Review: InearZ IE-P350 Custom In-Ear Monitors

Firstly I would like to thank InearZ for kindly making these custom IEM’s for me to review, I will try and write an honest review, these received over 50hrs of burn-in, no differences were noted.

Gear Used:
Dell XPS 15 > JDS Labs C5D > IE-P350
iPod Classic 7G > IE-P350

Tech Specs:
Input sensitivity 119dB@1mw
Integrated 3 way crossover
Triple Balanced armature drivers
1 low 1 mid and 1 high
Impedance 20 Ohm
Noise Isolation -26dB
Input connecter 1/8″ 3.5mm Gold plated
Dual bore
Frequency response 20Hz to 17KHz
Price $350

Packaging, Accessories, Build Quality and Finish:

Well as most of you know, custom IEM’s don’t come in retail packaging as they are a hand crafted product, they do however come very well protected in a S3 case, similar to a pelican case, it is crush proof, and waterproof too. So no chance of them getting crushed during shipping, also the inside is a custom cut foam to separate each IEM and the cable and also has a part for the wax cleaner, a very well thought out design. So the packaging is great, they also engrave your name for free on the box.

Accessories are the case talked about above, which is an excellent case, also included is an InearZ sticker and also a wax cleaning tool. I can’t see them needing any extra accessories, all the essential are included.

Build quality, well they feel great, they are hard acrylic customs so there is always the possibility of them cracking or smashing if you drop them on hard ground, but if you are careful I cannot see any faults appearing. I got the recessed sockets on these, as I find they put less strain on the connector pins themselves, and the socket is very tight. Great when you are using them, but it is very difficult to detach the cable if you want to change it, but they do detach. The cable itself is flexible and soft, has good strain relief and should hold up well over time, it does have a section of memory wire that I find to be comfortable.

The finish of the shell is excellent, I can spot the odd air bubble, but they are very difficult to find and won’t affect the longevity of the IEM’s. The innards are all securely fit in place and glued, so no wires flexing to be broken. Overall they are well made, and with a little care I can see them lasting a long time. The carbon faceplate looks excellent, and the joining of the faceplate to the shell is very good, the InearZ logo also looks great, overall superb finish and plenty of customization options.

Comfort, Isolation and Cable Noise:

Well being a full shell custom IEM these are definitely more comfortable than universal IEM’s, they may not be as flexible as silicone custom IEM’s but I do not find the acrylic to cause any discomfort. The fit of these is spot on, first time round that is really good. I can move my mouth without the seal breaking, there is no pressure or discomfort. Also they sit nice and flush, which is great if you want to sleep with these in. The memory wire is not uncomfortable either, although I always prefer cables without memory wire.

Isolation is great, better than universal IEM’s, even with comply tips, but silicone customs will isolate better. To be honest for most uses you will not need more isolation than these, they cut out a lot of background noise, and are great for commuting and also for regular flyers, even for stage use these would be fine.

Cable noise is not an issue, due to the cable going behind the ear.

Sound:

Lows: The lows on these are full and warm, they give great body to the sound without sounding muddy. They do warm the mids a little giving a tad extra body but this is not a negative thing, if you are using these out and about in noisy environments the lows disappear first so the little extra body means you never lose track of the beat. The lows also make these sound a little more natural, they don’t sound clinical or thin. The lows extend nicely with sub-bass being audible with only slight roll off below 40Hz, so very good response, and also articulation. Also being balanced armatures the lows are very fast in attack and recovery, so they can keep up with whatever you throw at them.

Mids: The mids sit nicely in the middle of the sound of these, where they should be. Up front mids can be fun and engaging but also fatiguing, these are never fatiguing. They are slightly warmed up from the lows as stated, but this doesn’t make them muddy, they are still very well separated, it just adds a little extra body. Both male and female vocals sound great, electric guitars have power and crunch, acoustic guitars have excellent tone and reverberation. All with excellent detail retrieval. They also don’t suffer from sibilance, very smooth and sweet mids.

Highs: The highs sit a little behind the rest of the sound and give the overall sound a warm tone, but the highs do add some air and detail to the sound, extending nicely and not sounding metallic or tinny. They could use a little boost but to be honest for every day listening they are fine.  They are accurate and present, they could just do with being slightly more up front. However I never find these to be fatiguing to listen to, and I can listen to these for hours easily.

Soundstage is good, it’s not huge but there are definitely out of head experiences to be had.
Instrument separation is great, there is enough air to separate everything without sounding detached. These are fairly forgiving of bad sources, but they definitely benefit from FLAC over mp3 and also a good amp brings out a little more body in the sound.

Conclusion:

I really like the smooth yet detailed sound of these, they lean towards the warmer side of sound, but never sound muddy or veiled. The mids cut through with great detail, the lows have extension and punch, with body that makes these a pleasure to listen to. You will never find these fatiguing to listen to, rather they are more relaxed, the highs could use a little boost, but this could lead to fatigue (also if you want that, EQ and cables can help in this regard). They may not be the most detailed, or the most fun IEM’s to listen to, but what they do, they do very well, which is easy listening. I highly recommend these as an entry level custom IEM, that sounds great with all genres and is easy to listen to.

Also a little end note, InearZ are a pleasure to work with, excellent communication and fast turnaround, they can be found and contacted via social media very easily, and Matthew who does all the shells was quick to reply to my messages, and Kim the owner was very insightful about the driver configuration.

Sound Perfection Rating: 8/10 (easy to listen to, reasonably priced, great looking custom IEM’s)

Production photos: