Closer Examination

FiiO continues its impressive run of accessories with the FA19's stock cable that looks and feels like it could easily be sold as an upgrade cable from others. This is a thick cable with eight strands, each containing 28 wires of pure silver conductor that is individually insulated and then has the wires twisted in a Litz configuration. The cable sheath is made of TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane, not TechPowerUp), allowing it to be still quite supple and resistant to yellowing over time. The end result is a pliable cable with an ultra-low electrical resistance and without any microphonics, although some may find the added mass and thickness to be less than desirable on the ears. This is a modular cable with 3.5 mm single-ended or 4.4 mm balanced termination plugs; FiiO is deliberately skipping the 2.5 mm connector which is increasingly less popular now. The modular plugs are installed in a push-fit followed by a twist lock to help keep them secure. The various metal elements get a glossy silver-gray finish, although I'd argue something darker would have matched the rest of the cable better. A thicker, transparent plastic sheathing comes up closer to the ends, where we see pre-formed ear hooks to naturally fit around and over your ears. The physical connection to the IEMs is via an expanded MMCX connector on each end, which is housed inside more of the same glossy metal housings, with blue and red rings in addition to L/R markings to denote the left and right channels. All the plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


FiiO uses a mix of different designs and materials for its IEM shells, and the FA19 goes the 3D printed route with IEM shell manufacturer Heygears using DLP (digital light processing) resin printing to get the same detailed prints that SLA printing offers but at a much faster rate, enabling true mass volume production. These shells are a smokey black in color and form the cavity for the drivers to slot into with the faceplate seemingly glue-dropped onto for capping. Once glued in place, I believe the shells are hand-polished and varnish sprayed to give a glossy finish that results in a nice finish throughout.


The decorative faceplates are relatively simple and use a geometric pattern of several silver lines to contrast against the black background. Note also the absence of any FiiO branding or serial numbers on the shells or faceplates. These are relatively thick IEMs owing to the larger number of drivers inside, although clearly they adopt an ergonomic shape to help with a good fit in the ears. The translucent shells help provide a sneak peek at the drivers and other components used inside, with a look at the sides also revealing the MMCX cable connectors and the more complex vent used on this all-BA design. This will no doubt please those who find unvented IEMs uncomfortable over time. There is a switch on the top going from "—" to "On" for the two tuning modes available here. L/R markings are seen on the inside to help indicate the left and right channels, respectively. The nozzle has a lip at the very end to help keep the ear tips in place, and measures in at 5.95 mm compared to 5.60 mm elsewhere. This, combined with the relatively average insertion depth and positioning angle, means the FA19 should be fairly comfortable for most people when it comes to the ear canals themselves. Do try out the various ear tips provided to see what works best for you, I found the pre-installed balanced size M tips to work great for me already. There is a metal mesh filter on the end to help keep contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.