[AndroidVageta]

Only focus is sound.

I don't know your financial situation but if you can budget an impulse buy on the CCA C16 and don't mind waiting a couple weeks (I paid on the 8th and received them yesterday through free shipping) you NEED to get them. I can't make promises but I would be in complete shock if they didn't hang with the best you've owned. (I can see what you have listed and my past collection was comparable and I'm blown away with these).

 

[toughnut]

All these while I tried pairing it with powerful sources (N8, LPGT, Micro BL, Q5 AM3B, R6 Pro), none is as controlled and beautiful as DX220 with Amp3. Even better than N8...

Imagine your hypercar driven by amateur vs a pro driver.

Some say DX220 with Amp3 is The Stig.

 

[toughnut]

Today, there’s about 120 hours on the FW10000. Earlier I would have said that the bass is the biggest shortfall. Lacking a powerful bass limits their appeal as all-rounders. Today it sounds much better, but I doubt it will catch the FW01 unless I put more hours on it and eventually run it balanced. It’s not exactly a fair comparison. Even when I listen to them unbalanced there’s no doubt that between it and the FW01, it’s the better earphone.

The sound is cleaner. Space is better. Separation is better. Details are better. Realism is better. Remember that this is with just a single-ended cable. I’m very tempted to swap cables and use them for day to day use, but they should burn in some more. The bass is exactly as deep, but lacking some of the thundering power. These will be a real treat when I get another cable.

I recalled I mentioned it’s lacking bass too, earlier on the thread. However more burn-in later, bass resurfaced. Can’t recall which hour mark.

Running this via Ref8 Balanced to DX220/Amp3, the bass is next level. Compared with my other warm IEM, it lack the warmth but not quality or quantity. It got cold hard-hitting bass, if that’s a term.

 

[audionewbi]

Today, there’s about 120 hours on the FW10000. Earlier I would have said that the bass is the biggest shortfall. Lacking a powerful bass limits their appeal as all-rounders. Today it sounds much better, but I doubt it will catch the FW01 unless I put more hours on it and eventually run it balanced. It’s not exactly a fair comparison. Even when I listen to them unbalanced there’s no doubt that between it and the FW01, it’s the better earphone.

The sound is cleaner. Space is better. Separation is better. Details are better. Realism is better. Remember that this is with just a single-ended cable. I’m very tempted to swap cables and use them for day to day use, but they should burn in some more. The bass is exactly as deep, but lacking some of the thundering power. These will be a real treat when I get another cable.

If you like the bass of FW01, that means you really like thick bass. FW10K bass balance is so that it make it a universal IEM. FW01 is very genera specific. You have to ask yourself, "Am I paying close to $2000 for an IEM that will sound best for some genera or Am I getting an IEM that can be used across different genera of music?".

If all you listen to is EDM and bass heavy music, than spending such sum of money on FW10K will bring you very little extra.

To me FW10000 is the best IEM I've tried in a long time, arguably the best IEM I own, to date. It is product built out of love for music and craft, a product that never swayed from the original model, proving that their original concept of using wooden driver is the right way to go about, where as many other manufacturers are desparatley changing their IEM model, hoping to get it right, JVC is just fine tuning their original model, and each time they are getting more and more right.

This is to me, JVC has some visionary designer, and as a company they are willing to give them room to grow and improve their design, no matter how hard it is.

It took 10 years for the wooden driver design to reach the level I consider worthy of its price tag. And I personally can't wait to see what JVC has to offer next.

 

[BlinkST]

How bad is this with EDM in comparison with FW01? Would you be able to test with cables from Effect Audio like Lionheart, Thor II or Cleo?
Please post more impression.

Well again I have to say this isn’t really a fair comparison: the FW01 is basically perfect as far as what I want when it comes to bass. The FW10000 needs the same setup that they advertise on the website. The bass is the only weak point; you can hear the potential on much better they can sound with the right conditions.

I don’t have those cables you asked about. I’m waiting for another JVC CN-HM01MB from Buyee (Tenso).

If you like the bass of FW01, that means you really like thick bass. FW10K bass balance is so that it make it a universal IEM. FW01 is very genera specific. You have to ask yourself, "Am I paying close to $2000 for an IEM that will sound best for some genera or Am I getting an IEM that can be used across different genera of music?".

I completely disagree with that.

First of all, the FW01's bass was also one of their biggest shortfalls, as they were a bit of a departure from the FX1100. I wrote a long time ago:

The bass on these is rather modest compared to the FXZ200 and the XBA-N3. Both of them outperform the FW01 when driven from a phone, tablet, or laptop. If the woodie line is famous for bass, I sure don’t hear any; the bass is the weakest part of the FW01’s sound. It’s puzzling, because the specs:

FW01
6Hz ～ 50,000Hz
16Ω

XBA-N3
3Hz-40,000Hz
16Ω (at 1kHz)

FXZ200
5Hz ～ 26,000Hz
16Ω

Would suggest a similar bass response, but nope. I suspect that they need an amplifier, and I have a particular one in my sights. Otherwise, the other two earphones are better purchases if you don’t use amps. They rumble like nobody’s business. The FW01 sounds anemic by comparison.

My FW01 just seem to get better and better... Whereas the bass was the weakest part of the sound, it’s now my favorite.

It wasn't until I got the CN-HM01MB and kept using them day to day, that they improved to the point where they made even the FXZ200 an afterthought. And the FXZ200 is what I consider to have mean, thick bass.

It's not that the FW10000 is inferior when it comes to bass. It's that without that same cable, the FW10000 is underpowered.

But that's going to change

 

[endlesswaves]

Used to own a JVC SU-AX7. Not impressed by it. I wonder how different SU-AX01 is from AX07. How long does a full battery lasts with high intensity and K2 on?

 

[Ahmad313]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/has...r-is-it-now-higher-than-its-ever-been.905580/

https://old.reddit.com/r/headphones...the_bar_for_audiophile_sound_been_lowered_or/

I'm starting to have my doubts on what can and can't hang. Hence my "despite how they may sound" part. The audio scene is becoming VERY interesting and SUPER competitive. Get a paid of the CCA C16 if you can, I think you might be pleasantly surprised..

How you compare the soundstage and vocals quality on C16 vs SW3 ,

 

[BlinkST]

Used to own a JVC SU-AX7. Not impressed by it. I wonder how different SU-AX01 is from AX07. How long does a full battery lasts with high intensity and K2 on?

It needs to be plugged in to actually engage high intensity mode. I only use it for about an hour at a time because it does get very very warm. The battery life is rated at 5 hours on JVC’s website but I’m sure it’s less if you factor in the balanced connection and K2.
https://www3.jvckenwood.com/accessory/headphone-amp/su-ax01/

 

[AndroidVageta]

How you compare the soundstage and vocals quality on C16 vs SW3 ,

Soundstage on the SW3 is a tad wider but C16 is taller and just larger over all. Both are excellent though.

Vocals go to the C16 hands down so far. I now find the SW3's vocals to be recessed, too dark yet have a tendency to be simbilant at the same time. Not that the C16 is PERFECT or magic or anything but there's definitely a much more forward and natural sound to the C16.

 

[rutter]

Any more impressions on this vs the Sony IER-Z1R? Anyone heard anything on North American availability? Why would they not have what should be a good performer in the West?

 

[Ahmad313]

Soundstage on the SW3 is a tad wider but C16 is taller and just larger over all. Both are excellent though.

Vocals go to the C16 hands down so far. I now find the SW3's vocals to be recessed, too dark yet have a tendency to be simbilant at the same time. Not that the C16 is PERFECT or magic or anything but there's definitely a much more forward and natural sound to the C16.

Thank you very much for these great informations now i am really interested to try these C16 , hope i will pull the trigger soon ,

 

[thisismyname]

If you like the bass of FW01, that means you really like thick bass. FW10K bass balance is so that it make it a universal IEM. FW01 is very genera specific. You have to ask yourself, "Am I paying close to $2000 for an IEM that will sound best for some genera or Am I getting an IEM that can be used across different genera of music?".

If all you listen to is EDM and bass heavy music, than spending such sum of money on FW10K will bring you very little extra.

To me FW10000 is the best IEM I've tried in a long time, arguably the best IEM I own, to date. It is product built out of love for music and craft, a product that never swayed from the original model, proving that their original concept of using wooden driver is the right way to go about, where as many other manufacturers are desparatley changing their IEM model, hoping to get it right, JVC is just fine tuning their original model, and each time they are getting more and more right.

This is to me, JVC has some visionary designer, and as a company they are willing to give them room to grow and improve their design, no matter how hard it is.

It took 10 years for the wooden driver design to reach the level I consider worthy of its price tag. And I personally can't wait to see what JVC has to offer next.

Well, I believe that the mid and high do benefit a lot from (or affect by) the DLC coating. Some said that FW10000 sound more similar to FD01 than the usual jvc wood iems and I do think that the mid and highs feel so clean and clear as from the beginning(without much burn in) is mostly because with the DLC coating. This is not the usual mid and high I experienced from a wood diaphragm earphone.

 

[ewhere]

I was really tempted to get this one as well, but ended up buying IER-Z1R instead. Anyone did a comparison of them? Was wondering how different they sound lol.

 

[thisismyname]

I was really tempted to get this one as well, but ended up buying IER-Z1R instead. Anyone did a comparison of them? Was wondering how different they sound lol.

Have u tried IER-Z1R before u bought it? What do u like about it?

 

[toranku]

For those asking for a comparison, Z1R has more bass. FW10K's only measurement out there seems to imply a rather large bass boost, but in reality the FW10k is very much vented to a large extent. Isolation really isn't that great. Bass levels can even feel anemic at times. FW10K also has a huge uppermidrage spike. I compared them to the RHA CL2. Everyone knows how much uppermids the CL2 have.

In practice, CL2 sounds better than FW10K since FW10K is just harsh next to them. Lower mids on the JVC are thin, brittle and too recessed. Whereas CL2's lower mids don't sound anywhere that bad. Imagine a greater upper midrange presence than CL2 WITH plenty more lower treble. That's what the JVC sounds like.

I don't like the CL2 but CL2 has its strengths with certain types of music. The FW10K? Just sounds terrible no matter what I play with it. And no, this is not a seal or fit issue. I think they just sound flat out terrible.

Z1R has a stronger bass response (which to some borders on way too much bass; it's perfectly fine for me), better balanced midrange with the uppermids taking slight precedence, and a very much present but unobstrusive treble. Z1R extends better on both ends. I personally do feel the Z1R is several leagues ahead and is more versatile. You have to have very specific genre and sound preferences to enjoy the JVC.