[gnarlsagan]

I think any sibilance issues I was having were issues that existed at least in some small part on the source material (for example Iron & Wine's Endless Numbered Days), and the stock silicon tips of fxt90s exacerbated it just a little. There is no sibilance with the monster foam supertips.

 

 

[i2ehan]

I must admit, the Monster Supertips pairing was a great recommendation! I'm using the gel supertips myself, as I find them much too comfortable. 

 

[dogears]

^Heya chief, I'm not supposed to be here anymore but I'd like to hear your K2 and e-Q5 vs FXT90 comparo after its completely burned-in

TIA!

 

[i2ehan]

While I no longer have the K2 on hand, I'b be happy to make comparisons between the FXT90 and e-Q5, but it may be some time before I'm able to get around to it.

 

[ericp10]

So I am finding that unlike the GR07, there are a variety of tips that change the sound signature ever so slightly within the FXT90, but all sound wonderful. Some bring the mids more forward (especially the vocals); some bring the bass more forward; while others enhance or take away from the treble. None of these tips (I've named about four or five a few pages back) impede on this JVC's unique layering.
 
What I have found, however, is that some tips bring better clarity and transparency out of the FXT90 than others. First discovery is I decided to throw on some Comply tips to see how the FXT90 reacts. Now, I usually don't like Comply tips on any of my IEMs, but these actually did a nice job making the instruments even more 3-D like, with a bit more clarity than I get from my medium/small Monster foam hybrids. Nice discovery, but I can't tell you which Comply tips these are or where they came from. They aren't long tips but have a very wide diameter that fits the wide nozzle of the FXT90 perfectly.
 
But even better is my discovery of the some foam tips that came with N3 and a bunch of Xears IEMs I bought. They are just medium/large foams with no rubber or plastic core. These tips make the FXT90 some like a mixture of the of the FX700 and the SM3 (yes, they bring you  closer to the stage but still with great instrument separation - quite as close as the SM3, but near that range). But the best thing about these Xears foam tips is that it give the FXT90 the most clarity and transparency I've heard from these JVCs. Very nice. Vocals are just freakin' amazing to me, and the bass is much clearer too. The experimentation continues, but I'm glad that the FXT90 is responding to a barrage of tips.

 

[popejohnlarue]

Quote:

The experimentation continues, but I'm glad that the FXT90 is responding to a barrage of tips.

Thanks for continuing to share your findings, Eric.  This might be an opportune moment to ask this question:
 
As an absolute newbie to the IEM scene (my FXT90s are in the mail as of this morning!), I will be at the mercy of the stock tips that come with my headphones.  I have no other tips apart from the crappy 10-year-old single flange tips that came with my cheapie Sharp MD headphones, which I only mention because I am getting paid by the word to write this post.  
 
I realize there are worse fates than being stuck with stock tips.  
 
But it seems like finding the right tips can make a substantial difference to the overall tone and countenance of any given headphone.  I've noticed that a lot of you IEM heavyweights have approximately five thousand pairs of alternate tips to experiment with (to use a conservative estimate).  Is there an easy/cost-effective way for a newcomer like myself to obtain a decent collection of tips without having to buy a trillion pairs of headphones?
 
For example, is there a go-to set of aftermarket tips everyone should own?  Or conversely, some awesome $15 budget cans that everybody buys because they come with two dozen quality tips of various types?  
 
I apologize if this is slightly OT or if I'm asking an obvious question--I suppose I have come to feel an unhealthy sense of "belonging" to this thread.  
 
 
 

 

[tekniiq]

To those of you that own the ftx90, how do you think they sound for trance music? i listen to pretty much everything but trance is one of my favorite genre and i'd like to know how they would sound. Thanks!

 

[gnarlsagan]

Listening to Kaskade now and it sounds great to me. These are pretty euphoric iems with a lot a treble and bass and a nice sound stage that I think works nicely for trance.

 

[FlySweep]

Quote:

For example, is there a go-to set of aftermarket tips everyone should own?  Or conversely, some awesome $15 budget cans that everybody buys because they come with two dozen quality tips of various types?  
 
I apologize if this is slightly OT or if I'm asking an obvious question--I suppose I have come to feel an unhealthy sense of "belonging" to this thread.  

The M11+ tip kit is quite popular & affordable.. it works with quite a few universals too (including the FXT).  I said this on the GR07 thread quite some time back.. I've run through a gamut of tips for those great phones and at the end of it, realized that the my favorite tips for them (ones that preserved the true "voice" of the phone best) were the stock single & bi-flanges.  I've been using those for my GR07 & haven't looked back.  Not only do the tips rival my customs in terms of comfort, they preserve the voice of the GR07 the best, IME.
 
I realized that same thing with the FXT's.  I attacked them with the M11+ kit, the FA Silver Bullet kit, the Monster SuperTip kit as well as other.. I was most satisfied with the stock single flanges.  As Eric said, even between tips that appear very similar in texture & size (i.e. M11+ single flange & the stock single flange), I was able to notice certain parts of the midrange being recessed while the FXT's stock, single flange preserved the balance of the phones best.
 
Of course, different ears, different gears & all that.. but this is just my experience.  As I told Cute in a PM, I recommend letting the phones burn-in and settle into their sound before going "tip hunting".. especially if your tip hunt is motivated by improving the sound and not comfort.  Like the GR07, these phones change quite a bit in sound after some time, IME.

Listening to Kaskade now and it sounds great to me. These are pretty euphoric iems with a lot a treble and bass and a nice sound stage that I think works nicely for trance.

 
Initially, that is how they sound.. after a good 20-50 hours.. they smooth out considerably.. not only in the frequency curve, but in texture as well.  I've got somewhere over a hundred hours on them and they're really well balanced (not to be confused with neutral) and the coloration is much more articulate than it was ootb.  I'd characterize them as mid-centric, but not necessarily mid-forward.  The soundstage remains impressively deep.. but with better imaging and instrument placement, which came about as soon as the thick (ootb) bass and (freakishly) crisp treble settled down.

 

[i2ehan]

Quote:

To those of you that own the ftx90, how do you think they sound for trance music? i listen to pretty much everything but trance is one of my favorite genre and i'd like to know how they would sound. Thanks!

Whenever that magic word is spoken, it seems to strike a chord in me. 

 
As a trance fanatic myself, allow to me to to say the FXT90 sounds simply wonderful with trance, ESPECIALLY vocal trance! From the highs on down, they don't disappoint in the least. In fact, their open and airy presentation, coupled with their excellent overall clarity, layering and transparency, and (of course) their powerful sub-bass makes for an exceptional combination for trance and similar genres. You won't be disappointed my friend. I know so because I've spent the last few hours with exclusively the FXT90's (allowing my ClarityOne's a well deserved break), enjoying a wide variety of trance (Andy Moor, Gareth Emery, Ashley Wallbridge, Above & Beyond, and far too many others to name). 

 

[popejohnlarue]

Quote:

 As I told Cute in a PM, I recommend letting the phones burn-in and settle into their sound before going "tip hunting".. especially if your tip hunt is motivated by improving the sound and not comfort.  Like the GR07, these phones change quite a bit in sound after some time, IME.
 

That sounds like good advice to me.  
 
I tend to lose sight of the fact that a lot of the folks on this forum are "searchers", and that a lot of the scrutinizing and analyzing that goes on is essentially for sport--which is to say, that sampling a variety of different headphones and noting their differences is a big part of the fun.  After soaking up a portion of the vast amount of arcane Head-Fi knowledge available here, it's easy to forget that enjoying a set of cans doesn't necessarily require a specific set of tips on a specific set of headphones, using a specific source with a specific amplifier, etc.
 
I can see how this hobby appeals to people though--so many choices, so much configurability, an endless and diverse supply of new accessibly-priced products to try out... not to mention the fact that the end goal is to enhance music, which is something that's pretty cool in the first place.  Hey, I can definitely think of worse ways to spend money.  
 

 

[marlonmarabe]

Using my victors paired with sgs with voodoo control plus. Man!!!!! the dynamic range and power is just amazing! the combination of both is just stunning. Pair it with flacs and you are in heaven. Portable hi-fi cant get better than this. Bass mids highs soundstage instrument separation and whatever you call it are all delivered in spades! Dayummm

 

[i2ehan]

In lieu of all the FXT90 excitement, I nearly forgot how exceptionally awesome the FX700 sounds. Been going back and forth between the two, and indeed, the FXT90 does retain a good bit of the FX700's overall strengths, albeit it's (very vaguely speaking) comparatively brighter in tone and MUCH less up-front. My current set of FX700's were purchased second hand, which the original owner put to good use for nearly a year and a half. As such, I don't experience ANY midrange recession whatsoever, and even up against the FXT90, the midrange doesn't sound the least bit recessed. In all honesty, I prefer the FX700's warmer and much more intimate midrange (especially vocals), but the FXT90's comparatively laid-back presentation isn't any less pleasing of course. As usual, preferences certainly come into play here. At less than half the cost, however, next to the FX700, the FXT90 seem like quite the bargain. 

 
P.S. For the love of Head-Fi, please give this track a listen, NOW! While I much rather prefer the FX700 for this one in particular, the T90 is a blast nonetheless.
Warning: extreme dubstep nirvana in 3... 2... 1...

 

[kckc]

I will also be receiving a pair of FXT90 hopefully this week to compare to the FX700 

 I'm very excited to see if a pair of phones half the cost can really come so close to the FX700 sound.

 

[eke2k6]

The way i2ehan described the fxt90 makes it seem like its sound signature would suit certain genres more than others. Is this true? One of the reasons why I love my GR07 is that it is a jack of all genres.