[jellofund]

  When I got my FAD Heaven V IEM's I said "wow" for the first time in many years.   The musicality of these blew me away, and as many posted, its just "you and the music."   I said that's what I've been searching for, a sound signature that's totally musical, rich and vibrant vs the technically flat sound of my other IEM's where I hear the earphone and not the music.   So I looked at the Hope VI and saw  this thread, but about 20 posts of the Hope VI for sale!!   How is that???   Because of the pad designed for very small people?  
The weight??
 
The big complaint on the FAD IEM Review thread is the cable being flat, microphonic and stringy, and tangly.   It seems FAD has addressed the pad issue, but not their IEM cable issue at all.   I'd love to hear any comparisons between their Heaven series of IEM's to the signature of the Hope VI, but then again, is it worth the price, wt and pad discomfort, or do they now come with pads for Westerners???

I'm not really in a position to compare the Hope VI against FAD's IEMS as my only experience of them was the Heaven II. Was a while back and wouldn't have been a fair comparison considering price etc.
 
What I will say is that the VI has given me many "wow" moments since I bought them. Others have impressed me but few have elicited much of a response in the "wow" department.
 
I find the PH VI to be rich, musical, detailed, quite open sounding (for a closed back 'phone), and at times holographic in its presentation. It sounds natural with a gentle leaning towards some warmth which I really like. Definitely not flat or neutral to my ears.
 
As Licht posted above the original (flatter / softer) Hope VI pads are a 'limited edition' so at some point they'll be replaced by the same pad FAD use for the Hope IV. Not sure if that time has come yet or not but last I heard they were still shipping with the original pads.
 
imho this is a good thing as the Hope IV pads (the ones FAD say are made for western ears), change the sound way too much and add a fair bit more emphasis to the highs / upper mids. Personally I don't like them on the VI at all.
 
Comfort is an issue for some as is the weight, and I think this is a big factor in people selling them on. Certainly I don't hear many complaints about how they sound.
 
For me the weight has never been an issue as the headband distributes it well and although I would prefer deeper pads the sound quality outweighs what is for me mild discomfort after an hour or two of use. Initially they were quite uncomfortable but over time my ears have grown accustomed. Some owners have found that adding some kitchen towel or similar padding under the pad improves comfort, although not an ideal solution. 
 
The other minor niggle that affects many / most / all? owners is that the heavy ear cups have a habit of working their way down the steel 'arms' during use which means you either need to keep adjusting them or use some elastic bands to keep them in place. This is something that FAD could have easily addressed with a revision (some kind of notched locking like many other 'phones?) but for some reason they haven't. Maybe it's just one of their idiosyncrasies like using flat cables on the Heaven IEMs 

 

 

[soundbear]

Thanks for responding Jellofund!   I was worried after I wrote that some may think I was "bashing" but I wasn't.  Like I said, I'm enamoured with the FAD SQ and very grateful to the very well respected members who led me to the FAD Heaven.   I've actually never owned a pair of full size, so I've been looking.   The Senns 650 can be had now for $300 and I was thinking of getting that with the Crack amp.   But I've never heard the 650, but do know the FAD I like!!!   What's interesting is that the used Pandoras are selling, but almost at the price of new ones.   I'm hoping the price will go down????   Yet seems unlikely.
 
Also, I am eagerly awaiting the demos of Custom Art to arriive, as I was told that the Music One has a similar signature of the FAD Heaven and if so I'd like to get it, especially to get around the spagetti cord of my Heaven V.   Anyway, appreciate your comments.

 

[AlterSack]

Hi - I have both the Pandora Hope VI and the Heaven VI -  and I won't let them go for a long time.
 
I can only confirm what jellofund wrote 2 posts before on the Hope VI although I use them with the Shure pads which are a little thicker and thus do not hurt my big western ears. Personally I do not feel I have lost much compared to the stock pads  - but I will check again to make sure.  The Hope VI has given me fantastic WOWs or goosebumps even when listening to music I thought I knew inside out. It is not that I have heard stuff i have never heard before - but it is HOW I heard it or better - How it was presented.
Fo me This is true especially with female (jazz) voices such as Cassandra Wilson or the wonderful Julia Fordham (Porcelain).
Also I am not sure if I ever heard Mike Manieri and Michael Brecker on Jun Fukamachi's New York All Stars Live Album in such musical intensity as with the Hope VI.
I am very much willing to forgive the Hope VI a lot of its downsides (fit, weight, sliding)
 
I do love the Heaven VI almost as much as the Hope VI - they are by far the most musical IEMs that I have heard to date. I must admit though that I haven't heard every IEM that is on the market - but who has ?
 
On the cable of the HeavenVI  (flat standard FAD cable) I have no problem with it being microphonic or tangly. To my experience the only time when the cable tanlges is when I take it out of its box. (I always fold them after use into a circle and pu them in the box that came along) Then it may happen that the cable produces a knot - but this can happen with every other cable as well. My wife has the HiFiman Re 200 (not exactly the same price category - I know) - this cable is much more prone to wiggling or tangling.
 
One very postiviv aspect that is often forgotten is that You can use Hope VI and the Heaven VI with practically every DAP or Phone as it is very easy to drive. It even sounds good directly from my old MacBook Pro although I mostly use it with my Geek Out 450 or O2.
 
I would definitely give it a "buy" recommendation.

 

[soundbear]

  Hi - I have both the Pandora Hope VI and the Heaven VI -  and I won't let them go for a long time.
 
I can only confirm what jellofund wrote 2 posts before on the Hope VI although I use them with the Shure pads which are a little thicker and thus do not hurt my big western ears. Personally I do not feel I have lost much compared to the stock pads  - but I will check again to make sure.  The Hope VI has given me fantastic WOWs or goosebumps even when listening to music I thought I knew inside out. It is not that I have heard stuff i have never heard before - but it is HOW I heard it or better - How it was presented.
Fo me This is true especially with female (jazz) voices such as Cassandra Wilson or the wonderful Julia Fordham (Porcelain).
Also I am not sure if I ever heard Mike Manieri and Michael Brecker on Jun Fukamachi's New York All Stars Live Album in such musical intensity as with the Hope VI.
I am very much willing to forgive the Hope VI a lot of its downsides (fit, weight, sliding)
 
I do love the Heaven VI almost as much as the Hope VI - they are by far the most musical IEMs that I have heard to date. I must admit though that I haven't heard every IEM that is on the market - but who has ?
 
On the cable of the HeavenVI  (flat standard FAD cable) I have no problem with it being microphonic or tangly. To my experience the only time when the cable tanlges is when I take it out of its box. (I always fold them after use into a circle and pu them in the box that came along) Then it may happen that the cable produces a knot - but this can happen with every other cable as well. My wife has the HiFiman Re 200 (not exactly the same price category - I know) - this cable is much more prone to wiggling or tangling.
 
One very postiviv aspect that is often forgotten is that You can use Hope VI and the Heaven VI with practically every DAP or Phone as it is very easy to drive. It even sounds good directly from my old MacBook Pro although I mostly use it with my Geek Out 450 or O2.
 
I would definitely give it a "buy" recommendation.

So I guess you don't need an amp for the Hope VI like the Senns 650 needs an amp??   Also, this is a real "duh" question, but is it just a matter of preference for you to put on the Hope vs the Heaven, or is the Hope a much "bigger" "fuller" experience of similar signature?   For example, I'll listen to my Heaven V on my walk, but switch to my full size once inside for that bigger sound, like turning on the stereo???   Thanks ahead for your patience!!

 

[Lorspeaker]

..just happened to be listening to cassandra wilson on the hope6 straight off my McAir...no amps...lovely.

 

[AlterSack]

  So I guess you don't need an amp for the Hope VI like the Senns 650 needs an amp??   Also, this is a real "duh" question, but is it just a matter of preference for you to put on the Hope vs the Heaven, or is the Hope a much "bigger" "fuller" experience of similar signature?   For example, I'll listen to my Heaven V on my walk, but switch to my full size once inside for that bigger sound, like turning on the stereo???   Thanks ahead for your patience!!

There  are no "duh" questions to my mind. Some gus are more knowledgeable and others less in this field. 
I pick my headphone by mood - I do not keep track of which HP should be used for what type of music for example. For me listening to music is for fun - and that is what decides upon the HP thatI use. 
 
But I can say this - I use  the Hope VI at home, most of the times. I use the eaven VI when I go to sleep (I often fall asleep listening to music wi it in my ears) or when travelling. The Heaven VI definitely has better isolation - so  my wife will not be disturbed by my music when She wants to sleep. The Hope VI gives me a little deeper room impression and the bass is a little more present to me. But these are nuances.  
 
With the Hope VI You do not need an amp - definitely not. But it will still sound a little more refined if you do.
I also have a LCD2 and a Hifiman HE400i - Both definitely need an amp to my mind - without it they loose a lot of what they can offer. With the Hope VI the difference is much, much less. 
So - if You want to avoid buying an amp - I do believe the Hope VI is a very good choice.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[soundbear]

Thanks AlterSack!!  I'll start saving for the Hope VI!   Cheers.
PS:  I have been to Munich, lovely city, wasn't there long, but did have a draft beer and haven't forgotten it, sooooo Good!!

 

[AlterSack]

You are welcome!
Don't forget to check the classifieds here - there has been a used Hope VI once in a while for reasonable prices.
Good Luck !

 

[jellofund]

 
I pick my headphone by mood - I do not keep track of which HP should be used for what type of music for example. For me listening to music is for fun - and that is what decides upon the HP thatI use. 
 
But I can say this - I use  the Hope VI at home, most of the times. I use the eaven VI when I go to sleep (I often fall asleep listening to music wi it in my ears) or when travelling. The Heaven VI definitely has better isolation - so  my wife will not be disturbed by my music when She wants to sleep. The Hope VI gives me a little deeper room impression and the bass is a little more present to me. But these are nuances.  
 
With the Hope VI You do not need an amp - definitely not. But it will still sound a little more refined if you do.
I also have a LCD2 and a Hifiman HE400i - Both definitely need an amp to my mind - without it they loose a lot of what they can offer. With the Hope VI the difference is much, much less. 
So - if You want to avoid buying an amp - I do believe the Hope VI is a very good choice.
 
Hope this helps.

 
That's my philosophy too. 
 
As you say an amp is absolutely not essential for these and no matter what you plug them into they have a habit of sounding great. Ridiculously efficient too and at 8 ohms they're more like low impedance IEMs than full size cans.....maybe not surprising considering FADs background.
 

  Thanks AlterSack!!  I'll start saving for the Hope VI!   Cheers.
PS:  I have been to Munich, lovely city, wasn't there long, but did have a draft beer and haven't forgotten it, sooooo Good!!

 
Absolutely! Been there on holiday a couple of times and it's a fantastic city....the beer and pretzels ain't bad either 

 

 

[jellofund]

Received some of the original (non-memory foam) HM5 pads in the post today. Don't work as well as I'd like with my MT220 so decided to try them on the PH VI.
 
Might be a touch deeper than the PH IV (four) pads but they feel squidgier so closer to the VI pads foam. Although slightly oval rather than round in shape they fit on easy and stay in place. 
 
I need to spend more time with them to say how they affect the sound sig but they don't sound bad at all. Initial impressions might be a bit of elevation to the lower-mid bass (could be wrong though) but they certainly they seem far truer to the original pads sound than the IV pads, so if you want to improve comfort without a massive compromise to the sig then these might be worth a try.
 
A tentative thumbs up. Will report back once I've spent more time with them and had a chance to swap pads back & forth a few times 

 

 

[Gegliosch]

After all these positive comments I just had to try the PH6 myself. I got my pair in january, but the journey had just begone:
 
My first impression was that these were way too bright for my taste. I read most comments here, so I knew how the Pads were supposed to change the sound signature. My pair already came with PH4 pads - there was still hope in a switch to PH6 pads.
 
First problem: After trying them a few days there was no time to wait for the PH6 pads and still be able to send the Pandora back within 2 weeks, if it didn't work. It's a tough decision to keep a 600 € headphone just because it might get better with another 50 € investment. Well, I took the nose dive ...
 
Second Problem: Switching pads. I know, I know, it looks so easy in this video tutorial: gently pull the old ones out, fit the new ones into the groove and rotate. Well, unfortunately it's not quite as foolproof.
 
When I tried to gently pull the pads out, nothing moved. I carefully increased the force but one of the pads still ripped, before it came off. Well, whatever, if everything goes according to plan, I'm never gonna use the PH4 pads anyway ... (but still, these things are not cheap and I even followed their tutorial - grrrr)
 
Getting the new pads on there was even more frustrating. Rotating them on there works fine for the first half, maybe even 70 % with some force, but then the friction is too high and they won't move anymore. After having destroyed one of the PH4 pads already, I really didn't want to pull even harder. So I had to fiddle the rest in by carefully pulling the flap out and squeezing it in. My heart was bleeding when I had to treat them this way and I really thought I'd break something in the process.
 
The result of all that: The PH6 pads indeed seem to tame the treble to a level I can bare. Sound is good overall - very different from my former headphones, so I still need some time for a final assessment. Comfort is better than expected, at least as good as the stock pads for me, although my ears slightly touch the grills now.
 
I can't say that I regret the purchase, but I'm really annoyed that I had to go through all this, because FAD decided to save a few cents on the stock pads. Without this thread, I would've sent them back immediately and I'm sure others will do just that. Oh, by the way, they also replaced the stock cable. The plugs are still gold plated, but the lock mechanism is pure plastic now. I feel violated by this policy of savings. These headphones are expensive to begin with and switching the pads increases the cost by another 10 %, while it hardly saves them 1 % in production. This will certainly come back to haunt them when people realise that the sound is not what they expected from reviews and impressions.

 

[Lorspeaker]

this pandora6 pairs well with the fiio E18 off my McAir...less bright sounding..flesh out some body. i am satisfied...
now listening to a thunderous ZubinMehta

 

[fzman]

  this pandora6 pairs well with the fiio E18 off my McAir...less bright sounding..flesh out some body. i am satisfied...
now listening to a thunderous ZubinMehta

 
what do you think he ate for dinner?  oh.....  never mind......   I misinterpreted your remarks   

 

[jellofund]

I'm very fond of the odd thunderous ZubinMehta too....those around me perhaps a bit less.
 
One of the perks of a vegetarian diet 

 

[NZtechfreak]

I heard these the other day at Addicted to Audio in Melbourne. They were literally the last headphone I heard after some hours of auditioning, so my capacity for critical listening was really exhausted by that time, but I can say impressed with their sound (from Dragonfly 1.2 connected to my Note 4). Definitely looking forward to another chance to spend some more time with these at some point later on (DAC and amp considerations will be the priority for some time yet).