[Hawaiibadboy]

You're not mistaken, most people love it, I'm definitely in the minority.

If anything, my opinion is the outlier, I'm just pointing out YMMV and that the result of iematch is having to push your DAP/amp higher to achieve the same volume levels. This can have... Noticeable effects, especially if you're maxing out your power.

Welp....
I'm in that minority with ya
I feel the same. I would never use mine again.

 

[SciOC]

Welp....
I'm in that minority with ya
I feel the same. I would never use mine again.

I'm in at least some good company then... I thought I might be the only one. Even with my hiby r6 I ended up just EQing rather than using iematch with the Andromeda.

I sold mine not to long ago. I felt kind of silly to sell something so cheap but I didn't want to own it anymore philosophically, which also seems silly. I am who I am though.

You liking that S10 anymore or get the s12 yet?

The Dynamics of the S8F are sort of ruining me and I think my next pair will be over the ears to reset my basis and confuse my coworkers.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

I'm in at least some good company then... I thought I might be the only one. Even with my hiby r6 I ended up just EQing rather than using iematch with the Andromeda.

I sold mine not to long ago. I felt kind of silly to sell something so cheap but I didn't want to own it anymore philosophically, which also seems silly. I am who I am though.

You liking that S10 anymore or get the s12 yet?

The Dynamics of the S8F are sort of ruining me and I think my next pair will be over the ears to reset my basis and confuse my coworkers.

We both love EQ at times and know how very subtle things can be in music tweaking. That thing made the sound un natural to my ears. I used it for R6 a few times but beyond that ...nah.

I got a 2BA Fearless called the "Crystal Pearl" I hope it sounds good as it would be the budget friendly Fearless (I don't know..but assume)

 

[SciOC]

We both love EQ at times and know how very subtle things can be in music tweaking. That thing made the sound un natural to my ears. I used it for R6 a few times but beyond that ...nah.

I got a 2BA Fearless called the "Crystal Pearl" I hope it sounds good as it would be the budget friendly Fearless (I don't know..but assume)

If it's got that sonion bass driver in it I bet it'll be awesome for the price, which is hopefully around $150.

 

[cocolinho]

After dozens of hours in my ears, using my Sony ZX300 & an aftermarket cable (https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/NICE...108.1000016.1.78afd0bd59Utnk&isOrigTitle=true) I can say few words about the S8F I have.
First, they are very well built. It looks like a premium product , no doubt.
Shells are very ergonomics, I believe most of the users will have a good fit with these S8F. For me, having pretty small ears, the comfort is ok but I feel some pressure on my concha after a while.

Talking about the sound, I have the best results with Spiral dots tips.
In general I would say these S8F are very detailed , always very clear, engaging most probably because transitions are very fast.
Very high quality bass, tight with a lot of impact when needed. Decay is short as expected from a BA bass (but I like that personally). I feel mid bass could be elevated by few DB (like 2dB) to give more body to the message though.
Low mids are slightly recessed and fall short versus high mids which are (a bit too) forward. Out of the box high mids were too elevated and too "shooty" (2/4 khz zone) . I'm not a burning believer but I have the impression that high mids are getting better, more controlled I would say.
Still some voices or instruments can be a bit aggressive and unnatural depending on the recording but that can be easily fixed with EQ (see below)
Highs are detailed and not aggressive.
Separation is really great , it is very easy to locate all the different instruments in the mix. It never never feels congested!
Soundstage is average I would say, a bit narrow but the depth is ok, I don't think this is a strength of these S8f. But again I don't mind, I don't need a super large stage to be honest.

To summarize I'll say : clear, vivid, engaging, but sometimes a bit lean or unnatural without EQ.
For instance, I use 10 bands EQ of my ZX300 to reduce high mids a bit (2dB at 2 & 4khz) to get a more natural sound and I will never go back to "direct sound".

Compared to my Andromeda, the Greens are surprisingly less clear but also more natural, slightly warmer than S8F. Instead of having a peak in 2/4Khz like the S8F, it is more in the highs but I was no issue with that. I have never EQ'ed my Andromeda for instance (but now I clearly hear the peak in highs compared to S8F)
Soundstage of Andromeda is better, timbres as well. They sound more realistic to me. But again using a bit of EQ I feel these S8f are playing in the same ballpark (but still a bit different).

Overall, Andromeda remain my favorite of the 2 but again what Fearless did with these S8F is a really great accomplishment!

I know how bad memory is when it comes to compare IEMs but these S8F kind of remind me Jomo's house sound with their Samba/Flamenco

 

[jnsaudiophile]

After dozens of hours in my ears, using my Sony ZX300 & an aftermarket cable (https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/NICE...108.1000016.1.78afd0bd59Utnk&isOrigTitle=true) I can say few words about the S8F I have.
First, they are very well built. It looks like a premium product , no doubt.
Shells are very ergonomics, I believe most of the users will have a good fit with these S8F. For me, having pretty small ears, the comfort is ok but I feel some pressure on my concha after a while.

Talking about the sound, I have the best results with Spiral dots tips.
In general I would say these S8F are very detailed , always very clear, engaging most probably because transitions are very fast.
Very high quality bass, tight with a lot of impact when needed. Decay is short as expected from a BA bass (but I like that personally). I feel mid bass could be elevated by few DB (like 2dB) to give more body to the message though.
Low mids are slightly recessed and fall short versus high mids which are (a bit too) forward. Out of the box high mids were too elevated and too "shooty" (2/4 khz zone) . I'm not a burning believer but I have the impression that high mids are getting better, more controlled I would say.
Still some voices or instruments can be a bit aggressive and unnatural depending on the recording but that can be easily fixed with EQ (see below)
Highs are detailed and not aggressive.
Separation is really great , it is very easy to locate all the different instruments in the mix. It never never feels congested!
Soundstage is average I would say, a bit narrow but the depth is ok, I don't think this is a strength of these S8f. But again I don't mind, I don't need a super large stage to be honest.

To summarize I'll say : clear, vivid, engaging, but sometimes a bit lean or unnatural without EQ.
For instance, I use 10 bands EQ of my ZX300 to reduce high mids a bit (2dB at 2 & 4khz) to get a more natural sound and I will never go back to "direct sound".

Compared to my Andromeda, the Greens are surprisingly less clear but also more natural, slightly warmer than S8F. Instead of having a peak in 2/4Khz like the S8F, it is more in the highs but I was no issue with that. I have never EQ'ed my Andromeda for instance (but now I clearly hear the peak in highs compared to S8F)
Soundstage of Andromeda is better, timbres as well. They sound more realistic to me. But again using a bit of EQ I feel these S8f are playing in the same ballpark (but still a bit different).

Overall, Andromeda remain my favorite of the 2 but again what Fearless did with these S8F is a really great accomplishment!

I know how bad memory is when it comes to compare IEMs but these S8F kind of remind me Jomo's house sound with their Samba/Flamenco

Sounds like you might like the S8pro lol

edit: he put up his s8f for sale and got sold instantly lol

 

[ldo77]

@cocolinho nice feedback. Very interesting

 

[drews]

I too slightly prefer the sound of my Andromeda S, but it's very very close and the S8F is far more comfortable. I got the unbranded CF variation:

 

[Smurfs2010]

I too slightly prefer the sound of my Andromeda S, but it's very very close and the S8F is far more comfortable. I got the unbranded CF variation:

Hey,
How does it compare to the Sony (M9)?

 

[drews]

The M9 has a more relaxed, warmer, bassier presentation than the other two, while still providing a lot of detail - a nice alternative if the S8F is too fatiguing. The M9 is way overpriced though...

 

[Remiam7]

I too slightly prefer the sound of my Andromeda S, but it's very very close and the S8F is far more comfortable. I got the unbranded CF variation:

Really nice compilation. I do have a question though. M11 or ZX300? Right now I am leaning towards the ZX300.

 

[drews]

ZX300 unless you need the Android apps.

 

[Smurfs2010]

The M9 has a more relaxed, warmer, bassier presentation than the other two, while still providing a lot of detail - a nice alternative if the S8F is too fatiguing. The M9 is way overpriced though...

Thanks. I guess I'll stick to my Westone W60. And my newly acquired and long awaited S6 Rui

 

[Remiam7]

ZX300 unless you need the Android apps.

Thanks! I’m a MAC person.

 

[cr3ativ3]

Do someone know , what Kind of cable the stock are ? Silver plated? Or even pure silver ? I actually like the sound out of the QP2R with it , would try to get the same kind as balanced