FA7, the first Quad drivers IEM from FiiO , all Knowles BAs and 3D printed technical , MMCX design
Feb 8, 2019 at 9:20 AM Post #346 of 680
should be lanuch market in May. and the FH7 will be improve the treble performance and better bass quality.
I misread this as "better bass quantity", and you made me almost spit out my drink!
 
Feb 9, 2019 at 12:50 PM Post #351 of 680
Hi guys,

My old Westone 3 iems have finally kicked the bucket after a good 6 years of solid use. I am currently in the market for something new and have narrowed down to the new Fiio FA7 ($400) and the BGVP DM6 ($260).

The Fiio FA7 can be purchased from Tmall for $400 and comes with 2 year warranty, but I'll need to ship it back to china if I want to service it.

Whereas the BGVP DM6 does not come with any warranty.
confused.gif


I have auditioned the FA7 and I really do enjoy the sound of it.

As I play the drums, I do enjoy hearing the drums / hi hats more precisely in my music :)

Any suggestions which I should get and why?
 
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Feb 11, 2019 at 5:35 AM Post #352 of 680
Hi guys,

My old Westone 3 iems have finally kicked the bucket after a good 6 years of solid use. I am currently in the market for something new and have narrowed down to the new Fiio FA7 ($400) and the BGVP DM6 ($260).

The Fiio FA7 can be purchased from Tmall for $400 and comes with 2 year warranty, but I'll need to ship it back to china if I want to service it.

Whereas the BGVP DM6 does not come with any warranty.
confused.gif


I have auditioned the FA7 and I really do enjoy the sound of it.

As I play the drums, I do enjoy hearing the drums / hi hats more precisely in my music :)

Any suggestions which I should get and why?
Have both FA7 & DM6
If you enjoy a "more full bodied bass focused sound signature" with more mid base thump go for FA7 fatique free listening relaxed silky smooth vocals.. its simply stellar...
DM6 is absolutelly stellar performance as well but more linear in the mids and more sub bass oriented
Both have strong bass impact with FA7 slightly on the darker side and DM6 on the brighter one...
 
Feb 11, 2019 at 12:09 PM Post #354 of 680
Anyone can share more impressions with LC-C cable as stock cable (LC-B) is rather an Achilles heel for those IEMs...
I haven't tried the LC-3.5C (est. 0.441 Ohms) cable yet, but I didn't discern any audible difference between the LC-3.5B (est. 0.839 Ohms) and LC-3.5BS (est. 0.315 Ohms). The difference in DCR of the latter two is only 2.3% of the FA7's 23 Ohms.
Furthermore, skin effect at audio frequencies shouldn't be an audible concern at these cable diameters.
 
Feb 12, 2019 at 6:34 PM Post #355 of 680
I have both the fa7 and fh5 and enjoy both. I am glad I do not need to choose which one to keep.

I found the difference in my experience has more to do with how the music being listened to was recorded and mixed by the musicians and producer. On most of my music lists either iem will make clear how the musicians and producer feel their tracks should be recorded; any difference is more a result of their work than either fh5 or fa7.

It might be that I am 'just easy', but both the fa7 and fh5 help me to enjoy the music I like.
 
Feb 12, 2019 at 8:17 PM Post #356 of 680
I have both the fa7 and fh5 and enjoy both. I am glad I do not need to choose which one to keep.

I found the difference in my experience has more to do with how the music being listened to was recorded and mixed by the musicians and producer. On most of my music lists either iem will make clear how the musicians and producer feel their tracks should be recorded; any difference is more a result of their work than either fh5 or fa7.

It might be that I am 'just easy', but both the fa7 and fh5 help me to enjoy the music I like.
Mastering parameters (such as compression, EQ, distortion, spectral content & distribution) can affect the perceived differences between disparate reproduction systems that use varying driver and amplification technologies. Recording technology (tranducers, amps, etc.) is a factor, too.

I’d say not a lot of music was mastered with balanced armature studio monitors, in even the recent past, and the slower decay of low-frequency dynamic drivers lends some harmonic overtones that suggests low-end spectra that may not be directly captured in the recording media. In fact, that may very well have been the microphones’ electrical responses to those “missing fundamentals”.

Faster-transient-response reproduction setups potentially better reveal these differences. I’m not saying they’re intrinsically better at reproducing the producers’ intents, as they mastered those recordings using the monitors of the day, to be played on contemporary rigs. Caveat: some of them were musicians or techs whose hearing was compromised by years of exposure to, well, loud music in close proximity. Some of them still are, but modern in-ear live monitoring has improved their outcomes, in general.

Identical mixes mastered using the FH5 and FA7 would likely sound a bit different, even if both earphones were calibrated to DF within a gnat’s eyelash of tolerance.
 
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Feb 12, 2019 at 8:59 PM Post #357 of 680
I dare say the best gear we can have in our current era are hybrids, be it cars or IEMs.

In the case of cars, electric will provide the low-end acceleration, and petrol has to take over beyond a certain km/h. Top speed endurance isn't really electric's forte; they excel in providing raw, intense G-force from 0-100.

For IEMs, we I still prefer a dynamic driver to provide texture, sufficiently (but not overly) slow decay and fluidity. Since we can't expect a single dynamic driver to be both fast and slow at the same time, the BAs will be the ones to step up and make sure each transients aren't missed, whilst the dynamic's diaphragms are busy slowing down and displaying their specialty: inertia.
 
Feb 12, 2019 at 9:52 PM Post #358 of 680
Mastering parameters (such as compression, EQ, distortion, spectral content & distribution) can affect the perceived differences between disparate reproduction systems that use varying driver and amplification technologies. Recording technology (tranducers, amps, etc.) is a factor, too.

I’d say not a lot of music was mastered with balanced armature studio monitors, in even the recent past, and the slower decay of low-frequency dynamic drivers lends some harmonic overtones that suggests low-end spectra that may not be directly captured in the recording media. In fact, that may very well have been the microphones’ electrical responses to those “missing fundamentals”.

Faster-transient-response reproduction setups potentially better reveal these differences. I’m not saying they’re intrinsically better at reproducing the producers’ intents, as they mastered those recordings using the monitors of the day, to be played on contemporary rigs. Caveat: some of them were musicians or techs whose hearing was compromised by years of exposure to, well, loud music in close proximity. Some of them still are, but modern in-ear live monitoring has improved their outcomes, in general.

Identical mixes mastered using the FH5 and FA7 would likely sound a bit different, even if both earphones were calibrated to DF within a gnat’s eyelash of tolerance.
mhoopes

An excellent piece of writing and I agree with what you wrote. Thank you.
 
Feb 12, 2019 at 10:00 PM Post #359 of 680
I have both the fa7 and fh5 and enjoy both. I am glad I do not need to choose which one to keep.

I found the difference in my experience has more to do with how the music being listened to was recorded and mixed by the musicians and producer. On most of my music lists either iem will make clear how the musicians and producer feel their tracks should be recorded; any difference is more a result of their work than either fh5 or fa7.

It might be that I am 'just easy', but both the fa7 and fh5 help me to enjoy the music I like.

Completely agree, I have both like you. I also add that if I'm in the mood for precision I'll lean toward the FA7, while when I want that little extra fun with bass, I'll go with the FH5. I like both IEMs and what they bring to listening.
 
Feb 12, 2019 at 10:04 PM Post #360 of 680
I do like the differences between the fh5 and fa7 and do believe those who mix the final output of the music I listen to are taking advantage of different tuning or designs these newer iem's can provide.

Edit: as an aside the rolling stones mixed 'exile on main street' to be played on '70's car tape deck; things have changed.
 
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