THE FIRST FREQ SHOW REVIEW (Music Makers Triple Driver model from The FreQ) - w/PICS

[-=Germania=-]

Thanks for publically clearing it up.

My broher meant well - and you gotta love family (he is my younger brother).

Made some slight modification to the review - just for correctness.

[powertoold]

Originally Posted by PeterDLai

I wonder how these compare in sound quality to the Westone 3 prototypes, as they both utilize three drivers with a three-way crossover.

Will we ever find out?

I don't think universals will ever compare to customs in terms of bass impact. As I said in the FreQ Impressions thread, the surface area that you get touching your canal with a custom is much more than with a universal. Also, the hard acrylic of a custom is able to better transfer bass frequencies than the foam / silicone tips of universal IEMs. This is why I believe that my FreQs have just as much bass impact as my HD580s (which are bass light, but that's beside the point). With universals I've tried, you can hear and feel the bass, but it feels anemic and does not convey the same soft touch to your ears as a custom IEM does.

If the Westone 3 sounds as good as the FreQs, I'd be surprised. Otherwise, I believe that universals have an inherent disadvantage because of the tips.

There's also more to the story. For example, I can feel the air pressure coming out of a horn with my FreQs. I don't think I remember feeling this sensation with universals. The point is that customs are intimately connected with your canal and allows for better transfer of subtle vibrations than do universal IEMs.

[PeterDLai]

Originally Posted by powertoold

I don't think universals will ever compare to customs in terms of bass impact. As I said in the FreQ Impressions thread, the surface area that you get touching your canal with a custom is much more than with a universal. Also, the hard acrylic of a custom is able to better transfer bass frequencies than the foam / silicone tips of universal IEMs. This is why I believe that my FreQs have just as much bass impact as my HD580s (which are bass light, but that's beside the point). With universals I've tried, you can hear and feel the bass, but it feels anemic and does not convey the same soft touch to your ears as a custom IEM does.

If the Westone 3 sounds as good as the FreQs, I'd be surprised. Otherwise, I believe that universals have an inherent disadvantage because of the tips.

There's also more to the story. For example, I can feel the air pressure coming out of a horn with my FreQs. I don't think I remember feeling this sensation with universals. The point is that customs are intimately connected with your canal and allows for better transfer of subtle vibrations than do universal IEMs.

I can feel the air pressure coming out of the M-AUDIO IE-40 that I'm auditioning right now.

And what's interesting if you didn't catch it a while ago is that Ray Samuels actually thought the Westone 3 sounded very good for a universal to his ears:

Originally Posted by Ray Samuels

In the plane, I decided to give the little UNIVERSAL Weston 3 a listen. Oh my God...am I listening to IEMs that are not custom built to my ears? I was truely shocked, I have never experienced this kind of intimacy with universal IEMs. The sound produced from these little phones was magical. The highs were full of "honey" sweeeetttttt, with extension only produced from the very best drivers. Bass was deeeeeppppp, tied with authority. It produced the sub bass that Bella Sonus CD is known off. The mids were magical. The balance of high, mid & bass was outstanding & the sound stage was so big I could never believe it was coming from these cans.

So I decided to keep these cans & add them to my collection at any cost. All I want to say, if you are looking into "UNIVERSAL" IEMs, Westone 3 will be the way to go. It really put a big smile on my face, it truely made my 2 hours flight so enjoyable.

I also think that HeadphoneAddict also thought the Westone 3 bested his LiveWires, but that's a different styled custom than these.

[-=Germania=-]

Hmmm.. the next face off - Westone 3 vs. FreQShow..


Anyone have word on pricing for the Westone?

[powertoold]

Originally Posted by PeterDLai

I can feel the air pressure coming out of the M-AUDIO IE-40 that I'm auditioning right now.

And what's interesting if you didn't catch it a while ago is that Ray Samuels actually thought the Westone 3 sounded very good for a universal to his ears:



I also think that HeadphoneAddict also thought the Westone 3 bested his LiveWires, but that's a different styled custom than these.

It's true that you can feel some air pressure, but would you say it gives the same impact as a full sized headphone? One of my gripes with universal IEMs is that they just don't give the same musical "experience" as cans, and I explained what I think is the drawback of universals in my last post. If it makes sense to you, then great, if not, then I don't know how else to explain; you'd have to get a custom to know When I listen to music with my FreQs, each instrument is able to give me a different feeling on my ears. I not only hear each instrument, but I also feel them. Someone back me up

Yes, I did read RS's and Headphoneaddict's short impressions of the Westone 3. I was really excited for the Westone 3... 6 months ago lol. For $400, I would much rather get a FreQ Show than Westone 3s. Personally, I don't like the idea of using two hands to insert a universal IEM. I can put on my FreQs and take them off like cans. I also haven't had good experiences with Westone customer service.

[eternality.pl]

399 usd - retail price for westone 3

[-=Germania=-]

Originally Posted by powertoold

Someone back me up

done.

[powertoold]

Originally Posted by -=Germania=-

done.

Thanks

I can listen to my FreQs at a very low volume, and I can still "feel" the instruments. This is why I can listen at low volumes and still be satisfied. I think it's due to bone induction of the sound. It's rather amazing actually. When I listen to a live performance. I can feel the vibration of each clap hit me in the ear, even at low volumes. Also, keep in mind that I did my own impressions, so the bone induction effect would be much enhanced by a deep professional impression.

[Denver Max]

Originally Posted by -=*P3nc3m3n*=-

Ok, now I am done with his thread as it has lost my interest. And I also do not enjoy conversations with people who like to show people up, and people who try to strike someone down for posting reviews about headphones that they've truly listened to.

For those of you who do not know much about Northwestern, It is in the top 10 schools of the country, and NW normally gets all of the pre-release shows and tech fairs/meets for most or all of the new technology about to come into the market.

SO, in turn, being a student at northwestern, she is able to give inside reviews and such for new "up and coming" products that you will eventually see in the market... Which allow you to compare and contrast in this forum for some constructive criticism...
-Pencemen

This elitism is so typical... I go to a school of similar stature and environment, and I am so sick of people that ruin a good school's image by constantly spewing these condescending remarks to people they come into contact with. I am reluctant to even tell acquaintances where I go to school anymore because everyone is aware of attitudes like yours, and automatically assume that the arrogance comes with the territory. It sickens me.

Originally Posted by powertoold

That just means once you turn 21, you'll probably need a refit. It would be better to ask an audiologist, but from the things I've read about other people asking audiologists, your canals don't change much after you're 21.

I asked my audiologist about this when I received my impressions, and she simply said "nope, your ears are done growing, you shouldn't have any re-fit issues for a long time." I should have tried to clarify what "long time" means in this context, but was plenty satisfied with the answer at the moment.

[mcramen]

Attending Can Jam right now.
Got my Freq Show from Todd earlier today.

I call this 'Freq/Freak' Color... or Crazy color.

Haven't got a chance to put these on yet, so pictures only.

[TheMarchingMule]

Originally Posted by Denver Max

This elitism is so typical... I go to a school of similar stature and environment, and I am so sick of people that ruin a good school's image by constantly spewing these condescending remarks to people they come into contact with. I am reluctant to even tell acquaintances where I go to school anymore because everyone is aware of attitudes like yours, and automatically assume that the arrogance comes with the territory. It sickens me.

Couldn't agree more. Besides, it shows that Germania's little pe-, er, brother, didn't read the back story of how she got these in the first place; it didn't matter where she was/where she came from.

[powertoold]

Originally Posted by mcramen

Attending Can Jam right now.
Got my Freq Show from Todd earlier today.

I call this 'Freq/Freak' Color... or Crazy color.

Haven't got a chance to put these on yet, so pictures only.

Amazing pictures! I love the colors and that white rock look!

Grats on the FreQ Show. When did you order it? How did you get it on the spot?!?

[ZackP]

****, now do I want tour de freq, or livewires?

Someone needs to review the tour de freq

[powertoold]

The thing that is worrying me about those pictures is the connector plug doesn't fit into a recessed space. Wouldn't the pins snap easily if the connector was bent slightly?

See picture and the gold pins sticking out:

[mcramen]

Originally Posted by powertoold

The thing that is worrying me about those pictures is the connector plug doesn't fit into a recessed space. Wouldn't the pins snap easily if the connector was bent slightly?

See picture and the gold pins sticking out:

The cable is locked in socket pretty firmly.
I cannot even remove with norminial power/pressure.
Since it doesn't cause me a problem in soundwise, I won't try to remove it for a while.

And I met Mr Freq back in January and kept eyes on the product and improvement.
When I saw that black/white SuperFreq, I knew it's time to get the Freq.
Todd told me future release plan as well.
And I managed to get Freq Show at the CanJam.