[Redcarmoose]

The two IEMs arrive at almost opposite areas, yet still sharing much of same potential for warmth. First off the EST drivers of the EST50 only do the upper treble, yet there is found a style of placement which is finding great (quality) upper details....such details of correct timbre or high up cymbals. Where the SERIAL is more smooth and together in the treble, yet there is also more rolled off, maybe? There is maybe actually an economic reason they use ESTs, where just two ESTs may do what more upper BA drivers do, as far as delineating the way up sparkles and far outside details, into the soundstage. This is hard to prove one way or the other, as ESTs are just different than a whole bunch of treble BAs. Some would say they don’t have the steeliness of BAs, yet at times big 10 BA TOTL flagships pull-off amazing qualities! Without any ESTs, and some still cost more.

There isn’t the same response from every EST I have found out of the 3 I’ve heard. Yet still they are different than what a whole stack of BAs can do up there. To tell you the truth, there have been many ways even the same set of Sonion drivers sound, they sound different, and I don’t have answers as to why. But the ESTs can be more brought out in placement or farther hidden, literally I don’t know the details, if Sonion makes a bunch of different sets or not? But to say all ESTs sound the same is not true. Yet with the EST50 they are more back set than I have found before. The TRN BAX is more forward, and the LAND EST drivers are different again. Where ISN is more bass focused, Penon has more midrange involvement. Neither is wrong just a different spice of life. Where the SERIAL is more neutral, the ISN EST50 is more bass laden which becomes both a special IEM due to the bass, yet the SERIAL is cleaner down there, and is of a faster pace naturally. Where the speed takes places with where the ISN H50 goes, the EST50 is the way the H40 sounds, only the H40 is more up-front with everything and the EST50 the soundstage went and fell backwards to make room for the details to become found forward, in smaller details! Those details are of finer creation than both the SERIAL and the ISN H40. The bass is more sculpted and carved in the EST50, but also carries baggage that extra weight would have you guess is there. Though with cables you can have multiple bass choices to a point, making the bass have a repositioning of sorts. Yet it is always there as a quality the EST50 is famous for. Both are warm, yet there is this separation of methods which maybe makes the SERIAL more cohesive, yet it’s that mix of characters from multiple methods which makes the EST50 overall character and essential to its ability.

During the sale now I noticed the EST50 gets almost down to 400euro, anyone who can maybe compare how the EST50 stacks up to Penon Serial? I am guessing more detailed all over and maybe more treble and bass presence?

Probably going to be a long while before its discounted this much again, while the H30 and Serial is very different. Both has impressed me with what they do, so I kinda want to try more from ISN and Penon. Tried a friends Penon Volt and liked it a lot, but can not justify the price for now.

 

[Leonarfd]

The Serial has that analog sound to my ears, probably due the drivers. The EST50 is very tempting going from the reviews and impressions. At times I want more technical sound, H30 is on that road with good mids and highs but lack sub bass rumble.

 

[Leonarfd]

Going to give some more time before I order EST50, probably going to be a good sale at another time also.

On another note, Schiit Lokius is a good match for lowering the 6-8k peak in the ISN H30. The 5th knob is a wide 7k EQ adjustment. Yeah I know this can be done with digital EQ but its something special about just pressing a button or turning knobs.

Listening right now to Boucle Infinie 直線移動
With a good boost in the 20Hz band and a little extra at 100Hz the ISN H30 actually sounds quite full sounding for music that likes more bass than what H30 deliver.

 

[archy121]

Yes, I have every ISN made, except the ISN Audio D02, the H30 is in the mail. Also besides the EST50, I would consider the ISN D10. Why? The D10 is a bass monster, though if active bass is not found in a track then it simply doesn't display it! Both the EST50 and the D10 would be considered bass emphasis IEMs. Really most of the ISN line concentrates on bass, at least there is emphasis, where the PENON line of IEMs is also centering on midrange and the bass. I mean, mostly (all) TOTL IEMs (EST50) are always going to be pretty much great.......it's what you pay for. Your dollar is paying for that greatness. There will of course by some subjective sound preferences catered to, as always some more than others. But there are ways to modify the signature (slightly) to bring the tone in-line with your wants and personal values. Probably the same (adjustments) (or close to it) as you are experiencing (now) with the H30?

The surprising thing is when a $149.00 IEM (D10) blows you away! Also it wasn't the bass response that I was most infatuated with, if you read the review.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/isn-d10.24286/reviews#review-29043
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/isn-h50.25550/reviews#review-28946
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/isn-h40.24083/reviews#review-28747
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/isn-est50.25254/reviews#review-28717

https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-d10.html
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-h50.html
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-h40.html
https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-est50.html

Look forward to your H30 & D10 comparison. I haven’t upgraded since DM6 & looking for similar sound with better bass & separation.

$150 is my max budget & surprised to see H30 at $129 from its original $190 when it came out.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Well, both the D10 and H30 have great midrange. Though after you realize the bass is good with the D10, then the midrange becomes almost the star of the show, which is slightly confusing as you guess it to only be good with bass? The H30 and D10 are also very close to the same shape, with the H30 showing a nozzle even slightly longer. They want the sound dispersed deep in your canal! But the amazement was the D10 bass (for me) it’s world class bass that seems almost out of place for the cost of the D10, it’s insane.

The D10 bass is some of the best bass I have ever heard from any IEM regardless of price!

Where in a way too, you have to search for bass as it’s displayed only when present in the song file! A perfect description is how it will all of a sudden show up way deeper than expected, but that’s it getting bass from the sound file, so it’s bass most of the time then 2X deep bass after it’s actually there 2X in the song file. Where the H30 is a future new sound which was first found with the more curtailed bass of the H50. Still note, even the H50 with its W signature has way more bass than the H30. Where the H50 knows how to kick, the H30 is a wildly more prim and proper arrival at strangely neutral bass. The D10 (to me) is more well rounded than the H30 maybe? The D10 was a complete surprise for me, as it was the cheaper IEM which arrived after the H40 and EST50, it arrived with the H50, but I did the review later. I had lesser respect for (what I thought) the D10 was. But surprisingly the D10 was the stuff of dreams, and a totally comprehensive IEM in it’s own right. It demanded respect and admiration, I simply needed to get close to it, and let it do the 7 days burn-in process. It may have been good out of the box, but I failed to give it much attention at the start.

Look forward to your H30 & D10 comparison. I haven’t upgraded since DM6 & looking for similar sound with better bass & separation.

$150 is my max budget & surprised to see H30 at $129 from its original $190 when it came out.

Yes, the H30 balance is different, in that the mids start to reveal themselves in contrast to what is going on deep down. It’s almost like EQ that was placed to accentuate the mids, only it’s real life! To me the D10 and H30 are the most opposite in the ISN line, yet I haven’t heard the ISN D02.

The DM6 is more “digital sounding” is that it contains more BA timbre, where ISN bypassed that, and that (is one thing) that could be ISNs calling card........they do great with working around timbre artifacts, where stuff like the Fearless S6Rui and BGVP DM6 are at the climax of BA timbre! Especially the S6Rui. But there was a time BA timbre was noticed less, and we concentrated on the details that were provided by BAs. Still there is nothing wrong with the DM6, you could say that was the one gateway to this whole thing for me? The D10 has no BA sheen due to no BAs, but you could say the H30 has a little. Yet wildly the D10 has great separation and contrast like a Hybrid would have, but it has the cohesiveness of a (single-full-range) 9mm DD.

https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-d10.html

The BGVP DM6 has more bass than the H30 but less than the D10.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Going to give some more time before I order EST50, probably going to be a good sale at another time also.

On another note, Schiit Lokius is a good match for lowering the 6-8k peak in the ISN H30. The 5th knob is a wide 7k EQ adjustment. Yeah I know this can be done with digital EQ but its something special about just pressing a button or turning knobs.

Listening right now to Boucle Infinie 直線移動
With a good boost in the 20Hz band and a little extra at 100Hz the ISN H30 actually sounds quite full sounding for music that likes more bass than what H30 deliver.

Yes, that’s a trick I often use, where you join a neutral bass IEM, with a heavy bass file, and witness better bass than a file with so-so bass!

 

[archy121]

Yes, that’s a trick I often use, where you join a neutral bass IEM, with a heavy bass file, and witness better bass than a file with so-so bass!

Thanks mate.
Looks like I’m going take a better look at DS10. Great Bass is something that I can’t overlook

 

[Ahmad313]

Well, both the D10 and H30 have great midrange. Though after you realize the bass is good with the D10, then the midrange becomes almost the star of the show, which is slightly confusing as you guess it to only be good with bass? The H30 and D10 are also very close to the same shape, with the H30 showing a nozzle even slightly longer. They want the sound dispersed deep in your canal! But the amazement was the D10 bass (for me) it’s world class bass that seems almost out of place for the cost of the D10, it’s insane.

The D10 bass is some of the best bass I have ever heard from any IEM regardless of price!

Where in a way too, you have to search for bass as it’s displayed only when present in the song file! A perfect description is how it will all of a sudden show up way deeper than expected, but that’s it getting bass from the sound file, so it’s bass most of the time then 2X deep bass after it’s actually there 2X in the song file. Where the H30 is a future new sound which was first found with the more curtailed bass of the H50. Still note, even the H50 with its W signature has way more bass than the H30. Where the H50 knows how to kick, the H30 is a wildly more prim and proper arrival at strangely neutral bass. The D10 (to me) is more well rounded than the H30 maybe? The D10 was a complete surprise for me, as it was the cheaper IEM which arrived after the H40 and EST50, it arrived with the H50, but I did the review later. I had lesser respect for (what I thought) the D10 was. But surprisingly the D10 was the stuff of dreams, and a totally comprehensive IEM in it’s own right. It demanded respect and admiration, I simply needed to get close to it, and let it do the 7 days burn-in process. It may have been good out of the box, but I failed to give it much attention at the start.

Yes, the H30 balance is different, in that the mids start to reveal themselves in contrast to what is going on deep down. It’s almost like EQ that was placed to accentuate the mids, only it’s real life! To me the D10 and H30 are the most opposite in the ISN line, yet I haven’t heard the ISN D02.

The DM6 is more “digital sounding” is that it contains more BA timbre, where ISN bypassed that, and that (is one thing) that could be ISNs calling card........they do great with working around timbre artifacts, where stuff like the Fearless S6Rui and BGVP DM6 are at the climax of BA timbre! Especially the S6Rui. But there was a time BA timbre was noticed less, and we concentrated on the details that were provided by BAs. Still there is nothing wrong with the DM6, you could say that was the one gateway to this whole thing for me? The D10 has no BA sheen due to no BAs, but you could say the H30 has a little. Yet wildly the D10 has great separation and contrast like a Hybrid would have, but it has the cohesiveness of a (single-full-range) 9mm DD.

https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-d10.html

The BGVP DM6 has more bass than the H30 but less than the D10.

You did a very brief comparison but still i don't understand some points ( it's my fault, i am not very good on English language) ,
I just want to know which has the more forward and thicker/fuller mids/vocals and soundstage depth and height , thanks ,

 

[Redcarmoose]

You did a very brief comparison but still i don't understand some points ( it's my fault, i am not very good on English language) ,
I just want to know which has the more forward and thicker/fuller mids/vocals and soundstage depth and height , thanks ,

The H30 is the more prominent vocals of the two. Soundstage too probably goes to the H30, yet it comes off more airy and faster.

 

[Leonarfd]

How is the D10 compared to some other single dynamic IEMs? There quite many good performers with a single Dynamic driver under or around 100$.

Edit noticed @Redcarmoose review compared them to some models.

 

[Leonarfd]

After almost exclusively listening to Penon Serial the last week, I'm back to H30. Tried the stock cable again, compared to the OS133 it lacks refinement. Drums hits are clearer and with more weight, it sounds fuller in a way. Would almost believe my stock cable is a dud.

There is still something special with H30, good midrange, clear treble just a tad forward with a wide and deep soundstage. Plays quite good from the mobile dongle, and scales good with higher end gear. Trying it with my new A90D, they play well together. Would have loved the same sound with more sub bass and maybe a tad more mid bass.

 

[Leonarfd]

Still stand by that ISN H30 suits rock and metal well, also plays well with most jazz. Nice with Indie Folk Rock, most genres here don't have that sub/mid bass focus.

Still its a very forward and intense sound experience, but that's also good at times.

 

[eclein]

Well I added the ISN G4 Cable to my H50's and love the new sound improvement, more musical, detailed, dynamic and exquisite tones....Thanks for the awesome tip Dsnuts!!

 

[Redcarmoose]

Well I added the ISN G4 Cable to my H50's and love the new sound improvement, more musical, detailed, dynamic and exquisite tones....Thanks for the awesome tip Dsnuts!!

The G4 has become one of my recent favorites, I am using it with the ORB at the moment, it is one of the best! Especially for the money, it beats out a few cables 2X the money!

Still stand by that ISN H30 suits rock and metal well, also plays well with most jazz. Nice with Indie Folk Rock, most genres here don't have that sub/mid bass focus.

Still its a very forward and intense sound experience, but that's also good at times.

That’s what I have said all along, that the H30 is a rock IEM. Cheers!

 

[Dsnuts]

Well I added the ISN G4 Cable to my H50's and love the new sound improvement, more musical, detailed, dynamic and exquisite tones....Thanks for the awesome tip Dsnuts!!

Glad that worked out for you. Dont know if folks just dont chime in when they dont work out for them but it is always good to see I am not the only one that hears improvements with cable match ups.