[jailhouselounge]

I have phonak tips but they seem too narrow to fit on the a83 nozzle. Unless I really force it in?

 

[ozkan]

  I have phonak tips but they seem too narrow to fit on the a83 nozzle. Unless I really force it in?

 
You can strech them. It is just fine! It is very soft.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Okay so update on the Fidue impressions, especially in comparison with the SM64 and Havi B3
 
First off I take back the statement about the bass in the Fidue not being as impactful as the SM64, those roles are reversed. The Fidue definitely has good powerful impact on the DX90-ibasso Pb2 combo when the track calls for it. But overall just in general is has more slam than the other two especially the B3(very light and neutral low end)
 
The A83 has decent sound stage, but I feel the SM64 is a bit more spacious in comparison and teh Havi B3 much more because that is definitely where it excels. The A83 does a lot very right, from lows being detailed with tight and dynamic bass. The Midrange is neutral but is definitely smoother and very enjoyable, and treble has detail and resolution in comparison the SM64 there is more detail up top that can be heard easier, but I can pick it out when my eyes are closed with the Sm64 if I listen well. The bass on both of these is enjoyable but the A83 having that dynamic driver has an easier time with slam and definition. I have to say both of these earphones are remarkably capable and talented IEMs they both sound good from lows to highs, the SM64 a bit more midrange and the Fidue has a bit nice treble detail and extension. I would say that I could go either way honestly in a purchase. I am going to spend some more time with the fidue and try out some different music's than I have been which has been things from 
 
Hans Zimmer Man of Steel, Rush, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Last samurai, Dark Knight trilogy deluxe albums. 
Coheeds first 3 cd's, Block parties first two, Radiohead the whole discography,Counting crows, Pearl jam, at the drive in, mars volta, Rush, Yes, the Gospel, City of the caterpillar, Adele, Game of thrones soundtracks, etc.  A bit of everything. Will listen to some more classical pieces, some folk and blues.

 

[olddude]

"I love the sound sig of the a83, just the "hiss" on some tracks kills me.."
 
Say what?  If you have hiss on some tracks, you have tracks with hiss on them.  I play 16bit, 24bit and DSD files of music going back to the 1950s and I've NEVER heard hiss using the Fidues unless the track itself has hiss.  
 
The problem with a good source player and good iems is that you hear all of the good and you hear all of the bad.  If the recording or mixing or mastering is poorly handled, you are going to hear it.  That's not the fault of the player or the iems.  

 

[MikonJuice]

I should say a big thanks to this user. The SM64 was (or is) my dream iem. I've wanted it for so long that I can't remember. By saying that the fidue has bettter treble saved me a LOT of trouble and money.
Nice, very nice comparison!

Quote:

  Okay so update on the Fidue impressions, especially in comparison with the SM64 and Havi B3
 
First off I take back the statement about the bass in the Fidue not being as impactful as the SM64, those roles are reversed. The Fidue definitely has good powerful impact on the DX90-ibasso Pb2 combo when the track calls for it. But overall just in general is has more slam than the other two especially the B3(very light and neutral low end)
 
The A83 has decent sound stage, but I feel the SM64 is a bit more spacious in comparison and teh Havi B3 much more because that is definitely where it excels. The A83 does a lot very right, from lows being detailed with tight and dynamic bass. The Midrange is neutral but is definitely smoother and very enjoyable, and treble has detail and resolution in comparison the SM64 there is more detail up top that can be heard easier, but I can pick it out when my eyes are closed with the Sm64 if I listen well. The bass on both of these is enjoyable but the A83 having that dynamic driver has an easier time with slam and definition. I have to say both of these earphones are remarkably capable and talented IEMs they both sound good from lows to highs, the SM64 a bit more midrange and the Fidue has a bit nice treble detail and extension. I would say that I could go either way honestly in a purchase. I am going to spend some more time with the fidue and try out some different music's than I have been which has been things from 
 
Hans Zimmer Man of Steel, Rush, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, Last samurai, Dark Knight trilogy deluxe albums. 
Coheeds first 3 cd's, Block parties first two, Radiohead the whole discography,Counting crows, Pearl jam, at the drive in, mars volta, Rush, Yes, the Gospel, City of the caterpillar, Adele, Game of thrones soundtracks, etc.  A bit of everything. Will listen to some more classical pieces, some folk and blues.

 

[jailhouselounge]

  "I love the sound sig of the a83, just the "hiss" on some tracks kills me.."
 
Say what?  If you have hiss on some tracks, you have tracks with hiss on them.  I play 16bit, 24bit and DSD files of music going back to the 1950s and I've NEVER heard hiss using the Fidues unless the track itself has hiss.  
 
The problem with a good source player and good iems is that you hear all of the good and you hear all of the bad.  If the recording or mixing or mastering is poorly handled, you are going to hear it.  That's not the fault of the player or the iems.  

Yea, you're right. Plus I'm a bit sensitive to harshness... wondering if fiio x3 or colorfly c3 or something else could affect that? o: what would you recommend?

 

[olddude]

The C3 is really neutral.  Clean and clear.  Like transparent water.  I don't have an X3.  The X1 is fairly smooth, more than the X5.  It might be a good match.  
 
H20Fidelity likes the C3/Fidue synergy.  You might ask him.  Pretty basic Ui though.  

 

[H20Fidelity]

No, I don't know what they say about x3 vs x5 o: Tell me!

I love the sound sig of the a83, just the "hiss" on some tracks kills me..

And well, I don't mind the trade off in user interface if the sound quality of the c3 is considerably better than the x3.... And I think sound quality and good pairing with the a83 is what I'm after

Blackfriday and cybermonday is around the corner... Man, head fi is blowing my budget for my work laptop and car... e.e;

I can tell you for on the go purposes I simply won't use Colorfly C3, the small screen isnt something I'd find enjoyable, others do though. What needs to be mentioned is when I use it I'm often just sitting around the house or laying down late at night. X3 would be much better on the road simply for usability.

Don't overlook the Sony F series Walkmans either, the F806 sounds superb with A83, using it right now.

 

[mochill]

Alien on its way ...the price will increase to $200+ so guys buy it know while you can ...ill see how they synergize

 

[Loquah]

Not so well because of hiss, but the Alien sounds brilliant so you should definitely buy it anyway!

 

[Shawn71]

Not so well because of hiss, but the Alien sounds brilliant so you should definitely buy it anyway!

but is it really worth? No display,only wav and flac,less battery backup(just 8hrs) tho it doesnt have display,no built-in memory,just 32gb expandable memory and costs 60% more than X1....:rolleyes:

 

[Loquah]

It hammers the X1 in SQ (I have both here right now). No, hammer is the wrong word - they're in completely different categories.
 
I completely agree that the lack of display can be a challenge, but I love the Alien design concept as it encourages me to select the albums I really want to have on it (e.g. new albums I want to listen to a bit to get to know them) and to keep everything simple. The limitation of FLAC and WAV is easily overcome with media software that auto-converts tracks during copying / syncing (like Foobar / MediaMonkey), but I understand that's an extra unwanted layer/step for some people.
 
I see the Alien as a complementary player to my X5 - my X5 carries large amounts of music so I can choose what I want when I want it. The Alien is a more conscious selection when I know I want to listen to just one of a handful of albums.
 
Personally, I would buy the Alien over the X1 if I could have only one because I value the SQ over the UI, but others may vary. Ideally though I'd recommend having both options, especially at the prices

 

[Shawn71]

Yeah its all Personal preference...... but I wldnt waste my money on all said cons above for $170 or so.....just for single album listening,when the same feature can be had from $15 coby or my good old TDK mojo,shuffle,sansa for that matter.....again its just ME.....and for $109 X1 shd be what I prefer,as I know whats in there under the hood by our James and its PRO features and SQ etc,goes on.....me needless to say more about X1......

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Yeah its all Personal preference......

but I wldnt waste my money on all said cons above for $170 or so.....just for single album listening,when the same feature can be had from $15 coby or my good old TDK mojo,shuffle,sansa for that matter.....again its just ME.....and for $109 X1 shd be what I prefer,as I know whats in there under the hood by our James and its PRO features and SQ etc,goes on.....me needless to say more about X1......

Well from my experiences you can get quite a few albums in FLAC format for 30gb of space. Nothing crazy but still plenty of music to listen to on the go or at work, and then when you go home change the albums you have around a bit. Now, personally I prefer sound quality first and foremost over UI, display screen, bells and whistles, convenience. But that is not to say I do not like and use the DX90 for having the sound quality of some good desktop DACs with functionality and convenience. I just lucked out when really prioritizing what  player I wanted to replace the Rockboxed iPod 5.5. Well, I say if you want great sound quality then go for it, but I still believe you could get the DX50(used or open boxed) or the Fiio x3 for the same price as this or better. And granted maybe the alien sounds better, but I bet it is not by that much, and now you get large space for your files that you may want your library with you. You also get some great sound quality though not  on par with the X5 and DX90 still not too far off especially when paired with a good portable amp. So, though I, myself, and intrigued by the alien and would probably like it much if I needed another dap to have for maybe when I am on the go to the gym or something. Alas, I already have both the RBed iPod and my main go to DAP, DX90

 

[olddude]

So... a hissy player with excellent sq and no interface.  Oh, and it looks more unwieldy than the Pono.
 
Nah, I'll stick with my Fiios.