FreQ or LiveWires ?

[mchang]

I have to turn on the "Treble Booster" EQ on my iPhone, 5G iPod or MacBook Pro (unamped and amped through Pico) to achieve acceptable sound quality with my SuperFreQs. Without it, the bass and/or mids overwhelm and I feel like I'm listening in a tunnel. Granted, this is with a iPhone cable/mic grafted on (another user with same construction suggested the EQ tip, so there's two data points).

I have a stock Sennheiser HD-650 at home. I love the dark and lush sound (especially through tubes). I can listen for hours. So for me to say that the SuperFreQs need some tuning to overcome excess bass and/or mids... Infer what you will.


Edit: To clarify per killkli's post right after mine. I have to set my EQ for all three of my Apple players. It's entirely possible, that the treble deficiency is an Apple-specific thing (or as mentioned earlier, an iPhone cable thing), but I'm not picking up another DAP anytime soon. And the FreQs on my desktop rig just doesn't seem right.

And don't get me wrong. I like my SuperFreQs, especially with my iPhone cable. They fill a very specific niche in my listening repetoire. And back to the OP, I went with the FreQs because they were able to use the iPhone cable. And they could turn around my order in one week. LW could accomplish neither.

 

[killkli]

Using iPod as DAP should be ware that it's phone output isn't very good. At lease the design before Classic is so (I do like Classic though). I don't find SuperFreQ's bass excessive on my desktop set (DAC 1793 plus DIY Tube amp), and also not heavy on my iAudio DAP without any EQ.

The above comparison is made to my current close headphone:
Ultrasone HFI-700 and previously with Grado RS1.

To achieve better output of iPod, something like iMod should be applied first......

 

[freedommedia]

I ordered my Livewire's and received them 4 weeks later. The low drivers weren't working at all so I had to send them back. I'm in Nashville and they are late if you make an appointment, don't return phone calls, don't return emails. I was told that they would have them ready in 2.5 weeks. I'm at week 8. I think I'm going to cancel my order and get Freq's. It seems like you can wait indefinitely on Livewire's. Talked to John Kelly at The Freq and they seem like they know how to treat customers. Goodbye Livewire's hello Freqs.

 

[StudioAce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazz+ /img/forum/go_quote.gif These are the only custom molded in ear monitors I know of that are $250. What are the differences in quality between the FreQ and Live Wires ? My intended application happens to be for live digital piano monitoring in a jazz trio setting (I am a professional keyboardist). The IEMs would be strictly for performance with my Roland FP4 digital piano which tends to be thin in the upper mids. I don't even own an iPod. Tour De FreQ uses 2 speakers, $249 Live Wires uses 2 speakers, $249

From what I can tell most of the folks on here are music appreciators and not musicians. I am a pro bass player and studio owner and I use LiveWires both on the gig and in the studio. Don't let the music appreciators fool you, the LiveWires offer the full spectrum of sound and yes, the do have plenty of bass as I would not use them if they didn't.

I think the LiveWires would be a great choice for your jazz trio.

The Freqs Music Makers line might be nice but more expensive at the moment. I have not heard them but the MM line would be the only thing to consider if you are a pro musician. If your cable gets screwed up you don't want to send the IEM's in just to fix the cable.

 

[Jazz+]

Thanks, StudioAce for your words of reassurance. I have confidence that the sound quality of LiveWires will be good.

 

[merlinzeta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudioAce /img/forum/go_quote.gif From what I can tell most of the folks on here are music appreciators and not musicians. I am a pro bass player and studio owner and I use LiveWires both on the gig and in the studio. Don't let the music appreciators fool you, the LiveWires offer the full spectrum of sound and yes, the do have plenty of bass as I would not use them if they didn't. I think the LiveWires would be a great choice for your jazz trio. The Freqs Music Makers line might be nice but more expensive at the moment. I have not heard them but the MM line would be the only thing to consider if you are a pro musician. If your cable gets screwed up you don't want to send the IEM's in just to fix the cable.

Don't have anything to add because I don't have either yet (Freqshows should be shipping soon

), but let us not forget that Freq offers 'Tour de Freq', the dual armature Music Maker model with detachable cable at $250 and therefore the true competitor to Livewires. We seem to be forgetting the two-speaker models that Freq offers as us audio-enthusiasts here tend to go for the best and no one has them yet to offer any opinion.

Just would like to comment on this debate in general. I think I have read every post in this place about both the Freqs and Livewires, and can be summed like this at the moment:

- In the beginning, there were the Livewires. They were the cheapest custom monitors offered by far, and the sound was/is very good. All was well in the world.

- Then some months later, the Freqs came along. The Superfreq, a triple driver design compared to the dual-driver Livewires, was offered at $189 compared to the $250 of the Livewires. Obviously, people were very interested and many bought them quickly. However, it was let down by two points; lack of detachable cables and apparent inferior build quality of the monitors. Thus many people still believed the Livewires were better as they were a more 'premium' product. As for the sound, AFAIK two people have gotten both and I believe both preferred the Superfreqs (correct me if I am wrong).

- Then, Freq got their act together and the build quality of the Superfreqs was vastly improved, at least on par with the Livewires. This nearly coincided with the introduction of the Music Makers line of Freqs, with the top model ('Freq Shows') being introduced with 3 drivers, detachable cable and an upgraded crossover from the Superfreqs. So far, their reception has been positive and one person who has heard both the Superfreqs and the FreqShows is adamant the FreqShows are a vast improvement on bass. There has been no reports on the Tour de Freqs (2 driver model), so no one knows how they compare to the Livewires.

As a sidenote, it's been fun to see the attitudes of the old guardians of the Livewires. First, they looked down upon the Superfreqs due to the build quality and detachable cables. Then as these things got improved upon, their open comments have been reduced to snide comments. I especially like how they insist on comparing the Livewires to the FreqShows instead of the Tour de Freq.

Don't get me wrong, Freq has some diehards too (although they are a bit softer and more accepting than their Livewire counterparts I think). You'll quickly realise who these people are in reading both threads. In conclusion, although the opinions of everyone should be considered, you just have to try filter out the bias (including this haha) and hopefully the above helps clear things a bit.

I went with the Superfreqs originally because of the cheaper price and sound quality. Then I upgraded to the Freq Shows before they started production on my Superfreqs because of opinions of its better sounds and detachable cable, but to be honest it was mostly an impulse buy (which I don't regret

)

EDIT: Oh, and Livewires have a turnaround time of something like 4 weeks now? IMO that is ridiculous, and their customer service has apparently been a bit low lately... another thing to consider.

 

[Jazz+]

LiveWires received my silicone molds on May 19th. I received the finished IEMs today June 5th by US mail. That's a 13 business day turnaround. I am impressed.

For the first half hour I thought they did not fit and would have to go back. Then I realized that I was not tucking in the top edge under my outer ear flap. It's a bit tricky getting them in and out. Once I figured out how to do it the fit became correct. They sound transparent (clear) across the spectrum, the highs and lows are not boosted. I am satisfied.

My LiveWires look exactly like these:

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazz+ /img/forum/go_quote.gif My LiveWires look exactly like these:

No they don't, your faceplate is black.

 

[Jazz+]

No, the LiveWires I own have tan colored face plates. The photo in my Avatar is from a Google Image search.

 

[Naim.F.C]

How do the FreQ/Livewires sound in comparison to the SE530? I want the closest sounding thing to the SE530 perhaps with slightly more defined highs.

 

[-=Germania=-]

I would say that the se530 is not even a fair comparison to the SuperFreQ or as far as opinions go, Livewires as well.

I have heard the se530 on many occasions and all I can say is ...muddy.

The bass on the se530 is uncontrolled and bloated.

The whole spectrum is much better balanced on my MM FreQs. Clear Highs, great mids, and punchy bass.

I am sure that someone else with them can chime in and say the same thing. They are far more exciting and accurate.

Best investment in audio I have made is easily these. They are my favorite and the ones I use the most often. I even created a few 1/4 to 1/8 cables to use my XP as a preamp to my Headsix+FreQ combo. One of the great audio matchups I have heard.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Yeah, you can't compare Livewires and SE530 - it's like trying to compare a Stax electrostatic system vs HD600 with the stock cable.

The Livewires are just faster, cleaner and crisper, and tight and punchy with good bass detail, and transparent and open. The SE530 will sound good with the right equipment, and you get used to the sound, but you don't know what you are missing till you hear it done right.

 

[powertoold]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naim.F.C /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do the FreQ/Livewires sound in comparison to the SE530? I want the closest sounding thing to the SE530 perhaps with slightly more defined highs.

The thing with custom IEMs is that there's a good chance you won't get a 90%+ satisfactory fit the first time around. This will lead to longer wait times, regardless of whether you choose the LWs or FreQs. When you buy a custom IEM, you have to keep this in mind. Some people who buy custom IEMs end up losing their patience and get feisty

 

[slowth]

Just by coincidence, I tested a shure se530 against my Freq shows today at a store.. setup was nano, iqube, earphones..

With that set up, I found the Shure SE530 to have more bass impact, more dynamic but with 2 bass drivers, it's expected. Mids were just ok.. the highs to me were real harsh.. especially on rock (think clashing cymbals). You may like that intense highs but my ears certainly felt uncomfortable.

I changed to my Freq Shows and I felt the bass, was just as tight,only not as impactful, prob also cos of the bump in the mid range, so it "crowds" those frequencies. Mid range of Freq MM definitely way better than the Shures I felt. Highs wise, it was alot more controlled, nothing piercing in my ears, but stil detailed.

to me... no comparison.. freqs are the way to go.. and they're like cheaper?

 

[LittleDoc]

so which one should i buy

pls help me

^^