[Verificateur]

I have no issue with my FDX1 and find it of exceptional value, but at the price point I see no reason to excuse any QC issue which affects sound or functionality. Get the replacement.

Exactly my plan (to get a replacement)… except … they went out of stock.

 

[seanwee]

Just listened to several mid to summit fi iems and the FDX1 holds up really well tonality wise, still really close to my ideal sound.

But, it has become glaringly obvious that its treble extension is lacking. Comparatively speaking it sounds rolled off and the sparkle and is barely present but i suppose thats expected when comparing 1DD to 6-10BA sets and Hybrid DD-BA-EST iems.

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

 

[kumar402]

Just listened to several mid to summit fi iems and the FDX1 holds up really well tonality wise, still really close to my ideal sound.

But, it has become glaringly obvious that its treble extension is lacking. Comparatively speaking it sounds rolled off and the sparkle and is barely present but i suppose thats expected when comparing 1DD to 6-10BA sets and Hybrid DD-BA-EST iems.

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

FDX01 is the only IEM I own but have heard a lot of good things about Dunu Zen Pro. Still pretty expensive compared to FDX01

 

[DivineCurrent]

Just listened to several mid to summit fi iems and the FDX1 holds up really well tonality wise, still really close to my ideal sound.

But, it has become glaringly obvious that its treble extension is lacking. Comparatively speaking it sounds rolled off and the sparkle and is barely present but i suppose thats expected when comparing 1DD to 6-10BA sets and Hybrid DD-BA-EST iems.

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

FDX01 is the only IEM I own but have heard a lot of good things about Dunu Zen Pro. Still pretty expensive compared to FDX01

I definitely recommend trying the Dunu Zen Pro, which is also a single DD IEM. While I would not call it a direct upgrade in every way, it does noticeably better in many areas. Overall a more spacious and natural soundstage, better imaging, and deeper more impactful bass than the FDX1. Only thing is you must get a good seal with the tips, if not then the bass suffers. In terms of treble, I wouldn't say it's brighter than the FDX1 but it definitely extends better past 10kHz, so it has more sparkle. FDX1 is more intimate with tighter midrange + vocals, while the Zen Pro is wider and more immersive.

 

[seanwee]

I definitely recommend trying the Dunu Zen Pro, which is also a single DD IEM. While I would not call it a direct upgrade in every way, it does noticeably better in many areas. Overall a more spacious and natural soundstage, better imaging, and deeper more impactful bass than the FDX1. Only thing is you must get a good seal with the tips, if not then the bass suffers. In terms of treble, I wouldn't say it's brighter than the FDX1 but it definitely extends better past 10kHz, so it has more sparkle. FDX1 is more intimate with tighter midrange + vocals, while the Zen Pro is wider and more immersive.

I'll put it in my bucket list. I checked out some graphs and the treble looks rolled off though.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I'll put it in my bucket list. I checked out some graphs and the treble looks rolled off though.

Yeah it measures that way, but to me at least it does not sound rolled off.
Another really good IEM I tried is the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.0, which has just about the most detailed and extended treble I have heard in any headphone. It was too much for me, but you might like it, assuming you haven't tried it yet. It is a Dynamic - BA - 2x EST hybrid however.

 

[Rush87]

Just listened to several mid to summit fi iems and the FDX1 holds up really well tonality wise, still really close to my ideal sound.

But, it has become glaringly obvious that its treble extension is lacking. Comparatively speaking it sounds rolled off and the sparkle and is barely present but i suppose thats expected when comparing 1DD to 6-10BA sets and Hybrid DD-BA-EST iems.

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

My LZ A7 (black monitor mode) and my FDX1 (middle nozzles) are fairly similarly tuned. The A7 has a bit more treble extension I beleive. However, it's not really an upgrade overall.

 

[seanwee]

Yeah it measures that way, but to me at least it does not sound rolled off.
Another really good IEM I tried is the Kinera Imperial Nanna 2.0, which has just about the most detailed and extended treble I have heard in any headphone. It was too much for me, but you might like it, assuming you haven't tried it yet. It is a Dynamic - BA - 2x EST hybrid however.

Never had the chance to try out any iems from kinera unfortunately but I'll give it a shot.

The specific pair of summit fi iem I tried was the Elysian Accoustics Annihilator which is considered the most well extended iem ever released so far.

Yes I know there likely won't be anything that comes close to its extension under $1000 but if it gets me 90% of the way I'll be quite happy.

As it stands the FDX1 is already 80% of the way there, it just lacks the treble extension.

 

[seanwee]

My LZ A7 (black monitor mode) and my FDX1 (middle nozzles) are fairly similarly tuned. The A7 has a bit more treble extension I beleive. However, it's not really an upgrade overall.

Yeah I didn't really find the A7 to be much of an improvement.

I really wanted to like the Moondrop Variations but it's bass was just too heavy. It's a shame really.

 

[Rush87]

Yeah I didn't really find the A7 to be much of an improvement.

I really wanted to like the Moondrop Variations but it's bass was just too heavy. It's a shame really.

If you like leaner bass and energetic mids and highs, you may like the GS Audio SD9. It does have excellent treble extension. It can be shouty at times, a bit like the FDX1 with undampened nozzles.

 

[jsmiller58]

I find the conversation around the FDX1 lacking treble extension quite interesting, in that it does not match my experience. Using the middle nozzle I find the FDX1 to be a bit bright for my tastes (the filter with the greatest amount of material being too dark and sound “blunted”) and this morning before checking this thread I was coincidentally playing around with tips to tone the FDX1 treble down a bit, settling on the Final Type E tips. Of course it could well be my ears - being older I hear very little past 12-13Khz, so maybe I just don’t have recent experience with other IEMs demonstrating greater treble extension.

I will mention I was comparing the FDX1 with the Thieaudio Oracle, which it compares quite well with (again, old ears and all that) and asking myself why I had neglected the FDX1 for so long!

 

[surfgeorge]

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

I am aware that the head-fire who came up with the modded FD01 is also owns the Unique Melody 3DT which he called a small upgrade, and the DUNU Luna, which is the big upgrade.
I have the UM 3DT and had the Luna for a few weeks for testing.

Both of them are quite different from the FDX1 IMO.
It's been a long time since I had the Luna, but the dynamics and energy of that IEM were very impressive. Tonality was a mixed bag IMO, with a mid bass hump and drop off in the sub bass, paired with a pretty aggressive upper midrange. But mighty exciting, so much so that I even played with the thought of buying them. But in the end they were way too expensive for me. (Wondering how the Luna would sound with the CHORD Hugo 2 which I did not have at the time...)

The UM3DT is also a more (upper) midrange forward IEM, which can be a curse and a blessing.
In comparison to the 3DT the FDX1 with medium filter sounds dark and very punchy, but also somewhat lacking in the treble. Treble is there, but it's more in the background.
What I like about the 3DT is that it has good low bass rumble but a leaner upper bass, which makes it sound "cleaner" than the FDX1.
But I am not sure if it's necessarily better than the FDX1, I'd rather say different, and overall, personally I prefer the FDX1.

Short version:
Dunu Luna is an upgrade, but different tuning
UM 3DT might be more of a side grade
FDX1 is still a great IEM at the price point

 

[Verificateur]

Just listened to several mid to summit fi iems and the FDX1 holds up really well tonality wise, still really close to my ideal sound.

But, it has become glaringly obvious that its treble extension is lacking. Comparatively speaking it sounds rolled off and the sparkle and is barely present but i suppose thats expected when comparing 1DD to 6-10BA sets and Hybrid DD-BA-EST iems.

Has anyone heard any compelling upgrades to the FDX1 without breaking the bank?

Sony IER-Z1R. Have both. Has really good treble and bass of course. Personally I love it’s tuning. The Sony is my indoor-use IEM, and it was the only one that finally stopped me from looking for “the next best thing”. I got the FDX1 for on the go.

 

[seanwee]

I find the conversation around the FDX1 lacking treble extension quite interesting, in that it does not match my experience. Using the middle nozzle I find the FDX1 to be a bit bright for my tastes (the filter with the greatest amount of material being too dark and sound “blunted”) and this morning before checking this thread I was coincidentally playing around with tips to tone the FDX1 treble down a bit, settling on the Final Type E tips.

I was of the same opinion till I heard what "real" treble extension sounded like. Its a you can't miss something you've never had kind of thing. But once you know what you're missing, its hard to unmiss.

Brightness wise the I've tamed it down with the Moondrop KXXS filters relative to the filterless nozzle, think of it as very slightly brighter than the middle nozzle with better treble extension. Its about right and i like the slight bump in the 4khz range which gives treble instruments some extra snap. What I mean by lacking treble extension is the "airiness" of said treble, specifically the 10khz+ range which enhances the sense of space.

I've tried to replicate what I heard with EQ and while of course its not exactly the same it gives an idea of what I'm talking about, give it a shot
10khz : +4db
16khz : +7db

 

[seanwee]

Sony IER-Z1R. Have both. Has really good treble and bass of course. Personally I love it’s tuning. The Sony is my indoor-use IEM, and it was the only one that finally stopped me from looking for “the next best thing”. I got the FDX1 for on the go.

While I didn't find the IER-Z1R that impressive on regular sources, the IER-Z1R + DMP-Z1 (SE) is the best IEM combo I've ever heard. The soundstage is far and away the largest and most holographic I've ever heard. I don't remember being impressed by its treble extension but it may have already been factored into the percieved soundstage.

Without the DMP-Z1 however, I found that the IER-M9 trumps the IER-Z1R. Somehow it just doesn't sound the same with any other source, bass is more bloated and less controlled making the overall sound warmer and the amazing soundstage i mentioned earlier is replaced by a more run-of-the-mill soundstage.