[tomscy2000]

Wait for the seven-day itch, and then we'll talk... 

 

[svyr]

i listened to both a83 and a81 @ billymav's place today for about 40m
My impressions pretty much mirror yours

A few quick points then:

1. I'm not a fan of the fit. It doesn't jive with my ears very well and sticks out. mine is ok. it doesn't stay perfectly flush in, but doesn't fall out
2. The cables are quite nice and robust feeling. Almost everyone will like the cables. The MMCX even has a lock-and-key tab to keep itself from swiveling. i think it's interesting and provides a more secure fit, but not sure if it's necessarily the best for comfort? I also tried it with Lear C2 MMCX cable and that was good as well (doubt i'd claim a sound difference for two cables of the same type even if I believed in cables . I think the ergonomics on the stock cable is likewise very nice
3. Personally, I feel the sound is a little hollow, without having the biggest soundstage around. There's a small midrange scoop going on. It has enough lower mids and upper mids to not be recessed-sounding, but the midrange is most certainly colored, and that's what I personally don't like. agree. I'm not sure I enjoy the midrange but it's not offensive
4. There's a good deal of mid-bass and sub-bass; with a poor source (I don't mean cheap --- the bad source in question here is an AK120) the bass doesn't feel well-controlled and can feel a little jumbled. Not quite muddy, but not fast and articulate. I switched over to the AK240 and the bass speed/control was much better. I'm not saying that the A83 needs something as good as the AK240 to sound good (actually, I don't even like the AK240 myself because it costs too much) but people should make sure to have a source that can control bass well. Only then will the bass sound well-textured enough. this is where I don't have a ak240. Didn't like the bass amount or texture for sub and mid bass on clip plus or Tralucent t1 + clip+ or note 3. it sounded uncontrolled boomy and added a bit to the sense of 'mids feel a touch odd'
   [*] Soundstage feels average to me, honestly. Center image is relatively open, but absolute width feels like any other higher-end IEM.
   [*] There's some sibilance/harshness. Not too much, but it's there. I'm more sensitive to it there. it's about 1/2 as offensive as h300 to me
   [*] Detail is... good? Well, I dunno, I have extreme expectations of detail, so in most peoples' eyes the A83 should have good levels of detail. For me, it's above average, but I'm neither impressed nor disappointed. pretty much
   

for a81, I'm not sure I'd buy it - the bass seemed a bit more controlled but maybe not as deep or impactful (certainly more pleasing). I think the mids had less of a coloration but were a bit more scooped. I'm not sure the highs extension was better but it was less sibilant but not as sparkly. overall, i wouldn't but a81 for $300.

 

[Loquah]

I picked up a pair of A83s recently from Noisy Motel and having not seen this thread, I created a dedicated A83 thread here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/725161/fidue-a83-impressions-and-discussion-thread. Not trying to take the conversation from this thread - just sharing.
 
So far my experiences with the A83s mirror most of yours. I find it very balanced / neutral overall with just the tiniest touch of sibilance. Fit for me is average which I had put down to my small ear canals, but maybe it's more general than that. I've ordered some small Comply tips to see how they sound with foams (the supplied ones are too big for me) as I'm hoping to tame the treble by just a hair.
 
I'm struggling to find a hybrid in this price range that I would choose over the A83, but I'm also yet to be really sold on any hybrid earphone in this price range so the A83 is leading in that regard because I do like them.
 
Michael did say however that the engineers report the best sound will come after 1-2 days of use and will hit their absolute peak after about 100 hours so I'm curious to hear if they open up a bit with further use.

 

[ostewart]

FIDUE new model is coming - FIDUE A71 - Dual Driver IEM:

- Driver Unit: Φ10 mm & micro dynamic driver
- Frequency: 12-25,000 Hz
- Impedance: 16Ω
- Sensitivity: 103dB
- T.H.D.: <1%
- Connectors: 3.5mm stereo
 
 

 

[tomscy2000]

Micro + 10 mm is a good idea. There are quite a few dual dynamics like this now; The TDK IE800 for one, and the "where'd it go" ADL EH008.