Fiio FA19 IN EAR MONITORS REVIEW

Fiio FA19 In Ear Monitors are a £999 pair of IEMs clearly aimed at the dedicated portable audio lover. Oscar Stewart takes a listen for HiFi PiG.

Most of you will be familiar with Fiio by now, and in this review, I am looking at their current flagship all-BA (balanced armature) IEMs – the FA19. The Fiio FA19 features 10 Knowles balanced armatures per side and come in a 3D printed shell, let’s check them out.

BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE FIIO FA19

Starting off with the build quality, we have a DLP (a new one for me, Digital Light Processing) 3D printed shell which ensures accuracy during the print phase and allows them to integrate the negative feedback bass enhancement system. Basically, the shell is precision printed and feels nice in the hand; it also feels sturdy and uses MMCX connectors for the detachable cable. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m not a huge fan of MMCX, and I would have liked to have seen the newer T2/IPX connectors in use here. The caveat, though, is that Fiio are using the expanded MMCX connectors on the cable; these are more robust than normal MMCX, they don’t swivel as easily and stand up to long-term use better, so it’s not all bad.

In terms of the cable itself, Fiio are using an 8-braid cable that uses pure silver conductors internally (8 x 28 stands = 224 strands in total). The cable is Litz braided, and the jacket is made from TPU, which prevents yellowing over time. The source connector is changeable, like on a few other Fiio models, allowing you to switch between 3.5mm and 4.4mm connectors easily. All in all, Fiio have produced a very high-quality earphone made with premium materials – they feel built to last.

Feature-wise, they come with a single DIP switch on the top of the shell, which allows you to change between HiFi tuning and Studio tuning (HiFi has a subtle bass lift, more on that later). Other features internally include precision-matched 0.1% resistors in the crossover circuitry, a midrange notch filter to smooth out the midrange and a negative feedback bass enhancement system (which also prevents excessive pressure in your ear canal). You can read more about these on the official product page, let’s just say these pack quite a bit of interesting tech into the small shells, and the venting/feedback systems are quite interesting, although none of that matters unless they sound good, right?

Before we get to the sound, though, I’ll mention that the FA19 come with a plethora of ear tips to help you achieve a good seal for the best sound quality, comfort is excellent, and the smooth housings and angle of the nozzles contribute to this. The cable is flexible and doesn’t get in the way, and I found myself listening to these for hours on end without any comfort issues. Being vented, you may expect them not to isolate quite as well as a fully sealed model, yet I found the isolation to be excellent even on busy trains. Overall, the comfort and isolation of the FA19 were both great, and they are a pleasure to use out and about.

SOUND QUALITY

I’ve been using the FA19 for a while now to really get to know them and their sound signature. I have been using them with the Fiio M23 and M15s. The M15s is my reference player for this review. They are quite sensitive, so don’t need an overly powerful player to get them to good volume levels. They are, however, quite transparent, so they will show up differences between sources.

I’ll start off with the DIP switch set to HiFi mode, which gives the FA19 a subtle but noticeable lift in the bass region. Fall Out Boy – The Take Over, The Break’s Over, the driving bass line is very well presented in a slightly elevated way without ever losing composure, they have drive and presence without excess bloat. The whole sound is effortless, controlled, and detailed, the stereo imaging is fantastic and hard panned vocals are pinpoint accurate. There is energy to the electric guitars, drums hit with great impact, cymbals and treble effects are extremely clean without any harshness. These are a very natural sounding earphone with a helping of extra low end with the switch in HiFi mode. Fiio have done a fantastic job using specialised Knowles drivers for the bass alongside their negative feedback system, it creates a very full and articulate low end which is extremely dynamic whilst retaining BA speed and control – these have some of the best, balanced armature bass I have heard in an earphone (not quite on par with the Soundz Avant though).

Putting them into Monitor mode (via the DIP switch) changes these into a more balanced and neutral earphone, which aligns well with my personal preference. Movements – Garden Eyes, there is no lack of dynamics even in monitor mode, the bass guitar line is articulate and easy to follow whilst kick drums have great impact and body to back them up, the bass on these is so effortless and extends with such ease. Tom drums are tonally accurate and you can follow them across the soundstage, guitars are clean and well separated, whilst vocals cut through and fill the centre stage. It is impossible to make these sound congested, even with complex tracks, they keep up with everything that is going on. The notch filter does smooth out the transition from midrange to treble, and there isn’t a hint of sibilance; however, the treble is clear, crisp, and well extended.

Shifting the tone a little, Deolinda – Gente Torta came on, this is a sort of neo-fado music from Portugal with female vocals, two guitars and a double bass. The double bass has body and tactile reverberation, the guitars are panned to either side with vocals in the centre. The instrument separation is impeccable whilst still delivering a coherent sound, nothing sounds out of place or detached. These are not inexpensive IEMs, however, to get this level of performance, you used to have to spend quite a lot more than the £999 price of these. It’s really hard writing about an earphone that just sounds right sometimes, they manage to deliver such a balanced sound without sacrificing body or detail.

Porcupine Tree – Heart Attack In A Layby. Steve Wilson’s vocals are nuanced with every little detail on display, the guitars swirl around the stage, letting you pinpoint every little fingerpick of the strings. In the background you have the tap of the cymbals, never fighting for position within the mix, just there helping create air and space within the recording. These earphones are the kind of model that delivers the mix as it should be, nothing is left out, yet they do it in a slightly more delicate way than the most ruthless studio monitors would. There is a little sweetness to the sound of these, however, the sweetness is never at the expense of the finer details. One of the standout qualities of the FA19, especially with tracks that are a little hot, is the absence of any sibilance. Fiio have managed to tune these to have extremely accurate and well-extended treble without a peak in the upper midrange, I’m going to say the notch filter they have built in works wonders at reducing listening fatigue.

The last song I will go into detail on is My Chemical Romance – Famous Last Words, a song from one of my all-time favourite albums. These deliver this track with grit, never lacking energy yet still presenting all the instruments in an even-handed manner. The two guitars’ lines don’t fight for space, they complement each other, you can hear Gerard’s every breath through the microphone; drums are punchy while snares are snappy and tight. Ray Toro’s guitar solo is crisp without ever coming across as piercing or peaky – these are a gripping and extremely fun listen, dragging you into your favourite tracks as if a (caution, reviewer cliche ahead) veil has been lifted. There are plenty of natural and balanced earphones out there, but few offer this level of engagement and punch without overshadowing some part of the frequency response. They do remind me a little of a baby Soundz Avant, not quite as spacious and enveloping, yet they are both effortlessly natural and well balanced with real kick down low when called for.

QUIBBLES

The shells are on the larger size and I’d like to see Fiio move on from MMCX connectors.

CONCLUSION

Fiio are often thought of as the budget kings, the FA19 has shown that they can do a high-end earphone too. This is not just 10 drivers thrown together in a random shell, some real thought has gone into the design and tuning of the FA19 and they are a fantastic IEM as a result. The bass is very impressive with impact and body, the midrange is clean, and the clever notch filter eliminates sibilance whilst allowing the treble to do its thing.

The DIP switch gives you two slightly different sound signatures: a HiFi tuning with a slight bass lift or a Monitor tuning that is exceptionally well balanced yet still has a slight sweetness to the sound. The FA19 are a fantastic earphone for the price and offer up a mesmerising listening experience that was once reserved for TOTL (Top Of The Line) models.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality And Features:

Flawless 3D printed shells

Tight MMCX sockets

Robust stock cable with interchangeable jack

Sound Quality:

Balanced, detailed and well-rounded

There is a slight sweetness to the sound

Excellent bass tuning that’s full-bodied yet controlled

Value For Money:

This kind of performance used to be reserved for TOTL earphones, the fact you can get this performance now for under £1k is impressive.

We Loved:

The overall sound and build quality of this IEM

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The size of the shells and the MMCX connectors

Elevator Pitch Review: With the FA19, Fiio have shown they can make an extremely competent earphone in technical terms, whilst still retaining a sound signature that is engaging and fun to listen to. The fact that only a few years ago, you’d be paying double for this kind of performance is testament to how good earphones have got. If you are looking for a natural-sounding earphone around this price range, the FA19 should be on your list. It’s one of the first models I reach for when going out, as no matter what I play through them, they present it in a musically engaging yet well-balanced way – they are simply a joy to listen to.

Price: £999

Oscar Stewart

SUPPLIED BY Fiio

SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION

• Driver Design – 10 Balanced Knowles BA Driver Design
• Bass Drivers – Custom Knowles – enhanced bass BA drivers
• Crossover – Rubycon audiophile-grade film capacitors crossover
• Bass Enhancement – Negative feedback bass enhancement system
• Mid-frequency Filter – HiFi Mid-frequency notch filter
• Mode Switch – Monitor/HiFi mode switch
• Shell – DLP 3D printed shell
• Acoustic Design – S.Turbo patented acoustic design
• Cable – 1.2m 8 strands of 224 wire pure silver cable
• Certification – Hi-Res Audio certified
• Frequency Response – 20Hz – 40kHz
• Impedance – 10Ohms @1kHz
• Sensitivity – 106dB/mw@1kHz