Final Audio Design Muramasa VIII - Page 17

 

Lies, you will buy any other flagships that will/might come along the way. 

 

I still need electricity to listen to the Muramasa VIII. I suppose if something really impressive came out afterward I could just charge my DX100 at a neighbor's and do all my listening from that.

 

lmao. True bills and other expenses come into play as well.

 

Or...

 

You could sell off some of your gear....

Has anyone (AKA you) gotten a chance to hear them in a quiet room yet, or does FAD have everything locked up tight?

 

LOL!

 

FAD says they're in the process of getting everything ready for the official launch. I would think that they'd have something available for listening at the headphone festival today, but FAD works in mysterious ways, so who knows.

 

I highly doubt I'm going to get to hear it before I order, which is part of why I'm so nervous about it. FAD has zero US distribution---even worse than Stax---so anything of their's my brother and I order has to be from importers like Musica Acoustics or PriceJapan.

 

Given that the price is so astronomical, I have a feeling importers are going to want an advance payment before they even consider ordering one. And I don't blame them. It's just a very un-ideal situation for people who aren't in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, or Australia. Those are the only places to my mind where you can audition FAD before buying... : (

At least you can be assured that your source for buying is legitimate with a business like Musica Acoustics. I and many a Head-Fier have been burned by a faux online storefront before.

I live in Australia. Where will I be able to try the Muramasa? XD

 

Jaben, most likely.

I talked with FAD at the show and tried most of their IEMs. I'd say seriously that you need to try them before buying. This isn't a technology statement product in the manner you get from other manufacturers, but, like their all-metal IEMs, a niche product for a particular kind of customer with a particular sound.

It's a pity in a way because those vase-shaped IEMs were sonically very interesting and potentially very good if voiced conventionally. However, they are voiced to emulate an old movie theatre type of sound (I kid you not) so are relegated to a very niche market.

Muppetface: Come over for the next show in October, try them and have fun with us. If you did end up getting a pair, I think you'd appreciate them considerably more if you had talked to the company first.

 

Really doubt Jaben here will have the Muramasa on demo. But I'm seriously getting accustomed to the looks of the Muramasa despite its questionable sound, weight and shiny gold outer cup's on the driver housing. If only it came in all black. 

Edited by DefQon - 5/12/12 at 5:14pm

I'll try to get a listen (and take lots of good photos) when FAD visits Taiwan in June-ish. However, yes, I agree with currawong, it'd be a good idea to take a trip to Japan and meet the minds (however zany) behind the Muramasa VIII before buying it, MF.

 

 

Yeah, the Piano Forte line definitely ranks among the weirdest sounding IEMs around. To those who ask me about them, I'm quick to warn them to be very cautious. In fact I plan on making a thread soon covering listening impressions for them specifically, as I now own the stainless steel and chrome copper versions, and I find myself completely entranced by their sound.

 

I'd say I'm part of that niche market you describe: the collector looking for unusual things. 

 

FAD's lineup of IEMs is getting pretty diverse, however. Their dynamic models have typically been the "weird ones," and have followed the company's fixation on making things look and sound like vintage speaker horns (with the exception of the Adagio V). Their balanced armature models on the other hand follow conventional wisdom much more closely, and they're something of an easier recommendation for audiophiles as a result.

 

What I'm most curious about is this: will the Muramasa VIII sound more like their Heaven side, or more like their Piano Forte side?

 

 

 

 

Reminds me of a program Mercedes Benz had where you visited one of their factories during a mini vacation of sorts before picking up your car.

This is very much why I said metal is better than plastic, more inert, earlier in this thread:

 

I hope you can hear the difference.

 

When comparing the two headphones in my avatar, the difference is dramatic.

 

I recall Kiteki mentioning the owner of Jaben Australia saying he'd have one available for demo, but I'm not sure if that's still the case.