Audio brand Fiio has announced its flagship in-ear monitors. Three different types of driver are squeezed into the high-end titanium housing of the FX17, making a total of 13 in each earpiece for the promise of "a bigger soundstage and more natural sound."
An electrostatic driver is reported to deliver "exceptional high-frequency extension" up to 50 kHz, but suffers from relatively low sensitivity – 99 dB/mW compared to the typical 110-dB/mW capabilities of balanced armature and dynamic drivers. In order to boost sensitivity for the FX17 design, Fiio has employed eight electrostatic units in each in-ear monitor (IEM) for a greater presence as they take care of business at audio frequencies above 6 kHz.
The architecture also makes room for four custom balanced-armature drivers, developed in partnership with Knowles. Each of these units is split into two. One part handles the mid-range and features acoustic vents to the rear to "provide more sound energy reserves for the mid-frequency balanced-armature unit." The other piece of the sonic puzzle moves into higher territory, before yielding to the electrostatic modules. The end result: "denser mids and a more transparent sound."
The dynamic driver rocks a lightweight but rigid lithium-magnesium-alloy diaphragm for "significantly reduced intrinsic frequency resonance and distortion" – the latter not exceeding 0.2% for the promise of "a truly clean sound." The bottom end gets a boost from Fiio's patented S.Turbo sound-tube system inspired by supercar turbos, while also filtering out unwanted mids and high for a smoother transition.
Airflow through the chamber is optimized for the perfect balance between front and back, and the company also says that the dual-system five-way crossover design has been specifically tuned for a smooth frequency curve as well as a flat impedance curve.
Each multi-driver setup is housed within a titanium shell that's been milled from a single block before being polished by hand. The 360-wire, 8-strand cable braids together gold, silver and copper "to take advantage of the strengths offered by the different materials." This can end in one of three swappable plugs: USB-C with built-in DSP decoding that enables high-resolution playback at up to 32-bit/384-kHz in PCM formats; a 3.5-mm single-ended; and a 4.4-mm balanced.
Listeners over USB can also tweak the sound to preference via 8-band parametric EQ and the Fiio Control app or web interface. The FX17 IEMs ship with 22 pairs of ear tips in different sizes for best-comfort fit and/or sound signature. And you get a commemorative nameplate that's engraved and numbered, too.
As you might expect, all of this mobile audiophile goodness doesn't come cheap. The FX17 in-ear monitors will go on sale internationally from April 14 for US$1,499.
Product page: Fiio FX17
