Between Legend and Reality: The FiiO FA9 Story

The video is in Arabic.

Hey everyone,

The FiiO FA9 is one of FiiO’s oldest IEMs, and at one point it was their flagship. Thanks to my brother Saleh Al-Ghamdi, who owns it, for his big support of the channel. Six balanced armatures per side with a 4-way crossover, and the impedance and sensitivity change with the tuning switches (between 16 and 32 ohm, and 110 to 113 dB) according to the company. MMCX connectors. It was between $350 and $400 at the time of the review.

Who is it for?

• Anyone who loves high detail, a neutral analytical sound, and treble heads. Not for bass lovers.

Strengths

• Layering and separation are 10 plus: you feel the space between layers, with zero overlap.
• The mids are natural with no bass bleed, and the detail stands out on any source.
• The treble is airy and sparkly with no harshness or sibilance, and its extension is really excellent (I reached 19500 Hz with the DX170).
• Amazingly light, it fits in the ear like a custom, and isolation is really excellent.
• Accessories: FiiO is number one.

Weaknesses

• The bass is its weak point (7 out of 10): sub-bass layering is below good, and there’s roll-off starting around 29 Hz.
• The bass detail didn’t live up to expectations.
• It’s affected a lot by the source and tips, and I don’t recommend it with a bright source.
• There are lots of sound options, and you need to try everything.
• Below average for gaming, and footsteps need specific settings.

Verdict

It’s aimed at specific users: if you like bass or your source is bright, I don’t recommend it. My best result was with switches 1 and 2 on, Final Type E tips, and the DX170 with the Topping L70.

Note: this review is from 2024, so price and availability may have changed.

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