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FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM – The flagship in-ear headphones

The latest in-ear headphones from FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd, the FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM, feature no less than ten so-called balanced aramature drivers from the specialist Knowles Electronics LLC. It is clear that this makes it the new flagship in the in-ear headphone sector.

Story Highlights
  • FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is clearly positioning the new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM, which was developed in close co-operation with Knowles Electronics LLC., as its new flagship product.

The Chinese company FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. has been a recognised specialist in the field of personal audio devices for many years, and has earned this reputation not least thanks to its wide range of headphones, especially in-ear headphones. The solutions from FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. have always been known for pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible and setting new standards.

This probably also applies to the latest model in the in-ear headphone range, which FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is now presenting with the new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM. As the name suggests, this is a solution that utilises no fewer than ten drivers.

Close collaboration with Knowles Electronics LLC.

In view of the remarkable features of the new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM, it is understandable that FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. should emphasise the close cooperation that it has maintained with the specialist Knowles Electronics LLC. for many years and which naturally also forms the basis for these new in-ear headphones.

You really have to realise that you are dealing with in-ear headphones that have no less than ten drivers, even if these are so-called balanced armature drivers, which naturally take up much less space than classic dynamic drivers.

And FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. in particular is known for packing quite a few drivers into a pair of in-ear headphones in order to achieve the most harmonious sound possible across a wide frequency range. However, ten drivers is an extraordinary achievement, even for the Chinese specialist.

Four Enhanced Bass BA Drivers

In close cooperation, the new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM was designed with completely newly developed BA drivers, as dynamic drivers are normally used in the bass range, but here the lowest frequency range is also to be reproduced using balanced armature drivers.

According to the manufacturer, this is a customised bass BA driver in which the airflow has been optimised to improve the overall energy and thus also reproduce low frequencies with the corresponding dynamics.

Incidentally, four of these drivers are used per channel in order to be able to reproduce even powerful bass in detail and powerfully, as the manufacturer explains further.

Negative Feedback Bass Enhancement System – FiiO S. Turbo Acoustic Turbine-shaped Design

The special design of the enclosure, which is created using DLP 3D printing technology and is constructed inside in such a way that a shell is created in which low-frequency energy, which could lead to unwanted resonances and distortions, is effectively reduced by means of a resonance frequency, thus guaranteeing a controlled, more powerful performance. The manufacturer itself refers to this as a Negative Feedback Bass Enhancement System and the FiiO S. Turbo Acoustic Turbine-shaped design, for which a patent application has been filed.

Two Knowles ED Mid BA Drivers plus four Knowles SWFK Treble BA Drivers

Two Knowles ED Mid BA drivers are used per channel in the midrange, which, according to the manufacturer, have been tuned by experienced acoustic engineers to guarantee a harmonious transition to the lowest frequency ranges as well as a smooth transition to the treble range, which is reproduced by another pair of BA drivers.

It is explicitly emphasised that the drivers used for the mid-range extend comparatively far into the high-frequency range and that a special mid-frequency notch filter is used here in order to avoid any negative effects, but rather to achieve a natural, detailed performance in the mid-range and high-frequency range. The clean separation between the mid-range and high-frequency drivers ensures that both pairs of drivers realise their maximum potential within their assigned frequency ranges without interference, according to the manufacturer’s promise.

Rubycon Audiophile-grade Crossover Capacitors

With so many drivers, a particularly sophisticated crossover is naturally required; the manufacturer refers to this as a crossover in the form of Rubycon Audiophile-grade Crossover Capacitors.

This means that particularly high-quality film capacitors are used, which are characterised by outstanding precision and the lowest tolerances compared to conventional components.

Broken down into figures, this means that the new FiiO FA10 with its total of ten drivers can reproduce a frequency range between 20 Hz and 40 kHz, with an impedance of just 10 ohms and a sensitivity of 106 dB.

High-quality silver cable

As always with its high-quality headphone models, FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. naturally uses a particularly high-quality cable for the new FiiO FA19, with a cable construction of 1.2 metres in length based on 8 strands of pure silver with 224 conductors each.

The cable can of course be removed and replaced, whereby a so-called MMCX connector is used. At the other end there is either a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack for unbalanced connections or a 4.4 mm Pentaconn for balanced connections. The manufacturer refers to these as straight twist-lock swappable plugs.

The scope of delivery naturally includes a wide variety of ear moulds in different sizes, shapes and materials; this variety for maximum wearing comfort has always been standard at FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.

Prices and availability

The new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM will soon be available from specialist retailers, with the price for this outstanding solution likely to be around € 1.200,-.

Getting to the point

Once again, the Chinese company FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is setting new standards in the field of in-ear headphones, as the new FiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM is the first solution to be equipped with no less than ten so-called Balanced Armature Drivers, as the name suggests, and once again in close cooperation with the specialist Knowles Electronics LLC.

PRODUCTFiiO FA19 10 Knowles BA IEM
Price€ 1.200,-
BrandFiiO
ManufacturerFiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.
DistributionNT Global Distribution GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG

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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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