[music_4321]

Quote:

 
I agree.
 
That said - the FI-BA-SS, to me, are kings of subtlety. They're the most sensitive IEMs I own and as such prone to hiss, but on the other hand the very best I've heard at conveying subtle shifts in music.
 
Off the top of my head, some listening suggestions:
Diana Krall - Quiet Night. Extremely well recorded, try "Too Marvellous For Words" or "The Boy From Ipanema" (or any other track).
Dave Holland Quintett - Extended Play: Live at Birdland. Excellent recording with very realistic spatiality. Try the last track "Metamorphos".
Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony (Atlanty Symphony Orchestra, Spano). Stellar recording. Try the last movement "The Explorers". The hushed voices, the slow build up of the choir part. Subtlety at its best. None of my other phones can hold a candle to the FI-BA-SS with this kind of music.

 
Yes, the FI-BA-SS is stellar with well recorded / mastered music.
 
Quote:

Quote:
 
Me neither. This new one looks funky. The VIII at least looks like a classic (while not necessarily wearing like one).

 
Well, as much as I love my FAD IEMs, I'll say this: judging by the photo on the link posted above, the new one looks rather cheap, particularly the earpads, specially considering their wonderfully designed previous high-end IEMs. The VIII indeed looked beautiful, a true classic, but did look pretty uncomfortable perhaps as a result of such unique stunning design.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

 
That said - the FI-BA-SS, to me, are kings of subtlety...
 
Off the top of my head, some listening suggestions:
Diana Krall - Quiet Night. Extremely well recorded, try "Too Marvellous For Words" or "The Boy From Ipanema" (or any other track)...

 
james444,
 
I only re-edited my post (#208) because of your post above. Call me crazy if you will but that's the only reason I did so -- not much thinking, really, just went ahead and did it, it just seemed right. Always a pleasure to read you posts, BTW.

Having said that, and having just gone back and re-read your last post, I noticed you mentioned Diana Krall. Diana Krall, unfortunately, to me, has become a Led Zeppelin of sorts, or a kind of ASG-1, EPH-100, GR07, JH13/JH16, UM Miracle, SM3 or Heir A.4i, if you catch my drift.

Therefore, I've decided to do something I tend to avoid - mention some of the classical & jazz music I enjoy the most: the FI-BA-SS shines with Keith Jarrett's My Song (the whole album).

 

[ianmedium]

^ Not sure you will personally hear the FI-BA-SS at its best, but try these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALJARgzHcLg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iTNw7QoaYI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGjpIeE_5kM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfdKAB3igbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGkrSlkjceM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubgJmhnawFc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noAPeUlOjfc

I have pretty much all of these and could not agree more how good they are at showing what equipment is truly capable of! The drum section at the end of rhythm of the heat in particular really tests equipments mettle I find, with good equipment it truly has the hair on the back of your neck standing up! Also, if you really want to hear what truly great quality electric bass sounds like listen to pretty much anything Peter does, he has some of the most rhythmic and complex bass structures anywhere in music. I often think it is the blood pumping through his veins! So much texture and feeling.

 

[eke2k6]

Thank you for all the suggestions. It really is a remarkable IEM. I'm just waiting for my other IEM for me to make formal impressions

 

[eke2k6]

The thing that has surprised me most about the FI-BA-SS is its low end. I really wasn't expecting this kind of bass competence from a BA-based iem. I'm hearing GREAT texture, very good extension that allows for a good bit of rumbling, and solid impact. I think that if the song calls for it, it could equal the TF10's mid-bass impact, while extending lower for a more visceral feel to the bass (something I found lacking in the TF10). Now, you may want to take this with a grain of salt, since I haven't heard the TF10 in about 3/4 months.

 

[takoyaki7]

Bass on fi-ba-ss is really underrated. The BAM really gives them some dynamic like impact. Head to head tey just blew my w4s out of the water and prompted me to sell them at the time!

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Bass on fi-ba-ss is really underrated. The BAM really gives them some dynamic like impact. Head to head tey just blew my w4s out of the water and prompted me to sell them at the time!

 
It really is amazing. I'm more impressed with the extension I'm hearing. The forward mids also make it great for hip-hop. I'm clearly hearing lyrics I struggle to discern on other phones. I would even dare to call the FI-BA-SS "fun." I really wasn't expecting that.
 
 
Aside from the 'fun,' vocal separation and detail is pretty darn good. My test for this is Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek. I would have posted a video, but they all suck. Do yourself a favor and find a high quality version of this song. I'm hearing things I simply haven't before, and the sense of ambience is great.

 

[firoze]

^ @eke2k6

Welcome to the world of the BA-SS! After having lived with them for over a year, I can concur that they are quite simply exceptional. The point I want to make here is that while they will sound great with a reasonably good fit in your ear, it is when you get that optimum fit that they will blow you away! I urge you to experiment with how you fit them in your ears... When you do get that optimum fit you will know it and it will be well worth the effort!

Happy listening!

 

[piccolochimico]

I find mi BA-SA not so good in deep bass: it seems the Heaven C lacks on the very low frequencies...or maybe it's my fault that i don't fit them properly.  

I've just put them on sale (i'm always impulsive  

) and i will wait for a while without using them, otherwise i'll keep them and i'll try to find the better way to listen to the bass i was looking for.
 
 I didn't find any comply foam fits on their website, can you suggest me any good tips?  

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

I have pretty much all of these and could not agree more how good they are at showing what equipment is truly capable of! The drum section at the end of rhythm of the heat in particular really tests equipments mettle I find, with good equipment it truly has the hair on the back of your neck standing up! Also, if you really want to hear what truly great quality electric bass sounds like listen to pretty much anything Peter does, he has some of the most rhythmic and complex bass structures anywhere in music. I often think it is the blood pumping through his veins! So much texture and feeling.

 
It also helps when you have a world-class musician like Tony Levin playing bass & stick. 

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

^ @eke2k6
Welcome to the world of the BA-SS!

After having lived with them for over a year, I can concur that they are quite simply exceptional. The point I want to make here is that while they will sound great with a reasonably good fit in your ear, it is when you get that optimum fit that they will blow you away! I urge you to experiment with how you fit them in your ears... When you do get that optimum fit you will know it and it will be well worth the effort!
Happy listening!

 
Thank you firoze. They really are something special. 
 
I think I have the fit covered. I'm using wide-bore triple flange tips from the Meelectronics M6 tip set to ensure I get a fit past the second bend 

 

[cooperpwc]

So how do I get the kind of pleasure that I am enjoying from the PF IX in an isolating (and therefore portable) IEM? I know that nothing will sound exactly the same (nor do I necessarily want that - variety is good) but what will have the same soul? Should I be looking to the FI-BA-SS?
 
Appreciate any advice.
 
(Right now listening to Eric Clapton's Blues in comparative rapture. This is not an album that ever really moved me before.)

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

So how do I get the kind of pleasure that I am enjoying from the PF IX in an isolating (and therefore portable) IEM? I know that nothing will sound exactly the same (nor do I necessarily want that - variety is good) but what will have the same soul? Should I be looking to the FI-BA-SS?
 
Appreciate any advice.
 
(Right now listening to Eric Clapton's Blues in comparative rapture. This is not an album that ever really moved me before.)

 
 
Problem is the sound of the 1601 and 1602 is the result of designs which, by their very nature, sacrifice isolation in favor of openness. Seems somewhat akin to wanting a convertible with lots of room for luggage at the same time. : P
 
The closest that comes to mind is FAD's 1350 series, the M1 and M2. Sadly both have been out of production, so they may be a bit difficult to come by.

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

Problem is the sound of the 1601 and 1602 is the result of designs which, by their very nature, sacrifice isolation in favor of openness. Seems somewhat akin to wanting a convertible with lots of room for luggage at the same time. : P
 
The closest that comes to mind is FAD's 1350 series, the M1 and M2. Sadly both have been out of production, so they may be a bit difficult to come by.

 
Thank you for this. The 1350s are interesting (and I love how the Final Audio site keeps the archive pages available if you dig deep enough). I might grab a pair if I stumble upon them. However I also want to push the envelope of the inquiry beyond the steamship trunk in an Austin Mini boot paradox and in a more emotional direction. Even if the sound stage is substantially different from the 1602SS, is there an isolating IEM that might have the power to similarly entrance? I am therefore probably not looking for a hyper-accurate IEM like my ES5 (fine as it is). I assume, for example, that the K3003 is not the one.
 
Soul... maybe such a thing does not exist beyond one's subjective love for a specific sound signature so my inquiry is absurd.

 

[SpringBiscuit]

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