In today’s review we present you the InEarz P450 with ADEL, a mid-to-high range custom monitor from InEarz Audio’s portfolio.
Disclaimer: I received the InEarz P450 free of charge for this review. I’ve provided my ear impressions and also covered the customs taxes when I received the monitors. InEarz Audio is not affiliated with Headfonia.
Intro
I’ve had a lot experience with custom monitors in the past two years thanks to the Headfonia team, and the companies that I’ve been working with. In my opinion, it’s better to have one custom monitor with a fairly good sound, then having multiple universal monitors with really good qualities.
Custom monitors are excellent tools for the people who listen to music a lot in crowded environments. Yes, we now have great universal monitors with great fit, especially after companies started to use the 3D printing process. But they’re still not custom monitors, and that certainly makes a difference.
If you travel a lot, or use earphones a lot on the go, you should probably get one. I was quite skeptical about them in the past, especially about the process of getting ear impressions, sending them out and waiting forever. But now I think it’s totally worth it.
Anyway, our own Lieven and Linus shared their thoughts about this topic here and here. They have much more combined experience then myself on this topic as well, so you should probably take notes from those Pic Sunday posts.
InEarz P450
About InEarz Audio
My first ever custom monitor came from this very same brand, and I’ve written a review about their flagship monitor last year. You can check it out below:
InEarz Audio was originally founded as “Fisher Hearing Technologies” back in 2003 by Kim Alan Fisher, a former US Air Force member. He then started to work on his own custom monitor, which would be branded as “InEarz”. Kaysen Fisher, his daughter, is the GM and she handles the customer relations. His son in-law Matthew runs the lab with his very experienced team of technicians.
This is a family owned business and they’re growing day by day. They’re now operating under the Persona Medical brand in Florida, US. They had some developments this year as well, like their new partnership with Linum cables, but more on that later on.
About P450
InEarz audio describes the P450 as the “heavy hitter” in their lineup. Here’s their own description below:
“Designed specifically for bass lovers, the P450 provides a very clear sound signature with a higher emphasis on the low end. Great for bassists, drummers and audiophiles.”
Here are the basic specs:
- 2 Low, 1 Mid, 1 High Balanced Armatures
- 3-Way Crossover
- Impedance: 28 Ohm @ 1kHz
- Noise Isolation: -26dB (+/- 2dB)
About ADEL™ Technology
My sample arrived with ADEL S1 modules attached to the shells. You’re probably familiar with the ADEL name from 64 Audio and Empire Ears . The idea behind this technology is to reduce the air pressure on the ear drum and to prevent hearing loss.
You can check out this particular study and InEarz Audio’s ADEL technology page to get more information. The S1 module is the standard choice and you can get more advanced modules by paying extra.
Customer Service
InEarz Audio is one of the brands that you shouldn’t worry about regarding communication and service. Kaysen handles everything nicely, and she usually replies within the day. I had a very smooth experience with them and I assume their customers are happy as well.
You can also contact with InEarz via their Facebook page, which is usually active and they also reply there in a few hours.
InEarz P450
Package
InEarz Audio last year changed their packaging. In the past the customers were receiving a carton box with a relatively large carrying case and that was it. Now, you get a dedicated InEarz Audio box which you can flip open, and the monitors are presented to you on top of a soft foam area.
Beneath that you have 2 different carrying cases. One is a round compact hard case, and the other is a soft, zippered bag. You can choose whichever you want depending on your usage. You also get a cleaning tool, an InEarz Audio sticker and last but not least, a Linum BaX T2 cable.
I personally think InEarz clearly have improved their presentation of the package and the product, when I compare it to the previous one. However an inclusion of a cleaning cloth would’ve been nice.
Customization
For my sample I asked to have purpleheart wooden faceplates, clear shells and silver logos. I must say it looks gorgeous and elegant at the same time. You can choose 21 different shell & faceplate colors with InEarz, without any extra charge.
You can also choose from 30 different special faceplates with additional cost. A single special faceplate costs either $ 10 or $ 25. You also have 4 different pearl color options for the shells. They cost an additional $ 10 each.
Lastly you can ask for “Swarovski Crytsals” ($ 35) or “Watch Gears” ($ 75) for your faceplates. Customized artworks cost an additional $ 25 on each side. One more option to have is the ambient ports for stage musicians.
For the cable, a standard Linum BaX is free of charge which is perfect. But if you want more, you can get the Super BaX cable for an additional $100.
InEarz P450
Price
The base price of the P450 ADEL is $950USD, and the standard version without the ADEL module costs $750USD. The top of the line IEM of InEarz is the Nirvana ADEL, and that costs $1300USD. A standard Nirvana model goes for $1100USD.
Considering their design options above, and the current audiophile market, it’s fair to say that they have acceptable and even affordable prices in the world of custom monitors.
Not to mention the Linum BaX cable which comes without any additional cost. I think this was a great call by InEarz Audio, collaborating with one of the most beloved brands for audiophiles in terms of upgrade cables.
Fit & Comfort
I have sent InEarz an old pair of impressions, which were leftovers after CanJam London 2018. When ordering on their page, you need to imply the current state of your impressions as either a new set or old set (less than 6 months). My ear impressions I think were even older than 6 months when I sent them, but InEarz have managed to make perfect shells.
InEarz chooses to go with a comfortable fit, so I think the upmost isolation is not the focal point. Compared to the filled shells of other CIEMs in my inventory, the P450 is very comfortable. I did not have any single problem with the fit, even though I provided a very old set of impressions. The fit is absolutely perfect.
The seal is very solid and steady, and my jaw movement does not affect the fit. Isolation level is of course supreme. The CIEMs that are filled with either silicon or acrylic isolate even more, but this is also great and enough for almost all applications, unless you’re a fighter pilot.
There’s one more thing to mention for comfort; the Linum cable. It’s not a surprise that Linum cables have a lot of fans in the audiophile world. The cable is incredibly comfortable and it’s almost like a wireless experience. It’s very light and sometimes you forget there’s an actual cable attached to your monitors. There’s no memory wire either and that also plays well for overall ease of use and comfort.
The review continues on page 2 with build quality and sound impressions.
