Initial and brief impressions of the FLC8S:
Packaging and Accessories
When a company makes it legitimately fun just to open their product's box, you've almost certainly struck gold. Not only am I enthralled with the "origami-style" packaging, but I love the rich blue color used to protect the equipment. You might say that FLC had me at "Hello." As for the accessories themselves, there is a solid accompaniment of tips—some of which I actually use, which is rare for pack-ins—airplane and 1/4" adapters, one extra of each type of tuning filter (thank you!), and possibly the single most useless pair of tweezers I have ever seen in my life. They're sharp but they're so long and the plastic is so flexible that it is nearly impossible to maintain enough pressure to remove the filters with them. Seriously, don't even take them out of the box. There's also a carrying case . . . but more on that in a minute.
This bundle screams "FLAGSHIP!" more loudly than anything else I've ever owned, and puts my $500 HiFiMan HE-500s' boxing to shame.
Build Quality
These IEMs are gorgeous. They have no seams that I can detect while running my thumbs over the ear pieces, the construction feels solid, they're extremely lightweight and insanely comfortable, and I adore the gunmetal blue color used throughout every non-metal element. The gold-plated 3.5mm plus extends out very slightly rather than plugging in flushly with your device, which means FLC has provided extra room to accommodate thick covers like Dignis cases. Additionally, the plug came enclosed in a plastic protector, which was a thoughtful touch. The braided cable is supple and lovely to the touch. It has some slight tangle to it, yet seems likely to lose this quickly. The terminals fit extremely snugly into the monitors—so much so that I would be afraid to try and remove them. Unfortunately, the y-split and cinch here are little more than tiny, irregularly cut pieces of clear heat-shrunk plastic. (Under close inspection mine both look like they were cut by a gnawing rodent.) The cinch is hard to slide but I rarely use them on any of my IEMs, so it's not a big deal for me, personally. I don't find the cable to be very microphonic at all and am confused by others' claims to the contrary.
The carrying case and keychain fob that contains all of the tuning filters and valves are incredibly well-built; both feel bulletproof and their screw tops' threads are superbly machined. As with the box's interior, their blue tones are stunning. As a very tactile person, I find myself petting the carrying case sometimes because its finish is positively silky. FLC had the foresight to line it with a soft, velvety material to further protect the IEMs inside—a veritable stroke of genius. It is a bit on the large side for anyone not wearing cargo shorts or carrying a purse, but if you can get past the bulk this case will almost certainly keep your IEMs intact through all but the worst car accidents. (The keychain fob appears to be waterproof, but I'm not going to be the first to test this.)
All in all, astounding; however, the incomprehensibly cheap y-split and cinch have absolutely no place here. They make a mockery of what was otherwise just shy of perfect.
Sound Quality
All testing thus far has been done with 16/44.1 and 24/96 ALAC files on my DX90MM* (fw 2.4.0 L0 and 2.1.5 L4), both with and without my Topping NX1 amplifier.
It's far too early for me to say much here with any authority; however, I know quality when I hear it straight out of the box. I've played around with various tunings too frequently to really get a feel for them individually. What I can say is that some filters cause immediately obvious changes (the blue nozzle filter, especially), whereas others are more subtle. As ljokerl pointed out on The Headphone List, changes in one port can influence the air flow out of others, so it can be tricky to perfectly isolate the effects of switching them. As a person who is somewhat treble sensitive and also enjoys listening to black and death metal (often the most poorly-produced music in the world) I occasionally wince at hot, splashy treble that is doubtfully representative of the FLC8S's capabilities. (I am experimenting with changing firmware on my DX90MM* in order to compensate somewhat for this.)
The FLC8S are very comfortable and I was able to sleep with them inserted last night. I woke up frequently throughout the night as my albums changed, and each time I recall having thought to myself, "Dear God, these sound amazing!" as I drifted back off. So far the tips I enjoy best with them are JVC Spiral Dots and SpinFits. These IEMs sound very spacious—not far behind the Havi B3 Pro1s in terms of width—and easily provide an out-of-head experience when fed properly-recorded music. I was surprised to hear how lively they are, too, as they immediately reminded me of the bite my JVC HA-FXT90 showcased with electric guitars. These are not laid-back, analytical IEMs; rather, they are engaging and vibrant, but accurate to the source. By this I mean that while Addinsel's "Warsaw Concerto" was appropriately dynamic and rich in natural brass and string textures, Cobalt's "Beast Whip" featured crunchy guitar leads and snare hits so sharp I felt them in my teeth. The FLC8S are adept at capturing the soul of quite possibly any genre of music, highlighting exactly what characteristics the musicians and producers want them to—for better or for worse, because output is based on input. (For example, Insomnium's horribly produced album One For Sorrow features abrasively forward cymbals and thick, muddy mids even on a 32/192 vinyl rip. The FLC8S showcased these inadequacies without a hint of apology, to no particular fault of their own.)
I'm currently cycling through a varied selection of music that ranges from Opeth and Katatonia to Seal and Phil Collins, using as neutral a filter setting as possible (black ULF, grey LF, gunmetal MF/HF). I'll leave my settings here for a day or two until I get adjusted to it and then branch out for more objective comparisons. When not in use, I'll feed the dynamic driver pink noise in case this really does affect its signature.
In short, my initial impressions of the FLC8S are incredibly positive with two caveats: (1) BA drivers tend to reach highs to which I am naturally sensitive; and (2) they are transparent enough to put your favorite recordings' innate flaws on parade.
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Dear FLC,
I'd never heard of you until less than a month ago. I was looking at purchasing Torque Audio's t096z and read enough promising reviews of your 8S to jump ship at the last second. I am incredibly happy to say that my first experience with your products predicts a long and lasting relationship between you and me.
Marry me?
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* "MM" stands for "MigelMod," and is named after a Russian engineer who expertly modifies DAPs' hardware to improve their native signature. This permanently alters the internal capacitors, chips, etc., and is no longer a stock configuration.
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