Angelusmorti
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2012
- Posts
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Today I will tell about the headphones that took me a year to get since I've listened to their early predecessors for the first time.
The redesigned model of a Ukrainian hand-made isodynamic project 'Final Carbon' by Nino.
My setup
Discrete DAC by AKS audio with Burson V.6 Vivid opamps
Gustard H10 with AD797 and AD823 opamps
Project Final Carbon is known for being completely hand made of carbon fiber. In Bionic, the magnets are embedded directly into the carbon base which allows removing the external frame (as it was in Final Carbon) while keeping the construction firm and rigid.
The membrane is made of 0.5-micron film and placed twice closer to the magnet system comparing to Final Carbon which provides 3db sensitivity growth.
Build and fit
The headband is thin but paddy. It's shaped by the carbon fiber reinforced resin. It has two thin rubber stripes underneath to distribute the pressure on the top of your head. Cups are attached with a two-axis movement that also allows changing the height and fixing it with screws according to your head size. The external cover is a thin fabric, covering the magnets holding frame.
These are completely open-back cans and let the sound in and out freely. This moment always has to be considered.
The pressure on the head as well as on the ears is just fine, enough to keep the phones firmly on your head but not causing too much pressure and never getting tiring (my size and pressure were a little bit customized by the master on my request since the sample pair I'd tried before were too large for me). These cans are rather light-weighted comparing to many others and very comfortable. For long listening they fit much better than for example Hifiman HE-4 which I owned for quite a while. Also, Bionics never cause pressure to your head as Hifiman HE-4 or similar ones might cause.
Sound
I've thought about describing the signature a lot but still it is difficult to describe something you can't finalize your opinion about. These cans are rather like a big transparent magnifying glass. The sound signature does depend on the album and how it's mastered. It can change from aggressive and bright to calm and polite one from album to album.
However, having spent a few dozens hours listening to them I would say overall representation is rather transparent and tends to be just a bit on the brighter side rather than completely flat.
The soundstage is spacious and feels extremely transparent (I will use this word a lot in this text). Every instrument or sound is placed strictly on its position. You can literally feel it just like the distance between them and the size of each.
Attacks again depend on the record a lot. But if it's mastered properly you will always know it. Attacks are fast and sharp just as much as it's present in the record. Regardless if it's bass instruments, kick drums, or mids. It's always sharp and focused.
Same thing about fadings. You will get them just as long as mastered in the record.
Here comes the dynamic range which allows you to enjoy every the quietest and tender note as well as the orchestra hits. Little remark here - I've noticed that in the same record energetic music is proposed with a shade of more veracity rather than an energetic explosion of sound. But again, just until it's emphasized in the record. Then you will surely feel it.
Last but not least thing in the sound signature is accuracy and detail. Resolution is simply unbelievable to me. It feels like I hear times more sound information in well-known records. It becomes interesting just to listen to the arrangement and musician's performance signatures. Despite voluminous soundstage, every note by every instrument is reproduced flawlessly, on its place in space and time, and in every record there is always something new even when listening to a few times in a row.
And the moment of truth that hides some details when listening for the first time, details are always in place. The picture is just more vibrant and informative but small details are never put to the front making it sound unnatural.
Frequencies
Bass
There is no bass the way it's used to be perceived. You always just hear instruments playing music. And always - each of them separately and in its place. Timbres are unique for every other drum or bass. You even understand how are they processed and mastered. Nothing to say about speed - it's flawless. An impressive level of agility and accuracy. It's just precise regardless of how deep the register goes.
However, have to notice that the very deepest sounds are present and controlled but they don't hit your perception with the wall. They are rather laid back a little, keeping themselves somewhere just behind the sound canvas. Therefore, some records may sound a bit dry in the lows, especially if you are used to more body in the sound.
Mids
Mids are fast. Stunning level of resolution impressed me (sorry for using this cliche) with really plenty of nuances in the records I've known for kind of decade or so.
You can always easily hear a separate part or melody of each instrument or singer within the arrangement, just pay a bit of attention and the melody appears to be decomposed to dozens of sounds. Just relax and it goes all together again.
Difficult to judge about the amount but high mids seem to be either a bit accented or they are just not laid back (I didn't have the possibility to compare them with any other high-level cans). But again, it depends on the record and depends a lot. Much more than I've heard before.
Interesting however, that despite being so uncompromising they almost never sound uncomfortable. Never sibilant or drilling. Even the hardest records in this matter sound accurate.
Highs
This is probably the only questionable place to some extent. The thing is highs are just even more uncompromising than high mids.
The resolution is very high here and you can feel the pallette of chimes as well as unique character and timbre of every single percussion sound. And in some records they are put just a bit forward but still not hitting directly in your ear and not coming as close as vocals do.
And there is pretty much nothing more to say but the highs also always depend on the record still remaining precisely controlled.
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