[jeffhawke]

I have had my Custom Art Ei.3 for about a year now and absolutely love them (they have been reshelled to universal fit). They are warm, smooth and very versatile. I still largely feel the same about them as in my review here, which might be helpful. I demoed FIBAE 2 and really liked those as well, but don't feel I am missing out with the Ei.3 and prefer its more holographic stage (I like that depth).

Excellent, teasing review of the EI.3, may I ask the reason why you reshelled them to universal?

 

[jeffhawke]

we all know that jeff starts with a 500$ iem and 1-2 yeaars later he is eyeing the Phantom/a18/legend of this world , right ?

I've been a full-size headphone guy so far, besides a few minor forays into budget or semi-budget iems. So far my favourites have been the Trinity Delta V2, but I would like to move a little more upscale. Just a little

 

[Wyville]

Excellent, teasing review of the EI.3, may I ask the reason why you reshelled them to universal?

Thanks! I got some pressure-related issues with my left ear (probably caused by unconsciously tensing my jaw muscles) and eventually had to choose between using them for a maximum of only an hour a day, or get them reshelled to universal. Because I use them a lot, the choice was pretty obvious.

 

[jeffhawke]

Thanks! I got some pressure-related issues with my left ear (probably caused by unconsciously tensing my jaw muscles) and eventually had to choose between using them for a maximum of only an hour a day, or get them reshelled to universal. Because I use them a lot, the choice was pretty obvious.

In fact, whatever the final choice might be, I think I will go for universal fit rather than custom, for simplicity's sake. I don't really need much isolation anyway.

 

[subguy812]

My personal recommendations would be the Custom Art FIBAE 2 and the Empire Ears Bravado. Both have a slightly v-shaped, fun and dynamic sound with a pleasing timbre overall. The FIBAE 3 is fantastic and I have a review for it coming very soon, but it is rather bright (in tone; not harsh in any way), so the upper-treble emphasis might not be for you. I'd steer as far away from the AXH as possible. It is - by far - one of the harshest, thinnest and most sibilant IEMs I've ever heard. I don't know how the IT04 fares, but I did hear the IT03 and it has a relatively well-balanced signature.

I would agree with this. The FIBAE 2 has a musical tone that is never fatiguing and always fun. The first thing I noticed about the F2 was how great the stereo separation was. That said, I love the FIBAE3 but they are two different signatures.

 

[tim0chan]

In fact, whatever the final choice might be, I think I will go for universal fit rather than custom, for simplicity's sake. I don't really need much isolation anyway.

Customs do incrrase the quality of the sound too, better isolation means more music to listen to

 

[subguy812]

In fact, whatever the final choice might be, I think I will go for universal fit rather than custom, for simplicity's sake. I don't really need much isolation anyway.

For your first foray into mid tier range it is not a bad idea to go universal, they can be easier to sell also. Just keep in mind tips can sometimes make all of the difference to the sound you are hearing

 

[jeffhawke]

Customs do incrrase the quality of the sound too, better isolation means more music to listen to

I realise that, I'm just a little put off by the whole process of getting the imprints, shipping them out, than wait for another month/month-and-a-half before finally getting them. However, having said that, I will never really know until I try, right?

 

[jeffhawke]

For your first foray into mid tier range it is not a bad idea to go universal, they can be easier to sell also. Just keep in mind tips can sometimes make all of the difference to the sound you are hearing

How very true, I realised that by tip rolling on my Delta V2, Complys, double and triple flange tips, and finally the larger-sized Spinfits did the trick. I've seen a few custom tips around too, but at that point I might as well go custom all the way.

 

[flinkenick]

I was interested in the oBravos, and ended up spending a half an hour listening to the copper and titanium Ra. I initially listened with both the LPG and WM1Z, which left me confused. The treble was very prominent, and incoherent with the rest of the signature. It wasn't overly bright per se, but its prominence distracted from the rest of the signature, while its timbre was off-putting. Like a more extreme version of the W900 perhaps. However, listening via the oBravo amp brought the treble back in line, resulting in a smoother and more coherent signature. So in all fairness, these are very hard to drive and should be considered desktop iems. If I was the guy behind the counter I might have emphasized that from the go, to avoid people getting the wrong impression.

Even with the amp, the general presentation of its sound did not strike me as different from a traditional iem. When you listen to the KSE1500, its resolution and transparency are a clear step above a standard BA configuration, giving the electrostat driver a unique selling point. I didn't find this the case with Ra. It had nice features like quality dynamic bass, with good extension and nice balance between sub- and mid-bass, giving it a nice punch without being overbearing. Its stage was holographic, and on par with something like the i4 or Fourte.

But I guess I was just most disappointed by the tone. For its price, I was expecting an exceedingly natural sound, but maybe that’s just my preference. The copper's tonality was a variation of neutral, which was neither particularly accurate in timbre, nor engaging. Vocals were neutral in body and staging. It’s one of those in-between tunings where I couldn’t figure out what the intention of the sound was. Just being neutral? The Titanium version was a bit brighter in tone, and sounded fun for pop music. My guess is that these rely heavily on the source for power, as well as to add some flavour to the sound. They will undoubtably scale up with a high quality desktop system, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's incrementally more than another iem would. As is, I failed to see the magic.

 

[ctsooner22]

I was interested in the oBravos, and ended up spending a half an hour listening to the copper and titanium Ra. I initially listened with both the LPG and WM1Z, which left me confused. The treble was very prominent, and incoherent with the rest of the signature. It wasn't overly bright per se, but its prominence distracted from the rest of the signature, while its timbre was off-putting. Like a more extreme version of the W900 perhaps. However, listening via the oBravo amp brought the treble back in line, resulting in a smoother and more coherent signature. So in all fairness, these are very hard to drive and should be considered desktop iems. If I was the guy behind the counter I might have emphasized that from the go, to avoid people getting the wrong impression.

Even with the amp, the general presentation of its sound did not strike me as different from a traditional iem. When you listen to the KSE1500, its resolution and transparency are a clear step above a standard BA configuration, giving the electrostat driver a unique selling point. I didn't find this the case with Ra. It had nice features like quality dynamic bass, with good extension and nice balance between sub- and mid-bass, giving it a nice punch without being overbearing. Its stage was holographic, and on par with something like the i4 or Fourte.

But I guess I was just most disappointed by the tone. For its price, I was expecting an exceedingly natural sound, but maybe that’s just my preference. The copper's tonality was a variation of neutral, which was neither particularly accurate in timbre, nor engaging. Vocals were neutral in body and staging. It’s one of those in-between tunings where I couldn’t figure out what the intention of the sound was. Just being neutral? The Titanium version was a bit brighter in tone, and sounded fun for pop music. My guess is that these rely heavily on the source for power, as well as to add some flavour to the sound. They will undoubtably scale up with a high quality desktop system, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's incrementally more than another iem would. As is, I failed to see the magic.

My friend and I heard the same thing at you did. I have owned the original ESS speakers in the 70's and never liked the driver. Maybe it's the speed and nothing else can keep up, but there is no coherency and that goes for 2 channel audio also. It is what it is. When I sat to listen I was in shock as to the cost, but I'm open minded and wanted to hear the best IEM ever. If I was given a pair, I'd never use them, even with their amp. I agree on the 1500's from 60hz on up. They are beautifully made though.

 

[ezekiel77]

Stuff you can buy with $10,000:

-BHSE + SR-009
-Susvara and Utopia
-Nic's Top 4
-This way-cool jet-powered go-kart: (https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/jet-powered-go-kart/)


Go hide in a corner, oBravo Ra.

 

[Wyville]

Stuff you can buy with $10,000:

-BHSE + SR-009
-Susvara and Utopia
-Nic's Top 4
-This way-cool jet-powered go-kart: (https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/jet-powered-go-kart/)


Go hide in a corner, oBravo Ra.

Oh man! That go-kart would be such an improvement over my current ride...

Thanks for the impressions Nic! Bit disappointing, but perhaps not entirely unexpected.

 

[Asspirin]

I was interested in the oBravos, and ended up spending a half an hour listening to the copper and titanium Ra. I initially listened with both the LPG and WM1Z, which left me confused. The treble was very prominent, and incoherent with the rest of the signature. It wasn't overly bright per se, but its prominence distracted from the rest of the signature, while its timbre was off-putting. Like a more extreme version of the W900 perhaps. However, listening via the oBravo amp brought the treble back in line, resulting in a smoother and more coherent signature. So in all fairness, these are very hard to drive and should be considered desktop iems. If I was the guy behind the counter I might have emphasized that from the go, to avoid people getting the wrong impression.

Even with the amp, the general presentation of its sound did not strike me as different from a traditional iem. When you listen to the KSE1500, its resolution and transparency are a clear step above a standard BA configuration, giving the electrostat driver a unique selling point. I didn't find this the case with Ra. It had nice features like quality dynamic bass, with good extension and nice balance between sub- and mid-bass, giving it a nice punch without being overbearing. Its stage was holographic, and on par with something like the i4 or Fourte.

But I guess I was just most disappointed by the tone. For its price, I was expecting an exceedingly natural sound, but maybe that’s just my preference. The copper's tonality was a variation of neutral, which was neither particularly accurate in timbre, nor engaging. Vocals were neutral in body and staging. It’s one of those in-between tunings where I couldn’t figure out what the intention of the sound was. Just being neutral? The Titanium version was a bit brighter in tone, and sounded fun for pop music. My guess is that these rely heavily on the source for power, as well as to add some flavour to the sound. They will undoubtably scale up with a high quality desktop system, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's incrementally more than another iem would. As is, I failed to see the magic.

 

[twister6]

I was interested in the oBravos, and ended up spending a half an hour listening to the copper and titanium Ra. I initially listened with both the LPG and WM1Z, which left me confused. The treble was very prominent, and incoherent with the rest of the signature. It wasn't overly bright per se, but its prominence distracted from the rest of the signature, while its timbre was off-putting. Like a more extreme version of the W900 perhaps. However, listening via the oBravo amp brought the treble back in line, resulting in a smoother and more coherent signature. So in all fairness, these are very hard to drive and should be considered desktop iems. If I was the guy behind the counter I might have emphasized that from the go, to avoid people getting the wrong impression.

Even with the amp, the general presentation of its sound did not strike me as different from a traditional iem. When you listen to the KSE1500, its resolution and transparency are a clear step above a standard BA configuration, giving the electrostat driver a unique selling point. I didn't find this the case with Ra. It had nice features like quality dynamic bass, with good extension and nice balance between sub- and mid-bass, giving it a nice punch without being overbearing. Its stage was holographic, and on par with something like the i4 or Fourte.

But I guess I was just most disappointed by the tone. For its price, I was expecting an exceedingly natural sound, but maybe that’s just my preference. The copper's tonality was a variation of neutral, which was neither particularly accurate in timbre, nor engaging. Vocals were neutral in body and staging. It’s one of those in-between tunings where I couldn’t figure out what the intention of the sound was. Just being neutral? The Titanium version was a bit brighter in tone, and sounded fun for pop music. My guess is that these rely heavily on the source for power, as well as to add some flavour to the sound. They will undoubtably scale up with a high quality desktop system, but it's hard for me to gauge if that's incrementally more than another iem would. As is, I failed to see the magic.

Nic, that small portable amp at their table didn't do RA CU justice. I have no idea why David (the main oBravo guy) didn't have a full desktop amp setup to demonstrate a full capability of this IEM. Plus, he only showed me a balanced cable later, so I couldn't try it balanced from wm1z. It has serious potentials, but not when you drive it from a dap Thus, nobody at CanJam who tried this iem got an impression how it really sounds. I actually trying to get a loaner just so I can experiment with different amps. Now, I'm really curious about it.

On a contrary, Shure were smart about KSE1500, matching it with their own portable amp. I tried it from LO of SP1k, and was very impressed with it. Some peple next to me even suggested it's fine double-amped, driven from HO.