Introduction:
I was in a sort of a buying spree last month. As part of my mega package deal from Musica Acoustics, Japan, I got FX700 along with e-Q5 and Final Audio Design Piano Forte II earbud. Since I had a full quote for all inclusive of shipping, I am not very sure about the exact pricing I was offered (combined shipping reduces costs). I am sure that it costs somewhere north of $250, but south of $300. It's an open box item i.e., A display item which was assured to be in pristine condition, hardly used, will be sent without the external packaging, but with all accessories. So, don't ask me about damages, because I can only approximate. Newer pieces and even separately shipped FX700 are quoted at much higher prices.
Photo:
Build Quality and External Factors:
FX700 comes with a shorter cable, which may be problematic for some, but for me, it's a gift. I pin my Clip+ most of the time to the shirt or use the S9 in my shirt pocket. So, the shorter cable is just comfortable enough to wear them over the ears. They have proper strain reliefs and the cable is thick and decent. The only issue I have with the shorter cable is sometimes it gets pulled down when I try to use the player away from my body. It comes with an extension cable, so there are no issues.
IEMs with angled nozzles are generally well liked by me because of the easier fit they provide for my ear canals. I use the excellent Phonak Silicon ear guides to wear them over the ear. I don't feel the weight of the housing even for longer listening sessions as much as I felt with Panasonic HJE900.
If you need isolation, you can strike FX700 safely off the list. Without music playing, they isolate as much as earbuds. Even with music playing, I can hear my foot steps depending on my listening volume.
Sound Impressions:
After about a couple of weeks with FX700, I am still a bit addicted to the sound these produce. I thought I should not write anything on them until I come out of the "honeymoon period" and find faults left, right and center. But, I could not resist :ashamed:.
These are not my final impressions, so these are subject to change.
There are a few things I immensely like about FX700's sound. First up is the spacious, open sound stage that extends deep and wide. It gives me the feel of an open headphone than an IEM. Second is the sweet timbre that it brings to the table. I just listened to Miles Davis' "A Kind of Blue" with it and couldn't control myself, but had to write this post. Thirdly, FX700's presentation is very airy, well separated, neatly imaged and never succumbs to congestion. It also works across many genres - from Jazz to Extreme metal. Any emotion in music whether it's aggression or captivating smooth vocals is carried through (unlike e-Q5 which is always smooth and laid-back).
Bass on FX700 is well rounded. It does appear a tad slower when compared to quicker BA phones like the TF10. But on it's own, I don't find any fault with it. It extends well, has nice texture and impact and best of all, never sounds the same for all music. When listening to rock music, it does not draw attention to it as IEMs like Pana HJE-900 with their huge mid-bass quantity do. But, if you turn to Trance, it provides the required slam and punch those genres require.
The mids are a tad recessed with FX700, but not too recessed. Mids are lush, a little on the warm side, smooth, sweet and rich. Even with the recessed position, mids do not lack clarity as with some other IEMs.
Vocals sound smooth, lush and detailed. But at lower volumes, they are a step behind the instruments. Fortunately, FX700 is one IEM which I can listen with higher volume levels without any fatigue. It has what I'd call a smoothened sibilance. With some of my tracks, terrible vocal sibilance is present in the recording. Some of the IEMs would tend to present this as-is (DBA-02) in a transparent manner, some of them will smoothen out (e-Q5) and some of them intensify the effect (Hippo VB). With FX700, the stressed "Sss" are there, but are a bit attenuated to sound smooth. But, it's noticeable. Normal tracks do not have this issue.
Treble of FX700 has sparkle, details and extension (as far as I can hear). Treble is in nice balance with the rest of the spectrum. It neither sounds lean as DBA-02 or thick as some other dynamics tend to present. FX700 can be bright sounding for few, but it never sounds harsh as some IEMs tend to do.
Instrument separation on FX700 is excellent as mentioned above. The placement is also very nice as I can distinctly point out each and everything in a space around my head (not within ears, not in a fake surround stage like SM3). It also does a few things special - like in Opeth's "Heir Apparent" (Watershed), around 1:25, Akerfeldt's voice comes from right of center, then left of center and sweeps around the center. I've never observed this effect in other IEMs as much as I did with FX700. The particular section seems to just float through the air much like speakers which actually have air to move.
I've so far not observed any sluggishness in FX700's response with respect to transients. It does not feel faster like DBA-02, but it seems to pick up speed when required.
In summary, I'm still under the influence of a drug called FX700. If I ever get out of it, I'll try to present a balanced review sometime. They are by far, my favorite dynamic IEM. Don't be surprised if you find them at #1 in my ranking list after a few months.
I was in a sort of a buying spree last month. As part of my mega package deal from Musica Acoustics, Japan, I got FX700 along with e-Q5 and Final Audio Design Piano Forte II earbud. Since I had a full quote for all inclusive of shipping, I am not very sure about the exact pricing I was offered (combined shipping reduces costs). I am sure that it costs somewhere north of $250, but south of $300. It's an open box item i.e., A display item which was assured to be in pristine condition, hardly used, will be sent without the external packaging, but with all accessories. So, don't ask me about damages, because I can only approximate. Newer pieces and even separately shipped FX700 are quoted at much higher prices.
Photo:
Build Quality and External Factors:
FX700 comes with a shorter cable, which may be problematic for some, but for me, it's a gift. I pin my Clip+ most of the time to the shirt or use the S9 in my shirt pocket. So, the shorter cable is just comfortable enough to wear them over the ears. They have proper strain reliefs and the cable is thick and decent. The only issue I have with the shorter cable is sometimes it gets pulled down when I try to use the player away from my body. It comes with an extension cable, so there are no issues.
IEMs with angled nozzles are generally well liked by me because of the easier fit they provide for my ear canals. I use the excellent Phonak Silicon ear guides to wear them over the ear. I don't feel the weight of the housing even for longer listening sessions as much as I felt with Panasonic HJE900.
If you need isolation, you can strike FX700 safely off the list. Without music playing, they isolate as much as earbuds. Even with music playing, I can hear my foot steps depending on my listening volume.
Sound Impressions:
After about a couple of weeks with FX700, I am still a bit addicted to the sound these produce. I thought I should not write anything on them until I come out of the "honeymoon period" and find faults left, right and center. But, I could not resist :ashamed:.
These are not my final impressions, so these are subject to change.
There are a few things I immensely like about FX700's sound. First up is the spacious, open sound stage that extends deep and wide. It gives me the feel of an open headphone than an IEM. Second is the sweet timbre that it brings to the table. I just listened to Miles Davis' "A Kind of Blue" with it and couldn't control myself, but had to write this post. Thirdly, FX700's presentation is very airy, well separated, neatly imaged and never succumbs to congestion. It also works across many genres - from Jazz to Extreme metal. Any emotion in music whether it's aggression or captivating smooth vocals is carried through (unlike e-Q5 which is always smooth and laid-back).
Bass on FX700 is well rounded. It does appear a tad slower when compared to quicker BA phones like the TF10. But on it's own, I don't find any fault with it. It extends well, has nice texture and impact and best of all, never sounds the same for all music. When listening to rock music, it does not draw attention to it as IEMs like Pana HJE-900 with their huge mid-bass quantity do. But, if you turn to Trance, it provides the required slam and punch those genres require.
The mids are a tad recessed with FX700, but not too recessed. Mids are lush, a little on the warm side, smooth, sweet and rich. Even with the recessed position, mids do not lack clarity as with some other IEMs.
Vocals sound smooth, lush and detailed. But at lower volumes, they are a step behind the instruments. Fortunately, FX700 is one IEM which I can listen with higher volume levels without any fatigue. It has what I'd call a smoothened sibilance. With some of my tracks, terrible vocal sibilance is present in the recording. Some of the IEMs would tend to present this as-is (DBA-02) in a transparent manner, some of them will smoothen out (e-Q5) and some of them intensify the effect (Hippo VB). With FX700, the stressed "Sss" are there, but are a bit attenuated to sound smooth. But, it's noticeable. Normal tracks do not have this issue.
Treble of FX700 has sparkle, details and extension (as far as I can hear). Treble is in nice balance with the rest of the spectrum. It neither sounds lean as DBA-02 or thick as some other dynamics tend to present. FX700 can be bright sounding for few, but it never sounds harsh as some IEMs tend to do.
Instrument separation on FX700 is excellent as mentioned above. The placement is also very nice as I can distinctly point out each and everything in a space around my head (not within ears, not in a fake surround stage like SM3). It also does a few things special - like in Opeth's "Heir Apparent" (Watershed), around 1:25, Akerfeldt's voice comes from right of center, then left of center and sweeps around the center. I've never observed this effect in other IEMs as much as I did with FX700. The particular section seems to just float through the air much like speakers which actually have air to move.
I've so far not observed any sluggishness in FX700's response with respect to transients. It does not feel faster like DBA-02, but it seems to pick up speed when required.
In summary, I'm still under the influence of a drug called FX700. If I ever get out of it, I'll try to present a balanced review sometime. They are by far, my favorite dynamic IEM. Don't be surprised if you find them at #1 in my ranking list after a few months.
)
I should've loaned this instead of the DDM . Not that you would let it leave you ..but I should have tried :rofl:.