[XERO1]

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).

Hey, Jude's in da house!!
Honestly, just based on the length of his post about the FA19 (plus he included two graphs), I think it's pretty safe to say that Jude reeeeeally likes 'em!!

Can't wait to hear them for myself.

 

[o0genesis0o]

Hey, Jude's in da house!!
Honestly, just based on the length of his post about the FA19 (plus he included two graphs), I think it's pretty safe to say the Jude reeeeeally likes 'em!!

Can't wait to hear them for myself.

When I saw @jude , i thought someone in this thread has done goofed up and he is coming to close the thread

---

Two possible HiBy bundles so far. Not sure if the R3II and Yvain is actually a bundle, but they should.

You know what would be hot? Zeta + R8II bundle. Use your house as down payment

I’m starting the official review cycle of the R4. Ask me anything so that I might include it in the review.

@ToneDeafMonk : when you say R4 is analogue, do you listen to DSD file by any chance?

 

[thaslaya]

I’m starting the official review cycle of the R4. Ask me anything

can you send it to me when you're done?

 

[o0genesis0o]

can you send it to me when you're done?

I would if I could

 

[jude]

Hey, Jude's in da house!!
Honestly, just based on the length of his post about the FA19 (plus he included two graphs), I think it's pretty safe to say that Jude reeeeeally likes 'em!!

Can't wait to hear them for myself.

LOL. Hey, @XERO1! Hope you're well.

Yeah, I dig the FA19.

For anyone who missed the last CanJam Singapore Preview Video, we talk about the FA19 here (the video below should start at the FA19 part):

 

[JrOcinthepark]

Himalaya today. Decent. Impulse buy through Amazon for 400, the technical MSRP. I would recommend to anyone considering it spend $100 more for the timsok. However, build quality is very solid. Could see it being my edc for the foreseeable future due to that.

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

When I saw @jude , i thought someone in this thread has done goofed up and he is coming to close the thread

---

Two possible HiBy bundles so far. Not sure if the R3II and Yvain is actually a bundle, but they should.

You know what would be hot? Zeta + R8II bundle. Use your house as down payment

I’m starting the official review cycle of the R4. Ask me anything so that I might include it in the review.

@ToneDeafMonk : when you say R4 is analogue, do you listen to DSD file by any chance?

That's all I listen too no streaming when testing. What's your thoughts on DSD Files?

 

[baskingshark]

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

Yeah their previous tunings seem to be a bit shrill in the upper mids/treble. Very technical but not too musical and quite fatiguing.

This FA19 is more controlled in the upper frequencies for sure. Added with a vented sub-woofer to give better bass decay and extension too, so it isn't too sterile sounding.

TBH I wasn't a fan of Fiio's previous multi driver tunings, but this one sounds much more balanced and "westernized".

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).

Yep my measurements were averages of the left and right channels done about 3 passes each on a humble IEC711.

Thanks for the great feedback and measurements on the 5128! I fully agree that this may be one of Fiio's better multi-driver implementations so far.

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

They have an added cross over but the driver setup is apparently the same, according to their rep at the show. And also on Elysian's distributor's site:
https://starspickeraudio.net/produc...-acoustic-labs-pilgrim-noir-1-custom-lsr-dd-3

But FWIW, added drivers or added crossovers or not, the end result is that the Noir version is more bassy and warmer for sure.

 

[r31ya]

CCA Hydro first impression by Kesobie,

BEHIND THE BOX: CCA Hydro ($120)​

With the price and information finally revealed, I would like to share my first few days impressions of the CCA Hydro. This is CCA’s current flagship IEM featuring 2DD and 8BAs. For the price of $120 for the standard model and $130 for the upgraded cable, how does this IEM coming from the brand known for its budget IEM compete against the $100 market?

Normally I don’t talk about the unboxing experience of CCA/KZ IEMs as they’re all virtually the same. But in the case of my hydro, this came with something I did not expect CCA would do. Changing their cables.

Gone with the cheap silver plated cable that everyone ends up replacing as the cable that the Hydro comes with is a genuine chonker of a cable. It’s a very well built, 8-strand, 784 core silver.blue cable that feels and looks out of place coming with the stock experience. In short, it’s a damn good cable for a stock CCA IEM.

But enough of the cable, let’s talk about the IEM itself. The CCA Hydra features a XUN-7 2DD setup with 8x 31736 BAs If you’re familiar with the CCA Rhapsody, you’re essentially getting the same fitting on the Hydro (for better or worse). This also goes for the air pressure build-up that you might have experienced with the Rhapsody The main difference is the faceplate which honestly looks better than the Rhapsody’s with the exception of the lettering. Please CCA just go back to your old style of putting very minimal lettering or none at all on your IEMs.

Finally, let’s talk sound. What does a $120 CCA flagship sound like? Well, it sounds like the peak of the recent trend of CCA and KZ using the Harman Bass Boost sound signature. Big bass (that you can either crank up or tone down), open-sounding mids, and a very sparkly and energetic treble. This is a step up from the Rhapsody’s slower, sloppier bass with a somewhat unrefined and occasionally splashy-sounding treble. The tuning of this sounds like a mixture of the Rhapsody’s big Harman V with the CCA Trio’s mature and somewhat neutral sound, refining the overall sound and then jacking up its technical ability to 11. You can really tell CCA paid attention to the critiques and feedback from their previous sets to create this behemoth (quite literally) of an IEM.

Currently, my favorite tuning mode is 1110 as it has the tigh but impactful bass and cleanest mids but not as tucked mids

I’ll be doing more intensive comparisons in my full review on this, but all I can say for now is that this is currently the peak of CCA’s tuning

FULL REVIEW COMING SOON!​

Thank you for reading my impressions on the CCA Hydro. if you would like to order one, consider using the non-affiliated link below: https://www.kztws.com/products/cca-hydro

Seems to be upgraded CCA Rhapsody

 

[ToneDeafMonk]

Shanling M5 Ultra and ME600 came in today and 2 hits

 

[Singaravelan]

Yeah their previous tunings seem to be a bit shrill in the upper mids/treble. Very technical but not too musical and quite fatiguing.

This FA19 is more controlled in the upper frequencies for sure. Added with a vented sub-woofer to give better bass decay and extension too, so it isn't too sterile sounding.

TBH I wasn't a fan of Fiio's previous multi driver tunings, but this one sounds much more balanced and "westernized".







Yep my measurements were averages of the left and right channels done about 3 passes each on a humble IEC711.

Thanks for the great feedback and measurements on the 5128! I fully agree that this may be one of Fiio's better multi-driver implementations so far.





They have an added cross over but the driver setup is apparently the same, according to their rep at the show. And also on Elysian's distributor's site:
https://starspickeraudio.net/produc...-acoustic-labs-pilgrim-noir-1-custom-lsr-dd-3



But FWIW, added drivers or added crossovers or not, the end result is that the Noir version is more bassy and warmer for sure.

So this was your purchase at canjam eh.. Looks great!

 

[Jmop]

Shanling M5 Ultra and ME600 came in today and 2 hits

Great! Now try the MG100 for me

 

[o0genesis0o]

That's all I listen too no streaming when testing. What's your thoughts on DSD Files?

I bought some DSD files that were claimed to be “native” rather than converted from PCM to try. I think those files in particular have better soundstage and imaging than the PCM equivalent, which I also bought. Though hard so say whether it is due to format or the mastering. DSD are too large and expensive so I pretend that all of this is placebo to avoid another rabbit hole.

I asked because I was informed that R4 uses a different DAC setup for DSD which rolls off earlier, making the sound more “analogue”.

Shanling M5 Ultra and ME600 came in today and 2 hits

Wowza!

Looking forward for your impressions of both.

 

[XERO1]

Shanling M5 Ultra and ME600 came in today and 2 hits

I love the unique industrial design of the ME600. It's like Brutalist meets Cartier. Very sexy!

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

LOL. Hey, @XERO1! Hope you're well.

Yeah, I dig the FA19.

For anyone who missed the last CanJam Singapore Preview Video, we talk about the FA19 here (the video below should start at the FA19 part):

May I ask? How come there's no CanJam Seattle or Portland? The closest one to me is SoCal.