[Tom22]

   
How do you describe fxd80's soundstage and imaging?

 
i hate to keep spam this thread! to answer you question! hopefully in the best way, here you go! hope it helps
 

 

[AgentJ]

Hi,

I bought my FRD80 as an upgrade from my AM800,which I thought had great mids for solid vocals, but felt a bit lacking in terms of bass. Only problem is that I find the FRD80 a bit lacking in mids :/

I haven't really used them that much, so considering some people are saying they need more than 50 hours of burn in, there could be a chance of it improving somewhat.

Just asking if anyone's had any improvements with different tips?

Otherwise I might experiment with either the FXT90 or maybe a warm and not V shaped IEM like the MH1C

 

[ThickT]

Fxt90 is good with vocals, but it also has a tendency to make female vocals sound sharp. I find the upper mid range to be fatiguing.

 

[AgentJ]

Fxt90 is good with vocals, but it also has a tendency to make female vocals sound sharp. I find the upper mid range to be fatiguing.

Oh right. Do you recommend any other warmer but still v shaped IEMs?

 

[ThickT]

Sure. Personally, I much enjoy the V shaped sound of my JVC fxc51. Believe it or not the audio technica CLR100 is a nice in ear for vocals and bass. I also really like my audeo pfe's as well.

 

[Tom22]

Hi,

I bought my FRD80 as an upgrade from my AM800,which I thought had great mids for solid vocals, but felt a bit lacking in terms of bass. Only problem is that I find the FRD80 a bit lacking in mids :/

I haven't really used them that much, so considering some people are saying they need more than 50 hours of burn in, there could be a chance of it improving somewhat.

Just asking if anyone's had any improvements with different tips?

Otherwise I might experiment with either the FXT90 or maybe a warm and not V shaped IEM like the MH1C

vsonic vsd3s or the vsd3 ( i own the vsd3s) and i thought it was just great for vocals. its not as revealing as the fxd80s but much more natural and thicker bodied. its a very smooth warm sound bass is emphasized and full bodied, abeit slower than the fxd80s but still very enjoyable.
 
think shure se215 2.0 essentially plus it looks better (i got the red and blue version)
heres a link to how they look like and what your getting for 60$
'
 
or the havi b3 pro 1 which is great for a open sounding vocal (its actually super revealing in the vocals) more so than the fxd80s, but it is a huge drop in bass quantity so just be aware.
here is my impression video on them
 

 

[reversible]

Hi all, first post here. Been looking for a sub-$100 mic-equipped IEM and through Joker's reviews, the FRD80 was brought to my attention.

Despite being a musician, my experience with portable audio is very limited so much of the jargon thrown around doesn't mean all that much to me. I listen to a lot of orchestral work so I do want a certain degree of clarity, but I also enjoy with some alternative and r&b, although I'm not as picky about how they sound. Nevertheless, I still prefer something more v-shaped, and less analytical (I know many colleagues who swear by Ety HF5s but I just find them boring). My only other forays into the IEM world were with the old Head-Fi fads, the Nuforce NE-7M and 700M. I liked them, but have had a total of three break on me so I need something new.

The other thing is I feel a good seal is perhaps even more important than sound. Maybe I'm just a noob but I found myself preferring a pair of awful Klipsch S3s with nice-fitting triple-flange tips over a Sennheiser IE8 with its stock single-flanges. The FRD80s look a little big and I think my ear canals are in the narrow side.

Does the FRD80 seem to fit my use case? Is there anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[Tom22]

Hi all, first post here. Been looking for a sub-$100 mic-equipped IEM and through Joker's reviews, the FRD80 was brought to my attention.

Despite being a musician, my experience with portable audio is very limited so much of the jargon thrown around doesn't mean all that much to me. I listen to a lot of orchestral work so I do want a certain degree of clarity, but I also enjoy with some alternative and r&b, although I'm not as picky about how they sound. Nevertheless, I still prefer something more v-shaped, and less analytical (I know many colleagues who swear by Ety HF5s but I just find them boring). My only other forays into the IEM world were with the old Head-Fi fads, the Nuforce NE-7M and 700M. I liked them, but have had a total of three break on me so I need something new.

The other thing is I feel a good seal is perhaps even more important than sound. Maybe I'm just a noob but I found myself preferring a pair of awful Klipsch S3s with nice-fitting triple-flange tips over a Sennheiser IE8 with its stock single-flanges. The FRD80s look a little big and I think my ear canals are in the narrow side.

Does the FRD80 seem to fit my use case? Is there anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance everyone!

 
what size ear tips did you use for your previous earphones?
like if your using small ALL the time or extra small the frd80s might not be for you.
 
i'm usually switching between the small and mediums between earphones (usually mediums) and i found the frd80 not bad in comfort. it was never bad to the point i had to take it off, but it never disappeared from my ears. 
 
but regarding your preferences (orchestral music) especially i think the frd80 would sound very fun but unnatural, stringed instruments anything except synthetic instruments sounded very unnatural, and just odd to me. 
 
they play well for r&b and alternative music if you want high quality bass impact with clear vocals and great clarity (a bit cold and souless i find, for more vocally engaging music) the frd80s are a great choice especially on a budget

 

[Sweden]

Hi all, first post here. Been looking for a sub-$100 mic-equipped IEM and through Joker's reviews, the FRD80 was brought to my attention.

Despite being a musician, my experience with portable audio is very limited so much of the jargon thrown around doesn't mean all that much to me. I listen to a lot of orchestral work so I do want a certain degree of clarity, but I also enjoy with some alternative and r&b, although I'm not as picky about how they sound. Nevertheless, I still prefer something more v-shaped, and less analytical (I know many colleagues who swear by Ety HF5s but I just find them boring). My only other forays into the IEM world were with the old Head-Fi fads, the Nuforce NE-7M and 700M. I liked them, but have had a total of three break on me so I need something new.

The other thing is I feel a good seal is perhaps even more important than sound. Maybe I'm just a noob but I found myself preferring a pair of awful Klipsch S3s with nice-fitting triple-flange tips over a Sennheiser IE8 with its stock single-flanges. The FRD80s look a little big and I think my ear canals are in the narrow side.

Does the FRD80 seem to fit my use case? Is there anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance everyone!

 
I have rather small sized ear canals as well and the comfort goes up by a large margin using foam tips with these. 
These cheap foam tips do the trick but if you are using the smallest tips (you can buy only the small as well or say that you want 2 small 1 medium) you might want to roll thin strips of tape around the nozzle so the tips won't get stuck in your ear! These foam tips almost disappear in my ears, I get fantastic isolation and very important for me I don't get that vacuum seal that feels like you are raping your eardrum every time you pull them out. But if you have even smaller ears then me I can see how there could be a problem. 
Sound wise they sound like a good fit.  Clear, fast, detailed and exciting. If you look at the graph they are very v-shaped but the bass is rather polite. Work perfect with classical, synth new wave, metal. R&B I'm not sure though. I want a fuller bass for that. The type of bass found in EPH-100.

 

[koreanzombie]

How do the fxd80's compare to the current crop of cheapish iems? vsd3, pistons, t1e. Also are the fxd80's signiutre similar to the jvc s500's?

 

[Tom22]

How do the fxd80's compare to the current crop of cheapish iems? vsd3, pistons, t1e. Also are the fxd80's signiutre similar to the jvc s500's?

Imo I think they would fair decently well, the fxd80 were no my cup of tea ( piror to getting the fxd80s I wanted skmething v shaped with an exciting treble)

The fxd80 gave me that but I i didnt like it as much as I thought

I currently have the vsd3s and I much like the vsd3s more

I also own the havi b3 pro which is in the same price bracket as the vsd3s.

And I like that more as well

That said I did not A/B them side by side with the fxd80s this is just by memory, but I know what I like and dont like

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Hi all, first post here. Been looking for a sub-$100 mic-equipped IEM and through Joker's reviews, the FRD80 was brought to my attention.

Despite being a musician, my experience with portable audio is very limited so much of the jargon thrown around doesn't mean all that much to me. I listen to a lot of orchestral work so I do want a certain degree of clarity, but I also enjoy with some alternative and r&b, although I'm not as picky about how they sound. Nevertheless, I still prefer something more v-shaped, and less analytical (I know many colleagues who swear by Ety HF5s but I just find them boring). My only other forays into the IEM world were with the old Head-Fi fads, the Nuforce NE-7M and 700M. I liked them, but have had a total of three break on me so I need something new.

The other thing is I feel a good seal is perhaps even more important than sound. Maybe I'm just a noob but I found myself preferring a pair of awful Klipsch S3s with nice-fitting triple-flange tips over a Sennheiser IE8 with its stock single-flanges. The FRD80s look a little big and I think my ear canals are in the narrow side.

Does the FRD80 seem to fit my use case? Is there anything else I should consider? Thanks in advance everyone!

Hi
I use the frd80z to listen to classical music and its a fairly enjoyable experience. Not as 'accurate' as any monitoring headphones, but enjoyable. I guess that fits what you're looking for, but are you sure you have spent enough time with the Ety hf5s? I've used them (albeit for about half an hour), and I thought they were great for classical music. Frd80z's imaging immediately pales in comparison. Beyond that, its a matter of accuracy vs 'enjoyable'-ness. Sorry, i'm sure this could be phrased better. Umm. Personally, as an owner of the frd80z, I think that I'd prefer the ety hf5s for classical music. However, at 70$, frd80z is a pretty great deal imo. But classical/orchestral music really really benefits from the imaging and accuracy of the ety hf5s. Maybe you weren't using well recorded stuff?
 
Either way.
If you're sure you don't like the ety hf5s, I don't think you'd be going wrong with the frd80z. It offers an overall likable, non-fatiguing, not-overly-engaging-but-not-at-all-veiled sound-signature. A sound-signature that isn't specifically curated or ideal or perfect for any particular genre of music, but all genres of music do end up working well with it and benefit from the non-fatiguing-ness. However, again, the one flaw of the frd80z in my eyes is its lackluster imaging and soundstage, and that kinda hurts the experience of listening to say Mahler's 8th, for instance.

 

[Ap616]

  How do the fxd80's compare to the current crop of cheapish iems? vsd3, pistons, t1e. Also are the fxd80's signiutre similar to the jvc s500's?

+

Imo I think they would fair decently well, the fxd80 were no my cup of tea ( piror to getting the fxd80s I wanted skmething v shaped with an exciting treble)

The fxd80 gave me that but I i didnt like it as much as I thought

I currently have the vsd3s and I much like the vsd3s more

I also own the havi b3 pro which is in the same price bracket as the vsd3s.

And I like that more as well

That said I did not A/B them side by side with the fxd80s this is just by memory, but I know what I like and dont like

 
I have the FXD80s, but they get no playtime. They are pretty v-shaped and cold, blindingly bright. Lots of 8k emphasis. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I need to sell them as they aren't my cup of tea either. That said, they are pretty technical/transparent&resolving and fast with great bass texture & control. They've got clear scooped out mids, and these hurt my ears physically after a little while... even with more comfortable Auvio tips. The stocks don't fit me at all. The Auvio tips work the absolute best for these imho.
 
I like the TTPOD T1-E and Havi B3 Pro 1 wayyy better. Tenore is also a lot better/more enjoyable to my ears too. From memory, I think I even like the EPH-100 a little more, which I sold cause of too much bass and diffuse/docile treble. 

 

[Tom22]

  +
 
I have the FXD80s, but they get no playtime. They are pretty v-shaped and cold, blindingly bright. Lots of 8k emphasis. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I need to sell them as they aren't my cup of tea either. That said, they are pretty technical/transparent&resolving and fast with great bass texture & control. They've got clear scooped out mids, and these hurt my ears physically after a little while... even with more comfortable Auvio tips. The stocks don't fit me at all. The Auvio tips work the absolute best for these imho.
 
I like the TTPOD T1-E and Havi B3 Pro 1 wayyy better. Tenore is also a lot better/more enjoyable to my ears too. From memory, I think I even like the EPH-100 a little more, which I sold cause of too much bass and diffuse/docile treble. 

haha i agree that's what happened to me, i liked them for their build quality and they sounded really good, but yea theres something about it (i mentioned what i was in the earlier post) and they sat in my drawer, then i finally sold them. they were basically mint condition when i sold them.
 
i tried them with the auvio tips too they were my second favorite, the stocks were not the most comfortable but i thought they sounded the "best" to me (what that means i can't explain, just that it sounded "more" right to me
 
 
i'm planning on getting the eph100 eventually (i've heard so many good things). 
 
yea the havis are fantastic ( there were too many quality control issues on the tenore for me to try) i might get a dud =(

 

[Ap616]

Yeah, Tenores are good, but yes, can have problems... I'd skip the EPH or Tenore and get the TTPOD T1-E or KZ EDSE/DM2. Much better options and cheaper. Also, there is the Vivo XE800 if you want something to beat down your VSD3S.