I got one all BA set also for first time and I'm extremely happy, its Dunu SA6 MK2. This set should be tier higher, if tuning alright, no spikes in upper mids or sibilance, I believe might be a kilobuck killer, same as M17 best dap for a price.
Flagship 10 Knowles BA FA19 Is Officially Released
Yea I heard good things about sa6 mk2 but haven't heard it against kilobuck iems. Glad you like yours tho, I'll see how the fa19 fares.
I got my hands on a pair of FA19 
finally =) i will start test listening right now and depending how i like them, write an intensive review.
finally =) i will start test listening right now and depending how i like them, write an intensive review.Oh darn... i wanted to like them. And i kinda do but...
tl;dr: Very good, but too expensive. Better options for the price, but also a lot of worse ones.
WoT:
First of all, this is not an review. These are my first impressions after listening to the FA19 for about 60 Minutes with selected songs that highlight the most important aspects for me.
Are they better than the FA9? Yes! They are! Not by a ton (the FA9 was pretty good), but they are an audible upgrade, especially in the treble and mids. So if that is your biggest interest, go for the FA19. It is rather a minor revision than a day/night difference, what was expected, but a revision.
If you're an FA9 owner, you will be satisfied. But the price is a bit too high for a minor upgrade. Of course, price doesn't automatically translate into performance, but for double the price, i did expect more but i am not disappointed.
And this is what brings me to the more important point. No custom drivers (They are slightly modified by Knowles but they are still Knowles drivers), Soundpipes, off-the-shelve capacitors and resistors, plastic (resin) housing, 3-way System. Why are they so expensive? I don't get it? What exactly makes them so expensive?
Anyway, due to the high price, i compared the FA19 with the Sony IER-M9, the Westone Mach 70 and the Shure SE846. I warned you FiiO. If you charge premium prices, i compare to premium products.
In direct comparison to the IER-M9 (even though they only have 5 drivers), the IER-M9 is better in everything you can think of. Starting with the feel of Air in the bass, over the staging/positioning of the instruments over the soundstage in general and especially transparency and timbre. With the IER-M9, the IEM completely disappears. You just have the Stage and the Sound. The feeling of "Something is really there, the instruments are real and in the room" is way stronger and completely different to the FA19.
With the FA19, you have the typical feeling of listening to an Earphone. That doesn't mean bad, not at all. The tuning is very good, i am positively surprised. There is nothing sharp, painful, disturbing or anything like that. And the tuning is good enough to use them as an Monitor (imho the Hifi Setting is much better than the Monitor setting for the use as Monitor)
So they are IEM, not just Earphones. I would not use them as an IEM because they are too big, but sound wise, they are usable as that.
I expected more effect from the fancy bass technology. FiiO sells it like its a brand new thing you never heard before, but the bass is surprisingly average. Nothing i would call special or unique. It is very well controlled and it is good, yes, but the same is true for a _lot_ of Monitors. Its nothing out of the ordinary and instruments that need accurate impact reproduction will sound artificial.
Especially when sounds change from low/mid frequencies to high frequencies and back, there is an small but audible timbre change i dislike. Its not very strong or does grab your attention, but audible and there. The treble is not as linear as it should be. The treble on the IER-M9 is absolutely perfect linear without any dips or peaks. They are very well controlled on the FA19 but not at at the same level. Using an simple sweep, they are audible.
Some treble heavy instruments tend to sound a bit harsh and rustling while they are perfectly clear and soft with the IER-M9. Also in some songs, especially in the bass and treble, tend to sound very very slightly... hard to describe but somehow slow. The typical BA speed is sometimes not there, or at least it sounds like.
Some of these issues maybe (this is just me guessing) are related to that the FA19, even though it has 10 drivers, only is a 3-way system. So you have a lot BAs playing the exact same sound. Maybe, maybe not.
But the IER-M9 is from 2018 and is significantly better in everything you could think of for the same price. That should not happen. With 2-times the drivers, 6 years of time difference and asking for the same price for off-the-shelve components, you _have_ to be better. And even though the FA19 is very good, it is not better. Maybe because the IER-M9 is a 5-way system without sound pipes in an magnesium housing with custom capacitors/resistors. That might be the reason, maybe not. Its very hard to tell without doing an very intensive and time consuming A/B using several test sounds and even then, there is a lot of guessing involved.
Testing against the Westone Mach 70, the results are similar. The Mach 70 is now more than 2 years old and still better in everything with only 7 drivers (and using a 3-way system, like the FA19). The Mach 70 is very close to the IER-M9, but not as good for a slightly higher price (which is my biggest critique for this IEM), but it is still better than the FA19.
Please don't get me wrong, the FA19 is in no way bad, not at all. It is an very very good IEM that has a lot of good qualities. But its an 500~600$ IEM, not an 1000$. Even the Shure SE846 (which is now 10 years old) is better in more areas than it is worse. Its not better in everything so it is not as clear as with the IER-M9, but i would still take that one over the FA19.
And this sums up my impression pretty well. The FA19 is good, but way to expensive. I assume the price is due to the 10 drivers, but they seem to add nothing to the sound quality. As said, the IER-M9 only has 5 drivers and the SE846 only has 4 and i would rather take these. Quality over Quantity is a lesson learned here.
While the FA9 was a steal and i did highly recommend it, i sadly can not recommend the FA19. For that price, there are too many options that are better. Yes, there are also a lot of IEM (like the Andromeda ES) that are more expensive than the FA19 and are only slightly better. Comparing Price/performance, the FA19 wins against the Andromeda ES, but not in terms of comfort or isolation. Which is my last point.
They are significantly bigger/larger than the IER-M9, Mach 70 or SE846 and also less comfortable. The Isolation is also worse than with any of the others (even with foam).
As a last note: There are a _lot_ of IEM that are worse and more expensive. I don't want to make it sound like the FA19 is a bad option overall. The VE10 or Elysium are just two examples of many that are more pricey. The FA19 can easily outperform a lot of much more expensive IEM (because a lot of companies ask for absolutely unrealistic prices), but being the one-eyed beyond the blind doesn't mean you have good vision.
Depending on whats your personal reference, you might be positively surprised by the FA19 or disappointed. I was the latter.
tl;dr: Very good, but too expensive. Better options for the price, but also a lot of worse ones.
WoT:
First of all, this is not an review. These are my first impressions after listening to the FA19 for about 60 Minutes with selected songs that highlight the most important aspects for me.
Are they better than the FA9? Yes! They are! Not by a ton (the FA9 was pretty good), but they are an audible upgrade, especially in the treble and mids. So if that is your biggest interest, go for the FA19. It is rather a minor revision than a day/night difference, what was expected, but a revision.
If you're an FA9 owner, you will be satisfied. But the price is a bit too high for a minor upgrade. Of course, price doesn't automatically translate into performance, but for double the price, i did expect more but i am not disappointed.
And this is what brings me to the more important point. No custom drivers (They are slightly modified by Knowles but they are still Knowles drivers), Soundpipes, off-the-shelve capacitors and resistors, plastic (resin) housing, 3-way System. Why are they so expensive? I don't get it? What exactly makes them so expensive?
Anyway, due to the high price, i compared the FA19 with the Sony IER-M9, the Westone Mach 70 and the Shure SE846. I warned you FiiO. If you charge premium prices, i compare to premium products.
In direct comparison to the IER-M9 (even though they only have 5 drivers), the IER-M9 is better in everything you can think of. Starting with the feel of Air in the bass, over the staging/positioning of the instruments over the soundstage in general and especially transparency and timbre. With the IER-M9, the IEM completely disappears. You just have the Stage and the Sound. The feeling of "Something is really there, the instruments are real and in the room" is way stronger and completely different to the FA19.
With the FA19, you have the typical feeling of listening to an Earphone. That doesn't mean bad, not at all. The tuning is very good, i am positively surprised. There is nothing sharp, painful, disturbing or anything like that. And the tuning is good enough to use them as an Monitor (imho the Hifi Setting is much better than the Monitor setting for the use as Monitor)
So they are IEM, not just Earphones. I would not use them as an IEM because they are too big, but sound wise, they are usable as that.
I expected more effect from the fancy bass technology. FiiO sells it like its a brand new thing you never heard before, but the bass is surprisingly average. Nothing i would call special or unique. It is very well controlled and it is good, yes, but the same is true for a _lot_ of Monitors. Its nothing out of the ordinary and instruments that need accurate impact reproduction will sound artificial.
Especially when sounds change from low/mid frequencies to high frequencies and back, there is an small but audible timbre change i dislike. Its not very strong or does grab your attention, but audible and there. The treble is not as linear as it should be. The treble on the IER-M9 is absolutely perfect linear without any dips or peaks. They are very well controlled on the FA19 but not at at the same level. Using an simple sweep, they are audible.
Some treble heavy instruments tend to sound a bit harsh and rustling while they are perfectly clear and soft with the IER-M9. Also in some songs, especially in the bass and treble, tend to sound very very slightly... hard to describe but somehow slow. The typical BA speed is sometimes not there, or at least it sounds like.
Some of these issues maybe (this is just me guessing) are related to that the FA19, even though it has 10 drivers, only is a 3-way system. So you have a lot BAs playing the exact same sound. Maybe, maybe not.
But the IER-M9 is from 2018 and is significantly better in everything you could think of for the same price. That should not happen. With 2-times the drivers, 6 years of time difference and asking for the same price for off-the-shelve components, you _have_ to be better. And even though the FA19 is very good, it is not better. Maybe because the IER-M9 is a 5-way system without sound pipes in an magnesium housing with custom capacitors/resistors. That might be the reason, maybe not. Its very hard to tell without doing an very intensive and time consuming A/B using several test sounds and even then, there is a lot of guessing involved.
Testing against the Westone Mach 70, the results are similar. The Mach 70 is now more than 2 years old and still better in everything with only 7 drivers (and using a 3-way system, like the FA19). The Mach 70 is very close to the IER-M9, but not as good for a slightly higher price (which is my biggest critique for this IEM), but it is still better than the FA19.
Please don't get me wrong, the FA19 is in no way bad, not at all. It is an very very good IEM that has a lot of good qualities. But its an 500~600$ IEM, not an 1000$. Even the Shure SE846 (which is now 10 years old) is better in more areas than it is worse. Its not better in everything so it is not as clear as with the IER-M9, but i would still take that one over the FA19.
And this sums up my impression pretty well. The FA19 is good, but way to expensive. I assume the price is due to the 10 drivers, but they seem to add nothing to the sound quality. As said, the IER-M9 only has 5 drivers and the SE846 only has 4 and i would rather take these. Quality over Quantity is a lesson learned here.
While the FA9 was a steal and i did highly recommend it, i sadly can not recommend the FA19. For that price, there are too many options that are better. Yes, there are also a lot of IEM (like the Andromeda ES) that are more expensive than the FA19 and are only slightly better. Comparing Price/performance, the FA19 wins against the Andromeda ES, but not in terms of comfort or isolation. Which is my last point.
They are significantly bigger/larger than the IER-M9, Mach 70 or SE846 and also less comfortable. The Isolation is also worse than with any of the others (even with foam).
As a last note: There are a _lot_ of IEM that are worse and more expensive. I don't want to make it sound like the FA19 is a bad option overall. The VE10 or Elysium are just two examples of many that are more pricey. The FA19 can easily outperform a lot of much more expensive IEM (because a lot of companies ask for absolutely unrealistic prices), but being the one-eyed beyond the blind doesn't mean you have good vision.
Depending on whats your personal reference, you might be positively surprised by the FA19 or disappointed. I was the latter.
newworld666
Headphoneus Supremus
I was thinking, with the serious FIIO, that the FA19 would be a solid full BA IEM with a kind of step up for sound quality compared to my actual rather old IER-M9/IER-Z1R/XBA-N3 combo..
I am still wondering why BA needs to be implemented with so many drivers to be more or less efficient .. why not just 3 drivers with one driver for each part of the frequency range that is supposed to be covered (something like speakers does for decades with proper filters).
So maybe you post is not a complete review of the FA19, but it is for sure real helpful for IER-M9 owners .. to avoid spending 1K€ for no real improvement.
Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,946
- Likes
- 47,619
I once owned the IER-M9 and absolutely consider FA19 on a similar level from a sound perspective. Isolation definitely isn’t as good but I had constant issues with pressure build with the M9 and ultimately sold as a result - I tried every imaginable tip to include foam, but I am very sensitive to pressure build and have had to sell quite a few as a result, to include the legendary Traillii. The shells are certainly larger and that might be an issue for some, IER-M9 a very tidy design in comparison.
As with absolutely any IEM, opinions will differ and the more that emerge, the easier it becomes for others to get a better handle on whether it might meet their preferences.
I do understand the hassle. I am too very sensitive with pressure buildup and even had slight issues with the EP-NI1000 (which are foam).
There are foam that work better and foam that work less good. So far i had 0 issues with COMPLY which i also started to use with the Moondrop S8 and the FiiO FA9 as i also had pressure issues with these.
I tried all tips that came with the FA19 but my good old trusty COMPLY where the only one which solved the pressure issue for me (also its only fair to use these, because i use them with every IEM i test so its comparable).
Important sidenote i completely forgot. The Foam that ship with the FA19 seem to be the same as with the FA9. I no longer have access to the foam of the FA9 so i am not 100% sure but i remember them to be identical.
And that means bad. Oh my god are they bad. If you plan to use the FA19 with foam, do _not_ use the included foam. They are not comfortable (even painful to me after some time) and suck the bass completely away.
So if you own or plan to own an FA19, i absolutely highly recommend investing in a good pair of Foam like COMPLY, MIS-Tips or INAIRS, something like that. Just don't use the included foam.
Last edited:
MudEnjoyer
100+ Head-Fier
Yeah I don't get this either. As long as the distortion remains under a good level with the desired volume, there shouldn't be a need to add more drivers. The dual subwoofer setup that is trendy these days might be good for delivering the feel of more air moving (if it works) though.
Ideally you have a driver per crossover point and that's about it, like the IER-M9 does. The more drivers you have per crossover point, the greater the likelihood that one will fail.
It seems more like a marketing gimmick or having to cope with poor driver quality or quality control.
Like seriously, the key here is distortion management under load, which BA usually have plenty of.
Scubadevils
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2011
- Posts
- 7,946
- Likes
- 47,619
Which Comply do you use? I do have INAIRS somewhere so I must dig them out.
As an aside, the set I miss the most of those I’ve owned and sold is IER-M9… I’m pretty certain I’ll buy again at some point and further experiment with tips.
Last edited:
GroovyAudio
New Head-Fier
I cancelled my order sadly. Last night I started having doubts about the fit. Then this morning I woke up and read @Vamp898 post so I made my choice. I think I overhyped myself too much with FA19. I'm a little upset but also relieved I didn't spend 1k. At this price point there shouldn't be doubts but my gut feeling told me not to buy it, not at this price at least... Sorry for folks that expected some impressions for me. I think I made the right choice. There will be other iems from Fiio, especially FX17 that I'm looking forward to it.
@baskingshark I have a question, you did review both the FX15 and FA19. Are the shells the same size? From the pictures it looks like it. The only difference on paper is that FX15 weighs 6g and FA19 7g.
@baskingshark I have a question, you did review both the FX15 and FA19. Are the shells the same size? From the pictures it looks like it. The only difference on paper is that FX15 weighs 6g and FA19 7g.
frkasper
100+ Head-Fier
Let the sales begin then...
I'm happy to try the FA19, but never at retail price.
I'm happy to try the FA19, but never at retail price.
Yes the shells are of the same dimensions and sizing. Weight may be a tinge different cause of the different drivers inside.
Users who are viewing this thread
