[FSChic]

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I don't mind so much the fact that it's old desing, but the fact that it's made of plastic and no modifications have been made. Better shell material improves acoustics and because they use a bigger driver perhaps a vent would be useful to let that driver breathe to improve performance.

There have been some modifications to the build itself based on user feedback.  The high quality plastic casing was a design choice to address weight issues in the professional atmosphere.  No musician wants a heavy earpiece that falls out when moving around the stage or banging their heads while rocking out (especially the drummers!) We wanted a light weight design that gives the experience of it being almost not there.
Of course the earphone is ported, its a dynamic driver.  Just cause you might not be able to see the ports at first glance, believe me, they're there!  That's what gives our Atrios their unparreled energy of sound, there is actual air movement, a puff agianst your tympanic membrane!
ENJOY!

 

[Inks]

Thanks for the info, very useful and elaborate. 

 

[ethan961]

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Could you look through your rolodex of head-fi people and send me a non-crazy person who owns the older Atrios in NYC so I can do an audio meet up at a library or something?

If you haven't already got something lined up, I have a pair of M5s that I recabled with the DBA cable when the old one got too beat up. I could send them in the post for you to listen to and compare if you'd like, no problem. I don't use them, so no loss to me while they're gone.

 

[Kunlun]

Okay, thanks to Ethan961, it looks like I'll be able to compare these to an older version of Atrios and see how the upgraded driver matches up.

 

[JxK]

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Got my demo pair today!!!
 
The semi-soft case for these is made from recycled tires. That's completely neat. 
 
I hate initial impressions because it's more about the initial emotional reaction to a purchase than a reasoned assessment of a product.
 
That said, with no burn-in and an hour of listening, let me say that my initial impressions are quite positive. Based on what musicians have said about it, I can see how people use these on stage. Non-fatiguing and non-artificially hyped. I've noticed that they are less power-hungry than the Monster turbine pro series but they don't mind amping at all. The Klipsch tips fit on these!  I don't think anyone's mentioned that before. I'm wondering what the older versions of these sounded like. My initial hour of listening had me thinking that it's very likely that the FS audio engineers did just what they needed to do with the treble.
 
I'll say more later as I get a chance to listen to these more. Of course, I'll do a bit of a review.
 

Does that mean that the treble is recessed relative to the other frequencies, maybe giving them a darker sound? And I don't mean necessarily rolled off or lacking in detail, just less prominent for a less fatiguing sound. Also, maybe someone will send you the panasonic hje900 as well - it would also make for an interesting comparison.

 

[rawrster]

I take it you liked the HJE900 I am assuming they are in completely different price ranges however.

 

[Kunlun]

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Does that mean that the treble is recessed relative to the other frequencies, maybe giving them a darker sound? And I don't mean necessarily rolled off or lacking in detail, just less prominent for a less fatiguing sound. Also, maybe someone will send you the panasonic hje900 as well - it would also make for an interesting comparison.

Burn-in and whatnot isn't done, so take this with a grain of salt. All of this is only to my ears, early in my listening. But treble is not rolled off. In fact, I'm quite sure that there's no treble roll off at all. I would say that what I'm talking about is a particular quality which I think people call "treble energy"--it's the piercing quality that treble can have. 
 
It's a little like glare. It can hurt your eyes but sometimes a bit of chrome can be nice. The Atrios are like looking through polarized lens, there is less glare. The treble can still shimmer and sound beautiful and detailed, but it doesn't sound piercing. That's good in terms of non-sibilant, but, of course, you may like a treble that really has a bit of bite. That treble energy will make the treble stick out even if it isn't so much louder. Imagine someone lightly running their fingers on a blackboard. It's not loud, but the sound grabs you (until you grab the person doing it!). Is that brightness?  I'm coming from and comparing to the mtp-coppers which, for me, do have a nice amount of treble bite. I miss that bite, sometimes and I'm soooo glad it's not there on music tracks that already have a bit much of it. The atrios are non-fatiguing, but they don't wallow in mid warmth the way something like the sony ex500/300s do and the treble is not recessed in the way it is with the sonys, if at all.
 
 For the moment (subject to change, maybe) the mids and bass don't intrude on each other and the treble being well extended and fairly in line (minus the piercing quality) with the others make for a more balanced sound than I thought they'd be. I'm guessing that bringing the treble into line (with some improvement in extention) is one of the main changes. These are well extended above and below, fairly detailed and clear with a nice soundstage. 
 
 
Oh, and I should pass along what one of the FS people told me: One of the other main improvements is that they can take a lot of juice--you'd basically have to plug these into an outlet not designed for head/earphones to get them to blow out, I was told. I'm not testing that, but they can get quite loud.

 

[JxK]

@kunlun
Thanks for the detailed explanation. They sound like an interesting earphone to try. And are one of the few over-the-ear mid-high end dynamics out there as well, which gives them dominance over that niche.
 
@rawrster
Yeah, I liked them.

The only thing that bugged me about them was the fit. Not that it was bad, I'm simply spoiled by the incredibly comfortable M6. They were certainly better than the hippo VB, since the panas have much narrower bodies.

 

[rawrster]

I found that with the SA6 cables you had to fit them a certain way to be secure and comfortable with the biflange tips I used.
 
Just curious but what day do you have to return them Kunlun? If you are free for an hour or two a couple days before you have to send them in I'd be interested in listening to them.

 

[Kunlun]

Two weeks or so. Maybe we can set something up, I'd love to hear the rezero, etc. Plus you can play with my ibasso t3 if my lod fits your dap.

 

[rawrster]

Let me know although I already have a T3

I'll have all my earphones in my possession except my TS02 depending on when I get it back. How's the bass texture of the atrios? I found the e-Q7 to have the best bass texture I've heard and the MD's being a very close 2nd iirc although they could easily be switched but that's based on memory. Is the atrios have similar texture if you remember what either sounds like.

 

[Kunlun]

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Let me know although I already have a T3

I'll have all my earphones in my possession except my TS02 depending on when I get it back. How's the bass texture of the atrios? I found the e-Q7 to have the best bass texture I've heard and the MD's being a very close 2nd iirc although they could easily be switched but that's based on memory. Is the atrios have similar texture if you remember what either sounds like.

Cool! Let's do it.
You know, two things popped into my head while I was listening to music today:
1) The bass on these Atrios reminds me of the MD's bass.
2) You (get out of my head!

) would be a better person to gauge the Atrios' sound. Describing sound isn't so easy, is it? I'll let them burn-in a bit and see how things settle. I think it takes a week or so for the brain to get over what my dad used to call the "new car smell" or honeymoon period for a given product.
 

 

[rawrster]

I don't think any of us is more qualified than another to judge sound. As long as impressions are honest without any hidden agenda that is (not saying you are). Most of us are hobbyists so none are really qualified
 
Describing sound is difficult I'll agree with that. I used a lot of the audio dictionaries such as the one I link in all of my reviews which helped a lot when I first got starting writing reviews. It also helps when you have some kind of reference such as comparing with other earphones so other people know where you are coming from. If you do a full review you will know it's not that easy but it helps you learn about a particular earphone more

 

[Kunlun]

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I don't think any of us is more qualified than another to judge sound. As long as impressions are honest without any hidden agenda that is (not saying you are). Most of us are hobbyists so none are really qualified
 
Describing sound is difficult I'll agree with that. I used a lot of the audio dictionaries such as the one I link in all of my reviews which helped a lot when I first got starting writing reviews. It also helps when you have some kind of reference such as comparing with other earphones so other people know where you are coming from. If you do a full review you will know it's not that easy but it helps you learn about a particular earphone more

My agenda is so hidden even I don't know what it is.
 
I'll probably compare the Atrios to the mtpcs. It makes sense, since they are both dynamics in the mid-high tier.

 

[Bazirker]

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The Klipsch tips fit on these!  I don't think anyone's mentioned that before
 

I've never heard that before either, and tips are one of the biggest issues I have with the Atrios.  The included silicone flanges sound best to me, but they hurt my ears.  Which Klipsch tips are you referring to, and what's your impression of the way they affect the sound?  For me, I'm looking for exactly what FS claims they did with the new drivers, which is more treble...except I'm looking to get it on my v2's