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FLC Technology FLC8 and FLC8s Impressions Thread
Mar 12, 2017 at 12:49 PM Post #6,187 of 7,931
fuyu said:
2K$? Ouch. So much for "sub-1k" and "amazing value".
frown.gif
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guess we'll find out once Forrestwei comes on here...hope he'll share
some rationale, too.
if $2k if corrrect then he's certainly taking a risk going up against the established big boys.
maybe he's hedging it on a good sound sig, and the unique, customizable tuning capabilities.
i'll  never spend that on an iem...esp in US$...frig i'm a Canuck...we already have to add 30%+ to any US prices as it is.
frown.gif

regardless I wish him success with the Celeste.
 
Mar 12, 2017 at 2:13 PM Post #6,189 of 7,931
Mar 12, 2017 at 11:10 PM Post #6,190 of 7,931
Wanted to post my thoughts on the Celeste last night but was too tired after 2 days of Canjaming so I'll post this during work on a slow Monday morning instead LOL.
 
Ok the basics first: There will be a total of 108 configuration: 3 low frequency options, 3 ultra low frequency, 3 options at the y connector switch (classic rock, male vocal, and female vocal), and 4 nozzles options which look identical to the nozzles for the FLC8S. The price is thought to be $2,000 but is not fixed and COULD be subjected to change. The tuning is probably not 100% fixed but maybe 80% fixed. 
 
Disclaimer: The options at Canjam were fixed at minimal low frequency and moderate ultra low frequency, with gold nozzle. However I was free to play with the Y connector switch (I will call this the Y switch). So I was probably not listening to the Celeste at my favorite configurations and that it has the potential to sound even better.
 
I'm also a current owner of the FLC8S and when listening to the Celeste, the main earphones for comparison was LMUE's FLC8S in balanced configuration. 
 
Firstly, the Celeste has the same house sound as the FLC8S except that I felt that it's probably less warm and more neutralish than the FLC8S. Hence at times, the FLC8S will come across as more musical and enjoyable, but the Celeste will have better clarity and be more revealing. Therefore it can be hard to tell which I prefer more because it's really YMMV, or in this case, MMMV. 
 
If I have to summarize, I will say the Celeste is less warm, with better resolution and wider soundstage compared to the FLC8S. The Celeste has less bass (due to its configuration) than the FLC8S that I chose to listen to but they are the same quality of bass that I love: powerful hard hitting bass with enough rumble to make it feel more natural but doesn't creep into the mids. They're probably almost identical in the bass department.
 
The thing that I'm able to play most with is the Y switch and it really makes a night and day difference! Probably about 90% of the time, the song will sound better if I choose the right vocal but for me I struggle abit to enjoy the classic/rock option. What it does is to push back the mids abit to increase the soundstage, sort of like moving back from the front row at a concert to the middle, but the change is quite disconcerting and I find that I prefer the vocal options most of the time. Of course, this creates the issue that I have to frequently toggle from song to song in order to match the right vocal setting.
 
And now on the issue of price. I will estimate that the Celeste is maybe 20-30% better than the FLC8S and even this is subjective depending on your preferences! This is where the FLC8S' fantastic pricing has come back to bite FLC in the rear. The FLC8S is such a crazy good value at $340 that the Celeste just seems way overpriced at $2,000 given how close they sound. Honestly, if I'm going to use price of the FLC8S as a basis, the Celeste should probably be priced at around $1,000, or maybe $1,500 max. I'm not trying to discredit Forrest's efforts, but I'm just calling it like I see it.
 
And in case anyone calls me a cheapo for suggesting a lower price, I actually bought a Dita Dream within the first hour of Canjam when it launches, making me the first retail customer worldwide. This is a $2,000 earphones and my most expensive single audio gear purchase (my second most expensive is my Hum Pristine custom at about $1,150, a far cry) to date. I'm not showing off, but want to point out that I'm willing to spend a crazy amount of money on something that is worth the price tag to me. 
 
While the Celeste sounds great, I do not think it's $2,000 great. I'm sure that there will be some who do, but I'm going to say it's going to be a niche. I will prefer to get the FLC8C at $650 paired with a $200 cable, than to get the Celeste at $2,000. The Beyerdynamic Xelento at $1,000, which some have complained is overpriced and I've tried at Canjam, would represent better value IMO.
 
In conclusion, I was a little, very slightly let down by the Celeste but that has nothing to do with the unit itself, but just more to do with how good the FLC8S was and my expectations that come with the $2,000 price tag.
 
Mar 12, 2017 at 11:32 PM Post #6,191 of 7,931
xuan87 said:
  Wanted to post my thoughts on the Celeste last night but was too tired after 2 days of Canjaming so I'll post this during work on a slow Monday morning instead LOL.
 
Ok the basics first: There will be a total of 108 configuration: 3 low frequency options, 3 ultra low frequency, 3 options at the y connector switch (classic rock, male vocal, and female vocal), and 4 nozzles options which look identical to the nozzles for the FLC8S. The price is thought to be $2,000 but is not fixed and COULD be subjected to change. The tuning is probably not 100% fixed but maybe 80% fixed. 
 
Disclaimer: The options at Canjam were fixed at minimal low frequency and moderate ultra low frequency, with gold nozzle. However I was free to play with the Y connector switch (I will call this the Y switch). So I was probably not listening to the Celeste at my favorite configurations and that it has the potential to sound even better.
 
I'm also a current owner of the FLC8S and when listening to the Celeste, the main earphones for comparison was LMUE's FLC8S in balanced configuration. 
 
Firstly, the Celeste has the same house sound as the FLC8S except that I felt that it's probably less warm and more neutralish than the FLC8S. Hence at times, the FLC8S will come across as more musical and enjoyable, but the Celeste will have better clarity and be more revealing. Therefore it can be hard to tell which I prefer more because it's really YMMV, or in this case, MMMV. 
 
If I have to summarize, I will say the Celeste is less warm, with better resolution and wider soundstage compared to the FLC8S. The Celeste has less bass (due to its configuration) than the FLC8S that I chose to listen to but they are the same quality of bass that I love: powerful hard hitting bass with enough rumble to make it feel more natural but doesn't creep into the mids. They're probably almost identical in the bass department.
 
The thing that I'm able to play most with is the Y switch and it really makes a night and day difference! Probably about 90% of the time, the song will sound better if I choose the right vocal but for me I struggle abit to enjoy the classic/rock option. What it does is to push back the mids abit to increase the soundstage, sort of like moving back from the front row at a concert to the middle, but the change is quite disconcerting and I find that I prefer the vocal options most of the time. Of course, this creates the issue that I have to frequently toggle from song to song in order to match the right vocal setting.
 
And now on the issue of price. I will estimate that the Celeste is maybe 20-30% better than the FLC8S and even this is subjective depending on your preferences! This is where the FLC8S' fantastic pricing has come back to bite FLC in the rear. The FLC8S is such a crazy good value at $340 that the Celeste just seems way overpriced at $2,000 given how close they sound. Honestly, if I'm going to use price of the FLC8S as a basis, the Celeste should probably be priced at around $1,000, or maybe $1,500 max. I'm not trying to discredit Forrest's efforts, but I'm just calling it like I see it.
 
And in case anyone calls me a cheapo for suggesting a lower price, I actually bought a Dita Dream within the first hour of Canjam when it launches, making me the first retail customer worldwide. This is a $2,000 earphones and my most expensive single audio gear purchase (my second most expensive is my Hum Pristine custom at about $1,150, a far cry) to date. I'm not showing off, but want to point out that I'm willing to spend a crazy amount of money on something that is worth the price tag to me. 
 
While the Celeste sounds great, I do not think it's $2,000 great. I'm sure that there will be some who do, but I'm going to say it's going to be a niche. I will prefer to get the FLC8C at $650 paired with a $200 cable, than to get the Celeste at $2,000. The Beyerdynamic Xelento at $1,000, which some have complained is overpriced and I've tried at Canjam, would represent better value IMO.
 
In conclusion, I was a little, very slightly let down by the Celeste but that has nothing to do with the unit itself, but just more to do with how good the FLC8S was and my expectations that come with the $2,000 price tag.
Click to expand...

 
 
thanks for the detailed review...
 
i hope forrestwei is able to nail a pricepoint that can satisfy and grow both his current
customer base market as well as break into the larger Chinese one...without alienating either.
balancing such a tightrope walk isn't easy.
and thanks for the writeup, Xuan87...appreciate your efforts and honest feedback.
 
Mar 12, 2017 at 11:49 PM Post #6,192 of 7,931
xuan87 said:
  Wanted to post my thoughts on the Celeste last night but was too tired after 2 days of Canjaming so I'll post this during work on a slow Monday morning instead LOL.
 
Click to expand...

 
Thanks for your efforts. At $2k FLC will no longer be punching above their weight, rather justifying the massive price tag. Quite a number of TOTL contenders at that price bracket too. Good luck to Forrest and the team, the Celeste has a tuning system like no other that I'm sure took incredible effort.
 
Mar 12, 2017 at 11:59 PM Post #6,193 of 7,931
ezekiel77 said:
   
Thanks for your efforts. At $2k FLC will no longer be punching above their weight, rather justifying the massive price tag. Quite a number of TOTL contenders at that price bracket too. Good luck to Forrest and the team, the Celeste has a tuning system like no other that I'm sure took incredible effort.
Click to expand...

 
If the price point is correct, sales are likely going to be modest.
 
I still think a unit tuned red gray with just nozzles in the range of gunmetal or gold would sell very well.
 
Mar 13, 2017 at 12:59 AM Post #6,194 of 7,931
originalsnuffy said:
If the price point is correct, sales are likely going to be modest.

I still think a unit tuned red gray with just nozzles in the range of gunmetal or gold would sell very well.
Click to expand...


Yup. Gun metal or gold are highly pleasant from my experience. Mebbe grey and grey for front perhaps?
 
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