[rawrster]

As much as I like these I wouldn't say they outperform all. I have a pair of entry level customs and another pair of customs (if expectations are right would be higher than entry level) in a month or so assuming my impressions arrive soon that I'll be able to compare to. However my entry level customs and the BA-SS come pretty close to each other so I suspect a higher level will do better.
 
I also am typically more of a value buyer or at least as much of a value buyer you can be when dealing with these costs and these are not a great value Universals also have no place in my collection so I think my wallet is safe. If not then a certain Austrian head-fi member can expect a not so friendly PM by me

 

[firoze]

Lol... I know who you mean So anyway, am gald your wallet seems safe.. For the time being at least

So are you saying that your present Customs compare with the transparency and coherence of the SS? Just asking because none of the Customs that I heard were close to the SS in this respect. Of course these were the Demo units of the Customs and I have always wondered how much better the actual customer units would sound, (aside from the isolation which of course would be superior to the Demo's).

 

[rawrster]

My wallet is definitely not safe I haven't paid for those customs yet..I'm waiting for impressions to get there so I can pay.
 
As for transparency I really would need to compare A/B with my customs with my dac/amp which is something I have yet to do but the custom I do have is a relatively cheap on and near the entry level in price for customs but I'll compare them eventually.
 
As for demo customs units I have no idea how accurate they are. It's probably a hit or miss depending on your ear and fit but I have yet to try out a demo.

 

[james444]

Quote:

I have spent the past couple of months extensively auditioning and re-auditioning almost every top-end Universal and Custom IEM: W4, EX1000 among the new contenders to the throne, as well as the old Guard: SM3, W3, IE8, FX700, all the FAD's... you name them!

 
What's your take on the EX1000 vs. FI-BA-SS btw.? I know they're very different, but if I could keep only one pair of IEMs I'd have a hard time deciding between these two.

 

[Confispect]

WHAT!!! James stop posting.

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

Lol... I know who you mean

So anyway, am gald your wallet seems safe.. For the time being at least

So are you saying that your present Customs compare with the transparency and coherence of the SS? Just asking because none of the Customs that I heard were close to the SS in this respect. Of course these were the Demo units of the Customs and I have always wondered how much better the actual customer units would sound, (aside from the isolation which of course would be superior to the Demo's).

I did a bit more listening to them today. The BA-SS has a much different presentation than my 1964-T customs. My 1964-T is something you don't appreciate right away until you move to something that is more colored and then you see the 1964-T as something that could become a good standard to compare to. You can easily tell when things are forward, recessed, etc as the 1964-T is fairly flat. The BA-SS is everything the 1964-T is not. It has sizzle, transparency and clarity that is thrown in your face and a raw emotion to them esp with certain vocals. This won't be the greatest example but I think it should be easy to understand. The 1964-T is like your wife or girlfriend that you've known for a while. She takes care of your needed. The BA-SS is that hot sexy girl you're leaving the club with.
 
Now to the bolded text lol I do not hear any additional detail with the BA-SS that I do not hear with my 1964-T but the detail is more in your face with the BA-SS than my customs. Also right out of my J3 the gap is fairly small between the two and smaller than other universals I have heard and the differences are not that great.  However with my better source the differences increase but the gap is definitely smaller than other universals but I'll need to compare and listen to them more to get more conclusive thoughts on them.
 
I'll also need some time for the new toy effect to wear off
 

 

[james444]

Quote:

This won't be the greatest example but I think it should be easy to understand. The 1964-T is like your wife or girlfriend that you've known for a while. She takes care of your needed. The BA-SS is that hot sexy girl you're leaving the club with.

So bottom line is you need both? I like your analogy, since it also explains the price difference.

 

[buz]

Sounds interesting enough but I can't help but wondering about FAD's pricing. It's very close to the top end customs out there so what exactly is the market for these (beyond james and dfkt of course who seem to love ultra expensive universal IEMs for some reason :

 

[james444]

Quote:

Sounds interesting enough but I can't help but wondering about FAD's pricing. It's very close to the top end customs out there so what exactly is the market for these (beyond james and dfkt of course who seem to love ultra expensive universal IEMs for some reason :

I believe firoze already provided a good answer to your question:
 
Quote:

So are you saying that your present Customs compare with the transparency and coherence of the SS? Just asking because none of the Customs that I heard were close to the SS in this respect.

Let's face it, we all strive for the better, that's the reason why you've bought your FX500 and didn't stick to your Xears. Now put yourself in my place, I've been through the SF5 pro, CK10, SE530, CK100 and SM3, and none of these multi-driver armatures gave me the transparency and coherence of an e-Q7. With some of them, like the CK100, I could clearly tell the different characteristics of their drivers (dry bass, liquid treble), that made them sound incoherent and more technical than musical.
 
So, assuming you're in the same situation and had $1000 to spend on an upgrade, would you go for a top end custom, which are uniformly multi-driver armatures, or for something like the FI-BA-SS instead? I know mine is a minority position, but in my personal universe the FI-BA-SS make perfect sense.

 

[firoze]

Sounds interesting enough but I can't help but wondering about FAD's pricing. It's very close to the top end customs out there so what exactly is the market for these (beyond james and dfkt of course who seem to love ultra expensive universal IEMs for some reason :

Well actually dfkt hates the FAD's.. He seems allergic to them for some reason... Lol

 

[firoze]

 
What's your take on the EX1000 vs. FI-BA-SS btw.? I know they're very different, but if I could keep only one pair of IEMs I'd have a hard time deciding between these two.

Hi James, to put it in a nutshell and to use your own analogy, I would say comparing the EX1000 to the BA-SS is like comparing Mercedes to BMW. The Sony is classy - a very competent, very solid performer.. But the FAD is so much more involving, more absorbing, more pleasurable to listen to. No question in my mind that for me personally, the BA-SS is the more immersive experience.

On a practical note, I am not surprised you found it so hard to get a good seal and fit with the EX1000 - they are a nightmare for anyone who has deep ear canals to get a good seal with. Took me ages trying many different kinds of tips until I finally got a good seal. In the end, I am not sure that I got the absolute best out of them, so you should qualify what I've said above with that understanding. However I do think that the Merc vs BMW analogy is apt. Certainly the Sony's are amongst the pinnacle of IEM's - be it Universal or Custom.

Ps: I did not find the EX-1000 to have the peaky treble that some listeners complained about. It's a very refined earphone.

 

[james444]

Quote:

Well actually dfkt hates the FAD's.. He seems allergic to them for some reason... Lol

Yep, forgot to mention it. My relationship with him is such that he borrows my FADs and tears them to shreds. Oh well I don't mind, I've seen worse... Lol

(J/J)

 

[james444]

Quote:

Quote:

 
What's your take on the EX1000 vs. FI-BA-SS btw.? I know they're very different, but if I could keep only one pair of IEMs I'd have a hard time deciding between these two.

Hi James, to put it in a nutshell and to use your own analogy, I would say comparing the EX1000 to the BA-SS is like comparing Mercedes to BMW. The Sony is classy - a very competent, very solid performer.. But the FAD is so much more involving, more absorbing, more pleasurable to listen to. No question in my mind that for me personally, the BA-SS is the more immersive experience.

On a practical note, I am not surprised you found it so hard to get a good seal and fit with the EX1000 - they are a nightmare for anyone who has deep ear canals to get a good seal with. Took me ages trying many different kinds of tips until I finally got a good seal. In the end, I am not sure that I got the absolute best out of them, so you should qualify what I've said above with that understanding. However I do think that the Merc vs BMW analogy is apt. Certainly the Sony's are amongst the pinnacle of IEM's - be it Universal or Custom.

Ps: I did not find the EX-1000 to have the peaky treble that some listeners complained about. It's a very refined earphone.

Hey, thanks for your comparison, I think we're hearing things pretty similar (and have similar fit issues with our large ear canals ). The main difference about our preferences may well be that I seem to prefer a more relaxed presentation more often than you. So I tend to be more a Merc guy than a BMW one.

 

[firoze]

@ average_joe. I like your analogy Yes the BA-SS is extremely seductive! By the way, like I have said earlier, I do not find them to have a sizzling treble - they sound that way only if you do not have a perfect fit or are not using the right tips for your ears. I did take me a lot of trial and error before I found the perfect tips and fit. But now the treble is smooth, solid, very extended but definitely not peaky. If you still have them, maybe you could try different tips?

 

[firoze]

Hey, thanks for your comparison, I think we're hearing things pretty similar (and have similar fit issues with our large ear canals ). The main difference about our preferences may well be that I seem to prefer a more relaxed presentation more often than you. So I tend to be more a Merc guy than a BMW one.

Yes I think you are right about our preferences Anyway both Mercs and BMW's are great cars, most people would be happy with either... so also with the EX-1000 and BA-SS