Hey Durwood, Added you to the tour, with the need verification marker as I don't see the verification email yet. If sent, can you resend so I can find it? May just be lost in my latest email blast.
TOUR CLOSED - US Head-Fi Tour: Fearless Audio CIEM Tour - Starting May 2019
- Thread starter Barra
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- ciem fearless audio tour
goodvibes
Headphoneus Supremus
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I'm In if you'll have me. Bulldog knows me and I live in Palatine, IL.Curious as to how this market has developed. Line looks mature.
I could even drive them over to Barra or vice versa.
I could even drive them over to Barra or vice versa.
durwood
100+ Head-Fier
I just emailed now. I would entertain the idea of a small gathering at my friend's audio shop in St. Charles. I can work out the details later. For those not vouched for, might have to go through the logging like everyone else, since the kit is quite expensive.
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Kick Off!
Finally, it is time to kick this party off! I will be reaching out to get it shipped by tomorrow. @Matthew420 - are you ready to receive the kit?
One bit of bad news though, the new 12 is facing some logistical challenges so we may have to do that as a separate tour once those are sorted. We determined that it was not going to make sense to delay anymore since everyone is anxious to start. However, I have mine and will be posting impressions soon as well as a formal review.
Finally, it is time to kick this party off! I will be reaching out to get it shipped by tomorrow. @Matthew420 - are you ready to receive the kit?
One bit of bad news though, the new 12 is facing some logistical challenges so we may have to do that as a separate tour once those are sorted. We determined that it was not going to make sense to delay anymore since everyone is anxious to start. However, I have mine and will be posting impressions soon as well as a formal review.
hemipowered007
Headphoneus Supremus
Can i join just for the s8pro? In in oregon
The package came in yesterday around dinner time. I started with the two IEMs that had frequency curves I thought would be most up my alley: the S5 Turbo and the S8 Pro. Both sounded pretty average.
This morning, the Acme8 sounded pretty blah, too.
I really shouldn't have left my Radsone ES100 at the 64 Audio booth at Can Jam last week. Driving these IEMs off my iPhone XR is a real downer.
So I moved over to my desk, and plugged the Acme 8 into the Jotunheim. That did the trick.
Fearless is changing its product line so fast, I'm pretty sure the Acme 8 is no longer the flagship offering. But it's a real tour de force. I think a lot of manufacturers are going to start aping Fearless's technique of embedding the sound tubes in the acrylic. For one thing, computers can print the same length and curvature of tube with damned near 100% accuracy every time. That's got to make channel matching, and quality control generally, a lot easier.
And it let Fearless print this labyrinthine tube for the bass driver, which redirects the waves numerous times until only the deepest wavelengths remain—a mechanism similar to what Shure does with its 846, but baked right into the plastic. The BA bass from the Acme is like nothing I've ever heard. If somebody lied to me and told me it was DD, I'm pretty sure I'd buy it without much hesitation. It is authoritative. Lookie here:
And yet, with all that quantity, the bass isn't running amok. Really impressive stuff.
More impressions to come.
This morning, the Acme8 sounded pretty blah, too.
I really shouldn't have left my Radsone ES100 at the 64 Audio booth at Can Jam last week. Driving these IEMs off my iPhone XR is a real downer.
So I moved over to my desk, and plugged the Acme 8 into the Jotunheim. That did the trick.
Fearless is changing its product line so fast, I'm pretty sure the Acme 8 is no longer the flagship offering. But it's a real tour de force. I think a lot of manufacturers are going to start aping Fearless's technique of embedding the sound tubes in the acrylic. For one thing, computers can print the same length and curvature of tube with damned near 100% accuracy every time. That's got to make channel matching, and quality control generally, a lot easier.
And it let Fearless print this labyrinthine tube for the bass driver, which redirects the waves numerous times until only the deepest wavelengths remain—a mechanism similar to what Shure does with its 846, but baked right into the plastic. The BA bass from the Acme is like nothing I've ever heard. If somebody lied to me and told me it was DD, I'm pretty sure I'd buy it without much hesitation. It is authoritative. Lookie here:
And yet, with all that quantity, the bass isn't running amok. Really impressive stuff.
More impressions to come.
Alright, I have to walk back some of my praise of the ACME8. If you listen to something with bass that has a lot of sustain, it's going to run roughshod over your lower mids. I was listening to the Black Keys' new album and the big, open string bass notes would mess with the power chords a couple octaves higher on a regular basis. If you're the kind of person who believes in genre-specific gear, it's an EDM or hip-hop phenomenon, but there's just too much bass for some applications.
The S8F, S6 Rui, and S5 HiFi are all very similar profiles to my ears, getting more detailed as the number of drivers rises, but all basically doing the same thing. They are all music-lovers' gear more than audiophile gear: they draw almost no attention to their own capabilities, and let your music shine through. It's just a very natural presentation. I think it's odd that people have jumped all over the Rui. Not because it's bad, but because it's sandwiched between the preposterous value that is the S5 Hifi and the superior performance of the S8F.
I haven't worked my way down to the S4 yet.
The S10 is for people with more refined musical diets than my own, so I hesitate to say much.
The S8F, S6 Rui, and S5 HiFi are all very similar profiles to my ears, getting more detailed as the number of drivers rises, but all basically doing the same thing. They are all music-lovers' gear more than audiophile gear: they draw almost no attention to their own capabilities, and let your music shine through. It's just a very natural presentation. I think it's odd that people have jumped all over the Rui. Not because it's bad, but because it's sandwiched between the preposterous value that is the S5 Hifi and the superior performance of the S8F.
I haven't worked my way down to the S4 yet.
The S10 is for people with more refined musical diets than my own, so I hesitate to say much.
You can join, but the kit is a collective to keep shipping logistics and cost low. Did you want to join and hear the kit? I could just send you the 8pro at the end if you really wanted, but you would have to be last if others join after you. Make more sense to just listen to the kit so you can compare. Let me know if you want to join and then you will need to send the verification info from the rules to my email.
That is an interesting curve. I really enjoyed the setup too but found that the sound was fit sensitive as well as source sensitive with different sources liking the different IEMs differently. However, with the optimal source/genre, these are performing in ranges many times past their pricetag.The package came in yesterday around dinner time. I started with the two IEMs that had frequency curves I thought would be most up my alley: the S5 Turbo and the S8 Pro. Both sounded pretty average.
This morning, the Acme8 sounded pretty blah, too.
I really shouldn't have left my Radsone ES100 at the 64 Audio booth at Can Jam last week. Driving these IEMs off my iPhone XR is a real downer.
So I moved over to my desk, and plugged the Acme 8 into the Jotunheim. That did the trick.
Fearless is changing its product line so fast, I'm pretty sure the Acme 8 is no longer the flagship offering. But it's a real tour de force. I think a lot of manufacturers are going to start aping Fearless's technique of embedding the sound tubes in the acrylic. For one thing, computers can print the same length and curvature of tube with damned near 100% accuracy every time. That's got to make channel matching, and quality control generally, a lot easier.
And it let Fearless print this labyrinthine tube for the bass driver, which redirects the waves numerous times until only the deepest wavelengths remain—a mechanism similar to what Shure does with its 846, but baked right into the plastic. The BA bass from the Acme is like nothing I've ever heard. If somebody lied to me and told me it was DD, I'm pretty sure I'd buy it without much hesitation. It is authoritative. Lookie here:
And yet, with all that quantity, the bass isn't running amok. Really impressive stuff.
More impressions to come.
I am still hoping that we are able to get a 12 for tour as it is different too - think 10 with more fun factor and down low. The ACME8 and the 12 are my two favorites, but the rest of the lineup is such a value.
So, I picked the kit up from @Matthew420’s house before a flight to Banff for a quick vacation. Thanks again to Matt for being so accommodating.
I’ve been getting a bit of listening in between vacation activities and here are my initial impressions. Everything is being driven from my Fiio M11.
S10 Genie - not a huge fan. The vocals sound off on a number of tracks I’m really familiar with, like Ring of Fire (Social D), the District Sleeps Alone Tonight (Postal Service), and Fantine’s Death (Les Miserables). It bothered me enough that I mostly just set them aside, so not sure I’ll have much more to say on these (given the sheer volume of IEM’s in the kit) before the kit is off to the next person. May just be that I’m not giving them a fair shot.
The S8 twins - I like both of these quite a bit. Still trying to really put my finger on the specific differences, but S8F seems to not have quite as much space for separation and layering on more complex tracks. For example, Justify My Thug (JayZ) and Wona (Baaba Maal/Mumford&S) both have a lot going on in the song with multiple vocalists/instruments/beats and initially they seem to sound a bit better presented on the S8P.
Caveat is that these are all initial vacation brain thoughts based on me mostly listening for pleasure sitting on a balcony looking out over the Canadian Rockies.
I also have my FH7’s with me on the trip (and some HD 650’s I picked up recently), so if anyone wants specific comparisons, just let me know and I’ll try to help out.
I’ve been getting a bit of listening in between vacation activities and here are my initial impressions. Everything is being driven from my Fiio M11.
S10 Genie - not a huge fan. The vocals sound off on a number of tracks I’m really familiar with, like Ring of Fire (Social D), the District Sleeps Alone Tonight (Postal Service), and Fantine’s Death (Les Miserables). It bothered me enough that I mostly just set them aside, so not sure I’ll have much more to say on these (given the sheer volume of IEM’s in the kit) before the kit is off to the next person. May just be that I’m not giving them a fair shot.
The S8 twins - I like both of these quite a bit. Still trying to really put my finger on the specific differences, but S8F seems to not have quite as much space for separation and layering on more complex tracks. For example, Justify My Thug (JayZ) and Wona (Baaba Maal/Mumford&S) both have a lot going on in the song with multiple vocalists/instruments/beats and initially they seem to sound a bit better presented on the S8P.
Caveat is that these are all initial vacation brain thoughts based on me mostly listening for pleasure sitting on a balcony looking out over the Canadian Rockies.
I also have my FH7’s with me on the trip (and some HD 650’s I picked up recently), so if anyone wants specific comparisons, just let me know and I’ll try to help out.
FH7 would be helpful. Thank you
So after listening to all the models at least a little, the s8 Pro is my favorite and has gotten most of my listening time, so comments are comparing those two.
Compared to the FH7, the TLDR version is they’re both great to my ears, with the difference largely coming down to personal preference of BAA vs DD. Even though the FH7 is a hybrid, it still has the meatiness of a DD driver.
- Isolation is better for me on the S8P, largely because of insertion depth I use large tips on any type of tip
- Detail is slightly greater on the S8P.
- Bass is slightly more visceral on the FH7, but I’m admittedly more a fan of DD’s for Bass, so I’m likely biased
- Attack seems slightly more aggressive in the FH7. This helps create a feeling of nostalgia when listening into to certain songs from bands I’ve seen live in intimate venues. There’s a live quality I really like.
- Imaging and separation is a bit better on S8P, but not much.
There’s probably more, but these are the main things I’ve noticed.
Fearless Audio HyperS12 Review
For those that are interested, I have just posted my S12 review. The S12 is unique in the Fearless lineup offering a voice champion with unmatched voice clarity. This now my goto CIEM when I listen to voice central type music. For more info, follow the link below.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/review/22394/
For those that are interested, I have just posted my S12 review. The S12 is unique in the Fearless lineup offering a voice champion with unmatched voice clarity. This now my goto CIEM when I listen to voice central type music. For more info, follow the link below.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/review/22394/
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