Mak94 Fukuoka: Potentially Packed!
To start with, who is Mak94? It is a company from China that makes IEMs for most of the parts and some cables as well. Till now, they were very much under the radar of the international market, basically, nothing about them can be found on the internet except for their stores on AliExpress, Taobao, etc. And now they are trying to move into the international market and compete with the already packed market.
So, coming on the iem “Fukuoka” its an hybrid consisting of 1DD & and 4BA’s, Surprisingly it comes at around the price range of $165 and not only its just build well, sounds pretty impressive to say the least but its accessories are really good but it doesn't stop there, its dangerously similar to the one of Myer Audio. Will talk more about this later in the review.
Note
I was sent the Fukuoka by Mak94 themselves, all of the opinions are my own. and I'm not being paid or influenced in any way to say anything good or bad about the product.
And if you would like to purchase this iem for yourself, here’s the link to the Aliexpress store.
Also these are often on discounts , so if you’re interested in getting them do keep an eye on the offers!
(Non-Affiliated)
Gears used for testing
• Questyle x Focal QP2R
• Hiby R4
• Cayin Ru7
• Hiby FD5
• iFi Hip DAC 2
Specification
• Driver configuration: 1DD + 4BA
• Frequency response: 8Hz- 40kHz
• Impedance: 36 Ω + 15% (@ 1 kHz)
• Sensitivity: 111 DB/rms (@ 1kHz)
• Cable: High-purity silver cable
• Pin Type: 2-pin, 0.78mm
• Plug Type: 4.4mm & 3.5mm (Interchangeable)
Unboxing Experience
If you have an iem from “Myer Audio” , with this Mak94 Fukuoka, you'll feel right at home. Very much Identical packaging and accessories, and since I never really had any complaints regarding the way Myer Audio used to have their packaging and accessories, I got no complaints here as well. Rather, I love the simplicity of it, Neat, clean box, and inside it everything is placed right in front of you, nothing fancy at all.
Build & Design
The Fukuoka is built out of 3d printed resin, and it feels pretty solid in the hand. No major complaints regarding the build of it, but if I have to nitpick, it would be sheer size and the weight of it, which I’ll discuss more on in the “Fit & Comfort” section of this review. Coming on to the Design section, well, the entire shell is pretty much blacked out, though I'm really curious to see what's on the inside. A transparent or semi-transparent shell edition would be a great option, in my opinion. The faceplate is where they did something, it sorta reminds me of the OG Dunu SA6’s faceplate in a way, like wooden and then painted on top. But I'm pretty sure it's just the design which mimics that sort of look. For the price, both its build and design are absolutely solid.
Fit & Comfort
The fit on these is rather on the okay side of things, due to the sheer size of the shell itself, it might be an issue fitting these into your ear if you have ears that are a bit on the smaller side. Comfort-wise it's okay, unless you have really big ears, it would feel like something is always there in your ears and not something that's gonna fade away with time, and I think that's the only and one of the biggest cons of this iem. Also, the nozzle itself is quite girthy and on the longer side. Most probably you’ll need a size smaller eartip than you normally use with other iems.
Sound
Coming on to its main aspect , the sound of the fukuoka. If i have to describe its sound in one word I'd say it's “Surprising” as it feels like it does have quite the potential in it if you push it. Looking at the graph , it looks its slightly v shaped but as always the graph tells us a gist of the story and here it's not different.
Bass
Sub-bass
The sub-bass reaches deep and is able to keep its presence throughout with no issues but the quantity is just making it not stand out from the mix. If you use something like the Hiby FD5 , you’ll truly enjoy the rumble it offers. It's not a monster in terms of the quantity of the sub-bass it provides but I think rather all the effort went into the quality of the rumble you're getting.
Mid-bass
Mid-bass wise it's pretty good , the thump goes deep but I felt that the quantity lacks a bit other than that the body of it is fantastic. I tried to fullfill the lack of quantity by using the Hip dac’s Xbass mode and boy the thump just got so impactful, even the body felt better and bigger. To the point it felt like it nearly reached the 'BASSHEAD' category but even then it didn't bleed out onto the mids!
Mid-range
Male vocal
Male vocals on the Fukuoka initially sounded a bit closed in, but over time. The more I burned it in (Yes, I do believe in burn-in), the more it opened up. It also varies quite a bit depending on the sort of tips you’re using. Such as the ddHiFi ST35 seemed the best to me in terms of opening up the vocals and remaining uncoloured. The male vocals felt like they were more on the cleaner side, not so on the warm and very relaxed side of things, but yet they are a bit behind in the overall mix, but they still retain that cleanliness in them. Other than that, note weights on them are pretty good too.
Female vocals
Female vocals sound very lively with a touch of smoothness but that amount of liveliness or overall emphasis is not fatiguing over longer listening sessions I personally prefer such lively upfront female vocal presentation in my iems but i think that a bit of smoothness would’ve been better , to really feel the emotions the artist is trying to portray. SImply put, this prioritizes clarity more.
Instruments
Instrumentals are a hit or a miss! Why? Well it all depends on the type of source you're using , if you're using something that's bright , i feel like the instrumental sound is too upfront and to some degree even metallic . Not pleasant to listen to for a longer period of time BUT if you use a warmer source, instruments sound natural and very enjoyable while not being in your face.
Treble
Just like the upper midrange , the treble is a bit spicy as well. Initially it sounded a bit sharp but not to the point you will instantly throw them off your ears. And guess what it went away after burning it in. Yes, it did need quite the amount of hours of burn in but now it's gone and very sparkly, detailed and airy. The liveliness and energy that it adds to the music is really something to praise. Also I think people who can really take the treble won't even have an issue with it right out of the box!
Technical performance
Soundstage & Imaging
This is probably one of the widest sounding iems in this price bracket. With e Wide bore eartip such as the Velvet wide bore , it really shows the sheer width it's capable of. Height wise it's simply fantastic , depth is pretty good as well , this set truly dominates here.
Imaging wise it's up there again , really precise. You can easily pick up the positions of each sound without an issue and something special is that due to the way the height of the soundstage is presented and such precise imaging , you can also distinguish the layer of each note pretty easily.
Layering & Separation
As i was saying previously about the layers , this iem handles layering pretty well , no complaints regarding that. I think if someone spends time with this set and listens to complicated track they will surely appreciate how well it portrays the layers.
Separation is also another strong aspect of this iem, every instrument , vocals sound very distant. While some iems rather feel a vague in this section., this where on the other hand just dominates.
Dynamics & Transient response
Dynamics on these are good but compared to how well it does in other technical aspects it kinda lacks behind. It's not bad by any means, it just feels a bit underwhelming if you compare it to the other aspects.
Transient response is absolutely fantastic on these, no matter what I threw at it it played just fine, no drivers felt like it's struggling to keep up or something but rather just kept on going and going , loved it!
Pairing & Power requirements
If you read the entire review you probably have already guessed what I’m about to say right now. Yes, this iem pairs best with a warmer sounding source. If you’re okay with a spicy upper midrange & treble then you can pair a neutral to slightly brighter sounding source. If not stay away from it, pair it with a warmer source and just call it a day.
Coming on to power requirements , it's a fairly easy to drive iem. You wont need something very powerful to drive these but yes it does scale a lot with various sources , the characteristics of changes and that's another reason to call it potentially packed at the very beginning.
Cable & Tip rolling
The provided cable is pretty good sonic wise, I don't think you would need an aftermarket cable for this iem. Cable itself is on the thicker side though and has a fabric coating over it which cool and all but I don't know how it will handle everyday wear and tear , only time will answer that but for the time of around 3 weeks that I that it its fine and I highly recommend not using that cable tier as that's gets stuck with the fabric coating and pulls on it.
Tips wise this is a very eartip sensitive iem as in the sounds changes quite a bit with different eartips , though the provided tips are also good so you won't any aftermarket eartips as well but I of course tried out aftermarket eartips with this and I found that it pairs best with the ddHiFi St35 eartips and i would recommend them if you're planning to eventually tip roll!
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want an iem which has lively vocals , energetic treble, excellent bass quality, outstanding technical performance but not only that you also want a complete overall package such as the cable , eartips & carrying case with the iem under the price of $170 this is exactly you should get!
Adios!
To start with, who is Mak94? It is a company from China that makes IEMs for most of the parts and some cables as well. Till now, they were very much under the radar of the international market, basically, nothing about them can be found on the internet except for their stores on AliExpress, Taobao, etc. And now they are trying to move into the international market and compete with the already packed market.
So, coming on the iem “Fukuoka” its an hybrid consisting of 1DD & and 4BA’s, Surprisingly it comes at around the price range of $165 and not only its just build well, sounds pretty impressive to say the least but its accessories are really good but it doesn't stop there, its dangerously similar to the one of Myer Audio. Will talk more about this later in the review.
Note
I was sent the Fukuoka by Mak94 themselves, all of the opinions are my own. and I'm not being paid or influenced in any way to say anything good or bad about the product.
And if you would like to purchase this iem for yourself, here’s the link to the Aliexpress store.
Also these are often on discounts , so if you’re interested in getting them do keep an eye on the offers!
(Non-Affiliated)
Gears used for testing
• Questyle x Focal QP2R
• Hiby R4
• Cayin Ru7
• Hiby FD5
• iFi Hip DAC 2
Specification
• Driver configuration: 1DD + 4BA
• Frequency response: 8Hz- 40kHz
• Impedance: 36 Ω + 15% (@ 1 kHz)
• Sensitivity: 111 DB/rms (@ 1kHz)
• Cable: High-purity silver cable
• Pin Type: 2-pin, 0.78mm
• Plug Type: 4.4mm & 3.5mm (Interchangeable)
Unboxing Experience
If you have an iem from “Myer Audio” , with this Mak94 Fukuoka, you'll feel right at home. Very much Identical packaging and accessories, and since I never really had any complaints regarding the way Myer Audio used to have their packaging and accessories, I got no complaints here as well. Rather, I love the simplicity of it, Neat, clean box, and inside it everything is placed right in front of you, nothing fancy at all.
Build & Design
The Fukuoka is built out of 3d printed resin, and it feels pretty solid in the hand. No major complaints regarding the build of it, but if I have to nitpick, it would be sheer size and the weight of it, which I’ll discuss more on in the “Fit & Comfort” section of this review. Coming on to the Design section, well, the entire shell is pretty much blacked out, though I'm really curious to see what's on the inside. A transparent or semi-transparent shell edition would be a great option, in my opinion. The faceplate is where they did something, it sorta reminds me of the OG Dunu SA6’s faceplate in a way, like wooden and then painted on top. But I'm pretty sure it's just the design which mimics that sort of look. For the price, both its build and design are absolutely solid.
Fit & Comfort
The fit on these is rather on the okay side of things, due to the sheer size of the shell itself, it might be an issue fitting these into your ear if you have ears that are a bit on the smaller side. Comfort-wise it's okay, unless you have really big ears, it would feel like something is always there in your ears and not something that's gonna fade away with time, and I think that's the only and one of the biggest cons of this iem. Also, the nozzle itself is quite girthy and on the longer side. Most probably you’ll need a size smaller eartip than you normally use with other iems.
Sound
Coming on to its main aspect , the sound of the fukuoka. If i have to describe its sound in one word I'd say it's “Surprising” as it feels like it does have quite the potential in it if you push it. Looking at the graph , it looks its slightly v shaped but as always the graph tells us a gist of the story and here it's not different.
Bass
Sub-bass
The sub-bass reaches deep and is able to keep its presence throughout with no issues but the quantity is just making it not stand out from the mix. If you use something like the Hiby FD5 , you’ll truly enjoy the rumble it offers. It's not a monster in terms of the quantity of the sub-bass it provides but I think rather all the effort went into the quality of the rumble you're getting.
Mid-bass
Mid-bass wise it's pretty good , the thump goes deep but I felt that the quantity lacks a bit other than that the body of it is fantastic. I tried to fullfill the lack of quantity by using the Hip dac’s Xbass mode and boy the thump just got so impactful, even the body felt better and bigger. To the point it felt like it nearly reached the 'BASSHEAD' category but even then it didn't bleed out onto the mids!
Mid-range
Male vocal
Male vocals on the Fukuoka initially sounded a bit closed in, but over time. The more I burned it in (Yes, I do believe in burn-in), the more it opened up. It also varies quite a bit depending on the sort of tips you’re using. Such as the ddHiFi ST35 seemed the best to me in terms of opening up the vocals and remaining uncoloured. The male vocals felt like they were more on the cleaner side, not so on the warm and very relaxed side of things, but yet they are a bit behind in the overall mix, but they still retain that cleanliness in them. Other than that, note weights on them are pretty good too.
Female vocals
Female vocals sound very lively with a touch of smoothness but that amount of liveliness or overall emphasis is not fatiguing over longer listening sessions I personally prefer such lively upfront female vocal presentation in my iems but i think that a bit of smoothness would’ve been better , to really feel the emotions the artist is trying to portray. SImply put, this prioritizes clarity more.
Instruments
Instrumentals are a hit or a miss! Why? Well it all depends on the type of source you're using , if you're using something that's bright , i feel like the instrumental sound is too upfront and to some degree even metallic . Not pleasant to listen to for a longer period of time BUT if you use a warmer source, instruments sound natural and very enjoyable while not being in your face.
Treble
Just like the upper midrange , the treble is a bit spicy as well. Initially it sounded a bit sharp but not to the point you will instantly throw them off your ears. And guess what it went away after burning it in. Yes, it did need quite the amount of hours of burn in but now it's gone and very sparkly, detailed and airy. The liveliness and energy that it adds to the music is really something to praise. Also I think people who can really take the treble won't even have an issue with it right out of the box!
Technical performance
Soundstage & Imaging
This is probably one of the widest sounding iems in this price bracket. With e Wide bore eartip such as the Velvet wide bore , it really shows the sheer width it's capable of. Height wise it's simply fantastic , depth is pretty good as well , this set truly dominates here.
Imaging wise it's up there again , really precise. You can easily pick up the positions of each sound without an issue and something special is that due to the way the height of the soundstage is presented and such precise imaging , you can also distinguish the layer of each note pretty easily.
Layering & Separation
As i was saying previously about the layers , this iem handles layering pretty well , no complaints regarding that. I think if someone spends time with this set and listens to complicated track they will surely appreciate how well it portrays the layers.
Separation is also another strong aspect of this iem, every instrument , vocals sound very distant. While some iems rather feel a vague in this section., this where on the other hand just dominates.
Dynamics & Transient response
Dynamics on these are good but compared to how well it does in other technical aspects it kinda lacks behind. It's not bad by any means, it just feels a bit underwhelming if you compare it to the other aspects.
Transient response is absolutely fantastic on these, no matter what I threw at it it played just fine, no drivers felt like it's struggling to keep up or something but rather just kept on going and going , loved it!
Pairing & Power requirements
If you read the entire review you probably have already guessed what I’m about to say right now. Yes, this iem pairs best with a warmer sounding source. If you’re okay with a spicy upper midrange & treble then you can pair a neutral to slightly brighter sounding source. If not stay away from it, pair it with a warmer source and just call it a day.
Coming on to power requirements , it's a fairly easy to drive iem. You wont need something very powerful to drive these but yes it does scale a lot with various sources , the characteristics of changes and that's another reason to call it potentially packed at the very beginning.
Cable & Tip rolling
The provided cable is pretty good sonic wise, I don't think you would need an aftermarket cable for this iem. Cable itself is on the thicker side though and has a fabric coating over it which cool and all but I don't know how it will handle everyday wear and tear , only time will answer that but for the time of around 3 weeks that I that it its fine and I highly recommend not using that cable tier as that's gets stuck with the fabric coating and pulls on it.
Tips wise this is a very eartip sensitive iem as in the sounds changes quite a bit with different eartips , though the provided tips are also good so you won't any aftermarket eartips as well but I of course tried out aftermarket eartips with this and I found that it pairs best with the ddHiFi St35 eartips and i would recommend them if you're planning to eventually tip roll!
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you want an iem which has lively vocals , energetic treble, excellent bass quality, outstanding technical performance but not only that you also want a complete overall package such as the cable , eartips & carrying case with the iem under the price of $170 this is exactly you should get!
Adios!
