[atomikn00b]

soooo. i DEFINITELY FORGOT that i had an account here and have never posted. 
but. i was searching for a specific question and couldn't find it anywhere else, so i decided to try my often used moniker/password combination for this sort of thing and it worked.
 
anywayzz. here's my main question.
what is the difference/similarity between the ATH M50 and the FA-003. 
I would prefer to hear answers from people who have listened to both for an extended period of time, but hey. guess i'll get what i'll get.
 
on a side note. my first pair of headphones were the superlux hd668b. matter of fact. they are my only pair and i use them at home. 
if anyone has used them or knows exactly how they sound, i would like better seal/comfier pads, less harshness/sibilance (not sure which) in the treble, a beefier bass and subbass, and more forward midrange.
 
how well do the two subjects of this post fit the bill?
 
(woah. look at me use audiophilic words that i'm not exactly sure what they mean). 
 
p.s. i'm not a basshead but if anyone knows what the brainwavz m2 sound like, i prefer a bit less bass than what it has (so it doesn't bleed into mids) but more subbass. that is, of course, if iems can be compared to cans.
 
thanks. 

 

[atomikn00b]

btw. as far as the superlux goes. only reason i can't really hear the bass is because of the seal.
 
and as an added note.
ANY ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS MUST BE CLOSED HEADPHONES.
but first. address my questions. :-D

 

[atomikn00b]

bumping this cuz i'm getting no attention.
help?

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
I have both.
 
The FA-003 has a better sound stage, is more comfortable, bigger cups, softer pads (both leather & velour). The sub-bass is excellent, it has great extension and it scales with amplification (as in, this headphone gets better with amplification, it reaches deeper and tighter with some juice). It has great mids and very good detailed treble, but it's not harsh and not sibilant. It's easily better than the other $150ish headphones, and I have or have tried most of them at this point. The FA-003 would be in most people's hands, if it were not so difficult to get ahold of due to limited distribution.
 
Very best,

 

[atomikn00b]

awesome. thanks.
glad someone answered my question. wish i could get more.
if i can't get my hands on the fa-003, i plan on trying the brainwavz hm5.
i've used 3 other brainwavz products (iems) before.
 
but for now it's between the ath m50 and the fa-003. though my decision is now leaning MASSIVELY towards the fa-003.
 
again. thanks for your response.

 

[atomikn00b]

any other suggestions/objections???

 

[crinacle]

The M50 has smoother treble as compared to the HD668B, as for midrange positioning they are more or less the same. Bass wise, I believe both has the same volume, though the M50 projects sub-bass better.
 
I personally think the Shure SE215 is more your style: forward mids, boomy bass (quite a bit of sub bass) and relatively tamed treble.

 

[kingpage]

Quote:

awesome. thanks.
glad someone answered my question. wish i could get more.
if i can't get my hands on the fa-003, i plan on trying the brainwavz hm5.
i've used 3 other brainwavz products (iems) before.
 
but for now it's between the ath m50 and the fa-003. though my decision is now leaning MASSIVELY towards the fa-003.
 
again. thanks for your response.

If you did decide to get the HM5, you'd be lucky to get the pre-order price almost without any waiting. More the merrier.

 

[atomikn00b]

i might have considered the shures if i were looking for iems instead of cans. 
plus. i already have the brainwavz m2. it's got bass. not much subbass. but bass.
 
thanks for the input

 

[hans030390]

Just pick up the Brainwavz HM5. It looks to be identical to the FA-003, and it should be cheaper and easier to obtain.

 

[Stochastic]

I'm also looking at the FA-003s so I figured I would post here rather than start a new thread.
 
My brother wants to buy sub-$200 headphones.  Having heard good things about the FA-003, I recommended these to him.  However, I've had a hard time finding retailers that carry them.  We live in the US so GD Audiobase is the only place I found that ships here for a reasonable price.  Right now they're $155+$35 for two week shipping.  Are there any alternatives that are better?
 
Also, how essential is it to pair the FA-003s with an amp?  My brother will be using these primarily with his PC which has a X-Fi Titanium sound card.  Will these be sufficient?  Are there any amps for roughly $100 or less that would complement them well?

 

[Marximus]

You might look into the KRK KNS-8400s, OP.  I had both the 8400s and the FA-003s at one point, and I did end up selling the 8400s in favor of the FA-003s, but I eventually decided that they were a bit fatiguing to my ears (slightly bright in one small area), and I ended up selling them in favor of my HD 598s.  Now I've come back and ordered the 8400s again.  The treble may have been slightly hot on a few pieces of music, but I remember it being very well extended, and I also remember the 8400s being very lifelike in terms of drum reproduction.

 

[hans030390]

Quote:

I'm also looking at the FA-003s so I figured I would post here rather than start a new thread.
 
My brother wants to buy sub-$200 headphones.  Having heard good things about the FA-003, I recommended these to him.  However, I've had a hard time finding retailers that carry them.  We live in the US so GD Audiobase is the only place I found that ships here for a reasonable price.  Right now they're $155+$35 for two week shipping.  Are there any alternatives that are better?
 
Also, how essential is it to pair the FA-003s with an amp?  My brother will be using these primarily with his PC which has a X-Fi Titanium sound card.  Will these be sufficient?  Are there any amps for roughly $100 or less that would complement them well?

Read my previous post. Brainwavz HM5 should be literally identical to the FA-003 and can be purchased on mp4nation. They had a pre-order price of $120 when I checked last, and shipping should be much quicker/easier than ordering from GD Audiobase.
 

 

[Rickstahful]

The MP4Nation forums also seem to suggest that the FA-003 and HM5 are almost, if not completely identical. The Cyber Monday price was $99.99, which I'm starting to regret not buying now (I just got M50s very recently). It's currently a $120 preorder which ends on Friday, but I wouldn't be surprised if they pull out a discount come Boxing Day as well. Last time I ordered from them, shipping was free, and only took about a week despite the fact that I live in Canada.

 

[kingpage]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Read my previous post. Brainwavz HM5 should be literally identical to the FA-003 and can be purchased on mp4nation. They had a pre-order price of $120 when I checked last, and shipping should be much quicker/easier than ordering from GD Audiobase.
 

US people get their order fulfilled by Amazon if they buy from mp4nation, if I'm not mistaken.