Review: Fidue A71 (Dual Dynamic Defined)

I would like to thank Tony over at Hifiheadphones for lending me this sample to review, I let them burn in for over 30hrs before reviewing, no major differences were noted. I will try and write as honest a review possible.

Gear Used:
Dell XPS 15 > JDS Labs C5D > A71 (comply tips)

Drivers: 10mm dynamic / 6.8mm Titanium dynamic
Frequency response: 12Hz – 25kHz
Rated impedance: 19Ω
Sensitivity: 103dB
Distortion: <1%
Max Input Power: 20mW
Plug: 3.5mm mini stereo gold-plated plug
Cable: 1.2m, 7N-OFC
MSRP: £89.99

Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality:

Packaging is similar to most Fidue, a black box with green on it, a picture of the IEM’s on the front and information and specifications on the back and sides.
Open this and you are presented with a foam in tray, in which you will find the IEM’s neatly held in place and their carry case below containing the accessories. Very well protected and also good looking packaging.

Accessories included are great, you get plenty of tips and a good little carry case. You get S, M and L single flange tips, M and L bi-flange tips, a pair of M foams tips and also a semi hard clamshell case to protect them when in your bag. A great package of accessories, nothing missing.

Build quality feels sturdy all round, the housing is quite long in shape, and plastic but it all feels well put together and the cable entry into the housing looks stout. I have not worries about the  build quality, the cable feels to be of good quality with sufficient strain relief throughout, the jack and y-split are both metal also.

Comfort, Isolation, Cable noise and Driver flex:

Comfort is good once you find the right tip, I started  with the bi-flange tips but moved to my trusty Comply tips. I found these to work well with shallow and deep insertion, deep insertion felt more invasive but more secure, people with smaller ears might struggle with deep insertion due to the housings width as it puts pressure on the ear. I found these comfortable for long listening periods when I had a good seal, the memory wire is not an issue for me.

Isolation is not brilliant, it may be due to the plastic housing or the vents for the dynamic drivers, but I did find them to block out enough for general listening, but maybe not the best for commuting.

Cable noise is not an issue due to the cable being made to route behind the ear, which usually eliminates cable noise.

Driver flex is noticeable, when inserting you will hear it, and sometimes you may have to re-insert them to get a proper seal and sound.

Sound:

Lows: The lows are full and tight, they give a real sense of body and warmth whilst keeping separate from the mids. They mids give good punch when asked for, and extend low being very articulate aswell, however never becoming boomy as they stay controlled throughout. The lows hand themselves to all genres, I like the punch and power they give to kick drums and bass guitar in rock, the rumble they give to electronica and articulation and fullness in jazz.

Mids: The mids I would say sit a little behind the lows, when listening to female vocals in acoustic music I love the detail rendition, you can hear all the details without harshness or sibilance, very delicate portrayal, every pluck of the string of a guitar can be heard. Male vocals sound a little muffled due to the lows, but there is not significant bleed from the lows and they still retain good detail and presentation. I find the mids to have enough detail without harshness, and they have good presentation for an IEM of this price.

Highs: I do find the highs to be detailed and to have sparkle without harshness, people sensitive to treble should not worry as these do not have an abundance of treble. The highs are always there, sometimes they do take a backseat but have enough presence to not sound overly dull or dark, they still retain some sparkle and detail. On slower tracks you can still hear all cymbal taps and crashes with good extension and detail. However a little more presence would helps these IEM’s really shine, giving them that sense of air and clarity.

Soundstage and Instrument Separation: The soundstage is very impressive, they don’t have a very airy presentation but the width of the soundstage is very impressive, there are many out of head experiences to be had with these. Instrument separation is good, the overall clarity helps and the articulation is also a plus here.

Conclusion:

I really do like these, Fidue are coming out with some excellent IEM’s, these may not have the best ergonomics but they are still comfortable, however the sound really is excellent, you would not know there are 2 drivers in these due to the incredibly coherent sound, from lows to highs there are not major dips or peaks, now flaws that stand out. They could have a little more presence up top, and the mids could be a little more forward, but overall they have a balanced (but on the fuller side) sound which has good detail retrieval without sounding clinical, and the soundstage is very wide. I would recommend these to anyone that wants good coherent sound that blends together for an easy listening experience with clarity and detail that is not thrown in your face.

Sound Perfection Rating: 8/10 (excellent sound for an attractive price)