[davidmolliere]

So I have been picking the FIBAE5 back and since I added to my DAP collection ran them on Cayin N7 and Shanling M9 Plus and M9+ is definitely the better pairing for the F5 of all the DAPs I have run them with.

M9 Plus is a meaty DAP that provides quite a bit of meat down low and body in the midrange as well as overall energetic presentation... this makes the FIBAE5 less of a good boy and I must say I like it as the FIBAE5 is much more exciting with such a source and keeps its serious technical chops with welcome punch and energy!

RS8 being a laid back, smooth liquid source was not the right fit, nor was the very linear M17 for all its bass power, huge stage and big mids it lacks the vivacity of the M9 Plus... I think F5 will enjoy a lot more air time

Those planar drivers are quite dazzling with the right energy and drive, as are the bass which gain quite a bit of impact and power...

 

[llysender]

Preordered the H3 pro after demoing it at Jaben. This is everything I wanted in a Bass heavy set. Rich smooth organic yet fast enough to keep up with the most demanding of non audiofile extratone.

Sure it cant saperate the overlayed guitars but who cares. I have the TRI starshine for that.

Although Im not sure if it can be called a basshead iem because the bass itself is actually decently dry.

 

[piotrus-g]

Thank you all kindly for the feedback!

 

[suman134]

Received the Hybrid 3 pro last Saturday.
There are a few things I will like to share. The Fibae 5 didn't had any filters on by default but this has one, that's interesting and the bass effect of bass filters are yet to be heard.
Tuning thankfully is in line with what Custom Art is known for.
Excellent control over mid and treble notes. Bass is much tighter than what we see with 64audio Hybrid and EE IEMs and unlike the Mest mk2 and Gaea this IEM has very good sub-bass presence and it's equally fast. Is it W shaped? kind of, instruments around the vocals aren't as energetic so yes, slightly W shaped with excellent treble presence.
Just like the Fibae 5 we get faster decay, notes are Crips and precise. H3 pro stays true to Custom Art tuning philosophy. Is it warm? Not really. Is it bright? Maybe but the crispiness is what I can see, delivering excellent finishing and edge definition. Faster decay as of now, without the enhanced bass means things are faster and doesn't have the creamy type feeling.
What needs to go? The cable..
The stock Fibae 5 cable is excellent. Can we not get the same cable here? The price gap isn't big and It might be good sounding but it doesn't really aesthetically match up to what we get with much cheaper Chinese IEMs.

Will share filter impressions soon.

 

[suman134]

Let's roll some high end cables. Dont tell PW Audio, but the Effect Audio Cadmus Founder's Edition doesn't feel inferior.

 

[piotrus-g]

Received the Hybrid 3 pro last Saturday.
There are a few things I will like to share. The Fibae 5 didn't had any filters on by default but this has one, that's interesting and the bass effect of bass filters are yet to be heard.
Tuning thankfully is in line with what Custom Art is known for.
Excellent control over mid and treble notes. Bass is much tighter than what we see with 64audio Hybrid and EE IEMs and unlike the Mest mk2 and Gaea this IEM has very good sub-bass presence and it's equally fast. Is it W shaped? kind of, instruments around the vocals aren't as energetic so yes, slightly W shaped with excellent treble presence.
Just like the Fibae 5 we get faster decay, notes are Crips and precise. H3 pro stays true to Custom Art tuning philosophy. Is it warm? Not really. Is it bright? Maybe but the crispiness is what I can see, delivering excellent finishing and edge definition. Faster decay as of now, without the enhanced bass means things are faster and doesn't have the creamy type feeling.
What needs to go? The cable..
The stock Fibae 5 cable is excellent. Can we not get the same cable here? The price gap isn't big and It might be good sounding but it doesn't really aesthetically match up to what we get with much cheaper Chinese IEMs.

Will share filter impressions soon.

Thank you for your feedback!
RE: cable, please mind this is Null Audio product and Ethos MK III proved to be workhorse for stage use with an exceptional mechanical performance. It doesn't look bling but will last years

 

[suman134]

Thank you for your feedback!
RE: cable, please mind this is Null Audio product and Ethos MK III proved to be workhorse for stage use with an exceptional mechanical performance. It doesn't look bling but will last years

I agree. The lower profile and lighter weight makes it much easier to work around.

 

[suman134]

Wasn't taking the pics of the Hybrid 3 pro, couldn't resist.

 

[piotrus-g]

Wasn't taking the pics of the Hybrid 3 pro, couldn't resist.

beautiful, the last one especially! thank you!

 

[annasoh323]

Created a thread for the Hybrid 3 Pro. Hopefully this is cool - mostly lurk here but trying to put my mouth where my money is (literally - bank transfer just got confirmed so we're in it now!)

I finally had time to update my thoughts on the H3P on the impressions thread for it. Would be thrilled if others joined their voices there! Unfortunately, I had an accident and need to send it back for shell repairs It quickly became a go-to!

Your pictures are incredible @suman134

 

[emdeevee]

Cross posting from Watercooler:

I got the Custom Art kit from the US tour for a week. Having already owned CA F5 in CIEM, I thought it would be interesting to compare the uni (tldr: same sound but ciem seems to bring a fuller SQ and more dramatic stage that surrounds your head).

But I was most interested in F7U, an unsung all BA which seemed to fall victim to the BA-bass hate which seemed so prevalent last year. Today, it's a different story...there's many all BA sets that have captivated many of us, with one of the most prominent being the 10 BA AüR Neon Pro. So I wondered if F7U had missed the boat somehow - it has 3 less BAs inside at 7, but was it going to suck compared to the likes of NP!? Now, owning F5 for months, I know before listening that it can't be bad, so there's some bias, but I also think NP is just about as good as BAs can get (without spending multi kilobucks).

Well, i guess it came as no surprise that after giving it some hard listening, F7U is certainly competitive, maybe better for some, than NP and other recent all BA sets (SR8, Turbo, etc.). F7U doesn't have a bass switch, but it doesn't need it, it belongs to the family of all BAs that seem to have smuggled a DD inside, like the NP. CA house tuning is there, like the F5, but just a bit more polite and less exaggerated, still highly engaging. F7U has stiff competition at lower prices - it's almost double the NP. And frankly, their tuning is not so different sounding to me, they are relatively similar in that there's ample bass slam, good vocal presentation, sparkly clear treble and all the good that comes with good all BA sets. Owning both would be duplicative to me, but I still deeply love my F5, which is a top contender for what it is and pretty unique.

Interestingly, CA managed to cram their F7U BAs into a much smaller and way more comfy shell when compared to NP (and most other recent sets). While both are light resin shells, the NP shell is sort of huge, but not the F7U. From a sheer comfort perspective, F7U is an easy walk-around, all around, all BA set, that disappears in your ears for hours on end.

Look at the size difference of CA F7U (right) compared to AüR NP (left):

Anyway, and I know I'm repeating myself, but there's really nothing wrong with Custom Art Fibae series, and pretty much, everything is just right in a compact, comfortable and super engaging package. YMMV and all that! Thanks to Custom Art and the US tour for the opportunity to listen!

 

[piotrus-g]

Cross posting from Watercooler:

I got the Custom Art kit from the US tour for a week. Having already owned CA F5 in CIEM, I thought it would be interesting to compare the uni (tldr: same sound but ciem seems to bring a fuller SQ and more dramatic stage that surrounds your head).

But I was most interested in F7U, an unsung all BA which seemed to fall victim to the BA-bass hate which seemed so prevalent last year. Today, it's a different story...there's many all BA sets that have captivated many of us, with one of the most prominent being the 10 BA AüR Neon Pro. So I wondered if F7U had missed the boat somehow - it has 3 less BAs inside at 7, but was it going to suck compared to the likes of NP!? Now, owning F5 for months, I know before listening that it can't be bad, so there's some bias, but I also think NP is just about as good as BAs can get (without spending multi kilobucks).

Well, i guess it came as no surprise that after giving it some hard listening, F7U is certainly competitive, maybe better for some, than NP and other recent all BA sets (SR8, Turbo, etc.). F7U doesn't have a bass switch, but it doesn't need it, it belongs to the family of all BAs that seem to have smuggled a DD inside, like the NP. CA house tuning is there, like the F5, but just a bit more polite and less exaggerated, still highly engaging. F7U has stiff competition at lower prices - it's almost double the NP. And frankly, their tuning is not so different sounding to me, they are relatively similar in that there's ample bass slam, good vocal presentation, sparkly clear treble and all the good that comes with good all BA sets. Owning both would be duplicative to me, but I still deeply love my F5, which is a top contender for what it is and pretty unique.

Interestingly, CA managed to cram their F7U BAs into a much smaller and way more comfy shell when compared to NP (and most other recent sets). While both are light resin shells, the NP shell is sort of huge, but not the F7U. From a sheer comfort perspective, F7U is an easy walk-around, all around, all BA set, that disappears in your ears for hours on end.

Look at the size difference of CA F7U (right) compared to AüR NP (left):

Anyway, and I know I'm repeating myself, but there's really nothing wrong with Custom Art Fibae series, and pretty much, everything is just right in a compact, comfortable and super engaging package. YMMV and all that! Thanks to Custom Art and the US tour for the opportunity to listen!

Thank you for your honest feedback an review

 

[subguy812]

The F7U is scaling up nicely. Very excellent listen with the SP3000, Mass Kobo 475 and 8-Wire 1st anniversary Eros

 

[suman134]

Brothers in arms!!
These Custom Art IEMs have been unlocked!! The Hybrid 3 pro simply enjoys the Fusion 1 while the Fibae 5 is a a bit less aggressive with it.
Fibae 5, one of my favorite IEM around $1000. Superb accuracy and details. This pairing helps is shed some of its dry nature and gain a slightly slower decay, improving its sonics and giving it a bit of musical touch. The treble dryness is nearly gone but the bite!! It still wants to bite!! Cute !! Superb pairing.
Hybrid 3 pro is simply a beast. Its Dual DD drivers are overjoyed when paired with the Fusion 1. Superb sub-bass, excellent details with exceptional end to end extension. The slight bit of dryness with the stock cable is gone and the fuller notes are much happier with the bigger stage.
It will be explosive if Custom Art can come up with a DD powered flagship!! Fingers Crossed!!

 

[piotrus-g]

Brothers in arms!!
These Custom Art IEMs have been unlocked!! The Hybrid 3 pro simply enjoys the Fusion 1 while the Fibae 5 is a a bit less aggressive with it.
Fibae 5, one of my favorite IEM around $1000. Superb accuracy and details. This pairing helps is shed some of its dry nature and gain a slightly slower decay, improving its sonics and giving it a bit of musical touch. The treble dryness is nearly gone but the bite!! It still wants to bite!! Cute !! Superb pairing.
Hybrid 3 pro is simply a beast. Its Dual DD drivers are overjoyed when paired with the Fusion 1. Superb sub-bass, excellent details with exceptional end to end extension. The slight bit of dryness with the stock cable is gone and the fuller notes are much happier with the bigger stage.
It will be explosive if Custom Art can come up with a DD powered flagship!! Fingers Crossed!!

Thanks for the feedback. Really nice pictures! The cable looks awesome!