TL;DR: Bring on the wubwub.
Overview
Hi all. Dipping my toes into reviewing IEMs because this has been a fun hobby and being given the opportunity to demo a product, it only feels right to spend some time to give impressions as a way to appreciate the product and give back a bit.
At this point in time, if you've ever been interested in a basshead oriented IEM and are looking for the TOTL, FatFreq has probably caught your interest. If they haven't...
FatFreq is a company out of Singapore. Their popularity has seemed to increase very recently with some of their releases either from word of mouth to various reviewers and influencers. They have several line ups but their Maestro series is what has people most excited (maybe it's time to check out their Signature series?)
https://fatfreq.com/
The Scarlet Mini is essentially a refresh of the Maestro Mini and was originally going to just be called the v2 (from my understanding and based on information found online... please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll be more than happy to edit this) before they decided to just name it the Scarlet Mini with a new look/color. I believe the Maestro Mini does have it's own dedicated v2/version update (with recessed 2-pin sockets, build-in mesh guard and slight tuning change for more natural bass timbre) but I digress.
Disclaimers: Shout out to @Sebastien Chiu - this product was received as part of the on-going Scarlet Mini Tour that he helped organize. I was given no instructions, not even told that I needed to do a review so these impressions are all of my own accord and desire to write about it.
Build Quality and Comfort
Photo dump time! The case and IEMs are absolutely gorgeous. They are some of the best looking IEMs I've seen and there are a LOT out there that look amazing. But, I'm sure I'll say the same thing to anything else that comes out.
They arrived in a padded hard case:
They came with their updated red cable and some tips/adapter. I didn't find the stock tips as comfortable for me (and I wasn't able to get the best seal with them) and, considering it looks like a size may not be on there, I only put them on for a moment before running my own tips.
I have a few sets of tips that I run that work for me. The nozzle on the Scarlet Mini isn't to the Zero Red levels but they're definitely not the smallest.
- Dunu S&S (which are great for larger nozzles) did not seal properly in my right ear. I use the L size for the Dunu S&S which usually seal with larger nozzles. It felt like a channel imbalance when I tried these tips on the Scarlet Mini so I moved on.
- SpinFit W1 (Size M) sealed properly but the right eartip got stuck in my ear when pulling out a few times. It felt a bit too tight of a seal.
- Final Type E Clear/Reds - I feel like Goldilocks but this was the ticket/fit that I was looking for. I used the size L for these and fit is perfect and comfortable.
With the proper eartips, these disappear. They fit wonderfully, the smaller IEM is comfortable (like Kato sized but with bigger sound than the Kato) and I could easily wear these 24/7 without any issues (beyond my wife probably being mad at me for not hearing her).
Sound
But, how do they sound? Bass. Thanks for reading. We're out.
For the sake of not repeating/reposting other people's squigs (as I'm too casual for this to get my own measurement rig), I won't post it but you can easily find measurements which all tell you one single thing:
Would a subwoofer gif have worked better? Probably.
Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer or Phone.
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Dongle & Pixel 8 Pro - Qudelix-5k
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro. (Oh god, if I had used the tone control on the bass to bump it up, I think my head would have caved in)
Lows/Bass: This damn thing hits hard. For such a smaller form factor of an IEM, the sound is heavy. At times, it felt like the bass was borderline -too- much and on some tracks, it felt like my head was nodding along to the music but not because of the music. But because of the incredible sub bass.
Yes, this is a -bass cannon™-. There is absolutely no apologetics to what the intent of this IEM is. The IEM will shake your head on tracks that have a lot of bass and will still make your head feel like it's thumping on tracks that don't focus on bass. But, I mean... that's what we're here for, right? You wouldn't have been interested in a Scarlet Mini if you weren't looking to rock out or wubwub out.
The best thing about the bass is that the focus is more on the sub bass and the rumble there vs mid-bass which reduces any potential bleed over to the mid-range (not that there isn't still some bleed but you'd expect more from looking at a graph).
Really, the quality, details, texture, everything about the bass feels like it could be the end game for a lot of bassheads. But this would not be an IEM that you'd want to have as your only set unless you were strictly just a basshead who only listens to EDM, hip hop or similar music. This is more of a second/fun set you keep which makes it a very niche pick up.
Mids: Considering how bassy this set is, how do the mid-range/vocals sound? Great, actually. They're pushed up/closer to you as a result of the overall sound package but far from recessed or clouded over. In fact, the vocals sound extremely natural and even female vocals still shine well on them, IMO. Still, this is not something you'd want to keep as a vocal centric set and/or your only set ever even with how good the mids (despite the heavy bass). There is some bleed over from the bass but it's not entirely taking over the mid-range.
Treble: IMO, this is the frequency that's the most effected by the bass. While the treble is definitely not fatiguing, there is definitely a bit of a lack of resolution/air/detail on the top end. That being said, It's hard to fault the Scarlet Mini for this deficiency as the top end sounds -good enough- considering what you're getting with the sound signature. In fact, while the advertising is that this is a V-shaped set, I would argue that it's a left handed check mark since V would indicate you're getting more treble/air and I don't feel that's the case.
These are not your reference quality IEMs and they don't make any attempt to advertise that they are though so I can't fault them on this.
Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:
Soundstage is OK. Imaging, separation is all not the strong points here. I don't think the technicalities are leading at their price point but I feel they're adequate enough that you wouldn't need to try and EQ it in this package. It's hard to make additional points because they're all just OK but you're not getting this set for those purposes which is why I think these are a great -fun- set but likely not going to be the only set you ever touch/get. I would argue that there's enough IEMs out there that provide that sound signature where you get from 'good' to 'great' on everything while the Scarlet Mini is about being a -bad@ss- set on the bass and being 'good enough' on everything else.
I won't breakdown how each song sounds like on the Scarlet Mini but hopefully this gives you an idea of the music I enjoy/listen to and gives you some color to what I felt the Scarlet Mini exceled at presenting to me.
Gorillaz - 19-2000 Soulchild Mix
Deadmau5 - There Might be Coffee
ACDC - Thunderstruck
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Ludwig Göransson - the Mandalorian Theme
Lumineers - Leader of the Landslide
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
Holly Cole Trio - I Can See Clearly Now
L`arc-en-Ciel - Ready Steady Go
Black Keys - 10 Lovers, Gold on the Ceiling
On a lot of tracks, the Scarlet Minis were giving me what I wanted from the tracks in terms of the overall sound package but gave me the bass that makes listening to music -fun- and engaging.
I would say that these (or likely the Maestro Mini though I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet) would be the next step up for something like the 7hz Legato in terms of a higher price point basshead set. I -love- my Legato and I think these extend better on details/mids/technalities over the Legato while hitting harder.
Other Things to be aware of:
From my understanding, there is a huge backorder right now on these. Also, I don't think I would pick up the red cable as they feel a bit pricey for it (as others have said). Again, be careful on your eartips and don't hesitate to roll them to find the best fit. I used the Abigail dongle which worked out OK but I did have to push the power on them a bit to get the most out of them. Qudelix-5k worked fine and they performed well on the Archel 3 Pro that I use. They're great for high volume listening and lower/mid volume because of the signature and there's no distortion on either side whether you want to drown the world out or use them for lower volume/casual listening.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, bass.
The end.
But in all serious'ness, I think these are great for bassheads. While I -cannot- fault you if these end up being your endgame/only IEMs if you're a degenerate bass lover, that's likely not going to be for everyone. I think these would make a great 2nd/3rd option like having an all-star on your team who helps round out your line up when you need to drop the boom. Is the price worth it, though, for having it be a 2nd/3rd option? Price would be in the eye of the beholder and your choice.
Using my comparison of the Legato here... If the 7hz Legato were like the valedictorian of their Bassy Bass High class, the Scarlet Mini holds the doctorate and just published a Wubwub thesis that should be reviewed by anyone who wants to subscribe to that sound signature.
Thanks for reading!
As a Xenns Up owner I'm not that intrigued haha. I also think that the sub bass is already pretty good. The only set I owned that beat it was the Monarch Mk3.