[aaf evo]

Hey guys! Posting this here too for people who aren't subscribed to the Custom Art thread. Received FIBAE 5 today and having tried it with a few dozen songs, my initial impressions are very positive! But first, here's my graph measurement with and without the filter. You can compare it to other IEMs I've measured in my squiglink here - link. I've uploaded 60-70% of the IEMs I've measured, still have more to upload and a lot of IEMs I haven't even gotten to measuring yet. Shall keep adding one by one in my free time.



I'll write more detailed impressions once I've spent some decent time with the FIBAE 5 but I have to say that the 12dB of bass shelf has the bass rumbling really nice and strong, with really good impact but without coming in the way of other things - which is exactly how boosted bass should be done. Plus on top of that the boosted planar treble makes sure that the bass doesn't overpower the presentation, making for a super crisp, clear and sparkly W-shaped tending V-shaped signature. The midrange is done quite tastefully too without taking it too far away from accurate tonality and timbre of instruments. I basically hear it as a W-shaped, bass boosted take on a reference character, like listening to the band in a very lively arena. With the few songs I've tried it with I feel that it has really good technical performance for its asking price too - a really good soundstage that engulfs you really nicely with very good imaging but I'll reserve my final thoughts once I've spent enough time with it having taken it through its paces with my favourite tracks.

Hope this at least helps give some quick insight into how the FIBAE 5 is tuned and what you can expect until more detailed impressions and full fledged reviews start rolling out. Cheers!

Hmmm, this looks great. I want to demo one.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Hey guys! Posting this here too for people who aren't subscribed to the Custom Art thread. Received FIBAE 5 today and having tried it with a few dozen songs, my initial impressions are very positive! But first, here's my graph measurement with and without the filter. You can compare it to other IEMs I've measured in my squiglink here - link. I've uploaded 60-70% of the IEMs I've measured, still have more to upload and a lot of IEMs I haven't even gotten to measuring yet. Shall keep adding one by one in my free time.



I'll write more detailed impressions once I've spent some decent time with the FIBAE 5 but I have to say that the 12dB of bass shelf has the bass rumbling really nice and strong, with really good impact but without coming in the way of other things - which is exactly how boosted bass should be done. Plus on top of that the boosted planar treble makes sure that the bass doesn't overpower the presentation, making for a super crisp, clear and sparkly W-shaped tending V-shaped signature. The midrange is done quite tastefully too without taking it too far away from accurate tonality and timbre of instruments. I basically hear it as a W-shaped, bass boosted take on a reference character, like listening to the band in a very lively arena. With the few songs I've tried it with I feel that it has really good technical performance for its asking price too - a really good soundstage that engulfs you really nicely with very good imaging but I'll reserve my final thoughts once I've spent enough time with it having taken it through its paces with my favourite tracks.

Hope this at least helps give some quick insight into how the FIBAE 5 is tuned and what you can expect until more detailed impressions and full fledged reviews start rolling out. Cheers!

Great preview would be a very different beast from F7u

 

[piotrus-g]

Hey guys! Posting this here too for people who aren't subscribed to the Custom Art thread. Received FIBAE 5 today and having tried it with a few dozen songs, my initial impressions are very positive! But first, here's my graph measurement with and without the filter. You can compare it to other IEMs I've measured in my squiglink here - link. I've uploaded 60-70% of the IEMs I've measured, still have more to upload and a lot of IEMs I haven't even gotten to measuring yet. Shall keep adding one by one in my free time.



I'll write more detailed impressions once I've spent some decent time with the FIBAE 5 but I have to say that the 12dB of bass shelf has the bass rumbling really nice and strong, with really good impact but without coming in the way of other things - which is exactly how boosted bass should be done. Plus on top of that the boosted planar treble makes sure that the bass doesn't overpower the presentation, making for a super crisp, clear and sparkly W-shaped tending V-shaped signature. The midrange is done quite tastefully too without taking it too far away from accurate tonality and timbre of instruments. I basically hear it as a W-shaped, bass boosted take on a reference character, like listening to the band in a very lively arena. With the few songs I've tried it with I feel that it has really good technical performance for its asking price too - a really good soundstage that engulfs you really nicely with very good imaging but I'll reserve my final thoughts once I've spent enough time with it having taken it through its paces with my favourite tracks.

Hope this at least helps give some quick insight into how the FIBAE 5 is tuned and what you can expect until more detailed impressions and full fledged reviews start rolling out. Cheers!

Thank you for your initial impressions enjoy!

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Thank you for your initial impressions enjoy!

Will the Fibae 5 be released as universal?

 

[Rockwell75]

Will the Fibae 5 be released as universal?

Sounds like it from the website. We're getting a uni demo to tour in the new year and I'll run it through the US group first for a change. I haven't been this intrigued by a driver configuration since Elysium.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Yes you can buy UIEM too and if you want you can ask for custom design in UIEM shell
https://thecustomart.com/shop/universal-fit/fibae-5-universal-fit/

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Will the Fibae 5 be released as universal?

Yes you can buy UIEM too and if you want you can ask for custom design in UIEM shell
https://thecustomart.com/shop/universal-fit/fibae-5-universal-fit/

 

[Wyville]

This is a fantastic IEM, I really mean it. Since 2013 when I first bought your Music One until today, you are always keeping things real and not charging ridiculous prices to audiophiles. If under another brand, the FIBAE 5 is definitely a 2-3K USD IEM. Thank you for keeping things real all these years and not going with the general market trend to price the products higher.

For those who have no experience with Custom Art, Piotr started from this legendary thread (https://www.head-fi.org/threads/home-made-iems.430688). He made his own IEMs and the rest is history. This brand is really for the community, by the community. They don't do cash grab unlike other brands and that deserves respect.

I fully agree. Custom Art is a fantastic and highly innovative brand that keeps its feet firmly on the ground. Bought my first audiophile IEMs there (the Ei.3) -which I will never let go, btw, because I still love how the design turned out- and always recommend them to people looking for excellent quality and value.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

Sounds like it from the website. We're getting a uni demo to tour in the new year and I'll run it through the US group first for a change. I haven't been this intrigued by a driver configuration since Elysium.

Yep but here DD is for bass, 2BA for mids and 2 planars for highs and super highs
I do prefer BA on mids and I’m intrigued by planar on highs

 

[Rockwell75]

@aaf evo you still enjoying M6 Ultra? How is the UI/OS? It it snappy or slow and laggy like the DX170?

 

[justanut]

Oh yes, forgot about that - definitely still an interest there too. I'm less hung up now tbh on what a DD does or doesn't have, more curious on how they can perform in various ways which inevitably end up serving some parts of my library well.

You'd appreciate the customisations available with the varous ACT chambers. I like the extra treble energy that ACT01 brings to the WM1ZM2 but do enjoy the extra warmth with the ACT02 when the music calls for it. Eagerly awaiting delivery of the 03 and 04~ heard good things about the 04. The Sho is firmly at the top of my DD list. Takes at least 150hrs to burn them in though.

 

[justanut]

Have you heard them by any chance or do you know anyone who has? I absolutely like the HS2000MX except its very bright treble and I'm thinking the chambers do very little in that area. If they do though than I'm going to do whatever it takes to demo them.

drftr

I find that its treble complements warmer players like the WM1ZM2. But that treble does tame down a fair bit with proper burn in. I suspect it's the Myrinx material. I'll try to make a comparison once my 03 and 04 arrive. Gonna take 300hrs of my life before the new chambers are ready though... Sigh...

 

[aaf evo]

@aaf evo you still enjoying M6 Ultra? How is the UI/OS? It it snappy or slow and laggy like the DX170?

I really like it but it’s probably not gonna stick around for me. It’s a bit too warm in the treble for my preferences. No it’s snappy just like M9.

 

[Rockwell75]

It’s a bit too warm in the treble for my preferences.

Do you find it mutes Annihilator's treble excellence, or is this more of a personal preference thing? I'm on a quest to get the most bang for my buck with a sub $1K DAP.

 

[aaf evo]

Do you find it mutes Annihilator's treble excellence, or is this more of a personal preference thing? I'm on a quest to get the most bang for my buck with a sub $1K DAP.

It definitely tames it a smidge which I prefer as I’m not really a “treble head”, I think at the discounted MT price it’s a good buy. I would still rather have the DX240/8mk2 combo though for portability.