[Ziggomatic]

So, I'm having some real difficulty finding tips that actually work for me. So far (apart from all the stock ones which don't work at all for me), I've tried the Sony Hybrids (whatever the regular Sony ones are) and then Spin fits, both, small, medium, and then small bi-flange and large bi-flange. The best so far are the small regular, although I guess I need to work on how to insert them, but I'm still having difficulty with having a good fit. I love the FLC sound and the tips are the only problem for me. Should I try spiral dots? I was thinking of getting MS sized to start and see what I feel about them.

Also I was considering trying getting Custom IEM tips for these - does anyone have experience with this? I previously did get a custom IEM made for me (JH audio 3 I think) but they never worked out for me. First of all the sound isn't that great and I had to actually get it remolded twice and sent it back quite a few times because the seal wasn't working on one ear. In fact they're still currently not sealing as I gave up on them.

Having said that, any suggestions or ideas? I figure I could also try comply, but having used them in the past, they're such a pain to insert and take out and probably would be unusable. Not to mention to degradation over time. Thanks for help!

Spiral Dots are a good option, though they are a little short for the nozzle, so you have to insert the earpieces a little further than normal. They're a tiny bit loose, too. But very comfortable and to my ears they don't hurt the sound.

Symbio W tips are also a good option. They might especially be a good try for you because you can choose various sizes, and you can remove the foam if the hybrid (silicon stuffed with foam) feel doesn't work for you. They fit perfectly on the FLC8S.

You can also get a combo pack of the Meelec M6 Pro tips, with single, double & triple flange options. These are as long (if not a bit longer) than the stock tips and are a little tight to get on the nozzle (kind of a narrow bore).

Finally, if you haven't given up on foam tips entirely, the Crystal Tips (v2) from lendmeurears.com are far superior to Comply. You'd want the medium core ones.

Luckily a lot of tips with a wider bore fit the FLC8S, so if you see some that might work for you, it's probably worth giving it a try. AliExpress is a wonderland.

Hope this helps. (I've done a ridiculous amount of tip rolling with the FLC8S.)

 

[sestki]

Is it possible to get somewhere balanced silver cable with memory wire? I can not find him anywhere. If somebody had it for sale, please let me know. It would help me a lot. Thank you!

 

[Ziggomatic]

Red/gray/gold with Crystal Tips running balanced from the Lotoo PAW 5000 MKii - this is the best these have sounded to me. Just natural and clear as a bell.

 

[HouJaI82]

I have dunu adapter. It works perfectly.

yes, it is.
about getting straight or angled adapter, calculate the result shape of adding the adapter to your angled flc8s plug, to check it fits your wish

just got my dunu converter and its working perfectly fine! the sound quality compare to unbalanced is out of this world, or its my first time listening to something really clear and "balanced", the stage seems larger with these cables.

so where do i go from here? is there anyway to get better sound quality with flc 8s + balanced cables. would getting a DAC makes that much difference?

 

[hakuzen]

just got my dunu converter and its working perfectly fine! the sound quality compare to unbalanced is out of this world, or its my first time listening to something really clear and "balanced", the stage seems larger with these cables.

so where do i go from here? is there anyway to get better sound quality with flc 8s + balanced cables. would getting a DAC makes that much difference?

the adapter allows you using your balanced cable in a single end output, but it doesn't convert the sound into balanced.
to notice the difference of balanced sound (double power, +6dB, at same volume pot, and less crosstalk -> wider soundstage) you need to plug the balanced cable into a balanced output (no need of adapter if format is the same, for example, 2.5mm TRRS plug and socket)

 

[HouJaI82]

the adapter allows you using your balanced cable in a single end output, but it doesn't convert the sound into balanced.
to notice the difference of balanced sound (double power, +6dB, at same volume pot, and less crosstalk -> wider soundstage) you need to plug the balanced cable into a balanced output (no need of adapter if format is the same, for example, 2.5mm TRRS plug and socket)

thanks for the response, can you please recommend me a budget DAC/hi-res player that could provide a better sound quality. tqtq

 

[hakuzen]

thanks for the response, can you please recommend me a budget DAC/hi-res player that could provide a better sound quality. tqtq

i'm using xDuoo X20 hi-res player lately, because of its balanced and single end outputs, power, low noise and distortion, its Sabre DAC (which I love), and because it can be rockboxed (dual boot, so you choose if using stock firmware or rockbox at boot time). but many options available.
if you choose a DAC+amplifier instead of a player, to connect to your phone, you need the DAC+amp has a balanced output

 

[tnoy]

One side of my cable has connection issue so I need a new cable. What is a good cheap cable I can use?

 

[Ziggomatic]

I'm using this one. It's a bit rubbery, but it sounds clean and doesn't seem to stress the sockets on the FLC8S.

 

[Toastybob]

definitely, i'm using medium grey stock tips.

spiral dots (M) also sound ok to my ears, maybe slightly v-shaped; not bad, considering i'm using gold filter for mids.

in case of needing better isolation, this is my easy way to build hybrid (silicone+foam) tips:
















the tube used to drill the foams is this one: https://www.fasttech.com/p/3895900 ($1.79, 5.5 OD)
that diameter could be ok for size L tips, but for M tips, better use a tube of 6.5mm (diameter), so the foam stay loose (if too tight, insertion in the ear will turn much more difficult).

foams used are very cheap as well.

btw, about the silver upgrade cable, does it improve mids and highs resolution and clarity significantly? does it keep bass response even (i've heard too thin silver wires can limit bass response)?

What is the name of the the tube used to drill the foams? The link is broken now.

 

[hakuzen]

What is the name of the the tube used to drill the foams? The link is broken now.

updated the post with new links, and new foams to use if you want them with hole already made
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flc...ressions-thread.777158/page-319#post-12778579

 

[Toastybob]

updated the post with new links, and new foams to use if you want them with hole already made
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flc...ressions-thread.777158/page-319#post-12778579

Thanks!

 

[qu8it]

There is a British seller on eBay offering the FLC8S for ~$120. It says they have more than 10 in stock so it's not a one off. Is that Price reasonable nowadays or does it seem too cheap to be true?

I've been enjoying my Westone 4R for the past 6 years until the left earpiece started crackling/buzzing when playing lower bass frequencies so I'm looking for a replacement that isn't a downgrade.

I found a cheap used pair of Etymotic HF3's to get an idea of the whole Etymotic sound signature but find it to be too bright and lacking in bass. I'm still curious about the ER3XR but I'm afraid I wouldn't be quite satisfied with them. They're also cheap on Massdrop right now for $145 but I'm probably not risking it.

The Westones do have a bit too much bass at times so I'm really looking for a bit of a middle ground here. Do you think the FLC8S would be a good choice for me to replace my Westone 4R?
And if anyone happens to have owned both the W4R and FLC8S, do you think the FLC8S will feel like an upgrade over the W4R in certain aspects?

 

[Ziggomatic]

There is a British seller on eBay offering the FLC8S for ~$120. It says they have more than 10 in stock so it's not a one off. Is that Price reasonable nowadays or does it seem too cheap to be true?

That's at least $50 cheaper than the best used price I've seen. I'll let you draw your own conclusions, though - I wouldn't want to talk you out of a mega-deal. But I'm suspicious. Do you think it's legit, @Flcforrestwei ?

 

[qu8it]

I contacted the seller and they say it comes in the sealed original packaging and "they will include a 3 month manufacturers warranty as they are clearance stock".
I will probably go for it and report back after i got them.