I just tried the double flange stock tips, I really like them! Usually I don’t go for double flange but due to the super wide nozzles on this IEM I was have trouble maintaining a good seal, the double flange seems to be doing the trick so far… anyone else tried them?
I received the SpinFit CP155 and 500 which, hopefully, will save these IEM for me but... I won't be able to try them out before this evening (CEST) or tomorrow.
Have installed Eletech Socrates and Azla tips. I think it should have the Azla Light Short tips, but it was such a struggle installing one Light Short that I just put standard Ezlas on it.
I just tried the double flange stock tips, I really like them! Usually I don’t go for double flange but due to the super wide nozzles on this IEM I was have trouble maintaining a good seal, the double flange seems to be doing the trick so far… anyone else tried them?
I’ve considered cable rolling but honestly I’m having trouble thinking what I would even want to be improved on the Isa. It’s got such a sweet, warm, cozy, smooth yet shimmery, textured and detailed sound that I’m afraid making any significant change would throw off the magical, effortless balance it possesses.
originally put this in the Oriolus products thread
Isabellae Unboxing & First Impressions after listening for a couple of hours..........
The unboxing experience was average to slightly underwhelming for me. Some unbranded tips and your cable and that's about your lot. Think 64 Audio as opposed to Dunu or Fiio for accessories and you won't be disappointed lol.
Cable seems nice enough though. I will swap it out later to see check IEM synergy with my other cables etc but I don't think you would need to upgrade it unless you absolutely wanted to.
The IEM's themselves are even better in the flesh than in the pictures. Really very attractive design.
The Fit. Whilst their form factor is small I did find them a little short and stubby for "MY EARS". I tend to need a slightly longer nozzle to create space between the body of the IEM and my ear canal. This meant I had to find the right tips to be able to get the seal I needed as I couldn't go as deep as I would have liked to. The diameter of the nozzle is a little thicker than Im used to and unfortunately this did limit my choices even though I have a good selection of tips to hand. I finally settled on the Azla Xelastec. I must stress that I have had to sell several good sounding IEM's in the past due to fit issues, esp with my right ear so please take my fit experience with these IEM's with a pinch of salt. Anyone without a freaky inner right ear will be absolutely fine lol.
The Sound. Once I'd achieved the right seal and I was happy I started listening to my usual test tracks...
My first thoughts were that they sounded smooth, natural, organic, very coherent with a slightly mid centric vocal presence. Yer.. the vocals are probably the star of the show here for me. Both male and female vocals sounded very good to me. I would give a slight nod towards male vocals but there's not much in it. Yer, both sound great.
I find the Sub bass is a little bit lacking, they do have a bit more mid bass presence though which is nice. Don't get me wrong they can hit if its in the track but it doesn't feel overemphasised in any way.
I find the treble also smooth but this is smooth done right with details. No sibilance, no veil, no obvious roll off's. I'm not a treble head so this is how I like my treble.
Im not very good at trying to explain soundstage or separation in an IEM so I will leave that up to the experts. Hope thats ok with everyone?
Overall I would say these are the kind of IEM's to just sit back, relax and enjoy your music with. For this purpose I think they are an easy recommendation for the money and well worth an audition
All I can say is cable non believers please stop reading the post now. This post will probably offend you so do yourself and move on.
Just tried swapping out the stock cable on the Isabellae for the Socrates for **** and giggles really but the results have kind of taken me by surprise
Instantly I felt the need to turn down the volume on N6ii/R01 from 25 to 22. It was louder, more dynamic than before. I was listening to Sarah McLachlan's Angel at the time. I think you'd probably agree not the most dynamic of tracks.
The Bass had more authority on tracks like Ed Sheeran's Bloodstream. Sure this is a Bassy track but that's the point I could now feel it more. The same for Lana Del ray's West Coast another of my Bass test tracks.
Dare I say vocals also become a little clearer? yes I dare, clarity definitely stepped up a notch or two. Still the same smoothness, just clearer. Think fine tuning the lens of a camera. Interlude by London Grammar. One of my regular test tracks was good example of this. Hanna's lips smack and gentle breaths just stood out more in the mix in this live performance.
I also "feel" the clarity extending up into the treble region. There's still no sibilance to speak of but it just strikes me as more open sounding.
Just listened to Ain't no sunshine by Eva Cassidy (I know, hardcore stuff right. Long live Rock n roll) Her voice is so clear and the guitars sound incredible on this track. As does the piano. This track is also one of my regular acoustic test tracks and I have to say it's rarely sounded better than it did tonight.
I will hook up the Isabellae stock cable to my other IEM's to ensure its not faulty. If it was that would help explain what I've just experienced but failing that I'd have to put it down to the cable, right? After all it's the only thing that's been changed.
Well either that or some other voodoo like the R01and IEM Burn is happening as they are both relatively new
Since I've never posted anything in this thread yet here are some collected Isa impressions I've shared during my first month with them, and which hopefully sooner than later I'll be crafting into a formal review.
TLDR: Well balanced, decently technical, beautiful timbre...but for me what sets it apart is the inspired tuning, especially the mids, and vocals in particular. If you're someone who's always wanted a single DD with Andromeda like tuning, or who is after perfect balance across the FR, who places a lot of stock in a natural, forward, seductive midrange with a superbly intimate vocal presentation... these are worth a serious look.
Caveat: I'm running these through the Shanling M8 which in my experience has a magical effect on everything I plug into it.
In a word, these are fantastic, showstopping IEMs. Initially I had some fears that the tuning would be to slanted eastward for my liking, which is why I ended up cancelling my original pre-order. These fears have proven to be unfounded. When I first received them I went straight to some Creedence Clearwater Revival as their music is typically intolerable to me on IEMs with overloaded upper mids and not enough mid-bass-- suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised. There is a lot of clarity & definition up top as well as sufficient air and energy-- without ever veering into anything shouty, overly vibrant, peaky, piercing or otherwise fatiguing. I could see these being described as bright leaning but it's brighness done right imho-- silky smooth, airy and well extended. These are by no means a bass dominant signature but the bass is very present, thick, well defined and extended with a smooth, natural and clean timbre. Mid-bass oomph seems to dominate a little over sub-bass and lower mid presence is bang on as far as my preferences are concerned. Bass quantity seems about on par with something like the Solaris or Andromeda...so there will probably people who want more bass than what these provide.
The Isabellae are a wonderfully smooth, clear, balanced and engaging listen...I often find myself excitedly flipping through my library and liking what I find each time. Standouts for me are vocals and midrange timbre in general-- I'm not usually a "vocal" guy but the texture & delivery seems totally natural, full, seductive and organic. Staging, resolution, layering etc. is good to above average but all of that stuff is secondary to me if the IEM is able to muster that "je ne sais quoi" romantic factor and sweep me off my feet. And the coherence is off the charts good...which I guess is to be expected from a single DD IEM. And just to illustrate a point-- I plugged these in for the first time thinking I'd just get a quick sense of them but they impressed me so much I was sucked in and ended up wiling away my whole lunch hour without getting around to eating lunch. Consequently I spent the whole afternoon hungry, but it was worth it.
My best and most concise description relative to what I've heard before would be to say that Isabellae is a single DD with Andromeda like tuning filtered through the genius & inspiration of an Eastern master. Elysium takes a similar "mid/vocal centric & bright leaning with a mid bass emphasis" approach but in a hybrid configuration with superior technicalities including much superior highs. Ely's treble remains the best I've ever heard in an IEM (followed by the Z1R). To my ears Andro, Ely and Isa all share the same central tuning philosophy expressed through different driver configurations. Dorado is its own thing entirely and is currently only ahead of the Isa by virtue of my unabashed basshead tendencies and fixation on the acoustic magic brought about by the ceramic shell. In terms of a generalist rec I would place Isa above Dorado but for someone like me who loves what Dorado does it's hard to top as there's nothing else on the market quite like it.
In terms of midrange openess and clarity the Isa is second only to Elysium for me. Vocals on this IEM are a thing to behold. Both male and female vocals sound fantastic-- always in the spotlight, crystal clear and with a sweet, bodied, and lifelike timbre. Male vocals area as intimate and natural as any IEM I've heard, surpassing even VE8 for me in terms of overall presentation and behind only Elysium for female vocals.
This IEM being as good as it is to my ears just serves to add credence to all the praise that's been directed towards "The Old Man" and his tuning in the wake of the profoundly popular Trailli. Also, it's another example of why I shouldn't read too much into FR graphs. In retrospect I think the excellent mid-bass presence in this IEM serves to balance out the upper mid/lower treble region...which is so deftly tuned as to offer wonderful clarity, body and air without ever being shouty, peaky, metallic or anything. Highs are usually the deal breaker for me on single DD IEMs and the highs here are wonderful. Ultimately everything about the tuning of this IEM comes off as the product of a singular creative vision combined with a noteable delicacy of perception...which is a pleasing change from the "tuned by algorithm" feeling I get from certain IEMs.
For what it's worth Turbo Gain on the M8 just lights Isa's single DD right up...I'm sure a measure of my appreciation of this IEM is due to Shanling Magic.
Tuning wise Campfire IEMs at their best derive no small amount of their charm by being a little rough around the edges. They remind me a little of Jimmy Page's guitar playing-- a little wild but soooo bloody soulful. They're bombastic, dynamic, in your face and I wouldn't change a thing about them. The Isabellae, expressed in terms I am familiar with, can be described as a Campfre-like tuning but polished to perfection with many of the personality quirks ironed out. Similar in character, but less bombastic, more even keeled, but slightly less distinct-- and no less engaging or enthralling to me. Further there is just the right amount of eastern flavor that it will probably appeal equally to someone who listens to a lot of J-Pop as well as someone like me who listens to a lot of Dire Straits and CCR. I have talked a lot lately about "Eastern" vs. "Western" tuning and the idea of a "best of both worlds" IEM. I had thought previously that the IER Z1R, of the IEMS I've heard, deserved this crown...but now I think I'd have to give it to Isabellae.
I took the Dorado 2020 on the road with me for a few hours one afternoon and listened to it for the first time after close to a week straight with Isabellae. Gone was the tonal perfection, tuneful sweetness and intimate reverie that I have come to love about the Isa-- but to make up for it the Dorado ushered me into a world more primitive and wild but addictively engaging, muscular, bombastic, soulful and fun...and ultimately no less satisfying.
Orilolus, Campfire and Vision Ears all seem to embody different shades of similar ideals reflected through their respective cultures. Each company uniquely embodies and reflects the ideal of visionary devoted craftsmen and each are equally dear to me.
To summarize: I can't get over how much I'm enraptured by this tuneful little bird. Most of my experience has been with hybrids or IEMs with multiple drivers. I think at least some of the magic in this IEM derives from its single DD coherence-- it gives the whole signature an underlying cohesiveness, completeness & unity that is simply not possible with hybrid or even multiple BA setups. And there is the tuning...so tuneful, so seductive, balanced, well tempered and sweet...it really is like being charmed by a little bird on a tree outside, capturing your attention with its simple yet sweet and melodious musings. In a world that has seemingly gone insane, and in a hobby where more and more IEMs are coming out that push the price to quite frankly ludicrous levels I am quite I relieved that I can derive seemingly total and indefinite satisfaction from such a modestly priced and masterful creation as the Oriolus Isabellea. I've said it before but here is conclusive proof you don't need to break $1K to attain TOTL sound. I could take this as my only IEM and be totally happy for a very long time.
On tips rolling I found on Spital Dots ++ ML getting the best from Isa sound, a very soft tip
Bass is almost perfect, mids stunning, airy highs but not crispy
I´d like you give a try this incredible song, for me in only 4 min 14 secs, you can hear why Isa is so special, no other iem till now have transmited to me so many soul, feelings and so on.
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