Sound Impressions
I tested the Neo1s with my Hiby R6 Pro II set to hi-gain in AB mode with a volume level of 17.
They immediately come across as slightly v-shaped with deep, boosted sub bass and very prominent treble, yet the more I listen the more I notice the forward presence of their midrange.
Sub bass is boosted slightly north of neutral & certainly won’t feel deficient with bass-driven electronic music, but midbass is more restrained. That prevents the midrange being overwhelmed, but also means the Neo1s don’t throb enough down low to be considered basshead IEMs – they’re too well balanced.
Shifting to the midrange, vocals are positioned quite forward in the soundstage and have a decent amount of weight behind them. There’s a fairly even-handed balance between the lower and upper midrange, so I’d struggle to label the Neo1s as tonally warm or cool… but rather quite neutral.
If anything I’d prefer a little more lower midrange boost, but given we have a single driver covering the entire frequency range that might result in a sacrifice being made elsewhere – for $39 they do a terrific job of covering the entire spectrum without any obvious gaping holes.
Treble is fairly bright on the Neo1s, which has perhaps been boosted to increase the perception of detail. Treble’s well within my levels of tolerance, but as this is a very personal thing ISN have included a number acoustic filters to dampen treble should you require it.
Regrettably treble quality is an issue – it tends to be rather wispy & indistinct, lacking the smooth effortlessness & body often heard in IEMs with vastly higher prices. For $39 however the Neo1s don’t feel dark, nor do I find treble screechy or piercing. I would nominate treble as their weakest area however.
The Neo1s feature a 4.5khz peak which some listeners will like less than others. If you want it dampened, three sets of acoustic filters (4 each) are included – stock metal grilles which block it least, dampening mesh filters that lower it slightly & cotton mesh filters which tame it more. The peak doesn’t bother me even with the stock filters, but those options are handy and you can even stack filters.
Technical Performance
As a budget single-driver IEM, expectations for Neo1 technical performance must be kept reasonable to avoid disappointment. Within that context they perform quite well, though budget multi-driver hybrids can reach greater technical heights at the cost of coherency & tonality.
The Neo1s are extremely coherent as you’d expect from a single-DD, but the positives don’t end there. Their soundstage is impressively wide by budget standards, successfully avoiding feeling claustrophobic despite the stage being quite shallow – which is fairly typical for low cost IEMs. My ears aren’t tricked into believing multiple-BAs are creating the stage I’m hearing, but nor is it distractingly tiny either.
Resolution is a similar story – it won’t blow away anyone who’s sampled expensive IEMs, but considering the Neo1s’ cost & single driver feels acceptable. You’ll miss out on hearing notes trailing off into nothingness with pristine clarity, nor are instruments separated with ample blackness around them. However I don’t get the impression notes are being smeared together in a single blob as was often the case with budget DDs of the past – how far driver tech has come!
Which brings me to the question of speed. No, these aren’t the absolute fastest DD’s I’ve heard, but they’re perfectly decent at keeping up with fast-paced electronic & classical music I can’t get enough of. Multi-BA IEMs will perform even better in that regard, but the difference feels modest.
One thing I don’t particularly like is that as with a lot of budget earphones, individual instruments & voices can sound quite small on the Neo1s, which is mostly noticeable after swapping to more expensive IEMs.
Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging & Ergonomics
Page 2 – Sound Impressions & Technical Performance
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion
Comments