Final Audio Design Appreciation/Discussion Thread - Page 53

Gosh, their prices scare me. Of course, I find the most aesthetically pleasing to me, the Piano Forte X, at the whopping price of almost $2.5k 

 

I might research more on the Adagio II though, I really like the housings and that blue color is quite pretty. I will give it to FAD though, their stuff is all very VERY pretty looking. Too bad the Piano Fortes are so expensive :(

Mike.

Thanks for this, it sounds wonderful through the PF's! I forgot to ask when you had the PF's did you listen to Michael Hedges? I was last night and oh boy! Also, what did you think of the Muddy Waters CD I recommended?

 

Me too! I cannot wait. 

 

 

For classical/acoustic/ambient music, FA is much more natural sounding when compared to the ES5, which sounds smeared and congested. The Sig Pro sounds much more real and transparent, but with piano for example, it sounds more like a natural real piano, but you aren't listening to the music, you're listening to the piano. 

 

ES5 is pretty colored sounding, which sounds good for electronic. 

 

I have truly had musical revelations with the Heaven VI. Say I have three instruments playing at one time. On the ES5, it sounds good, but it's a wall of sound coming at me with varying volumes for each instrument. Everything truly is smeared together. With the FA, some instruments are more forward than others, and each has it's own discernible spot. 

 

I am addicted to the Final Audio sound. I want more. I want a tad more refinement and possibly, possibly, a touch more transparency, but I do NOT want to sacrifice "musicality." And if it were brighter, it would probably be too much. I wrestle with the toms at the 4-6K spike as it is - my only complaint. Borderline sibilant occasionally. That, and It's also very revealing of poorly mastered stuff. 

 

The Heaven VI is the perfect balance of the things that are important to me. It creates space in the music. The sound stage is roomy, and the imaging so impressive. It's natural and "musical." Texture pops out in an engaging way. Combine excellent imaging with that texture, and I am in love. I am now truly a fan of these little single armature concepts. Everything everyone said is dead on. The ES5 certainly has more bells and whistles, but for pure musical enjoyment with classical, the HVI is where it's at. I just happen to be in a classical mood this weekend I need to try out some more of my music library. 

Edited by SoundFreaq - 12/17/12 at 11:34am

SF, I think you have summed up my experience with multi-driver IEM's! I have yet to hear one that does not smear the sonic soundscape and it was only after getting the IX's that I realized how artificial other headphones and IEM's sound.

I actually think the PF's represent music, live music and musical performances far more authentically than the so-called transparent and accurate IEM's such as the JH's.

From your thoughts on the VI's I think I can fairly safely say you will fall in love with the PF's.

I actually think they accurately portray a live instrument. I was going back and forth between them, the LCD's and the ER4S's this weekend listening both to a recording of a musician friend then listening to her play live right after (she indulges my little oddities!) I have to say that the PF's sounded closer to the real event than the other two. The other two added or subtracted, the PF's gave a far more accurate feel to the live experience than either of the other two.

It has been mentioned here before but I think it worth repeating, the PF's are more like speakers than headphones, the depth and width of the sonic space as well as the feeling of the acoustic is palpable, not artificial, not extra wide or small, just a feeling of right.

One piece that really shows this to me as I have been to the hall is the live Bohm recording of the ring cycle in Bayreuth. The sense of the space I have only heard rendered as accurately with excellent speakers or the PF's. One can hear the performers move around the stage and hear the subtle differences in delivery as one would at the event.

The PF's prove to me what I have felt for a long time, that graphs or frequency responses do not add up to a musical experience on their own. I have heard many speakers and headphones that though accurate are wholly unmusical and lake emotion and after all, is that not what music is about?

I can't believe also that these earphones have made my beloved LCD's sound edgy, harsh and glaring and not at all like the real musical experience. I actually found listening to the tiring! I have to say though that my respect for the ER4S's just increases. It is an old and simple design but it works.
Edited by ianmedium - 12/17/12 at 11:30am

Thanks Ian,

 

I finally understand. I can't wait to hear the PF's! I gather I'm a few months out. 

 

I also can't believe what I am about to say - what you plug these things into matters TREMENDOUSLY. I have never said there is a night a day difference between comparable equipment. 

 

Out of my Audioengine D1 amp, they sound thin, upper midrange and treble is edgy, and the bass falls off. Run the D1 into my RSA P-51 and the bass nearly DOUBLES in quantity. Sound is much more full and rich, no harshness or edginess anywhere. Astounding!

You know, I too find the RSA sound to be a match made in heaven for the FAD's. The sound that comes out of my SR71-B is wonderful, it really suites the sound signature of the FAD's I feel.

I'm in the process of putting together a new portable rig. The source will be a new iPod Classic, the amp/dac will be the Centrance HiFi-M8 and the phones will be the FifEar F111's which I've just ordered.

In the course of my researches I came across this thread and have found myself being drawn to the Piano Forte IX's. If the Piano Forte IX's were a conventional iem I'd aleady have them on order, but they're not, and I'll admit that's part of their appeal. It's not easy from the various descriptions to get an idea what they're like and some of the attempt to describe the sound give me some concern. I think the greatest recommendation you have given these phones is the music you've suggested. Thank you for that.     

 

A match made in Heaven VI! 

 

Ian,

 

Yes, I have the Aerial Boundaries album - it was amazing with the PF VIII - as is just about every acoustic or percussive instrument, of course.  

 

And yes, I did listen to the Muddy Waters album you had recommended in this thread - it arrived just a day or two before the PFs arrived from James.  I'm still enjoying that album with my lowly LCD-2 rev.1.  It's a great vocal recording - one of my favorites, now - and as a rule, I don't even enjoy male vocalists, for that matter - so that's saying a lot.  

 

Thanks for posting that!

 

 

Mike

So does the FI-BA-SS keep that engaging "musicality" despite it's raw transparency?

 

Yep. Picture what you think it sounds like based on reports of raw transparency. You're thinking of an overly bright sound, harsh treble, and no bass, right?

 

Wrong.

 

I was shocked by the amount of bass that that single armature could put out. The mids are full, though I heard a spike in the upper mids. I personally heard the treble as being relatively laid back.

 

Overall, it's a great iem. It's nothing like the Piano Forte though.

 

Unfortunately, I can't take the PF with me on the go. Depending on how my audition goes, they are very very high on the list. 

____________

 

I love my Heaven VI so much I am wondering about the FI-BA-SS! Dimitri only gives you a couple days to decide if you want to keep them, so I would have to pull the trigger soon. 

 

The thing I don't like about the VI is the upper mid spike. With toms, it can get quite harsh. It's a beauty with classical music. That spike smooths out when I put a lot of equipment in the chain, but that defeats the purpose. 

 

So, Is the FI-BA-SS even worse in that regard? Is it a travesty out of an iphone? How's the upper mid spike? I wish I could audition, but if I ever pick up the FI-BA-SS, NOW is the time to do it. 

 

I've never heard the FI-BA-SS sound harsh, even straight out of my iphone (most of my listening time is from an iP4). 

 

You may want to PM MuppetFace to see what she has to say about the Heaven vs the SS

Don't know about the Heaven VI, but Sony hybrids and a deep seal can work wonders with the FI-BA-SS, if anyone finds them too treble happy.

Well, my PF's just became even better value! I just received a pair of Ortofon e-Q5's from Dimitri as a prize for writing a review of the PF's on their blog!