FA7, the first Quad drivers IEM from FiiO , all Knowles BAs and 3D printed technical , MMCX design
Jan 8, 2019 at 9:17 AM Post #212 of 680
Jan 8, 2019 at 9:20 AM Post #213 of 680
Sorry - haven’t heard anything from Ibasso. They’ve never approached me, and I don’t solicit review samples.
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 2:47 AM Post #216 of 680
Which bands mid bass are? I will try to eq.
Capture+_2018-12-16-15-40-11-1.png

Here you go
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 9:26 AM Post #217 of 680
Gave them a try today, and the treble portion is very familiar. Like a...not painful version of F9 Pro.

Isolation and fit, awesome. FLUSH in my ear. Noice! Stock cable is annoying, but fixable with 3rd party. And there's zero hiss. Nada, squat.

Vocals are not bad, too.

Bass portion a little too warm, but I slightly like it. Doesn't kick too hard, but preferred to be a bit more 'relaxed' or lower volume, and rolled off a bit. Would be good to strip off and transfer all that warmth to mids and vocals-lower treble. Only slightly warm mids; everything else need to be close to reference.

Still I have to continue hunting. It also needs a little more "outside my head" sorcery for piano, violin, piccolo and harp.
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 9:45 AM Post #219 of 680
Gave them a try today, and the treble portion is very familiar. Like a...not painful version of F9 Pro.

Isolation and fit, awesome. FLUSH in my ear. Noice! Stock cable is annoying, but fixable with 3rd party. And there's zero hiss. Nada, squat.

Vocals are not bad, too.

Bass portion a little too warm, but I slightly like it. Doesn't kick too hard, but preferred to be a bit more 'relaxed' or lower volume, and rolled off a bit. Would be good to strip off and transfer all that warmth to mids and vocals-lower treble. Only slightly warm mids; everything else need to be close to reference.

Still I have to continue hunting. It also needs a little more "outside my head" sorcery for piano, violin, piccolo and harp.
Could you tell us what recording(s) you evaluated the FA7 with that had the aforementioned instrumentation? I'm curious to hear it, myself.
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 10:42 AM Post #222 of 680
Any comparisons for comfort compared to the FH5? Debating between the 2.
I have both, and I'd say there's not a big difference in comfort. The FH5 inserts shallower, but the nozzles are about 0.75 mm larger in diameter. The FH5's S.TURBO spiral transmission line creates an interference with my inferior crus, and there was some minor discomfort there when I tried to get enough insertion depth to achieve a decent seal with silicone tips. I added some spacers at the nozzle base, which helped the insertion depth issue, and eliminated the interference. The wider nozzle also means that comfort with foam tips is somewhat compromised; there's less give available. That said, once dialed in, the FH5 is extremely comfortable.

The FA7 inserts deeper (about average for the IEMs I've tried), due to better ergonomics near the nozzle base, and has narrower nozzles. Retention is better, so I'm not fiddling with them quite as much.

I'd say the differences in resolution and voicing are much larger factors in my preferences. Once EQ'd, the FA7 has the advantage in resolution and mid-bass attack (more "reference"), and a bit wider soundstage. The FH5 has more sub-bass capability, and more of those bass harmonic distortion components that lend some extra texture and perceived quantity - you know, the DD thing. Bass guitars sound fantastic on the FH5.

I'm keeping both.
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 10:51 AM Post #223 of 680
I have both, and I'd say there's not a big difference in comfort. The FH5 inserts shallower, but the nozzles are about 0.75 mm larger in diameter. The FH5's S.TURBO spiral transmission line creates an interference with my inferior crus, and there was some minor discomfort there when I tried to get enough insertion depth to achieve a decent seal with silicone tips. I added some spacers at the nozzle base, which helped the insertion depth issue, and eliminated the interference. The wider nozzle also means that comfort with foam tips is somewhat compromised; there's less give available. That said, once dialed in, the FH5 is extremely comfortable.

The FA7 inserts deeper (about average for the IEMs I've tried), due to better ergonomics near the nozzle base, and has narrower nozzles. Retention is better, so I'm not fiddling with them quite as much.

I'd say the differences in resolution and voicing are much larger factors in my preferences. Once EQ'd, the FA7 has the advantage in resolution and mid-bass attack (more "reference"), and a bit wider soundstage. The FH5 has more sub-bass capability, and more of those bass harmonic distortion components that lend some extra texture and perceived quantity - you know, the DD thing. Bass guitars sound fantastic on the FH5.

I'm keeping both.

Which would you say is more similar to the Shure SE846 (if you have experience with it)
 
Jan 9, 2019 at 11:07 AM Post #225 of 680
"...How they did it is, in the world of IEMs, extremely daring, innovative. They created a patent pending acoustic low-pass filter. The output from the dual bass drivers that make up each of the SE846 earpiece's "subwoofer" is run through a high acoustic mass pathway carved into ten precision-welded stainless steel plates. That channel, if unfurled, would be approximately four inches long, and allows the low-frequency roll-off to happen acoustically. The result is deep, impactful bass, with remarkable midrange presence and clarity...."

https://www.head-fi.org/articles/head-fi-buying-guide-in-ear-headphones-2.17591/

The question might be like 'comparing oranges to apples'. :)
 

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