So I finally got a chance to do a brief comparison with JVC FXT90s and I want to give my impressions. I owned the FXT90s for about 2 years, loved them very much, then lost them and replaced them with the IM70.
My first impressions of the IM70 were pretty negative, based as a comparison of my memory of the FXT90s. After burn-in (which I'm now starting to doubt) and getting used to the IM70s for a few months, I began to generally really like them. I never got that "in heaven" feeling I had with FXT90s but then I figured that maybe my memory was warped.
Well, I'm sorry to say that a lot of my initial negative thoughts on the IM70 have returned. Objectively speaking, IM70 have a much, much BIGGER sound. When I put the FXT90s in, the initial comparison makes them sound really tinny, treble focused, a little sibilant, and overall smaller sounding. Also, I will say that perhaps for anything in the realm of pop, rock, alternative, electronic, etc., that the IM70s are better suited for that. They have WAYYY more bass and for some reason bring out more clarity in those types of music. It's strange, because my problem with them is that all of a sudden when I listen to anything classical or similarly acoustic, they sound totally bloated and less clear and just the overall sound quality isn't that good. They give me the impression of $30-50 headphones at that point.
This is extremely apparent with piano. Comparing the two, you can hear the attack, as well as the development and decay, how the note changes dimension and texture as it decays, so beautifully on the FXT90. On the IM70, you get a fuzzy attack and the decay is much more bland, it just gets quieter. This way, the FXT90 draws you in SO much more and just gives you so much more from the music. It's the same with string instruments, especially violin, which have always sounded buried to me in the IM70s.
So I find myself automatically listening to much less classical and a lot of other stuff. I don't get the same enjoyment I used to out of classical, while I do get more enjoyment out of other things. I still think that the overall sound quality... maybe the word is "imaging" is superior on the FXT90. I may try to sell my IM70s when I get back to the states. Unless anyone in the EU is reading this and wants them
These are good, just not for me, and I wouldn't recommend them for classical.
These are just my impressions, listening from ipod classic and FiiO 6 or straight from macbook pro.
