[Otto Motor]

Unfortunately not all reviewers are as dedicated, personally I'd never trust a reviewer that uses only one source through the whole review. I'm sure someone find this approach to be "honest" as it sure makes it more likely to get a bad result and hence a lower rating

As always YMMV.....

That's why it is good to read the broad body of reviews (tough these days to find the text between the pictures in many cases). In the "old" days (2 years ago), we had some participants who were technologically knowledgeable and interested and included "impedance" in the discussion. In a multi-driver, the frequency response is dependent on output impedance of a device (cable is part of it). My co-blogger has created a spreadsheet that calculates these frequency response variations. Single dynamic drivers are usually not affected by this. And you surely know all this.

Today we are concerned with unboxing, something that lingers for a few minutes.

Suum cuique tribuere...

Yup, source makes a big difference. The NX7 definitely likes a warmer source/warmer dac/amp. I love it's smooth and detailed sound, with my Q1MK2 out of balanced. Cables also matter. A good high quality copper cable will also smooth things out. I don't get all these people who post all this negative s**t about an iem, when they haven't even gone through the same processes that they would for any other iem. And why so much emphasis on graphs??!! I don't listen to graphs...I LISTEN TO MUSIC! If a piece of kit sounds good with the music I listen to most, why are graphs even an issue? Frankly, I'm not a graph guy...I simply don't care alot about how stuff measures. In the end, it's all about how good it sounds with the genres of music I listen to. I think too many people discount audio gear because they seen a graph FIRST, before they actually listened to it.

That sounds like anti-medicine/anti-vaccing.

1. Nobody listens to graphs and nobody claims to entirely rely on graphs: there is no "either or" but always an "and"...both work well together. Most if not all people who produce reliable graphs are well-seasoned listeners.
2. Physics works...measurements and graphs are part of it. If somebody claims is does not, they should send their thread comments hand written on paper through a horseman to us...as computers rely on the same physics as audio equipment.
3. There is no evidence that copper is superior over other metals, sound wise. How does copper know what we want to hear? It is the cable's impedance one has to watch...and not the braiding either...or its packaging.
4. Experienced people get scared by certain graphs...I certainly do when seeing a monstrous 2-4 kHz peak. Very useful early warning before spending $$$!

 

[castleofargh]

to all those considering the relevance of trying various sources in reviews and jumping to conclusion when we don't, I can maybe interest you in my post on impedance and reviews/impressions https://www.head-fi.org/threads/feedback-about-gears-stop-doing-it-wrong-impedance.866714/
it was aimed toward faulty conclusions about the amp or DAP, but the reasoning rapidly makes it obvious that the relation in an electrical circuit goes both ways, and so does the ability to mischaracterize a product involved in that circuit(IEM, cable, you name it).

Yup, source makes a big difference. The NX7 definitely likes a warmer source/warmer dac/amp. I love it's smooth and detailed sound, with my Q1MK2 out of balanced. Cables also matter. A good high quality copper cable will also smooth things out. I don't get all these people who post all this negative s**t about an iem, when they haven't even gone through the same processes that they would for any other iem. And why so much emphasis on graphs??!! I don't listen to graphs...I LISTEN TO MUSIC! If a piece of kit sounds good with the music I listen to most, why are graphs even an issue? Frankly, I'm not a graph guy...I simply don't care alot about how stuff measures. In the end, it's all about how good it sounds with the genres of music I listen to. I think too many people discount audio gear because they seen a graph FIRST, before they actually listened to it.

pretty typical reaction from someone who likes a device and experiences cognitive dissonance when the graphs don't seem to agree with their feelings. you wouldn't have to experience this if you really separated the idea of something sounding good to you subjectively, and what a FR looks like or what other people say about the IEM.
want to play a game? look on the forum how often someone with an opinion that perfectly aligns with a measurement, has posted that he doesn't care about how stuff measure while discussing that specific opinion?
graphs show specific data obtained under ultra specific conditions, they may or may not be very accurate, your IEM may or may not be like the one measured, the graphs may or may not be properly interpreted, and they may or may not be relevant for a given situation. it's important to have some skepticism toward graphs. even more so if they pop out of nowhere without information on how they were made. just like it is important to show skepticism toward subjective posts, even more so when they falsely keep assuming causality between the metal in a cable and how it will sound. but when in practice, the proportion of support or criticism toward measurements turns out to consistently correlate with how much the posters' own opinions aligned with the graph at the time, I'm tempted to consider bad faith as an explanation for that behavior, and leave the actual significance of graphs out of it.

 

[Otto Motor]

Very cool news: the "JVC HA-FD01 Class S Solidege Inner Ear Headphones", arguably the world's best single DD is coming to massdrop at an early-bird price of $250. And they will be pre-modded.

One of the owners and the moddfather of the original FD01 writes: "...as a die-hard fan of DD IEMs, I've been trying out TOTL offerings for $1300 (CA Vega) and $1000 (Beyerdynamic Xelento, Sennheiser IE800S). Tbh, I haven't been happy with any of them. Then I found the JVC FD01 for $350, which I preferred over all of these... but it had to be modded to sound its best.

Now, if the FDX1 can achieve the same level of sound quality for $250, without the need for modding, then who am i to complain?..."

https://drop.com/talk/25000/back-in-the-usa

 

[Dsnuts]

I am so game on one of them Solideges. I skipped on them all together as the prices for them was a bit overblown.. With this MD deal and that they will have a retune on them. Will most certainly grab a pair. This will be my first JVC in a long time. Ever since getting my FX850 actually. Most definitely looking forward to the new retuned Solidege.

 

[chinmie]

Unfortunately not all reviewers are as dedicated, personally I'd never trust a reviewer that uses only one source through the whole review. I'm sure someone find this approach to be "honest" as it sure makes it more likely to get a bad result and hence a lower rating

As always YMMV.....

i don't mind if they use only one source, as long as it's something that I've heard before, or at least if i they also do a comparison to other IEMs that i have already heard.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv]

Very cool news: the "JVC HA-FD01 Class S Solidege Inner Ear Headphones", arguably the world's best single DD is coming to massdrop at an early-bird price of $250. And they will be pre-modded.

One of the owners and the moddfather of the original FD01 writes: "...as a die-hard fan of DD IEMs, I've been trying out TOTL offerings for $1300 (CA Vega) and $1000 (Beyerdynamic Xelento, Sennheiser IE800S). Tbh, I haven't been happy with any of them. Then I found the JVC FD01 for $350, which I preferred over all of these... but it had to be modded to sound its best.

Now, if the FDX1 can achieve the same level of sound quality for $250, without the need for modding, then who am i to complain?..."

https://drop.com/talk/25000/back-in-the-usa

I have the FW01, which until recently, was the flagship woodie from JVC, and the generation right before the FD01, and though a really good earphone, isn't a TOTL sound or even that far removed from the MD Crescents (But neither are my IE800). Can't get much info on what kind of driver the FD01 has, but if i'm going to throw $250 at it, I hope it will have much better technicality than the FW01 (again, an excellent iem, but the sound isn't wow inducing, and the fit is rather cumbersome), So i'll wait until Otto and Dsnuts buy theirs first.

 

[courierdriver]

So, I've been listening to the NX7 again tonight, and after around 40 hours of break in, I am really diggin this set. Been listening to a 2 CD set from the iconic Canadian band, The Tragically Hip. I'm just loving the bass impact with this set, and how detailed they are. I'm picking up alot of nuances in the highs, and also in bass. These have great detail retrieval in most all of the frequency spectrum, and they have an enjoyable amount of warmth, when used with a nice copper cable, and a warmer source. No, they may sound bright with some sources...but if they are paired with a warmer source, these sound awesome.

 

[loomisjohnson]

Since your comments don't work you think the **** piezo is smoother than the NX7? I think the **** strikes a nice balance with giving it just the right amount of airiness. If it wasn't for the fit and odd timbre on some songs I would probably use the **** more.

@loomisjohnson-since you have the ZS10pro and the NX7 has a very similar tuning although with more upper treble due to the piezo, do you think it is too much up there? So far it seems my preference leans towards upper treble that is in line with ~1khz. It seems anything that goes north of that in the upper registers doesn't sit well for me. Not to say it's not possible for me to like something with that much boost or that it has to do with relative levels to 1khz, it just seems that seems to be what I have experienced so far with IEM's. Still sitting on the sidelines waiting to see if NX7 can hang around for while.

durwood, the more time i spend with the nx7, the more i get acclimated to the upper treble --it's definitely a different flavor than what we're accustomed to as "natural sounding," but still appealing, especially on heavier genres.

 

[Dsnuts]

Got an interesting message from Jim this morning. So it seems out of all the earphones NiceHCK has sold. The NX7 is blowing the doors off of anything they have ever sold till now. That is saying something. They are happy campers right now. Seems the NX7 is being well recieved around the world according to Jim.

I just hope they continue to mature in their tuning and get better and better. In the end.. We might eventually see a giant killer out of NiceHCK.

 

[Folly]

So, I've been listening to the NX7 again tonight, and after around 40 hours of break in, I am really diggin this set. Been listening to a 2 CD set from the iconic Canadian band, The Tragically Hip. I'm just loving the bass impact with this set, and how detailed they are. I'm picking up alot of nuances in the highs, and also in bass. These have great detail retrieval in most all of the frequency spectrum, and they have an enjoyable amount of warmth, when used with a nice copper cable, and a warmer source. No, they may sound bright with some sources...but if they are paired with a warmer source, these sound awesome.

Very curious, how do they fare against the Kanas Pro? Which do you like better

 

[Nabillion_786]

@Dsnuts how do the ath ckr100 hold up to good iems of recent? I am especially interested in clarity, soundstage and vocals. It will be between these, the t800 and fd01 for my next iem as I am looking for an upgrade over my oxygen and kpe.

 

[SilverLodestar]

@Dsnuts how do the ath ckr100 hold up to good iems of recent? I am especially interested in clarity, soundstage and vocals. It will be between these, the t800 and fd01 for my next iem as I am looking for an upgrade over my oxygen and kpe.

I used to own the ATH-CKR100is and I absolutely disliked them. They have a large emphasis on the upper midrange that makes vocals and instruments sound stringent and thin. The lower midrange sounded completely left behind compared to the upper midrange. I even tried burning them in, thinking something would change, but nothing did.

 

[Dsnuts]

@Dsnuts how do the ath ckr100 hold up to good iems of recent? I am especially interested in clarity, soundstage and vocals. It will be between these, the t800 and fd01 for my next iem as I am looking for an upgrade over my oxygen and kpe.

I have been mostly listening to my Solaris and Zeus with the IT04 thrown in. NX7 is my newest earphone and you can read everyones take on them on the review section. I own the CKR10 and not the 100 so I have no idea how the CKR100 is.

Keep tabs on the JVC Drop. First adopters will get them for $250 starting 09/05/2019 Should be interesting. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/drop-jvc-ha-fdx1-dual-carbon-iem-available-in-the-us.912737/

 

[courierdriver]

Very curious, how do they fare against the Kanas Pro? Which do you like better

I will post on this in the coming weeks. I may do a mini review/comparison between NX7 along with KPE, ZS10 PRO, and TFZ NO.3. For now, I'm just gonna let the NX7 (and the No.3) get some hours on them, before I can make any firm judgements. I also want to try some cable and tip rolling to get the best all these sets have to offer. Only thing I can say about the NX7 compared to the KPE at the moment is: they are different and have a different sound signature. I find both enjoyable though, so it's not a matter of one being "better" than the other.

 

[Otto Motor]

Ouch, iBasso have retuned their IT01 adding that classic Chifi peak (between 2 and 4 kHz, the most sensitive area to human ears). I just received a warranty replacement for my early-2018 version.

Spoiler: iBasso FR graphs comparison old-new