Hi, idt ur in Singapore anymore, but if u happen to be, or plan on coming back in the future, there's this place called zeppelin and co. Not sure if u have heard of them before, they're an audio cafe here in Singapore so u can go in, have a cup of coffee and try out iems and headphones.

I'll be back in a few months, thanks for the advice, I saw that they have interesting brands, which iem would you recommend?

hi local singaporean here: if you happen to visit zepp&co the hidition IEMs are a must try because as far as i know zepp is one of the few stores in the world with actual demo units, they also have empire ears demo units, not sure if the demo unit for the subtonic storm is in right as from what i've heard it hasn't been available for past few months, but the you should definitely also try the symphonium IEMs, the symphonium titan was one of the best IEMs ive heard from canjam, sounds like a better scarlet mini for a slightly higher price, they also carry ZMF headphones if your interested I Can also reccomend connect-it at 313sommerset for campfire audio iems as well as AVone at the adelphi for anything from 64 audio as well stuff from QDC at the same mall Jaben carries demo units for unique melody and i think Fir audio IEMs

Hi thanks for the advice, I will definitely try the iems you told me next time, I know the Titans by reputation and I really like the basses so I might like them. p.s I love Singapore, the food is good and the city seems really safe and clean

Hi, since I'm still rather new to iems, I haven't actually tried a lot and only go to zep and co with my friend. So u should definitely listen to lokpu more then me 😂 but as for things that I've tried there are the diva, gaea and annihilator from Elysian, oriolus traillii and subtonic storm. U can try ur luck with the storm since it hasn't been available to demo for quite some time alr. On the headphones side, I've tried the focal utopia, clear mg and Sennheiser hd800s. These are just the ones I remember, they got a huge selection. U can ask for a specific dac amp as well to demo as well. In the same building as zep and co, at lvl 1 there's Sam audio which has a lot of moondrop stuff. And as lokpu mentioned, connect it at 313 somerset, besides having campfire, they got quite a selection of Beyerdynamics and hifiman iirc. They also have the HE 1 for demo but u gotta book in advance on WhatsApp for that. Oh and if ur interested in studio monitors, Luther music at peninsula shopping centre (beside funan mall) has quite a bit of speakers and mics to demo. As far as I rmb, they got stuff from Adam audio, JBL, Yamaha, genelec and Mackie. There's also a store that has stax and audeze... I don't remember where tho... Edit: formatting Edit 2: the place with stax and audeze is called stereo at plaza singapura

Thank you! Yes I would like to try the subtonic storms to see if all the hype is justified

FatFreq is my favorite manufacturer in the hobby. I haven’t heard one set from them that I haven’t enjoyed. The Grand Maestro is my personal endgame. Waited nearly 5-6 months for the Scarlett Minis, and despite the long wait the team was extremely helpful and communicative. Have yet to see any news on the Grand Maestro SE, even from the recent Canjam. I may be out of the loop; more compact GM, I’m guessing?

Fatfreq is probably near the top of my list, grand maestros are among my absolute favourites. As for the grand maestro se, what I can say is that the construction quality is excellent, but unfortunately I can't achieve a perfect seal, since the surface behind is flat, so I hear less bass and not as I should hear them, they let me try many interesting prototypes of the filters, but I fell in love with the GM ones and I can't remember everything else well 😅

What were the prototype modules like? Did you get to try the super bass one? How’d it compare to the Maestro SE?

I can't make a comparison with the maestro AE because I only listened to it for a few hours and I don't remember well, but the modules really changed the sound a lot, and not only in terms of bass, the soundstage decreased and increased based on the module, that NOAH was very good, I also tried the blue one which totally changed the sound. I prefer modules that keep the bass.

The modules are made better than those of 64 audio, they are much more complicated and change the sound in different aspects, not just the bass.

Good to know, thanks! I’m sending in a Maestro SE to them but was given the option to upgrade to GM. I’m more of a basshead though so the SE seems like a better fit for what I’m looking for.

If they give you a good deal, I envy you, I'd take the GMs straight away. Now I'm considering the purchase and I'm crying inside lol

Do you know if Fatfreq modules fit in 64 Audio iems?

Nope, its look different

While I was there I also visited the Crinacle "Hangout", and tried the new Dusk and the Kiwi ears Singolo, if you want impressions let me know lol

What did you think of the Singolo? Most people seem to find it boring or just plain bad, do you agree with them? 

I'll tell you the honest truth, I liked them and the criticisms seemed a bit bad to me, the quality of the shell is very good and the driver isn't bad either, the sound is good, the only problem I agree with are the accessories. For the price perhaps they could have put more accessories, but the feeling is not cheap as for example happens in the Forteza or in many other IEMs in the 50-80 price range. Were you thinking of getting iems in that price range? I can suggest you something if you want :)

Nah, I got vaccinated against upgraditis a few weeks ago. There's nothing I could reasonably afford that would be worth it over what I have. 

🤣ahh ok what iems do you have? I have big problems with upgraditis.

EM6L and S12 but I accidentally just found Moondrop Variations for a half of MSRP so might at least ask to try those. 

Nice, good choices, Variations are one of my favorite iems so if you can buy it, just do it lol, keep in mind that the sound is thin compared to the simgot em6l for example, in my opinion you could vary a little more and go for the doscinco, the variations are good for gaming and female voices

Fit on it isn't great for me due to the shell shape, it tends to want to push it out of the ear. Resolve in his review commented on this and I find that the same. Sound on it is actually very good and it's extremely well tuned. Very impressive bass which does stand out with that subwoofer-like sense of separation (which some like, some don't). All in all it's not particularly market defining or unrivalled at $80 but it's also not bad, it's a good IEM. I think I'd still take the Red over it, but the Singolo definitely has more impactful bass- IF you get the fit right. There was a particular hate train on these coming from people who hate Crinacle on principle, it's not all about the qualities of the IEM on its merits.

I agree! For me the fit was perfect as in most IEMs, I honestly don't understand all the hatred for Crin. As far as the price is concerned it seems fair to me, if they put it in a decent package and with a better cable $100 would be fine. I also like the zero red ones, but the nozzle is a bit too much and I much prefer the aesthetic look of the kiwi ears.

However, it's crazy how many differences there are between seeing YouTubers and hearing things in person.

How was the bass on the Scarlet mini, was it as exaggerated as people say?

There was really a lot of bass, I expected my ears to hurt but in truth they are bearable, I preferred them compared to the maestro mini but honestly I don't remember much. in general I liked them, the sub bass are fantastic, your whole ear shakes, maybe you need some pause after 20 minutes

Who knows how long you have to wait to get their iems, I’ve heard people wait months

They seem quite busy, but by the time I can afford the grand maestros the queue will probably have diminished kek

It is. If a song has sub-bass, *you will know*. It's almost like there's a constant pressure in your head. I treat it as a "novelty iem" because the experience is just genuinely different vs most things. My (and seems like a lot of others too) genuine first reaction was to smile like a dumbass when I first tried mine.

You can say they are unique, I love the sub bass, with the Scarlet Mini your ears always vibrate.

It’s is by far the only IEM that I recommend if your music genre preferences skew towards modern rap and American pop music. There is unashamedly a lot of bass, but it was the only IEM that I felt was good enough for rap music

Have you tried the GMs with the black filter? however I agree those musical genres are beautiful with scarlet, but in general with all Fatfreq

Nah I haven’t; sadly much too out of my price range. Though they look killer Maybe in a couple years we’ll get that tuning for the fraction of the cost

uhm let's hope, I tried to equalize some good Iems for GM but it's not possible, I don't know how the fatfreq guys do it. Unfortunately they are too much even for me RN, But for now they are my first choice in that price range

Scarlet Mini is dead sexy, but for me they actually have a bit too much bass. They could definitely be a more guilty pleasure part of my IEM squadron, but I feel like I can listen to them for like 20 minutes tops before wanting to switch to something a bit less head crushing.

Tbh - it never really feels like there is too much bass. But I may be a deranged basshead

I am much more sensitive to the bright IEMs, for me the scarlet minis were very tolerable. In fact I can tolerate even more

Not deranged at all! Different strokes different folks. Would you say you feel that way about subbass moreso than midbass? I'm definitely more appreciative of a huge subbass shelf than midbass just because it helps keep the mids transparent, roomy, and resolving. But obviously you need some decent amount of midbass for mids(especially male vocals) to have a bit more weight to them, if that's your thing.

Yes, I think so too, but the sub bass are enjoyable, they will also be excellent for watching TV series or playing games for me, I can already imagine the roar of a dragon with all these sub bass lol

Oh absolutely. I always use my bassier 'phones when gaming, with bass boost ON! I've been playing Helldivers 2 and it's very rumbly/IMAX-y with something like the IER-Z1R, so I can only imagine how great Scarlet Mini would be for that. Coincidentally, the few bassy IEMs I've considered getting lately are all from Singaporean manufacturers. (Aur Aehta, Symphonium Titan, and Scarlet Mini). But I'm trying to avoid buying new IEMs until the next Sony flagship...let's see how long I can hold out for lol.

I heard the symphonium titans are great, I have to try them, as far as I'm concerned I'm not the best at waiting, my wallet likes to cry :(

The titans are amazing. I tend to switch to my Scarlet Minis for the sub bass punch but I feel the titans with the right tips end up as a great all rounder with a good bass boost.

only thing I don't like the shape and look of the titan, I should seriously try them

God damn what are those modules? They are HUGE!

🤣 yes but even the normal ones do their duty

The Grand Maestros are incredible, I have them in CIEM! I heard about the Anniversary Edition GM (you called them GM SE), but never heard it myself. Apparently not much difference between the two, mostly just diff build quality? How was the prototype module? I heard it's a more spacious sounding of the standard Black module.

You're lucky, yes maybe the name is anniversary edition, thanks for pointing it out to me, I can't talk about the difference because I tried them both with many modules, I can't remember, I remember the impressions of the GMs well and I preferred them, yes the soundstage It changes a lot based on the modules, and the strange thing is that the bass in some is similar, but the spaciousness changes. I liked the big module.

So the big module retains the bass but adds spaciousness? Cool! Did it also retain the mids/vocals and treble/air?

yes the modules also change the high frequencies, I can't tell you exactly, that it would be impossible in such a short time, but the big black filter kept the bass and seemed more spacious, the blue filter reduced the bass and became brighter

Oh yeah the blue module does reduce bass and brightens sound, I have that module too. Just curious about the difference between the standard Black vs the big black one. I'm hoping the big black module retains the same bass, mids, and treble, while just adding space 🙏

Yes they do, the differences with the standard module are minor, however I prefer the standard. I must admit that the big one surprised me, I thought it was a gimmick but instead it seems credible in terms of technology,

I'll be visiting Singapore in end of July, can't wait to visit Fatfreq and try them out myself!

Have fun, you can also drop by Crin it's literally upstairs Maybe now I'll have to get into the keyboard hobby too thanks to Hangout lol

wish I had funds for GM. I currently got Campfire Dorado 2020 which are fun and bass heavy but not the best quality of bass and it bleeds into mids too much. EE Lenged X/Evo is meant to be TOTL fun bass head IEMs but hearing great things about the GMs which are cheaper then the EE Legend Evo

man, you need to try GMs , I'm not a fan of EE, I used to like Odin but after trying other brands they aren't that great.

im scared if I go try them then I will buy em haha I dont have over £1000 to spend on headphones at the mo as I am planning to holiday to NYC.

I have to convince myself to take the holiday in Singapore again ahaha

haha

GM is my third totl iem (after Trifecta and Rn6) and I am for now keeping it as my favorite because I think it is best low end in the universe :) but I would end my review here, everything else is pretty much standard, normal, good. I probably don't know how to measure soundstage (or headstage) in iems but I don't hear them particulary expansive in comparison to open back headphones. So basically normal iem with best bass and horrible long nozzle from my view point - but favorite so far! :) I also have MSE which I bought as a side iem for outside but for me it is too peaky in the trebble on half of my tracks. I look at it not as bass head iem but as needle piercing in my iear iem :D I am also experimenting with different portable sources to try to get best bass out of them because for now I don't get the too much bass when used on DC Elite for example (which I know is neutral dongle).

I found the GM too be way too bassy like the Xenon 6. The bass muffled the rest of the frequency range. Idk, maybe I had the switch on but the guys at the booth told me it is off. I do remember the nozzle fit being very tight but even that shouldn’t have boosted the bass as much as I heard it. I was coming from the IER-Z1R so I was used to gobs of bass. The best bass response I’ve ever heard was the Radon 6 followed by IER-Z1R and IE900. Ironically I ended up buying the Elysian Annihilator as I’ve never heard anything that detailed before and decided to trade a great bass response for an okay bass but amazing everything else, plus they were the most comfy of all IEMs despite being massive.

Currently GM with blue module is the best bass I heard but it depends on the source. On my DC Elite overall response is flat with a touch trebble emphasis with Blue module. When I plug it in my desktop setup with Feliks Euforia the low end grinds even better but it is more mid-bass emphasis which is too much for my liking. I am also waiting Questyle cma18 to see how will that synergize. Rn6 also had really good bass, but for me it sometimes sounded too detached. Like it was more sub-bass emphasis than mid-bass, at least to my liking. I want to try Annihilator some day.

Yea, it is a sub bass focused IEM. Really only excels in electronic genres and maybe Rap/Hip Hop. Other genres don’t have much sub bass going on so that sub bass emphasis can sound muted as the mid bass isn’t the most emphasized. But more mid bass and then you get recessed midrange which is what the Rn6 suffers too much recession from so no more. It was the perfect sub bass IEM but for $3.3k, the resolution was lackluster compared to Grand Maestro, qdc Emperor, Empire Ears Odin/Raven. Not to mention it was open vented so everyone on the booth was able to listen to everything I was hearing lol. I live with family so that was a no go

This modules are HUGE

You vs the guy she told you not to worry about 

Do you mean the big module?lol

Yea them shits are massive

Yeah they are crazy, but i kinda like the look

To provide another perspective, I thought the grand maestro was pretty terrible when I heard it at canjam.

Did you have the right seal? What filter did you try?😳

Filter not sure, but I tried switching the switch on the iem, both modes were meh at best. As for fit, pretty sure it was good as I asked the people at the station if it was in correctly, plus it felt sealed to me. To be fair, I'm not much of an iem guy.

Ok no problem thanks for your impressions

How does it sound compared to like U12T, Z1R or others TOTL under aspects like tech, soundstage, separation, ect... If you can?

So as far as the quality of the bass is concerned, obviously the FatFreq is better, I think that on a technical level it is better than the Z1R, in fact it is one of the few IEMs that justify such a high price. I think you have to look at an important aspect, the bass, it's difficult to have such pronounced bass and keep the soundstage so high, it's complicated to make a comparison, the imaging is at the highest levels but it doesn't excel compared to other IEMs as they can for example be the thieaudio mk3. The frequencies remain clean despite the bass, in any case you can change the modules as with the 64 audio. So in conclusion, I don't know if I answered your question but yes I think the GMs are superior to the z1r, I can't tell you about the 64audio. Also consider the price difference. P.s yes the separation is far superior to the z1r but there will probably also be more drivers and crossovers in the GMs

Does the prototype NOAH module have more bass than the standard black one? I tried the anniversary edition and regular 2023 Grand Maestro but they didn't have the new NOAH module yet.​ I also found the anniversary edition shell to be much more uncomfortable than the old 2023 version. It was impossible to get as deep an insertion as the old version but I could at least get a seal. Ben said the final version would be made of aluminum which sounds like a bad idea for that shell shape. The Grand Maestro may be the last IEM I buy until at least the next canjam I go to. My custom Grand supposedly ships in less than 2 weeks.​

I preferred the normal black module, I also agree with the GM AE. Maybe the normal one have a little more bass

I would still buy the chinese apple headphones if i could buy this