Introducing Telos Acoustics

[audiobot]

Any word yet if the mic is remote capable (able to control music playback on iPhone)? 
 
And can anyone tell what kind of sound signature these will have just based on the graph provided by innerfidelity?
 
Any help would be thankful. I just need a little more information before I contribute to the kickstarter.

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  Any word yet if the mic is remote capable (able to control music playback on iPhone)? 
 
And can anyone tell what kind of sound signature these will have just based on the graph provided by innerfidelity?
 
Any help would be thankful. I just need a little more information before I contribute to the kickstarter.

They look very consumer-sounding. Definite V-shaped sound sig with lots of bass.
 
Check out the Pistons 2.0 as a reference. They have slightly similar measurements.
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/XiaomiPiston2.pdf

 

[TelosAcoustics]

Dear audiobot,
 
I'm Tetsuro. I have compared TELOS FUJISAN to Sennheiser IE800. 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserIE8002013.pdf
 
I only trust these measurements to judge the bass-mids balance (below 2-3kHz). The bass level is very similar between TELOS FUJISAN and Sennheiser IE800. Due to the difficulty to fit in-ear headphones to the dummy head, the high frequency measurements do not really correlate to what you hear. But that being said, FUJISAN may sound more details and brighter. 
 
Also, please note that the comfort & fit is very important for excellent listening experience. We have spent a lot of time and effort to optimize the comfort. 
http://www.telosacoustics.com/blogs/news/37106177-the-first-principle-of-headphones
 
Thank you for your support!
 
Tetsuro
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1670987279/fujisan-premium-in-ear-headphones-by-telos-acousti/comments

 

[Jamey Warren]

Thanks for all your interest in hearing Fujisan. We have chosen our beta testers for this first round.
 
We have only a couple units right now so don't get discouraged if you weren't picked for beta test.
 
We're working on a demo/tour program for after our kickstarter campaign and look forward to your opinions.
 
That said, if you want to get in on a great deal sign up on our kickstarter campaign. Once it's over retail price will be $299.

 

[veindoc]

so now price is not $99 plus shipping but $139 plus shipping. Sounds like early backers came and went so fast $99 is gone.
Not very cool or patient.

 

[meringo]

Excited for the launch.... but a little disappointed that no more than two people are going to beta test. 
 
I really hope you picked someone that will discuss mass transit and subway use... Since we have measurements, fit and isolation are at the top of my concern list. I'll likely relinquish my launch pair before opening if reports of poor isolation come in. They can sound great, but I've never found an in-ear that fits flawlessly AND isolates well. 

 

[Jamey Warren]

We will certainly add more people for beta testing but we just don't have that many units at the moment. We will be receiving more very soon and will select more people to test.
 
Thanks again!

 

[audiobot]

 
Dear audiobot,
 
I'm Tetsuro. I have compared TELOS FUJISAN to Sennheiser IE800. 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserIE8002013.pdf
 
I only trust these measurements to judge the bass-mids balance (below 2-3kHz). The bass level is very similar between TELOS FUJISAN and Sennheiser IE800. Due to the difficulty to fit in-ear headphones to the dummy head, the high frequency measurements do not really correlate to what you hear. But that being said, FUJISAN may sound more details and brighter. 
 
Also, please note that the comfort & fit is very important for excellent listening experience. We have spent a lot of time and effort to optimize the comfort. 
http://www.telosacoustics.com/blogs/news/37106177-the-first-principle-of-headphones
 
Thank you for your support!
 
Tetsuro
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1670987279/fujisan-premium-in-ear-headphones-by-telos-acousti/comments

awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. Sounds good. Im in 

 

[Hisoundfi]

Thanks for all your interest in hearing Fujisan. We have chosen our beta testers for this first round.

We have only a couple units right now so don't get discouraged if you weren't picked for beta test.

We're working on a demo/tour program for after our kickstarter campaign and look forward to your opinions.

That said, if you want to get in on a great deal sign up on our kickstarter campaign. Once it's over retail price will be $299.

Greetings,

Do we have a list of who has been officially chosen for beta testing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[dweaver]

I am one of the beta testers. I received the test pair today and started to listen to them tonight. I do not want to say much yet as I want to have a bit more time with them before commenting much. But I will say straight up that sonically these are very solid, well worth their Kickstarter asking prices. The first 200 users got one Heck of a deal!!! I will post impressions tomorrow and will do a bit of A/B/C comparisons between them and two similarly priced IEM's one of which was a Head-fi fueled Kiskstarter runaway train...

 

[Baycode]

Greetings,

Do we have a list of who has been officially chosen for beta testing?

Thanks in advance.

+1

Agree with Hisoundfi .

 

[mochill]

Awesome dweaver

 

[audiobot]

 

[dweaver]

Ok before I do any real A/B/C testing I think I need to give my initial impressions. I won't give a lot of discussion in regards to packaging or cable color as those are likely to change in the final version. Instead I will focus on fit, comfort, included accessories, isolation, microphonics, and general sound impressions.
 
The general IEM body design as can be seen from the website has a decidedly retro look to it. I personally like this look and the subdued (NOT BLINGY) color choices. To me it has a classy appearance that looks and feels higher quality. But the incorporation of plastic in the design and the construction do make me a bit concerned about durability in regards to points where glue could come apart. The stem design does allow for easy insertion into the ear though and the half in-ear design is extremely comfortable.
 
The cable is thin and solid feeling in hand. It is not as thick as the Rocket's cable but has a similar feel as that cable which gives me certain level of confidence in it's durability. I think in colder conditions the cable might be slightly on the stiff side since it is already a bit springy.
 
The included tips are on the decidedly shallow side and fairly generic but well chosen as they do conform to the oval shape of the IEM stem. I found the included silicone tips comfortable but not suited to my ears as I have a relatively deep concha which requires a longer tip. So I popped on some UE900 tips and achieved a proper seal. The included silicone tips will likely not work for anyone who has a deep concha like me. I have not played with the included comply tips yet but will edit my post with information on them later tonight or tomorrow.
 
Aside from the selection of tips and the carry bag there is no shirt clip included, so the accessory kit is a bit on the basic side.
 
Isolation is better than average but not as good as Etymotic or Shure IEM's. I would say the isolation is on par with IEM's like the RHA 10i/T20. There was a question about use on the subway earlier. I had a chance to use these on the LRT this morning and got lucky enough to be on a car with the most noisy configuration (open windows) and when we went through the one big tunnel I found the noise to be muted by definitely still present. But no worse than the T10/T20 and several other IEM's I own. The IEM was more isolating when it came to office noise and road noise when walking to the office from the train though so I would say the isolation is average to just slightly above average. It certainly is better than any other half in-ear IEM's I have tried though unless they were active noise cancelling which is a different kettle of fish.
 
Micro phonics are this IEM's Achilles Heel. The IEM is designed to be worn down and in that configuration I found that cable rubbing was prevalent and so were foot falls. I was able to wear the IEM with the cable looped over my ear which helped but did not completely remove the sound. This issue is made a bit worse by the lack of a neck synch and no shirt clip to help manage the cable. I did wear the IEM to work on the train and walking though and was able to ignore the micro phonics when I wrapped the excess cord up and put it in my shirt pocket holding my phone. I also need to be clear here. I have been using the Sony XBA-Z5 for the past 6 months and that IEM has ZERO cable noise so I have grown very spoiled when it comes to micro phonics. I also believe that if a person is willing to help manage the cables in some fashion (wearing it under the shirt, use your own synch or shirt clip) that this issue can be made much more manageable, and for anyone who is used to average gear in regards to micro phonics this might not even be an issue.
 
OK, so how do these sound?
 
I would say the general signature description would be a gentle reverse check mark signature. They have a bit of an elevated bass level with a slightly less elevated treble as compared to the midrange. This gives them a slightly warm full sound that has plenty of treble detail while not being fatiguing in any way.
 
Bass - I would say these have a fairly linear bass with no real big humps (one of my coworkers didn't like the bass because he is used to a mid bass hump and thought the bass was not hard hitting enough because he missed that hump). I tested these with my most sub bass heavy songs and found the sub bass to be very well extended and the mid bass seems well presented but never heavy. I also love the texture and detail in the bass. If it was missing anything it might be a bit of slam.
 
Midrange - I find the midrange to be slightly on the warm side but engaging. When listening to Patricia Barber for example I noticed her ever present hard edge to S's and the IEM managed to capture this without coming across as sibilant or overly harsh.
 
Treble - I really like how the treble has lots of energy with just an hint of tizziness while never coming across as hot or fatiguing. As someone who has grown to dislike ear fatigue from treble this is an area I pay a lot of attention to. This IEM manages to find close to a perfect balance of non-fatigue without sounding dull or boring.
 
Sound Stage / Imaging - This area is average. The sound stage is nicely centered but not super wide or high and imaging is likewise confined. I would say it is similar to the Rockets as a comparison.
 
So how do I like them? From a personal preference point of view I like the signature enough that I place them ahead of the Rockets and slightly ahead of the RHA T20. They kind of remind me of a baby XBA-Z5 in that they lose the Z5 massive sound stage and 3D imaging and some of the Z5 bass impact but share a similar warm and enjoyable feel to them with no fatigue and very similar comfort. If I can tame the micro phonics somehow I can easily see these becoming my go to IEM for on the train and out in the wind (no wind noise so far...).

 

[meringo]

Thanks for the 1st impressions!
 
The sound sig sounds like it will be just what I'm looking for in an in-ear. Unfortunately, lack of Isolation and trouble with microphonics might prevent me from loving these. I wonder if that's something they can improve upon before release. Since this will be my commuting headphone, those two issues are huge.
 
The other frustrating aspect I see in these is the non-detachable cables. You describe the cable to be rather thin, which gives me a great deal of concern - especially since competition in the $300 price point offers this feature (Shure and Sennheiser immediately come to mind.) I 've had a dozen in-ears go bad in my lifetime to know better than to invest a lot in non-removable cable designs. The $115 I paid on the campaign is fine, but the $300 retail price is a tough sell. What about joints - ie, where the headphone meets the cables? Seem sturdy?
 
Thanks!