I had the chance to demo this IEM for about 2 weeks by participating in a loan tour, organized by a member of the community. I would like to thank him for the opportunity !

As a disclaimer, the sources used with the FiR Audio M5 are the iFi Micro Black Label and Sony NW-WM1A. I found the M5 to be fairly resistant to hissing, which makes it quite versatile with sources (big bonus if you're not sure your DAP or DAC/AMP is quiet enough). I also found the comfort to be quite good for long periods, as I did not get any pressure build up whatsoever. Stock cable is quite good. It is pliable, but not the softest. Feels good on the ears, it doesn’t itch or anything.

The music I listen to tends to be quite vast, but it mostly revolves around metal, rock, instrumental and soundtracks. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the bands I used to gather my thoughts : Dream Theater, Haken, Jinjer, Opeth, Tool, Gojira, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Soen, Karnivool, Andy Timmons, Marco Sfoli, Anup Sastry, Intervals, Plini, Animals as Leaders, Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi.

As for as sound goes, I think this particular IEM goes for an exciting sound signature, with decent bass (not the best, even though it’s a DD, but gets the job done). The sub bass extension and mid bass are about average for a DD (still better than most full BA setups).

Treble does not feel exaggerated, even though most EST implementations tend to have a bit too much energy for my tastes. Can definitely be a little hot for some people, but I did not hear unbearable peaks.

Mid range is quite good ! Definitely goes for something balanced. Vocals and instruments are not emphasized, they just sit a little back compared to the rest of the mix. Detail pickup was above average for a flagship. It could not keep up with some of the other models I’ve tried (namely, the Anole VX and U12t, which are both cheaper). Still decent overall, but not amazing considering the price.

All in all, I'm not sure I would recommend this IEM at full retail. The price is higher due to the technologies used (trybrid with EST, DD and BA drivers), but the actual sound does not feel improved per se. The price would be fair at around 1.7-1.9k usd, so I consider MSRP to be quite overpriced. Would probably look at alternatives from 64audio instead, although the bass response probably won’t be as good. The techs used are similar (LID, APEX, etc.), so you can something comparable if that’s something you care about.

I had the chance to demo this IEM for about 2 weeks by participating in a loan tour, organized by a member of the community. I would like to thank him for the opportunity !

As a disclaimer, the sources used with the FiR Audio M4 are the iFi Micro Black Label and Sony NW-WM1A. I found the M4 to be fairly resistant to hissing, which makes it quite versatile with sources (big bonus if you're not sure your DAP or DAC/AMP is quiet enough). I also found the comfort to be quite good for long periods, as I did not get any pressure build up whatsoever. Stock cable is quite good. It is pliable, but not the softest. Feels good on the ears, it doesn’t itch or anything.

The music I listen to tends to be quite vast, but it mostly revolves around metal, rock, instrumental and soundtracks. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the bands I used to gather my thoughts : Dream Theater, Haken, Jinjer, Opeth, Tool, Gojira, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Soen, Karnivool, Andy Timmons, Marco Sfoli, Anup Sastry, Intervals, Plini, Animals as Leaders, Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi. I feel like rock and metal are the best genres for this specific IEM, but the somewhat "relaxed" treble response might not work with everyone.

As far as sound goes, some things sound amazing, some things don’t sound really good. I'm not sure I would say it's a great all-rounder, simply because it does not go well with every genre. Sound signature was fairly pleasant (not harsh) overall, with excellent bass (sub bass is excellent, mid bass is good). Probably one of the better performer in that frequency range. The lower mids have a nice texture and timbre to them. Distorted guitars sounded great ! Vocals are definitely a bit laid back, they sit a bit at the back when compared to everything else in the mix. Not the best detail out there, can lack definition on more complex and complicated tracks. Some instruments just aren’t well reproduced (piano, bass guitar), due to speed mostly. Seems like the drivers can’t keep up. Much better at higher volume, but performance is not that great if you keep the volume fairly low.

Recommended for the price? If you really just want to relax while drinking some whiskey, then sure. The bass response is impressive. But, if you prefer to do some critical listening, then no. A bit on the pricier side of things, would be more competitive at a lower price point (something around 1.3k-1.5k usd), because I would probably take the Solaris or U12t over the M4.