Forté Ears Official Discussion Thread

[Dandelion777]

Well between my pc building hobby, and biking hobby, and backpack/bag quest for the best, and technical fabric clothes, And different types of camping gear ,and audio gear, and trading in upgrading a phone every year, etc... - I've broken too many rules already and spent too much money. For me it's time to mitigate the constant chase of consumerism and pick my battles more wisely. No more breaking too many rules. It all depends on your budget of course but at some point, the chase becomes too much of the process. Time to reel some bad consumeristic behavior in - even thought that is my true value as a citizen, which is how much I spend. I need to know something is worth it more strongly now, and responsibly.

Contentment can be quite the illusion in this hobby.

 

[KuroKitsu]

This refers to the upgraded package "Tour de Force" which includes the ET Temptation cable. And that cable manufacture is clearly the bottleneck for this package. The standard package with ET's stock cable seem to be in stock.

So blame the delay on your own Temptation !!

If only I ordered the Temptation, I just gotthe stock knowing full well the pairing would service and that I already have a cable in mind.

The distributor I ordered from hasn't gotten anything yet stock OR temptation bundle, MT peeps I envy you.

@Riccardoyeh are there dates as to when at least some stock will be hitting other distributors at least?

I think all of us have had a $ rule in this respect... and blown over it eventually If you love an IEM, you would want to see what else you can get from it, no? Natural curiosity for me.

When you're not satisfied with the sound, thats one thing. When you are, then the aesthetics start tugging "Oh I want this because it looks so nice"

That statement is so true. Especially, as I currently look over at my $10K headphone, $13K DAC, $20K amp.

Jeeze, how the hell did I get here… hahaha

I ask myself this everytime. I went into portafi swearing I never get into headphones. Then after 8 years I jumped into the deep end and got Utopia at the end of 2024, figuring I just feed the A90D off my 1Z. Now I have a Diana DZ, GSX Mini and a Spring 3 KTE on my desk.

Then I got Erebus and preordered Mefisto

Contentment can be quite the illusion in this hobby.

Whats contentment? I like pretty audio gear

 

[PixelSquish]

Contentment can be quite the illusion in this hobby.

It's true in so many hobbies. But I need to know there is a serious improvement in sound to spend $2,000 on a cable. That's something I have to test myself in a quiet place with two sets of IMS with each different cable on them. That's a lot of cake for me, and a splurge. Hell for two grand I could get a couple really nice IMS that I see as a great secondary set that's a little more specialized. So I got to be sure.

The Mefisto is out for delivery today. Super excited.

 

[Silverlinings]

It's true in so many hobbies. But I need to know there is a serious improvement in sound to spend $2,000 on a cable. That's something I have to test myself in a quiet place with two sets of IMS with each different cable on them. That's a lot of cake for me, and a splurge. Hell for two grand I could get a couple really nice IMS that I see as a great secondary set that's a little more specialized. So I got to be sure.

The Mefisto is out for delivery today. Super excited.

Good. I’m hoping to get my shipping confirmation soon and I live on Long Island so I should have my set tomorrow. Leave some impression later. I’m excited as well.

 

[sparty09]

That statement is so true. Especially, as I currently look over at my $10K headphone, $13K DAC, $20K amp.

Jeeze, how the hell did I get here… hahaha

Know this feeling all too well. Dabbled on headphone side first with a 660S2 to get my feet wet thinking no way I spend more. Then the 'ol brain was like well how can it get better? Thousands later on headphones, amps, DAC's, cables and I then think okay...maybe I give the IEM world a try and here I am again ha!

So tempted to grab the Mefisto, love the Macbeth but my music preferences are more in the realm of Rock, Metal, Indie and etc. I haven't honestly been disappointed at the Macbeth with those genres but hearing some of the comments how Mefisto seems to fit those better, I could probably crash the Musicteck site with how many times I've opened and closed the page

 

[emdeevee]

Cross - posting from the Watercooler Thread

Having a devilishly good time with Mefisto, the new, and second, Forte Ears release.

Remaining super impressed that a new kid on the block (Forte Ears) can knock it out of the park twice in a row at hefty pricing, but it happened! I said before that if Macbeth was made for Stravinsky, then Mefisto is made for System Of A Down, and that has proven true after lots of listening. Still, I can't deny that Macbeth also can do that same music justice, and vice versa, so can Mefisto. Same tuner, but different tunings and driver configurations.

And they are so different, Macbeth and Mefisto, yet the Forte "house sound" is now becoming something to observe (takes at least 2 right?) since there seems to be some commonality among the two, at least to me. Where with Macbeth, Riccardo Yeh created an homage to opera and classical, he went in a distinctly different direction with Mefisto, making certain it would cover genres less served by Macbeth. Yet both carry certain similarities that I'm beginning to hear as a Forte house sound.

First, mids. 'Riccardo mids' are undeniable...they are as forward as the tuning allows and are clear, clean and transparent almost neutral sounding above a warm lower mid, Macbeth or Mefisto, they are there. That means vocals on both are excellent and important to the house sound.

Second is bass. Both Macbeth and Mefisto excel in this department, thru different avenues. Macbeth gives you good-as-Storm BA bass, and Mefisto gives you tried and true, basshead-level DD bass. Despite the differing driver approaches, both have some of the deepest, cleanest, clearest and most incisive bass performances in their classes or above.

Okay, I could go on to treble, staging and more, but the Forte house sound is becoming clearer to me with the arrival of Mefisto. It seems to be no compromise, no matter the configuration. These above items have been consistent across both releases.

Here, we have a creative tuner who is not only talented but also seems to have a through way to his approach, ensuring that his house sound continues and evolves through, and despite, driver changes.

Can't wait for Forte Ears #3!!!

 

[booktopian66]

Cross - posting from the Watercooler Thread

Having a devilishly good time with Mefisto, the new, and second, Forte Ears release.

Remaining super impressed that a new kid on the block (Forte Ears) can knock it out of the park twice in a row at hefty pricing, but it happened! I said before that if Macbeth was made for Stravinsky, then Mefisto is made for System Of A Down, and that has proven true after lots of listening. Still, I can't deny that Macbeth also can do that same music justice, and vice versa, so can Mefisto. Same tuner, but different tunings and driver configurations.

And they are so different, Macbeth and Mefisto, yet the Forte "house sound" is now becoming something to observe (takes at least 2 right?) since there seems to be some commonality among the two, at least to me. Where with Macbeth, Riccardo Yeh created an homage to opera and classical, he went in a distinctly different direction with Mefisto, making certain it would cover genres less served by Macbeth. Yet both carry certain similarities that I'm beginning to hear as a Forte house sound.

First, mids. 'Riccardo mids' are undeniable...they are as forward as the tuning allows and are clear, clean and transparent almost neutral sounding above a warm lower mid, Macbeth or Mefisto, they are there. That means vocals on both are excellent and important to the house sound.

Second is bass. Both Macbeth and Mefisto excel in this department, thru different avenues. Macbeth gives you good-as-Storm BA bass, and Mefisto gives you tried and true, basshead-level DD bass. Despite the differing driver approaches, both have some of the deepest, cleanest, clearest and most incisive bass performances in their classes or above.

Okay, I could go on to treble, staging and more, but the Forte house sound is becoming clearer to me with the arrival of Mefisto. It seems to be no compromise, no matter the configuration. These above items have been consistent across both releases.

Here, we have a creative tuner who is not only talented but also seems to have a through way to his approach, ensuring that his house sound continues and evolves through, and despite, driver changes.

Can't wait for Forte Ears #3!!!

Aaaah! I’m so jealous. Not only did us Temptation package buyers spend so much, now I still don’t have mine. Obviously my order wasn’t in the first batch from MT because I haven’t heard anything.

 

[PixelSquish]

The Mefisto bass is serious business.

 

[Silverlinings]

The Mefisto bass is serious business.

I should have mine at some point today. Any other impressions? I’ll leave mine here tonight or this weekend.

 

[gLer]

I should have mine at some point today. Any other impressions? I’ll leave mine here tonight or this weekend.

Looking forward to it. Burn-in highly recommended after that.

 

[Silverlinings]

Looking forward to it. Burn-in highly recommended after that.

You’re the reviewer here. I’m just a music lover. I don’t analyze “the bass is this, the mids are that”
Basically I look for good soundstage, realistic instrument sounds, and an engaging listen.
So, I’m looking forward to your review lol.

 

[Evangelist]

Looking forward to it. Burn-in highly recommended after that.

how is the fit on this one, compared with the Clara? The nozzle seems long

 

[gLer]

You’re the reviewer here. I’m just a music lover. I don’t analyze “the bass is this, the mids are that”
Basically I look for good soundstage, realistic instrument sounds, and an engaging listen.
So, I’m looking forward to your review lol.

If only my audio life was that simple *sigh*

 

[Silverlinings]

Eye candy. I didn’t realize that you’d think it’s a cardboard card that has the number. No, it’s a thick glass like plaque. Pretty cool.

 

[gLer]

how is the fit on this one, compared with the Clara? The nozzle seems long

The nozzle is no problem, actually fits very cleanly. The outer shell is where I have a slight issue, as it presses on the concha of my left ear which starts to throb slightly after an hour or so. Same issue I had with Macbeth, but won't be an issue for most people I assume as I have fairly small and quite sensitive ears. Clara has no such issue but it's a completely different design with a smaller shell.