Tchoupitoulas
100+ Head-Fier
Oriolus Isabellae Impressions
I’m sorry for diverting this thread from the current discussions but I wanted to post my impressions of the Isabellae by way of thanks to @Rockwell75 for so very kindly lending me his Isabellae. I’m especially grateful because I’d read many highly laudatory impressions of these IEMs and you’d spoken so highly of them that I was keen to give them a whirl. I can see why you like them so much.
Gear and a Caveat
Tuning
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Isabellae. These IEMs are easy to like - or, to put it another way, there’s next to nothing to dislike. The Isabellae’s treble doesn’t reach especially high (as far as I can tell). Nor is it overly forward. Instead, it’s smooth and free of peaks and grain. The bass is similar insofar as it doesn’t plunge particularly deeply; the sub-bass is a bit lacking. But the Isabellae’s bass is tight, though not fast, and it has plenty of texture and fullness, given the slight emphasis is in the mid-bass region. And the midrange is nice and rich and even and free from odd recessions. All this is to say two things: first, that the tuning is nicely balanced and coherent and, second, there’s nothing to latch onto as being problematic or annoying.
If this sounds like faint praise it’s actually meant to be highly complimentary: I found the Isabellae to be a very engaging pair of IEMs. I realize “engaging” is a controversial term: what I mean is that these IEMs did nothing to distract me from or take me out of the music. I frequently found myself forgetting to listen critically and often ended up just letting myself enjoy listening to entire albums, which I suppose speaks highly, in and of itself, of the Isabellae’s qualities. I can’t emphasize this engaging quality enough: when I had the loaner I was still pretty burnt out from a long, hard stint at work; my attention span hadn’t been the best, and I’d had a hard time getting sucked into music and being immersed in it. Two experiences pulled me out of this: one was the Isabellae; the other was from a desktop setup (my newly arrived SW51+ amp, which I paired with the Bifrost 2 and the HD 600). These setups have made for some of the best personal audio experiences I’ve had.
The more I think about it, the more I suspect the mid-range presentation of the Isabellae is superb. From my very limited experience, I’ve found that some DD IEMs suffer from too much emphasis in the upper mids and lower treble. That’s not an issue here. There’s a slight emphasis for vocals; male vocals are fine, but female vocals come across as bit more forward. I actually liked this; the emphasis worked well for sopranos in operas.
As impressive as the mid-range is the timbre of acoustic and even electric/electronic instruments. Pianos, for instance, sound very good. Brass instruments have plenty of bite and crackle and blare to them. String instruments are lovely. They’re not the most resonant. But they have plenty of texture. I could easily distinguish between violas and violins (or I could easily convince myself that I did). I very much enjoyed string quartets with the Isabellae. Woodwind instruments sounded excellent apart from the lack of treble extension. Bass instruments also have an appealingly rich texture to them, and while there isn’t much sub-bass, I heard a decent amount of rumble with movie soundtracks.
The tuning and the excellent timbre are what appeal most to me about the Isabellae. The tuning has a pleasant amount of warmth to it; I tend to avoid warm transducers, preferring the HD 600 over the HD 650, for instance, but the warmth here was mild enough not to trouble me. What makes the warmth surprisingly appealing, I suspect, is that the Isabellae is quite responsive and doesn’t have the weighty or thick sound to it that the Dunu SA6, for instance, does. It doesn’t have an ethereal quality to it, either, like the Andromeda or the Holocene. But it has a slight lightness to it even as it also renders timbre beautifully. There’s a good balance, in other words, between having a substantial sound and being nimble enough to make music pleasingly lively.
Technicalities
The Isabellae aren't the most accomplished IEMs when it comes to technicalities. They're no slouch, though, especially given the modest price. These aren’t the fastest IEMs, nor do they have a particularly strong attack to them. The leading edges of notes are slightly rounded; even so, they’re still snappy and clean enough, and they don’t sound in the least bit dull or flat-sounding. If the attack is slightly soft, the decay trails off nicely; I wonder if this contributes to the nice, rich sound.
Resolution is really very good for the price. It’s not up there with the Andromeda 2020. But the resolution is much closer to that of the Andromeda’s than the Isabellae’s price tag might lead you to believe. From memory I’d guess it’s not far off the SA6, even if the Dunu offers a bit more detail retrieval, perhaps (from distant memory).
Macrodynamics are also pretty good. These don’t have the greatest impact or even bass slam, but they’re not so lacking as to make the music sound lifeless and dull - quite the contrary. I’m not good at appreciating microdynamics but I could imagine them being seen as one of the Isabellae’s many qualities. I’ll defer to those with better ears than mine.
The soundstage is also very good without being exceptional. Imaging and instrument separation are excellent. There isn’t much space or air around instruments, but there’s enough distance between them for the Isabellae to avoid sounding congested, which is for the best given their slightly warm tuning, which, for me, can make transducers sound a bit veiled or muffled or closed in. The Isabellae is vastly superior here to the IE 900, from memory. Layering is decent without being outstanding, and the same can be said for the width and depth of the staging. I’m overly fussy about soundstage and found the Isabellae to be perfectly acceptable even if it’s a significant step behind the spacious, open, and airy presentation of the Holocene, Andromeda, Solaris, or Soranik Bastille Audiophile or Signature.
Some minor criticisms
These are nitpicks. Very rarely there’s a bit of a sheen to the treble, by which I mean a lack of clarity and cleanliness. This isn’t a big deal, it’s barely noticeable, and it’s not a particular issue because of the rolled-off treble. The lack of extension can occasionally be a bit of a problem; cymbals, acoustic guitars, and trumpets don’t sound especially convincing.
The slightly laid-back tuning makes for a relaxing listen, one that is good for avoiding the fatigue and brightness I’ve heard with other DD IEMs. The Isabellae errs on the side of caution, then.
Conclusion
These are great IEMs. I very much like the tuning and the timbre of acoustic instruments through the Isabellae. There’s something very appealing about the overall sound. I was reading old threads on another forum recently and saw people describing tube amps as romantic. I wonder if that adjective also works for the Isabellae. In the end, I keep coming back to the idea that these are very well balanced IEMs. This balance takes several forms:
Thank you again Rockwell75, I very much appreciate the opportunity to hear your lovely Isabellae.
I’m sorry for diverting this thread from the current discussions but I wanted to post my impressions of the Isabellae by way of thanks to @Rockwell75 for so very kindly lending me his Isabellae. I’m especially grateful because I’d read many highly laudatory impressions of these IEMs and you’d spoken so highly of them that I was keen to give them a whirl. I can see why you like them so much.
Gear and a Caveat
- Sony NW-ZX2 -> Isabellae with Final E tips
- I’ve had some slight hearing loss beyond what would be normal for someone in his mid-40s, which means I can’t say much about the upper treble region (above, say 14-15kHz)
Tuning
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Isabellae. These IEMs are easy to like - or, to put it another way, there’s next to nothing to dislike. The Isabellae’s treble doesn’t reach especially high (as far as I can tell). Nor is it overly forward. Instead, it’s smooth and free of peaks and grain. The bass is similar insofar as it doesn’t plunge particularly deeply; the sub-bass is a bit lacking. But the Isabellae’s bass is tight, though not fast, and it has plenty of texture and fullness, given the slight emphasis is in the mid-bass region. And the midrange is nice and rich and even and free from odd recessions. All this is to say two things: first, that the tuning is nicely balanced and coherent and, second, there’s nothing to latch onto as being problematic or annoying.
If this sounds like faint praise it’s actually meant to be highly complimentary: I found the Isabellae to be a very engaging pair of IEMs. I realize “engaging” is a controversial term: what I mean is that these IEMs did nothing to distract me from or take me out of the music. I frequently found myself forgetting to listen critically and often ended up just letting myself enjoy listening to entire albums, which I suppose speaks highly, in and of itself, of the Isabellae’s qualities. I can’t emphasize this engaging quality enough: when I had the loaner I was still pretty burnt out from a long, hard stint at work; my attention span hadn’t been the best, and I’d had a hard time getting sucked into music and being immersed in it. Two experiences pulled me out of this: one was the Isabellae; the other was from a desktop setup (my newly arrived SW51+ amp, which I paired with the Bifrost 2 and the HD 600). These setups have made for some of the best personal audio experiences I’ve had.
The more I think about it, the more I suspect the mid-range presentation of the Isabellae is superb. From my very limited experience, I’ve found that some DD IEMs suffer from too much emphasis in the upper mids and lower treble. That’s not an issue here. There’s a slight emphasis for vocals; male vocals are fine, but female vocals come across as bit more forward. I actually liked this; the emphasis worked well for sopranos in operas.
As impressive as the mid-range is the timbre of acoustic and even electric/electronic instruments. Pianos, for instance, sound very good. Brass instruments have plenty of bite and crackle and blare to them. String instruments are lovely. They’re not the most resonant. But they have plenty of texture. I could easily distinguish between violas and violins (or I could easily convince myself that I did). I very much enjoyed string quartets with the Isabellae. Woodwind instruments sounded excellent apart from the lack of treble extension. Bass instruments also have an appealingly rich texture to them, and while there isn’t much sub-bass, I heard a decent amount of rumble with movie soundtracks.
The tuning and the excellent timbre are what appeal most to me about the Isabellae. The tuning has a pleasant amount of warmth to it; I tend to avoid warm transducers, preferring the HD 600 over the HD 650, for instance, but the warmth here was mild enough not to trouble me. What makes the warmth surprisingly appealing, I suspect, is that the Isabellae is quite responsive and doesn’t have the weighty or thick sound to it that the Dunu SA6, for instance, does. It doesn’t have an ethereal quality to it, either, like the Andromeda or the Holocene. But it has a slight lightness to it even as it also renders timbre beautifully. There’s a good balance, in other words, between having a substantial sound and being nimble enough to make music pleasingly lively.
Technicalities
The Isabellae aren't the most accomplished IEMs when it comes to technicalities. They're no slouch, though, especially given the modest price. These aren’t the fastest IEMs, nor do they have a particularly strong attack to them. The leading edges of notes are slightly rounded; even so, they’re still snappy and clean enough, and they don’t sound in the least bit dull or flat-sounding. If the attack is slightly soft, the decay trails off nicely; I wonder if this contributes to the nice, rich sound.
Resolution is really very good for the price. It’s not up there with the Andromeda 2020. But the resolution is much closer to that of the Andromeda’s than the Isabellae’s price tag might lead you to believe. From memory I’d guess it’s not far off the SA6, even if the Dunu offers a bit more detail retrieval, perhaps (from distant memory).
Macrodynamics are also pretty good. These don’t have the greatest impact or even bass slam, but they’re not so lacking as to make the music sound lifeless and dull - quite the contrary. I’m not good at appreciating microdynamics but I could imagine them being seen as one of the Isabellae’s many qualities. I’ll defer to those with better ears than mine.
The soundstage is also very good without being exceptional. Imaging and instrument separation are excellent. There isn’t much space or air around instruments, but there’s enough distance between them for the Isabellae to avoid sounding congested, which is for the best given their slightly warm tuning, which, for me, can make transducers sound a bit veiled or muffled or closed in. The Isabellae is vastly superior here to the IE 900, from memory. Layering is decent without being outstanding, and the same can be said for the width and depth of the staging. I’m overly fussy about soundstage and found the Isabellae to be perfectly acceptable even if it’s a significant step behind the spacious, open, and airy presentation of the Holocene, Andromeda, Solaris, or Soranik Bastille Audiophile or Signature.
Some minor criticisms
These are nitpicks. Very rarely there’s a bit of a sheen to the treble, by which I mean a lack of clarity and cleanliness. This isn’t a big deal, it’s barely noticeable, and it’s not a particular issue because of the rolled-off treble. The lack of extension can occasionally be a bit of a problem; cymbals, acoustic guitars, and trumpets don’t sound especially convincing.
The slightly laid-back tuning makes for a relaxing listen, one that is good for avoiding the fatigue and brightness I’ve heard with other DD IEMs. The Isabellae errs on the side of caution, then.
Conclusion
These are great IEMs. I very much like the tuning and the timbre of acoustic instruments through the Isabellae. There’s something very appealing about the overall sound. I was reading old threads on another forum recently and saw people describing tube amps as romantic. I wonder if that adjective also works for the Isabellae. In the end, I keep coming back to the idea that these are very well balanced IEMs. This balance takes several forms:
- the frequency response is fairly even, with only a slight mid-bass emphasis and a lovely mid-range
- there’s a balance in the lack of extension at both ends of the frequency range
- there’s enough tonal weight to instruments for them to come across as rich and substantial without the sound being too thick or sluggish
- the Isabellae isn’t fast but it’s nimble and responsive enough
- the leading edges of notes aren’t the most incisive but they’re sufficiently snappy
- the tuning and technicalities are commensurate with one another
- the staging is neither too small nor stretched out in an exaggerated way (which might be said of the Holocene)
- these IEMs’ overall sound isn’t bombastic or overdone; it’s more subtle but engaging and highly enjoyable
Thank you again Rockwell75, I very much appreciate the opportunity to hear your lovely Isabellae.
