FenderP
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2004
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So if you've seen some of my other posts, I'm here in Tokyo on vacation and was going to audition the Ortofon e-Q7 if I could among others. I like the IE8 I use with my Sony NW-X1060/BI, but they aren't the most comfortable IEMs. I did the turning upside down thing and switched the cable sides and that helps, but I kept feeling there was something better out there for me. I bought the Grado GR8s and they were a no go (I have a thread around here somewhere). Not a good match for the X1060 at all, and way too midrange.
I had a short list of IEMs I was going to look at. Today I went into Yodobashi in Akihabara, and quite frankly, I've been there and it's impressive but I've never looked at their IEM selection before (I took pics). You need to go nowhere else - they've pretty much got it all. I had my Sony with me (as well as my IE8s to do A/Bing). I was about to ask to see the Ortofons but something at the top of the middle case caught my eye - the Final Audio Design line. It's a Japanese only manufacturer and they had five IEMs ranging from roughly $200 to $2000 (yes, $2000). To say I was intrigued is an understatement. The $300 ones looked more like your Shure/Klipsch/Sennheier/UE/etc. standard fare. However, step up to the next level (around $600) and they looked impressive. Silver metal (or something) outside. It looked amazing, and I was curious how it sounded. I shouldn't have auditioned the FI-DC1601SB.
Quite frankly, it's the best IEM in what I consider something I can afford that I've heard. Ever. I've owned or heard a lot over the years. I've compared going from Sony's MDR-EX700 to the IE8 as removing the muffling; the IE8 has a nice soundstage.
Great highs, nice mids, awesome lows, soundstage that puts the IE8 to shame. Rock, jazz, classical - all equally as good. Honestly, the IE8s sound like cheap earbuds compared to the FI-DC1601SB. That's no small feat. This baby sounds like having full speakers (or possibly "real" headphones) - not IEMs. I could tell right away I was in trouble.
I just listened to the album By Request ... the Best of John Williams and the Boston Pops and I'm blown away. I'm onto Face Value by Phil Collins now. If you've got crappy sources, this will reveal it. They match well with the X.
If their cheaper ones are nearly as good as this one, seek 'em out. Seriously.
I'm just glad I didn't audition he ones that were more than the one I bought! They're probably ridiculously good. I can't imagine the $2000 ones. Probably drool inducing.
Pics forthcoming.
I had a short list of IEMs I was going to look at. Today I went into Yodobashi in Akihabara, and quite frankly, I've been there and it's impressive but I've never looked at their IEM selection before (I took pics). You need to go nowhere else - they've pretty much got it all. I had my Sony with me (as well as my IE8s to do A/Bing). I was about to ask to see the Ortofons but something at the top of the middle case caught my eye - the Final Audio Design line. It's a Japanese only manufacturer and they had five IEMs ranging from roughly $200 to $2000 (yes, $2000). To say I was intrigued is an understatement. The $300 ones looked more like your Shure/Klipsch/Sennheier/UE/etc. standard fare. However, step up to the next level (around $600) and they looked impressive. Silver metal (or something) outside. It looked amazing, and I was curious how it sounded. I shouldn't have auditioned the FI-DC1601SB.
Quite frankly, it's the best IEM in what I consider something I can afford that I've heard. Ever. I've owned or heard a lot over the years. I've compared going from Sony's MDR-EX700 to the IE8 as removing the muffling; the IE8 has a nice soundstage.
Great highs, nice mids, awesome lows, soundstage that puts the IE8 to shame. Rock, jazz, classical - all equally as good. Honestly, the IE8s sound like cheap earbuds compared to the FI-DC1601SB. That's no small feat. This baby sounds like having full speakers (or possibly "real" headphones) - not IEMs. I could tell right away I was in trouble.
I just listened to the album By Request ... the Best of John Williams and the Boston Pops and I'm blown away. I'm onto Face Value by Phil Collins now. If you've got crappy sources, this will reveal it. They match well with the X.
If their cheaper ones are nearly as good as this one, seek 'em out. Seriously.
I'm just glad I didn't audition he ones that were more than the one I bought! They're probably ridiculously good. I can't imagine the $2000 ones. Probably drool inducing.
Pics forthcoming.