[gavinfabl]

I think Pianist is right to have the cans with his setup. A very good mix. His setup will extract the best possible sound from the fa-003.

Whilst my setup is modest in comparison (fiio e7/e9) it's enough for me.

Right 168 hours continuos burn in and these cans are so so delicate on soft classical, dynamic on rock, attack and bass on dance, gorgeous vocals, and sound great direct from my iphone or iPad. Selling every headphone, canals included. This will be my only one it's that good.

 

[eimis]

FlySweep, I see you have AH-D1001 too. How do they compare to FA-004 in SQ?

 

[legodt]

How durable are these things? Can I throw them in my backpack and forget about them?

 

[LFF]

Quote:

How durable are these things? Can I throw them in my backpack and forget about them?

I would never do that with ANY headphones or IEM's I own. That being said, the FA-003 are sturdy and well built IMHO. I'm sure they could stand up to rigorous studio use.

 

[FlySweep]

Quote:

FlySweep, I see you have AH-D1001 too. How do they compare to FA-004 in SQ?

Favorably.. I've had the 004 for a couple of weeks now and they've got close to 40 hours on them & I'm really really impressed with them.  At the risk of getting off the thread subject, I'll be quick.. the FA-004's mids are more aggressive than the 1001's.. the mid range on the 004 is just stunning in their definition, clarity, and instrumentation separation.. it's an area that's recessed on the Denon's (I haven't recabled mine yet, though.. which is supposed to remedy this on the 1001s).
 
The 004's depth and presentation is better than the Denon's.  For being a closed phone, the 004's certainly sound quite open with a surprisingly ample soundstage.. bettering the 1001's there too.  I'd say the highs go toe to toe with the Denon's.. the 1001s have a silky smooth character to their sound and probably extend slightly further.. but the margin is negligible.. while the 004 have more sparkle and definition.  The bass, which the 1001s are renowned for is more lush & goes deeper.. while the 004s have a slight mid-bass hump (which doesn't bleed into the lower midrange whatsoever), the bass isn't as substantial as the 1001s and is better controlled.  This isn't necessarily a negative as some find the bass on the 1001s overwhelming.
 
Overall, the 004 is a very unique sounding phone with a sound that's hard to describe.. it's on the "fun" side but maintains an impressive amount of analytical character for critical listening sessions.. they share a lot of the same characteristics of what makes the DBAs so enjoyable (particularly with how they do the midrange).  If I had to go with one at the moment, it would be the 004s.. and they're only getting better as they burn in.  That being said, I really love my 1001s which have over a 100 hours on them.. these two cans are actually quite complimentary to each other with the Denon's possessing a smoother overall presentation & the 004s with a more detailed, airier sound.
 
Eimis, I'll see you over at the 004 thread with my review soon if you want to know more about the 004's.  I'd love to hear your take on the recabled D1001s too vs the stock cabling.

 

[eimis]

Quote:

Quote:

FlySweep, I see you have AH-D1001 too. How do they compare to FA-004 in SQ?

Favorably.. I've had the 004 for a couple of weeks now and they've got close to 40 hours on them & I'm really really impressed with them.  At the risk of getting off the thread subject, I'll be quick.. the FA-004's mids are more aggressive than the 1001's.. the mid range on the 004 is just stunning in their definition, clarity, and instrumentation separation.. it's an area that's recessed on the Denon's (I haven't recabled mine yet, though.. which is supposed to remedy this on the 1001s).
 
The 004's depth and presentation is better than the Denon's.  For being a closed phone, the 004's certainly sound quite open with a surprisingly ample soundstage.. bettering the 1001's there too.  I'd say the highs go toe to toe with the Denon's.. the 1001s have a silky smooth character to their sound and probably extend slightly further.. but the margin is negligible.. while the 004 have more sparkle and definition.  The bass, which the 1001s are renowned for is more lush & goes deeper.. while the 004s have a slight mid-bass hump (which doesn't bleed into the lower midrange whatsoever), the bass isn't as substantial as the 1001s and is better controlled.  This isn't necessarily a negative as some find the bass on the 1001s overwhelming.
 
Overall, the 004 is a very unique sounding phone with a sound that's hard to describe.. it's on the "fun" side but maintains an impressive amount of analytical character for critical listening sessions.. they share a lot of the same characteristics of what makes the DBAs so enjoyable (particularly with how they do the midrange).  If I had to go with one at the moment, it would be the 004s.. and they're only getting better as they burn in.  That being said, I really love my 1001s which have over a 100 hours on them.. these two cans are actually quite complimentary to each other with the Denon's possessing a smoother overall presentation & the 004s with a more detailed, airier sound.
 
Eimis, I'll see you over at the 004 thread with my review soon if you want to know more about the 004's.  I'd love to hear your take on the recabled D1001s too vs the stock cabling.

 
Thank you for the comparison.
 
About the AH-D1001 recable, I think it's more of a placebo effect. I tried to plug them (already recabled) to the provided extension cable (which I think is the same wire as the original cable) and heard no audible difference. I'm not sure if that was fair to compare like that...

 

[FlySweep]

 
Thank you for the comparison.
 
About the AH-D1001 recable, I think it's more of a placebo effect. I tried to plug them (already recabled) to the provided extension cable (which I think is the same wire as the original cable) and heard no audible difference. I'm not sure if that was fair to compare like that...

Hmm.. very interesting.. most all the other reviews of the 1001 recable state a fairly dramatic improvement.  Also, the extension provided with them is widely considered utter crap (it uses the same stock cable material).  Have you plugged the recabled phones directly into a DAP/other source? How do they sound then?  I've read the recable with the Mogami pulls the mids right up, which would makes these phones an absolute gem.. can you confirm this?

 

[FlySweep]

Just realized I could've saved you all a read through my ramblings above by simply describing the 004 this way:
 
It's a warmer, slightly more fun & musical version of DBA, and in a closed phone form.
 
.. I think that's a fair assessment?
 
Apologies.
 
Ethan.. you just gave me the best Christmas present ever with an email.. stating my FA-003 order is complete!  U rock, bro.
 
Happy holidays, everyone.

 

[allyl]

In case people on the fence haven't noticed, gd-audiobase.com has brought them down to $150 as a promotion, $170 with shipping to the US.
 
Here's hoping they don't take forever to make their way to the east coast 

 

[Slaughter]

Nice. Mine are still in transit, but looking through the forum, 12 days seems to be time from the order to your front door.

 
Quote:

In case people on the fence haven't noticed, gd-audiobase.com has brought them down to $150 as a promotion, $170 with shipping to the US.
 
Here's hoping they don't take forever to make their way to the east coast 

 

[legodt]

Quote:

In case people on the fence haven't noticed, gd-audiobase.com has brought them down to $150 as a promotion, $170 with shipping to the US.
 
Here's hoping they don't take forever to make their way to the east coast 

I am forever in your debt.

 

[legodt]

Ordered!

 

[jonhapimp]

Dang i need a quick 170 but I have to pay a ticket 

 

[allyl]

also, just as a note, i actually ordered mine when they were 167, but emailed dmitry about the price difference.
 
he was quite prompt in his responses, and let's just say he was super nice about the entire dilemma

 

[Slaughter]

Look at all the new wood cups available. Not to tempt you or anything.... http://www.fischer-products.ru/wood/