[Idsynchrono_24]

Not nearly enough cores. If I so much as lose the leading edge of a triangle within my DSD1024 recordings, heads will roll

 

[Jeff Y]

  Haha it's no prob.  I'm just quick to put on fire resistant clothing any time cables get mentioned! 

 
Below is my preferred cable choice for any audio setup.  Very effective!
 

twizzlers anyone?
I want Nordost recabling for a FI-BA-SS

 

[james444]

LOL. I'm the exact opposite. I used to think, what the hell is FAD thinking with this garbage, spaghetti thin cable? It's actually very similar to the cable used on the Zero Audio Tenore, which I too derided. After spending time with both however, I've really come around on it since the cable is extremely light, and exhibits very little noise and memory.

The LAB's flat cable on the other hand, is the bane of my existence. I'm constantly straightening it out after uncoiling it to make sure it doesn't kink up, and the lack of a neck cinch is just downright puzzling. I had to jerry rig two (!) out of wire twist ties as the cable has a habit of twisting and winding

And yeah, I find the SS's clarity to be downright entrancing. I wish I'd bought it ages ago. If you've got gripes with the cable, the Astell & Kern variant seems to have much beefier cables. Only thing is, according to James(444), the tuning is slightly altered to be slightly warmer and as a result less open.

 
I just re-bought the AKR02 (used, for a good price), so I'll be able to compare these to the FI-BA-SS once more and probably more in-depth.
 
Thing is that out of all my IEMs, the SS get easily the most use, but I'm constantly worried about their spaghetti cable.
 
As for the SS's exuberant treble, I've found that a layer of dried alcoholic swab in front of the nozzle smoothes them out very nicely.

 

[Jeff Y]

   
I just re-bought the AKR02 (used, for a good price), so I'll be able to compare these to the FI-BA-SS once more and probably more in-depth.
 
Thing is that out of all my IEMs, the SS get easily the most use, but I'm constantly worried about their spaghetti cable.
 
As for the SS's exuberant treble, I've found that a layer of dried alcoholic swab in front of the nozzle smoothes them out very nicely.

Can't wait!

 

[thatonenoob]

   
I just re-bought the AKR02 (used, for a good price), so I'll be able to compare these to the FI-BA-SS once more and probably more in-depth.
 
Thing is that out of all my IEMs, the SS get easily the most use, but I'm constantly worried about their spaghetti cable.
 
As for the SS's exuberant treble, I've found that a layer of dried alcoholic swab in front of the nozzle smoothes them out very nicely.

Oh man this is gonna be good!

 

[thatBeatsguy]

Wow, PMR. You're on the front page yet again. How do you do it? Are you, like, a sponsor of Head-Fi or something? 

I have totally mixed emotions right now (envy, confusion, shock, et al).

 

[ThePrince425]

thatonenoob Besides Kusanagi, could you perhaps share what other tracks you reviewed the LAB1 with or found to be of notable interest with it? Some listening notes would great too

 

[ayaflo]

 "Although it might initially be difficult to make things out in the darkness, sustained observation reveals beautiful details that might otherwise be missed during a casual once over"
 
Isn't that true of every IEM today ??

 

[thatonenoob]

  Wow, PMR. You're on the front page yet again. How do you do it? Are you, like, a sponsor of Head-Fi or something? 

I have totally mixed emotions right now (envy, confusion, shock, et al).

Ahahah truly an honor! 

 
 

@thatonenoob Besides Kusanagi, could you perhaps share what other tracks you reviewed the LAB1 with or found to be of notable interest with it? Some listening notes would great too

It's a little late (forgive me if I'm not thinking too straight), but I have to write this now that someone asked

. Prepare yourself for a love-hate relationship with part of my music collection!  Please note the links to youtube are just for reference, not actual source material.

1. Acquarela Do Brasil (Warm-up, nice intro song that plays to a few of the Lab I's strengths.  Sit back and enjoy the musicality)
2. Aguas de Marco (Elis Regina's vocals are very good, but listen for the microdynamics/details, and how they are maintained through the song)
3. Eye in the Sky (those opening moments are great, listened to this a lot as a kid)
4. Everytime You Go Away (this song has personal significance to me, but that's a story for another time.  The enveloping echoed piano and natural vocals were striking.  Slightly more energy in the vocals could have helped though).
5. Dancing In The Dark (the excellent rendering of the drums drew me in for a "darker" listening experience")
6. But then...Oh Sherrie (Steve Perry's voice has a fullness that doesn't sound like the earphones were simply pumping more energy into the mids. The natural rendering is simply too good!) 
7. Schubert's String Quintet In C Major (the lower-mids/ upper-bass are well tapped into for the cello part, and as an ex-cellist myself, I am very happy with the overall reproduction of the cello part.  The violins are also well rendered, but a little bit more bite could have helped)
8. Suite Bergamasque Prelude (listen to how the piano isn't "boomy" and overly "echoey".  Just the right amount of precision and musicality).
9. Velour (the Lab I's create a generous amount of bass presence that bring you into the "house".  However, it is a little slow at times, and this weakness is revealed on some of the faster, more synthetic sounding tracks).
10. Take It Easy (Getting a little tired? Take it easy as the Lab I effortlessly recreates this Eagles masterpiece).
11. ORINOCO FLOW (Oh my god if you didn't listen to anything else before AT LEAST TRY THIS!  The spatial perspective is what you're looking for.)
12. Kashmir (Not a huge fan of metal/heavy metal, but this was okay.  However, the Lab I did struggle a little with identifying the vocals over some of the other instruments).
13. La Vie En Rose (watch for the timbre of the trumpet, and the comfortable, natural recreation of Louis' truly unique voice.  Don't forget the bass in the background either!)

 
AND NOW (don't be afraid to commit a small sin but turning the volume just a lil' bit up)
 

1. FIRST APPROACH (No words. Just listen.)

 
And if you want even more of a list, I'd be glad to share! Good listening! 

 

[thatonenoob]

   "Although it might initially be difficult to make things out in the darkness, sustained observation reveals beautiful details that might otherwise be missed during a casual once over"
 
Isn't that true of every IEM today ??

Looks at Sony MDR-XB70 AP....uh 

 

 

[thatonenoob]

  Looks at Sony MDR-XB70 AP....uh 

 

Apart from the cheesy jab at my bass cannons...I'd say that part of the reason why I had said that was because the Lab 1 isn't initially gripping.  It doesn't recreate any one sound that is easily identifiable (whereas after the first 30 min with my ER-4PT, I knew exactly where I was headed).  This might turn people off, which is a real shame because if you listen closely, there's a great amount of "layered" material beneath the overall SQ.  The Lab 1 might sound like it's losing out on detail at first, but then one realizes: heck, it's that the Lab 1 is reproducing detail in its own way, emphasizing certain notes, lines, etc. that most other earphones don't.
 
And while from a technical standpoint, this might not be great, the "holistic" SQ is very successful and distinctive.  Personally, I think that overall musicality will trump disjointed but technically superior performance.  

 

[Guomapi]

Seemed luxury, and really luxury.

 

[thatonenoob]

  Seemed luxury, and really luxury.

Very much so!
 
UPDATE:
Review coming later this month/early next month on the Heaven 7 & 8! 

 

[ThePrince425]

Very much so!

UPDATE:
Review coming later this month/early next month on the Heaven 7 & 8! 

FAD provided another sample?!

 

[thatonenoob]

FAD provided another sample?!

I believe it is coming sometime in the next 1-2 weeks!