My Freq Show have returned a day earlier than expected, after sending them in for a re-fit and tuneup. I will write up more after I listen and compare them to my Livewires and other IEM over a longer period of time. For my initial review of the Freq Show, see this link:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/f...ml#post4252937
THE PROBLEM: The original problems were poor fit (loose) and a roaring and ringing resonance in the ear canal in the 250-1000Hz frequency range. Todd and I discussed the possibility of needing a modified cross-over IF they could not find anything wrong with mine, but they did find a wiring problem; so I assume I still have the MM crossover just without the defects (hard to justify a custom x-over for the 4-5 people with my type of problem). I spent 24 minutes on hold on my cell phone today, and couldn't get into Todd's voice mail, so I sent him an email instead to have him call me to discuss what they found.
FIT: I included physical measurements that I took with calipers of my Livewires when I sent these back, to give them a point of reference for what does fit me. The cross-section of the ear canal portion of the Livewires that fit perfectly were 10x13 mm on the left and 9.3x11.8 mm on the right - while the loose Freq Shows were smaller at 8.8x12.5 mm on the left and 8.8x11 mm on the right.
Now the fit is much better, and I really have to work up a sweat contorting my face into weird positions to barely break the seal. The fit is very slightly looser than my primary set of Livewires and slightly tighter than my spare set of Livewires. The isolation seems to be within 1-2db of isolating as well as the Livewires, which is not bad.
SOUND: The sound is improved, but also different. The roaring and ringing that I heard with certain songs and instruments is 80-90% better and listenable now, and on some songs there is no problem at all.
The sound doesn't change much with pressing on them, with maybe a tiny bit more treble volume when pushed in (1-2db) but no increase in treble extension, which seems a little more rolled off above 12Khz than the Livewires (or my old Triple.fi 10 Pro). However, the treble reaches up high enough to please, but it is missing that last bit of shimmering highs that gives them a slight veil instead of transparency. Treble detail is good, so not that kind of veil - they remind me more of my APureSound or Jenna Labs re-cabled HD600 than my APS re-cabled Grado RS-1 (which would be my Livewires).
The mids remain rich, despite the perceived decrease in midrange volume, and they don't seem to be as overly forward as before. I have not been able to fully assess soundstage yet, but I will in time. The bass seems the same as before - present and accounted for, but not quite as punchy as the Livewires or Q-Jays or Super.fi 5 Pro or Denon C700 (it's more like the SE310 bass, and is much better than an ER6i or E4c).
COMPARISONS: I have only done some limited comparisons since I got them back this afternoon. At this point I would say that compared with my Livewires, the Freq Show have a slightly more relaxed or laid back sound, and slightly less transparent sound. They are still quick like other balanced armatures, so relaxed or laid back does not mean slow. I might even like them better than my Q-Jays (similar treble) or Super.fi 5 Pro or Denon C700, but
not quite as much as the Livewires. I will need to spend several hours over the next few days to get a good feel for comparisons between all of these, so this is not my final word on the matter.
My Livewires have the strong bass and sparkly treble of the Triple.fi 10 pro with a less colored midbass/low-mids than Triple.fi 10 Pro, which made me sell the Triple.fi and keep the LW after I did several direct comparisons.
The Freq Show seem to have less bass and treble energy than Livewires (or Triple.fi 10 pro), but at least they don't have the irritating midbass peak or coloration of the Triple.fi's that I used to own. I can live with the Freq Show less sparkly treble easier than I can stand the midbass/lower mid coloration or fit of the Triple.fi that I experienced. If I had to choose between the Triple.fi 10 Pro (or SE530) and Freq Show, I pick the Freq for the same price (I can easily EQ the treble up 2-3 db).
But the LW are $100 less and yet manage to deliver just a little bit more of what I expect in an IEM, without needing EQ. So, until I do more comparisons I have to leave the Livewires as my #1 with the Freq Show close behind the LW in the #2 spot. But, I find them both more enjoyable than most of my universal IEM so far (current or sold). I will post an update soon with more direct comparisons with my other IEM, and with details about what I hear later.
