Final Audio Design Appreciation/Discussion Thread - Page 56

Well guys, my impatient wait is nearing the end. The PF IX have been here for two days waiting for me to get back from Holiday travels. 

First listen tonight. Going to take it slow. Any recommendations for first listen? Just a couple hours out - I had them shipped to a friend in the event they arrived while I was out of town.

Off to procure them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianmedium 

Really looking forward to your thoughts. Seeing as your in Austin how about some Nanci Griffith!

Nanci Griffith cued up!

Great listen for the Piano Fortes. Heart covers Stairway To Heaven at the Kennedy Center and moves Robert Plant to tears. (Can you stay completely dry eyed while watching this?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoundFreaq 

Any recommendations for first listen?

Congrats & enjoy! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoundFreaq 

Thank you ALL for the recommendations. All I can say is that these earphones will change how I listen to music from here on out.
More to come.

Congratulations and welcome to our small group of Piano Forte lovers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc 

(Can you stay completely dry eyed while watching this?)

Of course! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by james444 

Of course! 

I got all choked up.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooperpwc 

I got all choked up.  

And I picked the wrong smiley... so here we go again:

Of course! 

Some folks have been asking for a direct comparison between the Heaven VI and FI-BA-SS. These days I'm not so keen on doing extensive A/B tests, but I thought I's offer some very quick, general observations.

The most immediate difference for me is that the Heaven VI sounds thicker, while the FI-BA-SS has a thinner presentation by comparison. This translates into a more clear and open sound on the FI-BA-SS, whereas the Heaven VI is a bit more closed-in, though not so much as to be claustrophobic. These are mainly relative comparisons. Similarly the Heaven VI is very detailed, but the Fi-BA-SS has an unparalleled level of resolution: every note and little nuance is clear and well articulated on the FI-BA-SS, with more air between them giving the overall presentation more breathing room. Still the FI-BA-SS isn't as airy as, say, the K3003. The Heaven VI is no slouch either, and it handles textural details pretty much on par with the FI-BA-SS to my ears; it's mostly in the very subtlest of information and microdynamics where the Heaven VI falls short of its elder sibling.

The FI-BA-SS can be absolutely brutal when it comes to revealing problems in recordings, and though I'd characterize it as "harsh" for this reason, I'd say that it's not harsh in its balance compared to some hyper-resolving signatures that use overly bright treble to help accentuate detail. The Heaven VI is more forgiving of poorly recorded material, and it lacks that certain rawness of the FI-BA-SS. It glosses over some of the idiosyncrasies the latter catches. The overall tone of both is what I'd characterize as energetic. Both earphones have spot-on imaging and present notes as solid and well extended in space. One can lock on to instruments and discern sonic directionality with ease. The thicker sound of the Heaven VI to my ears results in part from the greater lower-end emphasis. Both earphones handle bass very well, but the midbass of the Heaven VI hits harder to my ears. Treble on the Heaven VI seems to have a very minor amount of glare on certain setups: I notice it on the UHA-6S, but when it's straight from the Walkman or MacBook Pro jack it's not an issue.

I have a VI on its way. I liked the IV but i hope for a fair upgrade as it is almost 3x the price!

would love to hear more impressions of the Heaven VI

especially compared to the Heaven S