[myemaildw]

I'm almost certain I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a high quality MP3 (about 256kbps or higher which has frequency cutoff at a minimum of about 19kHz according to Spectro) and a lossless file. I will absolutely do my best to have the lossless version, but not because I can hear the difference. More to just be happy seeing all the frequencies are there even if I can't hear the difference.

I like to think that we can reside in both camps. Yes in the portable world, I tend to plug my IEMs into an iPod Touch 5G, high-end or not (this iPod has seen crap like Skullcandies to shining examples like the 1964 Ears ADEL U-series, universal versions of the A-series). The source, if decent enough in the case of today's better smart devices, matters less than the IEM when on the move in my opinion. Would a higher end source immerse me in the music more? Probably. But am I still having a great time? Absolutely! I know it can sound better and I've heard it sound better, but I get quite a bit of enjoyment as is and you said it right, if you enjoy it, by god stick with it!

I definitely also reside in the camp of hi-res through the entire chain as well. I understand your logic; once you start picking up a deficiency, be it in the mastering or in your playback equipment, it starts to get annoying to notice it more often. My desktop setup has music that is preferably at least 256kbps (or 18+kHz frequency cutoff on Spectro) or higher, run through a dedicated DAC and amp (listed in my profile if you'd like to know, I consider to be a great budget setup that does everything I need it to), and to a quality set of bookshelf speakers (which I also just upgraded to a new set). With that setup, it's easy enough to start a playlist, lay down on the bed, and just melt away into a world of bliss.

Also, I MUST commend you on being one of the better people on the internet, much like what can be said of many other members of Head-Fi. You acknowledge and accept that not everyone may share your view instead of blindly shoving your own opinions down others' throats in a very subjective hobby. So cheers for that, you've made this corner of the internet a nicer place to be than many others  

I can tell a difference between even highest quality mp3 which is 320 kpbs and 16 bit which is 1000 kbps or cd quality. may be because im a bass head and most difference is in bass quality and bass quantity. i can even tell a difference on my low gear. but surely mp3 s aint that bad, they are quite good, and i mostly have flacs on my favorite songs, cause flacs are too big

 

[Paulus XII]

I can tell a difference between even highest quality mp3 which is 320 kpbs and 16 bit which is 1000 kbps or cd quality. may be because im a bass head and most difference is in bass quality and bass quantity. i can even tell a difference on my low gear. but surely mp3 s aint that bad, they are quite good, and i mostly have flacs on my favorite songs, cause flacs are too big

 
Bass quality, exactly. Thats what I notice immediatelly. And then there's that extra treble sparkle and finesse that MP3 can't reproduce.

 

[myemaildw]

pretty much
i find my cozoy aegis dac makes everything all iems and headphones sound better, even cheap gear. sure mp3 and iphone is enough. flacs and certain dacs certainly make a bigger difference. but dac makes more difference than flacs probably. but ye iem is number one certainly, thats where i would spend money first. then probably a dac, and then other things like better tips etc. but it certainly depends what you need. cheers

 

[Midgetguy]

The differences can be noticed if I'm listening very critically, but it's really a fine line for that. Because if I spend time listening critically, then am I really spending time enjoying my music? @H20Fidelity seems to be very familiar with this since it seems he might end up doing some comparison and review but just forget that's what he's doing after getting lost in his music

. Because those are two very different things and I tend to spend more time just plain enjoying my music. Yes, preferably it's good quality because even just listening for enjoyment can reveal the low quality stuff, but with decent gear and good quality MP3s (my checks are based on both bit rate and what frequencies are actually in the file; I use the frequency cutoff check in Spectro), I can gloss over the imperfections

. Totally agreed that MP3s are way more manageable in size, though I always do my best to get things in lossless format.

 

[Aero Dynamik]

A few first Fidue A83 impressions

 

1. Authoritarian well controlled bass
2. Present meaty mids
3. Crystal clear higs
4. Wonderful tonality
5. Addictive sound
6. Non-fatiguing
7. Picky with tips (has tremendous impact on sound/signature, so better get it right!)
8. A+++ Cable
9. Worth its price

 

[Pier-Fi]

  Since most people who are here in this thread have an A83, I'd suggest the best way to see if anyone wants to buy it from you is to post this exact thing in the FS/FT forum. Just label as an interest check. Added bonus is that even if people don't reply, you'll see how many views your classified has. People only click to view a classified if they at least have a passing interest right?
 

Seems to be a positive and good review to me, and avforums is a pretty good place too. I'm a little surprised that they didn't have a normal OFC cable to test against the silver-plated stock cable because "the cable connection isn't shared with any other I have here". Unless they had version 3 (by my own definition), then any MMCX cable should do.

Yes I'm surprised too, maybe they just saw that it was a modified MMCX and didn't want to push their luck, risking damaging the iem if it was on loan for review.

 

[JimmyTryhard]

Woah. I just tried using the Comply T400 Medium foam tips included with the package. I'd never really extensively used foams due to foams generally needing to be replaced every few weeks or something, but now I can see that they really do offer more than just improved isolation.

Immediately when I put them in my ear I could hear a noticeable change in signature. Suddenly the soundstage compressed in width, and the treble subdued itself quite noticeably. I wouldn't say the change is bad or good, simply different. The sibilance at higher volumes or on bad recordings is much less noticeable, but the clarity of vocals suddenly also feels a bit detracted with a ''muffled" quality that can be very abrupt, having heard the sound of Spiral Dots minutes earlier. The normally vocal-focused sound signature now seems to have a completely new focus on the midrange and lower end. As a result, listening to genres like EDM and Hip Hop now feel much more 'correct'. It's as if they transform into a whole new earphone.


Not sure if I'm really a convert, but it's interesting that these made as big a change in sound as they did.

 

[SieB]

Does anyone here use the spiral dot tips with their A83? 
I want to get some, but i'm unsure what size I will need. At the moment i'm using the large double flange tips that came in the box, which fit my ears comfortably. The medium ones are a bit to small for me and don't give a good enough seal. Should I get the large or medium spiral dots? i'm unsure which ones to get and because i'm in the UK I have to order them from Japan, and that takes up to three weeks for delivery.
I don't want to order the wrong size and have to wait up to 6 weeks to get the right ones for my ears in case the first lot don't fit. 

 

[jon parker]

@SieB - by coincidence I just put the the spiral dots on my A83's last night. Had a phenominal musical time of it. I don't know why but tips make such a big difference!
There was a bit of a loss of bass (compared with the large silicon ones included) BUT the extra 3D, depth and detail struck me as truly exceptional!
I was listening to an Explosions in the Sky album and was amazed at how the Spiral Dots seems to have the capacity to reveal the different tones abd textures of the instruments. Also the positioning of the instruments was amazing
I do have times when nothing much goes on for me but sometimes [apparently!] when some specific causes and conditions come together I have sublime audiophile moments...especially with the A83's (using DX90)
 
Anyway - i bought mine from thie ebay seller - he sells cheaper by only selling tips without packaging. Im not 100% sure they are genuine if only because I expected a firmer inner tube and larger 'dots' on the inside of tip. However as I said above they did sound wonderful!
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171868948521- 

Seller information

corvid5000

 
Whoops! To answer your question. I have large ear holes so even large tips are sometimes not big enough for me. The large Spiral Dots though stay in a bit better than the larger included tips

 

[Midgetguy]

As much as I love these things, especially how well it performs in the bass department, I can't believe that it just doesn't feel as satisfying anymore.....I guess that's just a byproduct of getting nicer speakers; a decent 2 channel setup with a subwoofer really just blows any headphone or IEM outta the water haha. It tends to be a little more forgiving with source too so that's a bonus. I totally need to listen to these again more often though. I keep forgetting them at the apartment for the week

 

[SieB]

  @SieB - by coincidence I just put the the spiral dots on my A83's last night. Had a phenominal musical time of it. I don't know why but tips make such a big difference!
There was a bit of a loss of bass (compared with the large silicon ones included) BUT the extra 3D, depth and detail struck me as truly exceptional!
I was listening to an Explosions in the Sky album and was amazed at how the Spiral Dots seems to have the capacity to reveal the different tones abd textures of the instruments. Also the positioning of the instruments was amazing
I do have times when nothing much goes on for me but sometimes [apparently!] when some specific causes and conditions come together I have sublime audiophile moments...especially with the A83's (using DX90)
 
Anyway - i bought mine from thie ebay seller - he sells cheaper by only selling tips without packaging. Im not 100% sure they are genuine if only because I expected a firmer inner tube and larger 'dots' on the inside of tip. However as I said above they did sound wonderful!
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171868948521- 

Seller information

corvid5000

 
Whoops! To answer your question. I have large ear holes so even large tips are sometimes not big enough for me. The large Spiral Dots though stay in a bit better than the larger included tips

 
Thanks for the info and the ebay link, he doesn't have any listed at the moment but i'll send him a message. 
I have heard a lot of people praising the spiral dots so I definitely want to give them a try 

 

[jon parker]

 
Thanks for the info and the ebay link, he doesn't have any listed at the moment but i'll send him a message. 
I have heard a lot of people praising the spiral dots so I definitely want to give them a try 

  Bad link
He has them in stock :   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JVC-Spiral-Dot-Silicon-Earphone-Tips-in-single-pairs-All-5-Sizes-Available-/181887002149?hash=item2a594f6625

 

[SieB]

    Bad link
He has them in stock :   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JVC-Spiral-Dot-Silicon-Earphone-Tips-in-single-pairs-All-5-Sizes-Available-/181887002149?hash=item2a594f6625

 
Cheers! 

 

[jon parker]

 

    Bad link
He has them in stock :   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JVC-Spiral-Dot-Silicon-Earphone-Tips-in-single-pairs-All-5-Sizes-Available-/181887002149?hash=item2a594f6625

 
Cheers! 

 
Edit: Ive been playing with the the Spiral Dots / iBasso dx90 again tonight just to be sure as my hearing changes from day to day! With reference to my previous comment about loosing bass...actually this isn't true.
I had this with the A73's...I think it may just be the shape of large holes!
Because, if I just shove the A83's in all the way then there is certainly a lack of bass BUT when I slowly pull them out, I arrive at a place were the bass is superb  - where both the superb Bass of the dx90 combine with the superb bass of the A83's leading to - pretty close to audio perfection.
So basically, for me personally to get perfect sound I have to be fairly meticulous with tip placement...which is fine by my as I don't wear these outside

 

[159650]

The Spiral Dots are unique in that they're able to actually change the way the earphones sound. You can try regular tips that fit just as well and not get the same sound. I have no idea how the JVC SD manage to sound good on most earphones as surely the way they affect change is constant. I've tried other tips such as the Spin Fit and Moda Bliss and honestly, nothing compares to the SD in my opinion.