[piotrus-g]

- Cane Hill - Singing in the swamp (just for Piotr ) : damn there is so much energy while being enjoyable enough to listen to this kind of music for hours !

awesome impressions! Thanks!

 

[davidcotton]

So been wearing my blacks at work today (where I tend to do 99% of my listening) and at first it was a little bit mixed. Then I had a bit of an eureka moment and think I've figured out the fit now (I hope). Since then been mighty impressed with the one single ba in there. Been running them out of my hiby r6 and they do like a bit of power. One thing of note is that my ears certainly don't feel as fried as when using universals atm.

If I had one comment to make about fit it's perhaps offer a "comfortable" option at ordering and back the length of the canal off just a fraction? Of course it's going to vary from person to person, but it's going to take just a little time to get used to how deep these go (!). Had Magnums "Sacred Blood, Divine Lies"album on and sounding pretty damn good.

 

[davidmolliere]

Yeah they do fit quite deeper and tighter than both my Phantom and VE8 but I do like it... as you say everyone is different, I am blessed with straightforward and wide canals... I think you can ask for a more relaxed fit, if you feel any pressure or pain points you might need a refit.

You’re right, they like power or I suspect we tend to push volume a bit more given their non fatiguing signature. One thing for sure is that the driver count is something you totally forget here, and this is a credit to the tuning. This kind of smooth, organic and subtle tuning is not something you find easily so it’s distinctive already. The tech and innovation sure helps as well but that’s just an enabler. The Black are not there to show off yet they have an innate seductive quality...

 

[davidcotton]

Yeah they do fit quite deeper and tighter than both my Phantom and VE8 but I do like it... as you say everyone is different, I am blessed with straightforward and wide canals... I think you can ask for a more relaxed fit, if you feel any pressure or pain points you might need a refit.

You’re right, they like power or I suspect we tend to push volume a bit more given their non fatiguing signature. One thing for sure is that the driver count is something you totally forget here, and this is a credit to the tuning. This kind of smooth, organic and subtle tuning is not something you find easily so it’s distinctive already. The tech and innovation sure helps as well but that’s just an enabler. The Black are not there to show off yet they have an innate seductive quality...

I'll put some pics of my blacks and or earplugs that I had done so you can see the difference in my ears. My left is this normal fairly large straight ish canal. My right has this narrow opening, a bit of a curve and then elevation to it!

 

[piotrus-g]

So been wearing my blacks at work today (where I tend to do 99% of my listening) and at first it was a little bit mixed. Then I had a bit of an eureka moment and think I've figured out the fit now (I hope). Since then been mighty impressed with the one single ba in there. Been running them out of my hiby r6 and they do like a bit of power. One thing of note is that my ears certainly don't feel as fried as when using universals atm.

If I had one comment to make about fit it's perhaps offer a "comfortable" option at ordering and back the length of the canal off just a fraction? Of course it's going to vary from person to person, but it's going to take just a little time to get used to how deep these go (!). Had Magnums "Sacred Blood, Divine Lies"album on and sounding pretty damn good.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm quite glad that if anything the fit it tighter and not completely loose or the shape is wrong. Unless there's strong discomfort right away your ears will slightly adjust and expand, and in a week the fit should feel about normal.
In regards to the canals - I personally designed your shells, sanded and lacquered them since in our team I had most the most experience with your fitting issues and like I wrote you in the email we were trying to address all the issues at once, to avoid any extra refits. Basically your ear canals have very uneven shape but they are straight and if you take a closer look there's very specific angle at which the tip of the canal is ending. I also left a bit of the "notch" at the end to make sure that the IEM has a sort of a hook - that way when you move around the IEM should hold tight in place.
In most cases we do moderate length of the ear canal but past the second bend, straight canals need to be a bit deeper while curved can be shorter.

 

[davidcotton]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm quite glad that if anything the fit it tighter and not completely loose or the shape is wrong. Unless there's strong discomfort right away your ears will slightly adjust and expand, and in a week the fit should feel about normal.
In regards to the canals - I personally designed your shells, sanded and lacquered them since in our team I had most the most experience with your fitting issues and like I wrote you in the email we were trying to address all the issues at once, to avoid any extra refits. Basically your ear canals have very uneven shape but they are straight and if you take a closer look there's very specific angle at which the tip of the canal is ending. I also left a bit of the "notch" at the end to make sure that the IEM has a sort of a hook - that way when you move around the IEM should hold tight in place.
In most cases we do moderate length of the ear canal but past the second bend, straight canals need to be a bit deeper while curved can be shorter.

Thanks! I think it's just to do with how much twist I'm using to get them in. Sometimes it slips in and others there's a slight twinge that goes as soon as it settles. Fwiw the fit on the right ear is very very good. The fit on the left is the one that may need a little tweaking with but only a little. It just feels like it could do with being in a little further, but there's no space for it to go if that makes sense? Then other times I get it about right and feels more or less fine. I'll give it a week and see how it goes On the whole it's the most successful one I've had done. Will get round to posting pics later on.

 

[davidcotton]

Here you go, some non amazing shots :-

Can tell it's a better fit than I have had due to the simple fact the cable routes over and behind the ear much easier. Most of the time it would go up and over which isn't as comfortable.

In ear left and right :-



Ciems themselves :-



Also had another eureka moment as to why these felt different. They are of course acrylic! I'd been used to silicone for both the ear plugs and tips I had done and forgotten to take that into account (yes I'm a dumbass sometimes!).

 

[annasoh323]

Here you go, some non amazing shots :-

Can tell it's a better fit than I have had due to the simple fact the cable routes over and behind the ear much easier. Most of the time it would go up and over which isn't as comfortable.

In ear left and right :-



Ciems themselves :-



Also had another eureka moment as to why these felt different. They are of course acrylic! I'd been used to silicone for both the ear plugs and tips I had done and forgotten to take that into account (yes I'm a dumbass sometimes!).

Looking good @davidcotton! Shaped and tuned by the man himself no less. Please keep us updated as you have more time with them. Due to the time zone difference between here and Poland, the thing that often wakes me up is, "Do I have an email from CA today?" I know I'm a little early on the eight week timetable (week 6 maybe?) but hope burns bright.

 

[davidcotton]

Looking good @davidcotton! Shaped and tuned by the man himself no less. Please keep us updated as you have more time with them. Due to the time zone difference between here and Poland, the thing that often wakes me up is, "Do I have an email from CA today?" I know I'm a little early on the eight week timetable (week 6 maybe?) but hope burns bright.

Thanks.

Re e-mails and shipping it's the hope that kills isn't? Not having a phone (so shoot me!) and not having much internet access at work I have to wait till evening before checking mails.

Just curious what the ship times are between europe and honolulu?

 

[annasoh323]

Just curious what the ship times are between europe and honolulu?

I can tell you how long it will feel like: eternity + a day. <breaks F5 refresh key on keyboard>

In reality, I'll keep a running tally when the day finally comes. I don't expect it to be much longer than anywhere else since it'll still have to hop on a plane and fly its way over here. I'm kind of curious myself. Part of why it took so long to get the impressions over there was that I cheaped out on shipping by going the USPS route. Put placeholder order end of December, impressions were done early/mid January, arrived and paid end of January. Eight weeks puts me end of this month, then shipping time of maybe a week? I'll find out. It'll definitely be quite the trek (I pulled up the actual opposite side of the globe from here some time in the past i.e. if you drilled a hole directly down all the way across. I think it ended up somewhere in the southern Atlantic near Brazil).

Thanks.

Re e-mails and shipping it's the hope that kills isn't? Not having a phone (so shoot me!) and not having much internet access at work I have to wait till evening before checking mails.

I can't hate you for not having a phone. Now, your wife on the other hand... That's a different story.

 

[davidcotton]

I can't hate you for not having a phone. Now, your wife on the other hand... That's a different story.

Not married

 

[Mayth]

How about sound impressions though ?

 

[davidcotton]

So been using these at work again and it's beginning to look and feel like my left is going to need a small refit The right ear twists in and seats and is comfortable enough that I can pretty much leave it alone until I'm (all too often ) interrupted. That one fits and feels great in the ear (which is nice, as that's one I often have trouble with. The left just doesn't seat as comfortably, though interestingly when I get it right I do get a seal and decent isolation. Had them in for the last hour today and supervisor came over to mention the machine I was on was making a bit more of a noise than normal. Hadn't heard a thing. Called tech support over, told them the problem and swiped out at half four I think it just needs taking back just a tad to make it comfortable and that should be good to go. Not entirely sure if it needs a touch of thickening or not to help the seal. Been that way before and it was made too tight, so that's why I'm hesitant on that part.

Best fit I've had anyway.

As to sound you'll have to wait for more descriptive souls to get theirs. My impressions range from "meh" - "****!*!! (in a good way)". This is firmly toward the right hand scale. I still think that rock and metal are not their strong suit, though they can do it. It also seems a slightly "darker" sound than what I used to get from certainly the older music twos.

If we get the fit problem sorted on the left I could easily see me springing for the 4's at some point.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I received FIABE Black through UPS today

Took about 2 days or so from Poland to Romania, excellent results

First impressions are very positive. You can truly see that The Custom Art makes Customs, this IEM goes deeper than most do, and offers unbelievable comfort and fit. Nice (this is the universal version I am having)

 

[Mayth]

Hi,

I've been doing some side-to-side tests with Fibae 2 & Black.

What I can tell is that the Black, as my first impressions told, have a nice boost of bass which leads to give more rythm and energy.

I used Opeth - Credence, and Toto - Caught in the balance and it is very noticeable in both that the Black have more details in the mids and more energy (thanks to the bass boost) while being non-agressive.

And the main difference for me is in the highs ! With the F2, Steve Lukather's voice is very close to sibilance, the cymbals are harsh and almost push me out the song. But they do come with more details (brighter).
On the other hand, the Blacks are really "soft" and you can listen to almost any genre without pain nor deception.

So for now, I would say I prefer the Blacks over the F2 with multiple music genres (metal, rock, EDM).

I'll keep digging...