ISN EBC80 Review

Sound Impressions

I’ve used a Cayin N6III with R202 motherboard in R2R mode, using hi-gain to test the EBC80s. Here is the Tidal playlist I use to evaluate audio gear.

The EBC80s contain two 8mm liquid silicone DDs, 2 Sonion BCDs, one Sonion BA, one Knowles BA & two Sonion ESTs. They’re slightly v-shaped with powerful bass and a forward upper midrange that resolves details impressively, with spectacular staging.

Bass

The EBC80s’ twin dynamic drivers provide tight, powerful bass that feels substantially visceral without overshadowing the midrange. The emphasis is weighted slightly in favour of sub bass, and if anything I’d personally like a little more midbass.

Bass decays satisfyingly but could if anything stand to have a tad more bite, and the overall amount of bass quantity is more neutral than many other ISN earphones I’ve tried. Do bear in mind this may be a consequence of these being customs – I was surprised to discover my CIEM ISN H60s were appreciably less bass-heavy than the universal version.

This means bass tends to feel precise and extended, but reined-in enough that other aspects of the EBC80s’ presentation can gain greater prominence.

Midrange

If you value articulation over warmth you’re really going to appreciate the EBC80 midrange, which effortlessly conveys tiny vocal nuances in a manner reminiscent of TOTL IEMs worth thousands.

The custom form-factor helps here, since by blocking out extra background noise tiny details become much easier to perceive.

One downside -depending on your perspective- is the EBC80 midrange does emphasise the upper midrange in a noticeable fashion. I find midrange tuning is largely a matter of taste for most hobbyists, the EBC80s for instance remind me of Subtonic Storm’s slightly dry midrange whereas I personally prefer a bit more lower midrange emphasis which prioritises warmth & body instead.

Treble

The EBC80s utilise dual EST drivers to great effect, with treble that’s impressively silky & resolving.

Bear in mind they’re on the brighter side, and lower treble in particular can be a handful on certain tracks. They also deliver treble that’s very characteristic of EST drivers (another reviewer has labelled it ‘sandy’) which is something I happen to enjoy, but have heard other hobbyists occasionally complain about.

However if it were up to me every IEM would boast EST treble and it’s definitely something I like about the EBC80s – though occasionally I wish it were dialled down slightly.

Technical Performance

The EBC80s standout attribute is their BCD-fuelled staging, which is exceptionally spacious & dimensional. Wider than that of most earphones under $1000, and also quite tall. Depth is impressive with lots of space between each note, and a background that’s admirably black so they pop impressively.

This is aided by the CIEM form factor, but one downside of those BCDs is there’s a slight fuzziness to notes I find characteristic of bone conduction drivers. The other negative is instruments can feel small because they feel pushed backwards away from the listener, occupying a grander space.

Dynamics are above average, and resolution in particular is excellent with tiny details being quite easy to pick out – I find the EBC80s competes with some very expensive earphones for detail retrieval. This is perhaps aided by the tuning, with elevated upper midrange & treble pushing smaller details forward.

Even those two DDs are extremely fast with no trouble at all keeping up with fast music, and coherency is never an issue either. For their cost the EBC80s are exceptional technical performers.

Page 1 – Introduction, Packaging & Ergonomics
Page 2 – Sound Impressions & Technical Performance
Page 3 – IEM Comparisons
Page 4 – Cable Comparisons
Page 5 – Conclusion