[ohcrapgorillas]

Salivating for these, but gonna wait for used pairs. Saving up for some new FX850s in the mean time.

 

[jelt2359]

  I have made this point several times on many threads for each of the iem's and hp's I have owned. It is about a sound signature that you hear and have an aha moment. FX850 provided that for me, FidueA83 another. I hope when the Douza arrives it will be that way. While it is fair to say "for you" it is a better iem because you had that aha moment. If you look at my profile it is full of similarly priced iem's, so I have really been around the 300.00-500.00 realm. I truly hope I have that aha moment with something 100.00. I think it is noteworthy that the only one I regret selling was the Earsonic SM64. The last 2 I have tried at this price point(Douza) were the Rock-It-Sounds R50 and the Shure SE 215(which I still have for gym iem).

Have you tried the ATH IM70?

 

[suman134]

  Have you tried the ATH IM70?

Yeash and these are really good, man, loads of goodness and really stable fit with nice cable too. Detachable, what else you want.

 

[subguy812]

  Have you tried the ATH IM70?

Have not... and while I have had and do have some nice Iem's I kinda miss that SM64 sound.

 

[EISENbricher]

  Yeah I didn`t mean for this to be a `Duoza VS FX850` thread; I just compared the two because I had my 850 with me at the time.  The Duoza sounds so radically different from the 850, and the CKR9, that it would never be an either-or situation anyway.  Like I said earlier, the Duoza is so smooth and lush it can make lower-spec gear or compressed tracks sound musical, like Youtube out of a smartphone maybe, and for this reason, at its price, makes it worth having.  

Awesome. As expected from ZA they have managed to put their signature smooth sound on Duoza.

 

[jelt2359]

Have not... and while I have had and do have some nice Iem's I kinda miss that SM64 sound.

Not sure what kind of sound signature you like, but these are outstanding performers at this price. Not for lovers of gobsmacking detail or trebleheads, though. I look forward to comparing them to my incoming douza (and eight others, although the rest are above the 100usd price point).

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  I just did two sessions with the Duoza - first time I`d actually heard it - here in Tokyo.  It`s only 90 bucks.  I was comparing it to my  FX850, out of my AK120ii.  I did a lot of A-Bing, with 4 of the same Spinfit tips.  I gotta say I was absolutely blown away by how smooth these are, creamy, like a freaking chocolate fondue, every note and beat. .. .    Just not enough detail for me.  I love the way the FX850 manages to bring the information, seemingly all of it, in a SE846 or HD800 way, yet serve it on a big platter of gloriously detailed bass.  The Duoza has a special sound I loved from the first second. The Duoza is super smooth and relaxing with all kinds of source material. It will definitely make low-quality source material sound musical, and also all the vintage jazz that`s been released in DSD and 24bit, which often sounds thin, harsh, shrill.
 
I just ended up wanting a little more detail  . .  
 
Also, though I didn`t think it was a negative, the soundstage was quite small, an in-and-around-the-head sound. 
 
I almost bought, but decided at the last minute to wait for a used one . .  

Actually the DuoZa has all the details, but the fx850 is easier to drive (the difference is around 20% using media monkey) and it also has a more forward sound. They both sound amazing. 

I had the FX850 for a while - and although it was in my opinion a TOTL phone - in the end I decided to sell it. I felt it was the kind of phone that performs on the very edge of its ability and it made me nervous. Don't know why but I was always having the feeling it was going to start to distort the sound any second. It never did (of course!), but I just couldn't shake of the feeling it was going to. Not very rational - I know - but that's how I felt. It was probably something about its treble that created this in me.
 
Anyway, what I wanted to ask is if you could elaborate a bit on "forward sound". The reason I'm curious is that I felt the FX850 was a bit V-shaped (is that the same as U-shaped BTW? What I mean by V-shaped is emphasized bass and treble and recessed mids) and I sort of felt the mid-range lacking now and then, which - the way I understand it - would be the opposite of forward, no? Maybe I've misunderstood what the word forward means in this context. I would describe the EarSonics SM64 as somewhat forward - if you've heard it -, although overall balanced.
 
BTW, really curious about the DuoZA. I just love the Carbo Tenore and of all the phones I've owned (see my profile) I feel it has the best overall tonality. It is really outstanding! Having read what you have to say about the DuoZA I just got to have it! The only thing I worry about is if it will remind me of the FX850 in the way I tried to describe above.
 
Thanks!

 

[Dopaminer]

  I had the FX850 for a while - and although it was in my opinion a TOTL phone - in the end I decided to sell it. I felt it was the kind of phone that performs on the very edge of its ability and it made me nervous. Don't know why but I was always having the feeling it was going to start to distort the sound any second. It never did (of course!), but I just couldn't shake of the feeling it was going to. Not very rational - I know - but that's how I felt. It was probably something about its treble that created this in me.
 
Anyway, what I wanted to ask is if you could elaborate a bit on "forward sound". The reason I'm curious is that I felt the FX850 was a bit V-shaped (is that the same as U-shaped BTW? What I mean by V-shaped is emphasized bass and treble and recessed mids) and I sort of felt the mid-range lacking now and then, which - the way I understand it - would be the opposite of forward, no? Maybe I've misunderstood what the word forward means in this context. I would describe the EarSonics SM64 as somewhat forward - if you've heard it -, although overall balanced.
 
BTW, really curious about the DuoZA. I just love the Carbo Tenore and of all the phones I've owned (see my profile) I feel it has the best overall tonality. It is really outstanding! Having read what you have to say about the DuoZA I just got to have it! The only thing I worry about is if it will remind me of the FX850 in the way I tried to describe above.
 
Thanks!

I`ve followed your comments about the 850 with interest and I think I know exactly what you are talking about.   I can assure you the Duoza is nothing like the 850, it is not near the edge of anything.  Except maybe a chocolate fondue.  It was precisely this lack of on-the-edgeness that made me hesitate buying it.  
 
I also agree that the 850 has recessed mids, and I never fully noticed this until an A-B session last week in Bangkok with the Dunu dn2000.  I was just blown away - I could instantly see the graph in my mind showing a much much flatter FR with that Dunu. . . .   It`s a fantastic peice of work.  I can`t wait for whatever they come out with next.  

 

[ZachPtheDude]

Thoughts on these vs DUNU DN1000?

 

[Whitigir]

Stop tempting me on the duoza....amazon has them not, and ebay will take weeks....where as i already spend too much this Jan...

 

[jelt2359]

I also agree that the 850 has recessed mids, and I never fully noticed this until an A-B session last week in Bangkok with the Dunu dn2000.  I was just blown away - I could instantly see the graph in my mind showing a much much flatter FR with that Dunu. . . .   It`s a fantastic peice of work.  I can`t wait for whatever they come out with next.  

I think what you hear with the 850 are mids that, while a bit recessed, have a very good presence. The result is quite balanced, actually. I wrote as much in my brief review thread- looking forward to spending more time with them

 

[suman134]

Stop tempting me on the duoza....amazon has them not, and ebay will take weeks....where as i already spend too much this Jan...

 
   let me know when they up at amazon, i will get one too.

 

[drkp80]

Has anyone tried RHA tips with the Duoza? I like what I hear with these tips..

 

[ringyring]

Please PM me whenever these headphones go on sale at Amazon,com

 

[Aero Dynamik]

 

  I had the FX850 for a while - and although it was in my opinion a TOTL phone - in the end I decided to sell it. I felt it was the kind of phone that performs on the very edge of its ability and it made me nervous. Don't know why but I was always having the feeling it was going to start to distort the sound any second. It never did (of course!), but I just couldn't shake of the feeling it was going to. Not very rational - I know - but that's how I felt. It was probably something about its treble that created this in me.
 
Anyway, what I wanted to ask is if you could elaborate a bit on "forward sound". The reason I'm curious is that I felt the FX850 was a bit V-shaped (is that the same as U-shaped BTW? What I mean by V-shaped is emphasized bass and treble and recessed mids) and I sort of felt the mid-range lacking now and then, which - the way I understand it - would be the opposite of forward, no? Maybe I've misunderstood what the word forward means in this context. I would describe the EarSonics SM64 as somewhat forward - if you've heard it -, although overall balanced.
 
BTW, really curious about the DuoZA. I just love the Carbo Tenore and of all the phones I've owned (see my profile) I feel it has the best overall tonality. It is really outstanding! Having read what you have to say about the DuoZA I just got to have it! The only thing I worry about is if it will remind me of the FX850 in the way I tried to describe above.
 
Thanks!

I`ve followed your comments about the 850 with interest and I think I know exactly what you are talking about.   I can assure you the Duoza is nothing like the 850, it is not near the edge of anything.  Except maybe a chocolate fondue.  It was precisely this lack of on-the-edgeness that made me hesitate buying it.  
 
I also agree that the 850 has recessed mids, and I never fully noticed this until an A-B session last week in Bangkok with the Dunu dn2000.  I was just blown away - I could instantly see the graph in my mind showing a much much flatter FR with that Dunu. . . .   It`s a fantastic peice of work.  I can`t wait for whatever they come out with next.  

 
Well, that certainly feels reassuring, thanks! I always feared that my writings about the FX850 would be perceived as too confused and contradictory.
 
So, that's it, I just got to have the DUOZA!

 Not that I'm particularly fond of chocolate fondue, but knowing it doesn't share the "Xtremes" of the FX850 and that it comes from the same guys who tuned the Carbo Tenore is enough for me to pull the trigger.
 
Interesting you should mention the DN-2000! I've just had my first listen to it and wrote a few initial words about it here.
 
Thanks for your reply! Much appreciated!