SilverEars
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2013
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Reading your other post, I understand your sentiments about FDX1. It is a very technically proficient iem that performs well. Nicely built with good durability. I use it for even watching movies (I was surprised how well it images for movies).It's not a perfect iem but if I were to have a benchmark iem it would be this. I consider this the perfect all rounder. Super resolving for a DD iem, without any of the weird BA timbre/harmonic distortion that doesn't sit well with me. Its a little bright sounding but I consider it neutral with the blue nozzle + foam tips. I find the sound better balanced than the dusk. It doesn't try to color music in any way or make it fun, I would call this just a very accurate sounding iem. Soundstage and imaging is alright but it's not as good as stuff like the dusk, this is where it kinda falls short. This is just a well balanced iem, not too little or too much of anything. Most DD iems have pretty big dips in the treble but these don't have that, the trade off is that they do sound a bit bright, but it's not so bad with the right nozzle and tips. These have a lot more clarity and detail than any DD iem I've tried, it comes close to the dusk in that regard but it does it in a way that feels truer to intended sound if that makes sense, while iems like the moondrop stuff tries to make stuff sound a little better than they are. I got these used for $133 shipped from someone who bought these back in august, had less than 20 hours on them. I think most ppl would still like the dusk more since it's a little more fun sounding but it really depends on the type of genre you listen to. For one, these absolutely blow anything I've tried before out of the water for rock, electric guitar sounds great on these. This is the closest I've heard electric guitar sound to the real thing on an iem. The bass is pretty lacking in quantity for my taste but it's still easily the best quality bass ive heard in an iem. These are also the first bright tuned iems that I don't find too fatiguing (I'm very treble sensitive). There are a few downsides, one, they're very heavy, and the only thing holding them in place are your tips (and wire if you've got them wrapped around your ear). They're also still not as easy to listen to as the starfields. As I mentioned before, they don't have the soundstage and imaging chops of multidriver iems like the isn h40 and dusk. They also aren't fun sounding as some ppl might like, especially if you want bass quantity. For me I would have liked a tiny bit more sub bass and mid bass. It's also slightly clinical sounding, like the dusk, because it sacrifices a bit of lushness for clarity, which I kinda missed a little in my starfields. These are still the first iems in a long time to make me consider using over my starfields, not even the dusk managed that.
My personal preference ranking ATM goes something like this (these are all really good, this is just by subjective preference/taste):
1. Starfield (I like that it's easy to listen to, and it's more fun tuning)
2. FDX1
3. Isn h40
4. Kbear believe
5. Penon Orb
6. Dusk
7. Mele (I rate these very closely to the dusk tbh)
Here's my ranking for overall ability though, and what I think others would like more (only listing my favorites and most liked here, which is why these are all very good, down to the last ranked one)
1. Dusk (good balance between technical ability and being fun)
2. FDX1 (very accurate no frills reproduction with little coloration)
3. Isn h40 (the most fun sounding iem here but very tastefully done)
4. Kbear believe (very impressive DD, but a bit v or u shaped)
5. Penon orb (best bass here, super smooth, great sound, but these sound very 2 dimensional)
6. Tied between mele and starfield, they're suited to different things. Starfield is an easier listen and has a more agreeable tuning (love it for vocals, timbre and tonality), while the mele is a better all rounder (better for bass, details and clarity) and more dynamic sounding (it's a bit more v shaped).
I'll be completely honest, I don't think it's worth spending more than just an aria or mele for iems. I think you get like 90% a dusk in the mele but without the weird ba timbre/harmonic distortion, and personally I still haven't found a sound I like more than my starfields which is identically tuned to the aria. So unless you're really into this hobby and have the money to blow I wouldn't go past those two iems. Also buying used is a fantastic way to save money.
It is brighter like you say, but I wouldn't say Moondrop stuff makes things sound generally 'better.' Certain things like vocals Moondrop sounds more enjoyable due to a more laid-back response.
It's (FDX1) response with the stock filter is akin to a scalpel, imaging very clearly. So, it's very technical, and I actually prefer it over kilobuck BA iems. It sounds more accurate. But, the only aspect I don't like is, regarding vocals. Vocals doesn't not sound all that smooth, and there's some sibilence caused by it's response (in which you get used to after prolonged listening). This is fairly common with headphones/iems that perform well with instruments, but vocals not so much. Moondrop responses are more laid-back compared to FDX1, so vocals sound fairly smooth.
When it comes to technical ability FDX1 is probably the best value out there.
Funny thing about FDX1 is that, it's unlike other JVC models. I've heard even their most expensive JVC model, and tuning is generally bad. FDX1 seems to be the best tuned JVC model regardless of price.
I'm kinda curious about Kato. Is it more proficient technically? FR looks more controlled than previous Moondrop models I've seen.
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