[Anouk]

Hi again everyone,
For me, for the long haul, the fad sb is better then the jvc fx700. I just love the treble of the fad sb and its midrange is EXACTLY as I like it. Soundstage could certainly be better although for me it is acceptable (I do get a kick out of wide and deep soundstage though so if there will be an improved version then I will certainly buy it). Also the bass slam and depth could be improved upon but overall I find them pretty enjoyable and comfortable to wear.
I am now really wanting to compare them to the monster turbine pro copper though which are my previous favourite iems (especially now that I know that they are available within Europe and warranty will be honoured).
I think I might have to find a second hand pair or get someone to loan me a pair. I do think though that they will be a lot like the fad sb with a bit more bass authority at least where deep bass notes are concerned.
I find it very hard though to compare iems or headphones from memory if they are no longer in my posession.
I know now though that the fad too goes a long way towards the kind of iem that I am interested in, although it is not perfect.
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[dfkt]

Anouk, have you heard the SM3? To me, they're a more refined version of the SB, with less hot treble and more consistent frequency response across the range.

 

[james444]

^ One man's "less hot" is another man's "recessed".

But I concur @Anouk you might wanna try the SM3, especially since you seem to like forward mids. Speaking of which, the lower mids is where the comparison ends, as the SB have none of the SM3's thickness to my ears.

 

[Anouk]

Hi, I have never heard of the sm3 before. What is its full name? I have been gone from head-fi too long since they took this new system in use. I have owned the shure se530 quite a while ago and its trebble was too rolled off for me and in general they sounded quite warmish (I was only able to try them with standard tips because I could not pry them off) also their soundstage was quite narrow. I am quite interested in the sm3 now though. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[dfkt]

They're the Earsonics SM3. You can read my review here and James444's review somewhere here (stupid Huddler doesn't let one link directly). I perceive them way differently than James444 - it took me a while to get accustomed to them and find the right tips, but to my ears there's no recessed treble and no distracting thickness to them. In general, the SB remind me quite a bit of them, that's why I mentioned them.

 

[radio-head]

Hey I've been reading up on these posts and
I'm looking to get either the SB or A1 while I'm in Japan for the holidays.
As you can see from my name, my favorite band is radiohead.
Could you please tell me which of these two headphones would do more justice for radiohead.
I've been using the Triplefi 10's for the last month and I enjoyed them a lot but needed to give them away so looking for a different pair.
Thanks

 

[Dekimasu]

Darn. If I had ever gotten a proper seal with these I'd be able to tell you, as I did a lot of testing with Radiohead tracks. But if you're moving from TF10s then you'll definitely love the styling of either of them.
 
Buying in Japan, they should definitely give you a chance to listen beforehand, so you should be able to decide for yourself.

 

[radio-head]

Oh darn ok.
I'm planning to go to yodobashi in the next few days so ill give both of them a try.

 

[radio-head]

Do you guys know anything about the M1 or M2 headphones that FAD makes?
The M2 priced the same as the SB so I was just wondering.
And it looks really funky, i kind of like it.

 

[radio-head]

I feel like im talking to myself but today I went to Bic Camera and listened to the BS,A1,M1,M2.
 
I liked the BS the most because it was a lot warmer than the A1's.
 
Some of Radiohead's songs were a tad bit too bright for my taste.
 
And I hated the M1 and M2, I feel like I wasn't listening to them properly because they sounded so bad.
 
So I guess the BS for me but the gold brass is a little too blingy bling for my taste...oh well.

 

[james444]

^ If you want a tad less brightness and still some warmth then look into the Ortofons e-Q5/e-Q7. Have you seen my sound signature comparison of the Final Audios and Ortofons? Btw it's SB, not BS. Confusing acronyms.

 

[radio-head]

I went to go listen to them again but decided to get the a1.
I liked the a1 and sb about the same this time but the sb did have a more airy sound.
But I just couldn't stand the bright gold.
I thought these graphs between the a1 and ss were interesting too...http://sonove.angry.jp/finalaudiodesign_FIBAA1.html
I just hope I will like them as much as the TF10's.

 

[james444]

Congrats and thanks for the graphs! That's pretty much what I hear, the SS sounds a bit livelier and aggressive due to those higher treble spikes. The main difference is slightly better detail resolution and refinement with the SS, but I guess you can't see that from FR graphs. Btw try the A1 with an amp if you happen to have one, IME they can get pretty snappy when amped.

 

[Anouk]

'Hi, I tried my fad ba-sb in the library today tand thee they dont isolate all too well. I can still hear people talking and coughing all around me, i guess its ecause they dont insert as deeply assome other iems. So far the iem that has isolated the best for me is the shure se530 but for me that one had no soundstage. I hope the sm3 iwll isolate better. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[shigzeo]

The FI series doesn't isolate that much, but if you get the angle JUST right and have comply tips on, you can get a good amount of isolation from them. Good luck Anouk.