FiiO Hybrid IEMs Discussion & Impressions Thread

[FiiO-Yellow]

FH19 review by Gizaudio.

 

[FiiO Lee]

The time has come, after my 3rd listening session earlier in the office. Upper mids are way too hot to my taste with the green stock nozzle.

But then I went to the kit and noticed they're not the same as the FH9:

Nozzles: FH9 (left) vs FH19 (right). Top: bass/red; bottom: balanced/black.
​

Has FiiO really changed those nozzles, or the kit on my unit got somehow sabotaged in production? Anyway, needless to say that I installed the bass nozzle from the FH9 and will leave it like that for a couple of days. At least now I can crank the volume while keeping the upper mids under control.

If the set of filters on FH19 really corresponds to the image above, it would be good to have a measurement with legacy FH9 filters/nozzles. I am pretty sure K-Poppers will call this muddy.

It's true that FH19 nozzles are different from FH9, FH19 nozzles can change the sound more.

 

[steve9019]

Upset stomach, lie in bed day.
Vangelis “Themes” CD rip 16/44 Flac, Hiby R3/II, Fiio FH7.

 

[FiiO-Yellow]

"Are you wondering if the FH19 is an upgrade compared to the FH9? The answer is yes. Although the upgrade is not night and day, the gains FH19 provides are not to be trifled with. In terms of sound stage magnitude, mid-range tonality and overall coherency, the FH19 exceeds the FH9.
I still think the bass of the FH9 is more enjoyable and airier in the sub-bass region, but the FH19 provides better imaging overall. In terms of design? Well, that is subjective, but I find the FH9 more authentic and cooler."
FH19 VS FH9, from headfonia. https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-fh19-review/

 

[andjar]

So FH19 is the fun& technical iem in the fiio lineup.
I'm waiting for a FH17. A hybrid with the same FH7 13.6mm berillyum/b.plated DD for that fast and textured bass . A FH7 with a more refined and extended treble basically .
It would be a great complementary iem for the FH19 that would be more clarity&detail focused .... potentially my endgame.

 

[Vamp898]

So FH19 is the fun& technical iem in the fiio lineup.
I'm waiting for a FH17. A hybrid with the same FH7 13.6mm berillyum/b.plated DD for that fast and textured bass . A FH7 with a more refined and extended treble basically .
It would be a great complementary iem for the FH19 that would be more clarity&detail focused .... potentially my endgame.

Historically, the FH was the fun series while the FA was the technical series.

So if you want the FH19 with more technical details and stuff, thats the FA19

 

[hardpike]

Probably meant FX17

 

[andjar]

Probably meant FX17

Yeah! That could be good. 4EST+2BA+large berillyum/magnalium DD.

 

[Vamp898]

Yeah! That could be good. 4EST+2BA+large berillyum/magnalium DD.

That might be the first ever IEM that does not have insane timbre issues while using EST drivers.

But as all IEM that use EST Drivers, use all the exact same EST Driver, thats rather unlikely

 

[DaveStarWalker]

"Are you wondering if the FH19 is an upgrade compared to the FH9? The answer is yes. Although the upgrade is not night and day, the gains FH19 provides are not to be trifled with. In terms of sound stage magnitude, mid-range tonality and overall coherency, the FH19 exceeds the FH9.
I still think the bass of the FH9 is more enjoyable and airier in the sub-bass region, but the FH19 provides better imaging overall. In terms of design? Well, that is subjective, but I find the FH9 more authentic and cooler."
FH19 VS FH9, from headfonia. https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-fh19-review/

Mixed bag, vs the FH9 (really a GREAT product of it's own)...

This being said, there are various ways to improve, a little, certainly, but still, the overall clarity of the FH9... and the punch, density, articulation and texture of the bass.

I assume the same recipes must work with these FH19s...

 

[frkasper]

FH19 VS FH9, from headfonia. https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-fh19-review/

Cons:

• Mid-bass can be congested and overly full

I could use a little bit more of midbass to balance out the "shoutiness" in the upper mids on some tracks.

Anyway, I am still experimenting with my FH19. After some brain burn-in, eartips and nozzle rolling, it is indeed getting better. The FH9 and FH19 are that classic case of two brothers (same parents) that look (almost) nothing like each other. Meanwhile, my FH9 is still in the drawer, waiting for some sibling rivalry.

 

[frkasper]

Historically, the FH was the fun series while the FA was the technical series.

FiiO has broken this rule with the FH19.

Now, this is fun...

Time for a walk. Cheers.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Now, this is fun...

Except fun. UTWS5 are the only ones (in the BT IEMs world), as far as I know while searcing, with Low Latency, and they're ideal for watching movies!
Plus, lots of volume, too.
I agree. Noon is the perfect time for a walk with IEMs; it is my routine, too!

Cheers!

 

[frkasper]

... FH19 nozzles can change the sound more.

My balance nozzle came with a small dirt (not captured in my previous image) and my OCDish soul had to try to remove it. But then...

... I was able to see (with a magnifier) a very fine mesh (fabric?) underneath the metal grill, for both balanced and bass nozzles. So, there they are: the nozzle attenuators. And the treble nozzle does not have that thin mesh. It is also easier to see this layer in a sunny day, as it also helps blocking some of the light:

FH19 nozzles: top: treble/green; bottom: bass/red.
​

So, modders may be interested in ways of playing with that thin layer mesh.

First time using the balanced nozzle, by the way. It does help to attenuate the upper mids, but I will likely get back to the green filter, as I like to suffer and was getting used to its sound signature after a few days anyway.

This FH19 has indeed an exotic sound signature. My FH7S was sounding weird yesterday and I never experienced that before. Need to revisit the HD600 for a reset -- it's like smelling coffee beans inside a perfume store.

Cheers.

 

[frkasper]

FIGHT!​