Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[autumnholy]

First thing first, RIP to iPod Classic T.T
 
2nd thing, I heard Heaven 7 & 8 will both be priced below Ba-SS. Hmmm. Single BA, difference is in the gold coating? That's interesting.
 
3rd, Hope 10 is marvelously (or obscenely) expensive!

 

[CJG888]

On a bit of a tangent here (away from the Lab1 discussion):

I will be in Tokyo for a few days next month, and am looking for a new midrange-focused IEM for use with either an HM-601LE or DX50 (both in conjunction with a Cayin C5, which is due to arrive any time now). It should be a midrange-heavy complement to my DN-1000, and should have a fuller midrange than the Ety HF5 (but plenty of transparency and detail).

So far, I am considering the following:

FAD Heaven c (if I can find them) - reputedly they sound like a FI-BA-SS on the cheap
FAD Heaven V (would there be any advantage in going for the "Ageing" version?
JVC FX850 (but would they be too bass-heavy?

Any recommendations?

 

[autumnholy]

FAD Heaven c (if I can find them) - Damn clarity is delicious. Spacious.
FAD Heaven V - Go VI, lusher. Or wait, then try Heaven 7 & 8. Might be a surprise.
JVC FX850 - Skull-cracking bass on SOME tracks, sounds pretty v-shaped to me.
 

 

[CJG888]

Looks like the JVCs are out of the running, then.

So far, I like the idea of the Heaven c....

That's exactly what I'm looking for: FI-BA-SS -type signature at a much lower cost!

How well do they isolate? Can I use them in-flight?

 

[autumnholy]

Looks like the JVCs are out of the running, then.

So far, I like the idea of the Heaven c....

That's exactly what I'm looking for: FI-BA-SS -type signature at a much lower cost!

How well do they isolate? Can I use them in-flight?

 
No no.. The JVC, you kinda have to try it yourself if possible. I believe they have demo set. My ears could have a different response from yours. Haha. Because lots of people like it.
 
Heaven C is kinda rare nowadays, since the newer numero Heavens are out.
 
Isolation is kinda on the poor side to me, because if you notice...
 

 
There's a little hole at the back of the earphone housing, which promotes air flow in the unit but may allow external noise to enter the chamber. And the tips are kinda soft and rubbery, which may not isolate that much.
 
For better noise isolation, numbered Heavens may be better because they don't have visible vents on the earphone housing.

 

[cooperpwc]

  First thing first, RIP to iPod Classic T.T
 
2nd thing, I heard Heaven 7 & 8 will both be priced below Ba-SS. Hmmm. Single BA, difference is in the gold coating? That's interesting.
 
3rd, Hope 10 is marvelously (or obscenely) expensive!

 
- End of an era!
 
- Yah I was figuring that they would be just above the Heaven VI somewhere in the $600-$900 range.
 
- I wonder if the Hope 10 was fully fleshed out by the late Takai-san before he passed away? It could be a classic...

 

[autumnholy]

   
- End of an era!
 
- Yah I was figuring that they would be just above the Heaven VI somewhere in the $600-$900 range.
 
- I wonder if the Hope 10 was fully fleshed out by the late Takai-san before he passed away? It could be a classic...

 
-Yep. One of the main gateways to portable audiophile world has been closed. What's next? HD x Music streaming DAP? LOL.
 
-Heard the Heavens be descending onto earth today. It was said it would be around September, or Summer in Jpn.
 
-One of my issues isn't on the sound, but rather the headband which I find it hard to replace and wonder if it would worn out in time.

 

[Kiats]

Looks like the JVCs are out of the running, then.

So far, I like the idea of the Heaven c....

That's exactly what I'm looking for: FI-BA-SS -type signature at a much lower cost!

How well do they isolate? Can I use them in-flight?

 
Just wanted to chip in on the early Heaven series, A, C and S. The hole in the back of the housing doesn't seem to impact on noise isolation, in the same way that the holes in the FIBASS housing doesn't. I have the Heaven S and for the longest time it shared equal billing with the FIBASS on long haul flights and in noisy airport lounges. No issue whatsoever with noise isolation.
 
Frankly, if you find the Heaven S, grab it because it's probably the one that is closest to the FIBASS in terms of sig.
 
You may also want to have a look at this excellent review by James444: http://www.head-fi.org/t/520503/e-q5-added-shootout-the-ortofon-e-q7-versus-3-new-final-audio-iems-fi-ba-a1-fi-ba-sb-fi-ba-ss
 
Good luck! 

 

 

[james444]

   
No no.. The JVC, you kinda have to try it yourself if possible. I believe they have demo set. My ears could have a different response from yours. Haha. Because lots of people like it.

 
The FX850's stock bass is like a sledgehammer. However, there's an easy mod to bring it down to more reasonable levels. It will still be a bit bassier than the Heavens then, but the JVCs mids are gorgeous, so it's worth it imo.
 
Isolation on the FX850 is pretty poor though.
 
You should probably also give the Ortofon e-Q8 a try, extremely clear sound signature with pretty forward (upper) mids and very good isolation. My pair has a slight distortion problem at loud volume though, so you might want to watch out for that.

 

[james444]

   
Just wanted to chip in on the early Heaven series, A, C and S. The hole in the back of the housing doesn't seem to impact on noise isolation, in the same way that the holes in the FIBASS housing doesn't. I have the Heaven S and for the longest time it shared equal billing with the FIBASS on long haul flights and in noisy airport lounges. No issue whatsoever with noise isolation.
 
Frankly, if you find the Heaven S, grab it because it's probably the one that is closest to the FIBASS in terms of sig.
 
You may also want to have a look at this excellent review by James444: http://www.head-fi.org/t/520503/e-q5-added-shootout-the-ortofon-e-q7-versus-3-new-final-audio-iems-fi-ba-a1-fi-ba-sb-fi-ba-ss

 
Thanks, and I agree the FI-BA-SS and early Heaven series have actually pretty good isolation, despite of their vent.

 

[Mondrow20]

Has anyone heard of fake final audio design products, in particular anything in the piano forte series?
Because I was just looking around and I found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261589501251?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2661
 
Initially I just wrote it off as a scam, but I then looked at the guy's buyer feedback and there was only one complaint about not receiving a product without a refund and only a total of four complaints about not receiving an item out of 778 reviews.
 
I'm hoping that this seller just forgot a decimal somewhere and it's safe to buy from this person.
 
If anyone has any additional info/experiences can you please tell me.

 

[shsh]

There are alot of fakes in the chinese "ebay" called Taobao.
Most probably it is fake if it comes from china, unless it is from Jaben or authorized retailers.

 

[ThePrince425]

That seller also runs lunashop, would reckon they're fakes. I've enquired before but response wasn't satisfactory, so decided not to bother with the risks.

Edit: Just to be clear, wasn't being accusatory or judgmental. Lunashops is great for DIY components, but would need to note that their from HK/China so there's a chance fakes would slip thru

 

[james444]

  Has anyone heard of fake final audio design products, in particular anything in the piano forte series?
Because I was just looking around and I found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261589501251?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2661
 
Initially I just wrote it off as a scam, but I then looked at the guy's buyer feedback and there was only one complaint about not receiving a product without a refund and only a total of four complaints about not receiving an item out of 778 reviews.
 
I'm hoping that this seller just forgot a decimal somewhere and it's safe to buy from this person.
 
If anyone has any additional info/experiences can you please tell me.

 
Search this thread for 'fake'. I remember someone told me there are fake Piano Fortes that sound tinny and fall apart easily.

 

[Mondrow20]

Thankyou