What a fascinating entry FatFrequency has made into our review database! I had only heard of the brand through reviews and impressions over the last couple of years despite the team having been around longer. It's not unheard of that a new brand takes a while to get popular globally and yet nothing could have prepared even FATFreq for how big it was going to get. There have been multiple new releases in the last couple of years, including some that compete favorably with TOTL (top of the line) IEMs that cost significantly more and occupy the top spots of many reviewer ranking lists. Knowing that most of these IEMs are sold in both universal and custom fit options and that this is still a small team at the end of the day, it's no surprise that 2024 has seen customers put in orders and end up having to wait multiple months sometimes to receive their IEMs. I worry that my review and the added exposure might end up making this worse and yet FATFreq deserves the attention and then some. Ideally the increased revenues headed their way will allow the team to expand and cut down on production delays in the future. This is an exciting brand that is effectively doing things differently from pretty much anyone else, so I will always support that.

As such, it should not be a surprise that FATFreq's IEMs may all not be for everyone. This is especially true of its Maestro series that goes for a V-shaped tonality with the lower priced entries being quite bassy. The Maestro Mini is arguably the set that got FATFreq famous in the west and the Scarlet Mini is a follow-up that aims to turn the sound signature of the Maestro Mini up to 11. You get significantly more bass than pretty much anything else on the market, and it is achieved in an innovative manner that makes for one of the best implemented V-shaped tonalities. The mids aren't overly recessed and there is enough range for many instruments to shine. In fact, I dare say the upper mids and treble are also a highlight of the Scarlet Mini, which might be weird given initial impressions will make you either rave about its bass or dismiss it as something that can potentially be headache-inducing. I was ready to give up soon, but then my partner tried it and absolutely fell in love with the set. So I tried again, and again, and ultimately saw where the Scarlet Mini can do things in a positive manner too. This will still be a divisive set and I can't tell you I'd pay the money for it if this was to be my only set of IEMs either. I am also not a fan of the "upgrade" cable but that also means saving the cash with the base cable makes the Scarlet Mini easier on the wallet. It's not a set for everyone, and yet I am sure people can appreciate the novel engineering that has gone into making one of the most impactful IEMs I have ever tried. FATFreq absolutely deserves the innovation award here for the Scarlet Mini and I highly recommend people try these out for an hour or longer if you can, before deciding whether these are for you.