zeus. Zeus requires a much higher end cable and after market tips on top of the premium price. Which I found out the hard way. The most pickiest earphone in existence. For example you can't throw on a pure silver cable on the Zeus or your gonna get a ear full of bright sunshine. It requires copper and not just any copper either. Sucks. Lol. In any case I hope you give them a chance. Some things are worth toiling and getting just right. If not, then not a big loss if sold.

 

[zepmaj]

So how can i get that $135 deal?

 

[Dsnuts]

Don't know how many folks will get the a discount code. You will have to message Penon. I think it is for folks that have a penon account not certain.

 

[audio123]

I see. Well I can say silver has a positive effect on the treble end of the H40. Cable I am using currently the ISN SC4 is half pure silver with an inlay of crystal copper. I suppose it isn't ideal to get separate accessories. At one time or another just a pointer. Spiral dots and Alza tips are highly recommended. What you got there are all medium to narrow bored tips and nothing really wide. We are talking 5mm opening wide. Wide bore tips matter as there are a lot of drivers in the H40 and maximizing the sonics of earphones is one thing I do with each in ear. Not all in ears need wider bored tips but I personally like a widest possible on the H40.

In an ideal world manufacturers would all include high end cables and sonically maximized tips. I have only seen a few actually do this. DUNU for one. IBasso is another.

If you end up selling them I doubt you will loose much in the way of how much you spent on them. I know a lot of guys are still snapping up the H40 from what I can see. I can say your not hearing their full potential but who wants to be told that when they paid good money for an iem. This is a case where ISN gives the best they can for the money paid. Good cable and a selection of standard tips. But since I have heard the H40 at max potential. Ya they require after market tips and a higher end cable for max potential.

As a side note. At least the H40 is $195 and not $1000 I paid for the EE Zeus. Zeus requires a much higher end cable and after market tips on top of the premium price. Which I found out the hard way. The most pickiest earphone in existence. For example you can't throw on a pure silver cable on the Zeus or your gonna get a ear full of bright sunshine. It requires copper and not just any copper either. Sucks. Lol. In any case I hope you give them a chance. Some things are worth toiling and getting just right. If not, then not a big loss if sold.

Yea I concur. I have been maximizing my H40 potential with PW Monile 4 Core Shielding cable + JVC Spiral Dot ++ tips. This particular combo scales the H40 to another level.

ISN keeps delivering. First the H40 and now the D10. Really brilliant IEMs at their price point. Here is a a picture of ISN H40 and ISN D10 side by side. Cheers!