NiceHCK F1 Pro Planar Universal IEM

TL;DR: Warm and smooth Planar goodness

Overview/History
Hi all.

I had an opportunity to check out the NiceHCK F1 Pro which is a set of planar IEMs. NiceHCK is known for having awesome cables and really hitting the IEM market with a few great entries including the Himalaya.

The F1 Pro contains a 14.2mm single planar driver in a fairly attractive metal blue shell. Priced at typically $99, it goes for sale around $79 (time of writing is the Summer AliExpress sale where it's available there as well as Amazon).


*Stock photo from Amazon*

Onto the disclaimers!

Disclaimers: This NiceHCK F1 Pro set was provided to me by my co-worker Jon. Shout out to Jon. While he doesn't have a Head-Fi presence, he's the main person that I geek out with over audio (both headphones and IEMs) quite regularly. His collection of IEMs, headphones, speakers, and audio gear...

Going to have to take him to Audio Disneyland aka CanJam.

Build Quality, Comfort and Accessories
Photo dump time!













The NiceHCK F1 Pro comes in a very well packaged presentation. Though, the shell does remind me of eyes so the first thing I saw was a face screaming at me.


Thanks @theintention !

The F1 Pro comes with a travel case, a very nice cable and some tips. I did a few of the stock tips but it was hard to come with a fit so I busted out my Dunu case with all my tips and began the tip rolling.



Tip Rolling
The stock tips were not very good to me. But, I have a tendency to only try stock tips for a moment before moving on because I know what I'm getting with my usual line up of tips at this point in time.

What's extremely nice about the F1 Pro is that the fit/size allowed me to feel confident that I could use a variety of tips and find the best combination. There were no tips specifically that were an immediate 'NOPE' for me.



Spinfit W1: Surprisingly, the W1 have a tendency to make the bass feel a bit more blunted but this brought some extra subbass oomph while the midbass took a light drop. Treble was expertly smoothed over in this case but did not lose any of the details/technicalities.
Final Type E - Clear/Red: Great combination. The Type E usually tend be transparent on the treble/high end where if the IEM can be sharp, it'll sound a bit sharp on these. But, overall, the Type E Clear/Reds excelled with the F1 Pro providing a bit more of a bass impact but keeping the great detail with them while the treble stayed non-spicy for me.
TangZu SanChai - Balanced: I think the Balanced tips work the best for me with the F1 Pro. There was a good amount of subbass still there, midbass felt a bit more punchy, male vocals felt slightly fuller. The only thing was that the treble did take a slight hit on soundstage but the sacrifice feels worth it depending on your library.
Dunu S&S: Bass felt the most dipped in this case but most of it was on the subbass side which was weird as the Dunu S&S typically is very bass/low end friendly. I think the midbass got a slight smidge of love here which helped the F1 Pro's male vocals the most. This was probably not my favorite combo, though, as I think the subbass impact and soundstage were affected way more than with other tips.
Kiwi Ears Flex: Similar to the Dunu S&S in this case, these seemed to take away from the subbass a bit but gave it more midbass. I think the lows were more detailed on the Dunu S&S while the Flex gives it a small more weight to the note which feels like how the F1 Pro is tuned. The Flex seem to dull/smooth out the treble the most.

So, the winner for me here was the TangZu SanChai - Balanced. But, it was not by a -lot-. F1 Pro have a great fit for me and have been one of the few sets of IEMs where I was tip rolling more for sound vs fit.

Cable
NiceHCK makes some very good cables (basing this off my experience with the NiceHCK Luna and their overall reputation) and the one they give you with the F1 Pro is no slouch. I enjoyed it actually. Probably one of the better stock cables out there.



It's soft yet does not feel flimsy, light yet substantial feeling. I have no complaints on it.

Sound
But, how do they sound? Like planars.



I think if I was going to put it in words, in as rambly of a way possible, is that the F1 Pro sounds exactly like how a pair of Audeze Maxwells would sound in an IEM form factor but smoother. The sheer size of the driver and it being tuned warm provides a great and fast bass response/attack while everything else sounds extremely detailed, airy and satisfyingly clear.

I've only listened to another pair of planar IEMs (Kiwi Ears Melody) but where that had a grainy'ness in the sound profile, these are so smooth. Let's break it down further.

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer, Laptop or Phone
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Pro
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Fosi DS2
Streamed Music Chain Workstation: Laptop -> Fiio K11
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro

Lows/Bass: Detailed. Punchy. Fast. How many more buzzwords am I going to use? All of them.

But, that is what you get with the F1 Pro. The planar driver effortlessly hits and sounds punchy but, due to the planar driver, the notes are gone as quickly as they've slammed so you don't get that satisfying note weight to them like you would with a DD. But, the size of the driver still feels like it moves air and is satisfying enough in the midbass/tactile sensation for most people.

But, these are not for people that would call themselves bassheads. This is primarily by design and by tuning where the subbass feels more focused in and there is a slight shelf. If you were a basshead, I don't think warm planar sounds will necessarily hit the same depths that you want to feel your head shaking but I think, for a lot of other people, this set will provide a good amount of low end that will satisfy without feeling like it's distracting.

Mids: I think the only aspect of the F1 Pro that I'm not a fan of comes from the mid range.

The mids can sound super airy, detailed (which are great for instruments that play in this space) but male vocals can come across super thin. With a slight boost to the midbass via tip rolling, I was able to get a fuller profile with male vocals but these are not great for any deeper voice profiles.

Female vocals, or male vocals with cadence like ACDC, sound great on the other hand. I think female vocals sound natural and good while male vocals tend to have a distinct thin'ness to them that I would attribute to the sound tuning and type of drivers.



It's not that the male vocals are -that- bad but if your library tends to feature male vocals that thrive in that growl or have that deepness, you'll be missing that from the sound delivery.

Treble: I've seen a few reviews that talked about how the F1 Pro can be bright/sharp/sibilant at times but, surprisingly, I didn't feel that way about these at all. It could be potentially down to my favorite tips utilized embraced the treble or that they've been 'burned in'/enjoyed already by my co-worker but there is no graininess or anything offensive I could find with the treble.

I think the high end of the frequency is extremely detailed, smooth, and tuned tastefully in a cohesive manner with the lows/mids. If anything, I feel people expecting the planar to be bright/elevated/sparkly could be disappointed. I've listened to another planar set (Kiwi Ears Melody) that has a similar spicy'ness/tuning. But where the Kiwi Ears Melody came off slightly grainy, harsh and fatiguing at times, the F1 Pro gives you exactly what the music wants you to hear/feel.

Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:
Some of the songs that I ended up listening to ended up being more rock based. I will say, though, that a lot of electronic type music works really well here with the F1 Pro. Asterisk have been added to songs that I felt they really excelled with.

Florence & the Machine - Dog Days Are Over*
Camille - Le Festin
Guns n' Roses - Sweet Child of Mine*
ACDC - Back in Black*
Justice - Genesis*
Deadmau5 - There might Be Coffee
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
ELO - Mr Blue Sky*

Again, male vocals are a bit too thin for my tastes so a band like ACDC or Guns n' Roses kind of work as there isn't a husky'ness to their voices while a track with expected warmth in the vocals (Disturbed - Sound of Silence for example) can occasionally just sound borderline lifeless which betrays the 'warmer' tuning philosphy.

But, they excel with female vocals as a whole and or male vocals that are higher traditionally.

Soundstage for these are very horizontal - presented like a line - but very wide. There's a lot of detail and separation you can get from these that shine through with the planar driver. Since these are planar drivers, I also do feel like micro/macrodynamics are off the table and everything is presented at the same level which is both great for picking up details you typically don't hear in your music but you will lose some of the subtlties like a DD would have.

Comparisons:
For comparisons, I'm going to use my Xuan NV which is simiarly priced. I will also recall my time with the Kiwi Ears Melody.

TangZu Xuan NV: With the TangZu Xuan NV, I get more satisfying bass notes that are not as detailed. I think the smooth signature is the target in both of these with the NiceHCK F1 Pro being tuned more for bass to compensate for the faster decay. I think the F1 Pro is better for more instrument/female vocal music while the Xuan NV is a bit more of an all rounder that's able to do everything great. Highs, technicalities and separation are just better on the F1 Pro.

But, while the F1 Pro isn't nearly as analytical/clinical as what you'd expect with a planar IEM and is a very good warmer planar IEM, the Xuan NV really does feel fuller and more musical. There would be a case for either one, honestly, and it just comes down to preference of what you want to hear.

Kiwi Ears Melody: I had the Kiwi Ears Melody for a prolonged period of time and I think they're both very similar with two key differences. The Kiwi Ears Melody felt like it had way more bass impact/midbass. The cost of the better bass, though, is that the treble/upper mids can sound very grainy or unnatural sometimes. It felt too inflated on their V-shaped to the point where it was distracting. The F1 Pro, though, may have less of that bass slam but I think sound way more natural than the Melody and are less fatiguing.

I think I would recommend picking up the F1 Pro over the Melody.

Other Things to be aware of:
Not much in this case beyond that the F1 Pro does scale really well running with more power.

They worked with all my sources but there was just a bit more extra separation/soundstage I noticed (it's borderline subtle but I could hear it a bit. Or, it was just a placebo. Just saying what I felt like I heard) going through with the balanced cable vs unbalanced (either 3.5mm or 1/4").

Conclusion:
Overall, I think the NiceHCK F1 Pro is a great planar IEM. These are tuned just warm enough to not be too analytical or clinical listening and are extremely pleasant with a lot of my library.

My only really main knock comes down to how they handle midbass region and male vocals but these are more of a preference point to me as others may prefer how they handle those frequencies/sounds.

Where I think these slot in would be if you're looking for a complimentary set to round our your line up. It's a well tuned, crafted machine that'll speed it's way into your collection providing a different kind of a warm blanket for you to relax in.



Thanks for reading!

Description

The NiceHCK was provided for our honest reviews and impressions, as part of an ongoing audio review tour in Australia with the Audio Reviews Downunder . We thank NiceHCK for this opportunity to experience their new planar IEM.


NiceHCK describes the F1 Pro as a new-generation planar magnetic driver IEM designed with a 14.2mm planar magnetic driver unit. The newly-developed 14.2mm planar driver adopts an ultra-thin diaphragm with strong N55 magnets for a comfortable and efficient performance throughout a wide frequency band.


Audio equipment used.


I played back music in FLAC form from my Hiby R3 Saber 2022 DAP via the balanced output on high gain. I also used a Hidizs DAC, the S9 ProMartha with the 4.4mm balanced output which has an increased power output . Tips I used are TRN T which give me a deep secure insertion with good bass and also vocal and soundstage enhancement. The F1 Properforms well with a range of tips included the supplied tips. I tried a few of my own cables but found no advantage as the supplied cable is excellent with good feel, ear hoops and sound.


The sound.

From the outset you can hear this is a quality IEM. Initially you will notice its balanced sound signature from punchy bass, smooth mids and easy highs. This is not an IEM to contemplate ducks on ponds on a spring morning. The F1 Pro wants you to party, to move about. It involves you with an energetic presentation that never becomes overbearing or harsh. You will then notice a wide soundstage with moderate depth and excellent separation and imaging. The high frequencies balance nicely with the midrange and there are plenty of details with good resolution on offer.


Bass.
It is planar bass, so its fast and powerful and I'd describe it as punchy, even slightly warm. The sub bass is there and goes low but could probably use more quantity compared to the best planars and DD's.
The good thing is the the bass integrates seamlessly with the mids with no upper bass dropoff. Indeed the bass gives the vocals a tinge of warmth with no hint of planar timbre. Everything is presented with a very natural resolution.


Treble
Highs are well behaved on the F1 Pro. The lower treble is more emphasized and compliments the upper mids giving air and nuances to female vocals. In general the highs are present but smooth and rarely straying into sibilance. There are a few tracks or artists where the upper energy or a close miked vocal can become harsh and too brilliant. This is a rare occurrence with the F1 Pro. The highs as arule are smooth yet energetic and provide plenty of details in an easy to listen way.
Technicalities
The NiceHCK F1 pro does everything well, being a musical listen without being an analytical monster. Details are nicely evident and easily heard and instrument locations are focused and sound correct. The soundstage is nice and wide and deep without being class leading. The sound is full-bodied and very natural. NiceHCK have tuned this onewith excellent balance to my ear.


Comparisons and Conclusion

First listen to the F1 Pro made me think this sounds like the Hidizs MP145 at half the price. It sounds that impressive. The differences become clear on comparative listening.
Comparing with everyone's favourite the Letshuoer S12 OG, my ears tell me the F1pro does the job better with a fuller note weight, equally good bass and a smoother treble. The Letshuoer S15 is a planar tuned more like a DD/BA hybrid and as such the sound profile is not planar like to my ears.
That brings us back to the MP145, the only other planar I can compareto and my personal favourite. The MP145 has a thinner midrange, a deeper subbass, a more expansive soundstage with a 3D like quality. The MP145 is also more technical with musical nuances more easily heard . MP145 has no issues with treble heavy or close miked vocals. in fact both these planars have excellent presentation with both male and female vocals.
I think the NiceHCK F1 Pro is an excellent planar with a great energetic yet natural sound. I recommend it if you are after your first planar and you think my description fits the bill.

NICEHCK is an audio company that specialises on upgraded cables and other audio accessories, and then they try to venture out on earbuds and IEMs. NICEHCK products are also known for its build quality and craftsmanship at reasonable price.



This is actually my second product review of their new IEM line-up model and what I've got here is their latest entry-level planar IEM, The NICEHCK F1 PRO. The F1 PRO has a 14.2mm planar magnetic driver with ultra thin diaphragm with high-grade neodymium magnets and co-axial magnetic design. With this configuration, it will produce a consistent performance and greatly reduce distortion. And as we all know that planar magnetics are known to have fast, precise and very responsive performance that gives them more leverage in terms of technical performance.



The drivers are encased in a light yet solid aluminium alloy shell chassis which have a compact teardrop design. The shell chassis was produced via CNC-milling process and it was sand-blasted to give that appealing look that exudes premium and finesse. NICEHCK employs a 2-pin connector on this one as it is the most stable and easier to detach in case of cable swapping.



As for fitting and comfort, with its compact form factor, this set will give a good seal and passive noise isolation as it rests well into our lugholes that are able to block some external noises from the outside surroundings.



Regarding its stock cable, Since this is a NICEHCK product, we expect a nice quality cable from this one and they deliver it. The stock cable has a 2-core high purity OCC and silver-plated copper that were braided tightly. The earhook receptacle shield, chin slider and plug shield are made of metal alloy, and on its termination plug, you can choose either a standard 3.5mm single ended or a 4.4mm balanced that are gold-plated for better conductivity ans resistant to corrosion.



On how its presents its overall product packaging, NICEHCK did a good job on how they packed the contents of F1 PRO to its packaging box. The placements of content inside of its bulky, rectangular box are well-organised.



Here are the following contents inside of NICEHCK F1 PRO packaging box:

• Pair of NICEHCK F1 PRO IEM transducers.
• Stock cable
• PU leather case
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore grey-coloured silicone ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of balanced bore opaque white ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Four (4) pairs of “EP-EX11” ear tips in different standard sizes.
• Pair of white-coloured, wide bore ear tips.
• Paperwork like user's manual and warranty card.

Like a typical planar set, F1 PRO needs more power output just to drive it properly as planar magnetic structure itself is design to take more current than voltage output that makes it less power efficient compared to other drivers like dynamic driver and balanced armature driver. A dedicated DAP with medium and high gain mode, DAC/Amp dongle or desktop headphone amplifier are better pairing for this set.



As for tonality, NICEHCK F1 PRO has a U/V-shaped sound signature that makes it sound more coloured sounding. It has more accentuated bass and treble response and a notched midrange presentation.




LOWS/BASS:

For a magnetic planar set, the bass response of this one is quite fast, punchy and rumbly. It seems that it is more focused on sub-bass than the mid-bass but the latter has enough texture for bass-centric instruments not to sound too lean.

On the sub-bass, there's a perceivable reverberation coming from low tone bass guitars, synthesisers and drum machines. As I mentioned about the note weight texture on its mid-bass, the bass guitars have resonant yet a bit hollowed sound while bass kick drums have that thudding and gloomy sound, and then on bass-baritone vocals, they sounds a bit light and less deeper that affects the vocal texture but it has some resonance presence on their voices.


MIDRANGE:

On how this set was tuned, the midrange presentation is quite recessed and a tad hollowed sounding particularly on some vocals and instruments. But somehow, it sounds clean, detailed and energetic that will be more beneficial on most female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds.

Male vocals are noticeable a tad leaner on texture particularly on baritones as it sounds a bit inadequate of plushiness and richness that I prefer. Tenors' vocals have those spiciness and tinny characteristics on their voices while countertenors sound tender with an added brim on their vocals. On female vocals, contraltos sounds less rich and less smoky that it doesn't have that depth for those low chesty vocal register. Mezzo-sopranos have these fiery and coppery sounds on their vocal characteristics and sopranos have a gleaming and metallic sound that lyric and coloratura-type will have those energetic and expansive sounding.

On instruments, brasses like trumpets, trombones and horns, they have these metallic, penetrating and clear sounds respectively. Woodwinds such as concert flutes, piccolos, clarinets and saxophones, the sounds of the flutes are somehow clear and shrill, piccolos sound penetrating with brilliance on them, clarinets have incisive and reedy that even saxophones share similar characteristics with them. As for string instruments, violins have metallic and bright sound while guitars either acoustic or electric ones, have crisp and lingering sound on them. On percussion instruments, snare and tom-toms have this resonant, dry and cracking sound on them, field drums have this sharp and menacing sound and kettledrums have a dry and deep sound on it. And then, it appears that pianos have bright and lively sound on every stroke of its keys.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of this set is definitely on the brighter side of tuning as the emphasis on the upper-mids up to the brilliance part is quite noticeable. With its elevated upper-mids and presence part of the treble region gives a more sharper attack, definition and clarity on instruments and female vocals but at the expense of occasional slight sibilance especially in sibilant-laden tracks (try Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son by Iron Maiden if ever).

There's a good amount of sparkle and excellent treble air extension on how it affects some instruments like cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas. Cymbals have these sizzling, metallic and dry sounds while hi-hats have these buzzing sounds albeit it's a bit exaggerated in terms of decay as they are known to have a sudden shortened sound. Glockenspiels have a glistening and a tad piercing sound while celestas have a glistening and sweet sound.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

On how I perceived the size of its general sound/speaker stage, it has an above-average to wide lateral span on both ends, good height reach and depth for a planar set. The overall dimension of its sound field gives me that moderately spacious head room within my aural sphere.

Its stereo imaging gives me a concave-like presentation where I was able to locate some placement of instruments and vocals in a soundscape. While it has a good separation, I noticed that its layering present appears to be in two-layer rather than the standard four layers that I usually experience on most planar sets that I've tested. But at least it doesn't sound congested and disorganised on playing some complex multi-instrumental tracks.

Like all planar sets, the F1 PRO is no different in terms of coherency of its driver performance as it has a very fast and responsive transient speed without any distortion on its sound quality.

On resolution capabilities, F1 PRO is quite very resolving on both macro-dynamics and micro-detail retrieval as it has a sufficient note texture with sharp definition on extracting any sonic nuances and detail like vocal ends, reverberations and notation attacks of instruments.


PEER COMPARISONS:

KEFINE KLANAR

• Like the F1 PRO, it also has a metal-alloy shell chassis and similar-sized magnetic planar albeit it has some added composite material that makes it even more responsive and power efficient. The KLANAR is quite easy to drive even for a magnetic planar set.
• As for tonality, KLANAR has a V-shaped sound profile as it has more emphasis on bass and treble region which share a similar sound signature with the F1 PRO but on the treble, KLANAR is quite smooth and well-balanced response that sibilance and harshness are subdued and well-controlled.
• On technical performance, it is also similar in terms of sound/speaker staging, stereo imaging and coherency, but the KLANAR is quite better in terms of layering but less sharper of micro-detail definition.

KIWI EARS MELODY

• KIWI EARS’ first magnetic planar IEM for the entry-level audio market. It has a smaller size planar magnetic driver that was encased in a medium-sized composite shell chassis. Like all KIWI EARS products, the MELODY has a meagre amount of inclusions.
• MELODY has uncommon tuning for a planar set as while it has a v-shaped signature, it is quite warm sounding for a magnetic planar. It has more mid-bass texture that it might sound a bit too boomy, a warm and rich midrange presentation and smooth yet less airy treble response.
• As for technical capabilities, like the F1 PRO, the MELODY has similar sound/speaker stage dimensions, imaging, separation and coherency. But the MELODY has a better layering presentation but again less resolving particularly on micro-dynamics that F1 PRO has more sharper definition.

As I conclude this product assessment, NICEHCK F1 PRO makes a statement that a set with planar magnetic driver could have a musical tonality to have a fun and engaging sound while maintaining a good technical performance. For sure that energetic and tizzy sheen timbre that planar magnetic driver aren't for everyone's preference as it doesn't that natural tone and dynamics that most dynamic driver sets could deliver but what makes this set truly as compelling one was its pricing, the quality of its overall construction and a fun factor of its coloured sound that makes it more enjoyable and even more engaging to listen upon.

NICEHCK F1 PRO is now available on NICEHCK OFFICIAL STORE on ALIEXPRESS. Check out the unaffiliated link below.

★★NICEHCK OFFICIAL STORE - ALIEXPRESS★★


For more review on a NICEHCK product, I provided a link down.

● NICEHCK DB2

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: NICEHCK F1 PRO
IMPEDANCE: 16Ω
SENSITIVITY: 104dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 28KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm, 4.4mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) PLANAR MAGNETIC DRIVER

Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*



P.S.

I am not affiliated to NICEHCK nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to Ms. VIVIAN for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.