Fir Audio Thread - Discussion and Impressions
Mar 11, 2023 at 11:43 AM Post #3,841 of 6,538
Has anyone compared both first times shielding and ode to laura on xe6?

I currently have fts on the xe6 and really like the combo. otl is on its way and will be here soon to compare.

I have heard otl before, but never on xe6. I imagine otl will sound similar to fts, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on treble and thinning of midbass.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 12:24 PM Post #3,842 of 6,538
Has anyone compared both first times shielding and ode to laura on xe6?

I currently have fts on the xe6 and really like the combo. otl is on its way and will be here soon to compare.

I have heard otl before, but never on xe6. I imagine otl will sound similar to fts, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on treble and thinning of midbass.

I have the standard FT and OTL and prefer OTL's analog texture and lower mids still sound full with a very slight thinning and smoother upper mids. Treble is airy and similar extension to FT though smoother with OTL. OTL's soundstage sounds a little narrower but depth and layering is where OTL excels.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 1:09 PM Post #3,843 of 6,538
Thanks for that!

Looking forward to spending time comparing the two.

If they both sound good, it may inspire me to pick up an RN6.

🤭
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 1:16 PM Post #3,844 of 6,538
Found another pic of Rn6 with new cable :xf_wink:

Photo courtesy of @Junmoe62
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/wat...nd-post-for-active-tours.960012/post-17450515

311C972B-237B-4557-87F0-BA86930E7628.jpeg
 
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Mar 11, 2023 at 1:31 PM Post #3,846 of 6,538
i heard a rumor red will be included.

i prefer red with xe6 by a mile, so it'd be nice to know red will be included on rn6.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 2:10 PM Post #3,847 of 6,538
i heard a rumor red will be included.

i prefer red with xe6 by a mile, so it'd be nice to know red will be included on rn6.
I sent Jessica an email this morning explicitly to ask that (and again, the usual massive shout out to Fir's customer support). Given it's the weekend, I'm not expecting any sort of reply until Monday earliest, but happy to report back here.

FWIW, I also asked about the cable, and thus far was told that unless something changes there's no plans to offer it outside of the Radon package. That alone has been enough to sway me on the rn6 over the xe. I know there's bigger players than me here that have high end cables for days, but the cost savings of not having to upgrade a cable is significant to me, and sonic performance aside, just looking at that photo, nothing about that screams cheap throwaway stock cable. It looks solid, tasteful color, comes with a y cinch, and has flush connectors. Hits all my happy points.

@bogdan belonozhko has hit it out of the park with this one as far as I'm concerned. Planning on placing my order first thing Monday AM as soon as I know whether the red modules are included or if I need to add them as an accessory add-on when I checkout. That, and waiting to see if Fir supports paypal pay in 4 (the option didn't work for me on checkout) or if I need to use Assure. Payment plans are gonna save my butt here, but yeah, seeing what they've done with the rn6 has alleviated my regret about not being able to afford an xe6 last fall when I demoed it. Really digging Fir as a company right now.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 2:12 PM Post #3,848 of 6,538
Anyone have any FR graphs comparing Xe6 modules?

I thought the red lacked impact, but I haven't really swapped them back and forth to compare, as they're pretty cumbersome, fiddly little things.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 2:18 PM Post #3,849 of 6,538
Has anyone compared both first times shielding and ode to laura on xe6?

I currently have fts on the xe6 and really like the combo. otl is on its way and will be here soon to compare.

I have heard otl before, but never on xe6. I imagine otl will sound similar to fts, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on treble and thinning of midbass.
I have both cables and am receiving an Xe6 next week. But in general, the mids is where there’s a big difference. More neutral on the FTS, and a bit recessed with a very nice analog texture on the OTL. Both have great bass, but I prefer OTL bass. For a bassy iem like the Xe6 I suspect the OTL might be better.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 2:25 PM Post #3,850 of 6,538
Interesting, thanks.

xe6 is literally the only iem i've tried that i don't think orphy "works" with.

i find that FTS retains most of the technicalities of orphy, but emphasizes upper mids and treble vs. the orphy's "all-in on analog" presentation.

That mids "recession" AND analog texture at the same time is what I'm curious to hear on the OTL.
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 2:29 PM Post #3,851 of 6,538
Mar 11, 2023 at 3:39 PM Post #3,852 of 6,538
86C65425-5AA1-45FC-993C-B0E7466B12EF.jpeg


Just had a session. It’s gonna be tough for the otl to beat this.

Looking forward to the showdown…
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 4:42 PM Post #3,853 of 6,538
I sent Jessica an email this morning explicitly to ask that (and again, the usual massive shout out to Fir's customer support). Given it's the weekend, I'm not expecting any sort of reply until Monday earliest, but happy to report back here.

FWIW, I also asked about the cable, and thus far was told that unless something changes there's no plans to offer it outside of the Radon package. That alone has been enough to sway me on the rn6 over the xe. I know there's bigger players than me here that have high end cables for days, but the cost savings of not having to upgrade a cable is significant to me, and sonic performance aside, just looking at that photo, nothing about that screams cheap throwaway stock cable. It looks solid, tasteful color, comes with a y cinch, and has flush connectors. Hits all my happy points.

@bogdan belonozhko has hit it out of the park with this one as far as I'm concerned. Planning on placing my order first thing Monday AM as soon as I know whether the red modules are included or if I need to add them as an accessory add-on when I checkout. That, and waiting to see if Fir supports paypal pay in 4 (the option didn't work for me on checkout) or if I need to use Assure. Payment plans are gonna save my butt here, but yeah, seeing what they've done with the rn6 has alleviated my regret about not being able to afford an xe6 last fall when I demoed it. Really digging Fir as a company right now.
I sent mesage to Jessica! Yes, the red module included with RN6, don't worry about that!
 
Mar 11, 2023 at 5:33 PM Post #3,855 of 6,538
Glad they decided to. I was told the red modules are much harder to make, hence the usual lack of inclusion
I'm so happy to this decision. Anyway, Radon 6 is still the limited edition for Fir's anniversary, so they will definitely bring all the best for it 😜😜😜
 

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