[nevrsumr]

I owned the FX850. You’re going to be very

Wut?

 

[jwbrent]

Wut?

Sorry about that ... you’re going to be very happy!

 

[jkjk123]

Do other MMCX cables work well with the FW01?

I read from another user that there was difficulty getting other cables to fit?

I'm interested in getting a mic/remote cable, thanks!

 

[jwbrent]

Do other MMCX cables work well with the FW01?

I read from another user that there was difficulty getting other cables to fit?

I'm interested in getting a mic/remote cable, thanks!

I used an Ortofon ec8s cable with mine and had no troubles whatsoever. Sony makes a cable that several here on this thread liked very much.

 

[endlesswaves]

Can someone post a comparison the FW01 with the FX1100 which one has the better mids/vocals, layering and soundstage depth/height , thanks.

Been using the FX1200 (Asian version of FX1100) for the last 3 years. 2 pairs actually since the 1st pair failed after the 1st year. And just gotten a FW01 today.

Using Sony WM1A with Effect Audio Thor II Silver, my initial impression is FW01 doesn't goes a low as FX1200 and less quantity in bass. Less body in mids and a little bit more sparkly in the highs. You get better clarity and instrument separations at the expense of the sweet syrupy timbre and low rumbling sub bass. Soundstage is a bit wider and higher but shallower. Please note this is based on an unburned unit straight out of the box.

As for layering, I feel Fx1200 is better with it's thick body. Might be different with other DAPs. I just love how my WM1A with EA Thor II Silver does layering with my FX1200.

Fast paced EDM might be better with FW01. I listens to Downtempo nowadays and FX1200 is a better choice. More report after more hours.

FWIW, change the stock cables. They are not doing any justice to what these 2 IEMs can do. Best I have tried is with Effect Audio Leonidas and PW Audio 1960s. But buying a cable that cost twice as much as the IEMs is crazy.

 

[Ahmad313]

Been using the FX1200 (Asian version of FX1100) for the last 3 years. 2 pairs actually since the 1st pair failed after the 1st year. And just gotten a FW01 today.

Using Sony WM1A with Effect Audio Thor II Silver, my initial impression is FW01 doesn't goes a low as FX1200 and less quantity in bass. Less body in mids and a little bit more sparkly in the highs. You get better clarity and instrument separations at the expense of the sweet syrupy timbre and low rumbling sub bass. Soundstage is a bit wider and higher but shallower. Please note this is based on an unburned unit straight out of the box.

As for layering, I feel Fx1200 is better with it's thick body. Might be different with other DAPs. I just love how my WM1A with EA Thor II Silver does layering with my FX1200.

Fast paced EDM might be better with FW01. I listens to Downtempo nowadays and FX1200 is a better choice. More report after more hours.

FWIW, change the stock cables. They are not doing any justice to what these 2 IEMs can do. Best I have tried is with Effect Audio Leonidas and PW Audio 1960s. But buying a cable that cost twice as much as the IEMs is crazy.

Thanks for your brief thoughts about the two , so i think FX1100/1200 is best for mids/vocals, layering and a tall/heightened soundstage ,

 

[endlesswaves]

Thanks for your brief thoughts about the two , so i think FX1100/1200 is best for mids/vocals, layering and a tall/heightened soundstage

Not exactly. FX1100/1200 have thicker timbre but not as resolving as FW01. Choosing between the 2 to me is more on quantity of bass and body of mids. This is the 1st thing I noticed about these 2. If you like more bass go for FX1100/1200. This is down to your preference and types of songs you listen to.

Best to try out both before buying. When 1 1st auditioned the FW01, I was not impressed. Sounds very similar to my FX1200 and not worth spending money on getting something so similar. But there are some songs which will be better appreciated with a more resolving and less congested IEM. That's why I waited till today to purchase it.

They are more similar than different. You get the nice woody timbre. Can't go wrong with both.

One more tidbit, FX1200 are made in China while FW01 is made in Japan.

 

[ronaldo7messi10]

Hi guys, havent been to the forums for a long while. So is this the successor to the FX1100?

 

[nevrsumr]

Yes but there is the FD01 with is the successor to the fw01 but not wood this time. I read its more neutral (less bass) and more detail. I might pick it up when it hits the $300 range.

 

[endlesswaves]

@Ahmad313 get the FW01. IMHO it's definitely an upgrade to the FX1100/1200. Was on low gain during my 1st few hours with it and initially thought it's bass was a bit lacking compared to the FX1100/1200. But setting it on high gain, the bass is not lacking but with better control, shorter decay and less bloomy. You get a little less bass in exchange of better clarity, better highs, wider soundstage. The tradeoff is worth it.

 

[BlinkST]

Yes but there is the FD01 with is the successor to the fw01 but not wood this time. I read its more neutral (less bass) and more detail. I might pick it up when it hits the $300 range.

The FD01 is not the successor to the FW01. The FD01 is on the Solidege line, while the FW01 is the earphone version of the SW01. They will both probably have successors in the future.

 

[nevrsumr]

The FD01 is not the successor to the FW01. The FD01 is on the Solidege line, while the FW01 is the earphone version of the SW01. They will both probably have successors in the future.

Huh. Not challenging that but what does the "class S" writing on my case stand for? I really have no idea. I hear it's only on the Japanese market ones.

 

[BlinkST]

Huh. Not challenging that but what does the "class S" writing on my case stand for? I really have no idea. I hear it's only on the Japanese market ones.

Class S is JVC's brand/ grouping for the recent top products when it comes to headphones. The FD01 and 02 are the higher-end headphones in the recent Solidege series. The first one was the HA-FD7, along with the HA-SD7. The FD01-02 are "Class S" because they're supposed to be best in class in the Solidege family; it's a new concept that runs alongside the WOOD series. They are not advertised as successors to the WOOD line.

 

[ronaldo7messi10]

I recently purchased the HA-FW01 from Amazon ($449), and now that I have over 100 hours of play time, I think I can accurately share my observations on how these sound, especially compared to the HA-FX1100 which I also own. I should mention for those new to the JVC wood IEMs, these are made for the Japanese market, so all promotional materials are typically in Japanese.





First, a link that has been Google translated here. Lots of good information to be found including some graphics showing the difference between the FW01 and the FX1100.

For those who are unfamiliar with the JVC woodies, in 2008, JVC/Victor released the HP-FX500, the first IEM that used wood fiber as the diaphragm material. I purchased these for about $200 and really liked them a lot, much more than the Denon AH-C700 that was quite popular at the time. As shigzeo—a noted member here—relayed in his early review, "The FX500 sound signature could be summed up in three words: 'rich and thick.'"

Yes, that they were—they had a wonderful tonal quality to them, non fatiguing, and the beautiful wood body only made my attraction to them greater. They were followed up a couple years later by the HA-FX700 which improved on many aspects of its predecessor's design. I also owned them and found they were a worthy upgrade over the FX500. The one shortcoming of both of these models was the length of the non-detachable cable, about .85m.

Around 3 years ago, JVC released a lineup of new woodies, the HA-FX650, HA-FX750, and the top model at the time, the excellent HA-FX850. I bought the FX850 and found it to be superior to the FX700. This lineup has proven to be very popular and an allegiance of woodie fans has developed here on Head-Fi. Also, JVC addressed the cable length issue by using the now standard 1.2m length, and on the FX850, they added a detachable cable.

Which brings us to the HA-FX1100/FX1200. These were released shortly after the before mentioned lineup and are considered the pinnacle of the JVC wood driver design with low end performance that any basshead would grin about. Once again, I bought the FX1100 and was happy with the change. The one noted difference with the cable on these was the use of 6 nines (99.9999%) pure copper, the first time JVC placed any apparent attention on the sound quality of its cable.

HA-FW01

The HA-FW01 is a departure from the tonal character of JVC's previous woodies. Some FX850/1100 owners have commented on how the bass bleeds into the lower mids, muffling the sound of this crucial area of the frequency range. Since my use was primarily outdoors, I wasn't too bothered by this; during in home listening sessions I would use EQ to correct for this characteristic.

On its website, JVC writes about the importance of resonance control: they use 4 different elements made from wood, aluminum, brass, and stainless steel to control the resonance that is inherent in all IEMs. Resonance that isn't well controlled can intrude into the overall sound, reducing clarity, imaging, low level detail retrieval, and introducing fatigue with extended listening. If one ever wondered why high quality loudspeakers are so heavy and use different materials—sometimes exotic—for cabinet construction, resonance control is the answer.

I hear this improvement in the lack of resonance when I listen to my FW01. The bass is way better controlled compared to the FX1100, it's more detailed, less one note sounding, yet still rich in timbre. The lower midrange is no longer clouded, rather, male vocals are reproduced with such a clarity that vocal expressions are easily discerned. Female vocals, too, come though with a beautiful purity, less edginess, less fatigue. The trebles are extended, and low level detail retrieval is easily heard—those quiet musical expressions such as the decay on instruments that get lost in the noise floor of lesser designs.

I should mention the gear I'm using for my evaluation: I own an Astell&Kern AK240 Stainless Steel as my transport connected with a Penon Audio 4-nines pure silver OTG cable going to the fabulous Chord Mojo DAC/amplifier. I use the Spiral Dot tips included with the FW01 and the stock cable, which, by the way, is not made from 6 nines copper; there is no mention about the quality of the conductors on JVC's website. Strange, a backwards step from the FX1100, and a possible route for improving the sound further with an upgrade.

In addition to the improved resonance control, the FW01 uses a thinner diaphragm with an updated voice coil design thus enabling greater speed in handling transients. I hear this as better dynamics compared to the FX1100 ... sometimes I've been struck by the dynamic impact throughout the frequency range. I'm sure this improvement in the drivers correlates to the improved bass performance on the FW01.

Another improvement JVC employed on the FW01 is separating the ground paths between the two channels. No, the FW01 isn't balanced out of the box, but JVC (as well as after-market cable suppliers) offers an optional cable that makes it so; those who prefer the sound from this kind of connection (and have an amplifier that supports balanced operation), well, go for it. Personally, I haven't played around that much with this type of hookup in my portable audio adventures.

Summing up, I now own a pair of IEMs that I feel are reference grade. It's been a long journey for me going back to the FX500 and I've enjoyed the ride immensely with each successive design, but the FW01, in my mind, has taken the art of dynamic driver IEMs to a new level. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my purchase. Listening to my library of music is now an adventure with further surprises to await me.

Items of Note

The FW01 is made in Japan, a feature that began with the FX500 and FX700, but changed with the introduction of the FX650/750/850/1100 series (China).

The pictured case on the website has changed: JVC is now embossed on the cover, not Class-S.

Some have commented on the new shiny black front piece suggesting it made the design cheap looking; it is gloss black but there are metallic flakes that, in my opinion, add a touch of elegance.

For whatever reason, I always preferred using Comply T400 foam tips with my previous JVC woodies, but on the FW01, I like the sound of the Spiral Dot tips much better.

The overall length of the FW01 is shorter than the FX1100, so now you can walk around outside without looking like a relative of Frankenstein.

I've always liked the little bump on the left cable of the JVC woodies; it really makes it much easier to identify the channels in the dark. Additionally, there are now color coded bands for right and left channel on each earpiece where the cable connects.

The metal accents on the wood body are a pale rose gold. Also, there are tiny ridges on the back aluminum cap, but they are shallower than the FX1100, an improvement in maintaining its beautiful finish. Previous JVC woodies used this as a design element, but the soft nature of aluminum made it easy to scar these up.

For those who have an extreme attention to build quality, as I do, the FW01 is a luxury product.

Hi, im in love with the fx850, would like to know whether I should go for the fx1100/1200 or the FW01? Music preference is hip hop and i would like a spacious sound stage

 

[Ahmad313]

@Ahmad313 get the FW01. IMHO it's definitely an upgrade to the FX1100/1200. Was on low gain during my 1st few hours with it and initially thought it's bass was a bit lacking compared to the FX1100/1200. But setting it on high gain, the bass is not lacking but with better control, shorter decay and less bloomy. You get a little less bass in exchange of better clarity, better highs, wider soundstage. The tradeoff is worth it.

Thanks for your thoughts and luckily i am not a basshead i just want a decent amount of bass( as exists in the recording), my preferences is excellent and bit forward mids/vocals and a good soundstage depth/height.