JVC HA-FXT90

"Balanced in aggressive way" that was the impression by our mighty ljokerl on his FXT90 review. This is fairly old IEM by JVC and has been replaced by the FXT100 and FXT200/208.
Not going to write a long review about the sound quality here since F XT90 is one of the most popular among head-fier and most people agreed on just how good this IEM is.

I have been contemplating on buying FXT90 for about a year or so. The lowest price on ebay is 44USD by China seller artistic.life. They are selling many branded IEM without original package for a ridiculously low price. I have bought Audio-technica ckx7 from them for just 30USD. Fantastic sound, definitely an original product. The next buy was another Audio-technica - IM50 BNIB for 62USD. IM50 has been my favourite overall IEM in SQ due to its balanced sound. So when I read reviews about FXT90 I think I just have to buy this.
I saw the BNIB selling in retail store here in Malaysia for a full price of RM499 or about 135USD. That is twice the RRP for my IM50. Eventually I bought the FXT90 through Aliexpress for USD 32.90 without original packaging.

It arrived and without any hesitation I played some music through the FXT90 and then I realized ; OMG this is how the 135USD IEM sounds like! Didn't sound fake at all. Uncontestable. All my other IEM suddenly sound average at best. The IM50, CKX7, XBA10, ZA Basso, E10, Pioneer CL541 are not quite a bad IEM themselves and I know they are all original / BNIB. But FXT90 just sounds significantly better.

The only small problem I encountered that the original tip is quite shallow so I replaced it with my Huawei AM12 tip- just perfect. The other problem now is I keep on looking for a better and better IEM. The replacement for FXT90 - the real upgrade FXT200 cost 105 now on ebay. Maybe I should just enjoyed my FXT90 until some China OEM can come up with FXT200 for less than 70USD . If the FXT200 is also become popular I have no doubt that some China OEM will produce it in no time.

Next on the list- Probably Vsonic Gr07 BE, or ZA Duoza.

The JVC FXT90s are clearly the result of extensive research and packed into a compact package. They utilize 2 dynamic driver with carbon nanotube diaphragms.  After doing some research on the properties of carbon nanotubes, I found that they are used a wide variety of applications because they have one of the stiffest and strongest materials available due to their strong covalent bonds, 20 times stronger than steel.
Well what does this mean when comes to FXT90 or personal audio in general? According to JVC, “the use of carbon nanotubes provides a balance of strength and flexibility that cannot be matched with diaphragms using traditional metals and plastic, resulting in crisp, pure, detailed sounds.
In addition, JVC arranged the drivers in such manner that “1 driver was responsible for full range sound reproduction and the other driver is responsible for crisp high definition sound with vivid bass.”
 
I wanna thank my friend Andrew, or @ThickT for his patience and  for giving a chance to listen to these guys! i also want to thank Adam Nelson for his contributions to this review! Thanks! (All the pictures below were taken by me)
Below is my video review of the FXT90s,Subscribe and like for more content!

 
I got these earphones as is, with just the case, and 1 set of eartips so i will not comment on the accessories. The FXT90s were originally $149.99, but now can be found easily under $100.
 
 
Design: There are certainly flashier and bolder designs out there, but the JVC FXT90 opts for a more industrial, no-nonsense, practical design. Even the JVC branding on the side is very subtle. These only come in a “see-through smoky, lightly tinted plastic housing”, which allows you to see some of the internals inside the earphones, particularly the dual dynamic drivers.  But overall, i'm very indifferent about the design.
They are the smallest dual dynamic driver earphones I have come across, as evident in my thread here:
Overall: 7.5/10
   
 
 
Build Quality
The FXT-90 overall is built quite well.  The housing is made of a denser plastic, which just oozes solidity, whilst feeling very lightweight at the same time. There are plenty of strain reliefs throughout all the key points (particularly on the earpieces and the L shaped jack). This instills plenty of reassurances even under heavy daily use. The cable is well made, and feels very supple and flexible, with a thick sheathing (especially on the bottom half), without adding much weight to the cable itself.   The Y split is small and comes equipped with a cable cinch as well. The earphone terminates in a 90 degree (or L shaped) jack that is again well relieved and is slim enough to get through even the thickest smartphone cases.
My only gripe is that the top half of the cable is just a bit thin for me. I would have liked it to be just a bit thicker, maybe 2mm, but it’s probably fine.
Overall: 8.5/10
            
 
     
 
   
    
 
Comfort
These are very comfortable earphones, period. This is especially surprising given their dual dynamic driver nature. When I first put them on, I thought “Wow, how did they get two drivers in here while still retaining such a small footprint?!”
Now, I’ll go into specifics on why there are so comfortable. The FXT90s have an angled, medium length nozzle, and a smooth rounded housing which allows them to slip into my ears effortlessly.
Overall: 10/10

 

 

 
Isolation
I would say that because they don’t insert into my ears very deeply, the isolation is slightly above average. Your mileage may vary. Its great for walking out and about, and passable for commuting purposes.
Overall: 7.5/10
 
Cable noise: None when worn cable down. I was not able to wear them cable up unless I used longer tips. This is as good as it gets.
Overall: 10/10
 
Sound:  This is a fantastic earphone for anyone that loves their Top 40 pop and electronic music. I feel that these JVCs are easily one of the favorite! It’s a sound signature that “fun, aggressive, yet very detailed as well”. That’s the best way I can describe the FXT-90s. They have a very “in your face” sound signature that is lively, engaging, and toe-tapping while remaining very detailed throughout. Not an easy feat.
 
Bass: The bass on the FXT90 is warm, emphasized, and punchy (with a bit of a mid-bass hump) but thankfully it stays away from sounding bloated. It simply has solid impact without sounding overly thick. The bass is nicely rounded, fast, and tight as well. I would say it’s just second to my Vsonic GR07BE in terms of speed and tightness.  It has great extension down low as well. I believe the bass here has great appeal, from the casual listener all the way to even the most discerning audiophile.
 
Midrange: Typically, the midrange is left out in the cold amongst the emphasized bass and treble on many v-shaped or bassy earphones. However, the FXT90s suffers from this problem only very marginally. The midrange is clean, rich sounding, but forward, with pleasing strong vocals (both male and female) with good note thickness, while retaining good clarity as well. Female vocals are more  emphasized but have bit of a nasal or “honky” overtone, which can sound sweet on some tracks but a bit too forward on others tracks.
 
Treble: The treble is emphasized, crisp, energetic and sparkly. It’s almost as detailed as my Vsonic GR07BE, but not as “peaky”, or as sibilant. It has just enough extension to allow for some airiness, but has good enough control that it doesn’t sound splashy. However, I will say for those especially treble sensitive, should stay away.
Soundstage: In terms of width and height, the soundstage is average. The separation and placement is rather good for such a dynamic sounding earphone.
Overall: 9/10
 
Comparing them to the VSONIC Gr07BE ($180) 
The GR07BE are just more detailed overall, the mids are less forward, drier and leaner. The bass is also less in punch or impact, but tighter and faster. I think the treble is less peaky as well, and almost as detailed. Almost
 
Comparing them to the Brainwavz S5 ($99)
The S5s have a smoother sound signature as whole. The bass is tighter on the FXT90s, and faster, and better extended. The midrange i think is really a draw, for those that like a more laid back vocal section, the S5s would be better (it would be better for long term listening, where as the FXT90 can be a bit fatiguing if your listening to a lot of female vocals). The treble on the fxt90s are more refined and smoother and less "splashy" sounding than the S5s. Though i feel the S5s have a slightly wider presentation. 
 
In conclusion, i think the FXT90s, are just a fantastic earphone! I really can't find many faults with these earphones. Fit was effortless, understated design, comfortable, and lastly and fun listen without skimping out on the finer details.  At the current discounted price (under $100), the FXT90s are an absolute no brainer! They have easily become one of my favourites!  Give yourself a listen! Highly recommended!
 
 I want to thank @ThickT again for being so patient and letting me have a listen. 
 
 
 
Overall 52.5/60=87.5%

When I went looking for a new IEM last year, I really did a lot of research and wanted something with great SQ and detail but also fun sounding as I listen to a lot of rock and planned to use this pair at the gym.
 
These are an absolutely fantastic value.  They can be had for around 80-90 bucks online, and for that price they are absolutely wonderful IEMs. Check out the excellent review here on Head-Fi in the 309 IEM comparison thread for a more detailed review of these.
 
These are not analytical phones by any means, but they provide very good detail and imaging, excellent timbre, and are flat out fun to listen to.  Not a basshead IEM, but the bass does have good impact and authority.  The presentation is very intimate and somewhat in your face, but I liked that aspect of them for what I was using them for.  They have good energy and kept me pumped during my workouts.  
 
The somewhat U-shaped frequency range of these makes them excellent for rock, which is mostly what I listen to, but they work well with other genres as well.  
 
Isolation is okay but not great, but that's to be expected given their design and relatively shallow insertion.  They are pretty comfortable, but not the most comfortable IEM I've used.  Build quality is very sturdy with a semi-translucent shell that lets you see the two carbon nanotube drivers inside.  They are tough little drivers and do take a bit of a burn in period to loosen them up.  Mine didn't start to sound their best until after a couple months of use.
 
Sadly someone stole them last month, and I ended up trying a HiFiMan Re-400 as a replacement, but I would highly recommend them, especially to rock fans, and I definitely may pick up a pair again down the road.