FiR Audio VxV

When one of your favourite songs is ‘White Rabbit’ from Jefferson Airplane and you’re into IEMs, it’s a bit difficult not to get drawn to the FIR Audio VxV.

Released in 2021 and designed in collaboration with Singapore-based Project Perfection, the VxV was aimed to be an Every Day Carry (EDC) IEM.


The object — Small, light, well-built, with faceplates you either love or hate, together with engraved coordinates for FIR Audio’s headquarters is what makes the VxV.

The VxV are linked to your source with a supple and nicely braided 2.5mm balanced SPC cable. Balanced 2.5mm was an interesting choice given that, at the time, many manufacturers were already moving onto balanced 4.4mm terminations. With that said, from an EDC standpoint, 2.5mm does make a lot of sense.


Fit & Comfort — The ATOM vent system ensures the VxV are a pressure-free experience all the while providing a good level of isolation — and since you cannot change them ‘à la’ 64 Audio, you won’t toss and turn at night to decide which one’s the best.

The nozzles otherwise aren’t too short, nor long or thick. The shells are small and light enough to be quickly forgotten, together with an SPC cable you quickly won’t feel anymore. What’s more to ask?

Tips used: Campfire Audio silicone


Sound — The VxV have an easy to drive, coherent, neutral and musical sound signature which will let your source colour some of the sound. This means that you’ll read (sometimes very) different impressions, likely depending on the source used.

With the below listed sources, the sound remained natural and musical, with a somewhat reserved low-end which does however punch when needed. Despite being powered by a dynamic driver, the low-end sits in-between a BA and DD low-end. Mids work equally well with female and male vocals, guitars, strings, and bring out the texture in a very nice way. Treble is well extended and could turn a bit bright with some sources though it wasn’t the case here. The VxV’s soundstage is wide and imaging as well as separation are both excellent.

Single-ended, the VxV will sound a tad more analogue and relaxed with less top-end fatigue on some tracks though this will be at the expense of some soundstage.

Files / Sources used: CD-quality FLAC bought from Qobuz & Tidal HiFi streaming / Cayin RU6, RU7, Uncapped Sony ZX-507 & NW-WM1AM2 (Direct Source: On), all via ddHiFi balanced adapters


Conclusion — While some might prefer it with specific genres, the VxV remains genre agnostic and will very likely play well with a bit of everything with the only caveat that it isn’t for bassheads.

Interestingly, it seems to take the best of what another Northern American brand has made: Campfire Audio. The VxV packs the qualities of the Andromeda 2020, Ara and Solaris 2020 into a sub-$1k IEM with a funky look that might be the best, and most convenient, sound for the money I heard in an IEM. Better late than never.

Overview:

Up for review today is the FiR Audio VxV (pronounced Five by Five). FiR Audio has been hitting it out of the park lately with their universal IEMs. Previously, the Belonoshko brother worked at 64 Audio designing and manufacturing IEMs for that lauded brand. They brought their knowledge to FiR Audio and began producing fantastic IEMs in both universal and custom formats for both musicians and audiophiles. Mine are a used set, so they’ve been fully burned in before I got them.

Normal FiR Audio IEMs come with the ATOM venting/tuning system and a bunch of other cool technology, but the VxV is really designed to be a more simple everyday carry IEM. As such, there are no fancy faceplates or gold coloring, or the kinetic bass port you’ll find on their higher-end models. What you do get is 5 drivers, 1x 6mm DD for the lows, 2x BA mid-drivers, 1x BA high-driver, and 1x BA Ultra-high driver per ear. The focus here is the best possible sound without the advanced tech of the M series or frontier series at a more approachable price – and spoiler alert, they pull it off. On with the review!



Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (7/10):

The stock box is really minimalist, just a small regular cardboard box with the FiR VxV Bunny logo on it. It’s very plain compared to IEMs like the Elysium and Mezzo LE. Inside the box is a really nice package though, with a black leather case with everything inside it. There is normally a 3.5mm cable included, though you can get a balanced 2.5mm balanced cable if you like, and 5 pairs of ear tips. The tips come with one set of foamies, a set of double-flanged, and 3 sets of silicone. They should fit just about any preference, but I personally used the Spinfit W1s since I know they give me a good fit and good isolation/sound quality. The case also includes cleaning materials.

Oh, and you get awesome bunny stickers including an astronaut bunny with a FiR flag. I have to give a bonus point for the best stickers I’ve seen come with an audio-related product. So yes, it doesn’t come with a lot, but this is also their “budget” offering, so it comes with everything you need, and nothing you don’t. It’s just as nice as the kit that comes with the more expensive Fibae 5, but it doesn’t really hit the amount of stuff that comes with the $80 TRUTHEAR HEXA. So, if you really need more ear tips, you can just buy your own set, Final, AZLA, and Spinfit make nice ones. Still, it’s nicer than the kit that comes with the Fibae 5, which is the bare minimum anything near $1k should come with, and approaching the JH Audio ROX kit. 7/10 points here. As always, I'm using my Spinfit W1 tips since they're the best I've found (You can buy them here if you want a set: https://amzn.to/3WDrNIk.)

Cable (8/10):

The cable that comes with the VxV is better quality than a lot of cables I’ve seen come with IEMs costing 2-3x as much. The biggest downside here is that it comes with a 3.5mm stock (mine is the 2.5mm), oh, and MMCX instead of 2-pin. So, if you’re looking for a 4.4mm balanced, which at this point is the gold standard of balanced cable connections, you’ll have to find one from an aftermarket company because there’s not even an option for a 4.4mm from FiR. Additionally, if you have an extra 4.4mm laying around, it likely won’t fit the MMCX connectors unless you’re a Campfire Audio fan. Luckily, you can grab a pretty nice Zonie cable from Linsoul off Amazon for only $20. Or, if you want, FiR will build you an 8-strand one for around $325.

If for some reason your DAP or DAC/amp actually has a 2.5mm balanced port, you can get your included cable terminated in that connector. Or, you can use an adapter, which is what I had to do since mine came with the 2.5mm cable. I had to add a 2" adapter to use the 2.5mm cable since I've only ever owned one DAP with a 2.5mm port. The problems with 2.5mm will still exist though, compatibility, and durability – the 2.5mm are super easy to break since they’re so thin. The cable itself is silver-plated copper, and it’s a 2-strand instead of a 4 or 8-strand. The cable is soft and lightweight and one of the nicest stock cables I’ve seen in this price range, previous connector issues aside. Personally, I really like MMCX - it doesn’t have a lot of the issues that 2-pin has. It is harder to find though, and some people hate it for some reason, so if that’s you, avoid FiR and Campfire products I guess (you’ll be missing out).

Build Quality/Comfort (9/10):

The build quality on these is really good. The chassis itself is aluminum while the faceplate surround makes me think of glow-in-the-dark roller blade plastic – no clue why, but sadly they don’t glow (missed opportunity FiR). The inner part of the faceplate feels a little like a tough sticker, and while I love the logo, the black part scratches easily with tiny, almost imperceptible scratches. You can only see them if you angle them in the light a certain way, but I’d be remiss not to mention it. Overall, these feel like really durable IEMs and I would feel OK tossing them into a bag and using them as their intended EDC IEM. I don’t think there are any other IEMs in this price range with this sound quality I can say that about – not the Fibae 5, and certainly not the Monarch Mk2.

The comfort of the VxV is extremely good since they are lightweight and tiny IEMs. They remind me of the Symphonium Meteor with their size and shape. I can wear these all day long with no issues. They will sit inside your outer ear with no issues, and while they won’t sit just inside your inner ear like the Final A5000, the nozzles are long enough to get a good seal. After wearing TOTL IEMs like the Ronin and Mentor, these are a nice change – they’re about the same size as the Fibae 5 (F5), though the F5 has longer nozzles. 9/10 points - 1 point off for the weird, hard-to-see scratches on the faceplate.

Sound:

Check out the wolfhawk.squig.link frequency response graph below. I’m comparing these to the Custom Art Fibae 5 since I have both on hand and they’re very close in price. Obviously, the Fibae 5 are going to be your IEM if you want bass – that’s just not what the VxV is shooting for and it’s apparent when listening to EDM. The mids on these two are surprisingly close – almost identical – believe me, that’s a good thing. Lastly, while both appear to have pretty close highs, I’ll take the tuning of the VxV over the Fibae 5 for Highs quality any day since the F5 has some of the BEST highs I’ve heard on any IEM, let alone one in this price bracket. That said, the sibilance and sharpness on the VxV come as a trade-off to those detailed and pronounced highs.



I am powering these off of my HiBy RS8 on Medium gain through Tidal Hi-Fi with MQA enabled. They are easy to drive and I’m using about 20-30/100 volume through a balanced 4.4mm connection.

Lows (15/20):

I’m starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” The VxV starts off with some punchy bass and the clapping in the background is quite highlighted as well. The sub-bass windup is almost imperceptible and the sub-bass itself is present, but not mind-blowing. It’s a very muted sub-bass. These are very neutral-sounding IEMs and the mids are very forward and present (which I like, but it’s not great for a bass test.) 5/10 points.

Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the mids as that is just as important as how strong/good the bass is. Well, if the bass on the previous song is just average, then this song must score really well, right? Actually, yes. There’s still a present bass instrument in the background and it doesn’t overwhelm the excellent mids at all. This is about as good as this song can get. 10/10 points

Mids (18/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is my test song for clean/dirty guitars and vocals with background instruments to see how clearly the vocals can be heard. The clean intro guitars sound great with excellent detail and separation. The dirt guitars also sound good with no blurring of the lines between the guitars and the other instruments. The vocals come in very clear and forward which pushes the guitars to the back a little. The high-hats can be clearly heard as well, and while this is not the highs section, it’s worth mentioning – along with a tad bit of sibilance I don’t normally get from this song. But, as this is not a highs test song, the VxV still ears a 5/6 on this.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has clean electric guitars and wonderful vocals – this song tests vocal quality and background noise. The intro guitar comes in quite clearly and with excellent musicality. Truly, the VxV is a mids monster – and I’m expecting great things from the highs detail as well. The vocals here are about as good as you can get in this price range, and only a step down from MUCH higher priced products. Yes, you can hear the fingers on the guitar strings on this song, do the detail is excellent as is the layering. 6/7 points.

To test classical instruments in the mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” For headphones that don’t have a lot of sub-bass presence, the mid-bass and low-mids can still show up impressively as evidenced by this song. There is a ton of body on the lower instruments and the mids of course come in very clearly with the piano leading the show. The mid-strings also excel here. It is really rare for headphones to do so well on all 3 mids songs, especially under $1k. 7/7 points.

Highs (12/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes. While I am expecting great things from the VxV on the next two songs, the fact that I heard sibilance on my mids test songs don’t bode well for this song. Yeah, it’s extremely sibilant – one of the worst I’ve ever heard – there’s always a trade-off, but it should mean the next song gets full points. 1/6 points.

Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” is the highs test song I use to see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare drum can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music (also good for instrument separation.) As expected, the highs on this song are excellent and easily some of the best I’ve heard. The cymbals come in very clearly and if that’s something you’re looking for, you’ll LOVE the VxV. You can even hear the cowbell in the background, which is very hard to hear on most IEMs. 7/7 points!

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. Based on the two previous songs, this one can either come in really good or really sharp, it could go either way at this point. My guess is sharpness – and my guess is right. There is some definite sharpness, but it’s not too bad – the VxV controls it better than I was expecting – putting it just above the headphones I’ve tested with sharpness. 4/7.

Soundstage/Instrument Separation/Imaging (9/10):

I use MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” to test soundstage, instrument separation, and imaging. The separation on these is fantastic and so is the imaging and resolution. Once again, I am amazed at how these perform in this price range – they certainly give the Monarch Mk2 a run for their money. The soundstage is surprisingly large as well, not TOTL level, but better than just about anything else in the $1k price range I’ve heard.

Comparisons:
The VxV are much easier to drive than the F5. I find the soundstage to be slightly larger on the F5, but the detail drops back a little bit and the mids are slightly more recessed on the F5. The Fibae 5 are not bass-shy like the VxV, and there’s almost too much bass on the Fibae, with some unwanted distortion. The sub-bass is also far more powerful on the F5, so if that’s your thing, get the F5 instead. If you want extremely detailed mids with a forward presence, grab the VxV. Additionally, if you want to hear every cymbal strike, the VxV is the IEM for you – some of the best detail and quality I’ve heard on highs, even up to the $3k bracket. Yes, there is a sibilance/sharpness tradeoff, which the F5 tames a bit, but the F5 still has both without the detail the VxV has.

In the end, it comes down to your preference between these two. If you can’t live without sub-bass, get the F5. If you can’t live without excellent highs and great imaging/instrument separation, get the VxV. The VxV is my best IEM under $1k while the Fibae 5 is my best IEM under $1,500. Do with that what you will.



Conclusion:

The VxV are a massive surprise for me. They don’t quite hit that sub-bass itch that I’d like to hear (get the XE6 or Fibae 5 for that), but the mids are fantastic and the highs are top-tier, other than the inherent sibilance that pronounced highs bring with them. The VxV are easily my current recommendation under $1k for a mids-focused IEM with excellent highs, good detail, good separation, and an impressive soundstage. Everyone talks about the Frontier series from FiR, but really, for normal people who don’t want to spend $3k on an IEM, this is really the pinnacle as long as you can handle the missing sub-bass. Long live the BUNNY!

INTRODUCTION

I would like to thank Kenneth from Project Perfection for loaning this FiR Audio VxV unit. The IEM will be returned after this review. The VxV can be gotten here!

Project Perfection is a Singaporean audio company that distributes some storied brands like Lotoo, Final Audio, DITA, Stax and FiR Audio.

FiR Audio was founded in 2018 by two brothers, Bogdan and Alex Belonozhko and their friend Daniel Lifflander. Between them, they have over 20 years of experience from working previously at 64 Audio.


FiR Audio's mascot is that of a rabbit named Firry!


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This FiR Audio VxV is a pretty competent 5-driver hybrid IEM that does most areas well, and has few weaknesses in the tuning. The warm-neutral signature is quite balanced to handle most music genres. In fact, I see the VxV as a jack-rabbit of all trades, and most folk should find something to like about it, perhaps other than die-hard bassheads and trebleheads.


SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: Hybrid: 1x Dynamic Driver, 2x Mid-driver Balanced Armature, 1x High-driver Balanced Armature, 1x Ultra-high Driver Balanced Armature
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20000Hz
• Impedance: 16 Ohms
• Sensitivity: no specs available online
• Cable: MMCX, 2.5mm TRRS balanced connector
• $999 USD

As per its namesake, the VxV contain 5 drivers for each side.


ACCESSORIES


The packaging is rather austere, coming in a small white cardboard box. BTW the Firry rabbit stuff toy is not included!!!

Other than the IEM, these are included:

- 3 pairs of silicone tips (S/M/L)
- 1 pair of double flanged silicone tips
- 1 pair of foam tips
- Cable
- Cleaning brush
- Leather hardcase
- 3 x Firry rabbit stickers

The cable is made of silver-plated copper. This cable is very well braided and pliant, with no microphonics. It only comes in a 2.5 mm termination, so those that use 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm sources may need an aftermarket adapter (which isn't included). There is a chin cinch to secure fit during usage.

Sadly, this cable features a semi-proprietary MMCX design, where there is a shroud over the left/right termination of the cable, and it may hence not be usable with other standard MMCX IEMs. If aftermarket MMCX cables are used, they can still pair with the VxV housing, but there will be a bit of a metal sheath that will be exposed. Nothing deal-breaking, as sound can still be generated, just that it may be a bit of an eye-sore as such.

While I'm generally not a fan of MMCX (they seem to deteriorate faster than 2-pin connectors with repeated cable changes), the MMCX quality on the VxV seems very robust. The cables snap off easily and back on without much force needed on the MMCX connectors.

The leather hard case is very elegant, with the inner layer lined by a velvety material.

Everything is pretty usable out of the box, I don't think you will need to source for aftermarket accessories for the VxV (other than the aforementioned adapters for non 2.5 mm sources). Only thing is at this pricing, the provided accessories are not exactly class-leading, but well, accessories maketh not an IEM, and I would be more interested in the sound, as we will read on below.

For the purposes of this review, the stock silicone tips and cable were used.


BUILD/COMFORT

The VxV is tear-drop shaped, and is extremely light and ergonomic, with no discomfort with prolonged usage. It is advertised to be made of hybrid 6000 aluminum and DuPont engineering plastic, which does explain the very light yet solid build.

I didn’t find any driver flex during usage; the VxV sports a unique ATOM pressure venting system, with the vents placed near the MMCX female connector region, rather than the traditional location on the shell housing. This in theory lessens listener fatigue and pressure, in addition to reducing the likelihood of driver flex.


The right earpiece showcases Firry (FiR Audio's rabbit mascot), while the left earpiece is emblazoned with FiR Audio's logo.


ISOLATION

Isolation is good (especially with the foam or double flanged tips), this set is quite usable in noisy or outdoor environments. Perhaps it can even be used as a stage monitor in view of the good isolation levels.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the VxV with:
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- E1DA DAC/AMP dongle
- Colorfly CDA M1 DAC/AMP dongle
- IKKO Zerda ITM01 dongle
- Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle (BHD firmware)
- Smartphone

The VxV is pretty easy to drive from lower powered gear, but scales with amplification.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The FiR Audio VxV is a warm-neutral IEM with rather good tonal balance. This makes it quite all-rounder for most music genres. Perhaps only die-hard bassheads and trebleheads may dislike this tuning as there are slight roll-offs at both extremes.

For a hybrid, the VxV is very coherent, and there aren't any awkward troughs and peaks that are audible.


Graph of the VxV via IEC711 compliant coupler. The 8 kHz area is a coupler artefact peak.

Bass on the VxV is north of neutral, but not at bona fide basshead levels. It is mid-bass focused with a slight sub-bass roll-off, though sub-bass still extends quite well. Bass quality is controlled and tight, with minimal mid-bass bleed, and the bass has good texturing and speed. Of note, the VxV kept up with the bass movements in Sting's Englishman In New York, which is my test track for bass speed and texturing; some IEMs with a slower bass may have smearing during the bass solo movements mid-track.

Midrange on the VxV is quite full-bodied at the lower mids. Upper mids are slightly boosted, but with a less than 10 dB pinna gain, this set is not shouty in the upper mids. Vocals are hence forward without being fatiguing.

Treble is moderately extended, there is good clarity and micro-details. Lower treble is boosted around the 5 kHz regions, but upper treble has a slight roll-off, hence the VxV lacks the air and sparkle that die-hard trebleheads would yearn for. There are occasions of sibilance, but by and large, treble sensitive folk should be quite at home with the tuning.



Technical aspects are pretty solid on the VxV, with good micro-details, imaging and instrument separation on tap. Soundstage is above average, it is not the tallest, but has good depth and width. Layering is no slouch and music never sounded compressed on the VxV even with tracks with complex movements.

Timbre is acceptable considering there are BAs inside. There is a slight tinge of BA timbre for acoustic instruments, but nothing really deal-breaking.


COMPARISONS

Campfire Andromeda 2020

The VxV has a deeper sub-bass extension, thicker note weight and a better soundstage than the Andromeda 2020. Timbre is slightly better on the VxV too.

My biggest bugbear with the Andromeda 2020 is that it is very fussy with sources (due to the low impedance and rules of eights), and it also hisses with sources with a poor noise floor. The VxV on the other hand, is much more source agnostic, and not as troublesome to pair sources with. That in itself makes the VxV less finicky between these two SummitFI sets.


Sony IER-M9

The venerable M9 comes with a much better assortment of accessories.

Accessories aside, the M9 is also tuned neutralish-warm, but even so, it is slightly less bright in the lower treble than the VxV, and more laid back overall. In technical performance, the M9 is better in soundstage, layering, imaging, instrument separation.

The M9 is harder to drive though.


Earsonics Onyx

The Earsonics Onyx has a much heavier and larger shell, this can be fatiguing in terms of comfort.

The Onxy is more V-shaped with a bigger bass. The bass on the Onyx is unfortunately not as textured and bleeds into the mid-bass. The Onyx is also darker in the treble and has worse resolution, imaging, soundstage and micro-details than the FiR Audio VxV.


Mangird Xenns Up

The Xenns Up comes with a bigger spread of accessories and has a bigger sub-bass than the VxV. The Xenns Up are more basshead and also darker in the treble.

In technicalities, the Xenns Up is slightly poorer in imaging, micro-details, clarity, instrument separation than the VxV.


CONCLUSIONS

This FiR Audio VxV is a pretty competent 5-driver hybrid IEM that does most areas well, and has few weaknesses in the tuning. The warm-neutral signature is quite balanced to handle most music genres. In fact, I see the VxV as a jack-rabbit of all trades, and most folk should find something to like about it, perhaps other than die-hard bassheads and trebleheads.



My nitpicks for the VxV have to do with the packaging and semi-proprietary MMCX connectors, plus a slight BA timbre.

The VxV would be a good all-rounder and jack-rabbit of all trades TOTL model for those that are keen to sample something in SummitFI rabbit-hole. I quite enjoyed my time with the VxV and am sad to return this loaner unit. In fact, I very much look forward to what other rabbits FiR Audio can pull out of the hat (no pun intended), and watch with anticipation for their future releases!