ISN Audio EST80 An Electrifying Experience
ISN Audio EST80 An Electrifying Experience
Another week another review. This time around we have Penon umbrella brand ISN Audio. Product name is EST80. I really like EST treble. Specially Penon Voltage (which is part of my top 5 set) showed me how a good tuned EST can create amazing treble. So, I am always on hunt for EST sets. When I came to know ISN Audio has two sets EST80 and EBC80. I had set my eyes on them. AudioGeek India was conducting tour of ISN Audio EST80. Without any delay I applied for tour. Rest is history and we have this review now.
First of all, mighty thanks to AudioGeek India and ISN Audio without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.
My biases in tone / timbre are DD > Hybrid > Planar.
For my music choices please check music genre section.
Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged let us get on with the meat and potatoes of this review.
Pros:
Bass both Sub bass and mid bass
Mids
Treble smooth & well extended without being harsh
Sound stage
Build Quality
Cons:
Treble for some it may sound bit dark
Sound stage could have been bit larger
Build Quality:
Please note that I received only case + Cable + IEMS and # types of ear tips in package and not the retail package. So, my impressions are based on that.
Shells are made up of resin here. They have resin filled wooden faceplates which look awesome. Nozzles are long. They have lips to hold ear tips in place. Nozzles are part of the shell made up of resin. There are no mesh filters on nozzles. Shape of the shell is semi- custom.
Paired cable is premium it is four core cable. Jack termination, cable separator, chin synch and two pin connectors are made up of metals. They have decals on them and their color matches the color of cable. Nice attention to detail.
There are 3 types of ear tips included all come with all three sizes. Included case is of leather (probably protein leather) It has pockets for IEM shells. It can easily accommodate IEM + Cable. It is hard case and can withstand day to day wear and tear.
Overall Build Quality 5/5
Comfort:
Shells are huge no doubt about it. So, people with small ears please demo before purchase. For my elephant ears it fits perfectly. Affords me nice passive isolation. On weight side they are light weight being resin. No pressure or pain was felt while using for extended period. Nozzles being long provide deep fit. Lips on the nozzles prevent ear tip slip offs and afford good grip to them.
Cable is thick and inspire confidence. It is supple and can be roadie wrapped easily. No microphonics observed in cable. Included ear tips are soft and provide good seal.
Overall comfort 5/5
Configuration:
2 EST + 4BA + 2 DD tribid. 2 sonion EST, 2 sonion BA, 2 Knowles BA and 2 8mm liquid silicone DD’s. Impedance is 14 Ohms. Sensitivity is 110 dB. Frequency response is 5Hz-40 KHz
Ear Tips:
Silicone ear tips with yellow core were used for this review.
Sources:
I have used various sources with this set. Best pairing was achieved with neutral sources. Source scaling L&P W2 ultra > Dethonray Clarinet > Cayin Ru7 > Cayin Ru6 > Fiio M21> Tempotec V3 blaze > Onix Xi Alpha.
General Sound Impressions:
Bass/Lows:
Sub bass is rumbly. It rumbles for eternity and is head shaking level, one that you can feel in the ears and head. Mid bass thumps, slaps it has authoritative slam. you can feel it physically. The classic push felt by pressure of mid bass. Bass here has enough speed to deliver great physical effect yet not to smear mids. It is fast enough and well nuanced and textured. You can make or difference between instruments. Be it drums, kick drums, percussive instruments. In kill jill song the bass drops feel so satisfying. Once you hear it you will definitely understand. Male vocals sound great.
Overall Bass/Lows 5/5
Mids:
Vocals are great period. They are well balanced with respect to Bass and Treble. Male vocals sound great and get help from bass. They have note weight and sound authentic. They are well nuanced; you can pick up the singer’s specific tonal character. Be it throaty, chesty it does justice to all. You can pick up voice modulations clearly.
Female vocals are good, they sound amazing. They don’t get intense. You get the female poison without the sting. Here also you can spot the tonal character and voice modulation. If you like intense female vocals then you would be disappointed. This set is meant to enjoy female vocals without their bite.
Most instruments reside in mids. They sound great. Brass instruments, wood instruments, snare drums, cello, violins, piccolo, guitars sound amazing here. There is no smearing or congestion. Clarity is great.
Overall Mids 5/5
Treble:
Treble is detailed yet doesn’t get harsh or bright. It is enough to produce all details. All macro and micro are well reproduced. It feels smooth and well tuned. No oddities or peaks in the treble. no undue emphasis on any element is there. Yet it is one of the detailed set I have heard in the recent times. It is close to bright yet not bright. Yet people sensitive to treble may feel it is bright. Treble tuning here is just perfect for me. Again your mileage may vary.
Soundstage is vast. It feels wide and tall. It creates big stage for all instruments to coexist in the mix. No smearing or congestion was felt. Stage is holographic. You feel like seating in grand theatre and all the music is playing all around you. I feel like this sets comes very close to open back headphones in terms of openness. I know nothing can come closer to open back headphones but if you want that feeling in IEMs this IEM can deliver it.
Instruments in treble region such as violins, piccolos, cymbals and hi hats sound authentic and don’t have metallic timbre. Their timbre feels natural.
I like to add that at first listen it felt bit dark to me but on subsequent listen this feeling went away. Yet I am sure some will feel like treble tuning is dark. As we each have our own preferences this is bound to happen.
Overall Treble 5/5
Song Impressions:
To corelate to my findings in the sound impressions I have used following songs and my impressions of them
Caravan by Jahn Wasson
This is one of my favorite jazz songs. As with all jazz songs in that period drums and trumpets are main protagonist here. Drums sound heavenly here. You cab make out the exact drum type and can feel the stick hitting skin of drum and the physical effect created by it. Textured bass period. Trumpets shine here without getting harsh. Trumpets sound like you are there in person and artist is playing right in front of you. Cymbals sound natural, no metallic timbre. Strings sound excellent. The physical sensation of strings being plucked is captured excellently.
Entire mix here sounds heavenly. In last section the crescendo hits divinely. Overall excellent reproduction.
Ego death by Polyphia
My resolution check or driver speed check song. Well, the EST90 passes it with flying colors. Bass beats in the starting hit like truck and are amazing. Cymbals sound natural. Guitars which are the main USP of this song are divine here. Both bass guitars and electric guitars just sound awesome. You can feel the strings being plucked and physical reverberations generated by it. Digital synthesizer sounds great. It is not getting lost in the mix. Bass is not bleeding in to any other frequencies. No smearing or congestion. This song can get harsh easily if the set is not tuned well. But it is not the case here. It was greats session my arms were air drumming and my feet wee stomping. Overall great reproduction.
Enjoy Enjaami by Dhee & Arivu, Santhosh Narayanan
This is amazing song that has all. Great bass, good vocals both male and female. A high tempo mix where the beats follow very quickly. Nowhere it felt the driver was keeping up. No smearing or congestion. All instruments had enough space on the stage. Bass beats had lot of oomph. They were rumbly, thumpy, slapping left right center.
There are three singers. They have distinct characteristics to their vocals; all are captured faithfully here. Female vocals don’t get intense. male vocals are authentic. Piano, keyboard notes have note weight and sound great. Overall great reproduction.
Nothing else matters by Metallica
I am Metallica fan and this set just elevated my mood while listening to their songs. So mandatory inclusion of their song is must. Drums sound authoritative here. It slaps and thumps. You can feel the impact of the drums. Cymbals sound natural. Strings (guitars) sound amazing. Their string plucks feel physical. Guitars of all type sound emotive. Bass guitars sound authentic without being over bearing. Piano notes have note weight. Drums and guitars combo just becomes intoxicating.
Vocals belted out by lead singer take it to next level. Its tonal character is maintained. Vocals sound natural. They are intimate enough to evoke emotions. It was emotional affair for me while listening to EST80. It made my favorite song even better. I was struggling to stop. I must have heard the song on loop for minimum ten times. Overall excellent reproduction.
Final Conclusion:
I have listened to quite few sets in the same ball park figure. I can straight forwardly tell you that this one just feels like perfect match for my personal preferences. So, this is definitely a buy from my side. If your preferences match to my then this is also a perfect match for you. If you are treble head then this is not for you. For bass heads this is amazing. I find to be balanced set so if you like balanced set then this is for you.
It may seem like I am in love with this set and I will not deny that. I really like it. Now what are the cons or downside of this set? Well, l the bass could be too much for some people who hate copious amount of bass. Vocal lovers may also find the vocal reproduction not intimate enough especially female vocals.
I was thoroughly moved by this set. It was really hard for me to part with it. I have shilled it to heavens and am truly sorry for it. But biases are biases. So please take my review with grain of salt and read other reviews to arrive at clear and complete picture. I hope this helps.
Thank you for enduring with me till end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.
ISN Audio EST80 An Electrifying Experience
Overall Rating 5/5