[ItsMeHere]

The Heaven IVs are made in China.

 

[cooperpwc]

I am starting to appreciate the horn speaker shape of the PF IX soundstage. Sound cascades down and out.
 
 

Fortunately the natural position in my ears produces a nice wide sound stage with what I can best describe as delicate air around the instruments.

 
Day 2 and I am not as inclined to use the term 'delicate air'. I am getting excellent instrument separation, especially with jazz.  But the sound has a flowing quality.
 
I am now listening to these with USB Monica as my source (Philips TDA1545 NOS DAC). This is making things even a bit warmer and thicker.

 

[ianmedium]

I am starting to appreciate the horn speaker shape of the PF IX soundstage. Sound cascades down and out.



Day 2 and I am not as inclined to use the term 'delicate air'. I am getting excellent instrument separation, especially with jazz.  But the sound has a flowing quality.

I am now listening to these with USB Monica as my source (Philips TDA1545 NOS DAC). This is making things even a bit warmer and thicker.

Ahh, so glad you have a pair of these mate. I have been off the forum for a while due to some personal problems, just dipping back in and I saw this thread started and I was really happy to find it.

One of the things that has kept me sane all this time is listening to music and in the main through my Heaven S's.

I have had mine now for around 5 months now and as the time has passed I have come to appreciate their qualities more and more. Firstly, this is the only Balanced armature driver that I have used that has actually benefited from burn in! After about 50 hours they took off!

There are many things I love about them but two stand out the most, firstly the PRaT qualities, the ability to follow a recording be it slow or fast paced and to have ones feet tap and be fully engrossed in the performance is quite exceptional with these. The other is how they allow a space around individual notes. The only other headphones that I own that do that, and to be honest I thought it was exclusive to the type are my Stax portables. The way a note is hung in an inky black space so that one can fully absorb it and it's fellow notes which then added together bring a cohesive story before you to enjoy is once again quite remarkable in any headphone but astonishing in a single driver in ear device I feel.

One of the things I have thought about whilst incapacitated for what seemed like endless periods over the past few months is the benefits of a really well thought out single driver in a in ear monitor. What I have found with multiple driver units is that though they are able to handle sonic range really well they do it inefficiently I find. Add multiple crossovers and you add additions in the way of the signal path from source and amplification through to our ears. For me, in all the multi driver models I have tried this leads to a smearing of the sonic space. Notes merge together slowing proceedings, information is lost or at least covered up to the extent one has to listen more to hear those details rather than relax and allow the music to flow.

With the Heaven S's, and it seems from reading here, the sonic signature of FAD's there is none of this delay, no smearing just clear, concise musical enjoyment. What makes this all the better is that these headphones seem to achieve this across all musical genre's in my experience. From small and intimate with the likes of Leonard Cohen's wonderful new album to Solti's ring, from Electronic such as Kraftwerk to Metal such as Tool's beautifully recorded Album Lateralus, of note on that album is Ticks and Leeches, a festival of fast past and complex structured drumming that if heard with lesser headphones is a cacophony, a mess but through these one can hear all the details, all the subtle nuances of rhythm, the start stop immediacy raises ones hairs on the back of ones neck!

I used to think my ER4S's were detail hounds but they actually sound thick compared to the Heavens! That level of immediacy and detail retrieval is not everyones cup of tea and if it were that this was the only thing of note then the heavens would have a harder time. But it is not the whole story. For not only is there speed and detail retrieval there is emotion, there is feeling and warmth. I have just been listening to Mary Chapin Carpenters wonderful new album Ashes and Roses. This is a deeply personal and emotional recording for her, charting some very tender and painful moments over the past few years of her life. All of this tenderness, all of the emotion and intensity is conveyed so well listened to through the heavens. I think the way they convey breath and finger plucks on strings is truly very special, it is as if you can feel the very emotions that bring that breath, that bring the way the string is plucked.

I do have one word of warning though! Listen through inferior sources or amplification or music that is recorded at anything less than lossless (these headphones have made me go through my entire collection of CD's these past few months and re-rip them in AIFF) and you may think it is the fault of the headphone.. It is not, these are just picking up what is wrong with the source and amplification! I tried them straight out of my iPad and it was not the nicest of experiences!

But the other side of the coin is that it has given me a greater appreciation for Ray Samuels wonderful SR71-B and the CLAS/ Classic combo. Now, I only have one thing left in my mind, I wonder if these could be terminated with a balanced connector!

Oh yes, for those who think the single ended output on the blackbird is not up to snuff, you really need to hear it with decent headphones, it would change your mind!

So glad this thread is here and so glad to come back to seeing more love for FAD, they deserve it, for me they are the STAX of non electrostatic headphones and higher praise I could not think of!

 

[SpringBiscuit]

Quote:

Ahh, so glad you have a pair of these mate. I have been off the forum for a while due to some personal problems, just dipping back in and I saw this thread started and I was really happy to find it.
One of the things that has kept me sane all this time is listening to music and in the main through my Heaven S's.
I have had mine now for around 5 months now and as the time has passed I have come to appreciate their qualities more and more. Firstly, this is the only Balanced armature driver that I have used that has actually benefited from burn in! After about 50 hours they took off!
There are many things I love about them but two stand out the most, firstly the PRaT qualities, the ability to follow a recording be it slow or fast paced and to have ones feet tap and be fully engrossed in the performance is quite exceptional with these. The other is how they allow a space around individual notes. The only other headphones that I own that do that, and to be honest I thought it was exclusive to the type are my Stax portables. The way a note is hung in an inky black space so that one can fully absorb it and it's fellow notes which then added together bring a cohesive story before you to enjoy is once again quite remarkable in any headphone but astonishing in a single driver in ear device I feel.
One of the things I have thought about whilst incapacitated for what seemed like endless periods over the past few months is the benefits of a really well thought out single driver in a in ear monitor. What I have found with multiple driver units is that though they are able to handle sonic range really well they do it inefficiently I find. Add multiple crossovers and you add additions in the way of the signal path from source and amplification through to our ears. For me, in all the multi driver models I have tried this leads to a smearing of the sonic space. Notes merge together slowing proceedings, information is lost or at least covered up to the extent one has to listen more to hear those details rather than relax and allow the music to flow.
With the Heaven S's, and it seems from reading here, the sonic signature of FAD's there is none of this delay, no smearing just clear, concise musical enjoyment. What makes this all the better is that these headphones seem to achieve this across all musical genre's in my experience. From small and intimate with the likes of Leonard Cohen's wonderful new album to Solti's ring, from Electronic such as Kraftwerk to Metal such as Tool's beautifully recorded Album Lateralus, of note on that album is Ticks and Leeches, a festival of fast past and complex structured drumming that if heard with lesser headphones is a cacophony, a mess but through these one can hear all the details, all the subtle nuances of rhythm, the start stop immediacy raises ones hairs on the back of ones neck!
I used to think my ER4S's were detail hounds but they actually sound thick compared to the Heavens! That level of immediacy and detail retrieval is not everyones cup of tea and if it were that this was the only thing of note then the heavens would have a harder time. But it is not the whole story. For not only is there speed and detail retrieval there is emotion, there is feeling and warmth. I have just been listening to Mary Chapin Carpenters wonderful new album Ashes and Roses. This is a deeply personal and emotional recording for her, charting some very tender and painful moments over the past few years of her life. All of this tenderness, all of the emotion and intensity is conveyed so well listened to through the heavens. I think the way they convey breath and finger plucks on strings is truly very special, it is as if you can feel the very emotions that bring that breath, that bring the way the string is plucked.
I do have one word of warning though! Listen through inferior sources or amplification or music that is recorded at anything less than lossless (these headphones have made me go through my entire collection of CD's these past few months and re-rip them in AIFF) and you may think it is the fault of the headphone.. It is not, these are just picking up what is wrong with the source and amplification! I tried them straight out of my iPad and it was not the nicest of experiences!
But the other side of the coin is that it has given me a greater appreciation for Ray Samuels wonderful SR71-B and the CLAS/ Classic combo. Now, I only have one thing left in my mind, I wonder if these could be terminated with a balanced connector!
Oh yes, for those who think the single ended output on the blackbird is not up to snuff, you really need to hear it with decent headphones, it would change your mind!
So glad this thread is here and so glad to come back to seeing more love for FAD, they deserve it, for me they are the STAX of non electrostatic headphones and higher praise I could not think of!

Thanks a lot for your input of the brand and Heaven S, really love the way you express with the aid of your emotion to the music and sound.

It amazed me so well and i'm touched.
And welcome back =D 

 

[cooperpwc]

Great post, Ian. Yes, I have had a difficult time taking the PF IX out of my ears since they landed in them Monday. More than any other headphone that I have owned, these have to be explored. Every new piece of music is an adventure. (I am listening to Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds now and thinking that this might have been how John Lennon intended it.)
 
Glad that you are back in action. Feel better, my friend.

 

[cooperpwc]

From another thread:
 
Quote:

The FAD 1601SB is the only IEM I've ever tried that brings tears to my eyes when listening to traditional Chinese instrumental music. For me, that itself is a testimony on why some enthusiasts will spend that kind of money on an IEM that has a very niche ability in the vast world of music.

 
This got me thinking. I listened to The Lament of Wang Zhao Jun* (ancient Qin music). As with the 1601SB, on the 1602SS this genre is simply stunning. The acoustics suit the music well. I guess that this isn't so surprising given its similar affinity for acoustic jazz. 
 
Edit:  * performed by Cheng Gong Liang from the album Qinyun of Guanglin (1988)

 

[music_4321]

Great post, ianmedium!
 
I also think the Heaven-S is a great phone, one that unfortunately hasn't received the attention it deserves.

 

[cooperpwc]

Here is a comparison of the frequency response of the PF IX (in red) with the ER4S (in blue) as posted on here before:
 

 

[cooperpwc]

--

 

[MuppetFace]

Has the 1602 series as a whole been measured? I'd love to see a comparison of the VIII, IX, and X side-by-side.

 

[Haonan]

^^Adagio V is made in Philippines.

FI-BA-SB is made in Japan.

From some of the informative japanese blog entries I had came across previously since I'm japanese literate, I can confirm on my part that as what psygeist had mentioned earlier, the Adagio V's are indeed made in Philippines, similarly like the Piano Forte II (15.5mm dynamic transducer) earbuds. The latest Heaven IV that came out in April (FI-HE4BVI / FI-HE4BBL / FI-HE4BWH) are made in China, while all the rest of the older Heaven series (FI-BA-A1/SB/SA) and FI-BA-SS are made in Japan themselves.

Also, I have came across one japanese article review before published by PhileWeb, mentioning that FI-BA-A1 was actually tuned by FAD themselves to be more neutral/linear sounding, similarly like the FI-BA-SA which was meant to replace it, while FI-BA-SB is slightly more V-shaped sounding (the article did not exactly mentioned this, but it did mentioned in the article it has a more adeyaka-coloured sound in terms of the overall frequency spectrum, and also to my ears since I have already tried these out at my local Jaben stores awhile back I would say FI-BA-SB has definitely more bass quanity and also a more brighter treble (but not necessarily better treble extension though, there's only so much a single-BA driver can do) to my ears, compared to the much flatter/linear sounding like the FI-BA-A1/SA models. However it's note-worthy to understand that according to the japanese article, FAD mentioned that there was no "flagship model" or so-called improved replacements when it comes down to the Heaven series, as they are produced to meant to compliment each and every consumer's various listening tastes/preferences.

Anyway considered me part of this club. Just bought a Heaven C (FI-BA-SA) since May but I haven't actually got down to listening it more until 2 weeks ago. Definitely very enjoyable and shows a strong synergy/affinity towards Acoustic Jazz/Bossa Nova genres and especially female vocalists such as Olivia Ong, Emi Fujita, Lisa Ono, Ann Sally and Norah Jones, all of whom I listen to pretty much often on my portable setup.

Cheers!

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Has the 1602 series as a whole been measured? I'd love to see a comparison of the VIII, IX, and X side-by-side.

 
I unfortunately have not come upon that. This site in Japan has done graphs for the 1601SB as well as the FI-BA-SS.

 

[cooperpwc]

Hmm... I haven't found the original page where the above graph of the 1602SS and ER4S came from but this is obviously the same source comparing the 1602SS to a number of other IEMs.

 

[MuppetFace]

I may send my Piano Fortes to purrin for measurements if the circumstances for both of us are right.

 

[cooperpwc]

I commend in advance this virtuous behavior.