You can read part one of the review here, where the packaging, build quality and operation is covered, or read on for how the iP-395 and iP-595 perform.

As noted in part one, both sets of earphones were given about six hours of burn-in before using them, despite an 8-10 hour period being recommended.  In all honesty, between hours six and ten the audio quality didn’t noticeably change, but there was a definite improvement from how they sounded straight out of the box and at the end of the burn-in, so it’s worthwhile doing.

Running the iP-395s was a frustrating experience due to the eartips not fitting me properly.  It was so annoying that I even tried the tips from my Sennheisers, but they didn’t fit the ‘phones.  The left-hand ‘bud was the most problematic as it was often dislodged from my ear, breaking the seal and compromising audio and bass response.

Not everyone is going to have this problem, but it’s not as if my ears are ridiculously large or small, as I usually stick with the medium size tip.  The chance that Maximo’s tip sizing is slightly off was proven by the iP-595s, where the smallest out of the four was the most comfortable.

On paper the two pairs seem evenly matched in terms of specification, but I did find the iP-595s produced more bass and had a richer, more tuneful mid-range.  Now, whether this was solely because the tips fitted me better I don’t know, but on the strength of my tests the 595s are the better buy if you’re wanting the best audio performance.

Listening to College’s A Real Hero produced excellent bass response, with the track’s hefty bassline almost causing the ‘buds to vibrate even at moderate volume, but it was the beautiful stereo separation in Geoff Love’s Doctor Who Theme and The Thompson Twins’ Hold Me Now 12″ Remix that made me fall in love with the iP-595s.  Finally, they recreated the dreamy ambiance and strong bass of Bonobo’s Kota perfectly.

Performance when playing spoken word on an iPod Nano 5th generation was equally good, and the ill-fitting iP-395s didn’t cause as many problems.  Both sets provided ‘fuller’ voices compared to the aforementioned Sennheiser CX200s and on the iP-595s, the elongated eartips did make a better seal therefore improving the audio at lower volumes, especially when out and about.

Moving on to the call quality when used as a hands-free kit for the iPhone, I couldn’t spot any difference between the two sets, as both sounded the same.  The caller couldn’t tell I was using a hands-free mic when I was inside, but could hear a ‘different’ sound when I was outside.  This is to be expected, but crucially it didn’t affect the conversation.  One thing was bothersome though, and that’s if you keep your phone in your shirt’s breast pocket while driving, as the proximity of the phone to the inline microphone caused some uncomfortable feedback.

Of the two, I would continue using the iMetal iP-595s, not only because they actually fit in my ears, but also because they really perform very well.  At $79.99, given their excellent build quality and comprehensive accessory kit, they’re an excellent and recommended purchase.  That said, if the supplied eartips fit you, then the gorgeous appearance of the iP-395s and the very similar audio quality means if you’re on a budget they’re still well worth investigating.

You can order both the iMetal iP-395s and the iMetal iP-595s from Maximo’s website.