[james444]

The bass of the EX1000 has slightly less punch than the IE8's, but it hits lower and more controlled, whereas the IE8 has its main impact in mid-bass. I prefer the Sony's bass over the IE8's by far.

 

[SpecR1]

Will I need an amp for any of the mentioned earphones? Because I don't have one and I don't plan on using one

 

 

[james444]

IME all of the mentioned phones should be fine straight out of your J3.

 

[firoze]

.  few people on the forum complained about Final Audio's build issues therefore the After Service/ warranty support  is a must for the FA IEMs, specially the A1 model.
Do you have a pair of FA, which ones?

I checked out the FAD stuff and I'm worried about the build quality of them as mentioned in the previous post, since getting warranty will probably be a huge hassle since i'm in Canada and they are coming from HK.
 
Anyone know how the bass of the EX1000 compares to IE8 on the lowest setting?
 
and I'll be using the earphones with a Cowon J3 without an amp.

Aside from one issue about channel imbalance on a pair of BA-A1's, I am not aware of any other problems that anyone has had with the FAD's. The build quality of the 1601 and BA series is extremely high, and although many people feel that the cables on some models are not up to the mark, there have been no reports of cables actually failing.

I have both the 1601SB and the BA-SS.

My personal experience with FAD's After-sales service has been positive. Over the past one year, I have sent them several emails asking for information which have always been promptly and courteously answered. To my knowledge, FAD are the only manufacturer to offer free of charge replacement ear tips for life. I recently requested tips for my BA-SS which were promptly sent.

I therefore think any concerns about FAD's reliability or after-sales service are unfounded.

 

[james444]

Thanks for the info about free of charge tips replacement, firoze, I didn't know that. And good to know their after-sales service is top notch.
 
Despite the fact that I have four FAD IEMs I've had no issues so far (*knocks wood*). I found the A1's cables extremely worrisome and wrote so in my review, but I have to say they withstand the wear of regular use better than expected. Apart from their above average stiffness in cold weather I have nothing to complain about so far.

 

[firoze]

^ You're welcome James! Indeed, it does seem that while the FAD cables may seem fragile, in practice they are pretty robust. For instance, at Yodobashi in Akihabara, which is an extremely busy shop, the demo earphones are heavily used (abused!), The demo 1601's there are so heavily used that they are badly dented and nicked; and I have seen the sales staff and customers hold the plug end and let the heavy drive units free-fall, which puts a lot of strain on the cable. Yet I can see absolutely no wear or fraying of the fabric cables on any of those demo 1601's - I made it a point to check this on my last trip there and it was quite reassuring to note this. Let's hope all the other FAD cables are just as robust....

Ps: the free replacement applies to the Silicone tips, not to the metal ear-tips that come with the 1601 series (since the metal tips don't deteriorate with age, nor suffer normal wear and tear). It's heartening to note that the free-for-life Tips replacement applies to ALL their earphones, even the least expensive ones!

 

[yello131]

 
Quote:

Quote:

.  few people on the forum complained about Final Audio's build issues therefore the After Service/ warranty support  is a must for the FA IEMs, specially the A1 model.
Do you have a pair of FA, which ones?

Quote:

I checked out the FAD stuff and I'm worried about the build quality of them as mentioned in the previous post, since getting warranty will probably be a huge hassle since i'm in Canada and they are coming from HK.
 
Anyone know how the bass of the EX1000 compares to IE8 on the lowest setting?
 
and I'll be using the earphones with a Cowon J3 without an amp.

Aside from one issue about channel imbalance on a pair of BA-A1's, I am not aware of any other problems that anyone has had with the FAD's. The build quality of the 1601 and BA series is extremely high, and although many people feel that the cables on some models are not up to the mark, there have been no reports of cables actually failing.

I have both the 1601SB and the BA-SS.

My personal experience with FAD's After-sales service has been positive. Over the past one year, I have sent them several emails asking for information which have always been promptly and courteously answered. To my knowledge, FAD are the only manufacturer to offer free of charge replacement ear tips for life. I recently requested tips for my BA-SS which were promptly sent.

I therefore think any concerns about FAD's reliability or after-sales service are unfounded.

 
Glad to know Final Audio's after service is good, it is better to be freaking amazing, taking into considering the price one has to pay for the FI-SS model (1000 $) and 2000 for 1601 SS
 
BTW, Dimitri has commented, 4 out 8 FAD's earphones he has sold so far ( including the SS model,) has been returned  for after service warranty issues with some problems (don't know what type of issues, but that is 50% stats....
Perhaps it just a coincidence nevertheless, it seems like FADs aren't really making to much impact here on the Forum nor outside Japan apparently. Do you know what may  be the reason?
 
 

 

[firoze]

^ If what Dimitri says is true then this is cause for concern. It would be useful to know what issues his customers had with the FAD's. Fortunately, none of the members here have reported having any problems with the FAD's.

As for not being that popular on this forum, FAD's are basically marketed in Japan only. As far as I know, they have no distribution outside Japan aside from a distributor in Australia and DMA in Hong Kong, which accounts for their lack of popularity outside Japan.

 

[rawrster]

8 is too small a sample to come up with anything conclusive. None of the members here have mentioned anything so that's a good thing for those who own them

 

[SpecR1]

Hey all,
 
I went with the EX1000s and they are awesome. I just want to thank everyone that helped me out and thank all the people that spend the time to write the fantastic reviews.
 
Heres an heads-up for less expensive EX1000s.
 
The Sony Store in Hong Kong (Causeway Bay) gives a 10% discount if you previously bought something from them

So I got them for $450~ CAD when they are $500~ CAD everywhere else in Hong Kong.

 

[james444]

^ Hey, welcome to the Mercedes-Benz club - who cares about sports cars anyway?