The discovery thread!

[ToneDeafMonk]

Exactly, me too...I'm definitely PTT in December.

I just emailed them see when it going to be released exactly it's almost December!

 

[drspeter]

Received and testing DK3001BD now. And What I noticed so far is that the treble in this set is very well extended but without any signs of unnecessary harshness. Very smooth. Also it has very good relative distance and placements of instruments, making the soundscape with good breathing space between the elements. I can also notice the characteristics of the tuning where leaving the sub-bass region intact but making the mid-bass a bit leaner than the popular setting of current meta tuning. Not that it is good or bad, as it makes the sound very clean and transparent blocking any possibility of bass bleeding into mid, but in some music, the impact comes from that frequency region less pronounced. Probably my impression would change over time either my brain or the IEM undergo burn-in process. So far, one key feature is definitely lies on its treble performance, handling it very effortlessly.

 

[activatorfly]

I just emailed them see when it going to be released exactly it's almost December!

Yes I know - mid December apparently, looking forward to it.

 

[Ozboyblu]

ISN Audio - EBC80 - “Out of the Box (OOTB) Impressions.”

Unboxing

Highlights. of my 2 hour experience so far . “ ECB80 - Detail Revealing “

Anyone waiting for these to arrive soon. You don’t need to worry at all. EBC80 is totally worth more than what you would have paid.

OOTB these scream detail. Early experiences lead to a High-End detailed , Rich , IEM This overall sound would be a first of its kind for me . EBC80 has a (2+2+2+2 driver config) . I don’t want to sound all confirmation bias here. But my ears are telling me straight out of the box - ( I’m guessing this is what a “Focal Utopia” level of reproduction might sound like - I’m only dreaming here ) Every technicality is dialed in . ( I mean so refined ) - ( It’s very much like ISN Audio has EQ’d these for you. ) EBC80 is tuned and refined in a way that is so difficult to explain. I guess a lot more critical listening and burn in will help unravel and reveal these aspects later for me. So I’ll just give you my main experiences out of the box so far.

“Matrix of positioning “ when it comes to separation and layering and sound stage.

I nearly Schitt my pants at the beginning of “ Thriller “ - Michael Jackson (DSD128), The door opening and the footsteps. EBC80 boy oh boy. Scared the Schitt out of me.



“Bass is incredible” The way it’s presented - So Defined & textured with layering

Some of my favourite Trance tracks have fatty synth bass, but EBC80 does something to the texture , it makes bass viseral with more impact and punch and sub bass has a defined layer that envelops underneath . I wasn’t expecting the positioning, but its very welcome. ( Different to the SHOCK )

“Sea of Simulation - Daft Punk - TRON Legacy OST “ is an example of this.



“Vocals” - So articulate , Natural and Musical.

Voice can be challenging to reproduce. EBC80 does this effortlessly. The depth in the vocals is another standout here. Vocals with a slight rasp, character and expressiveness . Well EBC80 makes it feel raw and authentic . Goosebumps were had on this track below.

“Warrior - Emma Hewitt x Orjan Nilsen “



These were the standout highlights so far from my experience.

Back into the Oven. They go for a good burn in. - Will post next when they are fully Baked

I have listened only with Stock Ear tips and ISN S2 Cable and ( iBasso DC-Elite - RME ADI-2 fs ) for my reference. Also full discloser. I had a good 2 days without listening to any IEM’s . ( You can understand my frustration with the delayed FedEx delivery now ) . This was for me to callabrate , and to not contaminate , and influence any of my listening .

Early Days - But think you can all guess I’m smitten with EBC80.


PS - Appreciate that you have read this far. Massive thanks to everyone that is enjoying their EBC80 so far.

 

[InvisibleInk]

I don't like relying on internet connection for music. Hence I never do any streaming ever, so that functionality has zero use for me personally. I download my FLAC file collections instead from whichever sites I can locate them!

If you can tolerate music in 256Kbps AAC format, then you can do something like this:

1. Subscribe to Youtube Premium (comes with Youtube Music)
2. Download and install 4K Youtube to MP3 (available on Windows, Mac, and Linux)
3. Login to Youtube Music from within 4K Youtube to MP3
4. Navigate to an Artist/Album you want to listen to offline on the Shanling
5. Copy the URL and paste it into 4K Youtube to MP3 and download it in AAC 256 format
6. Install an MP3 tagging program - I use Mp3Tag on Windows
7. Open the newly downloaded folder in Mp3Tag
8. Select all the files, right click and select Tag Sources and select MusicBrainz
9. Fill In the Artist and Album names when prompted
10. Finis - copy the downloaded folder to your music directory and then sync with the Shanling

This is a way to get downloads from a music streaming service and play them offline on a non-Android device with no usable streaming app installed. Avoids all that messy peer-to-peer downloading altogether. Youtube gets paid, and you get downloads on your Shanling...

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Awesome - % Totally worth a blind buy on this one.





Don’t worry … only happens to Unbalanced Boxes apparently . If you purchase nicely Balanced IEM’s this shouldn’t happen.











I intercepted the FedEX delivery guy. He said that they were overwhelmed by Shine parcels from china. Must of have a big sale.



Yeah out of the box EBC80 impressions will follow this post shortly.

DC-Elite will star agin with the listening experience.



I quoted this , Just for my reference. LOL . must add some of these to gather dust in my Ali Express cart.



Appreciate your reply hey. So glad you are here. Yeah I just woke upto 11 pages behind. I find it hard to keep up. I’m learning to speed read and try not get bogged down rabbit holes along the way.

The enjoyment from your BTR17 speaks through this post.

I like how puzzle pieces fit together in this hobby. ( referring to your Estella example )



% Agree with you on this one Brother!



PS - Will post EBC80 OOTB impressions soon.

 

[mattclarke18]

I have listened only with Stock Ear tips and ISN S2 Cable and ( iBasso DC-Elite - RME ADI-2 fs ) for my reference. Also full discloser. I had a good 2 days without listening to any IEM’s . ( You can understand my frustration with the delayed FedEx delivery now ) . This was for me to callabrate , and to not contaminate , and influence any of my listening .

How could you have gone that long with no music?? That would be torture for me. I agree with most of your early impressions but since I can't go long with no music I compared them to my Maven IIs and the Maven's have these beat so far - stage and detail. The bass in the EBC is very good. My set is back to burning in as well. I will check tomorrow night and see where they are.

 

[activatorfly]

If you can tolerate music in 256Kbps AAC format, then you can do something like this:

1. Subscribe to Youtube Premium (comes with Youtube Music)
2. Download and install 4K Youtube to MP3 (available on Windows, Mac, and Linux)
3. Login to Youtube Music from within 4K Youtube to MP3
4. Navigate to an Artist/Album you want to listen to offline on the Shanling
5. Copy the URL and paste it into 4K Youtube to MP3 and download it in AAC 256 format
6. Install an MP3 tagging program - I use Mp3Tag on Windows
7. Open the newly downloaded folder in Mp3Tag
8. Select all the files, right click and select Tag Sources and select MusicBrainz
9. Fill In the Artist and Album names when prompted
10. Finis - copy the downloaded folder to your music directory and then sync with the Shanling

This is a way to get downloads from a music streaming service and play them offline on a non-Android device with no usable streaming app installed. Avoids all that messy peer-to-peer downloading altogether. Youtube gets paid, and you get downloads on your Shanling...

Thanks for the comprehensive description regarding achieving this. Invariably the minimum file bitrate for tracks, I have are 320Kbps...99% of my collection are FLAC...which is akin to the warm analogue of vinyl with perceived "air." It's far easier to find FLAC files & instantly d/l them via file sharing sites I reckon.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Glad you dig! The name of this IEM really fits.

Love me some Giamatti, too! He's great in EVERYTHING.

Our musical paths will cross someday, pal!

No, no, no! She comes to probably less than four gigs per year. Doesn't like crowds or loud noise, so the rock gigs are almost all out. But she likes the acoustic gigs, and a bunch of friends were there Wednesday night, so she swung down. Always nice to have the frau in the crowd.


Time for me to chime in on the Deuce a bit. I'm not a basshead and had zero interest in this IEM. But Head-fi god @MakeItWain sent me his Deuce along with the Fan 3 to try, so I gave it a short go with no expectations. A completely blank canvas.

And my reaction to the Deuce was pretty simple: "Yeah, no."

The Deuce is a classic example of a one-trick pony. It does bass. A lot of bass. Both quality and quantity. It has nice bass, although frankly I don't find it that much better than the Explorer. But it is SO F*CKING ORDINARY in midrange and treble. And for the record: I ran the Deuce through desktop gear, like all my IEMs. JDS Labs Atom+, 1 watt per channel at 32 ohms. More than any dongle and most DAPs.

FatFreq put $300 bass and $50 midrange and treble into an IEM that costs $250. It's not special. Not at all. Unless you're a MASSIVE basshead and want nothing more than bass. Even then, I'm guessing there are sets with similar bass quantity and more quality than this. If not, then I pity you true bassheads.

Black Friday has come and gone, and I bought ... not one f*cking thing. Just like 11.11. I shed no tears.

Good grief. What a steal. Probably the only I headphone I will NEVER sell. Venerable, to say the least.

Oh, yeah, baby: Me and HAWK TUAH! girl -- the influencers of the year.

Hey, I'm on the Fan 3 train late. But holy mother of pinna gain, I F*CKING LOVE it. It's not just the BCD, either. This thing is tuned as perfectly for me as any IEM I've heard.

I'm also curious about other Penon sets now that I've tried and love the Fan 3. The company's marketing practices still are weird, but man, these f*ckers can tune, if the Fan 3 is any indication.


Bingo by @audioaura. I also don't think some of these designer brands know quite what they're getting into when they step into the ring known as sub-$400 IEMs. The competition is INSANE, far tougher than in the ultra-premium space due to the number of companies playing in that arena and the sheer number of quality sets they're releasing.

Sorry, but anyone buying a $2,000-$3,000 IEM is making a vanity play AND a sonic play. The law of diminishing returns must kick in HARD by that price level. So, people aren't going to moan as much if they're a bit disappointed because they still have the cache of owning this product. Plus, the embarrassment among fellow enthusiasts of making a mistake buying a premium product is greater than if you bought the $20 Wan'er and disliked it. So, mum's the word.

At the $300 level? We don't give a f*ck about cache or status. We care about great sound for money. And Elysian, DITA and FatFreq maybe didn't do that to varying degrees with the Pilgrim, Project M and Deuce, either with sound that wasn't up to expectations or not enough value for money compared to non-bourgeois Chi-fi competitors.

It's not just IEMs, either: Bang & Olufsen wireless headphones suck harder than a junior prom date.

Here's your dilemma. There's nothing like the ISN H60 or the Penon Fan 3 in the Penon lexicon. It's why I've sat out most of their releases UNTIL the H60, when @Dsnuts was kind enough to let me know "they FWAL2, this might be the one you want to invest in (paraphrasing), because this isn't tuned like the typical Penon house sound." I took him at his word, because he's actually waved me off some Penon/ISN purchases because he didn't think it was going to fit my preferences (ISN Neo 3), so I was grateful for his insight with that IEM, and I rthank him 1000X for his insight on the H60, because it continues to ring my bell every time I listen to it. He said the same thing about the Fan 3, as it was more along the lines of the H60 tuning philosophy wise, and the ISN EBC80 continues down this road, while it seems Tansio Mirai has picked up on the Penon house style more than the current Penon/ISN releases, so if you are looking to find that type of tuning like the Fan 3, your movement will take you to the H60 or the EBC80, because you won't find it in the more bassy/safe treble tuned/mids forward house sound of previous Penon/ISN releases.

 

[theintention]

Finally took advantage of the sales, some of this will be from my family for Christmas but whatever, at least I know I will like what I get! got some backup cables for my sets and a few other goodies.

ddHifi case

S12 2024

LOAK2-Ti

Thieaudio Origin

new BGVP earbuds with waifu for good luck

Also got a 30ohm impedance adapter (for bass moments), some IEM covers, and a ML of infamous Wide Boars, as I suspect they will work for me on the Phantom better than L.

 

[Breezy]

What to say, but it is the nicest packaging of all I have or have seen.
Another, Tiandirenhe Genesis!
This is a weird one, and it is not for conservative users!!!. But for those who dare!
It's a completely different tuning than TD08, which would be somewhat safe tuning. This one is interesting.
I even initially questioned myself about what the hack was going on.
This one deserves...Something I don't usually do, posting multiple photos.
But this is the example how every manufacturer should package their...IEMs.
To the weird (tuning) one...Excellent experience! Numero...hmm...7++!






Bonus:


Cheers!

That’s an insanely well packaged iem for $50. Not only that 8 core silver plated cable, probably the best stock cable on an iem for that price lol.

 

[Jmop]

Kinda wanna try a higher resolving source for my Cloud Nine amp, is original Shanling M6 Pro a decent choice with it’s high quality AKM? That’s where my research lead me lol, seems to be a good compromise between smoothness and detail, resolution, linearity, etc.

 

[warrenpchi]

Surely a cable should not cost more than an iem....

It happens though. For example, over at Linsoul right now, a Tripowin Zonie is $17.99 while a KZ EDX Lite is $7.90.

And this cable is £4899.

https://eliseaudio.com/products/nightjar-acoustics-sovereign-symphony

You'd be very wrong, and I'll start you with Subtonic STORM

And the SS8W is generally considered to be the ideal cable for Storm, so yeah, not a cheap pairing that.

 

[Breezy]

Ordered a Jomo Nautilus. I heard it at Canjam and it had flagship ($2-3k) level details on an apple dongle. Wonder how crazy it’ll be on actual power. Though, it did have some crazy amounts of treble.

 

[Uprox]

It's taken over my listening with obsession, and so much so my wife has noticed (and honestly, she doesn't notice much about my audio rigs unless I show her directly). It's basically sidelined all my other daps, though I'm really hopeful that the FiiO JM21, as my EDC, will start taking some of that usage, but as of this moment, it's my daily reach, and I'm loving finding the different synergies and tones I can squeeze out of it. Luckily, it has no wireless capability, so it keeps me from taking it out and about LOL

The N3U is the best dap I've owned to this point, and I've owned or own over 12+ DAPs.

I'm sure when you will hear Shanling H7 you'll get a new favorite
H7 isn't real DAP and Shaling Eddict player isn't good app, but dynamics, resolution and details are really near TOTL sound, I guess.