[HerrXRDS]

Cable cutting out. Tell Penon they will send you a new one. As per the bass. I got a bit of that narrow bass sounding out of the box. I dont know if you believe in burn in but I would burn them in a bit. Bass fills out nicely once that is done. Try using some foams.

After 24 hours of burn-in I can not hear any noticeable difference. The bass still sounds small and one tone compared to some of the other sets I have.
For example the drums on these two songs





With the FH5 you can tell the size of the drums and each have a separate tonality and texture with the bass guitar clearly separated behind. With the H40 the size of those drums is reduced and tonality is shifted more towards one note, still defined and maybe with more volume but not as good. Also, when something big hits, they don't have the same reach that makes you "wow".
Also, listening to something more chill like Wardruna or Heilung is not cutting it. They sound way too much in your head for me to enjoy them after listening to more spacious sets.
I may sound too critical, these are not bad per se, they are actually quite good, it's just that they don't bring any upgrade to the sets I already have and are worse in areas I am really picky about. I'll give them another 100 hours of burn in, if nothing changes up for sale they go.

 

[davescleveland]

Honestly you have a bad set. Must be. These are amazing. Super bassy and huge soundstage. I’d ask for a replacement

 

[DynamicEars]

After 24 hours of burn-in I can not hear any noticeable difference. The bass still sounds small and one tone compared to some of the other sets I have.
For example the drums on these two songs





With the FH5 you can tell the size of the drums and each have a separate tonality and texture with the bass guitar clearly separated behind. With the H40 the size of those drums is reduced and tonality is shifted more towards one note, still defined and maybe with more volume but not as good. Also, when something big hits, they don't have the same reach that makes you "wow".
Also, listening to something more chill like Wardruna or Heilung is not cutting it. They sound way too much in your head for me to enjoy them after listening to more spacious sets.
I may sound too critical, these are not bad per se, they are actually quite good, it's just that they don't bring any upgrade to the sets I already have and are worse in areas I am really picky about. I'll give them another 100 hours of burn in, if nothing changes up for sale they go.

Honestly you have a bad set. Must be. These are amazing. Super bassy and huge soundstage. I’d ask for a replacement

not sure if you have maybe bad set or you wrongly got the old version?
if its not the case then well maybe you just want an IEM that have more technicalities in priority. My impressions as i wrote few pages back, they aren't specialized in technicalities. I said details are good, but not great, layering and imaging is good to me but nothing special and wow-ed me (for this price range, but still better than most budget level under $100 IEM) and soundstage is wide but not jawdropping huge. On other side, the H40 impressive aspects are on their musicality, coherence, smoothness, and big dynamics and again the note weight.
From my opinion that you are after detail, separation, and layering above the pros of H40, which they haven't lack I would say, but not their strongest aspects here. You would want a more technical de tour IEM in that case. Above all, everything down to your preferences. cheers, just my 2 cents

*edit : listening to locust by Machine Head again, although not my genre, I hear thar the bass required fast decayed DD to handle complex tracks on lows. I can imagine these are better with faster decayed bass IEM. H40 DD agility is good, but not the fastest, not by any mean they are bad, but you may expect different presentation. H40 have rumbles and clean with minimal smears, and you may want that agile, fast decay bass with great texture that feels snappy and tight combine with great technicalities (separation, imaging, layering).

 

[expatriot]

the 2 songs came through fine on my pair. I'm inclined to believe you must have got a lemon.

 

[audio123]

After 24 hours of burn-in I can not hear any noticeable difference. The bass still sounds small and one tone compared to some of the other sets I have.
For example the drums on these two songs





With the FH5 you can tell the size of the drums and each have a separate tonality and texture with the bass guitar clearly separated behind. With the H40 the size of those drums is reduced and tonality is shifted more towards one note, still defined and maybe with more volume but not as good. Also, when something big hits, they don't have the same reach that makes you "wow".
Also, listening to something more chill like Wardruna or Heilung is not cutting it. They sound way too much in your head for me to enjoy them after listening to more spacious sets.
I may sound too critical, these are not bad per se, they are actually quite good, it's just that they don't bring any upgrade to the sets I already have and are worse in areas I am really picky about. I'll give them another 100 hours of burn in, if nothing changes up for sale they go.

Are you using FH5 in stock configuration? For me, the H40 is just superior. If you want a day & night difference upgrade, I advice you to go for a TOTL flagship IEM. At H40 price point, it's a no brainer imo.

 

[BassAmpd]

Hey all! Interested in this IEM so far. I was dead set on getting the Ikko oh10's but suddenly the H40's jumped out from the shadow realm and i'm wondering if anyone can do a comparison between the two. Coming in from the shuoer tapes i'm looking for a deep but detailed and resolve bass that knows when to shine, detailed mids that aren't recessed too much, holographic soundstage, and sparkling highs. I also favor EDM, classical, jazz, hip hop, and R&B. Lemme know what you come up with!

 

[expatriot]

BassAmpd: The ISN H40 should work well for you, however you might also consider a more detailed NF Audio NA1.

 

[audio123]

Glad you enjoy the H40 as much as I do. This is why I recommend the H40 very highly, it is that good.



The H40 has more punchy bass, thicker lower midrange, less forward upper midrange, more extended treble. The H40 has bigger stage. It really depends on personal preference. Both are very competent IEMs. Cheers!

So far, I think I like the H40 a little bit better. They're really, really close though. What I hear as improvements are slightly larger soundstage, and vocals which have some more heft to them. The H40 is right at the same level of detail, but the OH10 has a tad more sparkle, so the highs shimmer just that slight bit better. Lows are very similar, but the H40 has a mild uptick in mid-bass by comparison, the OH10's is cleaner and shifted more sub-bass. So overall this gives the H40 a richer and more enveloping sound, with punchier lows. I did swap out the cable to a **** 4.4mm balanced which I think helped the soundstage somewhat. I've also been having good luck with my good ol' standby tips, the old style UE900 dark grey silicones. These two are definitely my current favorite IEMs.

@BassAmpd

 

[regawdless]

Hey all! Interested in this IEM so far. I was dead set on getting the Ikko oh10's but suddenly the H40's jumped out from the shadow realm and i'm wondering if anyone can do a comparison between the two. Coming in from the shuoer tapes i'm looking for a deep but detailed and resolve bass that knows when to shine, detailed mids that aren't recessed too much, holographic soundstage, and sparkling highs. I also favor EDM, classical, jazz, hip hop, and R&B. Lemme know what you come up with!

The H40 are great, but if you're looking for sparkling highs, I don't think you'll find them here. The highs are detailed but rather laid back.

 

[progdvd]

This is the cable I highly recommend. It isn't that expensive either. It is a direct upgrade on the stock cable imo.https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32968749034.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.66.7e6d5285yZ7YyU&dp=fccec7bac94cb2a7ecccd4fd9e587a50&af=240682&cv=47843&afref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Fthreads%2Fisn-h40-impression-thread.920551%2Fpage-8&mall_affr=pr3&dp=fccec7bac94cb2a7ecccd4fd9e587a50&af=240682&cv=47843&afref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Fthreads%2Fisn-h40-impression-thread.920551%2Fpage-8&mall_affr=pr3&aff_platform=aaf&cpt=1577896276857&sk=VnYZvQVf&aff_trace_key=840f91d0786a41ccba4b4fd1c9934666-1577896276857-02391-VnYZvQVf&terminal_id=4ce07b332575474d92f0c26f02de3811

I'm re-reading this thread and this is amazing still no bad comments about H40.

I'm wondering can you tell me what's the weight on this cable comparing with its cheaper 8 core brother? 8 core version is truly a gem for the price but just a bit too heavy for my liking.

 

[Dsnuts]

You might not like that alloy SPC cable then. It is heavier due to the 4 cores being physically thicker. I recently put the new ISN SC4 on the H40 and it sounds fantastic on the H40. I think this might replace that alloy cable actully. Better spacial imaging, cleaner treble and overal better balancing of the sonics even over that alloy cable.

This cable is new from ISN called the SC4. It is mostly pure silver but has a crystal copper inlay. Very soft supple and is light as it is only 4 cores. Very nice upgrade to the H40 . I know this cable is a bit spendy but like all good things. It cost a bit more $109. I would definitley consider this cable an upgrade from that alloy cable which was $60 on sale. So not a huge jump in price. https://penonaudio.com/isn-audio-sc4.html

 

[Dsnuts]

So when looking for an upgrade cable wise. Look for silver content as it will bring out more of the treble shimmer and extension. The SC4 cable above is optimal and even that alloy copper cable as it is coated with a lot of silver. Either way I think both these cables are a direct upgrade on the stock ISN S8 cable that came with the H40.

 

[audio123]

So when looking for an upgrade cable wise. Look for silver content as it will bring out more of the treble shimmer and extension. The SC4 cable above is optimal and even that alloy copper cable as it is coated with a lot of silver. Either way I think both these cables are a direct upgrade on the stock ISN S8 cable that came with the H40.

The SC4 pairs really well with the H40. Greater treble extension and more sparkle. There is a cleaner presentation with more accurate positioning.

 

[josesol07]

Spent a couple of days listening to prog rock from the 70s: Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd... they all sound fantastic on H40.
Particularly Pink Floyd, just magnificent with the great dynamics provided by the H40.
Actually, any music genre I have thrown at them sounds just fine.
H40 is a great all-arounder.
Now, I need to find a go-out version of it.
cheers, Jose

 

[CoiL]

not sure if you have maybe bad set or you wrongly got the old version?
if its not the case then well maybe you just want an IEM that have more technicalities in priority. My impressions as i wrote few pages back, they aren't specialized in technicalities. I said details are good, but not great, layering and imaging is good to me but nothing special and wow-ed me (for this price range, but still better than most budget level under $100 IEM) and soundstage is wide but not jawdropping huge. On other side, the H40 impressive aspects are on their musicality, coherence, smoothness, and big dynamics and again the note weight.
From my opinion that you are after detail, separation, and layering above the pros of H40, which they haven't lack I would say, but not their strongest aspects here. You would want a more technical de tour IEM in that case. Above all, everything down to your preferences. cheers, just my 2 cents

*edit : listening to locust by Machine Head again, although not my genre, I hear thar the bass required fast decayed DD to handle complex tracks on lows. I can imagine these are better with faster decayed bass IEM. H40 DD agility is good, but not the fastest, not by any mean they are bad, but you may expect different presentation. H40 have rumbles and clean with minimal smears, and you may want that agile, fast decay bass with great texture that feels snappy and tight combine with great technicalities (separation, imaging, layering).

How would You compare KPE vs. H40 v2 ? I`m thinking about selling some of my gear and looking for possible upgrade without exceeding 200$ limit.