The Final Audio Design (FAD) Heaven VII was sent to me by Final UK as a part of the European review tour. I’d like to give them a big THANK YOU for including me on the tour and giving me a chance to check out the Heaven VII. I’m not in any way affiliated with Final Audio Design.
About me:
I’m a 42 year old music and sound lover that changed my focus from speakers to headphones and IEM’s about five years ago. At that time I realized that it wasn’t realistic for me to have all the different setups that I wanted and still house a family of four children and a wife so my interest turned first to full sized headphones and later also IEM’s.
My preferences are towards full sized open headphones and I believe that also says something about what kind of sound signature I prefer (large soundstage in all directions, balanced and organic sound).
My music preferences are pretty much all over the place (only excluding classical music, jazz and really heavy metal). My all-time favorite band is Depeche Mode although I also listen to a lot of grunge/indie, singer/songwriter/acoustical stuff as well as the typical top 40 music.
I do not use EQ, ever.
I’m a sucker for value for money on most things in life, Head-Fi related stuff is no exception.
Built and accessories:
The FAD Heaven VII is a single balances armature IEM. Housing is made from stainless steel and overall build quality feels very good. They’re available in two colors: black or silver. I really enjoy the look on the black version that manages to combine the bling factor with a very solid (almost industrial) feeling to them. Weighting 29 grams they’re definitely on the heavy side but the simple design and excellent fit (for me) doesn’t make the weight a problem. These are really the kind of IEM’s you just put deep in your ears and don’t need to think about any more (fit of course is highly individual so YMMV).
The package is really fancy with a leather look a-like black box with some fluffy black fabric inside for the Heaven VII’s to rest on while they’re on their way from the reseller to their new home.
The cable is a flat design and in use I find it to be excellent with very little tangling, average amount of microphonics as well as soft and flexible. The plug is straight and although I personally prefer an L-shaped plug it do feel very solid. A chin slider would have been a welcome addition.
Overall they feel extremely solid in construction but I can’t help feeling that at this price point detachable cables should be the default.
The accessories features five different silicon tips and a classy, slim all metal design box wich is soft on the inside to keep them in when not in use. At this price I’d like to see more tip option included in the package.
The FAD Heaven VII’s are pretty easy to drive and reach high enough volume with almost all of my music even from my weak (in power) Sony Z3 Compact phone. That being said I do believe that they scale very nicely with a better source. Isolation is above average with silicon trips and of course even better with Comply tips.
The specs:
Price: £469
Sound:
I’ve used these as my main IEM’s over the last week and they’ve played for well over 50 hours. I’ve used them both around the house and when out and about.
I’ve used them with my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact phone, FiiO X3/Bluebird 6.0 combo, the Gekk Out 720 and my Dragonfly/Cayin C5 combo and they’ve worked very well with all of them. That being said it was when I hooked up the Geek Out 720 to the Matrix M-satge that I got the best sound.
Demo list:
Mark Knopfler – Sailing to Philadelphia
Røyksopp (Feat.Susanne Sundfør) – Save Me
Ane Brun – These Days
Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
Metallica – Die Die My Darling
The Peter Malick Group – Immigrant
Eva Cassidy – Songbird
Thomas Dybdahl – A Lovestory
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why
Celldweller – Unshakeable
Jack Johnson – Better Together
Seinabo Sey – Younger (Kygo remix)
Dire Straits- So Far Away
Passenger – Let Her Go
Lupe Fiasco - Deliver
Morrissey – Earth Is the Loneliest Planet
I like these best with wide bore tips but I don’t find them to be extremely tip dependent. Using wide bore tips makes soundstage slightly wider and treble more pronounced to my ears. The presentation seems very liquid and smooth in a way that makes me think about my modded Fostex T50RP’s.
The overall sound signature is balanced and smooth but still lively enough to be very entertaining. The soundstage is really huge and there’s really not much standing out when you listen to them, overall sound just feels natural and right.
The lows have great texture and speed as well as feeling extremely well controlled and dry. These are by no means bass light IEM’s but I can’t help missing a bit more impact and extension in the lowest sub bass. Bass heads would most likely want to look at something else. That being said the extremely high quality on the bass as well as the overall sound still makes them very enjoyable with all kinds of music. I don’t think it’ll be possible to have less bass bloom than the Heaven VII’s do.
The midrange is slightly forward and very well balanced. This makes a very good combination without even a hint of bass blead into the mids but with great clarity, details and voice reproduction.
The treble is probably the best feature of the FAD Heaven VII’s and the combination of excellent extension, extreme details and zero sibilance makes what’s probably the best treble presentation my old ears has ever heard.
As already mentioned soundstage width is extremely good and height and depth do follow up with the same great feeling. Clarity, micro details, layering and separation are all nothing but amazing and I do think that they’re rather flat and very natural sounding. From the description one could easily think that these are cold, analytical and rather boring IEM’s but nothing could be more wrong. I think this is what sets them apart from pretty much everything else that I’ve ever heard: an unusual combination of reference sound and great musicality. There’s just so much air between the instruments and that extra sweetness to the sound that I found myself getting shivers down my spine on more than one occasion when using them.
So, all together we’ve got a nice sub bass impact, seriously tight and dry bass with zero bass bloom into the lower midrange, very well balanced liquid mids and world class treble reproduction without even a hint of any sibilance. All this combined makes a very natural presentation that really hit the sweet spot for my preferences.
Comparison:
Please note that the comments in the comparison section are not in absolute terms but in comparison between subject A and B. This means (as an example) that if subject A is found to be brighter than subject B it does not necessarily mean that subject B is bright sounding in absolute terms. I hope this makes sense.
This is usually my favorite part when writing a review because I think it’s the best way to describe the sound to the reader (given the fact that he/she has heard one or more of the subjects in the comparison). With the Heaven VII I found it to be really difficult because when listening to them and trying to find similarities or differences to other IEM’s I thought a lot more about full sized open cans than IEM’s.
I’ve got no experience whatsoever with other IEM’s in this price bracket and honestly has only heard a handful of full sized cans at this price. However I still decided to make the comparison with some of my favorite IEM’s.
FAD Heaven VII vs ATH-CKR9:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the CKR9’s has a slightly thicker sound with more intimate presentation and a more noticeable fundament in the sub bass while the Heaven VII’s has more air between the instruments. The CKR9’s has better sub bass extension and also more impact in the deep bass while mid and upper bass are pretty similar.
The CKR9’s offer more attack in its presentation but I really like the energy they both deliver. As for the rest the Heaven VII’s are better on details, clarity, soundstage height and width as well as on treble extension. The difference is by no means big but it’s there all the way. The Heaven VII’s are also smoother and more liquid and even the CKR9’s sound slightly shouty on some songs in comparison. It’s not long ago that I reviewed the CKR9’s and called them “the best IEM’s I’ve ever heard”, that says quite a bit about the Heaven VII’s.
Although I find them both very comfortable I do prefer the fit of the Heaven VII’s.
The CKR9’s are easier to drive.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
Heaven VII vs ATH-CKR10:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the CKR10’s are much thicker sounding and has a lot more bass across the whole spectra. Because of this they also has better layering in the bass. They are both very special in the way that it takes a little while to get used to their presentation every time you put them in your ears. CKR10’s does also have smaller soundstage width while depth is pretty similar. In spite of the differences these two shares the smooth liquid presentation and the CKR10’s are the IEM I the comparison that has the most in common with the Heaven VII’s. With a wider soundstage it could have been the bassier brother to the Heaven VII’s.
Although I find them both very comfortable I do prefer the fit of the Heaven VII’s.
The CK10’s are a bit easier to drive.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
Heaven VII vs Havi B3 Pro1:
This may seem as a crazy comparison given the fact that the Heaven VII’s cost more than ten times as much as the B3’s but fact is that the B3’s still remains one of my favorite IEM’s to this day and they do share some similarities so I still choose to include them.
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the Havi’s has a slightly smaller soundstage width and an overall thinner presentation. The B3’s are also a bit more relaxed while the Heaven VII‘s has more attack and better speed. The voice reproduction on the B3’s are the best I’ve heard in an IEM so far but the Heaven VII’s outperforms them in this area as well (although not by much).
The B3’s are over ear design and although I usually like that the best I’d say that I find the ergonomics on the Heaven VII’s to be better.
The B3’s are significantly harder to drive compared to the Heaven VII’s.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
I usually only do three comparisons in my reviews but since the Trinity Audio Delta’s arrived in the middle of my week with the Heaven VII’s and seem to be very popular I decided to include them as well. Please note that the Delta’s has only been with me for a couple of days and had got about 20 hours of play time. The Delta’s had the silver filter on while making the comparison.
Heaven VII vs Trinity Audio Delta:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the Delta’s has more and deeper sub-bass and significantly more mid bass impact. The higher midrange on the Delta’s are more forward than on the Heaven VII’s but the Heaven VII’s got a more liquid and levelled out midrange presentation with more timber to notes and vocals (especially male vocals) while the Delta’s sometimes has a slightly metallic sound. The treble also feels more natural on the Heaven VII’s due to the already mentioned occasional metallic sound on the Delta’s. The Delta’s can sound shouty at times compared to the calmer sounding Heaven VII’s. The clarity on the Delta’s are actually even more noticeable than on the Heaven VII’s while the latter offer a more organic sound and also wins out in micro details, separation and soundstage in all directions. The Delta’s actually sounds slightly congested in comparison.
I like the ergonomics on both these IEM’s but in the end the Heaven VII’s are the more comfortable one for me.
The Heaven VII’s are slightly harder to drive.
Isolation is significantly better on the Heaven VII’s.
Summary:
Well, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve enjoyed the FAD Heaven VII’s A LOT. For me the sound is as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard (even in any full sized headphone) but noting is truly perfect and I could have lived with a bit more sub bass extension and impact (although I wouldn’t want to trade it with less of something else).
The most impressive thing to me is not only the way the Heaven VII’s sound but the fact that Final Audi Design has been able to make them sound like this using “only” a single balanced armature driver, amazing!
On sound quality alone these are easily a five star performer for me but the lack of detachable cable and the price made me decide to lose half a star on the total judgement.
It’s with a heavy heart that I pass these along to the next lucky fellow on the tour.
About me:
I’m a 42 year old music and sound lover that changed my focus from speakers to headphones and IEM’s about five years ago. At that time I realized that it wasn’t realistic for me to have all the different setups that I wanted and still house a family of four children and a wife so my interest turned first to full sized headphones and later also IEM’s.
My preferences are towards full sized open headphones and I believe that also says something about what kind of sound signature I prefer (large soundstage in all directions, balanced and organic sound).
My music preferences are pretty much all over the place (only excluding classical music, jazz and really heavy metal). My all-time favorite band is Depeche Mode although I also listen to a lot of grunge/indie, singer/songwriter/acoustical stuff as well as the typical top 40 music.
I do not use EQ, ever.
I’m a sucker for value for money on most things in life, Head-Fi related stuff is no exception.
Built and accessories:
The FAD Heaven VII is a single balances armature IEM. Housing is made from stainless steel and overall build quality feels very good. They’re available in two colors: black or silver. I really enjoy the look on the black version that manages to combine the bling factor with a very solid (almost industrial) feeling to them. Weighting 29 grams they’re definitely on the heavy side but the simple design and excellent fit (for me) doesn’t make the weight a problem. These are really the kind of IEM’s you just put deep in your ears and don’t need to think about any more (fit of course is highly individual so YMMV).
The package is really fancy with a leather look a-like black box with some fluffy black fabric inside for the Heaven VII’s to rest on while they’re on their way from the reseller to their new home.
The cable is a flat design and in use I find it to be excellent with very little tangling, average amount of microphonics as well as soft and flexible. The plug is straight and although I personally prefer an L-shaped plug it do feel very solid. A chin slider would have been a welcome addition.
Overall they feel extremely solid in construction but I can’t help feeling that at this price point detachable cables should be the default.
The accessories features five different silicon tips and a classy, slim all metal design box wich is soft on the inside to keep them in when not in use. At this price I’d like to see more tip option included in the package.
The FAD Heaven VII’s are pretty easy to drive and reach high enough volume with almost all of my music even from my weak (in power) Sony Z3 Compact phone. That being said I do believe that they scale very nicely with a better source. Isolation is above average with silicon trips and of course even better with Comply tips.
The specs:
Housing | Stainless Steel |
Driver Unit | Balanced Armature |
Sensitivity | 106dB |
Impedance | 24 ohm |
Cable lenght | 1.2m |
Weight | 29g |
Price: £469
Sound:
I’ve used these as my main IEM’s over the last week and they’ve played for well over 50 hours. I’ve used them both around the house and when out and about.
I’ve used them with my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact phone, FiiO X3/Bluebird 6.0 combo, the Gekk Out 720 and my Dragonfly/Cayin C5 combo and they’ve worked very well with all of them. That being said it was when I hooked up the Geek Out 720 to the Matrix M-satge that I got the best sound.
Demo list:
Mark Knopfler – Sailing to Philadelphia
Røyksopp (Feat.Susanne Sundfør) – Save Me
Ane Brun – These Days
Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
Metallica – Die Die My Darling
The Peter Malick Group – Immigrant
Eva Cassidy – Songbird
Thomas Dybdahl – A Lovestory
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why
Celldweller – Unshakeable
Jack Johnson – Better Together
Seinabo Sey – Younger (Kygo remix)
Dire Straits- So Far Away
Passenger – Let Her Go
Lupe Fiasco - Deliver
Morrissey – Earth Is the Loneliest Planet
I like these best with wide bore tips but I don’t find them to be extremely tip dependent. Using wide bore tips makes soundstage slightly wider and treble more pronounced to my ears. The presentation seems very liquid and smooth in a way that makes me think about my modded Fostex T50RP’s.
The overall sound signature is balanced and smooth but still lively enough to be very entertaining. The soundstage is really huge and there’s really not much standing out when you listen to them, overall sound just feels natural and right.
The lows have great texture and speed as well as feeling extremely well controlled and dry. These are by no means bass light IEM’s but I can’t help missing a bit more impact and extension in the lowest sub bass. Bass heads would most likely want to look at something else. That being said the extremely high quality on the bass as well as the overall sound still makes them very enjoyable with all kinds of music. I don’t think it’ll be possible to have less bass bloom than the Heaven VII’s do.
The midrange is slightly forward and very well balanced. This makes a very good combination without even a hint of bass blead into the mids but with great clarity, details and voice reproduction.
The treble is probably the best feature of the FAD Heaven VII’s and the combination of excellent extension, extreme details and zero sibilance makes what’s probably the best treble presentation my old ears has ever heard.
As already mentioned soundstage width is extremely good and height and depth do follow up with the same great feeling. Clarity, micro details, layering and separation are all nothing but amazing and I do think that they’re rather flat and very natural sounding. From the description one could easily think that these are cold, analytical and rather boring IEM’s but nothing could be more wrong. I think this is what sets them apart from pretty much everything else that I’ve ever heard: an unusual combination of reference sound and great musicality. There’s just so much air between the instruments and that extra sweetness to the sound that I found myself getting shivers down my spine on more than one occasion when using them.
So, all together we’ve got a nice sub bass impact, seriously tight and dry bass with zero bass bloom into the lower midrange, very well balanced liquid mids and world class treble reproduction without even a hint of any sibilance. All this combined makes a very natural presentation that really hit the sweet spot for my preferences.
Comparison:
Please note that the comments in the comparison section are not in absolute terms but in comparison between subject A and B. This means (as an example) that if subject A is found to be brighter than subject B it does not necessarily mean that subject B is bright sounding in absolute terms. I hope this makes sense.
This is usually my favorite part when writing a review because I think it’s the best way to describe the sound to the reader (given the fact that he/she has heard one or more of the subjects in the comparison). With the Heaven VII I found it to be really difficult because when listening to them and trying to find similarities or differences to other IEM’s I thought a lot more about full sized open cans than IEM’s.
I’ve got no experience whatsoever with other IEM’s in this price bracket and honestly has only heard a handful of full sized cans at this price. However I still decided to make the comparison with some of my favorite IEM’s.
FAD Heaven VII vs ATH-CKR9:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the CKR9’s has a slightly thicker sound with more intimate presentation and a more noticeable fundament in the sub bass while the Heaven VII’s has more air between the instruments. The CKR9’s has better sub bass extension and also more impact in the deep bass while mid and upper bass are pretty similar.
The CKR9’s offer more attack in its presentation but I really like the energy they both deliver. As for the rest the Heaven VII’s are better on details, clarity, soundstage height and width as well as on treble extension. The difference is by no means big but it’s there all the way. The Heaven VII’s are also smoother and more liquid and even the CKR9’s sound slightly shouty on some songs in comparison. It’s not long ago that I reviewed the CKR9’s and called them “the best IEM’s I’ve ever heard”, that says quite a bit about the Heaven VII’s.
Although I find them both very comfortable I do prefer the fit of the Heaven VII’s.
The CKR9’s are easier to drive.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
Heaven VII vs ATH-CKR10:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the CKR10’s are much thicker sounding and has a lot more bass across the whole spectra. Because of this they also has better layering in the bass. They are both very special in the way that it takes a little while to get used to their presentation every time you put them in your ears. CKR10’s does also have smaller soundstage width while depth is pretty similar. In spite of the differences these two shares the smooth liquid presentation and the CKR10’s are the IEM I the comparison that has the most in common with the Heaven VII’s. With a wider soundstage it could have been the bassier brother to the Heaven VII’s.
Although I find them both very comfortable I do prefer the fit of the Heaven VII’s.
The CK10’s are a bit easier to drive.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
Heaven VII vs Havi B3 Pro1:
This may seem as a crazy comparison given the fact that the Heaven VII’s cost more than ten times as much as the B3’s but fact is that the B3’s still remains one of my favorite IEM’s to this day and they do share some similarities so I still choose to include them.
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the Havi’s has a slightly smaller soundstage width and an overall thinner presentation. The B3’s are also a bit more relaxed while the Heaven VII‘s has more attack and better speed. The voice reproduction on the B3’s are the best I’ve heard in an IEM so far but the Heaven VII’s outperforms them in this area as well (although not by much).
The B3’s are over ear design and although I usually like that the best I’d say that I find the ergonomics on the Heaven VII’s to be better.
The B3’s are significantly harder to drive compared to the Heaven VII’s.
The Heaven VII has better isolation.
I usually only do three comparisons in my reviews but since the Trinity Audio Delta’s arrived in the middle of my week with the Heaven VII’s and seem to be very popular I decided to include them as well. Please note that the Delta’s has only been with me for a couple of days and had got about 20 hours of play time. The Delta’s had the silver filter on while making the comparison.
Heaven VII vs Trinity Audio Delta:
Compared to the Heaven VII’s the Delta’s has more and deeper sub-bass and significantly more mid bass impact. The higher midrange on the Delta’s are more forward than on the Heaven VII’s but the Heaven VII’s got a more liquid and levelled out midrange presentation with more timber to notes and vocals (especially male vocals) while the Delta’s sometimes has a slightly metallic sound. The treble also feels more natural on the Heaven VII’s due to the already mentioned occasional metallic sound on the Delta’s. The Delta’s can sound shouty at times compared to the calmer sounding Heaven VII’s. The clarity on the Delta’s are actually even more noticeable than on the Heaven VII’s while the latter offer a more organic sound and also wins out in micro details, separation and soundstage in all directions. The Delta’s actually sounds slightly congested in comparison.
I like the ergonomics on both these IEM’s but in the end the Heaven VII’s are the more comfortable one for me.
The Heaven VII’s are slightly harder to drive.
Isolation is significantly better on the Heaven VII’s.
Summary:
Well, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve enjoyed the FAD Heaven VII’s A LOT. For me the sound is as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard (even in any full sized headphone) but noting is truly perfect and I could have lived with a bit more sub bass extension and impact (although I wouldn’t want to trade it with less of something else).
The most impressive thing to me is not only the way the Heaven VII’s sound but the fact that Final Audi Design has been able to make them sound like this using “only” a single balanced armature driver, amazing!
On sound quality alone these are easily a five star performer for me but the lack of detachable cable and the price made me decide to lose half a star on the total judgement.
It’s with a heavy heart that I pass these along to the next lucky fellow on the tour.