I demoed the S8F while in China. I am not good in using the terms to describe sound. At the shop, the owner is so kind to loan me the Astell & Kern SP2000 to test with the S8F. Listened to Rolling in the Deep by Adele coz that's the only few English song in the SP2000. It is eye opener experience and I never knew the song is so lively and I am beginning to tap my feet while listening to the music.
Then, I switch to my own IEM UE900S and the song become so muddy and not lively at all.
To test further I plug S8F direct to my Samsung S9+ no hiss and very enjoyable. Switch to my UE900S into S9+ and this time the difference isn't that huge. Surprisingly, the UE900S performed very close to the S8F.
So I know that I need a proper DAP or a DAC dongle with my phone to bring out the full potential of the S8F.
My target now is ibasso DC01 and a used Fiio M11 in later stage. As my budget doesn't allow for a new Fiio M11. And A&S SP20000 is out of my reach.
If Fiio M11 is 80% close to SP2000 I would be very happy. If not the SP2000 will be forever haunting me.
I wanted to buy M11 too for its speed, 2 cards, nice screen, 2.5 bal... but several people reported hissing sound on quiet tracks.
Now what, well dx220 is out of my price range, so I have to investigate dx160 or r5...
Anyone, any DAP in this price range that pairs well with S8F?
ES100 is my choice for now. But I'll need a dap in the near future.
I wanted to buy M11 too for its speed, 2 cards, nice screen, 2.5 bal... but several people reported hissing sound on quiet tracks.
Now what, well dx220 is out of my price range, so I have to investigate dx160 or r5...
Anyone, any DAP in this price range that pairs well with S8F?
ES100 is my choice for now. But I'll need a dap in the near future.
Yes lots of buzz around E1DA, I'm so tempted to buy it just to check what it's all about.
But at the moment DAP would be priority. I might change a job where they don't allow phones but players are OK ? Ha
Oh wait you meant DAP + E1DA?
It might work but bulk, and DAPs usb power requirements to drive E1DA and phones, power drainage...
IDK, I guess i have to look into it more carefully
I wanted to buy M11 too for its speed, 2 cards, nice screen, 2.5 bal... but several people reported hissing sound on quiet tracks.
Now what, well dx220 is out of my price range, so I have to investigate dx160 or r5...
Anyone, any DAP in this price range that pairs well with S8F?
ES100 is my choice for now. But I'll need a dap in the near future.
I should have try the Fiio M11 while I am at the shop in China. However, I am rushing for an appointment. Once, I get hold of my S8F, will try out various popular DAP when visiting China again.
Comparing S8F and S8P, S8P sounds more resolving, but vocals has slight shouty emphasis. S8F has very good separation and imaging incomparison with great bass and impact. S8F sounds more vivid in imaging. S8F sounds more fun overall.
Although S8P sounds more resolving due to upper-mids emphasis, S8F has better high hat response for jazz cymbals, etc.. sounding more vivid.
Best tips for me were wide-bore. Spiral Dots were pretty good. Didn't think narrow bore sounded right.
I'm pleasantly surprised of the performance. Seems like good value iems in terms of price performance compared to much more expensive stuff.
I like the fit of these. Helps in isolation. Isolates quite well for a universal.
I think S10 Genie is more refined S8 series. It's like the best of both worlds of S8F and S8P. Resolving and well separated at the same time. ACME8 has more of an uneven highs that makes vocals sounds a bit shouty at times.
Anybody know where I can get the Fearless silver looking cable that comes with S8? Seems like a nice cable.
Anyway, I can tell Fearless knows how to tune iems.
I think Fearless fits are quite good. The fit helps with top isolation. It's probably the best fit universal that helped with isolation I've used so far.
I'm on Fearless demo tour in the USA, and I got try out their various models. Color me impressed. I got to try out the Fearless Start the other day, which is a single dynamic driver. It has the same fit as others in a custom like shell for a universal, and never experienced a single dynamic in a custom like shell fit before. I really like feel of the shell and shape on my ears.
According the spec, it has 26dB of noise isolation? I'm wondering if has a vent? I thought single dynamic drivers usually have a vent. Isolation is good, and as far as sound, it sounds pretty good for the price point. It's not highly vivid like their higher-end offerings, but the dynamic driver bass is quite entertaining, it's a good sounding bass. It's a bit smooth up top, but when your ears adjust, it's quite a non-fatiguing experience, like HD650. When your ears adjust, the smooth vocal textures can be nice. I would say S8P is more of HD600 with the upper-mids emphasis.
I'm really digging the Fearless Start single dynamic. It's an engaging iem for sure. Not tuned with peaks or significant unbalances.
For me, the adjustment is useless. Personally, don't think Anole VX really all that great or worth it's cost. I don't like the tonality of it, particularly the upper-frequencies. It doesn't sound all that resolving or transparent to my ears. It just comes down to preference, and S8 series is a much better value.
So I finally received my S8 from black Friday sales after approx. 2 weeks. Originally ordered the S8P but got the S8F instead, oh well, don't really mind it. Anyway, back to the IEMs. First thing I noticed is that they are really sensitive. I can hear a noticeable hiss on my Dragonfly Red and my ifi xdsd even with music playing. I had to use IEMatch on ultra when using it with both. No hiss on my phone though (S10). Though oddly the jack connection is really finicky with it. The volume becomes soft or loud depending on how the cable feels whenever it gets plugged in. Anyone else experience this? It's fine with IEMatch though so maybe I need to get a new cable or get a replacement cable from linsoul.
Now some quick impressions on the sound.
BASS:
These made me rethink about how much bass can be pushed out of a BA driver. Their kind of DD like in quantity with the speed of BA drivers. It has an addicting low end rumble that doesn't mess too much with midbass impact. Overall great bass extension that is respectably well textured and tight. (take a listen to "DMs by SNBRN". I can almost feel every "fart" from the bass rumble lmao)
MIDS:
I kind of suck at describing mids, it's just not my forte. Vocals on the S8F sound good and you can pick up a good amount details like when singers smack their lips and all that jazz. Trumpets sound incredible with these IEMs although I feel like the timbre of stringed instruments like violins are a bit off in the lower octaves but it's not a deal breaker. Overall though there is good separation, resolution and decent clarity. Lower mids can get a bit congested depending on the complexity of the song though.
TREBLE:
As a note of warning, I don't mind the treble on my DT770 and DT1770 so take my words with a grain of salt. The S8F have an OK treble extension, their not overly amazing but they are not offensive either. Sibilance is not a big issue with these IEMs and I don't think they are overly bright. There is enoug "air" and the soundstage is not bad. But I keep on thinking they may be a bit rolled-off. Maybe I've been spoiled by my Stax ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Overall I think these pair of IEMs are pretty good. If you are looking for an IEM that are well balanced bass monsters that tilt towards a warm sound signature, the S8F should be in your list.
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