[fzman]

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I find that the FXZ-200 excels with music that has natural bass and not too much compression (or none) in the mix:  Classical, Jazz, Blues, some Pop, Blue-Grass, Bossa… well you get my meaning.
 
From what I hear,  when the bass has been processed a lot, has been over compressed, or has been recorded poorly,  the experience is just painful.   This IEMs act as bass microscopes, which for me is a new experience and one that has me wondering if the sound engineers give a damn regarding how bass is recorded as long as is has the punch that low-end reproduction needs. 

when the trunk rattles enough...  the bass is good.  i've been to several concerts where the 'bass' was just a bunch of one-note mush.  imho lots of 'sound engineers' and 'mixers' haven't been told that basses play NOTES!   
 
rant over - long-winded way of saying "I agree" with you.  There's a huge gulf between an iem that allows you to hear what your rig plus recordings actually sounds like, vs whether it makes it sound the way you want it too.  Usually the difference between folks who listen to 'artificial' vs acoustic music- and there's nothing wrong with this.  it just seems to me to be the way things are.

 

[fzman]

Quote:

Ok....I think I found why the 200's (and probably the 100's too) sound so fatiguing after awhile. Just listen to either Karen Carpenter's 'Solitaire' or Emmylou Harris's 'In My Dreams' and it's VERY apparent. At the very top end of their voices there is a harsh grating overtone to each note they sing that I do not hear on ANY other headphone or IEM. I listen to the same songs on the Beyer T1's, the TF10s, IE7's and X10s and none of them have this harshness in that range. It is probably not readily apparent on other types of music but there is no escaping the hard edge I am hearing with female vocals. I have over 100 hours on the 200's so I do not expect them to get any better and I have also tried many ear tips to no avail. Thankfully the 200's partially make up for it in the rest of the spectrum. Since I read that most of the people on this thread listen to dub, trance or other forms of music, it's no wonder that nobody is noticing this issue.

I listen to as much acoustic jazz and jazz vocal music as anything else.  OK I have a little Slipknot addiction, but I can quit whenever I want  

.   I've listened to Ella, Sarah Vaughan, Holly Cole and others, and found that the sound of their voices varied with the recording.   I wonder if there's a specific vocal mic used that you are especially sensitive to, and the JVCs show it to you more than other iems....   Sorry they didn't work out for you, but glad there are other options that give you more enjoyment.

 

[RatFarm]

Maybe it's like someone mentioned earlier that the 200's are like a microscope and perhaps are too revealing in the mids, who knows. Maybe having 3 dynamic drivers is just too much for an IEM. For other forms of music, the 200's will be my go-to IEMs but for listening to vocals, I'll choose an alternate headphone.

 

[miow]

Quote:

Maybe it's like someone mentioned earlier that the 200's are like a microscope and perhaps are too revealing in the mids, who knows. Maybe having 3 dynamic drivers is just too much for an IEM. For other forms of music, the 200's will be my go-to IEMs but for listening to vocals, I'll choose an alternate headphone.

 
Exactly. Mids are so clear, have so much definition that can eventually pick up something with the microphones used in the recordings. That will obviously vary from album to album.

 

[cute]

Quote:

 
Exactly. Mids are so clear, have so much definition that can eventually pick up something with the microphones used in the recordings. That will obviously vary from album to album.

 
@analogsurviver brought attention to the problem with highs in the JVC HA S500.  He used the track "spem in allum" available on Amazon, to test for the problem with resonance in the highs.  That track is a chorus in a church chanting vocals.....you can also hear the resonance in high female vocals, and flute solos.  It is there in a lot of headphones and IEM's.  I hear it in all of my headphones/IEM's, JVC FXZ200's included.  Some female vocals are worse than others, but the problem is not the microphones in the mastering, it is the headphones/IEM's that cannot play back correctly.  analogsurviver listed some of the hp's that are able to play without resonance problems.  An example of female voice that have a problem is Hayley Westernra, who has a very high female voice, and when combined with female vocals in the background of some tracks, album is "Celtic Treasures".  I have a lot of Emmylou Harris albums, and her voice is also prone to resonance on the high notes.  Analogsurviver is a sound production professional, so he has a good ear for this problem, and he tried the S500 for production, but the accuracy in the highs just wasn't there.  I was suprised playing his "spem in allum" track, which really shows you that the problem exists in your headphone/IEM.  Most won't notice this problem with their headphone/IEM, unless playing music with female vocals that hit very high notes.

 

[dimitri42]

70 hours. At this point they sound exactly like a full size can, nothing to do with a IEM, such is the separation and the soundstage. I'm enjoying them alot

 

 

[treal512]

I was sleeping in this morning when I heard a loud knocking on my front door. It's Saturday, who in the world would that be? I quickly jumped out of bed, signed for the package in my boxers, and am now in possession of the 100/200. It only took 2 seconds to figure out which model I was going to listen to first. I've just hooked up the 200 to my Studio-V 3AE DAP.
 
First impression is wow, these things are like tanks (physically) in my ears. However, with the attached stock tips and no adjustments (yet), they fit well over the ear and I hardly notice them. Second impression, these produce very little hiss compared to my Westone 4 on the Studio-V, which is a relief. I was already moderately comfortable with the hiss level of the W4, so this is a pleasant surprise. For my last initial impression, I've just listened to Lee Ritenour & Larry Carlton's "Low Steppin" and "L.A. Underground." So far, the bass has a powerful enveloping presence (not necessarily bad) in the music and the clarity is good. I'm impressed. Time to let this pair open up together.
 

 

[dimitri42]

I guarantee these phones change alot with burn-in. I got a totally different IEM already. Opened up quite alot, especially mids and treble. Bass is much tighter and controled too.
 

 

[dweaver]

I have about 25hrs on my FXZ100 and have to say they really do sound nice. I suspect the 200 would maybe become to much for me from a bass perspective. But these are the best JVC IEM's I have heard. They slay the FXT90 and fix the mids and to a very slight degree treble issues I had with the FXD80.

I am amazed at how some songs I have have bass in them I didn't even know existing. I was listening to one song and at the end a bass note lingered for a couple seconds, I always thought that was just space, today I could actually hear/feel the bass hum. I am listening to Credence Clear Water Revival's "I Put a Spell on You" and by golly the bass guitar is alive and well throughout that whole song and none of other guitars, vocals, and drum kit get lost!

BTW I have had zero issues with the FXZ100 and female vocals and I have quite a bit of Jazz and Celtic music plus bands like Heart with strong female vocals and none of my music sounds off or harsh in the slightest. BUT I also have to confess I am a mid/treble head so may like those areas hotter than a lot of folks.

 

[miow]

0 issues with female vocals here too. In fact they sound astonishing. Female and male. This is probably the best vocal reproduction I've heard out of a IEM.

 

[jnsaudiophile]

Update: Around 50 hours into my FXZ200 burn in.
 
Biggest change is the bass. It now has become so controlled and no longer makes the sound muddy. Microdetail and that soundstage is quite huge. It kinda feels empty on some tracks because of how far in back that one note is played. Still have some issues on highs but I reckon its a fit problem which I havent solved yet. I wear them around the ear, the LR letters facing out.
 
These triple dynamics are so good at handling instruments and different waves of sound. Totally beats out my GR07 in sheer speed.

 

[miow]

Quote:

These triple dynamics are so good at handling instruments and different waves of sound. Totally beats out my GR07 in sheer speed.

 
No doubts about that.

 

[ericp10]

So I started tip rolling again. Right now I still think the Senn double-flanges lead the pack, but I've discovered the Sony hybrids and Phonek gray silicons add a nice sound shaping to the 200s in their own right. All listening is out of the iPod Classic, as I want to see what the sound is like without extra amplification. And after the Senns, what's really impressing are a pair of large silicons from the UE900 that someone gave me. I've always thought UE made nice silicon tips. These tips seem extra firm, and there is an extra layer of different colored silicon in the tube part that really keeps the notes thick and rich, plus puts the bass more in line with mids, yet allows the treble to breathe. Nice!

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

So I started tip rolling again. Right now I still think the Senn double-flanges lead the pack, but I've discovered the Sony hybrids and Phonek gray silicons add a nice sound shaping to the 200s in their own right. All listening is out of the iPod Classic, as I want to see what the sound is like without extra amplification. And after the Senns, what's really impressing are a pair of large silicons from the UE900 that someone gave me. I've always thought UE made nice silicon tips. These tips seem extra firm, and there is an extra layer of different colored silicon in the tube part that really keeps the notes thick and rich, plus puts the bass more in line with mids, yet allows the treble to breathe. Nice!

 
Try the extra long Meelec single flanges from the M11 tip set.
 
I much prefer it to the Senn biflanges, TF10 tips, stock tips, auvio tips, and pretty much everything else in my arsenal that could fit them. They are about 30% longer than the senn flanges, but have a bore that's as wide as the FXZ's opening. It maintains the advantages of the single flange, but really opens up the mids and treble.
 
Dweaver, I'm listening to the FXZ-100.
 
I'll post impressions later today after I'm done moving into my new apt. 

 

[caracara08]

Quote:

How do the FXZ200 sound straight out of a Sansa clip?

 
Hey Drkp, think your question got buried a little.  I personally felt it didnt have enough 3dness and impact out of the clip alone.  I therefore felt the need to buy a 900$ IEM music player.   
 
It doesnt sound bad, but not as extraordinary.  If i just had the clip, id still think they were good for sub 300$ headphones.