Sennheiser IE800 vs. Final Audio FI-BA-SS
Planned to do a head to head comparison between these two, with a variety of sample tracks I'm very familiar with, and ended up listening to a one minute loop from this track for almost a full hour:
The loop I listened to is from 1:35 to 2:35, basically the end of the chorus and the subsequent instrumental part. It shows the differences between these two IEMs more than anything else I've thrown at them.
Bass: The FI-BA-SS render the bass accompaniment almost perfectly, their bass is dry, fast and delicately textured, with just the right quantity and fine detail. The IE800's bass is thicker, exaggerated and less delicate and detailed in comparison. I wouldn't say it spoils the song, but it's definitely out of balance and leaves all other instruments less room to breathe. Clear preference towards the FI-BA-SS.
Mids: Surprisingly similar, slightly forward on both (the FI-BA-SS maybe a tad more so), but not too much in your face, extremely clear and detailed. The IE800 have a slight warmish hue from their bass excess, but no smear. Their dynamic drivers sound ever so slightly smoother and more natural than the FAD's armatures, but the difference isn't very pronounced in my book. Slight preference towards the IE800, even though the FI-BA-SS may be a tad less colored.
Highs: The FI-BA-SS' highs are vibrant with energy and airiness, cymbals are rendered in great detail, with nice shimmer and sparkle. At first listen, the IE800's highs appeared to be equally detailed and even a tad thinner and more delicate, though less airy and sparkly. But something kept bothering me about the Senn's highs, and with repeated A/B listening I came to realize, that the FADs retain noticeably better detail and realism during the decay of cymbals, whereas the IE800's decay sounds somewhat rushed and simplistic in comparison. Clear preference towards the FI-BA-SS.
I didn't prolong the listening session to compare soundstage, etc., because listening to a one minute loop for almost an hour left me pretty exhausted, lol. Sorry, I'll eventually hand that in at a later date...
Bottom line, the outcome of this A/B comparison is unexpectedly clear, as I prefer the FI-BA-SS over the IE800 by quite some margin. Only in the midrange can the Senns hold their own against the FADs and sound even a tad more natural. But both bass and highs are ultimately not quite at eye level with the latter, to my ears. Thanks for reading.
