What iems would you be able to compare with from your own iems ?
FATfreq Impressions Thread - Bass Cannons and More
- Thread starter Bret Halford
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MoonsOfJupiter
New Head-Fier
I'm new to iems this year so only have 4, and I'm not using the first one (Aria) because it's neutral and I need bass.
The OH10's still impress me and are a very fun listen. I can rec them at $200 though newer iems are coming out that can rival it. They're very well made and the shells are beautiful and made from pure copper with titanium coating on the exterior and platinum coating on interior chamber and the drivers are a 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver + 1 Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver compared to the MM's 9mm DD and 2 BA's (BA's aren't specified). I feel that the metallic elements in the OH10's shell and DD, along with their hefty weight (though never a problem for me) give it extra punch and an overall quality feel. Even though the mid bass doesn't look that different on the chart, it's tuned almost perfect and the overall bass presentation on them is very good and balanced for a bass heavy set. Both iems have similarly tuned treble, with peaks around 3-4k and 7-8k that I can do without. When treble goes above harmon levels I'm not happy. But I put a pair of the comply foam tips I talked about prior on the OH10's and they too sound better to me now. There's not that much difference in sound between the two overall. Don't forget that there's usually not that much sub bass and info below 50 Hz in most music, but when it's there, the MM's shine. They both extend well above 10K and keep things interesting up top. Like the MM's, the OH10's can take EQ in the bass region and I put that first slider (sub bass) all the way up usually in Spotify and the bass feels very good.
The MM's at twice the cost do sound better to me but not for every album and not by a lot. The OH10's are a great buy for someone who wants a nice V shape signature at a reasonable price. I'll never sell/trade them. But I do reach for the Maestro's nightly and still surprised at the sound they produce with these very light shells.
The OH10's still impress me and are a very fun listen. I can rec them at $200 though newer iems are coming out that can rival it. They're very well made and the shells are beautiful and made from pure copper with titanium coating on the exterior and platinum coating on interior chamber and the drivers are a 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver + 1 Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver compared to the MM's 9mm DD and 2 BA's (BA's aren't specified). I feel that the metallic elements in the OH10's shell and DD, along with their hefty weight (though never a problem for me) give it extra punch and an overall quality feel. Even though the mid bass doesn't look that different on the chart, it's tuned almost perfect and the overall bass presentation on them is very good and balanced for a bass heavy set. Both iems have similarly tuned treble, with peaks around 3-4k and 7-8k that I can do without. When treble goes above harmon levels I'm not happy. But I put a pair of the comply foam tips I talked about prior on the OH10's and they too sound better to me now. There's not that much difference in sound between the two overall. Don't forget that there's usually not that much sub bass and info below 50 Hz in most music, but when it's there, the MM's shine. They both extend well above 10K and keep things interesting up top. Like the MM's, the OH10's can take EQ in the bass region and I put that first slider (sub bass) all the way up usually in Spotify and the bass feels very good.
The MM's at twice the cost do sound better to me but not for every album and not by a lot. The OH10's are a great buy for someone who wants a nice V shape signature at a reasonable price. I'll never sell/trade them. But I do reach for the Maestro's nightly and still surprised at the sound they produce with these very light shells.
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ljnew
Headphoneus Supremus
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Can you compare to legend x or sony ex800st?
Edit: just read your previous post. Never mind
Last edited:
ljnew
Headphoneus Supremus
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Based on your treble preferences seems like you need to try the Sony ex800st with tape mod mod remove the filter. It's on AmazonI'm new to iems this year so only have 4, and I'm not using the first one (Aria) because it's neutral and I need bass.
The OH10's still impress me and are a very fun listen. I can rec them at $200 though newer iems are coming out that can rival it. They're very well made and the shells are beautiful and made from pure copper with titanium coating on the exterior and platinum coating on interior chamber and the drivers are a 10mm polymer composite titanium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver + 1 Knowles 33518 balanced armature driver compared to the MM's 9mm DD and 2 BA's (BA's aren't specified). I feel that the metallic elements in the OH10's shell and DD, along with their hefty weight (though never a problem for me) give it extra punch and an overall quality feel. Even though the mid bass doesn't look that different on the chart, it's tuned almost perfect and the overall bass presentation on them is very good and balanced for a bass heavy set. Both iems have similarly tuned treble, with peaks around 3-4k and 7-8k that I can do without. When treble goes above harmon levels I'm not happy. But I put a pair of the comply foam tips I talked about prior on the OH10's and they too sound better to me now. There's not that much difference in sound between the two overall. Don't forget that there's usually not that much sub bass and info below 50 Hz in most music, but when it's there, the MM's shine. They both extend well above 10K and keep things interesting up top. Like the MM's, the OH10's can take EQ in the bass region and I put that first slider (sub bass) all the way up usually in Spotify and the bass feels very good.
The MM's at twice the cost do sound better to me but not for every album and not by a lot. The OH10's are a great buy for someone who wants a nice V shape signature at a reasonable price. I'll never sell/trade them. But I do reach for the Maestro's nightly and still surprised at the sound they produce with these very light shells.
Should be a nice complement to the mm
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Bret Halford
500+ Head-Fier
Been enjoying my custom Grand Maestros for a week now, starting to get a better feel for what they're doing 
Growing up, my older brother was a drummer and practiced regularly in our home, occasionally to quite enjoyable effect; one of the instruments I've dabbled with over the years is bass guitar albeit with much less success. The combination has left me highly attached to deep, impactful bass, while simultaneously being quite sensitive to mid bass bleed out. I want my butt kicking sub bass with crystal clear lower mids. The slope FATfreq have achieved on the Bass Cannon filter/resonant chamber on the Maestro series really, really hits target for me here. Not sure how much of the 'live feel' that results is due to tuning or just nostalgia from my times years ago on stage in the 'based' part of the band.
Packaging (none) and accessories for the grand are identical to the Mini. You get the nice Fatbox for storage, cleaning tool and earplugs. I don't mind my money going towards the IEM rather than a fancy box, but if you're looking for a premium unboxing experience this probably isn't the best TOTL for you lol.
I opted for the custom version of the Grand, so I had to ship over impressions to Singapore. The entire process only took ~3 weeks from receipt of the impressions to when I had them in my ears. I've never had a pair of custom IEMs before for comparison, but the fit really is excellent on these for my ears.
Whereas the Mini's have a tenuous grasp on the thunderous bass that is exciting (as though the bass could break its chains at any moment and wreak havoc), the Grand comfortably embraces it into a natural and confident signature. I suspect the vented module is a big part of this more effortless profile, but these are my first equalized IEM so I don't know how much this plays out vs. more traditional amplitude response changes. The perceived result for me is a bit less bass impact with the huge benefit of a far more cohesive and natural overall sound profile.
Coming in looking mainly at the Grand's driver sibling, the Maestro SE, I was a bit worried that it might not be different enough from the Mini to warrant the big price premium. Rather than being reassuring however, the resulting relatively different feel of the Grand was actually a bit off-putting at first... I missed the violent kick of the minis over its inky dark, isolated background. It's not to say there isn't enormous bass impact on the Grands, it's just part of a much more cohesive overall response. There's definitely some correction in the upper mids that addresses the slight timbre issue on the mini for me, I'm not sure how much this is affecting perceived bass vs. tuning on the bass response itself.
The confidence and breadth of the tuning implementation here is just part of the flexibility. Visible in the top of the image is the Grand's filter switch that toggle's the bass filter over to a vocal focus. I am more an instrumental guy, let a lone vocal focused music, but I have unsurprisingly found the mode to be ideal for long term podcast/youtube video, where it is a really ideal, non-fatiguing option, but it is surprisingly palatable in more mid/treble focused genres like jazz. I am really excited to try more insert modules as they become available (effectively, each new tuning will come in 2 variants care of the switch).
The Grand Maestro feels like a grand tour of the tribrid driver configuration and bass cannon tech of the Maestro series. Not so much the ultimate personification of the series (the SE) but rather a platform to evolve it into something even more capable and adaptable. In a world of specialist and generalist designs, the GM is a fascinating transformer that perhaps offers the best of both worlds.
Bass slam and balance? When I can have my cake and eat it too, is it any wonder I've become such a FATfreq?
Growing up, my older brother was a drummer and practiced regularly in our home, occasionally to quite enjoyable effect; one of the instruments I've dabbled with over the years is bass guitar albeit with much less success. The combination has left me highly attached to deep, impactful bass, while simultaneously being quite sensitive to mid bass bleed out. I want my butt kicking sub bass with crystal clear lower mids. The slope FATfreq have achieved on the Bass Cannon filter/resonant chamber on the Maestro series really, really hits target for me here. Not sure how much of the 'live feel' that results is due to tuning or just nostalgia from my times years ago on stage in the 'based' part of the band.
Packaging (none) and accessories for the grand are identical to the Mini. You get the nice Fatbox for storage, cleaning tool and earplugs. I don't mind my money going towards the IEM rather than a fancy box, but if you're looking for a premium unboxing experience this probably isn't the best TOTL for you lol.
I opted for the custom version of the Grand, so I had to ship over impressions to Singapore. The entire process only took ~3 weeks from receipt of the impressions to when I had them in my ears. I've never had a pair of custom IEMs before for comparison, but the fit really is excellent on these for my ears.
Whereas the Mini's have a tenuous grasp on the thunderous bass that is exciting (as though the bass could break its chains at any moment and wreak havoc), the Grand comfortably embraces it into a natural and confident signature. I suspect the vented module is a big part of this more effortless profile, but these are my first equalized IEM so I don't know how much this plays out vs. more traditional amplitude response changes. The perceived result for me is a bit less bass impact with the huge benefit of a far more cohesive and natural overall sound profile.
Coming in looking mainly at the Grand's driver sibling, the Maestro SE, I was a bit worried that it might not be different enough from the Mini to warrant the big price premium. Rather than being reassuring however, the resulting relatively different feel of the Grand was actually a bit off-putting at first... I missed the violent kick of the minis over its inky dark, isolated background. It's not to say there isn't enormous bass impact on the Grands, it's just part of a much more cohesive overall response. There's definitely some correction in the upper mids that addresses the slight timbre issue on the mini for me, I'm not sure how much this is affecting perceived bass vs. tuning on the bass response itself.
The confidence and breadth of the tuning implementation here is just part of the flexibility. Visible in the top of the image is the Grand's filter switch that toggle's the bass filter over to a vocal focus. I am more an instrumental guy, let a lone vocal focused music, but I have unsurprisingly found the mode to be ideal for long term podcast/youtube video, where it is a really ideal, non-fatiguing option, but it is surprisingly palatable in more mid/treble focused genres like jazz. I am really excited to try more insert modules as they become available (effectively, each new tuning will come in 2 variants care of the switch).
The Grand Maestro feels like a grand tour of the tribrid driver configuration and bass cannon tech of the Maestro series. Not so much the ultimate personification of the series (the SE) but rather a platform to evolve it into something even more capable and adaptable. In a world of specialist and generalist designs, the GM is a fascinating transformer that perhaps offers the best of both worlds.
Bass slam and balance? When I can have my cake and eat it too, is it any wonder I've become such a FATfreq?
Just dropped by Fatfreq today to audition their IEMs (but mainly aiming for the Maestro lineup). I had such blast that I had to write my experience here. Got too excited that I totally forgot to take any pictures.
IEMs auditioned, in no particular order:
- Maestro Mini
- Maestro SE
- Grand Maestro
- Reference Pro SE
- Reference Pro
- Musician Pro SE
- Signature 20.6
- Hayabusa
- Sakura
- Tsuru
Usually, I'll spend 1-2 minutes per IEM first. If it didn't catch my attention, I'll just skip to the next one. If it did catch my attention, I'll spend considerably longer time with it.
Notable experiences:
- Maestro Mini: The main topic here. Very well-tuned basshead set, it kinda puzzled me how the IEM managed to keep that much bass without encroaching the midrange, although there are some fuzziness in lower midrange. Treble is well-controlled with decent treble details and air. I'd say its technicalities are appropriate at the price point.
- Maestro SE: While the tuning is basically almost identical to the Mini, the technicalities are turned up to 11. No more lower midrange fuzziness, better airiness, improved details and imaging. Jaw-shaking bass, really fun IEM! This is the set I spent the second longest time with.
- Grand Maestro: Even bassier version of the Mini, still fun, but I prefer the Maestro SE for some reason. I might come back to audition it again.
- Reference Pro SE: Very well-tuned, reference-grade IEM. Plays well with everything, somewhat reminded me of Hidition Viento. I would probably get this in CIEM form someday. I spent the most time with this set.
- Signature 20.6: Very resolving set with a somewhat classic, midbass-focused tuning. Apparently this is their first IEM line, pretty impressive how it is still good until today.
- Hayabusa: The opposite of 20.6, this is a very modern, mild Harman-like tuning. Pretty good resolution too.
IEMs auditioned, in no particular order:
- Maestro Mini
- Maestro SE
- Grand Maestro
- Reference Pro SE
- Reference Pro
- Musician Pro SE
- Signature 20.6
- Hayabusa
- Sakura
- Tsuru
Usually, I'll spend 1-2 minutes per IEM first. If it didn't catch my attention, I'll just skip to the next one. If it did catch my attention, I'll spend considerably longer time with it.
Notable experiences:
- Maestro Mini: The main topic here. Very well-tuned basshead set, it kinda puzzled me how the IEM managed to keep that much bass without encroaching the midrange, although there are some fuzziness in lower midrange. Treble is well-controlled with decent treble details and air. I'd say its technicalities are appropriate at the price point.
- Maestro SE: While the tuning is basically almost identical to the Mini, the technicalities are turned up to 11. No more lower midrange fuzziness, better airiness, improved details and imaging. Jaw-shaking bass, really fun IEM! This is the set I spent the second longest time with.
- Grand Maestro: Even bassier version of the Mini, still fun, but I prefer the Maestro SE for some reason. I might come back to audition it again.
- Reference Pro SE: Very well-tuned, reference-grade IEM. Plays well with everything, somewhat reminded me of Hidition Viento. I would probably get this in CIEM form someday. I spent the most time with this set.
- Signature 20.6: Very resolving set with a somewhat classic, midbass-focused tuning. Apparently this is their first IEM line, pretty impressive how it is still good until today.
- Hayabusa: The opposite of 20.6, this is a very modern, mild Harman-like tuning. Pretty good resolution too.
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ljnew
Headphoneus Supremus
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Can you confirm first and second pick?
First pick is Maestro SE.
Second pick is Reference Pro SE.
Both are for very different reasons: Maestro SE is the most fun IEM I've ever tried; Reference Pro SE is super versatile set that plays well with everything I threw at it. Again, as I mentioned in my initial post, most likely I'll be getting the Reference Pro SE due to its availability in CIEM form and my personal budget.
bassfreak93
100+ Head-Fier
Guys im going to get MM but im afraid of one thing, the is no covering at nozzle of iem.
That ear wax or something could go inside and broke them, i know there are foam tips with filter but first it will affect the sound? second i hate foam tips because they dont last long and i can even break them when im putting them on :X
Even if u clean ears every day sometimes things can happen.
That ear wax or something could go inside and broke them, i know there are foam tips with filter but first it will affect the sound? second i hate foam tips because they dont last long and i can even break them when im putting them on :X
Even if u clean ears every day sometimes things can happen.
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Bret Halford
500+ Head-Fier
I have a feeling (*looks at username*) that you're gonna be really pleased with the MM
An earlier poster pointed out that Azla makes a (non foam) ear tip that includes a filter. The Azla SednaEarfit Max tips (https://store.azla.co.kr/collection...dnaearfit-max-standard?variant=41589124300982) referred to definitely do have a nozzle filter included. Unfortunately they are less commonly available than the unfiltered crystal or xelastic models from Azla but they should do the trick. I wouldn't think sound would be too affected, and what effect it would potentially have might smooth out some of the treble spice anyway.
MoonsOfJupiter
New Head-Fier
Yes, the Azla's work well but I then got the Comply Isolation TX-400 foam tips that also have the waxguard/filter. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BF5HEA?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)I have a feeling (*looks at username*) that you're gonna be really pleased with the MM
An earlier poster pointed out that Azla makes a (non foam) ear tip that includes a filter. The Azla SednaEarfit Max tips (https://store.azla.co.kr/collection...dnaearfit-max-standard?variant=41589124300982) referred to definitely do have a nozzle filter included. Unfortunately they are less commonly available than the unfiltered crystal or xelastic models from Azla but they should do the trick. I wouldn't think sound would be too affected, and what effect it would potentially have might smooth out some of the treble spice anyway.
Bassfreak, don't worry about the nozzles with these tips. You may want to get both as they'll protect the opening well and you'll have a choice in sound presentation. I find the MM just a bit forward in treble so I went for the foam tips, which tame high end in a subtle and improved way. I also put them on my OH10's for the same reason.
The Azla's mentioned have a wide bore with a sturdy grip, medical grade silicon and are very nice. They open up soundstage and upper air a bit and I have them on the QKZ x HBB for that reason as those are quite smooth up top.
I get a more solid seal with the foam tips though which enhances bass. When I put them in, i put slight pressure for a few seconds and then they stay put for a long time. But the Azla's have a great form factor that fit better than other silicon tips I tried. ymmv.
Go for it, I love the MM more each week. They benefit from burn in. You'll be pleased as Bret says.
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DJ Core
500+ Head-Fier
Maestro Mini ordered. For those days I need more Bass.
The graph looks good and I love the sound impressions so far ya'll have mentioned. This will be for Hip Hop, EDM, etc. For everything else. I have OG Monarch MKI & formerly Anole VX.
This will be paired with iBasso DX240 with AMP8 MKII which has longer bass decay with a cleaner presentation of everything else vs my Sony ZX507.
The graph looks good and I love the sound impressions so far ya'll have mentioned. This will be for Hip Hop, EDM, etc. For everything else. I have OG Monarch MKI & formerly Anole VX.
This will be paired with iBasso DX240 with AMP8 MKII which has longer bass decay with a cleaner presentation of everything else vs my Sony ZX507.
I've read that the Maestro Mini has some driver flex. Does anyone know if there is driver flex in the Maestro SE?
DJ Core
500+ Head-Fier
Post# 63 mentioned it already "But it's pretty rare and only as I said when you get that really really tight seal."
Basically, it's not something to worry about except under the above conditions. SE should be the same I'd imagine since they probably use the same dynamic driver.
Thanks. It's probably one of my biggest pet peeves with regards to earphones.
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