FiiO FA19
The FiiO FA19 turns all-BA precision into a richly musical ride: textured, hard-hitting bass, natural vocal weight and airy, refined treble arrive with pinpoint imaging and cohesive separation. Its HiFi/Monitor switch toggles extra warmth or a more balanced lens, while Hifi Pig highlights its engaging, detailed poise. A premium, comfortable all-rounder that keeps complex mixes vivid and composed.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Fit Comfort Isolation
91/100
Build Accessories
93/100
Value for Money
90/100
Pros
Exceptional balanced-armature bass combines deep extension, punch, texture and control without significant bloat.
Highly resolving, coherent presentation with excellent instrument separation, precise imaging and convincing depth.
Monitor and HiFi modes offer genuinely useful tonal flexibility, from balanced clarity to added bass warmth.
Premium package includes comfortable ergonomic shells, extensive tip selection and a modular 3.5 mm/4.4 mm cable.
Cons
The larger shells and MMCX connectors may be less appealing than newer, more compact connector systems.
HiFi mode's stronger bass can add warmth at the expense of midrange clarity on some tracks.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The FA19 is widely described as a warm-neutral, highly resolved all-rounder with controlled bass weight, natural vocals, clean treble and unusually strong spatial precision. Reviewers consistently praise its cohesive, engaging presentation, though a minority find the stage less expansive or the upper range comparatively subdued.
Bass
94/100
Reviewers repeatedly praise deep extension, punch, texture and unusually convincing dynamics for balanced-armature bass. Its elevated low end remains controlled with little reported bloat or bleed, although one reviewer found the added bass weight can slightly soften midrange clarity.
Midrange
91/100
Vocals are described as forward, clear, natural and well focused, with convincing note weight and timbre. The warmer mid-bass/lower-mid balance adds body and emotional presence, but may be richer than ideal for listeners who prioritize maximum midrange clarity.
Treble
90/100
Most reviewers hear extended, airy and refined treble with crisp transients, strong overtone detail and no meaningful sibilance or harshness. One review characterizes the treble as veiled, so the presentation may not suit listeners seeking an aggressively vivid upper register.
Resolution Separation
93/100
Complex material is said to remain exceptionally clear, with strong microdetail, layering and instrument separation. Several reviewers specifically note that detail does not come at the expense of coherence, grain-free tone or natural musical flow.
Soundstage Imaging
91/100
Imaging receives especially strong praise: reviewers report precise positional cues, sharply placed instruments and convincing depth. Stage size is generally considered spacious and immersive for an IEM, though some find it above average rather than class-leading in outright width.
Dynamics Coherence
93/100
The FA19 is repeatedly praised for impactful drums, energetic bass dynamics and a lively yet composed sense of momentum. Reviewers also find the many drivers well integrated, with individual elements remaining distinct without sounding disconnected.
FIT COMFORT ISOLATION PERFORMANCE 91/100
Its smooth ergonomic shells, modest nozzle and broad tip selection produce a secure, comfortable fit for most reviewers, including during multi-hour sessions. Passive isolation is good for a vented design, but opinions range from excellent in transit to merely adequate compared with more sealed monitors.
Seal Stability
91/100
Reviewers generally report a stable, secure fit with no ongoing seal problems, helped by the compact nozzle and plentiful tip selection. One reviewer improved the seal by positioning the ear hooks around glasses, indicating that individual setup can still matter.
Comfort
94/100
Multiple reviewers describe the FA19 as extremely comfortable for hours, crediting its smooth housings, ergonomic form and angled nozzles. Although the shells are somewhat chunky, the available feedback does not identify this as a recurring comfort problem.
Isolation
85/100
Despite its vented construction, one reviewer found isolation excellent even on busy trains, while others call it good or slightly above average. Another estimates only moderate outside-noise reduction, so it is less isolating than the strongest sealed stage-oriented alternatives.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Accessories
93/100
Reviewers describe the 3D-printed shells and faceplates as premium, smooth and solidly made, with confidence-inspiring finish quality. The package is notably useful rather than merely decorative, including a large tip selection, protective case, MMCX tool, cable strap and interchangeable 3.5 mm/4.4 mm terminations.
Value for Money
90/100
At $999.99/£999, the FA19 is clearly a premium purchase, but several reviewers consider its performance highly competitive for the price. Hifi Pig in particular argues that similarly complete performance once required substantially more expensive flagship models, while another reviewer advises auditioning first because the tuning remains preference-dependent.
Reviews & Sources
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Manufacturer's Description — FiiO
10 Knowles BA IEMs
10 Knowles BA design | Custom Knowles · enhanced bass BA
drivers | Rubycon audiophile-grade film capacitor crossover
DLP 3D printed shell | “Monitor/HiFi” mode switch
8 strands of 224 wires pure silver cable | Hi-Res Audio certified
*Pictures are for reference only. The actual product may vary.
What's the core
Rubycon audiophile-grade crossover capacitors
10 Knowles BA design
With tolerance errors below 0.1%, these capacitors separate frequency band extremely accurately for true flagship-level exquisite sound.
Inside the FA19 are 10 Knowles balanced armature drivers per ear, a monumental achievement for multi-driver IEMs.
Negative feedback bass enhancement system
Mid-frequency notch filter
Ensures a smooth transition from mid to high frequencies to allow the drivers to work to their maximum potential.
Custom Knowles bass balanced armature units are arranged in a scientifically designed structure to guide low-frequency sound waves to the rear cavity for deep, rich bass.
Trailblazing into a new world, Moving BAs into a new realm
Our goal was to create a truly monumental multi-BA driver IEM. We aimed to shake up the current market of flagship multi-BA driver IEMs, and spent three years on refining it to do so. For the ten balanced armature drivers FA19, we collaborated deeply with Knowles. Together, we built a custom enhanced bass balanced armature driver specifically for the FA19 to provide the listener with a deep low-frequency experience uncommon in multi-BA driver IEMs. Additionally, FiiO also worked closely with Knowles to optimize the mid and high-frequency drivers so that they not only sound highly detailed, but also pleasantly smooth. With the FA19 we carefully tuned all parts of the frequency response curve for a truly coherent and resolving sound. Welcome to a new world for multi-BA IEMs, and the FiiO FA19 will be your guide.
Swift as the wind, with a thunderous impact 10 Knowles BA design
The FIIO FA19 is designed based on both science and actual listening tests. For the FA19 we settled on using these drivers per ear: 4 custom Knowles bass BA drivers, 2 Knowles ED mid BA drivers, and 4 Knowles SWFK treble BA drivers.
Having more drivers in an IEM does provide certain advantages. It significantly increases the energy density within a given frequency range, resulting in more detail reproduced. This is especially apparent during dynamic audio passages, where more drivers are better able to handle the nuances present, ensuring that the resulting sound is not compressed. And thus, the IEM is better able to faithfully reproduce the original sound.
When tuning IEMs, it is important that there are ample energy reserves from the drivers so that the engineers have enough to work with to achieve their sound goals. This may simply not be possible with fewer drivers. Thus the FA19 employs ten outstanding BA drivers. And the physical + electronic three-way crossover accurately segments different drivers working on different frequency ranges, resulting in a clear, reference monitor-like sound quality.
The FA19 is an IEM that reaches the heights of sound quality with a thunderous impact, being able to faithfully reproduce every last single audio detail.
Rediscovering the essence of bass,
Custom Knowles · enhanced bass BA drivers
FIIO collaborated closely with Knowles to create a custom bass BA driver. By improving the airflow throughput of this driver, we enhance its overall energy. Additionally, the FA19 uses four of these custom drivers per channel, further ensuring there are enough drivers to produce detailed and powerful bass. The result is truly robust, impactful bass.
Don’t follow the crowd, stand out from it Negative feedback bass enhancement system
With four custom enhanced bass balanced armature drivers per channel developed by FIIO in collaboration with Knowles, the FA19 boasts ample bass. Engineers creatively made use of the precise DLP 3D printing technology to create a shell that helps to guide this low-frequency energy into the earphone’s rear cavity, effectively lowering the resonant frequency there – essentially a negative feedback bass enhancement system. The result is a bass that reaches extremely deep, uncommon among IEMs of its class.
Furthermore, this ensures that the front cavity of the earphone is adequately vented, effectively preventing wearing discomfort caused by excessive pressure in the earphone’s front cavity. Thus this negative feedback system also improves both wearing comfort and soundstage size, so that the wearing experience is not sacrificed in the pursuit of high-fidelity sound.
Clean coherent transition· Scientific HiFi Mid-frequency notch filter
A smooth mid-frequency curve not only stems from the core unit’s quality but also results from meticulous tuning by professional acousticians. The FA19 employs two classic Knowles ED mid BA drivers, known for their high resolution and favored by demanding listeners. However, if not implemented properly they can sometimes exhibit sibilance which negatively affects the overall listening experience. To address this, engineers have specially designed a mid-frequency notch filter at the bottom of these two mid BA drivers.
Refined treble
Enhanced mids
Sibilance eliminated
The mid-frequency notch filter effectively filters out the 8kHz peak of the mid-frequency BA driver. Doing so reduces the overlap in frequency response range between the mid and treble BAs, eliminating sibilance and enhancing overall clarity.
Measurements show that the mid-frequency notch filter increases the sound pressure level between 1kHz and 3kHz in the FA19, avoiding a “hole” in the mids. This ensures not only that the highly detailed nature of a BA driver continues to come through, but also that the mids sound lusher a nd more realitic, as if the singer really was in front of you.
Additionally, the mid-frequency notch filter shifts the crossover point between multiple drivers to 3.5kHz. By establishing a clean separation between the mid and treble drivers, both sets of drivers properly work to their maximum potential within their designated frequency ranges without any interference.
Working principle of the FA19’s mid-frequency notch filter
When the frequency of sound waves approaches the inherent frequency of the resonant cavity, frictional vibrations occur between the cavity walls and the air, converting specific frequency bands of sound energy into mechanical and thermal energy, thereby dissipating sound energy and absorbing the sound. Conversely, when the frequency of sound waves deviates from the resonant cavity, the resonance effect inside the cavity weakens, resulting in less sound absorption. Based on this principle, the mid-frequency notch filter is designed for the FA19 to weaken the high-frequency signals of the mids unit, thus achieving bandpass physical crossover.
Approaching frequencies with surgical precision Rubycon audiophile-grade crossover capacitors
Truly be immersed with each striking musical note thanks to a precise crossover. The FA19 employs audiophile grade film capacitors as its electronic crossover components, which boast exceptional precision. While typical resistor used for crossovers have an error tolerance of around 1%, the FA19’s resistors have an impressively low error tolerance of 0.1%. Thus, compared to ordinary ceramic capacitors, the FA19 not only attains more accurate crossover points but also features enhanced high-frequency resolution without sacrificing tonal finesse.
One button, two worlds
“Monitor/HiFi” mode switch
Choose between two carefully crafted listening modes, by easily flipping a switch on the fly on the back of the IEMs. Use the FA19 as an audio production tool anytime, anywhere.
· —: “Monitor” mode, delivers clean detailed sound, especially in the treble, making the FA19 an excellent tool for audio production.
· On :“HiFi” mode, which adds energy to the mids and bass, with a special attention to the bass to give it more impact and quantity. It is the ideal way to experience pleasant HiFi sound.
ON HiFi mode
-Monitor mode
First-class experience DLP 3D printed shell
To successfully implement the negative feedback bass enhancement system and for high overall sound quality on the FA19. The FiiO FA19 is made with advanced DLP-3D printing technology with a precision of up to 0.0375mm, ensuring that the shell can be precisely crafted to meet our ambitious sound quality goals. The shell is made of photosensitive resin, which is highly durable and is able to offer robust protection for precision components such as the multiple BA drivers.
Pure black magic
S.Turbo patented acoustic design
The FA19 incorporates FIIO’s patented S.Turbo acoustic turbine-shaped design. By extending the tube that guides low frequencies, it serves as a filtering device that effectively eliminates high-frequency sound waves emanating from the bass BA drivers. This ensures a smooth transition between low and mid frequencies. This also leads to a cleaner split between the low and mid frequencies, resulting in purer sound that better reflects the original sound of the music.
Patent number:ZL2018211416279
High-end cable, for stunning sound Included 8-strand 224 wires pure silver cable
The FA19 comes standard with a high-purity pure silver cable, consisting 8 strands of 28 wires each for a total of 224 wires. Each individual wire is independently insulated, and the cable is twisted using a Litz structure. The cable sheath is made from imported transparent eco-friendly TPU, enhancing the cable’s appearance with a bright and clear appearance. Additionally, this TPU material effectively prevents yellowing due to prolonged use and stiffening of the cable due to use in low-temperature environments.
8 strands of 224 wires pure silver cable
Litz braided
Expanded MMCX connector Stable, quick and convenient
New interchangeable plug
Straight twist-lock swappable audio plug Supports 3.5/4.4mm plugs
Notes:
FIIO earphones include either the new or old interchange plug. The difference lies solely in the craftsmanship, materials, and structural design of the plug, with no difference in the cable wires. Both versions are genuine. Please refer to the actual item received. Thank you for your understanding.
*Swappable audio plug patent licensed from FABRILOUS
*This cable is the same as LC-RD Pro 2022
Overseen by acoustic experts Carefully tuned Hi-End frequency response curve
Flagship sound, golden quality Hi-Res Audio certified
FA19 has been certified by the JAS (Japan Audio Society) and CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) to be hi-res audio capable. It is a testament to the product’s ability to bring you accurate high-fidelity audio, as close to the artist’s original intended sound as possible.
Abundant accessories
1-------------------------------------------------------------------------------FA19 box*1
2---------------------------------------------------------------------Quick start guide*1
3-------------------------------------------------------------------------------HB5 case*1
4------------------------------------------- Swappable plug sterling silver cable*1
5------------------------Foam eartips*2 pairs (M), bass eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L),
balanced eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L) (M pre-installed),
Dual-flange eartips*2 pairs (M), Vocal eartips*3 pairs(S/M/L)
6--------------------------------------------------------------------Magnetic cord clip*1
7-------------------------------------------------------------------------Cleaning brush*1
8-----------------------------------------------------------MMCX quick release tool*1
9--------------------------3.5/4.4mm swappable plugs*1(4.4mm pre-installed)
10----------------------------------------------------------------------FA19 earphones*1
11-------------------------------------------------------SpinFit eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L)
12----------------------------------------------------- -- HS18 eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L)
Earphone type: 10 balanced armature earphones
Wearing style:in-ear and around-the-ear
Drivers: Custom Knowles bass BA*2, totaling 4
Knowles ED mid BA*2
Knowles SWFK treble BA*2, totaling 4
Frequency response:20Hz-40kHz
Impedance:10Ω@1kHz
Sensitivity:106dB/mW@1kHz
Cable:8 strands totaling 224 high purity pure silver wires
Cable length:about 1.2m
Single unit weight:about 7g (excluding cable)
Earphone connector:expanded MMCX
Audio plugs:straight twist-lock swappable plugs
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for FiiO FA19
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Advanced MP3 Players — online and in-store — Musselburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- All Elite Audio — online and in-store — Perry Hall, Maryland, United States (website)
- Alpha Audio Pte — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Apos Audio — online and in-store — Oakland, California, United States (website)
- Audeos — online and in-store — Żywiec, Województwo śląskie (website)
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Affair — online and in-store — Deritend, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 59 more verified dealers