To provide some further impressions and answer some questions...
I spent the day with my trusty 530s for my commute due to their excellent isolation and my desire to treat my pricey new acquisition carefully. And I must say the 530s sounded very muddy by comparison and I was excited to get home and back to my FADs.
Since then I have gone back-and-forth with the FADs, Radius DDMs, and my 530s and can make a few comparisons.
-First, the 530s are more than competent, but rather average and maybe undynamic compared to the other DDMs and the FADs.
-Second, the DDMs are still shockingly accomplished earphones for the price. They also have several attributes over the FADs. They definitely offer more depth and a warmer sound. To my ears they make almost everything sound good while the FADs tend to veer to different extremes.
Overall what strikes me about the FADs is how transparent and analytical (not an expert but I think thats the right word) they sound. Both the 530s and DDMs sound a bit muddy when compared directly, as if separated from details by a slight wall of sound. For better or worse the FADs are sparkly and crisp which can be a bit trebly and harsh at times but there is something about them that seems refreshingly honest. They present a completely different sound signature than my other IEMs and I find myself addicted to exploring the difference. This is not to say that the DDMs or 530s sound "artificial" but just that by comparison the treble screams when guitars get buzzy and nothing seems softened in the presentation. Of course they are still settling and those extremes seem to be coming down a bit already.
-But for example I was listening to Herbie Hancock's Chameleon on the DDMs and FADs and was enjoying them both in different ways. The DDMs have an excellent 3D soundstage while the FADs are cleaner and more direct, lacking the depth but a bit more immediate.
And to answer a few questions:
-In about 20 total min listening the the EQ-7s they were the closest comparison I could make in two exhaustive sessions of testing!
-The only included tips are (3) silicons. No SS tips like the other models. And I (very) briefly tried those titanic SS FADs but since fit was a priority I found them to be almost an immediate monstrosity. Their sound didn't stand out in my memory in any particularly positive or negative way in about 2 min of listening, other than a nice soundstage!
-My problem with commuting with the DDMs is I just don't feel confident with them in my ears. At home I feel ok but on the move and smashed against others on a packed train I feel like I am constantly adjusting them. I also feel that outside noise is intrusive and interferes more with their sound than my better isolating 530s. By the way the FADs leak a little sound in the back so I am hoping not to get in trouble using them on the train because it will be hard to justify the purchase if I can't use them on the go!
I realize that customs might have been a more sensible route for this kind of money, but I guess I have never been very sensible
And unfortunately not rich either
