Here are some impressions. Please keep in mind these are very early; after I spend a week or so with these I'll post more in-depth thoughts.
Suyama's FitEar TO GO 334
These arrived packaged in a simple cardboard box with the FitEar logo printed on the side. Inside, everything is very neatly presented: you get a booklet stored in a plastic sleeve, as well as a Pelican hardcase adorned with the same logo, cellophane-wrapped to a cardboard pallet. Basically what you'd expect from a pair of customs. Opening up the case, one finds a little mesh carry bag. Inside the bag are the IEMs, the cable coiled just-so and fixed with a tag featuring the company info. Very professional. One can tell a lot of care went into this presentation. It's low-key and minimalistic, but satisfying.
The IEMs themselves are similar to a demo pair of customs: they're "universalized" with a pair of tips on the end and an amorphous shell. These are a step above and beyond however. The build quality is absolutely immaculate. The bore is finished off neatly like any universal's, and the shell is simply gorgeous. It's has a black, barely-translucent finish that is clean and free of any noticeable imperfections upon inspection. The entry points and connectors for the cables continue the impressive build quality, and the cable itself is plain but substantial. The jack is quite big, finished with a big (for an IEM cable) metal plug casing. All in all the TG 334 feels solid. Serious business.
They fit me fairly well. Unlike a fully custom IEM, the shell sticks out a bit further than what I expected, but while it's larger than most other IEMs, it's not overly so like the RedGiant A03. The seal is pretty tight and does a very good job of isolating. About on the level of the Heir 8.A I tried out, keeping in mind that said custom wasn't my custom but rather my twin's. I wouldn't be at all surprised if these weren't quite on par with a fully custom IEM when it comes to isolation. Either way, the TG 334 is comfortable to wear for me. One caveat: these things are seriously microphonic. I guess that's due to the shell material? However these seem more microphonic than either the 8.A or ASG-1.
So, what do they sound like? One word: transparent. It's a somewhat lazy comparison, but these are the closest an IEM has come to matching the SR-009's transparency I've come across thus far. Simply stunning. Tonally, the balance of these is extremely linear. No coloration is standing out to my ears immediately as I listen this morning. They manage to avoid an overly analytic sterility though, and the treble is not a harsh, emphatic presence in the sonic spectrum. Detail-wise, these are on par with---if not beyond---the FI-BA-SS (keeping in mind I have the white-cabled version). This is pretty much the most detailed I've heard an IEM sound; I've spoken about "detail saturation" before, and honestly, when I reach this level of information extraction, it becomes difficult and altogether trivial to try and determine if anything else surpasses it. More important [for me personally] is the imaging capability of these: instruments are positioned with brilliant accuracy in space. Separation is also impressive, and the overall presentation seems evenly distributed. These manage to avoid the "blob effect" of overly delineating things into left, right, and center channels. The size of the soundstage / headstage is not overly impressive however, and thus far I'm perceiving things as a bit densely arranged.
In short, these are already shaping up to be tremendous IEMs given the brief time I've been able to devote to them this morning. They're not "fun" in the sense of wild coloration or smoke 'n' mirrors presentation; instead the TO GO 334 strikes me as a serious, no compromises relay device. It's a window onto one's music, a characterization I'd give the SR-009 as well. Which brings me to a final point for this morning: these aren't going to do any favors for poor quality tracks.
This is the sort of device that gets out of the way rather than make its presence known. It seems like a top contender for anyone looking to ascend the vertical path of performance audio. For those searching for something romantic or dreamy---an exotic flavor---I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
Edited by MuppetFace - 4/24/12 at 4:46am
