[Afro1989]

Quote:

no problem, I am also a sucker for exclusive stuff. Asked a friend of mine who stayed in Japan about these IEMs and he showed me the orange ones, immerdiately grabed them without hesitation.
 
I think |joker| knows more about those tips, He recommended me these double flanges http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Eartips_p/ts1-df-50-cl.htm Haven't bought them though,  I have been low on money recently.

thanks, ordered.  i'll let you know how they work out once i receive them. 

 

[fx40er]

Alright, been gone for a while but I wanted to give these buds a good listen before posting my thoughts.
 
Since I usually listen to classical, I played a classical piece which had many different styles and voices (except I used a CD):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEyzxJ4NGI
I played this once when I just got the FX40s and once today after about 2 months of use (burn in experimenting).
 
Comments about the Piece in General:

1. The crispness of these headphones is amazing, which makes initial hits very nice (the harp and glockenspiel in particular).
2. Bass comes through well with the lows, but at times overpowered by the highs - this could be the recording or the FX40s, I can't tell since I usually don't compare different earphones.
3. The choir entrance was slightly disappointing - I would have liked a larger soundstage. However, this is compared to my speakers which isn't very fair.

 
Comments about Balance:

1. What I noticed with the FX40s on classical music is that overall well-balanced pieces will sound high-heavy. My test piece actually did not fully emphasize this effect because of a broad spectrum of voices from the highs to the lows. Music where there is a solo high voice mostly backed by lows (the violin in Secret Garden - Nocturne, or really the structure of most pop songs today) will sound anything from fine to harsh to ears bleeding depending on the listener. My solution to this was lowering the volume a bit, but obviously you lose the rest of the piece - I just didn't see it as that big of an issue.

 
Comments about Burn in:

1. First, I did not do an official burn in - I enjoyed the FX40s enough on arrival that I just decided to give them natural burn in.
2. Second, that means I have no idea how long these have been playing. It could have been anything from 25-75 hours since I sporadically switch from my speakers to these earphones.
3. Third, I honestly could not tell a difference in the end. I felt like something might have changed, but since I'm a man of science I will not consider that enough evidence for recommending burn in vs natural usage. The other reason may be that I'm a noob and can't tell the difference.

 
Conclusion:

1. All in all, listeners who enjoy more technical music rather than long drawn notes will appreciate the lack of muddiness in these earphones.
2. These are definitely not earphones for bass enthusiasts. The bass is there, and it's clear, but the sound signature is definitely bent in the other direction.
3. On the other hand, these are good earphones for people who prefer a higher melody to harmony ratio. In particular, I found that the FX40s help with recognizing lyrics in pop songs due to their natural emphasis on vocals.

 

[FrequencyBlue]

 
 
@fx40er: Thank you for the detailed review, pretty much sum up the nature of these phones
 
 

thanks, ordered.  i'll let you know how they work out once i receive them. 

looking forward to your impression.
 
I wonder why people haven't comment on the design, because these are one of the best looking inears in their price range. Kinda want to give them the nickname "Turtle" since the housing looks like turtle shell to me, lol. Brought them to my university, some guys saw and were like "hey man, your earphones look cool, can I try them?". Of course I am happy to let them try, and while many said they like the bass, fewer people actually appreciated the clarity, I totally expected that. 
 
a close up picture my pair
 

 
 
 

 

[Afro1989]

Quote:

 
 
@fx40er: Thank you for the detailed review, pretty much sum up the nature of these phones
 
 
looking forward to your impression.
 
I wonder why people haven't comment on the design, because these are one of the best looking inears in their price range. Kinda want to give them the nickname "Turtle" since the housing looks like turtle shell to me, lol. Brought them to my university, some guys saw and were like "hey man, your earphones look cool, can I try them?". Of course I am happy to let them try, and while many said they like the bass, fewer people actually appreciated the clarity, I totally expected that. 
 
a close up picture my pair
 
 
 
 
 

hey Frequency.  got the double flange tips today and unfortunately they're a bit too large.  i'm thinking i'd be better with some smaller triple flanges maybe?  not sure. anyway, if you PM me your home address (if you're in the u.s.) i'll send them to you for free since they're pretty much useless to me.  

 

[FrequencyBlue]

So I managed to try out those meleec double-flange tips, and to tell the truth they don't improve isolation that much. Yeah they do fit in my ears, a little bit tight and uncomfortable though, so they do help alot for exercising since the IEMs literately anchored in you ear

 

[boost3d]

Quote:

So I managed to try out those meleec double-flange tips, and to tell the truth they don't improve isolation that much. Yeah they do fit in my ears, a little bit tight and uncomfortable though, so they do help alot for exercising since the IEMs literately anchored in you ear

 
Discovered the same thing. They didn't improve sound either. Planned to get some Sennheiser double flange tips since they are wide bore like the stock JVC tips but never got around to it. 
 
My FX40's are holding up well. I was worried when I bought them due to the lack of strain relief at the housing. 

 

[FrequencyBlue]

Quote:

 
Discovered the same thing. They didn't improve sound either. Planned to get some Sennheiser double flange tips since they are wide bore like the stock JVC tips but never got around to it. 
 
My FX40's are holding up well. I was worried when I bought them due to the lack of strain relief at the housing. 

I think when they were designing these IEMs, they already had a solution to fix the lack of strain relief. Even though I wear these over-the-ear most of the time and I sweat a lot, they haven't shown any sign of damage from water, which is a nice thing

 

[harry truman]

I picked mine up about two months ago.  For only being $18, they sound amazing. The highs and lows are a bit overpowered but overall they sound great.  They're very isolated with Comply tips (didn't bother to even try the stock tips).  Actually, I was so impressed with them that I almost immediately ordered the HA-FXT90s.

 

[voicemaster]

I ordered this IEM 2 days ago after just bought a Westone 4R which cost 20x more lol. Initial impression (out of the box) after hearing this IEM through my Samsung Galaxy 10.1:
- The sound signature is a bit dark (V shaped for sure)
- Treble is really sparkly, but at the same time harsh and metallic which makes it sounds a bit thin. At songs with a lot of cymbals from drum, it can sound too much is going on on the upper high freq. I do believe in burn-in, so I really hope the treble settle up. 
- Mid sound more laid back, detailed, but still sound a bit thin. From what I read so far, burn-in does help bring the mid a bit forward.
- Bass sounds great. Its tight, deep and punchy which I like. Surprisingly, the bass doesn't interfere with the other freq which rare in $20 category IEM. I definitely like the bass on this IEM. 
- This has to be the easiest IEM I have ever put in my ear. Straight out of the box, I didn't have any problem inserting this IEM to my ear. I am using this IEM with over the ear style.
- Overall, for $20 this IEM beats almost all my other sub $100 IEMs to date. It does share the same signature sound as my W4R with a more laid back mid and sparkling treble, very easy to transition from my W4R to FX40, which says a lot for this $20 IEM. 
I will burn-in this IEM further and will update my review. So far, I am quite impressed with it and I highly recommend it for people who is looking for a great sounding IEM for a budget. 
Hopefully the sound will change for the better after burn-in.

 

[JK1]

The HA-FX40 is good, however there are other good IEMs under $25 such as the Panasonic RP-HJE450 and RP-HJE355. I would buy all of these again. The RP-HJE355 is  somewhat warmer than the HA-FX40. It has a great midrange, great for vocals and classical music. The RP-HJE450 has more bass slam than the RP-HJE355, but not as much detail.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

Quote:

I ordered this IEM 2 days ago after just bought a Westone 4R which cost 20x more lol. Initial impression (out of the box) after hearing this IEM through my Samsung Galaxy 10.1:
- The sound signature is a bit dark (V shaped for sure)
- Treble is really sparkly, but at the same time harsh and metallic which makes it sounds a bit thin. At songs with a lot of cymbals from drum, it can sound too much is going on on the upper high freq. I do believe in burn-in, so I really hope the treble settle up. 
- Mid sound more laid back, detailed, but still sound a bit thin. From what I read so far, burn-in does help bring the mid a bit forward.
- Bass sounds great. Its tight, deep and punchy which I like. Surprisingly, the bass doesn't interfere with the other freq which rare in $20 category IEM. I definitely like the bass on this IEM. 
- This has to be the easiest IEM I have ever put in my ear. Straight out of the box, I didn't have any problem inserting this IEM to my ear. I am using this IEM with over the ear style.
- Overall, for $20 this IEM beats almost all my other sub $100 IEMs to date. It does share the same signature sound as my W4R with a more laid back mid and sparkling treble, very easy to transition from my W4R to FX40, which says a lot for this $20 IEM. 
I will burn-in this IEM further and will update my review. So far, I am quite impressed with it and I highly recommend it for people who is looking for a great sounding IEM for a budget. 
Hopefully the sound will change for the better after burn-in.

 
You could definitely try the Sony EX1000 if you like sparkly treble, its really a nice IEM that's more natural and spacious (soundstage) vs the W4. The EX1000's mids aren't laid back tho like the FX40

 

[JK1]

Comparing a $15 IEM to a $400+ one doesn't seem reasonable. How about comparing the $15 IEM to other IEMs under $25?

 

[voicemaster]

Quote:

Comparing a $15 IEM to a $400+ one doesn't seem reasonable. How about comparing the $15 IEM to other IEMs under $25?

I know, but I use my Westone as a reference and the JVC FX-40 still sounds good against my Westone or if I can re-phrase it better is that the JVC doesn't surprise me when A/B'ing between the two. Yes, it sounds a little bit thin, mid not as forward and solid, a little bit grainier in the upper high, but for the price it is not bad. The JVC does sounds great when compared to the other IEMs in its price range. I have Mee M9 and M6 and the JVC sounds better than both of them IMHO. The JVC sounds more like an IEM version of KSC75. 
And damn I just ordered another JVC which is the JVC HAFXT90. My wallet is thinner -.-'

 

[JK1]

The JVC HA-FXT90 is a microdriver IEM. I find microdriver IEMs to be very uncomfortable, as the very hard driver enclosure goes in your ear canal. I guess it isn't as bad though for those with very large ear canals. I have two JVC microdriver IEMs that I find too uncomfortable.
 
If you are so in love with JVC then perhaps you should buy some shares of the company's stock. Unfortunately it only trades on the Tokyo stock market though. It is on the US over the counter market(JVCZF) but doesn't seem to trade here. Strange. The Tokyo stock market symbol is 6632.T

 

[voicemaster]

Quote:

The JVC HA-FXT90 is a microdriver IEM. I find microdriver IEMs to be very uncomfortable, as the very hard driver enclosure goes in your ear canal. I guess it isn't as bad though for those with very large ear canals. I have two JVC microdriver IEMs that I find too uncomfortable.
 
If you are so in love with JVC then perhaps you should buy some shares of the company's stock. Unfortunately it only trades on the Tokyo stock market though. It is on the US over the counter market(JVCZF) but doesn't seem to trade here. Strange. The Tokyo stock market symbol is 6632.T

I don't particularly love only 1 brand. I have many different brands of IEMs and headphones from Shure, Vsonic, JVC, Sony, Westone, Denon, Sunrise, Koss, Samson, Sennheiser, Meelec, etc.
I love reading reviews in this forum (which can be good and bad) and I always be that "best bang for the buck" kind of hobbyist in term of IEM and headphone. 
Too bad I don't play stock even though I am in finance business.