F-Audio is a Hong Kong-based company that started off in
2014 re-shelling in-ear monitors and then developed their own small line of
universal and custom IEMs. The company currently has 6 total models between
their custom and universal arsenal, with two being available in both fits. This
specific quick review will go over their top-priced Major (~$1350 USD), from their universal
lineup.
The F-Audio Major was loaned to me by fellow Audio Discourse
member, Rush, to try out and provide impressions to over a couple weeks.
The Major’s shell is a machined aluminum housing that kind
of looks like a comic quote cloud to me. It’s gold-anodized and has a nice feel
and heft to it, though also small and easy to wear. The nozzle is small and
shallow, so for me, it pairs better with larger silicone tips. The connector is
of the 2-pin variety.
The IEM features a single dynamic driver; however, it has
two diaphragm materials. The outer layer is a fiber-based diaphragm, while the
inner layer is titanium foil. The fiber
layer is designed to control the low end of the frequency response, while the
titanium handles the upper-end.
Sound Impressions
The F-Audio Major has a V-shaped sound to it that with an
emphasis on bass and treble, while the mid-range is only slightly recessed. While
the basic sound signature isn’t unique, it does present music in a way that I
find a little different than what I am used to.
First off, I find the treble has some peaks that don’t play
well with my ears. There are definitely some strained and ringing sounds in the
lower treble that exudes some abnormal sounding cymbal crashes and hat hits
that I feel sound odd. In my Alison Krauss & Union Station listening, it
really stands out and is quite fatiguing as the harmonics of all the stringed
instruments of bluegrass paired with the angelic voice of Krauss really make
this IEM a bit fatiguing and sharp.
In some ways, I also find the treble to sound a bit veiled
too, or perhaps the term “grainy” comes to mind. This may have to do with such
a large peak at 5.5KHz and such a drop off afterward followed by another peak
between 8-10KHz that creates an uneven and somewhat strange treble sound to me.
It sounds like everything prior to 2K sounds nice, warm and impactful, and
everything afterward sounds quite average to strange.
That’s not to say everything is bad.
The low end is beefy. It’s warm, thick, and engaging. If the
treble wasn’t so peaky, I’d almost consider this a dark in-ear, however, those
treble spikes really make this more a V-Shape, albeit with hints of darkness. Back
to the lower end. This IEM seems to play well with rock music. I found my 90’s alternative
music really stood out on these.
Alice in Chain’s Rooster, for example, sounds really good. Given my normal listening gear, I am not normally listening to Layne Staley’s voice with such deep bravado, or the bass guitars and kick drums hit with power. That said, the snares do have that weird harmonic ringing and deadness to it that I mentioned above.
It’s actually more present in Smashing Pumpkins tracks,
where Jimmy Chamberlain uses the cymbals and snare hits more so, such as in
Cherub Rock, where it’s predominantly the base of the track. Billy Corgan’s
voice doesn’t necessarily sound true either, and sometimes sounds a bit flat,
however in general I do enjoy the thicker, warmer, tonality of the Major for a
lot of this era’s music.
Pearl Jam for example, sounds pretty good. It also does well with hip hop music. I started listening to Notorious BIG and 2Pac and other rap favorites from the 90s and found the Major to bring back some fun here. There’s also a surprisingly wider soundstage than I thought, and separation is pretty decent, even in these rap tracks.
Conclusions
So, while I did enjoy revitalizing my love for 90’s music with
my time alongside the F-Audio Major, I don’t necessarily feel it is really my
preferred flavor of sound. It’s strays rather far from neutral, which isn’t always
a bad thing, but I do find some of the quirks with this in-ear are not very
enjoyable for my tastes and my ear anatomy. The treble is too disjointed and
too peaky that it ruins a lot of my favorite music and I’m always feeling like
something is wrong, off or missing.
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