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.
) and I usually use my L&P W2 dongle and Sennheiser IE 900