[KarmaPhala]

A peek at Tanchjim Kara graph, and first impression by Jordan Oki, not so good!
Akros measurement

Jordan Oki (cut from video)

Tanchjim is DD specialist then

 

[Uprox]

The SR5 has treble energy? Really? IMHO, one of the weaknesses of the SR5 is that it lacks treble energy. It's polite as a church mouse. The treble energy is similar to the Orchestra Lite, so if you think the SR5 has energy, then you'll love the OL as a treblehead barn burner.

I'd probably say the same thing if you lent me your ears

 

[s2kphile]

Guys, just lurking, but when Musikteck lists a new multi kilobuck IEM they usually sell out!

Its because they dont have many on hand, FOMO mentality and brand name.

The price of some of the Kilo buckets dont match the performance, and it makes sense since these companies have overhead to cover.

 

[Uprox]

Cross posting

I just wanted to throw up my first impressions on ISN Audio newest IEM, Neo 5.



Accessories are plentiful. Black and green stem are the recomended ear tips and the ISN S8 Silver cable pairs well.



Comfort wise, I was told it was designed with the Penon Globe in mind and it stands out. Construction is lightweight and easy in the ears for those long listening sessions.



Source:
Samsung Note 20 Ultra
Penon Tail DAC/Dongle
Venture Electronics OHD


Neo 5 has more than 150+ hours of burn in.

As for the sound, it has that ISN DNA but this tuning is new. Penon decided to add more to the mids and treble using 4 Knowles for the mids & highs. As a result there is a more details up top and it doesn't sound as dark.

What surprised me is how slightly forward the vocals are; it sounded similar to the AüR Audio Aure. Is it an Aure? No, due to the way the bass is tuned. But the mids are great especially male vocals as they got weight to them and female vocals sound natural.

And we know ISN loves to tune the subbass to have rumble and punch. And we have it here in droves. Texture, quality, slow decay, its all here with the single 10mm DD.

The only issue I had with this set depending on the tracks, the bass could be overwhelming but then again it's ISN. Thats the way it's tuned. All about that bass. And if one loves a musically warm sounding set with slightly forward vocals, this one be the one to get.

They haven't decided on price yet but these can compete with similar driver configurations.

Up close shots.





I like to use comparisons because its easier to describe how an IEM sounds relative to another one. So I'll compare 2 popular 4+1, Sound Rhyme SR5 & Juzear 4T



Bass: Neo5 > SR5 > 41T
Mids: Neo5 > SR5 > 41T
Treble: SR5 > Neo5 > 41T
Dark to Bright: 41T > Neo5 > SR5
Technicalities: SR5 > Neo5 > 41T
Comfort: Neo5 > 41T > SR5
Accessories: Neo5 > 41T > SR5
Tonality / Timbre: Neo5 / 41T / SR5

Musical / Neutral / Analytical

Neo 5 / 41T / SR5

Neo 5 = L
41T = flat
SR5 = W

This is a wonderful new option from Penon. The new direction ISN is going with its tuning for the newest line, I think people will enjoy it.

10th AE and now Neo 5. Penon is on a roll...I cannot wait to see what else they have in store.

Excellent reviews! I want to listen to it right now! ))

 

[FastGecko5]

A peek at Tanchjim Kara graph, and first impression by Jordan Oki, not so good!
Akros measurement

Jordan Oki (cut from video)

Doesn't look too bad overall but whatever is going on in the upper treble looks really strange.

 

[psykanoc]

Its because they dont have many on hand, FOMO mentality and brand name.

Yeah it's exactly this. I forget which IEM it was maybe the MEST indigo? But they announced they had like 20 units and yet it took months to sell out

So it wouldn't surprise me if they only have a handful on hand of these lesser known new kilobuck releases

 

[DynamicEars]

A peek at Tanchjim Kara graph, and first impression by Jordan Oki, not so good!
Akros measurement

Jordan Oki (cut from video)

Actually not bad approching for clean bass but the mid bass and sub bass and mid bass proportion is too much on mid bass raise. Lower the 100-150hz and adding 20-30hz will be great.
The pinna gain is ok , bit on borderline shouty but still acceptable, and for that imbalance trebles, I think that just unit variation of bad unit, or the damper. If the real tuning follow the red line, they will be good tuning too.

Yeah it's exactly this. I forget which IEM it was maybe the MEST indigo? But they announced they had like 20 units and yet it took months to sell out

So it wouldn't surprise me if they only have a handful on hand of these lesser known new kilobuck releases

Actually the MEST Indigo is great sounding IEMs with great technicalities, but they are overpriced, like less than 10% detail improvement from MEST OG / MkII with hefty price tag, that's why they didnt sell good. And probably coming on discounted price as MEST MkIII (or at least using the Indigo shell).

 

[o0genesis0o]

Right after I finish the EW100P review, they discontinue that model and releases the EW200!!! https://www.linsoul.com/products/simgot-ew200

---

Actually the MEST Indigo is great sounding IEMs with great technicalities, but they are overpriced, like less than 10% detail improvement from MEST OG / MkII with hefty price tag, that's why they didnt sell good. And probably coming on discounted price as MEST MkIII (or at least using the Indigo shell).

Thinking about the MEST MkII makes me drool. The soundstage is so good. Fit is great. The rest of the sound is TOTL too.

---

Quoting my impressions of P8 from the AFUL thread. Initial rating is 5 - 5 - 4.5 - 4.5 (tonality - resolution - bass - soundstage). Seal of approval and recommendation without reservation.

Gotta chase that diminishing return with big amp

After plenty A/B tests, I can say with confidence that these IEMs are as resolving, nuanced, with as accurate imaging as my U12t, beating everything else I have on those aspects. The soundstage is not as vast as U12t when listening to large orchestral music, so there is space for improvement. The bass quality is high-end. It’s fast, bouncy, detailed, and can slam when the music calls for. I wishes for a bit more quantity of that good bass, though.



Tonality wise, this is not a Harman-inspired IEM that is thin and sharp to intensify the impression of resolution. It is tuned closed to U12t with MX M15 module. The treble quantity is closer to Tia Fourte and MEST II. The first time I put these P8 in my ears after days of listening solely to Meteor, my impression was "ouch, these have treble". The midrange is brought forward, which is good for most vocal music, but does reduce the illusion of space with orchestral music. This is the key difference comparing to my U12t. The edginess of upper midrange is minimised thanks to minimal ear-gain at only 8dB.

Soundstage is an interesting aspect of these IEM. I find the soundstage to be able to expand far into the surrounding environment, thanks to the treble extension. It means that when I listen to an orchestral soundtrack, the elements that are supposed to be in the background would sound like they come from further away, in the background, with a clear contrast to the bulk of the actions happening at the centre of the stage. This illusion gives soundstage uncanny sense of 3D and depth that only a few IEM with high-end treble performance can do. However, most of the soundstage is tightly focused around the centre, likely due to the tuning that pushes the 800Hz to 2kHz forward. Therefore, when I listen to a large orchestral piece, I find the orchestra to be more tightly packed around the centre of the stage rather than being distributed across the soundstage like, say, how U12T or Andromeda 2020 handle the staging. From this angle, I can totally understand the complaints about the lack of depth of P8.

Imaging accuracy, however, is outstanding. Left-right, front-back, higher-lower, everything is done very. It works like a radar in FPS game like CSGO. For example, the sound does not simply comes from the left. I can easily distinguish left-front and left-back. When teammate runs around the back, I can track them as they run from right-back to left-back to left, to front.

In summary, if you judge an IEM first and foremost by its “technical performance” like me, this IEM breaks the value scale.

I don't have time to write a full review now. But I should, before waking up tomorrow and see that there is P9 or P14 something on Hifigo website

 

[DynamicEars]

Thinking about the MEST MkII makes me drool. The soundstage is so good. Fit is great. The rest of the sound is TOTL too.

Definitely one of the best Soundstage and imaging of IEM world buddy.
If you have chance to listen to MEST Mk1, they have slightly sharper imaging than Mk2 and more details but with less body and perceival of lesser bass than MK2, they are side grade though.
Mest Mk1 with copper cable is in between them.

The indigo is sharper, and have more details can you imagine that? Crazy but the price is steep for less than 10% improvement.

The Z1R soundstage is larger (wider) than Mests but Imaging wise i think Mests are still above Z1R, maybe like one of the best imaging I've ever heard of any price IEMs (yeah included multikilobucks out there)

You already have u12t, grab Indigo and call it a day mate!

 

[o0genesis0o]

Definitely one of the best Soundstage and imaging of IEM world buddy.
If you have chance to listen to MEST Mk1, they have slightly sharper imaging than Mk2 and more details but with less body and perceival of lesser bass than MK2, they are side grade though.
Mest Mk1 with copper cable is in between them.

The indigo is sharper, and have more details can you imagine that? Crazy but the price is steep for less than 10% improvement.

The Z1R soundstage is larger (wider) than Mests but Imaging wise i think Mests are still above Z1R, maybe like one of the best imaging I've ever heard of any price IEMs (yeah included multikilobucks out there)

You already have u12t, grab Indigo and call it a day mate!

I got myself into a Monarch II deal with a friend and I intend to honour that deal. So I guess no UM for me this year. On the plus side, there might be a MEST III tour in Australia. Can't wait to hear what I can buy from a Chifi maker 5 years from now for $300

Joke aside, I don't think anyone has been able to copy the MEST at $500 so far.

 

[DynamicEars]

I got myself into a Monarch II deal with a friend and I intend to honour that deal. So I guess no UM for me this year. On the plus side, there might be a MEST III tour in Australia. Can't wait to hear what I can buy from a Chifi maker 5 years from now for $300

Joke aside, I don't think anyone has been able to copy the MEST at $500 so far.

Honestly I still think Mest > Monarch MkII as overall but the Monarch MkII mids are delicate, lush, the most natural one. More a speciality IEMs rather than all arounder.

Wow, nice to have MEST MkIII tour there, eagerly waiting for your impressions later!

 

[Ferdinando1968]

First link returned in my search.

 

[PROblemdetected]

I got myself into a Monarch II deal with a friend and I intend to honour that deal. So I guess no UM for me this year. On the plus side, there might be a MEST III tour in Australia. Can't wait to hear what I can buy from a Chifi maker 5 years from now for $300

Joke aside, I don't think anyone has been able to copy the MEST at $500 so far.

QOA Margarita.

Also, I prefer Variations in all points over mest mk2. Better tuning, respond better to eq, build...

Just my two cents.

 

[Ferdinando1968]

First link returned in my search.

Emotions always win.
Congrats @ToneDeafMonk

 

[lgcubana]

Wow that's good price. Is it still good value though? Compared with more recent AIOs like fiio k7 or topping dx3pro+

Monolith by Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amplifier and DAC with THX AAA Technology (Dual AKM 4493 DACs & Dual AAA-788 Modules)
(Open Box)
The Monolith DAC/Amp was created specifically for headphones; that’s why the only balanced output is XLR. I got mine right around when I was transitioning from headphones to IEMs. A Drop XLR to TRRS (2.5mm balanced) adapter was needed.

For under $200 (for the open box), you’d be hard pressed to find another DAC/Amp that has a 5-band PEQ; this would be great entry point, for someone looking to up their game, from a singled ended, 3.5 mm connection.