Bret Halford
500+ Head-Fier
Received a most appreciated care package from the good folks at FATfreq yesterday evening.
As noted, they stuck to their guns on all modules being shipped out to early purchasers at no additional cost. Always nice to be treated well and to see companies nurture early adoption, I went ahead and treated myself to the fancy new gold upgrade cable for the GM.
I also schmoozed them into a T-shirt sale
Very useful in getting my freq on! Seriously, earphones sound better with matching T-shirts, maybe it's a sports thing...
The upgrade cable is stunning, aesthetically a much better pairing with my customs, whereas the standard cable looks custom matched to the universal more I think. Fun trivia(?) my OG custom doesn't have the standard 16th note Maestro logo, instead saying FATfreq on the right piece, I guess they hadn't yet finalized the artwork
I like the case they provide with the GM upgrade cable... complete with Maestro flare. I have mainly been trying out the new upgrade cable rather than rolling modules yet (new blues shown).
Shown top to bottom respectively: GM Upgrade (GMU), MSE Upgrade (MSEU), GM Stock (GM).
The GMU is very supple and light, particularly compared to the hefty GM. It has a much thinner wire gauge than the other two, but this is compensated by an 8 W topology (vs. 4W, 2W on MSEU GM). GMU is gold, MSEU is silver and GM is a mix of silver and copper (yay cable colorology, I guessed right).
All 3 cables feature a modular connection system, oddly different in each case. The MSEU is quite bulky compared to the GM and even more so the GMU, although its 90 degree bend may be appreciated by some users. The GM uses a much simpler resistance plug (just line up 4 pins and push) although it is quite long.
The GMU's hardware features a very similar (suspect compatible) system to EA's Conn X, the different TRS modules are screwed into the connector hardware - EA's system seems really nice to me, I've found it be quite good on my Code 23, so I am happy to see something similar here!
Aesthetic wise, the TRS connector hardware is night and day better on the GM pair. Both feature the Maestro sixteenth note branding, although the GMU's is suitably even fancier with its flare and branding.
I can't say what a HUGE improvement all of these cables are compared to the OG stock cable that shipped with GM's and MSE's last year. FATfreq have done an exceptional job responding to customer feedback on this topic in my view, and I am so happy to be the beneficiary
Y split barrel pic. I like that the GM's chin slider actually works
I find the other two require a fair amount of jiggery to stay put for any length of time, YMMV.
Practically, between the GM and GMU I am a bit torn. I really love the GM copper beast... seriously the thing has close gauge to the Code 23. But connected to very light weight custom housings, that cable's comparable rigidity becomes something of a liability. I feel much safer using the very light weight GMU with them (mainly just my paranoia), but it certainly helps that the gold cable pairs so nicely to the eye with the gold font used for the custom plates... my pics really don't do it justice. All 3 cables really are very nice, I don't think you can go wrong beyond preference to taste.
As noted, they stuck to their guns on all modules being shipped out to early purchasers at no additional cost. Always nice to be treated well and to see companies nurture early adoption, I went ahead and treated myself to the fancy new gold upgrade cable for the GM.
I also schmoozed them into a T-shirt sale
Very useful in getting my freq on! Seriously, earphones sound better with matching T-shirts, maybe it's a sports thing...
The upgrade cable is stunning, aesthetically a much better pairing with my customs, whereas the standard cable looks custom matched to the universal more I think. Fun trivia(?) my OG custom doesn't have the standard 16th note Maestro logo, instead saying FATfreq on the right piece, I guess they hadn't yet finalized the artwork
I like the case they provide with the GM upgrade cable... complete with Maestro flare. I have mainly been trying out the new upgrade cable rather than rolling modules yet (new blues shown).
Shown top to bottom respectively: GM Upgrade (GMU), MSE Upgrade (MSEU), GM Stock (GM).
The GMU is very supple and light, particularly compared to the hefty GM. It has a much thinner wire gauge than the other two, but this is compensated by an 8 W topology (vs. 4W, 2W on MSEU GM). GMU is gold, MSEU is silver and GM is a mix of silver and copper (yay cable colorology, I guessed right).
All 3 cables feature a modular connection system, oddly different in each case. The MSEU is quite bulky compared to the GM and even more so the GMU, although its 90 degree bend may be appreciated by some users. The GM uses a much simpler resistance plug (just line up 4 pins and push) although it is quite long.
The GMU's hardware features a very similar (suspect compatible) system to EA's Conn X, the different TRS modules are screwed into the connector hardware - EA's system seems really nice to me, I've found it be quite good on my Code 23, so I am happy to see something similar here!
Aesthetic wise, the TRS connector hardware is night and day better on the GM pair. Both feature the Maestro sixteenth note branding, although the GMU's is suitably even fancier with its flare and branding.
I can't say what a HUGE improvement all of these cables are compared to the OG stock cable that shipped with GM's and MSE's last year. FATfreq have done an exceptional job responding to customer feedback on this topic in my view, and I am so happy to be the beneficiary
Y split barrel pic. I like that the GM's chin slider actually works
I find the other two require a fair amount of jiggery to stay put for any length of time, YMMV.Practically, between the GM and GMU I am a bit torn. I really love the GM copper beast... seriously the thing has close gauge to the Code 23. But connected to very light weight custom housings, that cable's comparable rigidity becomes something of a liability. I feel much safer using the very light weight GMU with them (mainly just my paranoia), but it certainly helps that the gold cable pairs so nicely to the eye with the gold font used for the custom plates... my pics really don't do it justice. All 3 cables really are very nice, I don't think you can go wrong beyond preference to taste.
