[wizrad]

what cable did you guys opt for I originally had 2-pin recessed but just changed it to MMCX since it appears to be more easy available..

Personally I stuck with 2-pin recessed because I'm not a huge fan of how MMCX connectors rotate, and the recessed 2-pin looks very secure to me. I don't plan on changing cables much if at all and 2-pin recessed isn't so uncommon that they're unobtainable so I figure I'll either stick with stock or find a reasonably priced one that I'm happy with and just leave it.

I'm sure you'll be fine with either type of connector though, I'd say it probably has more to do with any IEMs and cables that you already have. I already have both a balanced and a bluetooth 0.78mm 2-pin so that kinda sealed the deal for me.

 

[meringo]

I went with the standard 2-pin. I don't believe in MMCX's longevity (I've only had MMCX cables stop working, never 2pin) And the recessed jacks in my last customs made aftermarket cable selections difficult.

Initial sound impressions after 24 hours:
Probably the most relaxed-sounding V ( \--/ ?) shape I've heard. Sub bass is impressive in both quality and quantity, while the rest of the sig is relaxed until the upper highs for "bell-like" tones. Male vocalists sound a little thin for my liking, but that's really my only complaint. Obviously, electronic and modern music fairs best -- which makes me very interested in hearing the CustomArt Blacks since rock is usually my most listened to genre. I'm thrilled to have the F4, especially since I've been diving into more modern sounds as of late. If anything, this is opening my eyes to this brand... RIP wallet.

Other observations:
- Build quality is A+++
- The stock cable looks nice and doesn't seem to tangle too easily

 

[davidcotton]

I went with the standard 2-pin. I don't believe in MMCX's longevity (I've only had MMCX cables stop working, never 2pin) And the recessed jacks in my last customs made aftermarket cable selections difficult.

Initial sound impressions after 24 hours:
Probably the most relaxed-sounding V ( \--/ ?) shape I've heard. Sub bass is impressive in both quality and quantity, while the rest of the sig is relaxed until the upper highs for "bell-like" tones. Male vocalists sound a little thin for my liking, but that's really my only complaint. Obviously, electronic and modern music fairs best -- which makes me very interested in hearing the CustomArt Blacks since rock is usually my most listened to genre. I'm thrilled to have the F4, especially since I've been diving into more modern sounds as of late. If anything, this is opening my eyes to this brand... RIP wallet.

Other observations:
- Build quality is A+++
- The stock cable looks nice and doesn't seem to tangle too easily

You may like the Custom Art Mass drop more for rock from the reviews I've read. Was subguys review that said "The organic sound is perfect for the rock music genre" and "it is a rock music lover’s wet dream." Of course if budget is an issue then the blacks may be an option Welcome to the Custom Art fanboy club, no turning back now

 

[meringo]

Thanks for the recommendation -- although I do have (somewhat silly) reservations for no longer shopping at drop.com.... what an asinine re-branding effort alongside a modified way of doing things (including price hikes) At least the interwebz seem to be eating them alive for the JV decisions. They are San Francisco based... you'd think they'd hire better marketing/branding folks.

Now, bringing this back to the F4, I'd love to find an all copper .78mm cable with balanced 4.4mm termination. Does anyone have a recommendation that isn't more than a $100?

 

[Deezel177]

Thanks for the recommendation -- although I do have (somewhat silly) reservations for no longer shopping at drop.com.... what an asinine re-branding effort alongside a modified way of doing things (including price hikes) At least the interwebz seem to be eating them alive for the JV decisions. They are San Francisco based... you'd think they'd hire better marketing/branding folks.

Now, bringing this back to the F4, I'd love to find an all copper .78mm cable with balanced 4.4mm termination. Does anyone have a recommendation that isn't more than a $100?

This is a hair over $100, but it's one of the best-sounding entry-level cables I've tried yet: https://satinaudio.com/en/product/satin-audio-griffin

 

[davidcotton]

Thanks for the recommendation -- although I do have (somewhat silly) reservations for no longer shopping at drop.com.... what an asinine re-branding effort alongside a modified way of doing things (including price hikes) At least the interwebz seem to be eating them alive for the JV decisions. They are San Francisco based... you'd think they'd hire better marketing/branding folks.

Now, bringing this back to the F4, I'd love to find an all copper .78mm cable with balanced 4.4mm termination. Does anyone have a recommendation that isn't more than a $100?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/low-end-cheap-generic-otherwise-bang-for-buck-cable-thread.891911/

 

[meringo]

This is a hair over $100, but it's one of the best-sounding entry-level cables I've tried yet: https://satinaudio.com/en/product/satin-audio-griffin

I'm gonna go with it! Looks to be exactly what I want.

 

[davidmolliere]

So... I have spent quite a bit more time with the F4 and one thing I'll say despite the sensitivity, the F4 scales with more power : I have run it balanced with the R6 Pro, it even tops the experience I had with my 1960 4 wires (which is not recabled to balanced yet since I got it secondhand).

Right now both R6 Pro balanced and Micro iDSD BL (with 3D+ on, the F4 really benefits from it!), I can definitely say that the bass has more control and is tighter with better bass extension with a tad better speed. Balanced makes a bigger than usual difference in terms of soundstage with the R6 Pro, it's really very very good with a nice three dimensional feeling thanks to very good depth. The signature while different has some strong kinship with the Solaris (which is a great thing IMHO).
Overall it's intuitively a bit strange for a full BA architecture (with FIBAE tech) but the F4 seems to like power like hybrids and DD I have owned (top firing drivers ?)

@meringo : I don't see the F4 as V shaped, in fact I pegged it as a W for it has good vocal presence but it's not even that as the upper mids are not recessed by any means. It would rather be a rounded W so to speak.

I get what you mean on the male voices, that's due to the lower mids being lean (not recessed, or just a hair). This was necessary given the bass presence and power otherwise this would have made the F4 much warmer. In fact in my opinion it's not that warm to my ears (the Black are warmer). The mids are fairly neutral to me, the smoothness is not from warmth. The main smoothness factor is the attack of the notes. Attack is on the softer side, an decay is not lightning fast either notes linger...

This is what won't make the F4 the hard hitter in the bass department (despite it's authoritative presence) nor will it feature overly exciting or agressive treble.
The very interesting aspect of the F4 is to have both significant lower bass and upper treble presence without being fatiguing as many IEMs with this traits are.
Its neutral mids with good vocal presence (although not upfront, it's not like you're front row, it's really articulate) make it a different beast than V or U shaped IEMs
(Note that I never liked the V, U N whatever classification because it can be misleading except for "binary" tuned IEMs).

The flipside of that quality is that it won't give you a hard hitting bass or the pain-pleasure treble bite you can get with sharper attack IEMs (when I switch from the EM64 this is striking)

 

[meringo]

Great write-up! Yeah, after some more time with the F4 I think you hit the nail on the head with your sound description. I look forward to trying it out with the balanced cable I just ordered. The R6 Pro has killer power!

 

[subguy812]

This is a hair over $100, but it's one of the best-sounding entry-level cables I've tried yet: https://satinaudio.com/en/product/satin-audio-griffin

Daniel

Thanks for the recommendation...Ordered

 

[subguy812]

You may like the Custom Art Mass drop more for rock from the reviews I've read. Was subguys review that said "The organic sound is perfect for the rock music genre" and "it is a rock music lover’s wet dream." Of course if budget is an issue then the blacks may be an option Welcome to the Custom Art fanboy club, no turning back now

Thanks for the quote....I do love the ME. I am excited to see how they compare to the F4. It is an incredible sound, he just can't sell it outside of MassDrop.

 

[radekhulan]

I went for 2-pin recessed, and happy with it. Very sturdy connection.
And stock cable is good.
(But I am the one who does not believe in "hearing cables". The cable has to transmit maximum of 0.1W of power, and from technical point of view any, however slim, copper or silver wire can do this, for its 1m length.)

 

[chortya]

I went for 2-pin recessed, and happy with it. Very sturdy connection.
And stock cable is good.
(But I am the one who does not believe in "hearing cables". The cable has to transmit maximum of 0.1W of power, and from technical point of view any, however slim, copper or silver wire can do this, for its 1m length.)

I am also still sceptical but I clearly heard the difference between chinese 8 and 16 core cable and stock CA Solaris cable. Also just measuring the resistance if each of the cables I could see correlation.
In my opinion material quality and soldering as well as combination of source and IEM's electrical parameters play a role. But I would definetely not promote specific cable as universal improvement for every IEM and source.

 

[subguy812]

I think it is critical to view cables as a personal preference. I have gone on record many times, saying I buy cables for ergonomics. When given the opportunity to review cables, I always say I am not the one to do it, because a cable is the last thing I would upgrade. Save your money for an IEM upgrade, first and foremost, secondly the source. I have a $ limit I spend on cables. I need cables terminated in 2.5mm, so I have a couple. I use 8-wire EA Bespoke SE and 2.5mm, mainly because I like the ergonomics and they are more durable. To my ears, there might be a slight sound bump in a given frequency but okay. I personally, would never spend the same amount for cables as I do an IEM. That said, many folks swear by cables. I just do not spend my money on them, often.

 

[davidcotton]

Thanks for the quote....I do love the ME. I am excited to see how they compare to the F4. It is an incredible sound, he just can't sell it outside of MassDrop.

From the sound of it the me may suit me slightly better than the 4's from the little I've read. Considering I listen to progressive and melodic rock with male vocalists outnumbering the female ones it may just be a better bet.