Preamble:
Before I start with my actual review, I would like to thank Penon Audio for providing me with a sample of the A65 (http://penonaudio.com/FIDUE-A65) in exchange for my honest opinion on it. I am not affiliated with Penon or Fidue in any way and this review (as usual) reflects my actual thoughts on the product.
Penon Audio is a Chinese online shop for hi-fi products and was founded in 2013.
I have also been a client of theirs and bought products from them several times and can’t really report any bad things about them. With standard shipping, the delivery time never exceeded two weeks and this time, the A65 arrived quite quickly as well (12 days) here in Germany.
Benny Tan, Fidue’s chief engineer, has got more than 20 years of experience in developing and producing premium headphones and has already designed several products for some famous brands in the past, so says the text on the back of the A65’s packaging.
That the team around Benny Tan and Fidue are no rookies in the audio industry becomes obvious when one starts listening to their products, such as the A65 or the hybrid A73 that already convinced me before, but I’ll get more into detail further below in my review.
Technical Specifications:
Price: $59.90
Drivers: dynamic, 8 mm, titanium-coated
Frequency Response: 16 – 22000 Hz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Distortion: < 1%
Max. Input Power: 30 mW
Cable Length: 1.3 m
Microphone Sensitivity: -42 dB (+/- 3 dB)
Microphone SNR: > 55 dB
Delivery Content:
The A65 comes in a sturdy white cardboard box with a the model and manufacturer name on the right, including a short description with white text on green background, which I find unique and refreshing. The green colour, together with the “F” in Fidue that looks like a branch with two leaves, brings up associations of harmony, calmness and relationship with nature – but that was enough association for today.
Moreover, there is a chequered grey pattern that consists of the Fidue F and grey squares above the Fidue logo on the front. The green band from the front continues on the bottom and has got the brief description from the front translated into Chinese and German, with the slogan “Original sound, beautifully voiced!” with Benny Tan’s printed signature beneath.
On the back, there’s a QR code with the serial number overhead and the technical specifications with a brief description of the company and Benny Tan on the right.
Inside are the In-Ears, four pairs of silicone eartips (three pairs that differ in size and one pair of double-flange tips; the medium single-flange tips are already installed on the A65), a small carrying pouch (a zippered case would have been nicer to see), a shirt clip with the white Fidue logo on it, an unnecessary silicone cable tie (rolling it up with the fingers is in my opinion faster and better) and finally something that seems to be a warranty card.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
Respect, Fidue!
The entire in-ear bodies are made of metal. The front with the nozzle consists of a darkish “gunmetal” grey, the middle part is copper-coloured (I even assume that it actually is varnished copper) and the faceplate is made of silver stainless steel with a “Fidue F” on it.
The straight connector, the y-split and the remote control (whose button can only be pushed with a lot of force on my sample) are all made of finely grooved metal cylinders and have got grey rubbery strain reliefs. Strain relief on the IEMs’ shells is also of superb quality and grey as well. The sturdily feeling, tangle-free cable is very flexible and of greyish semi-transparent nature, wherefore the copper and red coloured wires can be seen through.
There are about no microphonics when the cables are worn around the ears, though I am missing a chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The A65 can be worn both with the cables straight down or around the ears, whereby the latter is the preferred method with all of my in-ears (as it drastically reduces microphonics and improves fit as well as comfort).
The IEMs sit very comfortably in my ears, although it is a bit sad that Fidue did not implement a chin-slider (probably due to the in-line remote control). As a consequence of it, the cables move when I lean backward or to the sides.
The isolation is above mediocre in my ears, although audibly lower than with entirely sealed IEMs.
Remote Control, Microphone:
The single button in-line remote control works smoothly and without any flaws with all devices that support a microphone and remote control. The Button’s pressure point is rather high, but it is still easy to operate and not too stiff.
The microphone’s speech quality is above average, with correct and realistic yet somewhat muffled voices, which can be tuned to sound clearer by turning the microphone towards one’s mouth.
Sound:
Just in case, the A65 was burnt in before listening.
My main source devices for this evaluation were the iBasso DX80 as well as DX90 and the HiFime 9018d. The music was mainly stored in FLAC format.
By the way, the small vent in the front of the in-ear bodies influences the bass quantity (the lows increase the more it is closed), wherefore the impressions could differ from person to person.
Tonality:
The A65 is tuned well and located more on the balanced side.
The bass is only slightly elevated by 3.5 dB in my ears. That gentle emphasis focusses mainly on the upper bass, but also somewhat includes the upper mid-bass and lower fundamental tone range. Down from the midbass, level decreases, but the A65 is able to produce a good amount of sub-bass at decent levels without any problems.
From the upper bass on, the level in the fundamental area is fairly even and neutral and smoothly transits into the midrange which is present, but not really emphasised, however minimally on the darker and gentle side.
Joyfully, the A65’s lower treble/presence area is not really pushed back and is not under-present, unlike with many other in-ears.
The following treble is a bit more in the background, but doesn’t make the sound appear warm, but only slightly dark and gentle. The entire treble is very even as well as smooth and I can’t spot any dips or peaks except for a small, broad-banded emphasis at 8.5 kHz which is however very unobtrusive and definitely below the ground-line.
Level is a bit more in the background in the super-treble above 10 kHz, but doesn’t really decrease from then on and still maintains a constant level up to the extremely high frequencies.
Resolution:
Here’s really about nothing to criticise and the A65 sounds high-resolving, detailed as well as precise.
The lows are fairly fast, responsive and dry, maintain a good control and hit hard. Lows don’t soften towards sub-bass, which is nice to hear.
The mids are clean and detailed; voices sound natural, finely resolved and tactile.
At first glance, treble seems a bit less detailed, but it really isn’t. As it is very even, smooth and moderately in the background, it does not grab one’s attention first, but it is clean as well as precise, however cymbals’ decay is a bit too fast and lacks some ringing.
The value that is offered here is quite remarkable and the Fidue even maintains good control with fast and complex music.
Soundstage:
In my ears, the soundstage displayed by the A65 is about average in width, with more or less the same spatial depth. Instrument separation and layering however are enormously precise, and single instruments as well as sound elements are sharply and cleanly separated from each other.
Honestly, this is clearly more than you can expect in terms of separation and spatial precision from a soundstage out of an IEM in this price range – a big thumbs up.
---------
Vs. DUNU Titan 1:
Both IEMs have got titanium-coated drivers, but follow a different tonality and also differ in terms of soundstage presentation.
The Fidue is the more balanced sounding out of the two earphones. Regarding resolution, both are not really far apart, though I would probably say that the DUNU has got the slightly higher amount of details. In the midrange, I see the Fidue as gently higher resolving and also in general as being more natural sounding.
The DUNU is a bit faster in the bass department where it has the better control and body at the same time.
The DUNU’s soundstage is clearly laterally as well as spatially larger extending (which could also be expected beforehand due to the semi-open design), but the Fidue’s instrument separation and spatial precision is at least just as good.
Conclusion:
There is really not much you could do wrong with the Fidue A65 at this price point – it offers a superb build quality and a natural sound signature with a high resolution as well as a very precise soundstage reproduction with sharp and clean instrument separation. The value for the money (both regarding sonically as well as haptically) is sublime.
The lack of a chin slider, the just semi-protective carrying pouch as well as the slightly too fast decay of cymbals is my only real criticism, and therefore the A65 manages to achieve 95% or close 5 out of 5 possible stars.
Before I start with my actual review, I would like to thank Penon Audio for providing me with a sample of the A65 (http://penonaudio.com/FIDUE-A65) in exchange for my honest opinion on it. I am not affiliated with Penon or Fidue in any way and this review (as usual) reflects my actual thoughts on the product.
Penon Audio is a Chinese online shop for hi-fi products and was founded in 2013.
I have also been a client of theirs and bought products from them several times and can’t really report any bad things about them. With standard shipping, the delivery time never exceeded two weeks and this time, the A65 arrived quite quickly as well (12 days) here in Germany.
Benny Tan, Fidue’s chief engineer, has got more than 20 years of experience in developing and producing premium headphones and has already designed several products for some famous brands in the past, so says the text on the back of the A65’s packaging.
That the team around Benny Tan and Fidue are no rookies in the audio industry becomes obvious when one starts listening to their products, such as the A65 or the hybrid A73 that already convinced me before, but I’ll get more into detail further below in my review.
Technical Specifications:
Price: $59.90
Drivers: dynamic, 8 mm, titanium-coated
Frequency Response: 16 – 22000 Hz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 101 dB
Distortion: < 1%
Max. Input Power: 30 mW
Cable Length: 1.3 m
Microphone Sensitivity: -42 dB (+/- 3 dB)
Microphone SNR: > 55 dB
Delivery Content:
The A65 comes in a sturdy white cardboard box with a the model and manufacturer name on the right, including a short description with white text on green background, which I find unique and refreshing. The green colour, together with the “F” in Fidue that looks like a branch with two leaves, brings up associations of harmony, calmness and relationship with nature – but that was enough association for today.
Moreover, there is a chequered grey pattern that consists of the Fidue F and grey squares above the Fidue logo on the front. The green band from the front continues on the bottom and has got the brief description from the front translated into Chinese and German, with the slogan “Original sound, beautifully voiced!” with Benny Tan’s printed signature beneath.
On the back, there’s a QR code with the serial number overhead and the technical specifications with a brief description of the company and Benny Tan on the right.
Inside are the In-Ears, four pairs of silicone eartips (three pairs that differ in size and one pair of double-flange tips; the medium single-flange tips are already installed on the A65), a small carrying pouch (a zippered case would have been nicer to see), a shirt clip with the white Fidue logo on it, an unnecessary silicone cable tie (rolling it up with the fingers is in my opinion faster and better) and finally something that seems to be a warranty card.
Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
Respect, Fidue!
The entire in-ear bodies are made of metal. The front with the nozzle consists of a darkish “gunmetal” grey, the middle part is copper-coloured (I even assume that it actually is varnished copper) and the faceplate is made of silver stainless steel with a “Fidue F” on it.
The straight connector, the y-split and the remote control (whose button can only be pushed with a lot of force on my sample) are all made of finely grooved metal cylinders and have got grey rubbery strain reliefs. Strain relief on the IEMs’ shells is also of superb quality and grey as well. The sturdily feeling, tangle-free cable is very flexible and of greyish semi-transparent nature, wherefore the copper and red coloured wires can be seen through.
There are about no microphonics when the cables are worn around the ears, though I am missing a chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The A65 can be worn both with the cables straight down or around the ears, whereby the latter is the preferred method with all of my in-ears (as it drastically reduces microphonics and improves fit as well as comfort).
The IEMs sit very comfortably in my ears, although it is a bit sad that Fidue did not implement a chin-slider (probably due to the in-line remote control). As a consequence of it, the cables move when I lean backward or to the sides.
The isolation is above mediocre in my ears, although audibly lower than with entirely sealed IEMs.
Remote Control, Microphone:
The single button in-line remote control works smoothly and without any flaws with all devices that support a microphone and remote control. The Button’s pressure point is rather high, but it is still easy to operate and not too stiff.
The microphone’s speech quality is above average, with correct and realistic yet somewhat muffled voices, which can be tuned to sound clearer by turning the microphone towards one’s mouth.
Sound:
Just in case, the A65 was burnt in before listening.
My main source devices for this evaluation were the iBasso DX80 as well as DX90 and the HiFime 9018d. The music was mainly stored in FLAC format.
By the way, the small vent in the front of the in-ear bodies influences the bass quantity (the lows increase the more it is closed), wherefore the impressions could differ from person to person.
Tonality:
The A65 is tuned well and located more on the balanced side.
The bass is only slightly elevated by 3.5 dB in my ears. That gentle emphasis focusses mainly on the upper bass, but also somewhat includes the upper mid-bass and lower fundamental tone range. Down from the midbass, level decreases, but the A65 is able to produce a good amount of sub-bass at decent levels without any problems.
From the upper bass on, the level in the fundamental area is fairly even and neutral and smoothly transits into the midrange which is present, but not really emphasised, however minimally on the darker and gentle side.
Joyfully, the A65’s lower treble/presence area is not really pushed back and is not under-present, unlike with many other in-ears.
The following treble is a bit more in the background, but doesn’t make the sound appear warm, but only slightly dark and gentle. The entire treble is very even as well as smooth and I can’t spot any dips or peaks except for a small, broad-banded emphasis at 8.5 kHz which is however very unobtrusive and definitely below the ground-line.
Level is a bit more in the background in the super-treble above 10 kHz, but doesn’t really decrease from then on and still maintains a constant level up to the extremely high frequencies.
Resolution:
Here’s really about nothing to criticise and the A65 sounds high-resolving, detailed as well as precise.
The lows are fairly fast, responsive and dry, maintain a good control and hit hard. Lows don’t soften towards sub-bass, which is nice to hear.
The mids are clean and detailed; voices sound natural, finely resolved and tactile.
At first glance, treble seems a bit less detailed, but it really isn’t. As it is very even, smooth and moderately in the background, it does not grab one’s attention first, but it is clean as well as precise, however cymbals’ decay is a bit too fast and lacks some ringing.
The value that is offered here is quite remarkable and the Fidue even maintains good control with fast and complex music.
Soundstage:
In my ears, the soundstage displayed by the A65 is about average in width, with more or less the same spatial depth. Instrument separation and layering however are enormously precise, and single instruments as well as sound elements are sharply and cleanly separated from each other.
Honestly, this is clearly more than you can expect in terms of separation and spatial precision from a soundstage out of an IEM in this price range – a big thumbs up.
---------
Vs. DUNU Titan 1:
Both IEMs have got titanium-coated drivers, but follow a different tonality and also differ in terms of soundstage presentation.
The Fidue is the more balanced sounding out of the two earphones. Regarding resolution, both are not really far apart, though I would probably say that the DUNU has got the slightly higher amount of details. In the midrange, I see the Fidue as gently higher resolving and also in general as being more natural sounding.
The DUNU is a bit faster in the bass department where it has the better control and body at the same time.
The DUNU’s soundstage is clearly laterally as well as spatially larger extending (which could also be expected beforehand due to the semi-open design), but the Fidue’s instrument separation and spatial precision is at least just as good.
Conclusion:
There is really not much you could do wrong with the Fidue A65 at this price point – it offers a superb build quality and a natural sound signature with a high resolution as well as a very precise soundstage reproduction with sharp and clean instrument separation. The value for the money (both regarding sonically as well as haptically) is sublime.
The lack of a chin slider, the just semi-protective carrying pouch as well as the slightly too fast decay of cymbals is my only real criticism, and therefore the A65 manages to achieve 95% or close 5 out of 5 possible stars.