Happy birthday, mate! We're sure gonna miss your brilliant impressions and imagery around here...Thanks so much, my friend! And, to celebrate, how 'bout some impressions you've been asking for for quite a while now?
Earlier this week, I received one of (if not the) last in-ear I'm probably gonna ever receive for review: Custom Art's new FIBAE 7 Unlimited.
Obviously a successor (or variant, if you like) of their flagship FIBAE 7, the 7U was tuned with consumer feedback in mind. This meant alterations made to the low-end, upper-midrange and mid-treble, and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Compared to the OG, which I’ve described as forward, intimate and - at times - intense, the 7U steps back for a more far-field feel with neutrally-sized, neutrally-positioned instruments, as well as a more even balance across its frequency range. I’m getting just barely more lead instrument than kick drum on the vast majority of tracks I’ve listened to, and now they’re tighter - more compact - in size and shape as well; more studio than jazz café. This is a monitor that’s more macro than micro, meaning it encourages you to take in a track or soundscape as a whole, rather than zero-in on specific instruments, which the OG would push you to do. While I described the 7 as a photo with a vignette and saturation, the 7U is almost one taken with a wide-angle lens, which results in a tidier, more relaxed, more just-there IEM overall.
Technically, the 7U gains from both its tuning shift, as well as the refinements Piotr was able to coax out of its electronics. Pulling back the OG’s upper-midrange peak allows a broader view of the track you’re listening to, so you’re able to ‘see’ more of it at once. You do lose the ability to zoom-in on the lead instrument a tad, but it’s a small trade-off. Then, the 7U’s crisper mid-treble sharpens up its layering and separation, which - followed by stronger treble extension - cleans/tightens up its attack, adds a bit of air and boosts stereo spread; left-right separation. All the while, the OG’s seamless, uniform timbre and speed has been kept intact. For me, the only department where the 7U hasn’t drastically improved over its predecessor is dynamic range. When tracks go big and roar, you can almost hear it hit a ceiling on both in-ears. The 7U can’t quite achieve the massive, sweeping contrasts - those huge dynamic swings - that the summit-fi of in-ears (typically priced in excess of $3000) are capable of. And, clearly, those cons would only apply to those already used to those sorts of IEMs. Otherwise, to my ears, the 7U is an admirable show of growth from the OG in expansion and precision.
The bottom-end on the 7U has a meatier thump to it. It’s more rounded and distinct than the foundational, blended-in bass the OG 7 had. Kick drums strike forward, and, again, they’re almost at equal footing with the lead instrument. So, you’ll get a ton more oomph on electronica or hip/hop, but - combined with the 7U’s more neutral high-mids - at the cost of the OG’s strong vocal focus. In texture and definition, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth here. It’s not gonna edge out a DD, and it’s just on the precipice of the almost-DD tier that, say, the A12t and (more recently) the Sharona reside in. But, it has great character and detail among its peers for sure, especially because of its stronger sub-bass and extended treble. The former gives it a physical, chesty rumble that I felt the OG lacked, and the latter carves out lots more space around bass notes, so they’re given the license to shine. If you’re coming from the 7, the 7U will surely deliver a whole other tier of bass performance, as long as you, again, don’t mind the spotlight it’ll take from the midrange in the process.
The 7U’s midrange sits very comfortably in that neutral-reference zone, where its presence really depends on the track. It isn’t nearly as upfront as it is on the OG, so you won’t get that whisper-in-your-ear sort of sound on the 7U. Again, this is very comparable to the difference between near-field and far-field monitors; micro vs. macro. If you want your vocals to sit in the mix and lay back, the 7U’s presentation is favorable. Whereas, the OG is stronger if you want leads to really take centre-stage. Vocal timbre, as always with Custom Art, is clean with a slight sway. Textures and nuances are well-shown, and it’s similar to the OG in that they aren’t bathed in mid- or upper-bass warmth. But, there’s still an organic, lush quality to them. And, on the 7U, there’s clearly a more even balance between body and articulation (or attack, or projection, or shoutiness) to my ears than the OG. Vocals and horn sections may not be as vibrant, big or go-for-broke as they are on the latter; not as theatrical. But, again, the gains are in overall stage organization, instrument definition and stereo spread.
Up high, the 7U isn’t far off the OG. It coasts smooth, it’s un-flashy, but it’s articulate, still. This time, though, I feel Piotr’s given the 7U a bit more mid-treble. Transients have more of a bite - an edge - to them, while the OG comes across softer (or more diffuse) by comparison. I find it aids the in-ear’s clarity, separation and cut quite a bit. But, whether or not the change speaks to you depends on how you like your highs. Without comparing to the OG, I’d say it straddles neutral, while the OG 7’s softer mid-treble tilted natural at times. And, further up, I feel the 7U has the slightest bit more upper-treble extension too. It could be the relaxed high-mids making those frequencies seem proportionally more present, but there’s a greater emphasis on air here for sure. There’s just a crisper, sharper, more focused sound that I’m sure will please those who wanted more imaging precision out of the OG. As I did then, though, and as I described above, there’s still that slight bottleneck in dynamic range to my ears. Notes can’t grow and roar as much as they can on much, much pricier in-ears. Still, I think the 7U’s got a great reinterpretation of the OG 7’s treble, with notable boosts to technique to boot.
So, those are my first-week impressions of Custom Art’s new 7U. If you guys have been here long enough to remember the Empire Ears Zeus-XR, one could see this as the Zeus-R to the FIBAE 7’s Zeus-XIV; stronger and more physical down low, much tighter (more neutral) in the midrange, and airier up high. And, on its own, it’s a really cozy, always-pleasant all-rounder with a beautifully linear, uniform tone, and stronger imaging, resolution and end-to-end extension than one might expect at its price point. The only quality short of summit-fi status for me is dynamic depth or headroom. Otherwise, it’s yet another bang-for-buck winner from Custom Art that takes the brand’s house sound to its tidiest, most refined and most technically-capable yet.
The Watercooler -- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first page. All welcome.
- Thread starter Rockwell75
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audionewbi
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
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Hi all, I wanted to share my impressions of Dita Audip Perpetua (PPT). Hopefully it gets the attention it deserves and encourage other to produce more single DD IEM:
Dita audio PPT impression
If I were to describe PPT in one word, it would be polite. ASR readers would start laughing at me right now, "what does that mean?"
PPT is polite in the sense that I hear no peaks or any particular emphasis on a certain frequency range which, as a result, will make the timbre of certain instruments stand out more.
Upon first listen, PPT sounds just correct. You will enjoy what you hear, but you will wonder if it's worth the asking price.
In case you are in an audio store, you end up listening to other IEMs in the store, but the moment you do so, you will suddenly understand PPT. To put it simply, PPT makes all the IEM you listen to after listening to PPT as sounding not correct.
PPT vocal can sound forward and warm, should the recording ask for it. PPT can sound headphone-like; the bass has what I consider the perfect decay I've heard in any IEM. It is fast enough to allow me to enjoy complex recordings like Mahler's symphony no.8, but the bass lingers long enough to allow me to get a sense of space the recording space.
Normally, dynamic driver IEM tends to do bass and midrange well, and treble either has peaks or is rolled off. But PPT treble audibly presents with the correct amount of energy.
Listening to Miles Davis Blue, in Green can sound sharp and sibilant on most IEM, forcing me to reduce the volume lower than my usual listening volume. This track sounds perfect on speakers as treble losses some of its energy by the time it reaches your ear. But with IEM, the sound is delivered right to your ear, so the sharpness of Miles horn rings right into your ear canal.
With PPT, you certainly still notice the horn energy, but it is less piercing, and it is more in line to what I hear from speaker setups.
This brings me to the most important two critical aspects of audio gears, timbre and soundstage.
PPT is the only IEM I've experienced where the characteristic of IEM is dependent on the music mastering, allowing for a nearly perfect reproduction of music from and IEM.
For example, listening to the legendary Sony MDR EX1000, the soundstage always remains open and wide, even when perhaps the recording itself does not call for such reproduction. To a large extent, the overall presentation of the recorded music is impacted by EX1000. Is it good or bad it comes to one preference? But long-term listening to EX1000 becomes boring as everything tends to sound the same, whereas PPT will not have that problem.
With PPT, you tend to listen to music more.
Dita audio PPT impression
If I were to describe PPT in one word, it would be polite. ASR readers would start laughing at me right now, "what does that mean?"
PPT is polite in the sense that I hear no peaks or any particular emphasis on a certain frequency range which, as a result, will make the timbre of certain instruments stand out more.
Upon first listen, PPT sounds just correct. You will enjoy what you hear, but you will wonder if it's worth the asking price.
In case you are in an audio store, you end up listening to other IEMs in the store, but the moment you do so, you will suddenly understand PPT. To put it simply, PPT makes all the IEM you listen to after listening to PPT as sounding not correct.
PPT vocal can sound forward and warm, should the recording ask for it. PPT can sound headphone-like; the bass has what I consider the perfect decay I've heard in any IEM. It is fast enough to allow me to enjoy complex recordings like Mahler's symphony no.8, but the bass lingers long enough to allow me to get a sense of space the recording space.
Normally, dynamic driver IEM tends to do bass and midrange well, and treble either has peaks or is rolled off. But PPT treble audibly presents with the correct amount of energy.
Listening to Miles Davis Blue, in Green can sound sharp and sibilant on most IEM, forcing me to reduce the volume lower than my usual listening volume. This track sounds perfect on speakers as treble losses some of its energy by the time it reaches your ear. But with IEM, the sound is delivered right to your ear, so the sharpness of Miles horn rings right into your ear canal.
With PPT, you certainly still notice the horn energy, but it is less piercing, and it is more in line to what I hear from speaker setups.
This brings me to the most important two critical aspects of audio gears, timbre and soundstage.
PPT is the only IEM I've experienced where the characteristic of IEM is dependent on the music mastering, allowing for a nearly perfect reproduction of music from and IEM.
For example, listening to the legendary Sony MDR EX1000, the soundstage always remains open and wide, even when perhaps the recording itself does not call for such reproduction. To a large extent, the overall presentation of the recorded music is impacted by EX1000. Is it good or bad it comes to one preference? But long-term listening to EX1000 becomes boring as everything tends to sound the same, whereas PPT will not have that problem.
With PPT, you tend to listen to music more.
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Xinlisupreme
Headphoneus Supremus
Thank you Daniel for you exhaustive impressions, I really love my F7U UIEM and it scale a lot with higher cable, it’s almost on TOTL level, it’s a bargain deal IMHO.Thanks so much, my friend! And, to celebrate, how 'bout some impressions you've been asking for for quite a while now?
Earlier this week, I received one of (if not the) last in-ear I'm probably gonna ever receive for review: Custom Art's new FIBAE 7 Unlimited.
Obviously a successor (or variant, if you like) of their flagship FIBAE 7, the 7U was tuned with consumer feedback in mind. This meant alterations made to the low-end, upper-midrange and mid-treble, and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Compared to the OG, which I’ve described as forward, intimate and - at times - intense, the 7U steps back for a more far-field feel with neutrally-sized, neutrally-positioned instruments, as well as a more even balance across its frequency range. I’m getting just barely more lead instrument than kick drum on the vast majority of tracks I’ve listened to, and now they’re tighter - more compact - in size and shape as well; more studio than jazz café. This is a monitor that’s more macro than micro, meaning it encourages you to take in a track or soundscape as a whole, rather than zero-in on specific instruments, which the OG would push you to do. While I described the 7 as a photo with a vignette and saturation, the 7U is almost one taken with a wide-angle lens, which results in a tidier, more relaxed, more just-there IEM overall.
Technically, the 7U gains from both its tuning shift, as well as the refinements Piotr was able to coax out of its electronics. Pulling back the OG’s upper-midrange peak allows a broader view of the track you’re listening to, so you’re able to ‘see’ more of it at once. You do lose the ability to zoom-in on the lead instrument a tad, but it’s a small trade-off. Then, the 7U’s crisper mid-treble sharpens up its layering and separation, which - followed by stronger treble extension - cleans/tightens up its attack, adds a bit of air and boosts stereo spread; left-right separation. All the while, the OG’s seamless, uniform timbre and speed has been kept intact. For me, the only department where the 7U hasn’t drastically improved over its predecessor is dynamic range. When tracks go big and roar, you can almost hear it hit a ceiling on both in-ears. The 7U can’t quite achieve the massive, sweeping contrasts - those huge dynamic swings - that the summit-fi of in-ears (typically priced in excess of $3000) are capable of. And, clearly, those cons would only apply to those already used to those sorts of IEMs. Otherwise, to my ears, the 7U is an admirable show of growth from the OG in expansion and precision.
The bottom-end on the 7U has a meatier thump to it. It’s more rounded and distinct than the foundational, blended-in bass the OG 7 had. Kick drums strike forward, and, again, they’re almost at equal footing with the lead instrument. So, you’ll get a ton more oomph on electronica or hip/hop, but - combined with the 7U’s more neutral high-mids - at the cost of the OG’s strong vocal focus. In texture and definition, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth here. It’s not gonna edge out a DD, and it’s just on the precipice of the almost-DD tier that, say, the A12t and (more recently) the Sharona reside in. But, it has great character and detail among its peers for sure, especially because of its stronger sub-bass and extended treble. The former gives it a physical, chesty rumble that I felt the OG lacked, and the latter carves out lots more space around bass notes, so they’re given the license to shine. If you’re coming from the 7, the 7U will surely deliver a whole other tier of bass performance, as long as you, again, don’t mind the spotlight it’ll take from the midrange in the process.
The 7U’s midrange sits very comfortably in that neutral-reference zone, where its presence really depends on the track. It isn’t nearly as upfront as it is on the OG, so you won’t get that whisper-in-your-ear sort of sound on the 7U. Again, this is very comparable to the difference between near-field and far-field monitors; micro vs. macro. If you want your vocals to sit in the mix and lay back, the 7U’s presentation is favorable. Whereas, the OG is stronger if you want leads to really take centre-stage. Vocal timbre, as always with Custom Art, is clean with a slight sway. Textures and nuances are well-shown, and it’s similar to the OG in that they aren’t bathed in mid- or upper-bass warmth. But, there’s still an organic, lush quality to them. And, on the 7U, there’s clearly a more even balance between body and articulation (or attack, or projection, or shoutiness) to my ears than the OG. Vocals and horn sections may not be as vibrant, big or go-for-broke as they are on the latter; not as theatrical. But, again, the gains are in overall stage organization, instrument definition and stereo spread.
Up high, the 7U isn’t far off the OG. It coasts smooth, it’s un-flashy, but it’s articulate, still. This time, though, I feel Piotr’s given the 7U a bit more mid-treble. Transients have more of a bite - an edge - to them, while the OG comes across softer (or more diffuse) by comparison. I find it aids the in-ear’s clarity, separation and cut quite a bit. But, whether or not the change speaks to you depends on how you like your highs. Without comparing to the OG, I’d say it straddles neutral, while the OG 7’s softer mid-treble tilted natural at times. And, further up, I feel the 7U has the slightest bit more upper-treble extension too. It could be the relaxed high-mids making those frequencies seem proportionally more present, but there’s a greater emphasis on air here for sure. There’s just a crisper, sharper, more focused sound that I’m sure will please those who wanted more imaging precision out of the OG. As I did then, though, and as I described above, there’s still that slight bottleneck in dynamic range to my ears. Notes can’t grow and roar as much as they can on much, much pricier in-ears. Still, I think the 7U’s got a great reinterpretation of the OG 7’s treble, with notable boosts to technique to boot.
So, those are my first-week impressions of Custom Art’s new 7U. If you guys have been here long enough to remember the Empire Ears Zeus-XR, one could see this as the Zeus-R to the FIBAE 7’s Zeus-XIV; stronger and more physical down low, much tighter (more neutral) in the midrange, and airier up high. And, on its own, it’s a really cozy, always-pleasant all-rounder with a beautifully linear, uniform tone, and stronger imaging, resolution and end-to-end extension than one might expect at its price point. The only quality short of summit-fi status for me is dynamic depth or headroom. Otherwise, it’s yet another bang-for-buck winner from Custom Art that takes the brand’s house sound to its tidiest, most refined and most technically-capable yet.
Xinlisupreme
Headphoneus Supremus
We need to open a thread posting time waister answers and create a time waister list
blotmouse
Headphoneus Supremus
Surely.
The sound is wonderful. The usability too as long as you don't stream. It's android and you can try and stream but its a painfully slow jittery affair now. It's old and any version you find may need a new battery or have the life I get, 3-5 hrs charge, depending on files.
Love the Class A/ Burr Brown multibit though. Mid range focused and gets very loud for it's rated mW's. If you have head any of the Schiit multibit implementations, it's got that same vibe going on (great analogue guitar recreation, gritty) + sounds very close to a desktop rig in your pocket. And doesn't get very hot. Had the biggest soundstage I'd heard in a pocketable dap till I got N8ii (if you can call the N8ii pocketable) I do it for limited periods, rofl
I put AR-M2 ahead of Cayin N6ii Ti for metal, electronic, and orchestra, but slightly behind for indie rock, jazz and quartets. Both are behind N8ii.
Is it people trying to low ball you? Would offering a product with a firm price help?We need to open a thread posting time waister answers and create a time waister list
Xinlisupreme
Headphoneus Supremus
I can write a book, they start to ask a discount and ok, then ask to quote shipping, debating on which one is better for them and finish to ask to ship for free and then they disappear.
If you write them after some days they said you: changed my mind or bought another stuff.
Why ask to deal about and ask discount if the. You buy another one more expensive?!? Really I can’t understand and tolerate this behaviors
Interesting. I guess in a buyer's market, sellers need to suffer through these indignities. In a seller's market, you can pick your buyers. Have your tried looking at the buyer/seller rating of buyers before responding?
Many sellers offer paypal fees and shipping fees included in a firm price with good pictures and detailed descriptions. I presume if you do that, the questions are limited to product related issues that can easily be answered.
I am not trying to deny the fact that you are getting a lot of bad interactions. I believe that to be true. I am wondering if there are ways to minimize it with these practices. If you have a firm price that includes shipping and fees, then if anyone sends an inquiry for a discount, you just ignore it.
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I had someone call me an idiot for saying their $1700 offer on my Legend Evo was offensive and that they are wasting my time .
so glad I barely have to deal with classifieds anymore.
I had someone call me an idiot for saying their $1700 offer on my Legend Evo was offensive and that they are wasting my time .
I wouldn't be able to continue in this hobby without selling things. It can be stressful and frustrating, especially for the reasons Xinlisupreme described. But, I love when someone is happy with what I have sold. Having said that, I dread whenever I need to sell computer parts online. Every single time I've had to deal with abuse, harassment, and the people making attempts to steal from me.
Oh me too! Being able to buy and sell has allowed me to try so much stuff.
F700
Headphoneus Supremus
Jewel with P6K. 5 hours session. This DAP….oh my.
Going back in 1997 with RMB and fantastic tracks to finish the night
Going back in 1997 with RMB and fantastic tracks to finish the night
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Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
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Another Jewel night, it will be hard ship it back… I’ll miss it a lot!
Great album
Suddenly my offer of tree fiddy doesn't sound so badI had someone call me an idiot for saying their $1700 offer on my Legend Evo was offensive and that they are wasting my time .
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