ISN Earphones impression thread. New ISN H60!
- Thread starter Dsnuts
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Neo 5 - just arrived!
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- Dec 11, 2012
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Enjoy! Best IEM under $300 for my preferences, especially with Pentaconn Coreir tips.Neo 5 - just arrived!
Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Neo 5 - just arrived!
Probably it is the size of the stage that gets me nowadays. The fact that Penon released it with the wrong cable..........and that (wrong cable) was all I had to do my review. Where now with the right cable included the Neo5 universe is sprinkled with magic. Just the fact that Penon made a warm yet balanced IEM, that somehow also has the note-weight for singer sound writer stuff, plus they do vocals well? What gets me is in fact the cable they come with now is special among all cables, even more expensive choices?
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I thought you have tons of cables provided by Penon, like most cables they sell. I bought my Obsidian because of your review. You only had access to the S8 when you did the NEO 5 review? Hard to believe.
It's been said many times before in here but the S8 is a nice stock cable or even at $32.50, but it just doesn't synergize well with NEO 5, which is why Penon replaced it with the S4.
S4 is the perfect stock cable for NEO 5. I don't feel the need to upgrade the cable with S4 connected to the NEO 5. Penon including such a nice cable with the NEO 5, along with good stock eartips, makes it the ultimate package under $300 in my opinion. Pentaconn Coreir eartips takes the NEO 5 to another level, but is expensive (for eartips) from most retailers.
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Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
Right I only had the S8 for review, as my only S4 was MMCX. But my point was that yes I have a few Penon cables, except the S4 is totally unique and not normal. The S4 was introduced with the D10, and due to having an understanding of the D10, you can imagine how special the S4 was/is. And yes (after the 2Pin S4 arrived in the mail) It became the perfect cable for what it does with the Neo5, so much so that it’s uncanny. It’s just everyone talks about how great this or that can be on Head-Fi, yet when I recently did comparisons between the Neo5 with S4 and another brand, the Neo 5 blew the comparison model totally out of the water. It can be only times like these, with direct comparisons that we totally understand the differences here. A big part of the Neo 5 success at the time of comparisons was stage and image size? Now sure maybe it was just the music I choose, I won’t deny that, the fact that the Neo 5 does have music that raises it to an even greater place? The place I’m talking about was tears.........quite the accomplishment for such an IEM!
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ISN Audio Neo 1 is available now
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-NEO-1
Due to some users who are sensitive to 4.5K, we will ship 3 sets of filters with Neo1, the original Neo1 uses Metal mesh, you can change as you like.
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-NEO-1
Due to some users who are sensitive to 4.5K, we will ship 3 sets of filters with Neo1, the original Neo1 uses Metal mesh, you can change as you like.
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Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
WOW, I didn’t know the price till just now. Cost almost the same as lunch for two!
ISN Audio Neo 1 is available now
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-NEO-1
Due to some users who are sensitive to 4.5K, we will ship 3 sets of filters with Neo1, the original Neo1 uses Metal mesh, you can change as you like.
rattlingblanketwoman
100+ Head-Fier
What's the y scale on the graph?ISN Audio Neo 1 is available now
https://penonaudio.com/ISN-Audio-NEO-1
Due to some users who are sensitive to 4.5K, we will ship 3 sets of filters with Neo1, the original Neo1 uses Metal mesh, you can change as you like.
This reminds me an awful lot of the OG Fan.
Was about to ask. How does the Neo 1 compare with the OG Fan?
UnluckyGamer
New Head-Fier
Any one own the Xenns Top and the Neo 5? I am undecided between the two
If anyone is interested in the magnificent EST50 + Solar combo in Europe, take a look:
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/isn-est50-isn-solar.57791/
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/isn-est50-isn-solar.57791/
ISN Neo1 arrived today.
Very early impressions:
Pretty IEM, surprisingly light weight, more of a basic package than usual from Penon / ISN. The cable in particular is very thin.
The sound in nice, with recognisable ISN tonality. Out the box it is a little bright for my taste, but it comes with filters to tame the 4.5kHz peak. I’ll try that later and give proper impressions. Even as it is, it is a very pleasant listen.
Overall first impressions are certainly positive. Except that cable.
Very early impressions:
Pretty IEM, surprisingly light weight, more of a basic package than usual from Penon / ISN. The cable in particular is very thin.
The sound in nice, with recognisable ISN tonality. Out the box it is a little bright for my taste, but it comes with filters to tame the 4.5kHz peak. I’ll try that later and give proper impressions. Even as it is, it is a very pleasant listen.
Overall first impressions are certainly positive. Except that cable.
ISN Neo1
An hour of listening past my first impressions and I’ll say a bit more. The sound may well change - many fans of ISN / Penon know that their IEMs can take a little while to settle.
First, these really are very pretty. I went for the red finish, and am very happy with the red woodgrain effect. They are very light and seem well made, though not at the level of the company’s more expensive offerings.
Accessories include a standard ISN case, thin cable, the usual eartip selection, and unusually some filter meshes. Perhaps unfairly I have not tried the cable, instead using a Penon OS133. The filters are an interesting choice - it seems rather than include tuning nozzles or similar, we have been given the old school method of customising an IEM.
On the Penon website, it explains the meshes. The metal mesh that comes installed gives the most treble, with the rest providing two levels of damping to shift the sound to be warmer. Using a pin or SIM card tool, you remove the old metal mesh, then add the fabric mesh, then a new metal mesh on top. It’s fiddly work, but they include a few spares in case you make a mistake. The result is an IEM that can be tuned to taste.
Out of the box I found the Neo 1 to have a pleasant timbre and mild-V signature, though with too much treble to be an easy listen (for my treble sensitive ears). Switching to the heaviest damping did what it was meant to do, taming the treble and boosting bass. Mids are a little recessed but vocals are still clear.
The overall impression is of a nice timbre, and likeable inoffensive tuning. They have decent details, and a nice clarity to the vocals and treble. Bass is plentiful when called for but not as refined as I am used to from ISN.
If all of this praise seems a bit mild… that’s about right. They are a nice set, but not up to the Fan, Neo 5, etc. But this is a budget set, and such comparisons are unfair.
Against similarly priced IEMs, the Neo1 holds its own. Macro details and timbre are the standout qualities, with a (basic) tuning system so you can configure them as you want. And they certainly look great. They remind me of the Juzear Clear, but less intense.
If you are looking for a nice set of IEMs at ~$40, this is a perfectly credible option.
An hour of listening past my first impressions and I’ll say a bit more. The sound may well change - many fans of ISN / Penon know that their IEMs can take a little while to settle.
First, these really are very pretty. I went for the red finish, and am very happy with the red woodgrain effect. They are very light and seem well made, though not at the level of the company’s more expensive offerings.
Accessories include a standard ISN case, thin cable, the usual eartip selection, and unusually some filter meshes. Perhaps unfairly I have not tried the cable, instead using a Penon OS133. The filters are an interesting choice - it seems rather than include tuning nozzles or similar, we have been given the old school method of customising an IEM.
On the Penon website, it explains the meshes. The metal mesh that comes installed gives the most treble, with the rest providing two levels of damping to shift the sound to be warmer. Using a pin or SIM card tool, you remove the old metal mesh, then add the fabric mesh, then a new metal mesh on top. It’s fiddly work, but they include a few spares in case you make a mistake. The result is an IEM that can be tuned to taste.
Out of the box I found the Neo 1 to have a pleasant timbre and mild-V signature, though with too much treble to be an easy listen (for my treble sensitive ears). Switching to the heaviest damping did what it was meant to do, taming the treble and boosting bass. Mids are a little recessed but vocals are still clear.
The overall impression is of a nice timbre, and likeable inoffensive tuning. They have decent details, and a nice clarity to the vocals and treble. Bass is plentiful when called for but not as refined as I am used to from ISN.
If all of this praise seems a bit mild… that’s about right. They are a nice set, but not up to the Fan, Neo 5, etc. But this is a budget set, and such comparisons are unfair.
Against similarly priced IEMs, the Neo1 holds its own. Macro details and timbre are the standout qualities, with a (basic) tuning system so you can configure them as you want. And they certainly look great. They remind me of the Juzear Clear, but less intense.
If you are looking for a nice set of IEMs at ~$40, this is a perfectly credible option.
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Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jun 20, 2011
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Excellent take on them. They need a good driver beat down however. Bass will sound much improved with some burn in. Your filter settings might change a bit after burn in.
I would definitely explore different cables too. I bet you will be surprised how much they scale to better cables.
I would definitely explore different cables too. I bet you will be surprised how much they scale to better cables.
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