Audeze iSine 10 Review – Steel Mesh Plannar Attraction
Audeze iSine 10
USD399
Pros
- Interesting Striking Design and Solid Construction
- Spacious sound for an in ear monitor
- Good weighted bass quality
Cons
- Cheap feel to the cable and tangles easily
- Fit can be very hit or miss with some probably having a lot of discomfort
- The item itself could be too big for peoples ears for the smaller eared population
Build Quality/Design/Ergonomics
The iSine 10’s surpasses the bar for looks, they look like a fusion between a spiderweb and a star wars tie fighter wing, the black housing with Steel mesh grill offers a very futuristic look. Build quality wise they are quite robust for something made of plastic, using a 2 pin 0.78mm cable which truth be told does the job but could be better, the cable is lightweight which is a plus but the cable tangles easily and isn’t the most attractive cable I have seen, ibasso IT01, or Unique Melodies ME1 take this plaudit.
The fit though of the iSine 10 is very much a polarised experience, I feel for myself they are fairly comfortable with the over ear plastic hooks but were shocking with the use of the ear locks.
With the ear hooks over ears if you will I can wear the iSine 10 for a good few hours until my ears show discomfort, or until I have had my fill of music.
Dap/Source Pairings
The iSine 10s are easy to drive and handle well even with you smartphone of choice
For this reviews I will be using a mixture of DAPs and music selections.
Daps : Shanling M2s, Hiby R3 (incoming), LG V20
Music used: Boston DSD Peace of mind, seether disclaimer album flac, Pusicifer Momma sed flac, George Michael Ladies and gentlemen album flac, Audioslave Audioslave album flac, Tom Petty Anthology Album flac, Enya Greatest hits Flac.
Sound Signature
Onto sound from the Audeze iSine 10’s first off they have a laid-back sound, airy in nature and they respond very well to EQ ‘ing and amplification, however for this review I did not use Eq and amplification, I used them as you would find them out of the box.
The sub bass is quite good allowing for the bass to come in when needed, get the fit right with the iSine 10’s and the bass can be very forceful and almost shake your eardrums loose
On the track momma sed, the guitar and bass come in at the start of the song and build and build until you get a very crisp and defined bass guitar loop with hi hat all very well controlled.
Now maybe a weak point to the iSine 10s, without EQ I feel the mids get muddy and impact in both the bass and treble, with EQ tweaks you can iron out the muddiness and have a better clarity to the midrange.
The uppermids are better on a song like careless whisper, Georges vocals are excellent whilst his voice is portrayed across the spectrum well.
Clarity wise the iSine 10s in part do very well, allowing for a spacious and detailed presentation to most genres of music, the treble is particularly good with a track like Needles from Seethers Disclaimer album. The drums start and then everything kicks in, whilst the mids are muddy the treble is outstanding allowing for vocals to flourish and notes are precise and located well.
The soundstage on the iSine 10 is excellent, almost as good as some open back headphones, it feels like the music is outside of the iSines. Placement of music is very much spacious and airy as mentioned before.
The iSine 10’s have a fairly dark background, however if pushed they can have a slight hiss delectable at the extreme volume limits.
Conclusion
The iSine 10’s offer a great sounding IEM for a moderate amount of money, especially in the second hand marketplace.
In mt experience though ,they don’t however excel in any one area but they do allow the music on offer to be heard in a controlled, musical and spacious way.
