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What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Harry McKerrell

Fiio's flagship in-ear headphones swing for exceptional sound in an eye-catching package

Fiio FA19 IEMs.

Fiio has announced the release of its new flagship in-ear monitors. The Fiio FA19 have been designed from the ground up to deliver what the brand promises will be a pair of "outstanding IEMs" that offer an "incredibly musical sound and robust impactful bass alongside a dynamic and balanced soundstage". 

The new in-ear wired headphones incorporate 10 balanced armature drivers per earpiece. Crafted in collaboration with audio manufacturers Knowles, Fiio has tuned its latest in-ear monitors to optimise the FA19's mid and high-frequency drivers for a "detailed, smooth sound output". 

The FA19's casing shell, meanwhile, has been designed to guide the IEM's lower frequencies into the unit's rear cavity, lowering the resultant resonant frequency for enhanced, more powerful bass reproduction. This "negative feedback system" also strives for increased comfort, as proper ventilation for the front cavity reduces excess pressure from the headphones.

(Image credit: Fiio)

The new FA19 utilises film capacitors for its electronic crossover components in the pursuit of greater sonic precision, with a quoted error tolerance from Fiio of just 0.1 per cent. Further, Fiio’s "S. Turbo Acoustic design" aims to eliminate high-frequency sound waves from the bass drivers for a smoother transition between low and mid frequencies.

The Chinese brand's new wired in-ears also allow users to choose between two different listening modes via a switch on the back of the headphones: Monitor Mode for a cleaner, more detailed sound and Hi-fi Mode for accentuating the midrange and bass.

The flagship IEMs are supplied with a stranded silver cable composed of independently insulated wires, as well as two twist-lock jack plugs: one single 3.5mm single-ended and one 4.4mm balanced. You're also provided with a vast array of small, medium and large eartips depending on your favoured sound profile, including foam, bass, balanced and vocal options.   

Fiio will be demonstrating the FA19 alongside a range of its other products at this year's High End Munich in Hall 1, Booth B05, from 9-12th May. We'll be heading to Munich next week to catch the best that the show has to offer, so stay tuned to see if we manage to get some hands-on time with the new FA19.

The Fiio FA19 will be available from May, priced at £999 / €1099 / $999.

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