What is a huge soundstage for you? Do you want a soundstage as big like Open headphones such as the Shure SRH 1840? And how important is the treble extension? 
 
I think the Shure SE535 suits you well if treble extension isn't extremely important. The bass is very clean and tight. The soundstage is good, but not as a big like an open headphone. I suspect there are IEM that do a better job in terms of soundstage.
 
The mids are forward and the music is very clear sounding. I also don't think instrument separation is an issue with these IEM. My open headphones are better though regarding details imo, so there might be better IEM that do better regarding instrument separation.

pe8er said:

I'll repeat myself — have you tried Grado GR-10? I find them very balanced and refined.

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I'll give them a shot. I've not read any reviews about them yet too. So, they stand a fighting chance since I'll not have any expectation bias.

love music said:

  Just wondering have you ever tried any of the FAD heaven iem's?

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Yes. Most of them didn't even managed to excite me.  That said, they are pretty decent IEMs for the clueless.
 
In terms of value proposition, I thought they were a huge step backwards compared to my Phonaks.

9varz said:

   
I'll give them a shot. I've not read any reviews about them yet too. So, they stand a fighting chance since I'll not have any expectation bias.
Yes. Most of them didn't even managed to excite me.  That said, they are pretty decent IEMs for the clueless.
 
In terms of value proposition, I thought they were a huge step backwards compared to my Phonaks.

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Really? Which series did you try I've read some good reviews on the new Heaven series.
 

ubs28 said:

  What is a huge soundstage for you? Do you want a soundstage as big like Open headphones such as the Shure SRH 1840? And how important is the treble extension? 
 
I think the Shure SE535 suits you well if treble extension isn't extremely important. The bass is very clean and tight. The soundstage is good, but not as a big like an open headphone. I suspect there are IEM that do a better job in terms of soundstage.
 
The mids are forward and the music is very clear sounding. I also don't think instrument separation is an issue with these IEM. My open headphones are better though regarding details imo, so there might be better IEM that do better regarding instrument separation.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I might skip the SE535's though since the signature is quite similar to my CK100's. The limited edition reds does look really nice though...

Toss a dynamic IEM in there with your BA's:
 
The Sony MDR-7550 has slightly forward mids, capable but VERY controlled/extended bass, many say the best 'audiophile' bass of any non-custom IEM, and doesn't have the treble peaking that made the EX1000 not-quite-perfect. The overwhelming impression Head-Fi'ers have of it is refinement and detail, with JUST enough coloration to sound natural. around $300 . The EX800/MDR-7550(as do the EX600/EX1000) all have especially large soundstage, more like full-size closed cans than IEM.

Yeah, I get that recommendation quite  a lot hehe. However, I don't think it will be suitable to use it outside though because of the wind noise and isolation on them. Always wanted to try them just to see how big is the soundstage...

pe8er said:

I'll repeat myself — have you tried Grado GR-10? I find them very balanced and refined.

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I've finally tried it now and it's absolutely no go for me. For the price they are asking, I am very sure they could do a whole lot better.
 

love music said:

   
Really? Which series did you try I've read some good reviews on the new Heaven series.
 

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It's been quite a while since I last tested it blind (i.e. not really knowing what it was). But I think it was the VI (recalling from appearances)? It was a VERY pricey model going for about high S$700's (about US$550-600?).
 
Like I said, it's a decent sounding pair of IEMs. But I found that it lacked excitement musically and also wasn't exactly a through-and-through technical achiever for the money. But for everything else: balance, timbre, tonality, comfort, etc. it certainly did what most "commercial" earphones (ear pods, ear buds, IEMs, even CIEMs) couldn't, and with some degree of finesse too.
 
If online forums and social media didn't exist, and I didn't know about the existence of my current pair of Phonaks, there is a pretty high chance I would have bought the Final Audio IEMs myself. But as it stands, I don't think I'll be getting them until they bring the SRP down to something a lot more suited to its performance (which I judge to be somewhere in the US$270-300 range - or S$380-450, with Singapore's crazy distributor mark-ups and margins).

9varz said:

   
I've finally tried it now and it's absolutely no go for me. For the price they are asking, I am very sure they could do a whole lot better.
 
 
It's been quite a while since I last tested it blind (i.e. not really knowing what it was). But I think it was the VI (recalling from appearances)? It was a VERY pricey model going for about high S$700's (about US$550-600?).
 
Like I said, it's a decent sounding pair of IEMs. But I found that it lacked excitement musically and also wasn't exactly a through-and-through technical achiever for the money. But for everything else: balance, timbre, tonality, comfort, etc. it certainly did what most "commercial" earphones (ear pods, ear buds, IEMs, even CIEMs) couldn't, and with some degree of finesse too.
 
If online forums and social media didn't exist, and I didn't know about the existence of my current pair of Phonaks, there is a pretty high chance I would have bought the Final Audio IEMs myself. But as it stands, I don't think I'll be getting them until they bring the SRP down to something a lot more suited to its performance (which I judge to be somewhere in the US$270-300 range - or S$380-450, with Singapore's crazy distributor mark-ups and margins).

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I see. Thanks for the clarification. Guess it's between the SM64, Heaven V and maybe W4 then. Or just wait for the VI to come down in price... 

Have you checked put the last few posts of my heaven VI review thread. You can usually get the Heaven VI for $500 and under.

Thanks. Still a bit over priced for a single BA driver though, that's one of the reasons holding me back . There also aren't much reviews on them and there's no comparison between the VI and other multi ba iem in the similar price range like W4, UE900 etc. 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/687875/final-audio-design-heaven-vi-gold

Thanks ostewart. I'm looking for a new pair though instead of used. 

I currently have the CK100's. Just wondering what is the difference between the CK100 and the SE535LTD-J pretty interested in those but from reviews they sound very similar to each other except the SE535LTD-J definitely has more bass and warmth. 

love music said:

  I see. Thanks for the clarification. Guess it's between the SM64, Heaven V and maybe W4 then. Or just wait for the VI to come down in price... 

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Cheers!
 
It's been a while but I've tried them all.
 
Kinda a toss up between the SM64 and the SM3 for me now, actually. Funny how I wasn't even impressed with the S-EM64. There seems to be something missing in that top-end universal.
 
The others are just not as engaging for some reason.

9varz said:

   
Cheers!
 
It's been a while but I've tried them all.
 
Kinda a toss up between the SM64 and the SM3 for me now, actually. Funny how I wasn't even impressed with the S-EM64. There seems to be something missing in that top-end universal.
 
The others are just not as engaging for some reason.

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Some people said that the S-EM64 were mid recessed if i remember correctly. And it might not be your cup of tea if you're a person who listens to a lot of female vocals like me (mainly Japanese).
 
I just brought a new music player so it will be a bit later till i get the Heaven VI's but i hope you do find your perfect pair of iem's.

love music said:

  Some people said that the S-EM64 were mid recessed if i remember correctly. And it might not be your cup of tea if you're a person who listens to a lot of female vocals like me (mainly Japanese).
 
I just brought a new music player so it will be a bit later till i get the Heaven VI's but i hope you do find your perfect pair of iem's.

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Noted!
 
Here's the funny bit now. Apparently, the units I heard were not burnt in properly.
 
I've recently tried the S-EM6 again from a friend and it does seem to hit most of the right notes for me now. It's a touch cold and dry sounding (if that is even a proper way to describe them?), but otherwise very pleasantly/brutally honest and delivering an *almost* studio-like clarity. The caveat I was served was that Ear Sonics seems to have quite a legendary after sales service in the industry, which can be a critical factor for me in the decision making process. The asking price for a pair is also pretty silly now, considering how much I would have to give up to get such a small improvement.
 
Looks like I may really have to hunt for customs now at this rate.