My Journey of Discovery with Final Audio Design
At the recent CanJam in Singapore, when we were passing the Final Audio booth, Claire of Jaben Singapore took me over to JoJo-san and proudly proclaimed: this is your biggest fan in Singapore! Claire had kindly done the same thing during the first Mook Festival in Singapore, where I had met Takai-san and he had kindly shared on his philosophy of the portrayal of music. Through the kind assistance of Jojo-san of course since Takai-san and I had one thing in common: neither of us could speak the other’s language. Words cannot describe the deep thrill I felt then and still do now as I type these words.
Since then, Takai-san has sadly passed on. It did cause me infinite sadness when Claire informed me of the passing of the man who had done so much (by his creations) to challenge and educate me on the way I listened to music. Once I was able to shake off the darkness that descended upon me, I called Claire: hold a Lab1 for me, I’m driving down now.
To think that this incredible journey started one ordinary day in Jaben Singapore when Andy and Eric innocently asked if I wanted to try something special. Whereupon, they took out a pretty but innocuous looking brass IEM, the Heaven S. What followed was a passionate love affair with Final Audio Design IEMs. I am now the proud and blissful owner of a little collection comprising the FI-BA-SS, the Heaven S, the Heaven VI, the Pianoforte VIII, IX and X, the 1601SB (predecessor to the Pianoforte series), Lab 1 and AKR02 (special edition FI-BA-SS in collaboration with AK). I also have the Hope VI and the Sonorous X.
I already had the Pianoforte VIII and IX when I came to own the X. Terence, aka Awry, was the kind soul who afforded me the opportunity to own this little slice of Heaven. Awry was not quite sure whether to let it go, and I was not pushy. Quite a few months elapsed before he decided to allow me to have his beloved Pianoforte X. All I can say is that not only did I come to own a wonderful piece of musical magic, but I also gained a steadfast friend. It’s one of the best pieces of business I have done in the audio realm.
Technical details
The Pianoforte X is made of chrome copper. It is unusual in that the shape of the chrome copper housing is inspired by the vintage horn speakers in order to achieve the same sort of sonic signature. The eartips are not the usual soft ones but one which is made of chrome copper as well. The drivers are 16mm dynamic driver units. The Pianoforte X also comes with air pressure adjustment vents which, together with the fact that the eartips are too large to push into anyone’s ear canal and therefore the X should sit in the conch of the ear and the eartip loosely placed facing the opening of the ear canal, it is pretty much an open IEM.
Build Quality
Build quality is excellent! Because the Pianoforte comes in either gold or copper finishing, they look like pieces of jewelry than any IEM that I have seen. There’s a nice heft to the X. The housing are full metal after all.
The non-detachable cable is quite thin but fabric covered. I don’t have any complaints of microphonics from the cable nor can I say that they are difficult to manage. The cable is terminated with a low profile right angled 3.5mm plug. One concern may be that there is no strain relief where the cable goes into the housing and one does wonder about long term metal fatigue for the cables.
Comfort and Isolation
As noted above, the unique build of the housing of the Pianoforte X necessarily means there is little to no isolation. So, it is not something you would wear in a crowded place. It works well in a quiet office as there is minimal sound leakage compared to an open can. In fact, I used to carry them when I had to travel as a replacement for carrying a pair of headphones.
In terms of comfort, you are advised to try it on to see if the conch of your ears will support the Pianoforte. Surprisingly, for something which seems much heavier than the average IEM, once you work out how to wear them for optimal sonics, it is very comfortable. Of course, it is not something I would wear to go running on the treadmill.
Music Genres
I am the blissful owner of a large music collection. Does the Pianoforte X rock with all the genres? I think it does a pretty good job with most genres. But the ones which with which it excels are acoustic vocals and jazz.
There is this magical sound with most genres and so you will appreciate the special sonic qualities of the Pianoforte X. However, there isn’t the most treble extension here and hence it may not be optimal for some forms of classical music. That said, I really do enjoy it with classical vocals and popera vocals (like Andrea Bocelli and Russell Watson).
Sound Quality
I still remember the first time I heard a Pianoforte, the sound presentation which was painted had shaking my head: how could something which looked so strange and be so unconventional in its implementation be emanating such a lovely sound. Final Audio is not exaggerating when it claims that to listen to a Pianoforte X is like sitting in a concert hall with its great sense of space.
That holds true for the Pianoforte X. But what distinguishes it from the other Pianoforte is that it seems to impart a slightly dreamy and languid quality to the music. It’s almost like putting on a pair of rose-tinted glasses. Everything is so fluid with nary a harsh edge.
That is not to say that the Pianoforte X lacks details. It is clear and detailed. The trebles are not extended nor sparkly. The lows are nuanced and full bodied. But the mids, oh the mids… Ask anyone who owns or has heard a Pianoforte will gush about the lushness, fullness, realism and timbre of the mids. There is fantastic separation and sense of space at the same time. This is precisely why I particularly love the Pianoforte X for vocals of any kind. It never fails to send shivers down my spine.
The sound signature of the Pianoforte X is underpinned by its unassailable mids, its pristine clarity and sense of space. And its effortless musical presentation. It is truly something which would be fitting for listening to beautiful with a single malt whisky with a slow fire burning at the fire place.
Pairing
Cable rolling is not an option because of the non-detachable cables.
I can honestly say that I have never worried about any particular source with the Pianoforte X. As I type this, I am listening to it out of an Aurender Flow. I have used it with most of my DAPs and haven’t noticed any particular issue to report. So, it does seem to be easy to match.
Conclusion
The Pianoforte X is one of those earphones you have to listen to at least once in your lifetime. It portrays music like no other. Have a listen and you will understand the true meaning of “music to my ears”.
At the recent CanJam in Singapore, when we were passing the Final Audio booth, Claire of Jaben Singapore took me over to JoJo-san and proudly proclaimed: this is your biggest fan in Singapore! Claire had kindly done the same thing during the first Mook Festival in Singapore, where I had met Takai-san and he had kindly shared on his philosophy of the portrayal of music. Through the kind assistance of Jojo-san of course since Takai-san and I had one thing in common: neither of us could speak the other’s language. Words cannot describe the deep thrill I felt then and still do now as I type these words.
Since then, Takai-san has sadly passed on. It did cause me infinite sadness when Claire informed me of the passing of the man who had done so much (by his creations) to challenge and educate me on the way I listened to music. Once I was able to shake off the darkness that descended upon me, I called Claire: hold a Lab1 for me, I’m driving down now.
To think that this incredible journey started one ordinary day in Jaben Singapore when Andy and Eric innocently asked if I wanted to try something special. Whereupon, they took out a pretty but innocuous looking brass IEM, the Heaven S. What followed was a passionate love affair with Final Audio Design IEMs. I am now the proud and blissful owner of a little collection comprising the FI-BA-SS, the Heaven S, the Heaven VI, the Pianoforte VIII, IX and X, the 1601SB (predecessor to the Pianoforte series), Lab 1 and AKR02 (special edition FI-BA-SS in collaboration with AK). I also have the Hope VI and the Sonorous X.
I already had the Pianoforte VIII and IX when I came to own the X. Terence, aka Awry, was the kind soul who afforded me the opportunity to own this little slice of Heaven. Awry was not quite sure whether to let it go, and I was not pushy. Quite a few months elapsed before he decided to allow me to have his beloved Pianoforte X. All I can say is that not only did I come to own a wonderful piece of musical magic, but I also gained a steadfast friend. It’s one of the best pieces of business I have done in the audio realm.
Technical details
The Pianoforte X is made of chrome copper. It is unusual in that the shape of the chrome copper housing is inspired by the vintage horn speakers in order to achieve the same sort of sonic signature. The eartips are not the usual soft ones but one which is made of chrome copper as well. The drivers are 16mm dynamic driver units. The Pianoforte X also comes with air pressure adjustment vents which, together with the fact that the eartips are too large to push into anyone’s ear canal and therefore the X should sit in the conch of the ear and the eartip loosely placed facing the opening of the ear canal, it is pretty much an open IEM.
Build Quality
Build quality is excellent! Because the Pianoforte comes in either gold or copper finishing, they look like pieces of jewelry than any IEM that I have seen. There’s a nice heft to the X. The housing are full metal after all.
The non-detachable cable is quite thin but fabric covered. I don’t have any complaints of microphonics from the cable nor can I say that they are difficult to manage. The cable is terminated with a low profile right angled 3.5mm plug. One concern may be that there is no strain relief where the cable goes into the housing and one does wonder about long term metal fatigue for the cables.
Comfort and Isolation
As noted above, the unique build of the housing of the Pianoforte X necessarily means there is little to no isolation. So, it is not something you would wear in a crowded place. It works well in a quiet office as there is minimal sound leakage compared to an open can. In fact, I used to carry them when I had to travel as a replacement for carrying a pair of headphones.
In terms of comfort, you are advised to try it on to see if the conch of your ears will support the Pianoforte. Surprisingly, for something which seems much heavier than the average IEM, once you work out how to wear them for optimal sonics, it is very comfortable. Of course, it is not something I would wear to go running on the treadmill.
Music Genres
I am the blissful owner of a large music collection. Does the Pianoforte X rock with all the genres? I think it does a pretty good job with most genres. But the ones which with which it excels are acoustic vocals and jazz.
There is this magical sound with most genres and so you will appreciate the special sonic qualities of the Pianoforte X. However, there isn’t the most treble extension here and hence it may not be optimal for some forms of classical music. That said, I really do enjoy it with classical vocals and popera vocals (like Andrea Bocelli and Russell Watson).
Sound Quality
I still remember the first time I heard a Pianoforte, the sound presentation which was painted had shaking my head: how could something which looked so strange and be so unconventional in its implementation be emanating such a lovely sound. Final Audio is not exaggerating when it claims that to listen to a Pianoforte X is like sitting in a concert hall with its great sense of space.
That holds true for the Pianoforte X. But what distinguishes it from the other Pianoforte is that it seems to impart a slightly dreamy and languid quality to the music. It’s almost like putting on a pair of rose-tinted glasses. Everything is so fluid with nary a harsh edge.
That is not to say that the Pianoforte X lacks details. It is clear and detailed. The trebles are not extended nor sparkly. The lows are nuanced and full bodied. But the mids, oh the mids… Ask anyone who owns or has heard a Pianoforte will gush about the lushness, fullness, realism and timbre of the mids. There is fantastic separation and sense of space at the same time. This is precisely why I particularly love the Pianoforte X for vocals of any kind. It never fails to send shivers down my spine.
The sound signature of the Pianoforte X is underpinned by its unassailable mids, its pristine clarity and sense of space. And its effortless musical presentation. It is truly something which would be fitting for listening to beautiful with a single malt whisky with a slow fire burning at the fire place.
Pairing
Cable rolling is not an option because of the non-detachable cables.
I can honestly say that I have never worried about any particular source with the Pianoforte X. As I type this, I am listening to it out of an Aurender Flow. I have used it with most of my DAPs and haven’t noticed any particular issue to report. So, it does seem to be easy to match.
Conclusion
The Pianoforte X is one of those earphones you have to listen to at least once in your lifetime. It portrays music like no other. Have a listen and you will understand the true meaning of “music to my ears”.
