[Pianist]

Quote:

Agree.  Remember, take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I'm running straight from a Cowon S9- 320kbps only for what I report here.  The long process of re-ripping my cd collection to 320 has begun.  Should be done in a year!
 
Side by side versus the SRH840, I'd take the FA-003, no contest.  And that's initial impressions.  It can't get worse!

 
That's personal preference IMO. I owned both at the same time and AB'ed them quite a bit. In the end, I kept the FA-003, but SRH840 is great too, just in a different way. FA-003 is more neutral and has better macro detail. SRH840 is weightier, more full bodied. I think "meaty" is a good word to describe SRH840 sound as well. It can give music more emotional impact than FA-003. Also, SRH840 has better micro detail in the mids, which also makes things sound more engaging at times than on the FA-003. The Fischers do sound more open and more accurate I guess, but music enjoyment is not always about accuracy even for critical listeners like me. Sometime I like a more ethereal sound - a sound that will transport me into a different world where sound is sweeter and more vivid than real life and that's when SRH840 shines.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Sometime I like a more ethereal sound - a sound that will transport me into a different world where sound is sweeter and more vivid than real life and that's when SRH840 shines.

Ah-hah!!  Pianist decoded!  

 

[Lorspeaker]

Sweltering is how I experienced the 840....wiping my perspiration...
Lower state of ethereal pleasure...Hellish, haaaaaaaaa.
agree with the full bodied presentation which is what I liked about the shure signature.
I love the 535 too.

 

[FlySweep]

Listening to Tool's Lateralus tonight.. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the 003's handle crunching, heavy guitars.  The detail is really quite impressive and they really bring out the emotional quality to every kind of music you throw at them.
 
I'm finding fewer & fewer reasons for hanging onto my MS-1i.. since I've had the 003's, the Alessandro's are getting awfully lonely.

 

[smallfish111]

Here are some photos of Fa-002w pictured by my friend. He received them yesterday.
 
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=180&t=1790326&p=8#26034405%2326034405#26034405
 
He owns dt880/600 and HD650, but now he feel that Fa-002w is amazing, especially in the presentation of female vocals. And he also said his previous lover - dt880/600s - has been stored into the original bag. In comparison with the original fa-003s, the fa-002w is better in almost every aspect

 
This is his current dac/amp system: Lexicon Alpha + Schiit Asgard

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

Listening to Tool's Lateralus tonight.. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the 003's handle crunching, heavy guitars.  The detail is really quite impressive and they really bring out the emotional quality to every kind of music you throw at them.
 
I'm finding fewer & fewer reasons for hanging onto my MS-1i.. since I've had the 003's, the Alessandro's are getting awfully lonely.

There comes a point when your realize your lower end Grados are just outclassed and it's time to move on.

 

[eimis]

Quote:

Here are some photos of Fa-002w pictured by my friend. He received them yesterday.
 
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=180&t=1790326&p=8#26034405%2326034405#26034405
 
He owns dt880/600 and HD650, but now he feel that Fa-002w is amazing, especially in the presentation of female vocals. And he also said his previous lover - dt880/600s - has been stored into the original bag. In comparison with the original fa-003s, the fa-002w is better in almost every aspect

 
This is his current dac/amp system: Lexicon Alpha + Schiit Asgard

White cups look great. He says 8-stepped has bigger soundstage and sounds smoother than 5-stepped?

 

[smallfish111]

Quote:

White cups look great. He says 8-stepped has bigger soundstage and sounds smoother than 5-stepped?

 
Yes, he feels the sound is smoother and has better presentation of soundstage than 5-stepped. P.S. He owned 5-stepped fa-003w before.
 
The cups: http://www.gd-audiobase.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&product_id=31&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2&vmcchk=1&Itemid=2

 

[FlySweep]

Originally Posted by Anaxilus /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
There comes a point when your realize your lower end Grados are just outclassed and it's time to move on.

Absolutely.. I still enjoy the MS-1i/Grado sound, but I can't get over the small soundstage (despite doing the 414pad/reverse quarter mod).. at least for the genres I listen to.  After listening to how lifelike, accurate, and lively mids can be reproduced by the DBAs & 003s (and even my beloved iM-590.. which has been characterized by many to have a slight mid-forward/grado-ish sound, w/ better soundstage, bass, and airiness), mids from lower end Grado products, the frequency range that has become their calling card, sound almost artificial and honky.
 
I haven't given the MS-1i's their full chance though (I've had 'em for over 6 months, but they haven't got a ton of play, maybe 50 hours) as I've heard they improve quite a bit after 150-200 hours (mids smooth out and bass becomes a little fuller), but why bother when the 003 wink at me every time I glance at them?
 
For those with the 003 wood cups (5 or 8 step).. can someone go into a little more detail in how the vocals sound vs the stock 003 cups?  I'm just curious..

 

[Hayang]

Wow, those white wood cups look like pearls!!  Beautiful.  I'm not too big a fan of wood but that's pretty cool.

 

[eimis]

Quote:

 
Yes, he feels the sound is more smoother and has better presentation of soundstage than 5-stepped. P.S. He owned 5-stepped fa-003w before.
 
The cups: http://www.gd-audiobase.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&product_id=31&flypage=flypage.tpl&pop=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2&vmcchk=1&Itemid=2

I think 8-stepped cups might be in my purchase list then.... Because probably there's no better headphones than FA-002w-LBR that cost the same as 8-stepped cups.

 

[rawrster]

Yeah I can't really think of any headphone I want to try really. I want something to go along side and while the DT880/600 does really interest me I won't be home enough to warrant a second headphone. Maybe I'll just get the wooden cups and then go back to the original plan where I was supposed to wait a year or two before I'm home long enough to warrant a headphone rig Of course I'll either wait until gd audiobase accepts paypal or when dimitri from musica acoustics has the cups since I don't want to sign up for something that I'll use once.

 

[treal512]

Wow, I was curious of those white cups.. they look great!! I want some wood

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

Here are some photos of Fa-002w pictured by my friend. He received them yesterday.
 
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=180&t=1790326&p=8#26034405%2326034405#26034405
 
He owns dt880/600 and HD650, but now he feel that Fa-002w is amazing, especially in the presentation of female vocals. And he also said his previous lover - dt880/600s - has been stored into the original bag. In comparison with the original fa-003s, the fa-002w is better in almost every aspect

 
This is his current dac/amp system: Lexicon Alpha + Schiit Asgard

i sold mt dt880/600 too within a month of my 003's arrival...the standard 003. 
and i put up the 003 for sale after the arrival of my HE5...lol.
i just dun have enough cupboard space. 

 

[yann3804]

Quote:

i sold mt dt880/600 too within a month of my 003's arrival...the standard 003. 
and i put up the 003 for sale after the arrival of my HE5...lol.
i just dun have enough cupboard space. 

You're selling your FA-003!? How come? I thought you loved them to death