bluestorm1992
Headphoneus Supremus
Great impressions, and excited to know that you are enjoying Isa.
Oriolus Products General Discussion Thread
- Thread starter bluestorm1992
- Start date
Isabellae, magical hummingbird in an amber house.
A beautiful set, small and unassuming, refined, excellent tuning, less is more in every choice made, clever tuning tricks, understated and elegant looks.
Thanks to Andrew of MusicTeck for providing me the demo set this week, I am returning it today, and I am ordering my own set. Everything I write is my opinion based on what I heard, I did not look at charts, and I did not try and analyze the set in that way, just wanted to see what it could do with some of my favorite music.
My journey this week
I went through a process this week where at first, I was using the wrong tips, and not the best source for the set, the Azla SednaPerfict Fit Shorts which work for me with Thummim and Traillii, so naturally I started there, talking with @jwilliamhurst about what I was hearing he recommended I switch to the stock large silicon, problem solved, thanks J.
Next, I was using the P6Pro and it was good but not good enough for me to think I would use the set much, I enjoyed the Piano solo of Keith Jarrett, and I realized that Isa had nice mids so I moved to vocals namely Karrin Allison and I liked what I was hearing, so I decided to contrast with the Elysium and the next day I switched to the M8. Now Isabellae sounded great, Elysium still beat the set with her voice because of the added sparkle that the Isabellae just did not present. So far, I was not sold.
I also talked with @Rockwell75 and again with @jwilliamhurst and decided I needed to keep trying, Rock was basing his comments I think on music that was not as acoustic based as what I started with, I decided to go ahead and try out another female vocalist Goldfrapp backed with electric amplified instruments, and to my ears I enjoyed her vocals better on the Isabellae than the Elysium, this came down to the electric bass that was not present enough with the Elysium to compliment her voice and the tracks. @jwilliamhurst recommended an album that I believe we both started listening to recently by Cindy Blackman as sounding incredible with the Isa, he was right. Now I was sold.
To confirm my decision this morning I have been listening to Riverside, this band I did not even know about until 4 months ago and I have been listening to and exploring their catalog, A+.
M8 and Isabellae I highly recommend this combo.
Notes on the build
Because design is equal to me to what a set sounds like and I desire excellence on both fronts, the Isabellae checks the design boxes for me.
Internally there is a sealing gasket that separates the front of the driver from the back, both porting into empty space within the housing. The careful design is so subtle, appreciating all the trial-and-error prototyping that likely preceded this final version I have in my hands.
The backside of the DD ports out into most of the empty space within the shell and is also vented through the brass face plate. There is a good deal of energy leaving these ports, playing around I reversed the set and placed the back side into me ears to see how much sound was coming out of the face plate ports. Interesting to me the sound in my head was very similar to what the set sounds like inserted the correct way, less volume, very similar presentation, bass is not as present without the proper seal.
The frontside of the driver also has a single vent port, which appears to be gasketed from the empty space that the frontside DD ports into. This cavity exits to the neck of the set, and unlike the Traillii, includes a screen.
Absolutely no driver flex, no matter what I did with the set, while inserting or while adjusting.
No expert here but for such a simple design, there are clearly some very careful choices made leading to the sound I am hearing from this set.
Briefly on the cable, this is one of the thinnest cables I have used, the weave is tight, the cable is soft and pliable and does not tangle. The hardware is elegant just like the Isabellae drivers are.
Isabellae, Traillii, Elysium
Like my sonic journey, because of using the wrong tips there is a bump on the Isabellae underside that caused me some discomfort. There is an indentation that is meant to line up with cartilage within our ears, comparing that to the Traillii shell, it is more pronounced and closer to the neck. The distance from the neck to the bump places that bump somewhat on top of that cartilage instead of straddling it. Once I switched tips and the sensitive area recovered the next day this was no longer an issue, I think with the Shorts I was trying to get a seal and pushing the set in too hard.
Albums used and additional notes on sound
P6Pro High Gain - Keith Jarrett, Koln concert, for anyone not familiar with that great work, it is recorded live, and occasionally the environment of the crowd can be heard creating atmosphere. Keith moves between sparse moments with single notes sustained, and rapid-fire melodies seemingly invented in the moment. The Isabellae does this recording justice I found myself thoroughly engaged. Keith’s piano remained squarely in the center of my head, at the same time moving in a tight circular pattern from left to right ear, while his verbal grunts sounding behind me and above my head.
Coherency was great at no time did I become distracted by changes in energy level as Keith moved up and down the keys.
P6Pro followed by relisten with M8 on Turbo - Karrin Allison, Ballads her smoky voice sounds excellent, supported by lovely full bass, and accented by perfectly balanced upper mids. This album is just incredible and stands 100s of listens, highly recommended.
I switched to the M8 since I wanted to compare the Isa to the Ely and the M8 Elysium synergy, to my ears, this pairing is as good as vocals get for anything I have listened to. Like the Elysium the Isabellae also sounded much better on the M8 than it did on the P6Pro. Good vs Great.
M8 Turbo Gain - Goldfrapp, Felt Mountain, track Lovely Head, as the song reaches about 24 seconds the bass guitar kicks in, with the Isabellae this provides a nice bottom to Goldfrapp’s vocals, this bass is much less foundational to the mix with the Ely, while at the same time some vocal fatigue slightly kicks in, surprised by this after such a great listen with both sets with the Karrin Alisson tracks, and somewhat favoring the Elysium for Karrin’s music because of the sparkle, now clearly preferring the Isabellae for Goldfrapp.
M8 Turbo Gain – Cindy Blackman, Someday, nothing short of awesome, acoustic jazz.
M8 Turbo Gain – Various Riverside Albums and Tracks, perfect to my ears for this music.
A beautiful set, small and unassuming, refined, excellent tuning, less is more in every choice made, clever tuning tricks, understated and elegant looks.
Thanks to Andrew of MusicTeck for providing me the demo set this week, I am returning it today, and I am ordering my own set. Everything I write is my opinion based on what I heard, I did not look at charts, and I did not try and analyze the set in that way, just wanted to see what it could do with some of my favorite music.
My journey this week
I went through a process this week where at first, I was using the wrong tips, and not the best source for the set, the Azla SednaPerfict Fit Shorts which work for me with Thummim and Traillii, so naturally I started there, talking with @jwilliamhurst about what I was hearing he recommended I switch to the stock large silicon, problem solved, thanks J.
Next, I was using the P6Pro and it was good but not good enough for me to think I would use the set much, I enjoyed the Piano solo of Keith Jarrett, and I realized that Isa had nice mids so I moved to vocals namely Karrin Allison and I liked what I was hearing, so I decided to contrast with the Elysium and the next day I switched to the M8. Now Isabellae sounded great, Elysium still beat the set with her voice because of the added sparkle that the Isabellae just did not present. So far, I was not sold.
I also talked with @Rockwell75 and again with @jwilliamhurst and decided I needed to keep trying, Rock was basing his comments I think on music that was not as acoustic based as what I started with, I decided to go ahead and try out another female vocalist Goldfrapp backed with electric amplified instruments, and to my ears I enjoyed her vocals better on the Isabellae than the Elysium, this came down to the electric bass that was not present enough with the Elysium to compliment her voice and the tracks. @jwilliamhurst recommended an album that I believe we both started listening to recently by Cindy Blackman as sounding incredible with the Isa, he was right. Now I was sold.
To confirm my decision this morning I have been listening to Riverside, this band I did not even know about until 4 months ago and I have been listening to and exploring their catalog, A+.
M8 and Isabellae I highly recommend this combo.
Notes on the build
Because design is equal to me to what a set sounds like and I desire excellence on both fronts, the Isabellae checks the design boxes for me.
Internally there is a sealing gasket that separates the front of the driver from the back, both porting into empty space within the housing. The careful design is so subtle, appreciating all the trial-and-error prototyping that likely preceded this final version I have in my hands.
The backside of the DD ports out into most of the empty space within the shell and is also vented through the brass face plate. There is a good deal of energy leaving these ports, playing around I reversed the set and placed the back side into me ears to see how much sound was coming out of the face plate ports. Interesting to me the sound in my head was very similar to what the set sounds like inserted the correct way, less volume, very similar presentation, bass is not as present without the proper seal.
The frontside of the driver also has a single vent port, which appears to be gasketed from the empty space that the frontside DD ports into. This cavity exits to the neck of the set, and unlike the Traillii, includes a screen.
Absolutely no driver flex, no matter what I did with the set, while inserting or while adjusting.
No expert here but for such a simple design, there are clearly some very careful choices made leading to the sound I am hearing from this set.
Briefly on the cable, this is one of the thinnest cables I have used, the weave is tight, the cable is soft and pliable and does not tangle. The hardware is elegant just like the Isabellae drivers are.
Isabellae, Traillii, Elysium
Like my sonic journey, because of using the wrong tips there is a bump on the Isabellae underside that caused me some discomfort. There is an indentation that is meant to line up with cartilage within our ears, comparing that to the Traillii shell, it is more pronounced and closer to the neck. The distance from the neck to the bump places that bump somewhat on top of that cartilage instead of straddling it. Once I switched tips and the sensitive area recovered the next day this was no longer an issue, I think with the Shorts I was trying to get a seal and pushing the set in too hard.
Albums used and additional notes on sound
P6Pro High Gain - Keith Jarrett, Koln concert, for anyone not familiar with that great work, it is recorded live, and occasionally the environment of the crowd can be heard creating atmosphere. Keith moves between sparse moments with single notes sustained, and rapid-fire melodies seemingly invented in the moment. The Isabellae does this recording justice I found myself thoroughly engaged. Keith’s piano remained squarely in the center of my head, at the same time moving in a tight circular pattern from left to right ear, while his verbal grunts sounding behind me and above my head.
Coherency was great at no time did I become distracted by changes in energy level as Keith moved up and down the keys.
P6Pro followed by relisten with M8 on Turbo - Karrin Allison, Ballads her smoky voice sounds excellent, supported by lovely full bass, and accented by perfectly balanced upper mids. This album is just incredible and stands 100s of listens, highly recommended.
I switched to the M8 since I wanted to compare the Isa to the Ely and the M8 Elysium synergy, to my ears, this pairing is as good as vocals get for anything I have listened to. Like the Elysium the Isabellae also sounded much better on the M8 than it did on the P6Pro. Good vs Great.
M8 Turbo Gain - Goldfrapp, Felt Mountain, track Lovely Head, as the song reaches about 24 seconds the bass guitar kicks in, with the Isabellae this provides a nice bottom to Goldfrapp’s vocals, this bass is much less foundational to the mix with the Ely, while at the same time some vocal fatigue slightly kicks in, surprised by this after such a great listen with both sets with the Karrin Alisson tracks, and somewhat favoring the Elysium for Karrin’s music because of the sparkle, now clearly preferring the Isabellae for Goldfrapp.
M8 Turbo Gain – Cindy Blackman, Someday, nothing short of awesome, acoustic jazz.
M8 Turbo Gain – Various Riverside Albums and Tracks, perfect to my ears for this music.
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Isabellae, magical hummingbird in an amber house.
A beautiful set, small and unassuming, refined, excellent tuning, less is more in every choice made, clever tuning tricks, understated and elegant looks.
Thanks to Andrew of MusicTeck for providing me the demo set this week, I am returning it today, and I am ordering my own set. Everything I write is my opinion based on what I heard, I did not look at charts, and I did not try and analyze the set in that way, just wanted to see what it could do with some of my favorite music.
My journey this week
I went through a process this week where at first, I was using the wrong tips, and not the best source for the set, the Azla SednaPerfict Fit Shorts which work for me with Thummim and Traillii, so naturally I started there, talking with @jwilliamhurst about what I was hearing he recommended I switch to the stock large silicon, problem solved, thanks J.
Next, I was using the P6Pro and it was good but not good enough for me to think I would use the set much, I enjoyed the Piano solo of Keith Jarrett, and I realized that Isa had nice mids so I moved to vocals namely Karrin Allison and I liked what I was hearing, so I decided to contrast with the Elysium and the next day I switched to the M8. Now Isabellae sounded great, Elysium still beat the set with her voice because of the added sparkle that the Isabellae just did not present. So far, I was not sold.
I also talked with @Rockwell75 and again with @jwilliamhurst and decided I needed to keep trying, Rock was basing his comments I think on music that was not as acoustic based as what I started with, I decided to go ahead and try out another female vocalist Goldfrapp backed with electric amplified instruments, and to my ears I enjoyed her vocals better on the Isabellae than the Elysium, this came down to the electric bass that was not present enough with the Elysium to compliment her voice and the tracks. @jwilliamhurst recommended an album that I believe we both started listening to recently by Cindy Blackman as sounding incredible with the Isa, he was right. Now I was sold.
To confirm my decision this morning I have been listening to Riverside, this band I did not even know about until 4 months ago and I have been listening to and exploring their catalog, A+.
M8 and Isabellae I highly recommend this combo.
Notes on the build
Because design is equal to me to what a set sounds like and I desire excellence on both fronts, the Isabellae checks the design boxes for me.
Internally there is a sealing gasket that separates the front of the driver from the back, both porting into empty space within the housing. The careful design is so subtle, appreciating all the trial-and-error prototyping that likely preceded this final version I have in my hands.
The backside of the DD ports out into most of the empty space within the shell and is also vented through the brass face plate. There is a good deal of energy leaving these ports, playing around I reversed the set and placed the back side into me ears to see how much sound was coming out of the face plate ports. Interesting to me the sound in my head was very similar to what the set sounds like inserted the correct way, less volume, very similar presentation, bass is not as present without the proper seal.
The frontside of the driver also has a single vent port, which appears to be gasketed from the empty space that the frontside DD ports into. This cavity exits to the neck of the set, and unlike the Traillii, includes a screen.
Absolutely no driver flex, no matter what I did with the set, while inserting or while adjusting.
No expert here but for such a simple design, there are clearly some very careful choices made leading to the sound I am hearing from this set.
Briefly on the cable, this is one of the thinnest cables I have used, the weave is tight, the cable is soft and pliable and does not tangle. The hardware is elegant just like the Isabellae drivers are.
Isabellae, Traillii, Elysium
Like my sonic journey, because of using the wrong tips there is a bump on the Isabellae underside that caused me some discomfort. There is an indentation that is meant to line up with cartilage within our ears, comparing that to the Traillii shell, it is more pronounced and closer to the neck. The distance from the neck to the bump places that bump somewhat on top of that cartilage instead of straddling it. Once I switched tips and the sensitive area recovered the next day this was no longer an issue, I think with the Shorts I was trying to get a seal and pushing the set in too hard.
Albums used and additional notes on sound
P6Pro High Gain - Keith Jarrett, Koln concert, for anyone not familiar with that great work, it is recorded live, and occasionally the environment of the crowd can be heard creating atmosphere. Keith moves between sparse moments with single notes sustained, and rapid-fire melodies seemingly invented in the moment. The Isabellae does this recording justice I found myself thoroughly engaged. Keith’s piano remained squarely in the center of my head, at the same time moving in a tight circular pattern from left to right ear, while his verbal grunts sounding behind me and above my head.
Coherency was great at no time did I become distracted by changes in energy level as Keith moved up and down the keys.
P6Pro followed by relisten with M8 on Turbo - Karrin Allison, Ballads her smoky voice sounds excellent, supported by lovely full bass, and accented by perfectly balanced upper mids. This album is just incredible and stands 100s of listens, highly recommended.
I switched to the M8 since I wanted to compare the Isa to the Ely and the M8 Elysium synergy, to my ears, this pairing is as good as vocals get for anything I have listened to. Like the Elysium the Isabellae also sounded much better on the M8 than it did on the P6Pro. Good vs Great.
M8 Turbo Gain - Goldfrapp, Felt Mountain, track Lovely Head, as the song reaches about 24 seconds the bass guitar kicks in, with the Isabellae this provides a nice bottom to Goldfrapp’s vocals, this base is much less foundational to the mix with the Ely, while at the same time some vocal fatigue slightly kicks in, surprised by this after such a great listen with both sets with the Karrin Alisson tracks, and somewhat favoring the Elysium for Karrin’s music because of the sparkle, now clearly preferring the Isabellae for Goldfrapp.
M8 Turbo Gain – Cindy Blackman, Someday, nothing short of awesome, acoustic jazz.
M8 Turbo Gain – Various Riverside Albums and Tracks, perfect to my ears for this music.
That was an excellent writeup and an informative & enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing!
aakashk
Head-Fier
Hello! I needed to ask if anyone has tried Oriolus Isabellae on a Sony WM1A and how is the pairing? Also, in general, what are the kind of sources that pair well with the Isabellae - Warm/Neutral/? I have the Sony WM1A & Oriolus BA300s AMP, and I am evaluating Isabellae. Great help if anyone has any experience or info to share... Thanks a lot
Isabellae, magical hummingbird in an amber house.
A beautiful set, small and unassuming, refined, excellent tuning, less is more in every choice made, clever tuning tricks, understated and elegant looks.
Thanks to Andrew of MusicTeck for providing me the demo set this week, I am returning it today, and I am ordering my own set. Everything I write is my opinion based on what I heard, I did not look at charts, and I did not try and analyze the set in that way, just wanted to see what it could do with some of my favorite music.
My journey this week
I went through a process this week where at first, I was using the wrong tips, and not the best source for the set, the Azla SednaPerfict Fit Shorts which work for me with Thummim and Traillii, so naturally I started there, talking with @jwilliamhurst about what I was hearing he recommended I switch to the stock large silicon, problem solved, thanks J.
Next, I was using the P6Pro and it was good but not good enough for me to think I would use the set much, I enjoyed the Piano solo of Keith Jarrett, and I realized that Isa had nice mids so I moved to vocals namely Karrin Allison and I liked what I was hearing, so I decided to contrast with the Elysium and the next day I switched to the M8. Now Isabellae sounded great, Elysium still beat the set with her voice because of the added sparkle that the Isabellae just did not present. So far, I was not sold.
I also talked with @Rockwell75 and again with @jwilliamhurst and decided I needed to keep trying, Rock was basing his comments I think on music that was not as acoustic based as what I started with, I decided to go ahead and try out another female vocalist Goldfrapp backed with electric amplified instruments, and to my ears I enjoyed her vocals better on the Isabellae than the Elysium, this came down to the electric bass that was not present enough with the Elysium to compliment her voice and the tracks. @jwilliamhurst recommended an album that I believe we both started listening to recently by Cindy Blackman as sounding incredible with the Isa, he was right. Now I was sold.
To confirm my decision this morning I have been listening to Riverside, this band I did not even know about until 4 months ago and I have been listening to and exploring their catalog, A+.
M8 and Isabellae I highly recommend this combo.
Notes on the build
Because design is equal to me to what a set sounds like and I desire excellence on both fronts, the Isabellae checks the design boxes for me.
Internally there is a sealing gasket that separates the front of the driver from the back, both porting into empty space within the housing. The careful design is so subtle, appreciating all the trial-and-error prototyping that likely preceded this final version I have in my hands.
The backside of the DD ports out into most of the empty space within the shell and is also vented through the brass face plate. There is a good deal of energy leaving these ports, playing around I reversed the set and placed the back side into me ears to see how much sound was coming out of the face plate ports. Interesting to me the sound in my head was very similar to what the set sounds like inserted the correct way, less volume, very similar presentation, bass is not as present without the proper seal.
The frontside of the driver also has a single vent port, which appears to be gasketed from the empty space that the frontside DD ports into. This cavity exits to the neck of the set, and unlike the Traillii, includes a screen.
Absolutely no driver flex, no matter what I did with the set, while inserting or while adjusting.
No expert here but for such a simple design, there are clearly some very careful choices made leading to the sound I am hearing from this set.
Briefly on the cable, this is one of the thinnest cables I have used, the weave is tight, the cable is soft and pliable and does not tangle. The hardware is elegant just like the Isabellae drivers are.
Isabellae, Traillii, Elysium
Like my sonic journey, because of using the wrong tips there is a bump on the Isabellae underside that caused me some discomfort. There is an indentation that is meant to line up with cartilage within our ears, comparing that to the Traillii shell, it is more pronounced and closer to the neck. The distance from the neck to the bump places that bump somewhat on top of that cartilage instead of straddling it. Once I switched tips and the sensitive area recovered the next day this was no longer an issue, I think with the Shorts I was trying to get a seal and pushing the set in too hard.
Albums used and additional notes on sound
P6Pro High Gain - Keith Jarrett, Koln concert, for anyone not familiar with that great work, it is recorded live, and occasionally the environment of the crowd can be heard creating atmosphere. Keith moves between sparse moments with single notes sustained, and rapid-fire melodies seemingly invented in the moment. The Isabellae does this recording justice I found myself thoroughly engaged. Keith’s piano remained squarely in the center of my head, at the same time moving in a tight circular pattern from left to right ear, while his verbal grunts sounding behind me and above my head.
Coherency was great at no time did I become distracted by changes in energy level as Keith moved up and down the keys.
P6Pro followed by relisten with M8 on Turbo - Karrin Allison, Ballads her smoky voice sounds excellent, supported by lovely full bass, and accented by perfectly balanced upper mids. This album is just incredible and stands 100s of listens, highly recommended.
I switched to the M8 since I wanted to compare the Isa to the Ely and the M8 Elysium synergy, to my ears, this pairing is as good as vocals get for anything I have listened to. Like the Elysium the Isabellae also sounded much better on the M8 than it did on the P6Pro. Good vs Great.
M8 Turbo Gain - Goldfrapp, Felt Mountain, track Lovely Head, as the song reaches about 24 seconds the bass guitar kicks in, with the Isabellae this provides a nice bottom to Goldfrapp’s vocals, this bass is much less foundational to the mix with the Ely, while at the same time some vocal fatigue slightly kicks in, surprised by this after such a great listen with both sets with the Karrin Alisson tracks, and somewhat favoring the Elysium for Karrin’s music because of the sparkle, now clearly preferring the Isabellae for Goldfrapp.
M8 Turbo Gain – Cindy Blackman, Someday, nothing short of awesome, acoustic jazz.
M8 Turbo Gain – Various Riverside Albums and Tracks, perfect to my ears for this music.
Really glad you're enjoying the set. It's a little beauty. The feminine to my masculine IEMs.