Final Audio Design Impressions and Discussion Thread

[vwinter]

Is that you, Bob?

That last episode was very unsettling lol.

 

[Ivabign]

Quote:

That last episode was very unsettling lol.

Ain't that the truth - I am a big David Lynch fan - although I have a hard time sitting through "Dune." If I am channel surfing and it is on, I'll sometimes stop for a few moments - then my wife will come in - and then I listen through her ears and it is silly as hell - the mood is broken. The dialogue is stilted - the acting is wooden - the structure is scattershot.

 

[Carlsan]

Quote:

Ain't that the truth - I am a big David Lynch fan - although I have a hard time sitting through "Dune." If I am channel surfing and it is on, I'll sometimes stop for a few moments - then my wife will come in - and then I listen through her ears and it is silly as hell - the mood is broken. The dialogue is stilted - the acting is wooden - the structure is scattershot.

I saw it at the movies when it came out, my gf/future wife slept through the whole movie. My friends, one or two anyway, left part way through.
I completely enjoyed it.Too much of a Sci-Fi geek at the time I guess.

 

[Inks]

Heaven V Aging analysis by Rin. Special thanks to Vwinter. Seems FAD is gradually improving. Also FAD pretty much sources their stuff from Molex Inc., which makes sense as Mr.Kanemori was a employee there.

http://rinchoi.blogspot.com/2013/06/final-audio-design-heaven-v-aging.html?m=0

It's actually pretty flat but a moderate midbass hump. Do wish it had more bandwidth and less distortion but still looks solid.

 

[tomscy2000]

Quote:

  Also FAD pretty much sources their stuff from Molex Inc., which makes sense as Mr.Kanemori was a employee there.

 
This is a more accurate lay of the land:
 

​

 

[Inks]

Nice! ^ thanks again for the info

 

[vwinter]

Heaven V Aging analysis by Rin. Special thanks to Vwinter. Seems FAD is gradually improving. Also FAD pretty much sources their stuff from Molex Inc., which makes sense as Mr.Kanemori was a employee there.

http://rinchoi.blogspot.com/2013/06/final-audio-design-heaven-v-aging.html?m=0

It's actually pretty flat but a moderate midbass hump. Do wish it had more bandwidth and less distortion but still looks solid.

Wow that was quick.
The last FR chart in pink is pretty much exactly as I hear it except maybe a little flatter between 1-3Khz, but I've long felt I was extra sensitive to that area, so that works well for me here haha.

A few questions:

• Did he try the type A vs type B included tips?
• Would it produce less distortion at a lower spl?
• How is the driver matching? I felt it was pretty good from just listening.
• Did you get to hear it?

Lol the oxidation. yes! It only turned green beneath the silicone tips. I need to throw up some pictures. I'd actually argue that it's "bodily fluids" like oil from skin that prevented oxidation on the barrel which remains a sheeny dark brass color.

 

[Inks]

Asking him about the tips at the moment
Yes, less at lower volumes
Average, not too bad or great. Hard to detect via normal listening I would think
I will soon

 

[SoundFreaq]

I also noticed adding serial resistance changed the sound quite a bit, and depending on my mood, definitely for the better. More high end, and lower distortion. 
 
Edit: I also found deeper insertion sounded better. Part of why I use the small tips. 

 

[Inks]

You're right SF, though personally I wouldn't add more resistance than 15ohms, too bright.

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

I also found deeper insertion sounded better. Part of why I use the small tips. 

 
You know that I agree with this!
 
Try adding a light crossfeed. The soundstage runs both from left to right and from the front to back of my head. I have never heard anything quite like it.

 

[cooperpwc]

I wonder how much of the distortion is a byproduct of the brass housing? If it is from this, one would expect some (perhaps less) from the Heaven VI and even less then from the Heaven IV. That distortion then is what creates timbre, much as an acoustic guitar sounding board is adding resonance which is form of natural distortion relative to the natural sound of the string.
 
Whether that timbre/resonance/distortion from the Heaven is desirable would be a matter of taste. With the VI, I think that it is. I still have not heard the V.

 

[Inks]

Quote:

I wonder how much of the distortion is a byproduct of the brass housing? If it is from this, one would expect some (perhaps less) from the Heaven VI and even less then from the Heaven IV. That distortion then is what creates timbre, much as an acoustic guitar sounding board is adding resonance which is form of natural distortion relative to the natural sound of the string.
 
Whether that timbre/resonance/distortion from the Heaven is desirable would be a matter of taste. With the VI, I think that it is. I still have not heard the V.

Well the old Heaven series had similar distortion despite all the different housing materials that were used. Think it has to do more with the driver. Distortion is a big factor of what generates what we perceive as timbre, that comparison doesn't apply as IEMs are trying to generate a signal rather than creating a new one.Well doing the latter can be left more to subjective evaluation, 3rd order harmonics make it's sound sharper, seem almost sped up IME, Etymotics also have this to a lesser extent. Personally a distortion-less IEM like the RE400 has a much more natural timbre as IEMs with high distortion can make certain instruments sound kind of wrong, though sometimes that colored timbre makes certain other instruments seem more euphoric, but this makes things more specialized. 

 

[vwinter]

Well the old Heaven series had similar distortion despite all the different housing materials that were used. Think it has to do more with the driver. Distortion is a big factor of what generates what we perceive as timbre, that comparison doesn't apply as IEMs are trying to generate a signal rather than creating a new one.Well doing the latter can be left more to subjective evaluation, 3rd order harmonics make it's sound sharper, seem almost sped up IME, Etymotics also have this to a lesser extent. Personally a distortion-less IEM like the RE400 has a much more natural timbre as IEMs with high distortion can make certain instruments sound kind of wrong, though sometimes that colored timbre makes certain other instruments seem more euphoric, but this makes things more specialized. 

Really interesting. I'll be thinking about this when I hear the RE-400 next week.

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

 
Whether that timbre/resonance/distortion from the Heaven is desirable would be a matter of taste. With the VI, I think that it is.

 
Quote:

Well doing the latter can be left more to subjective evaluation, 3rd order harmonics make it's sound sharper, seem almost sped up IME, 

 
I took physics too. I understand how waves work. How they can break down and amplify themselves. 
 
I think whatever distortion is left in the Heaven VI after a long day at work sounds just right to my ears. In fact, I would crown Final Audio Design as the distortion kings. It's like finding the Higgs Boson. It's small, but when you find it, your whole world comes together.