Custom Art FIBAE 7 announcement & impressions thread
- Thread starter piotrus-g
- Start date
Sure bud
I am just a listener not a reviewer but will try my best to explain my impressions.
I’ve spend a week with the F7U and paired it with both Sony WM1A and Cayin N6ii with R01 module. Most of my listening was done on N6ii. In the first listen itself, I realize F7U is a huge upgrade over my previous Customart Harmony 8.2 universal. This is my first ciem and boy I feel like ciem is the way to go, fit and isolation is excellent!
Opting for a ciem was a challenge. I had to trust Piotr’s tuning skills and place the order blindly, which was pretty much taking a chance because I haven’t experienced any newer Customart iems. My previous Harmony 8.2 was released back in 2016, so it’s been a while, and since then Piotr was quite busy releasing a bunch of iems on the Fibae lineup.
Initially I was just going to reshell my trusty H8.2 to customs, but going through Customart website and headfi forums, my plans changed and I was looking for an upgrade to one of the newer CA Fibae models. I was not specifically looking for any particular model, I wanted something that mainly handles extreme metal music very well but without sounding too analytical, I wanted some musicality. Piotr was very helpful in choosing the right iem from their entire lineup. After months of back and forth with Kamil and Piotr I went ahead with their latest release F7U.
I have to mention how easy it is to work with them, we exchanged close to 100 emails over the course of last four months lol (this is the most I’ve spend on an iem and that too going blindly so well..) they both were very patient and understanding, never pushed me for a quick purchase. Even while going through the designing phase, they provided me with a lot of options to choose from with the face plate. I was very particular about the wood grain and texture and they had to change it couple of times but never hesitated and made sure I got the best result.
Sound wise F7U has very natural timbre, tonality is not as neutral as H8.2, it’s a more fun and engaging sound with a good balance overall. F7U has boosted low end with good body and presence. This was one of the first things that stood out for me, I am no basshead but tried some bass heavy music and wow, the impact can be felt! There’s day and night difference here when compared to H8.2 and at times the mid bass felt a bit too much for my personal taste with bass heavy music. This genre of music is not my cup of tea but for my library which is mostly metal/rock the impact and speed is perfect. I’d say the bass here is a perfect balance between impact and speed. Its punchy and well controlled. F7U easily kept up with blast beats no problem. It’s not as fast as H8.2, but I am enjoying the extra weight on the mid bass here. Kick drums have solid impact on a track like 'Slayer - South of heaven' Dave Lombardo’s snare, particularly skin tone sounded pretty accurate as well, something you typically experience on a DD. 'Negative Plane - The Pact' is one of my favorite recent release, I really enjoyed following the bass guitar through out the record, it’s got a nice weight. Most of metal music doesn’t go all the way down to sub bass, but with Psychill music like Hinkstep, Shpongle.. I can feel the deep low rumble. There’s plenty of sub bass here for my ears. I prefer the bass on F7U over Sony IERM9 which can be a bit too much at times for my taste.
Mids are excellent, there’s a touch of warmth on lower mids which gives vocals nice weight and body to excellent singers like Peter Steele (Type O Negative) or Mike Patton (Faith No More). I am sensitive to upper mid peaks so I did a sibilance test with Rob Halford’s (Judas Priest) screams on tracks like 'Painkiller' or 'Screaming for vengeance' and Geddy Lee’s (Rush) 'Cygnus-X1' where he hits the highest note at the end of the track or the masterpiece '2112' none of these tracks sounded harsh/shouty, in-fact It sounded quite smooth even on poorly mastered 80/90s metal records. Many of these early extreme metal records are produced with treble forward sound which ruins the listening experience especially on bright iem’s but with F7U’s non fatiguing sound I was able to enjoy many of my favorite records. Heck, I could even sit through some late 80’s early 90’s lo-fi black metal which is an achievement if you are aware of early black metal production quality. As much as I love this 1st/2nd wave of black metal they had the shittiest production, every band back then competed to make the worst sounding record. I really love how guitar cuts through the mix on F7U, listening to chunky down tuned old school death metal riffs from bands like Entombed, Dismember to Gatecreeper sound excellent! (BOSS HM-2 fans you know what I mean.)
Highs are more pronounced compared to H8.2, there’s more energy but it’s not overdone. It is more detailed without sounding bright and this was very important for me. I am very sensitive to bright sound and F7U doesn’t come across as a bright set (I have to disagree with the headfonia review). It sounds very smooth and non fatiguing with excellent micro details. I don’t think it’s easy to achieve this kinda sound, kudos to Piotr.
Separation is excellent, even with a busy track like 'With all disrespect - Cattle Decapitation' I was able to hear everything in the mix, even the bass guitar in between all of the chaos. There’s good sense of space in between instruments, especially on well mastered tracks which is very evident coming from H8.2.
Soundstage and Imaging are much better here. Certain records that showcased F7U’s excellent stage/imaging capabilities were Roger waters - Amused to death, Supertramp - Crime of the Century and Dead can Dance - Spiritchaser. I felt a very 3D-like presentation with these records. It’s not the most wide soundstage I’ve heard, but F7U is a huge upgrade over H8.2 and my other set, Shuoer EJ07.
F7U was able to handle everything in my library from extreme metal to world music leaving me with a smile every time. I had a few goosebump moments as well. Imo Customart F7U is a winner and the best I’ve heard till date.
I’ve spend a week with the F7U and paired it with both Sony WM1A and Cayin N6ii with R01 module. Most of my listening was done on N6ii. In the first listen itself, I realize F7U is a huge upgrade over my previous Customart Harmony 8.2 universal. This is my first ciem and boy I feel like ciem is the way to go, fit and isolation is excellent!
Opting for a ciem was a challenge. I had to trust Piotr’s tuning skills and place the order blindly, which was pretty much taking a chance because I haven’t experienced any newer Customart iems. My previous Harmony 8.2 was released back in 2016, so it’s been a while, and since then Piotr was quite busy releasing a bunch of iems on the Fibae lineup.
Initially I was just going to reshell my trusty H8.2 to customs, but going through Customart website and headfi forums, my plans changed and I was looking for an upgrade to one of the newer CA Fibae models. I was not specifically looking for any particular model, I wanted something that mainly handles extreme metal music very well but without sounding too analytical, I wanted some musicality. Piotr was very helpful in choosing the right iem from their entire lineup. After months of back and forth with Kamil and Piotr I went ahead with their latest release F7U.
I have to mention how easy it is to work with them, we exchanged close to 100 emails over the course of last four months lol (this is the most I’ve spend on an iem and that too going blindly so well..) they both were very patient and understanding, never pushed me for a quick purchase. Even while going through the designing phase, they provided me with a lot of options to choose from with the face plate. I was very particular about the wood grain and texture and they had to change it couple of times but never hesitated and made sure I got the best result.
Sound wise F7U has very natural timbre, tonality is not as neutral as H8.2, it’s a more fun and engaging sound with a good balance overall. F7U has boosted low end with good body and presence. This was one of the first things that stood out for me, I am no basshead but tried some bass heavy music and wow, the impact can be felt! There’s day and night difference here when compared to H8.2 and at times the mid bass felt a bit too much for my personal taste with bass heavy music. This genre of music is not my cup of tea but for my library which is mostly metal/rock the impact and speed is perfect. I’d say the bass here is a perfect balance between impact and speed. Its punchy and well controlled. F7U easily kept up with blast beats no problem. It’s not as fast as H8.2, but I am enjoying the extra weight on the mid bass here. Kick drums have solid impact on a track like 'Slayer - South of heaven' Dave Lombardo’s snare, particularly skin tone sounded pretty accurate as well, something you typically experience on a DD. 'Negative Plane - The Pact' is one of my favorite recent release, I really enjoyed following the bass guitar through out the record, it’s got a nice weight. Most of metal music doesn’t go all the way down to sub bass, but with Psychill music like Hinkstep, Shpongle.. I can feel the deep low rumble. There’s plenty of sub bass here for my ears. I prefer the bass on F7U over Sony IERM9 which can be a bit too much at times for my taste.
Mids are excellent, there’s a touch of warmth on lower mids which gives vocals nice weight and body to excellent singers like Peter Steele (Type O Negative) or Mike Patton (Faith No More). I am sensitive to upper mid peaks so I did a sibilance test with Rob Halford’s (Judas Priest) screams on tracks like 'Painkiller' or 'Screaming for vengeance' and Geddy Lee’s (Rush) 'Cygnus-X1' where he hits the highest note at the end of the track or the masterpiece '2112' none of these tracks sounded harsh/shouty, in-fact It sounded quite smooth even on poorly mastered 80/90s metal records. Many of these early extreme metal records are produced with treble forward sound which ruins the listening experience especially on bright iem’s but with F7U’s non fatiguing sound I was able to enjoy many of my favorite records. Heck, I could even sit through some late 80’s early 90’s lo-fi black metal which is an achievement if you are aware of early black metal production quality. As much as I love this 1st/2nd wave of black metal they had the shittiest production, every band back then competed to make the worst sounding record. I really love how guitar cuts through the mix on F7U, listening to chunky down tuned old school death metal riffs from bands like Entombed, Dismember to Gatecreeper sound excellent! (BOSS HM-2 fans you know what I mean.)
Highs are more pronounced compared to H8.2, there’s more energy but it’s not overdone. It is more detailed without sounding bright and this was very important for me. I am very sensitive to bright sound and F7U doesn’t come across as a bright set (I have to disagree with the headfonia review). It sounds very smooth and non fatiguing with excellent micro details. I don’t think it’s easy to achieve this kinda sound, kudos to Piotr.
Separation is excellent, even with a busy track like 'With all disrespect - Cattle Decapitation' I was able to hear everything in the mix, even the bass guitar in between all of the chaos. There’s good sense of space in between instruments, especially on well mastered tracks which is very evident coming from H8.2.
Soundstage and Imaging are much better here. Certain records that showcased F7U’s excellent stage/imaging capabilities were Roger waters - Amused to death, Supertramp - Crime of the Century and Dead can Dance - Spiritchaser. I felt a very 3D-like presentation with these records. It’s not the most wide soundstage I’ve heard, but F7U is a huge upgrade over H8.2 and my other set, Shuoer EJ07.
F7U was able to handle everything in my library from extreme metal to world music leaving me with a smile every time. I had a few goosebump moments as well. Imo Customart F7U is a winner and the best I’ve heard till date.
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Xinlisupreme
Headphoneus Supremus
Great impressions I love my F7U is an amazing full BA and can compete with higher IEMs, match very well with RS6 a didn’t plug to N6ii ti R01 but I’ll do it this night.I am just a listener not a reviewer but will try my best to explain my impressions.
I’ve spend a week with the F7U and paired it with both Sony WM1A and Cayin N6ii with R01 module. Most of my listening was done on N6ii. In the first listen itself, I realize F7U is a huge upgrade over my previous Customart Harmony 8.2 universal. This is my first ciem and boy I feel like ciem is the way to go, fit and isolation is excellent!
Opting for a ciem was a challenge. I had to trust Piotr’s tuning skills and place the order blindly, which was pretty much taking a chance because I haven’t experienced any newer Customart iems. My previous Harmony 8.2 was released back in 2016, so it’s been a while, and since then Piotr was quite busy releasing a bunch of iems on the Fibae lineup.
Initially I was just going to reshell my trusty H8.2 to customs, but going through Customart website and headfi forums, my plans changed and I was looking for an upgrade to one of the newer CA Fibae models. I was not specifically looking for any particular model, I wanted something that mainly handles extreme metal music very well but without sounding too analytical, I wanted some musicality. Piotr was very helpful in choosing the right iem from their entire lineup. After months of back and forth with Kamil and Piotr I went ahead with their latest release F7U.
I have to mention how easy it is to work with them, we exchanged close to 100 emails over the course of last four months lol (this is the most I’ve spend on an iem and that too going blindly so well..) they both were very patient and understanding, never pushed me for a quick purchase. Even while going through the designing phase, they provided me with a lot of options to choose from with the face plate. I was very particular about the wood grain and texture and they had to change it couple of times but never hesitated and made sure I got the best result.
Sound wise F7U has very natural timbre, tonality is not as neutral as H8.2, it’s a more fun and engaging sound with a good balance overall. F7U has boosted low end with good body and presence. This was one of the first things that stood out for me, I am no basshead but tried some bass heavy music and wow, the impact can be felt! There’s day and night difference here when compared to H8.2 and at times the mid bass felt a bit too much for my personal taste with bass heavy music. This genre of music is not my cup of tea but for my library which is mostly metal/rock the impact and speed is perfect. I’d say the bass here is a perfect balance between impact and speed. Its punchy and well controlled. F7U easily kept up with blast beats no problem. It’s not as fast as H8.2, but I am enjoying the extra weight on the mid bass here. Kick drums have solid impact on a track like 'Slayer - South of heaven' Dave Lombardo’s snare, particularly skin tone sounded pretty accurate as well, something you typically experience on a DD. 'Negative Plane - The Pact' is one of my favorite recent release, I really enjoyed following the bass guitar through out the record, it’s got a nice weight. Most of metal music doesn’t go all the way down to sub bass, but with Psychill music like Hinkstep, Shpongle.. I can feel the deep low rumble. There’s plenty of sub bass here for my ears. I prefer the bass on F7U over Sony IERM9 which can be a bit too much at times for my taste.
Mids are excellent, there’s a touch of warmth on lower mids which gives vocals nice weight and body to excellent singers like Peter Steele (Type O Negative) or Mike Patton (Faith No More). I am sensitive to upper mid peaks so I did a sibilance test with Rob Halford’s (Judas Priest) screams on tracks like 'Painkiller' or 'Screaming for vengeance' and Geddy Lee’s (Rush) 'Cygnus-X1' where he hits the highest note at the end of the track or the masterpiece '2112' none of these tracks sounded harsh/shouty, in-fact It sounded quite smooth even on poorly mastered 80/90s metal records. Many of these early extreme metal records are produced with treble forward sound which ruins the listening experience especially on bright iem’s but with F7U’s non fatiguing sound I was able to enjoy many of my favorite records. Heck, I could even sit through some late 80’s early 90’s lo-fi black metal which is an achievement if you are aware of early black metal production quality. As much as I love this 1st/2nd wave of black metal they had the shittiest production, every band back then competed to make the worst sounding record. I really love how guitar cuts through the mix on F7U, listening to chunky down tuned old school death metal riffs from bands like Entombed, Dismember to Gatecreeper sound excellent! (BOSS HM-2 fans you know what I mean.)
Highs are more pronounced compared to H8.2, there’s more energy but it’s not overdone. It is more detailed without sounding bright and this was very important for me. I am very sensitive to bright sound and F7U doesn’t come across as a bright set (I have to disagree with the headfonia review). It sounds very smooth and non fatiguing with excellent micro details. I don’t think it’s easy to achieve this kinda sound, kudos to Piotr.
Separation is excellent, even with a busy track like 'With all disrespect - Cattle Decapitation' I was able to hear everything in the mix, even the bass guitar in between all of the chaos. There’s good sense of space in between instruments, especially on well mastered tracks which is very evident coming from H8.2.
Soundstage and Imaging are much better here. Certain records that showcased F7U’s excellent stage/imaging capabilities were Roger waters - Amused to death, Supertramp - Crime of the Century and Dead can Dance - Spiritchaser. I felt a very 3D-like presentation with these records. It’s not the most wide soundstage I’ve heard, but F7U is a huge upgrade over H8.2 and my other set, Shuoer EJ07.
F7U was able to handle everything in my library from extreme metal to world music leaving me with a smile every time. I had a few goosebump moments as well. Imo Customart F7U is a winner and the best I’ve heard till date.
I love it with stock tips/cable that means a lot how Custom Art tuned F7U
Thanks! I bet they match very well with RS6. I am very happy pairing them with N6ii/ R01 and I love that Null Audio cable, it’s of excellent quality.
Since I took all this time to write my impressions, thought to publish it as a review cause F7U deserves more attention.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/customart-f7u.25925/reviews
Thank you for a very detailed review. I'm always so happy to see customers enjoying the product and its soundI am just a listener not a reviewer but will try my best to explain my impressions.
I’ve spend a week with the F7U and paired it with both Sony WM1A and Cayin N6ii with R01 module. Most of my listening was done on N6ii. In the first listen itself, I realize F7U is a huge upgrade over my previous Customart Harmony 8.2 universal. This is my first ciem and boy I feel like ciem is the way to go, fit and isolation is excellent!
Opting for a ciem was a challenge. I had to trust Piotr’s tuning skills and place the order blindly, which was pretty much taking a chance because I haven’t experienced any newer Customart iems. My previous Harmony 8.2 was released back in 2016, so it’s been a while, and since then Piotr was quite busy releasing a bunch of iems on the Fibae lineup.
Initially I was just going to reshell my trusty H8.2 to customs, but going through Customart website and headfi forums, my plans changed and I was looking for an upgrade to one of the newer CA Fibae models. I was not specifically looking for any particular model, I wanted something that mainly handles extreme metal music very well but without sounding too analytical, I wanted some musicality. Piotr was very helpful in choosing the right iem from their entire lineup. After months of back and forth with Kamil and Piotr I went ahead with their latest release F7U.
I have to mention how easy it is to work with them, we exchanged close to 100 emails over the course of last four months lol (this is the most I’ve spend on an iem and that too going blindly so well..) they both were very patient and understanding, never pushed me for a quick purchase. Even while going through the designing phase, they provided me with a lot of options to choose from with the face plate. I was very particular about the wood grain and texture and they had to change it couple of times but never hesitated and made sure I got the best result.
Sound wise F7U has very natural timbre, tonality is not as neutral as H8.2, it’s a more fun and engaging sound with a good balance overall. F7U has boosted low end with good body and presence. This was one of the first things that stood out for me, I am no basshead but tried some bass heavy music and wow, the impact can be felt! There’s day and night difference here when compared to H8.2 and at times the mid bass felt a bit too much for my personal taste with bass heavy music. This genre of music is not my cup of tea but for my library which is mostly metal/rock the impact and speed is perfect. I’d say the bass here is a perfect balance between impact and speed. Its punchy and well controlled. F7U easily kept up with blast beats no problem. It’s not as fast as H8.2, but I am enjoying the extra weight on the mid bass here. Kick drums have solid impact on a track like 'Slayer - South of heaven' Dave Lombardo’s snare, particularly skin tone sounded pretty accurate as well, something you typically experience on a DD. 'Negative Plane - The Pact' is one of my favorite recent release, I really enjoyed following the bass guitar through out the record, it’s got a nice weight. Most of metal music doesn’t go all the way down to sub bass, but with Psychill music like Hinkstep, Shpongle.. I can feel the deep low rumble. There’s plenty of sub bass here for my ears. I prefer the bass on F7U over Sony IERM9 which can be a bit too much at times for my taste.
Mids are excellent, there’s a touch of warmth on lower mids which gives vocals nice weight and body to excellent singers like Peter Steele (Type O Negative) or Mike Patton (Faith No More). I am sensitive to upper mid peaks so I did a sibilance test with Rob Halford’s (Judas Priest) screams on tracks like 'Painkiller' or 'Screaming for vengeance' and Geddy Lee’s (Rush) 'Cygnus-X1' where he hits the highest note at the end of the track or the masterpiece '2112' none of these tracks sounded harsh/shouty, in-fact It sounded quite smooth even on poorly mastered 80/90s metal records. Many of these early extreme metal records are produced with treble forward sound which ruins the listening experience especially on bright iem’s but with F7U’s non fatiguing sound I was able to enjoy many of my favorite records. Heck, I could even sit through some late 80’s early 90’s lo-fi black metal which is an achievement if you are aware of early black metal production quality. As much as I love this 1st/2nd wave of black metal they had the shittiest production, every band back then competed to make the worst sounding record. I really love how guitar cuts through the mix on F7U, listening to chunky down tuned old school death metal riffs from bands like Entombed, Dismember to Gatecreeper sound excellent! (BOSS HM-2 fans you know what I mean.)
Highs are more pronounced compared to H8.2, there’s more energy but it’s not overdone. It is more detailed without sounding bright and this was very important for me. I am very sensitive to bright sound and F7U doesn’t come across as a bright set (I have to disagree with the headfonia review). It sounds very smooth and non fatiguing with excellent micro details. I don’t think it’s easy to achieve this kinda sound, kudos to Piotr.
Separation is excellent, even with a busy track like 'With all disrespect - Cattle Decapitation' I was able to hear everything in the mix, even the bass guitar in between all of the chaos. There’s good sense of space in between instruments, especially on well mastered tracks which is very evident coming from H8.2.
Soundstage and Imaging are much better here. Certain records that showcased F7U’s excellent stage/imaging capabilities were Roger waters - Amused to death, Supertramp - Crime of the Century and Dead can Dance - Spiritchaser. I felt a very 3D-like presentation with these records. It’s not the most wide soundstage I’ve heard, but F7U is a huge upgrade over H8.2 and my other set, Shuoer EJ07.
F7U was able to handle everything in my library from extreme metal to world music leaving me with a smile every time. I had a few goosebump moments as well. Imo Customart F7U is a winner and the best I’ve heard till date.
Rollk2
500+ Head-Fier
My F7U finally arrived! Many thanks @piotrus-g and Kamil!
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Damn can't wait to go and pick mine on Monday.
I hate UPS in my city, they always end up either not calling you, deposing your package at the wrong place or worse
I hate UPS in my city, they always end up either not calling you, deposing your package at the wrong place or worse
I like the clear. I have only had one pair of clear IEMs and those were the Zeus. Enjoy them, I am in the waiting room.
Rollk2
500+ Head-Fier
Rollk2
500+ Head-Fier
F7U won, I really appreciate the smooth sound signature: a touch of rumble, impactful mid bass, melodious high mids and sparkling trebles. F3x3 are way more forward and reference!
Animagus
Reviewer at Twister6
Got the Fibae F7 Unlimited (F7U) in today and thought I'll post some out of the box impressions.. Shared in the CustomArt Fibae master thread HERE.
Got the Fibae F7 Unlimited (F7U) in today and thought I'll post some out of the box impressions.. Shared in the CustomArt Fibae master thread HERE.
Thanks!
Animagus
Reviewer at Twister6
Posted graphs of my F7 Unlimited CIEM and F7U CIEM vs original F7 UIEM in the master thread HERE. Check 'em out if you like!
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