[Pelilin]

RN6 does that quite nicely It makes a really good complementary set to Grand Maestro.

Hi, In your opinion what music genre suit GM more and RN6 more? I was offered this two IEM but unfortunately i cant demo both of them.

 

[aaf evo]

Hi, In your opinion what music genre suit GM more and RN6 more? I was offered this two IEM but unfortunately i cant demo both of them.

It just depends. They’re both good all rounders but they present music differently. GM is variable tuning so you’re throwing in more tuning options here. RN6 is a warmer thicker type sound with great detail.

It’s more about how you want your music to sound versus rather which one is a better all rounder or not. I find the GM to have the edge for library versatility myself.

 

[Pelilin]

It just depends. They’re both good all rounders but they present music differently. GM is variable tuning so you’re throwing in more tuning options here. RN6 is a warmer thicker type sound with great detail.

It’s more about how you want your music to sound versus rather which one is a better all rounder or not. I find the GM to have the edge for library versatility mysel

You said GM sound lean how lean is it? Any comparison?

 

[aaf evo]

You said GM sound lean how lean is it? Any comparison?

I’m not really sure how to answer that. The mids are neutral with a slight low mid recession.

 

[draytonklammer]

I'm reconsidering the custom faceplates after they told me I have to keep the logo on them.
What's the point in paying $200 for customization if you don't actually get much in the way of customization?

Luckily the stock faceplates for GM look good anyways.

 

[aaf evo]

I've been meaning for a bit to post some impressions regarding the Grand Maestro, and I've been sitting here for about 2 hours trying to get something nicely organized to share but trying to describe this IEM feels quite overwhelming due to the 4 different settings it offers. So here's some short notes and if anyone has any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

- black module switch down is my fav, V shaped with sub bass and upper treble emphasis. Slight low mid recession with a leaner more revealing tonality (mids are like MSE in tuning). swap to blue module for slightly less bass, but still more than enough for most listeners
- flicking the switch up pulls back the bass and treble, I quite like this with the black module. Feels like a neutral with bass boost type tuning, more "weeb-y".
- bass has a more natural presentation to it versus MSE in its decay, I'd say this might be attributed to the NOAH module whereas MSE feels more focused
- large amounts of treble detail and air, it can be slightly unnatural on some tracks but I personally love it for the vast majority of my library, wouldn't recommend this set to upper treble sensitive listeners or those seeking a warmer more bodied type sound
- high level of technicals with only really the most technical sets surpassing it in dynamics and resolution

I suppose that's better than nothing.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I'm reconsidering the custom faceplates after they told me I have to keep the logo on them.
What's the point in paying $200 for customization if you don't actually get much in the way of customization?

Luckily the stock faceplates for GM look good anyways.

Thanks for the feedback!

I've been meaning for a bit to post some impressions regarding the Grand Maestro, and I've been sitting here for about 2 hours trying to get something nicely organized to share but trying to describe this IEM feels quite overwhelming due to the 4 different settings it offers. So here's some short notes and if anyone has any questions feel free to ask or PM me.

- black module switch down is my fav, V shaped with sub bass and upper treble emphasis. Slight low mid recession with a leaner more revealing tonality (mids are like MSE in tuning). swap to blue module for slightly less bass, but still more than enough for most listeners
- flicking the switch up pulls back the bass and treble, I quite like this with the black module. Feels like a neutral with bass boost type tuning, more "weeb-y".
- bass has a more natural presentation to it versus MSE in its decay, I'd say this might be attributed to the NOAH module whereas MSE feels more focused
- large amounts of treble detail and air, it can be slightly unnatural on some tracks but I personally love it for the vast majority of my library, wouldn't recommend this set to upper treble sensitive listeners or those seeking a warmer more bodied type sound
- high level of technicals with only really the most technical sets surpassing it in dynamics and resolution

I suppose that's better than nothing.

These are great. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Spyder15]

Hello Folks, been a lurker for a little more than six months now and decided to finally chime in because of this thread.

Music has been a passion of mine from a very young age. Growing up I was always drawn to the bass in the sound of music which lead me to subwoofers in my cars from as early as I could drive (20+ years at this point.) That deep rumbling bass that thumped in your ears and that you feel in your chest changed the way I felt about music. Over the years I've been searching for that same sound experience while living the apartment life, always resorting to the Sony MX lineup of headphones and IEMs simply because I didn't know any better.

Recently though I've started to watch YouTube videos from many different reviewers and started to dabble in higher end headphones. I started by purchasing the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and paired it with a iFi Zen One Signature Dac with an iFi Zen Can Amp. Boy was this a complete change to everything I've heard up to this point, but the punch and slam just wasn't quite there and that includes adding some extra bass boost with the XBass feature from the Zen Can. So down the rabbit hole I went.

I started on the cheaper end of dynamic drivers as my understanding was they gave a little more punch and slam in the sound. So came the purchase of a Sennheiser HD 650. Again I'm shocked at how different things sound between the Noire and 650, how that punch and slam now sounded different. The Noire was much cleaner, precise and there was more definition to the bass, but lacking the punch/slam that the HD 650 had. I actually preferred the way the bass sounded on the HD 650, so down the rabbit hole I went to find something else.

After quite a bit of research again I landed on the Focal Clear. To date this is the best over-ear headphone I've heard. While the punch was definitely there, it still lacked that slam I was looking for and still was left unsatisfied in the end. At that point I upgraded my stack to a Topping D90SE and Topping A90d to see how it changed the overall sound to my music understanding this would change everything I listen to again. Shoot, I wasn't wrong. This stack is on another level to the iFi stack I was using. Sure it doesn't have the bass boost, but I'll take how clean, detailed and precise everything sounds in my music now. Unfortunately the Clear's still lacked what I was looking for in that punch and slam, even after my upgrade. With the understanding that punch and slam is different on IEMs than over-ear headphones, I started to delve down another rabbit hole.

This led me to the FatFreq Maestro Mini, and what a game changer this IEM has been for me. I haven't been able to replicate the car subwoofer sound until this IEM. While it sure lacks in the detail that my headphones have, it gave that punch and slam I've been craving for years, while not bleeding out the other sounds of the music much. There was actually more detail here than some of my car configurations over the years. This is a true basshead IEM. Most of my music is EDM and Hip Hop with some occasional Rock and this set feels like it was made for my kind of music. I haven't been completely captivated by my music like this in a very long time. About the only negative I have for this IEM is that the details don't compare to the over-ear headphones I've listened to up to this point. So down another rabbit hole I go to find the perfect sound for me.

There wasn't very much research needed to figure out what might be my ultimate end game at this point. Sticking with FatFreq was the obvious choice. I have now purchased the Grand Maestro IEM directly from them with the Cherise #6 (Cosmic) faceplate on both sides. Being a space junky, this faceplate absolutely hit home with me. To go along with this IEM I ended up purchasing the Liquid Links Venom cable from MusicTeck. Figured I might as well dive right into the cable IEM rabbit hole with this purchase as well.

I'll post my limited knowledge impressions with photos once I receive the set and do some listening.

Again, thank you everyone for your opinions and thoughts in this thread as it has lead me back to what I love about music.

 

[aaf evo]

Hello Folks, been a lurker for a little more than six months now and decided to finally chime in because of this thread.

Music has been a passion of mine from a very young age. Growing up I was always drawn to the bass in the sound of music which lead me to subwoofers in my cars from as early as I could drive (20+ years at this point.) That deep rumbling bass that thumped in your ears and that you feel in your chest changed the way I felt about music. Over the years I've been searching for that same sound experience while living the apartment life, always resorting to the Sony MX lineup of headphones and IEMs simply because I didn't know any better.

Recently though I've started to watch YouTube videos from many different reviewers and started to dabble in higher end headphones. I started by purchasing the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and paired it with a iFi Zen One Signature Dac with an iFi Zen Can Amp. Boy was this a complete change to everything I've heard up to this point, but the punch and slam just wasn't quite there and that includes adding some extra bass boost with the XBass feature from the Zen Can. So down the rabbit hole I went.

I started on the cheaper end of dynamic drivers as my understanding was they gave a little more punch and slam in the sound. So came the purchase of a Sennheiser HD 650. Again I'm shocked at how different things sound between the Noire and 650, how that punch and slam now sounded different. The Noire was much cleaner, precise and there was more definition to the bass, but lacking the punch/slam that the HD 650 had. I actually preferred the way the bass sounded on the HD 650, so down the rabbit hole I went to find something else.

After quite a bit of research again I landed on the Focal Clear. To date this is the best over-ear headphone I've heard. While the punch was definitely there, it still lacked that slam I was looking for and still was left unsatisfied in the end. At that point I upgraded my stack to a Topping D90SE and Topping A90d to see how it changed the overall sound to my music understanding this would change everything I listen to again. Shoot, I wasn't wrong. This stack is on another level to the iFi stack I was using. Sure it doesn't have the bass boost, but I'll take how clean, detailed and precise everything sounds in my music now. Unfortunately the Clear's still lacked what I was looking for in that punch and slam, even after my upgrade. With the understanding that punch and slam is different on IEMs than over-ear headphones, I started to delve down another rabbit hole.

This led me to the FatFreq Maestro Mini, and what a game changer this IEM has been for me. I haven't been able to replicate the car subwoofer sound until this IEM. While it sure lacks in the detail that my headphones have, it gave that punch and slam I've been craving for years, while not bleeding out the other sounds of the music much. There was actually more detail here than some of my car configurations over the years. This is a true basshead IEM. Most of my music is EDM and Hip Hop with some occasional Rock and this set feels like it was made for my kind of music. I haven't been completely captivated by my music like this in a very long time. About the only negative I have for this IEM is that the details don't compare to the over-ear headphones I've listened to up to this point. So down another rabbit hole I go to find the perfect sound for me.

There wasn't very much research needed to figure out what might be my ultimate end game at this point. Sticking with FatFreq was the obvious choice. I have now purchased the Grand Maestro IEM directly from them with the Cherise #6 (Cosmic) faceplate on both sides. Being a space junky, this faceplate absolutely hit home with me. To go along with this IEM I ended up purchasing the Liquid Links Venom cable from MusicTeck. Figured I might as well dive right into the cable IEM rabbit hole with this purchase as well.

I'll post my limited knowledge impressions with photos once I receive the set and do some listening.

Again, thank you everyone for your opinions and thoughts in this thread as it has lead me back to what I love about music.

Enjoy! That’s the faceplate I chose for my Grand’s too, they’re lovely.

 

[Spyder15]

Enjoy! That’s the faceplate I chose for my Grand’s too, they’re lovely.

Seeing your pictures definitely influenced my purchase!

 

[Devodonaldson]

Hello Folks, been a lurker for a little more than six months now and decided to finally chime in because of this thread.

Music has been a passion of mine from a very young age. Growing up I was always drawn to the bass in the sound of music which lead me to subwoofers in my cars from as early as I could drive (20+ years at this point.) That deep rumbling bass that thumped in your ears and that you feel in your chest changed the way I felt about music. Over the years I've been searching for that same sound experience while living the apartment life, always resorting to the Sony MX lineup of headphones and IEMs simply because I didn't know any better.

Recently though I've started to watch YouTube videos from many different reviewers and started to dabble in higher end headphones. I started by purchasing the DCA Aeon 2 Noire and paired it with a iFi Zen One Signature Dac with an iFi Zen Can Amp. Boy was this a complete change to everything I've heard up to this point, but the punch and slam just wasn't quite there and that includes adding some extra bass boost with the XBass feature from the Zen Can. So down the rabbit hole I went.

I started on the cheaper end of dynamic drivers as my understanding was they gave a little more punch and slam in the sound. So came the purchase of a Sennheiser HD 650. Again I'm shocked at how different things sound between the Noire and 650, how that punch and slam now sounded different. The Noire was much cleaner, precise and there was more definition to the bass, but lacking the punch/slam that the HD 650 had. I actually preferred the way the bass sounded on the HD 650, so down the rabbit hole I went to find something else.

After quite a bit of research again I landed on the Focal Clear. To date this is the best over-ear headphone I've heard. While the punch was definitely there, it still lacked that slam I was looking for and still was left unsatisfied in the end. At that point I upgraded my stack to a Topping D90SE and Topping A90d to see how it changed the overall sound to my music understanding this would change everything I listen to again. Shoot, I wasn't wrong. This stack is on another level to the iFi stack I was using. Sure it doesn't have the bass boost, but I'll take how clean, detailed and precise everything sounds in my music now. Unfortunately the Clear's still lacked what I was looking for in that punch and slam, even after my upgrade. With the understanding that punch and slam is different on IEMs than over-ear headphones, I started to delve down another rabbit hole.

This led me to the FatFreq Maestro Mini, and what a game changer this IEM has been for me. I haven't been able to replicate the car subwoofer sound until this IEM. While it sure lacks in the detail that my headphones have, it gave that punch and slam I've been craving for years, while not bleeding out the other sounds of the music much. There was actually more detail here than some of my car configurations over the years. This is a true basshead IEM. Most of my music is EDM and Hip Hop with some occasional Rock and this set feels like it was made for my kind of music. I haven't been completely captivated by my music like this in a very long time. About the only negative I have for this IEM is that the details don't compare to the over-ear headphones I've listened to up to this point. So down another rabbit hole I go to find the perfect sound for me.

There wasn't very much research needed to figure out what might be my ultimate end game at this point. Sticking with FatFreq was the obvious choice. I have now purchased the Grand Maestro IEM directly from them with the Cherise #6 (Cosmic) faceplate on both sides. Being a space junky, this faceplate absolutely hit home with me. To go along with this IEM I ended up purchasing the Liquid Links Venom cable from MusicTeck. Figured I might as well dive right into the cable IEM rabbit hole with this purchase as well.

I'll post my limited knowledge impressions with photos once I receive the set and do some listening.

Again, thank you everyone for your opinions and thoughts in this thread as it has lead me back to what I love about music.

LA kid. Hip hop and R&B are my stable genres, though I now delve into everything else including country, jazz classical, rock, etc. Reading your post let me know we have similar desires in our gear. I currently rotate between Audeze Euclid, Maestro mini and LCD-i4 for my IEMs. LCD-i4 handles everything, but can't use open back all the time. I can't wait to read your thoughts on Grand Maestro, to see if they end up being a one stop shop for your music listening.

 

[Spyder15]

LA kid. Hip hop and R&B are my stable genres, though I now delve into everything else including country, jazz classical, rock, etc. Reading your post let me know we have similar desires in our gear. I currently rotate between Audeze Euclid, Maestro mini and LCD-i4 for my IEMs. LCD-i4 handles everything, but can't use open back all the time. I can't wait to read your thoughts on Grand Maestro, to see if they end up being a one stop shop for your music listening.

The four different tunings on this make me think this is an excellent all arounder set. That's one of the most impressive things to me about the Grand Maestro and why making the dive made so much sense to me.

 

[draytonklammer]

The four different tunings on this make me think this is an excellent all arounder set. That's one of the most impressive things to me about the Grand Maestro and why making the dive made so much sense to me.

This is part of why I justified the extra cost to myself over the Maestro SE.
I love the idea of being able to have one really nice IEM that can do pretty much everything I want it to do.

 

[dLGN]

Ordered the SE April 4, just shipped today 5/3. Just to give everybody a heads up on the state of orders since popular reviews/their sale. Really looking forward to receiving it!

 

[draytonklammer]

Ordered the SE April 4, just shipped today 5/3. Just to give everybody a heads up on the state of orders since popular reviews/their sale. Really looking forward to receiving it!

Did you order a custom or a universal Maestro SE?
I'll be looking forward to your impressions!