[subguy812]

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.

Maybe soon I can give a comparison...

 

[radekhulan]

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.

I second on ergonomics, that does matter And also that cables are the last thing you should think of when upgrading: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/headphone-cable-measurements-part-one

I believe personally asking Piotr privately if changing (decent) cables (for another decent ones) could really make a difference for Fibae sound, he would answer no

Anyway, back to Fibae 4, they do scale surprisingly well with better DACs / headphone amps.
My Samsung S10+ can drive them nicely, but US$ 20 "Hidizs Sonata USB-C DAC cable" gives bass more control, while iFi nano iDSD Black Edition opens whole new world for lows. So they are easy to drive, but do benefit nicely from better amplification.

 

[davidmolliere]

I do notice significant difference rolling cables with FIBAE 4, but YMMV

What is true of all FIBAE is that they don’t scale down much with « lesser » sources (smartphone, computer...) but they do scale up with better sources and my own experience is that the F4 bass does get better with better sources with power. Same goes for cable to a lesser extent but it’s hear to my ears.

 

[piotrus-g]

I believe personally asking Piotr privately if changing (decent) cables (for another decent ones) could really make a difference for Fibae sound, he would answer no

Well... yes and no and the answer is somewhat in the middle really.
Does the cables matter for FIBAE - yes, they do, that's why we switched over to Hi-Res SPC cable for the Black and F4 as the stock cable. But in my personal experience the jump that is most noticeable and price-worthy between stock cable (such as previous braided grey or black cables we used) and after-market decent quality entry level upgrade cable.
There is measurable difference in cross-talk between old stock cable, new Hi-Res and cable like EA Ares II, and that difference translates straight into bass extension, details and staging - I discussed this topic in general FIBAE thread, with measurements.
Personally I'm not into listening to very expensive cables I don't hear much of a difference between stuff like quality entry level OCC copper cable and silver or some exotic alloy, but the time I actually noticed the biggest difference between any cables was in fact with FIBAE1

 

[subguy812]

Well... yes and no and the answer is somewhat in the middle really.
Does the cables matter for FIBAE - yes, they do, that's why we switched over to Hi-Res SPC cable for the Black and F4 as the stock cable. But in my personal experience the jump that is most noticeable and price-worthy between stock cable (such as previous braided grey or black cables we used) and after-market decent quality entry level upgrade cable.
There is measurable difference in cross-talk between old stock cable, new Hi-Res and cable like EA Ares II, and that difference translates straight into bass extension, details and staging - I discussed this topic in general FIBAE thread, with measurements.
Personally I'm not into listening to very expensive cables I don't hear much of a difference between stuff like quality entry level OCC copper cable and silver or some exotic alloy, but the time I actually noticed the biggest difference between any cables was in fact with FIBAE1

Exactly...The FIBAE line was the first IEM that I noticed a difference with after market cables. My initial switch is because of ergonomics, while neither of the Plastics1 have bad ergonomics. I have purchased entry level after-market cables from Effect Audio, Ares II, in SE and 2.5mm. I recently upgraded those to the Bespoke 8-wire cables, lost a little in ergonomics but gained in durability. I now have both the 4 and 8 wire versions. In my opinion, the next time EA does their trade-in and upgrade deal, you should consider it.That is the most I plan to spend on cables. The Rhapsodio cables I own and the Dita cables were for review purposes. I have never heard a cable costing 1K to 3K and unless given one to review, I never will. Don't get me started on burn-in of cables...ugh!

 

[killaHz]

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.

I'm pretty sure the ME would suit me better—though the genres are different—but if the ME never drops again, the F4 may be close enough to what I want.

 

[one-eyed-xander]

Tomorrow marks 2 months since getting the email that my payment was received, and that “typical turnaround is 4-5 weeks”. Also it’s been 2 weeks since I inquired about status and got a “2 more weeks” reply.

Surely I’m not the only person getting impatient here?

 

[chortya]

Tomorrow marks 2 months since getting the email that my payment was received, and that “typical turnaround is 4-5 weeks”. Also it’s been 2 weeks since I inquired about status and got a “2 more weeks” reply.

Surely I’m not the only person getting impatient here?

Similar situation here. It seems they recieved more orders then they have expected or maybe there are other reasons. I would really appriciate if Piotr would just give us short honest status update. I am fine to wait for a quality product but the wait itself is not easy

 

[piotrus-g]

We are now in process of finishing up order from 7th week of 2019

It seems they recieved more orders then they have expected or maybe there are other reasons.

That's pretty much what happened. The FIBAE Black completely flooded our production line and we are trying our best to get back on track since then. Currently our turnaround is closer to 10 weeks

 

[muschem]

The wait was more than worth it for me. I love the F4 (also have F3, which is good in a different way). I put a several dozen hours through it while traveling recently, and it sounds great through the Radsone ES100 using LDAC. But, wiring it up to my WM1A is just amazing. I'm now debating whether to keep the F3... not because it isn't excellent, but just because the signature of the F4 is more to my typical listening tastes. Very well done, Piotr and team!

 

[petesheep]

I am in the same situation and believe that having both F3 & F4 is good for appreciating different aspects of each other.

 

[Army-Firedawg]

Gorgeous looking iem my friends.

 

[annasoh323]

Tomorrow marks 2 months since getting the email that my payment was received, and that “typical turnaround is 4-5 weeks”. Also it’s been 2 weeks since I inquired about status and got a “2 more weeks” reply.

Surely I’m not the only person getting impatient here?

Similar situation here. It seems they recieved more orders then they have expected or maybe there are other reasons. I would really appriciate if Piotr would just give us short honest status update. I am fine to wait for a quality product but the wait itself is not easy

We are now in process of finishing up order from 7th week of 2019


That's pretty much what happened. The FIBAE Black completely flooded our production line and we are trying our best to get back on track since then. Currently our turnaround is closer to 10 weeks

I understand the waiting game is frustrating. I was part of the Black preorder and was hoping the initial hurdles had been overcome to bring the time back down to their normal 4-5 week turnaround but it wasn't to be. I settled in for an eight week turnaround and then I asked for an estimate. Even after that, it was a bit longer than the second estimate. To borrow and modify a turn of phrase, "the best estimates are still estimates at best." I also had extra faceplate work being done etc etc but it was still difficult to wait, especially as I watched others receive and start raving about theirs. Even some of the F4 preorders started rolling out to customers and people were happily posting about them. What compounded it was I had extra "first CIEM" excitement that was harder to contain. It's a tough wait but its worth it and my confidence in Piotr's team was never in doubt. All I can say is best wishes to those waiting and to Custom Art to keep on doing the good work of great sound.

 

[davidcotton]

I understand the waiting game is frustrating. I was part of the Black preorder and was hoping the initial hurdles had been overcome to bring the time back down to their normal 4-5 week turnaround but it wasn't to be. I settled in for an eight week turnaround and then I asked for an estimate. Even after that, it was a bit longer than the second estimate. To borrow and modify a turn of phrase, "the best estimates are still estimates at best." I also had extra faceplate work being done etc etc but it was still difficult to wait, especially as I watched others receive and start raving about theirs. Even some of the F4 preorders started rolling out to customers and people were happily posting about them. What compounded it was I had extra "first CIEM" excitement that was harder to contain. It's a tough wait but its worth it and my confidence in Piotr's team was never in doubt. All I can say is best wishes to those waiting and to Custom Art to keep on doing the good work of great sound.

Have you recieved your blacks yet annasoh323?

 

[annasoh323]

Have you recieved your blacks yet annasoh323?

Oh, yeah, sorry. I didn't mean for people to infer that I am still waiting. I keep meaning to post something in the Black thread but I have @davidmolliere's problem of wanting to listen to them more than write about them. Also, I haven't quite figured out posting pictures here which is a given for that sort of post. I took some quick unboxing photos but they certainly aren't done any justice by those.