[jude]

This graph does look like something I could get behind. To stop myself from considering it too seriously, at this price, I really don't like to read about any BA timbre, though..


Ridiculous marketing if you ask me. Releasing two of the same thing at the same time and topping it off by saying one has 'further refined treble' ...

At the time of the recording of the CanJam Singapore Preview Video, I'd only heard the Pilgrim, not yet the Pilgrim Noir. At CanJam Singapore, I was able to do a direct comparison, and there's no doubt they sounded different. And there's also no doubt I preferred the Noir, as the treble was definitely (to my ears) more refined, the original Pilgrim brighter. The Noir was richer sounding, which (in broad brushstrokes) I tend to favor. For example, between the Focal Utopia and Utopia 2022, I very clearly favor the newer version. Drew from Moon Audio very clearly favors the older version.

There are times I think the names of products have an effect on how we perceive them. For example, I think in this case a different name (more different than adding "Noir") might have made more sense. Same with the variety of Andromeda models Campfire released -- several of those maybe should have had non-Andromeda names. Another example that comes to mind is the Empyrean 2 by Meze. The name makes sense because they replaced the OG Empyrean with it (as did Focal with the 2022 version of the Utopia replacing the OG Utopia). But, for me, given my love of the original Empyrean -- and I do also love the new Empyrean (but it's very different from the OG) -- I wish they'd kept the OG Empyrean in the line and named what is the Empyrean 2 as the Empyrean Studio or Empyrean Pro, as the new one definitely has a studio-monitor-type sound signature (whereas the OG Empyrean definitely didn't).

Anyway, I digress.... Long story short, the Pilgrim and Pilgrim Noir are not the same (despite what their names suggest), and, while I'm very impressed with the Pilgrim for the expected price, the Noir was definitely more to my liking.

 

[MidnightSun]

The Fiio FA19 is a 10 KNOWLES BA IEM.



Very comfortable, easy to drive, with no amplification requirements.

Accessories are fit for a king.



It has 1 tuning switch. In stock form (with the bass switch turned off), the FA19 sounds warm neutral. Very studio monitor-like, in furnishing a pleasant soundscape. Extremely technical, massive soundstage beyond the ears, with pinpoint imaging. And this is without needing to resort to a steroid boosted treble to garner "fake clarity".



Bass is nicely textured and clean with no bleed. Upper mids are only 6 dB - ie no shout - which was a complaint of the previous FX15 predecessor. Smooth treble, with minimal sibilance, but still very resolving.

Interestingly, the FA19 has a vented sub-woofer, so the bass sounds quite close to a DD bass. It isn't exactly 100% similar to a DD bass as there's just a slight lack of decay in the final tail of bass notes, but this improves on the vast majority of unvented BA bass drivers that sound unnatural in terms of movement of air.



For folks that want a bit more "fun" in the signature, toggling the switch converts the FA19 to a bass boost mode, as seen from the graphs. This is a bit warmer than the stock tuning, but the bass is more impactful. Sub-bass extension is even better with the switch on.

The FA19 does have a tinge of BA timbre, but isn't the worst offender in multi BA sets I've tried. Note weight is just right.

The FA19 uses MMCX but the MMCX seem of high quality and snap on and off without issues. BTW I spoke to a custom maker before, and MMCX comes in a variety of grades, from cheap ones seen in ultra budget CHIFI that give a bad rep to the connector type due to being too tight or spinning like a wind-vane, whereas we have higher quality ones that are rated for thousands of swaps.

I bought the FA19 at a discounted price from Fiio, but I think the full retail price is around $1K USD. This pure BA set is well suited for stage monitoring in view of the solid ergonomics and technical chops, and I do think it competes with other TOTL multi driver transducers. Think of something that has good layering and soundstage but not being overly fatiguing.

Will do some A/B testing against other pure BA sets like the Sony M9 etc and report back. Will also test out the QC of the MMCX.

Fantastic all-rounder tuning (relatively speaking), especially compared to their previous, discontinued BA sets.

 

[jude]

The Fiio FA19 is a 10 KNOWLES BA IEM.



Very comfortable, easy to drive, with no amplification requirements.

Accessories are fit for a king.



It has 1 tuning switch. In stock form (with the bass switch turned off), the FA19 sounds warm neutral. Very studio monitor-like, in furnishing a pleasant soundscape. Extremely technical, massive soundstage beyond the ears, with pinpoint imaging. And this is without needing to resort to a steroid boosted treble to garner "fake clarity".



Bass is nicely textured and clean with no bleed. Upper mids are only 6 dB - ie no shout - which was a complaint of the previous FX15 predecessor. Smooth treble, with minimal sibilance, but still very resolving.

Interestingly, the FA19 has a vented sub-woofer, so the bass sounds quite close to a DD bass. It isn't exactly 100% similar to a DD bass as there's just a slight lack of decay in the final tail of bass notes, but this improves on the vast majority of unvented BA bass drivers that sound unnatural in terms of movement of air.



For folks that want a bit more "fun" in the signature, toggling the switch converts the FA19 to a bass boost mode, as seen from the graphs. This is a bit warmer than the stock tuning, but the bass is more impactful. Sub-bass extension is even better with the switch on.

The FA19 does have a tinge of BA timbre, but isn't the worst offender in multi BA sets I've tried. Note weight is just right.

The FA19 uses MMCX but the MMCX seem of high quality and snap on and off without issues. BTW I spoke to a custom maker before, and MMCX comes in a variety of grades, from cheap ones seen in ultra budget CHIFI that give a bad rep to the connector type due to being too tight or spinning like a wind-vane, whereas we have higher quality ones that are rated for thousands of swaps.

I bought the FA19 at a discounted price from Fiio, but I think the full retail price is around $1K USD. This pure BA set is well suited for stage monitoring in view of the solid ergonomics and technical chops, and I do think it competes with other TOTL multi driver transducers. Think of something that has good layering and soundstage but not being overly fatiguing.

Will do some A/B testing against other pure BA sets like the Sony M9 etc and report back. Will also test out the QC of the MMCX.

So far, I'm loving the FiiO FA19. To my ears, it is, without a doubt, the best IEM FiiO has yet released -- by a margin. And, as I said in the CanJam Singapore Preview Video, this is one that high-end IEM shoppers should listen to, regardless of what price bracket you're shopping in. Even if you choose something else, I think most will agree FiiO put themselves in the high-end IEM candidate pool with the FA19.

I'm not sure what those measurements (quoted above) were done on (I'm assuming 711 or 711'ish), so I'm including one-pass 5128 measurements of each setting. Keep in mind that we received the FA19 without stock cables or stock tips. While we recently received the stock cables and tips, these measurements were done with SednaEarfit Short eartips:

Caveat: These were only one seating, one pass each -- not averaged multi-seatings. That said, I feel reasonably confident we have a fair representation here of the FiiO FA19 with the SednaEarfit Short eartips. If/when I do multiple seatings -- and especially with stock eartips -- I'll post them.

Fig.1 (above): Frequency responses of FiiO FA19 with SednaEarfit Short eartips, in switch-off setting (solid black line) and switch-on setting (dotted gray line).

For the above switch-on/switch-off comparison, that was with the same seating. I was as careful as I could be to manipulate only the switches while the earpieces remained mounted.

For something to compare that to, below is a comparison of the switch-off FiiO FA19 (again, with SednaEarfit Short eartips) to the Subtonic Storm (with its stock eartips). Why this one? Because it's interesting -- and because the Subtonic Storm is perhaps the very best sounding IEM I've ever heard. Am I saying the FiiO FA19 sounds like the Subtonic Storm? No I'm not. What I will say (again) is that even if you're shopping for a Subtonic Storm (or a Vision Ears VE10 or an Elysian Annihilator or the 64 Audio Volür or the Canpur CP622B -- some of my other favorite IEMs), you should at least try to get your ears on the FA19, too.

Caveat -- again: These were only one seating, one pass each -- not averaged multi-seatings. That said, I feel reasonably confident we have a fair representation here of the FiiO FA19 with the SednaEarfit Short eartips, and the Subtonic Storm with stock eartips. If/when I do multiple seatings, I'll post them.

Fig.2 (above): Frequency responses of FiiO FA19 with SednaEarfit Short eartips, in switch-off setting (solid black line) and Subtonic Storm with its stock eartips (dotted gray line)

So until I have multi-seat averaged plots (with stock eartips for the FA19), these single-pass measurements are for entertainment and basic informational purposes only.

---

These measurements were made using:

• Brüel & Kjær High-frequency Head and Torso Simulator (HATS) Type 5128
• Audio Precision APx555 Audio Analyzer
• Audio Precision APx1701 Transducer Test Interface
• Benchmark HPA4 Headphone Amplifier
• Herzan custom-designed acoustic & vibration isolation enclosure

---

2024-04-22 1509 EDT NOTE: "Demo Mode" (in the background of each of the measurements) just means the Audio Precision analyzer hardware was not powered-up when I loaded up the measurement project file(s).

 

[MidnightSun]

I always had the impression that the only thing holding back FiiO from beating everybody in the categories they enter into was "just" the tuning. They have the accessories, the design, the price, the QC and CS, and just to let it all slip at the finish line because of tuning... damn it. But this looks like redemption.

 

[thaslaya]

Hiby R4
4/24, Project Ace bundle gets you 10 bucks off.
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r4

1.81% savings!

 

[Leonarfd]

Got in some loan IEMs from a friend to play with, Canpur CPBA7 and qdc 8PRO.
They sound quite similar, both have what I would call a warm tilt with a slightly dark treble.
The 8PRO reminds me of a darker SA6/Neon Pro, and as usual the qdc ergonomics is excellent. I wonder if it sound close to the qdc V14, perhaps a baby version without EST.

The CPBA7 follow a similar tuning as 8PRO but is thicker sounding, not going to say to much yet as its my first day with both.

Also got an R2R DAC for my desktop. Denafrips Ares 12th-1, still early but love it so far. Been many years since I had a more analogue sounding desktop setup, its like a missing link has been added to the audio.

 

[kaeswiss]

Got in some loan IEMs from a friend to play with, Canpur CPBA7 and qdc 8PRO.
They sound quite similar, both have what I would call a warm tilt with a slightly dark treble.
The 8PRO reminds me of a darker SA6/Neon Pro, and as usual the qdc ergonomics is excellent. I wonder if it sound close to the qdc V14, perhaps a baby version without EST.



The CPBA7 follow a similar tuning as 8PRO but is thicker sounding, not going to say to much yet as its my first day with both.



Also got an R2R DAC for my desktop. Denafrips Ares 12th-1, still early but love it so far. Been many years since I had a more analoge soudning desktop setup, its like a missing link has been added to the audio.

I'm a big fan of R2R DACs and it looks like the Ares 12th-1 and A90D were made to pair up with each other. Perfect dimensions for a stack.

 

[Leonarfd]

I'm a big fan of R2R DACs and it looks like the Ares 12th-1 and A90D were made to pair up with each other. Perfect dimensions for a stack.

Pure luck that they fit on top each other

 

[domq422]

Got in some loan IEMs from a friend to play with, Canpur CPBA7 and qdc 8PRO.
They sound quite similar, both have what I would call a warm tilt with a slightly dark treble.
The 8PRO reminds me of a darker SA6/Neon Pro, and as usual the qdc ergonomics is excellent. I wonder if it sound close to the qdc V14, perhaps a baby version without EST.



The CPBA7 follow a similar tuning as 8PRO but is thicker sounding, not going to say to much yet as its my first day with both.



Also got an R2R DAC for my desktop. Denafrips Ares 12th-1, still early but love it so far. Been many years since I had a more analoge soudning desktop setup, its like a missing link has been added to the audio.

That desk photo is so freaking sick. Love the lighting on that one, nicely done, brother

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

The Fiio FA19 is a 10 KNOWLES BA IEM.



Very comfortable, easy to drive, with no amplification requirements.

Accessories are fit for a king.



It has 1 tuning switch. In stock form (with the bass switch turned off), the FA19 sounds warm neutral. Very studio monitor-like, in furnishing a pleasant soundscape. Extremely technical, massive soundstage beyond the ears, with pinpoint imaging. And this is without needing to resort to a steroid boosted treble to garner "fake clarity".



Bass is nicely textured and clean with no bleed. Upper mids are only 6 dB - ie no shout - which was a complaint of the previous FX15 predecessor. Smooth treble, with minimal sibilance, but still very resolving.

Interestingly, the FA19 has a vented sub-woofer, so the bass sounds quite close to a DD bass. It isn't exactly 100% similar to a DD bass as there's just a slight lack of decay in the final tail of bass notes, but this improves on the vast majority of unvented BA bass drivers that sound unnatural in terms of movement of air.



For folks that want a bit more "fun" in the signature, toggling the switch converts the FA19 to a bass boost mode, as seen from the graphs. This is a bit warmer than the stock tuning, but the bass is more impactful. Sub-bass extension is even better with the switch on.

The FA19 does have a tinge of BA timbre, but isn't the worst offender in multi BA sets I've tried. Note weight is just right.

The FA19 uses MMCX but the MMCX seem of high quality and snap on and off without issues. BTW I spoke to a custom maker before, and MMCX comes in a variety of grades, from cheap ones seen in ultra budget CHIFI that give a bad rep to the connector type due to being too tight or spinning like a wind-vane, whereas we have higher quality ones that are rated for thousands of swaps.

I bought the FA19 at a discounted price from Fiio, but I think the full retail price is around $1K USD. This pure BA set is well suited for stage monitoring in view of the solid ergonomics and technical chops, and I do think it competes with other TOTL multi driver transducers. Think of something that has good layering and soundstage but not being overly fatiguing.

Will do some A/B testing against other pure BA sets like the Sony M9 etc and report back. Will also test out the QC of the MMCX.

1K?!

https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2...F9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/a93jwI0wkWTQs/giphy.gif

 

[fidgeraldo]

1K?!

Peanuts

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

I Remember MEIZU, a Chinese MP3 Company went from making MP3 Players, to making Phones. So Moondrop will not be the first to try this. Looks Meizu still makes phones, but don't see a 3.5MM Jack in photos or specs. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806094713180.html I Also remember that 5+ years ago there were many Chinese phones, And LG that had good quality DACs, even QuadDAC, and good audio amps. Unfortunately almost all of them have now given up on keeping a serious audio dac/amp/jack in their lineup. Most consumers will be happy with using wireless earphones from a normal smartphone; and as LDAC, or APTX 16/44.1 True Lossless gets released, even less will be interested in having a 3.5mm JAck. Only us "audiophiles" will pay extra for a Larger, Heavier phone, with a Jack.

You are correct, sir!

 

[o0genesis0o]

Internal driver config is the same, just the tuning is different between the 2

I remember that Noir has one additional driver and a different crossover design (3 way to 4 way) to accommodate the added driver

 

[o0genesis0o]

The Fiio FA19 is a 10 KNOWLES BA IEM.



Very comfortable, easy to drive, with no amplification requirements.

Accessories are fit for a king.



It has 1 tuning switch. In stock form (with the bass switch turned off), the FA19 sounds warm neutral. Very studio monitor-like, in furnishing a pleasant soundscape. Extremely technical, massive soundstage beyond the ears, with pinpoint imaging. And this is without needing to resort to a steroid boosted treble to garner "fake clarity".



Bass is nicely textured and clean with no bleed. Upper mids are only 6 dB - ie no shout - which was a complaint of the previous FX15 predecessor. Smooth treble, with minimal sibilance, but still very resolving.

Interestingly, the FA19 has a vented sub-woofer, so the bass sounds quite close to a DD bass. It isn't exactly 100% similar to a DD bass as there's just a slight lack of decay in the final tail of bass notes, but this improves on the vast majority of unvented BA bass drivers that sound unnatural in terms of movement of air.



For folks that want a bit more "fun" in the signature, toggling the switch converts the FA19 to a bass boost mode, as seen from the graphs. This is a bit warmer than the stock tuning, but the bass is more impactful. Sub-bass extension is even better with the switch on.

The FA19 does have a tinge of BA timbre, but isn't the worst offender in multi BA sets I've tried. Note weight is just right.

The FA19 uses MMCX but the MMCX seem of high quality and snap on and off without issues. BTW I spoke to a custom maker before, and MMCX comes in a variety of grades, from cheap ones seen in ultra budget CHIFI that give a bad rep to the connector type due to being too tight or spinning like a wind-vane, whereas we have higher quality ones that are rated for thousands of swaps.

I bought the FA19 at a discounted price from Fiio, but I think the full retail price is around $1K USD. This pure BA set is well suited for stage monitoring in view of the solid ergonomics and technical chops, and I do think it competes with other TOTL multi driver transducers. Think of something that has good layering and soundstage but not being overly fatiguing.

Will do some A/B testing against other pure BA sets like the Sony M9 etc and report back. Will also test out the QC of the MMCX.

A high-end FiiO IEM that actually sounds good? Did you say good soundstage and pin point imaging?

Cross posting from Watercooler thread:

A friend is looking for a warmer iem with great subbass and intimate female vocals in the $800-1200 range. Definitely outside of my usual budget tier so any suggestions would be great for me to pass along. Thanks!

DIVA. Your friend needs Elysian DIVA 2023.

Hiby R4
4/24, Project Ace bundle gets you 10 bucks off.
https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-r4

 

[Redcarmoose]

Got in some loan IEMs from a friend to play with, Canpur CPBA7 and qdc 8PRO.
They sound quite similar, both have what I would call a warm tilt with a slightly dark treble.
The 8PRO reminds me of a darker SA6/Neon Pro, and as usual the qdc ergonomics is excellent. I wonder if it sound close to the qdc V14, perhaps a baby version without EST.



The CPBA7 follow a similar tuning as 8PRO but is thicker sounding, not going to say to much yet as its my first day with both.



Also got an R2R DAC for my desktop. Denafrips Ares 12th-1, still early but love it so far. Been many years since I had a more analoge soudning desktop setup, its like a missing link has been added to the audio.

That 8PRO is nice! Of course it comes with the over $1500.00 price tag. Clearly NOT trying to enter the value realm of Chi-Fi. But I bet it’s great. I would guess the “live” setting is warmer and thicker than the Anole VX. I have heard the VX and a few of the line including the Gemini, but never the Anole V14. My humble Anole V3 I still listen to on occasion. I was so smitten with them I purchased a back-up pair. The thing is the V3 was one of the smallest qdc IEMs they made ever, also simple as having only 3BAs. Yet where the qdc VX had the treble and midrange details which essentially showcased BA timbre slightly, the more down tuned V3 was almost purer. Still you can only do so much stage and technicality with 3 BAs, so the V3 has its limits. Still my V3 (while not a deal at the price, especially today) has a special balance and quality. But for most of the world the introduction of the VX put qdc on the map. qdc are the consumer side of Chinese military audio.