amature101
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2012
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how is lz-a4 compared to jvc FW01 or fx1200?
can someone tell me if the FX1100 is still the flagship? or is it the FW-01...
you know i lost a bid on ebay today for the FW-01
Now that i'm listening to the FX1100, i feel as if its whispering to me, "psssshhhh, these mortals"
can someone tell me if the FX1100 is still the flagship? or is it the FW-01...
Well, I started with FX500s, then upgraded to FX700s, then FX850s, and now I have the FX1100s. Obviously, a JVC fan.
All this chatter about the FW01s has me thinking about plucking down $450 for a pair, but I'd like to read more comments about the differences.
I find the bass on the FX1100s a bit bloated which affects the mids as well, a common assessment from owners. I use the TEAC IOS app which is identical to the Onkyo app except without the listing of headphones they make. The nice EQ allows me to tone down the bass, so I wonder whether it's worth the money to upgrade.
I also use the TEAC HA-P50 DAC/amp with my iPhone.
The FW01s are slightly better balanced and refined than the FX1100s, but EQ can make the latter sound quite similar and diminish upgrade returns.
However, seeing your history of JVC woodies, my bet is you'll succumb to upgraditis anyway.
Got a HA-FW01 after auditioning it and found it to be an improvement over my HA-FX850 + Mee Audio P1 silver-plated cable combo, in terms of a cleaner treble and more controlled bass. Treble is less harsh, and the bass is tighter, but still possesses energy and fullness (not as much as a stock FX850 though). The FW01 on its stock cables was really clear and had good instrument separation, and the cables had little microphonics.
MMCX HIGH-FIDELITY SILVER-PLATED OFC REPLACEMENT STEREO AUDIO CABLE FOR PINNACLE P1 IN-EAR HEADPHONES: http://www.meeaudio.com/CABLE-MMCX-HE-ZN/
The soundstage on the FW01 (with its stock cable) was spectacular; it matched the FX850 combo I'm using (the P1 cables really expands the soundstage of the FX850s). I tried the FW01 with the P1 cables and holy hell, that soundstage! It became so expansive that it felt almost artificially stretched!
The major drawback of the FW01 was its lack of isolation. I use the largest spiral dot tips that came with my FX850s, and they do a relatively good job of isolating a FX850 (definitely not complete, but good though if you wanna filter out environmental sounds). Yet, when I use them on the FW01, I noticed very vividly that environment sounds were quite noticeable. I was so very disappointed with this, because I use my FX850 combo daily when I commute on the train, and they do a relatively good job of isolation. I tried using smaller spiral dots and foam tips to see if I get a better isolation, but nope, it is the FW01 itself (as far as I can tell). It is for this reason that I sold the FW01 to someone else, and stuck with my back-modded (thanks james444!) FX850 combo. I guess the longer FX850 casing (compared to the FW01) has a role to play in this. Also, a non-modded FX850 has better isolation than the FW01.
Overall, my take on the FW01 is that it is an excellent pair of IEMs, but only if you plan to use them in a quiet environment.
I am now interested in getting a FX1100/1200. Is the isolation on them similar to the FX850s?