[firoze]

Quote:

..... today I went to Bic Camera and listened to the BS,A1,M1,M2.

 
Congrats radio-head, happy listening with the A1's! I'll be travelling to Tokyo later this week and am looking to compliment my 1601SB's with an IEM that Isolates really well. I will listen to the FAD BA series and see if they isolate adequately for my needs. As per advice from Shigzeo and James, the SB & A1 might do the trick. Which Bic Camera branch did you do your listening in? I'll be going to Yodobashi and Dynamic Audio in Akihabara, but other options to listen at would be welcome...
 
Ps: The other IEM's I have in mind to listen to are: EQ5/EQ7, AT CK10/CK100. Any other IEM's you might recommend I try?

 

[james444]

I concur the FI-BA-xx isolation is well below the SE530, yet still much better than the FAD1601.
 
@firoze, I'll be trying my 1601SB with a small active noise canceling headphone on top, the Audio Technica ANC25. First impressions with the FX700 during today's commute were pretty encouraging.

 

[firoze]

Quote:

@firoze, I'll be trying my 1601SB with a small active noise canceling headphone on top, the Audio Technica ANC25. First impressions with the FX700 during today's commute were pretty encouraging.

Thats very interesting James, do let me know how they sound. I love the 1601's so much, even after ten months they still thrill me every day, they have not jaded. Would love to find a way to use them outdoors. Or to find another IEM that gave me the same SQ with adequate isolation...

 

[Anouk]

Hey, Unfortunately I detest comply tips. They feel VERY dirty even after just a few uses, they are expensive and always really change the sound for me. I am afraid I really must get into customs one of these days. I just read on the internet that acs now has dealers here in the Netherlands as well so that is great. Also looking into the earsonics stuff though because of their unique update path (as far as I know no other costom iem manufacturer offers something like this and I am really impressed/tempted by it). Another off-topic question do you or anyone know if there already exists a list of custom iem manufacturers (especially either located or with dealers within eu'= Greetings, Anouk,

 

[k3oxkjo]

Well, I ordered my FI-BA-SB and hopefully they will ship soon. It will be very interesting to see what FAD has come up with.
 
I have the 1601SS's already, and must admit to a bit of love/hate with them. They are really upfront with what they do wrong with some noticable tonal deviations, that is, a subdued bass and high treble and an emphesis in the mid-trebles before they roll off. And to even get this level of balance requires very careful selection of tips (for me, the supplied large tips with the radial slots cut in are the best by far). And keeping them in your ears in the right spot is a bit of a task. The eq-7 and ck-10 are both more initially "friendly" and easy to get along with.
 
But but but...
 
The 1601SS's have qualities that transcend some of the usual limitations of the IEM's I have heard.
 
a) The IEM's I have heard all seem to vaguely sound like they are straining to get the music out, especially when things get busy
b) They soundstage small and pretty much "in the head"
c) The sound a bit microdynamically challanged
d) It's harder to hear "into" the music, that is the spaces between instruments
 
The 1601SS's never seem to run out of steam, keeping the musical threads sorted even when things get busy. You can hear the "spaces" stay clear and the full(er) range of dynamic expressiveness. And the presentation is much more "out of head", more spacious and much closer to a full sized headphone though still well behind the newer angled driver presentations (such as the T-1, HD-800 etc.).
 
Now fundamentally, their deviations from neutral-ish trouble me, without question. Bit at the same time, the 1601SS bring the limitations of typical IEM's, again, at least the ones I have owned (eq-7, ER4-P, CK-10, HJE-900, Westone UM3, IE-8 etc.) into bold relief. 
 
Sometimes I can't decide whether the 1601SS are a noble mistake or a work of genius. I hope that at least some of their weird magic carries over to the FI-BA-SB...
 
Kevin 

 

[yello131]

Quote:

Well, I ordered my FI-BA-SB and hopefully they will ship soon. It will be very interesting to see what FAD has come up with.
 
I have the 1601SS's already, and must admit to a bit of love/hate with them. They are really upfront with what they do wrong with some noticable tonal deviations, that is, a subdued bass and high treble and an emphesis in the mid-trebles before they roll off. And to even get this level of balance requires very careful selection of tips (for me, the supplied large tips with the radial slots cut in are the best by far). And keeping them in your ears in the right spot is a bit of a task. The eq-7 and ck-10 are both more initially "friendly" and easy to get along with.
 
But but but...
 
The 1601SS's have qualities that transcend some of the usual limitations of the IEM's I have heard.
 
a) The IEM's I have heard all seem to vaguely sound like they are straining to get the music out, especially when things get busy
b) They soundstage small and pretty much "in the head"
c) The sound a bit microdynamically challanged
d) It's harder to hear "into" the music, that is the spaces between instruments
 
The 1601SS's never seem to run out of steam, keeping the musical threads sorted even when things get busy. You can hear the "spaces" stay clear and the full(er) range of dynamic expressiveness. And the presentation is much more "out of head", more spacious and much closer to a full sized headphone though still well behind the newer angled driver presentations (such as the T-1, HD-800 etc.).
 
Now fundamentally, their deviations from neutral-ish trouble me, without question. Bit at the same time, the 1601SS bring the limitations of typical IEM's, again, at least the ones I have owned (eq-7, ER4-P, CK-10, HJE-900, Westone UM3, IE-8 etc.) into bold relief. 
 
Sometimes I can't decide whether the 1601SS are a noble mistake or a work of genius. I hope that at least some of their weird magic carries over to the FI-BA-SB...
 
Kevin 

Did you order from Dimitri's shop? www.musicaAcoustics.com
If so he usually ships right away. Looking forward to your impressions..

 

[Anouk]

Hello mine are for sale in the fs forum because I want to buy customs. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[k3oxkjo]

Hello mine are for sale in the fs forum because I want to buy customs. Greetings, Anouk,

 


Sent pm.

 

[james444]

Quote:

I have the 1601SS's already, and must admit to a bit of love/hate with them. They are really upfront with what they do wrong with some noticable tonal deviations, that is, a subdued bass and high treble and an emphesis in the mid-trebles before they roll off. And to even get this level of balance requires very careful selection of tips (for me, the supplied large tips with the radial slots cut in are the best by far). And keeping them in your ears in the right spot is a bit of a task. The eq-7 and ck-10 are both more initially "friendly" and easy to get along with.
 
But but but...
 
The 1601SS's have qualities that transcend some of the usual limitations of the IEM's I have heard.
 
a) The IEM's I have heard all seem to vaguely sound like they are straining to get the music out, especially when things get busy
b) They soundstage small and pretty much "in the head"
c) The sound a bit microdynamically challanged
d) It's harder to hear "into" the music, that is the spaces between instruments
 
The 1601SS's never seem to run out of steam, keeping the musical threads sorted even when things get busy. You can hear the "spaces" stay clear and the full(er) range of dynamic expressiveness. And the presentation is much more "out of head", more spacious and much closer to a full sized headphone though still well behind the newer angled driver presentations (such as the T-1, HD-800 etc.).
 
Now fundamentally, their deviations from neutral-ish trouble me, without question. Bit at the same time, the 1601SS bring the limitations of typical IEM's, again, at least the ones I have owned (eq-7, ER4-P, CK-10, HJE-900, Westone UM3, IE-8 etc.) into bold relief. 
 
Sometimes I can't decide whether the 1601SS are a noble mistake or a work of genius. I hope that at least some of their weird magic carries over to the FI-BA-SB...
 
Kevin 

Hi Kevin, I have the 1601SB and can wholeheartedly relate to your feelings. I'm having a rough ride with them too, at times leaving them unused in a drawer for weeks, maybe months. Lately picking them up again and omg do they sound brilliant with some stuff! They need to be EQed though and my Sony A845 is doing a great job at that. Currently they're (once again) my favorite bedtime listening phones. At low volume levels nothing else comes close, a premonition of limitless power waiting to be unleashed, like a Ferrari driven in first gear. Yet at the same time they're also a major design debacle, a monument of bad usability and pretty much useless for outside.
 
The FI-BA-SB are much more down-to-earth and practical. Without a doubt excellent phones, but neither a noble mistake nor a work of genius. As for the 1601's weird magic, there are traces of it to be found in the SB and A1 and noticeably more so in the SS. But at the end of the day the 1601 remain unrivalled as a mostly monstrous and at times magical IEM mystery.

 

[javajive]

As for tips, I got the best results with Sony Nude Ep-ex1 on my Heaven A. The hole is even wider than the stock tips so the possibility of any type of compression is non-existant. I also found they brought out the bass more than the stock ones and do a bettter of keeping them firmly in place.

On a side note, i'm a bit surprised there hasnt beem more interest in these as for me they combine some of the best charactoristics of the CK10s and eq-7s at a much lower price.

 

[james444]

Quote:

On a side note, i'm a bit surprised there hasnt beem more interest in these as for me they combine some of the best charactoristics of the CK10s and eq-7s at a much lower price.

I second that. Their cable looks awfully flimsy (yet I've had no problems so far), but apart from that they offer maybe the best sound/buck among the top tiers I've heard. Plus they're easier to fit than the Ortofons.