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stateofjustin
16
Dec 24, 2017
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tbjs
483
Dec 26, 2017
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stateofjustinAgreed. I found these really shine with some amplification. These were my first purchase coming into the headphone world. Love these more then the PortaProX and the M40X. Tho, I just got the Audio Technicas so I'd like more time with them...
stateofjustin
16
Nov 9, 2018
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tbjsAh, great starter in the FA 2000’s. Be careful with the handling on them, my first pair lasted 4 months before the front portion of housing that holds the earpiece came apart, one side at a time. They can be (very carefully) glued, but one of mine came loose again in transit and was lost. They’re not very sturdy, of course that’s somewhat apparent in their being so dainty. Also, the cord will start to harden up with regular 2.5-3” reeling up.
Now... do yourself a HUGE favor.
Hit Amazon and pick up a set of
Beyerdynamic ‘Byron’ (wired) IEMs. They were originally $250 @ launch years ago (I believe $250 was probably a bit high), but are now (a ridiculously low) $35.
While you’re there, pick up a set of Comply Comfort+ ‘500’ tips to get the best seal with them. After you try them, you might want to get a set (dif. size, likely ‘200’ but double check) for the 2000’s.
These are outstanding... I recommend them with no reservations whatsoever. Where the 2000’s are bright, these are pretty well balanced with outstanding bass performance.
If you can accuse them of anything, it’s possibly being a bit flat of response, more formal, subdued... in reference style. They will walk you through where a recording may have benefitted from different (better!) mastering, as well as demonstrate the popular ‘style’ of recording for any particular genre around that album’s birthday.
Like most well damped headphones, they need to be amped to really stretch their legs. Doesn’t have to be a crazy, they’re just high enough impedance (@ 32 ohms I think). They’re very sturdily built, and have inline volume/play-pause controls.
If you decide to keep the faith and pick them up, let me know what you think.
I promise... you won’t be disappointed.
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Initially I thought people were over-heavy with the praise, but after switching to the smallest included tips (not a size that works for me with other IEMs), the previously non-existing bass appeared, now outlining the entire range.
Bright is a good descriptor here. There is an area of treble reproduction with a serious hotspot if a track happens to be mastered with a forward item (usually a synth/sample) in the area.
Other than that, these headphones are *incredible*.
They remind me of my Sennheiser HD 580/650’s, with fine detail, great retrieval, reference reproduction of bass elements and terrific general balance overall (the mentioned treble hotspot aside). Even with the bright treble, it rarely crosses to harshness, instead lending itself to additional clarity & detail retrieval. They aren’t perfect, but at less than $45 (or $35 as here), they’re no doubt as close as you can get for that small sum.
You cannot go wrong with these if you’re an audiophile, or just someone who loves music and isn’t a tweaker (OG speak: a junkie for artificial song manipulation with a wide-band EQ) or bass-head (same, with bass).
The price to performance on these is ridiculous. I’d recommend buying several pairs since the cable system is dainty and accidents can happen with such small portable ‘phones. And don’t forget to *fit your tips*! I run mine with a TROND Bluetooth 4.1 receiver/transmitter (10-12hr battery life), keeping the TROND in a front pocket and my phone wherever in the near vicinity. Run the cable under my shirt, gently looped through my collar buttons to facilitate removing them to converse with someone, then replace them. Using a BT unit gives you the same controls (volume adjustmen, track repeat & skipping fire & aft) missing from the 2000’s cable design.
(BONUS TIP: Despite being low impedance (anything will drive them), these phones benefit extremely well from clean amplification!)