[emilsoft]

You weren't kidding about the driver flex...

In the end I went for the FiiO FH5 - it has a balance of audio and build quality that's hard to match at the price point, and suits my needs well enough.

I will say though, it's not neutral like the B400. Fun and balanced, but not neutral.

Interesting that you say the B400 is neutral - I'm concerned about that 3.5khz peak on the measurements.. Did you get to compare the NP with the B400?

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Interesting that you say the B400 is neutral - I'm concerned about that 3.5khz peak on the measurements.. Did you get to compare the NP with the B400?

I never had a chance to try both back to back but the B400 is the most neutral iem I've tried. (Admittedly I've only tried 4 to date) Unfortunately I can't speak to the 3.5khz peak from memory alone.

 

[emilsoft]

If I compare it with the Andromeda which i would say is neutral and smooth, perhaps a touch mids shy (with comply), I can see more uneven frequency in the B400. Someone who's used both (and enjoys the Andromedas), can they share their point of view on how they compare tonally?

The Andro has that peak around 8k which requires comply to tame... is it similar with B400?

Top is B400, bottom is Andro.

 

[Brooko]

B400 is more comfortable to wear, has less bass warmth (especially sub), more vocal presence emphasis (nice sense of euphonic colouration - especially with female vocalists), but is a little subdued int he treble area. Personally I EQ 6-8 kHz up slightly. The B400 doesn't quite have the bass impact of the Andros, but is smoother up top. The 3.5 kHz is a colouration rather than anything else, and helps harmonics.

Both are warmish but balanced IEMs. Andro is warmish because of the relative bass to mids (higher). B400 is because of the relative bass to lower treble (bass is higher).

Different flavours - both good earphones (though I prefer Andro because of the lower treble emphasis - it suits my preferences more). Here's the measurement on my rig (click for larger):



Other options:

Andro and ES3 are somewhat similar - but ES3 is a lot leaner and Andro is tonally richer.



Here's the B400 and the Alclair Curve. The Curve is quite close to the Andro - but needs more bass and lower mid-range (easy fix with EQ or bass boost).



B400 vs the FH5. B400 has better transition through the mid-range. FH5 has more sub-bass impact, better build and fit, but is quite "shouty" in the vocal presence area (I need to EQ it down).

 

[emilsoft]

B400 is more comfortable to wear, has less bass warmth (especially sub), more vocal presence emphasis (nice sense of euphonic colouration - especially with female vocalists), but is a little subdued int he treble area. Personally I EQ 6-8 kHz up slightly. The B400 doesn't quite have the bass impact of the Andros, but is smoother up top. The 3.5 kHz is a colouration rather than anything else, and helps harmonics.

Both are warmish but balanced IEMs. Andro is warmish because of the relative bass to mids (higher). B400 is because of the relative bass to lower treble (bass is higher).

Different flavours - both good earphones (though I prefer Andro because of the lower treble emphasis - it suits my preferences more). Here's the measurement on my rig (click for larger):



Other options:

Andro and ES3 are somewhat similar - but ES3 is a lot leaner and Andro is tonally richer.



Here's the B400 and the Alclair Curve. The Curve is quite close to the Andro - but needs more bass and lower mid-range (easy fix with EQ or bass boost).



B400 vs the FH5. B400 has better transition through the mid-range. FH5 has more sub-bass impact, better build and fit, but is quite "shouty" in the vocal presence area (I need to EQ it down).

Brilliant - thanks very much for the in-depth explanation. Good to see those comparisons with the graphs.

When you say you prefer Andro due to lower treble emphasis in relation to B400, do you mean B400 has more treble emphasis in comparison to Andro? Is this due to the 3.5khz bump on B400?

Got to say B400 would look ideal on paper for me if it weren't for that 3.5 bump.

 

[Brooko]

Don't worry about the 3.5 kHz bump - its not going to cause sibilance or etching or anything else. Just makes female vocals etc sound slightly more euphonic than they actually are. Most people find it pleasing. And the lower treble is from 6-10 kHz. This is where the Andro is brighter.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

A nice match with m0

 

[emilsoft]

A nice match with m0

I have the exact same M0 purple - it's a great little device, and sounds really nice - surprisingly free of Digitus or grain. My plan is also to pair it with the B400.. Are your B400s slightly blue tinted?

 

[emilsoft]

Don't worry about the 3.5 kHz bump - its not going to cause sibilance or etching or anything else. Just makes female vocals etc sound slightly more euphonic than they actually are. Most people find it pleasing. And the lower treble is from 6-10 kHz. This is where the Andro is brighter.

Cool! B400 ordered I will play with it soon. Wonder how it'll hold up to my 64 Audio u12t

 

[Focux]

the new Finschi is around the same price as this, any comparisons between the two up yet?

 

[ExpatinJapan]

I have the exact same M0 purple - it's a great little device, and sounds really nice - surprisingly free of Digitus or grain. My plan is also to pair it with the B400.. Are your B400s slightly blue tinted?

i have a few more pics on my blog. Its a nice blue. Although I couldnt catch the actual hue accurately enough.

 

[Moses Kwon]

I was satisfied with B400 sound. It was so entertaining. However, LZa4 and flc8s caught my eyes. After extensive research and review, I decided to order flc8s. It costs $100 more than B400. I was ready to return B400, but something unexpected has happened.
Flc8s was not sound better. I tried all different filter combination and different genre day and night. Filters were so tiny and annoying, but I really wished to find the right combination until it sounds better than B400. However, more I searched, more I recognized good sound quality of b400. I just wanted to upgrade the sound quality. Also, flc8s was a lot more comfortable to wear. At this point, I only have one more thing to try. I ordered Comply tip 400 for flc8s. Hopefully, it works, so I can return b400. Or I will gladly keep b400 and return flc8s. Followings are what I found about b400 sound comparing with flc8s;

1. B400 has more power. I'm not only talking about the volume, but also music itself. I could feel more energy.
2. B400 has better clarity and separation. It was much more distinguishable with electronic violin song. Flc8s sounded muddy comparing with B400. Try David Garrett's album, especially, 'Antonio Vivaldi's Summer'.
3. B400 had better vocal sound with better instrumental separation even Male vocal sounded better. Try Eric Clapton Unplugged album.
4. Who said B400 is lacking for classical music? It was absolutely wrong information. To my ear, Flc8s couldn't handle classical music comparing with b400. Try Cello music by Edgar Moreau. Or you can just pick up any violin or piano album. Also please try Julia Lezhneva's Handel music album. You will find the beauty of soprano + Orchestra from b400.
5. B400 had better bass also. Who said it is lacking the bass and sub-bass? Please try David Crosby's album CROZ.

I'm still trying to find the way to make Flc8s better. However, it is not likely to happen due to huge sound quality differences as I stated above.
I'm not saying flc8s is bad. It is also very good IEM, but my ear was already spoiled by B400.

Even psychological placebo effect didn't do anything this time even though I believed that Flc8s was better in the first place.

Also, please do not believe the review (including mine) until you actually hear the sound with your ear.

 

[wondroushippo]

Still formulating my thoughts on these after picking them up, at worst they'll likely become my permanent pair in my bag, especially because the volume cable works with my V20.

1) I really want to use the Comply tips, but the T100 tube is SO MUCH THINNER than the B400's nozzle that it seems impossible to put them on all the way, anybody else have any luck, maybe even with a size up?
2) I did manage to get the small SpinFits that I bought for my Shure/Etymotic IEMs onto the B400, kind of liking it right now but it was another tricky fit. Anybody else have any recommended eartips?
3) These seem very vocal-forward? I actually really like male vocals on these, most of my music is metal so I don't have a lot of female vocalists.
4) Is the static overbearing on Arcane Roots' "Before Me" for anyone else?

 

[CactusPete23]

Still formulating my thoughts on these after picking them up, at worst they'll likely become my permanent pair in my bag, especially because the volume cable works with my V20.

1) I really want to use the Comply tips, but the T100 tube is SO MUCH THINNER than the B400's nozzle that it seems impossible to put them on all the way, anybody else have any luck, maybe even with a size up?
2) I did manage to get the small SpinFits that I bought for my Shure/Etymotic IEMs onto the B400, kind of liking it right now but it was another tricky fit. Anybody else have any recommended eartips?
3) These seem very vocal-forward? I actually really like male vocals on these, most of my music is metal so I don't have a lot of female vocalists.
4) Is the static overbearing on Arcane Roots' "Before Me" for anyone else?

Try using Comply with a larger bore. LIke the T200 seriies. They should fit. The T400/500 are too big ID. IMHO

 

[wondroushippo]

Try using Comply with a larger bore. LIke the T200 seriies. They should fit. The T400/500 are too big ID. IMHO

Thanks, I'll probably try that at some point. Wish I still had some, I had some T200s for my MEE Pinnacle P1 but I guess with my ear canals and the fit of the P1, they just kept tearing. Weirdest thing, my T500s on my ATH-IM02s last forever.