[stenog]

The tax and duties would be the same whether it's DHL or a customs officer, the only thing is that customs officers generally charge a lesser handling fee, if at all. And sometimes they let a package go through without any charges since they're lazy, like what happened to me

There's nothing dishonest about what DHL is doing. You are by law required to declare and pay taxes and duties on stuff you import. DHL does that for you and carries out the law diligently as it is in their financial interest in doing so, since they can charge service fees.

You're lucky if you only had to pay 15 USD. Here in Europe I would have ended up paying over 60 USD in VAT alone, plus several points in duties. Plus probably around 30 USD in DHL service fees. So that's a good 100 USD or 30%+ on top of the already hefty price tag.

I am in Europe, Denmark. Thats why i think 15 usd i way to less, but i do not complain . But fair, i think you know more about this than i do .

 

[dlayman]

   
The tax and duties would be the same whether it's DHL or a customs officer, the only thing is that customs officers generally charge a lesser handling fee, if at all. And sometimes they let a package go through without any charges since they're lazy, like what happened to me
 
There's nothing dishonest about what DHL is doing. You are by law required to declare and pay taxes and duties on stuff you import. DHL does all the logistics for you and carries out the law diligently as it is in their financial interest in doing so, since they can charge service fees.
 
You're lucky if you only had to pay 15 USD. Here in Europe I would have ended up paying over 60 USD in VAT alone, plus several points in duties. Plus probably around 30 USD in DHL service fees. So that's a good 100 USD or 30%+ on top of the already hefty price tag.

Wow, that is pretty rough.  I've imported dozens of things from different parts of Asia over the last ten years or so and never gotten charged anything for taxes or duties, even when using DHL  Express.  The FLC8s I bought from LMUE, but with fulfillment by USA Amazon.   Best of both worlds there, no sales tax since amazon was not the seller and no customs tax since I wasn't the importer.  I've made several other purchases directly from LMUE and no fees.  I must be lucking out each time.

 

[dlayman]

  Received mine yesterday! I ordered them Monday and got them in Europe 2 days later (that's faster than some webshops here). Interestingly I got a tracking number after I received the delivery.
 
Some tips for ordering
-If you order using Paypal, don't use the PayPal conversion rate. It saved me 15 euro!
-There is a 5% discount code in the FAQ on the leantmeyouryears website.
 
My first impressions from the sound are very good but will need more time to compare against my other IEM's (Sennheiser IE 80, Shure 535 and AT IM-04).

You have three pretty different sound signatures on the IEM's you're comparing them to.  I haven't heard the AT's, but IMO the FLC easily beats the other two.

 

[Miyazakiman]

  Wow, that is pretty rough.  I've imported dozens of things from different parts of Asia over the last ten years or so and never gotten charged anything for taxes or duties, even when using DHL  Express.  The FLC8s I bought from LMUE, but with fulfillment by USA Amazon.   Best of both worlds there, no sales tax since amazon was not the seller and no customs tax since I wasn't the importer.  I've made several other purchases directly from LMUE and no fees.  I must be lucking out each time.

Me neither, did not receive any taxes or charged. There's also an EU import website/distributor if you don't want to run the risk.
 
http://www.headphoniaks.com/

 

[Jozurr]

Just put up my pair for sale if anyones interested. IEMs arent for me.

 

[Metalomaniac]

  Wow, that is pretty rough.  I've imported dozens of things from different parts of Asia over the last ten years or so and never gotten charged anything for taxes or duties, even when using DHL  Express.  The FLC8s I bought from LMUE, but with fulfillment by USA Amazon.   Best of both worlds there, no sales tax since amazon was not the seller and no customs tax since I wasn't the importer.  I've made several other purchases directly from LMUE and no fees.  I must be lucking out each time.

 
I've heard people in the US rarely have to pay import duties etc. when doing purchases online. I guess the European customs are stricter, or perhaps the laws in the US exempt own use.
 
It's a real shame as non-European companies get a bad reputation due to VAT and customs charges, which are none of their fault. Happens a lot on Kickstarter, where people complain about them and blame the company, when they should be blaming their protectionist politicians. It's called Value Added Tax. What value is added by charging 20+% on something made on the other side of the world?
 
Back on topic In my experience if you live in Europe and want the lowest chance of getting your goods declared, get the cheapest surface delivery option available. If you need it fast and don't mind the high likelihood of having to pay VAT and duties, get DHL.

 

[dlayman]

No, US citizens don't have an own use exemption. I think our customs people are just way understaffed and stuff like consumer goods slips through. I actually kind of agree with a VAT, as it helps protect domestic manufacturing, which the US really needs. Frankly the FLC8S is good enough, I think even at a 20% premium, it's a bargain.

 

[Brooko]

Finally got around to completing the measurements tonight - in preparation for completing the review.  Wish I'd done this weeks ago now - as it has helped immensely with finding the best filter combination for me.
 
All the coloured filters (mid/lower treble) have one thing in common - they create a bump between 1-2 kHz which for me can bring listening fatigue. What i didn't realise was that removing the filters altogether moves the bump from peaking at 1.5 kHz to peaking at 2.5 kHz.  End result - no fatigue.  And I now have a great signature for my tastes which has a gentle mid-bass hump, and nice transition from lower to upper mids. The only real issue is a big peak between 7-8 kHz but so far it hasn't affected me too much, and I can EQ it out.
 
For anyone interested - my combo is:
ULF = black
LF = no filter
MF/HF = no filter
 
What you'll get is a signature somewhat similar to Fidue's A83, but with quite a bit less of the 2-3 kHz peak.

 

[BALANCEATOR]

Hi. I just did a review of the flc8s in Spanish, can translate with google translator. I hope you like it.
 
https://auricular.org/2016/06/09/review-flc-technology-flc8s/
 

 
 
https://auricular.org/2016/06/09/review-flc-technology-flc8s/

 

[faithguy19]

I just joined the FLC Fan Club. These are awesome! I have only had a chance to try out two of the filter combinations. Looking forward to trying some more!

 

[hi-fi amateur]

Which filter combination will give me a sound closest to the DN 2000J?

 

[Brooko]

Which filter combination will give me a sound closest to the DN 2000J?

 
The closest you'll get in bass and mid-range (up to about 4 kHz) would be:
-ulf = clear
-lf = none
-hf/mr = none
 
If you use any of the mid-range/high freq filters it pushes the first mid-range bump too close to 1 kHz, and that is something the 2000J doesn't do.
 
Problem is the above combo has a huge suck-out at 5-7 kHz - which the DN2000J actually has a peak.
 
So it's virtually impossible to get close to the 2000J unless you're prepared to EQ.
 
The other you can try would be:
-ulf = clear
-lf = none
-hf/mr = green
 
Again though - while there are some similarities - overall you can't really get close with just the filters.

 

[SteroidEars]

Just got my flc 8s. The bass is weak. The one i auditioned has the same setting as mine but it has a stronger bass.

 

[kimD]

Just got my flc 8s. The bass is weak. The one i auditioned has the same setting as mine but it has a stronger bass.

Time to let it burn-in more than 50 hours 1st

 

[hi-fi amateur]

Well I just got these things and using the red-grey-gold the bass slams. So @zaqqwerty maybe your not getting a good fit. Try different tips until you get a good seal.