Aroma Audio Fei Wan "FEI WAN"

Fei Wan, The Golden Goose: (FW for F**king Wondrous)

I am grateful to have the opportunity to continuously demo some of the new IEM revelations. After a few recent ones that were impressive, none particularly struck out which really tempted me to jump back into the portable world. But Fei Wan…man, this IEM is a treat!

After you become complacent in the audio world, you get really used to your setup and somewhat ingrain this new standard or reference point. It's an essential part of really appreciating and understanding your gear (and obviously, for your wallet), but it can gatekeep you from other wonderful sonic attributes that your gear might not excel on.

Let me explain-not until I put the FWs the FWs forced themselves into my ears, did I realize how much I was truly missing dynamics in my music when listening out of my beloved Meze Elites. The Elites have such a beautiful tonality with a spacious, airy presentation with good energy, but here came FW with a visceral, banging opener to remind me about the importance of energy and punch.

Damn-ymics. Never have I heard metal music so lively, with authority yet control. So much energy, technically-proficient, yet musical.

*All of my listening was done out of a Rockna Wavelight + Rockna Server + Ferrum OOR/Hypsos desktop setup, and then on the L&P W2 for portable. Stock cable.

Sound Impressions:


FW to me is a U-shaped (maybe slight V-shape) where the midrange is slightly recessed, but deceptively detailed with a strong timbre. Vocals sound sweet with good texture. My issue with previous U/V-shaped IEMs was that yes, the bass is thunderous and the treble lively and sparkly, but it comes at expense of timbre and technicalities which throws me out of the overall musical immersion. They were too much of a specialist IEM, a one-trick pony.

FW, on the other hand, is more versatile than meets the eye. Despite its fun sound signature, it still manages to have organic timbre with rich mids (albeit taking a backseat to bass and treble on the stage).



Bass: Thunderous, powerful, hard-hitting, yet controlled. Even for blistering double-bass metal tracks, I noticed how snappy and fast the bass was with clean precision. In Bad Omen’s Artificial Suicide, I found myself nearly headbanging at the 1:50 mark with the double-bass, crisp cymbals, and authoritative, gruff, and punchy vocals all to boot. The bass is powerful, textured, clean and fast, all without being too overpowering in the overall signature.

Midrange: I discussed it a bit earlier, but despite slight recession in the mids (which might not be ideal for vocal-centric tracks), the midrange is still very detailed and organic sounding with strong texture. Fast forward to the melodic breakdown at 1:55 in All That Remains’ Chiron and you’ll notice a beautiful, vivid, and rich acoustic guitar playing with strong texture to each pluck of the guitar. It’s almost as if once the bass and treble take a breather, the midrange can come out and show how elegant and high-class it really is. Overall, instruments sound superb with great microdynamics to add to their naturalness, weight, and tone.

Treble: I understand why a few people can view the FW a bit fatiguing. I think the fatigue to my ears comes from an elevated upper midrange with the constant bombardment of punchy dynamics, mostly macro although still impressive micro. To my ears, treble is tastefully done with crisp yet smooth and vivid detail, with no sibilance or splashiness. There is good air to give the sound a bit of a concert/stadium feel. In no way is the IEM dark, but I also wouldn’t call it bright. Slightly bright warm…if that’s a thing, in a good way. Oh and did I mention how fun cymbals sound?

Technicalities: Up there with some of the best. The width is large, although I hear a bit more depth than width. Strong detail with clear imaging and layering. Decay is natural yet fast and snappy to keep up with more complicated passages. FW is one of the few IEMs where I don’t feel I am taking an obvious drop in technicalities coming from open-back planar TOTL headphones, and that only further proves what a phenomenal task Aroma Audio has achieved by blending such a musical IEM with top-tier technicalities.

Reminds me of:

FW reminds me a bit of Elysian X, a previous favorite of mine in the V-shaped category. However, it seems to have built upon some of my flaws with X, mainly in bass and the mids. X had fun, abyssal-depth levels of subbass, but its midbass was whimsical in comparison. FW takes a near 1:1 approach to its midbass and subbass while retaining excellent slam, texture and control.

X’s midrange is noticeable more recessed and less organic sounding, meanwhile FW adds a touch of naturalness to blend the overall midrange into a better organic timbre. Vocals are richer, instruments more natural with good weight in comparison to X's thinner midrange.

Treble-well, X is still the GOAT there. Nothing that I have heard yet touches its ethereal, vivid yet silky treble sound. But FW is not too far behind with its' energetic, detailed yet smooth top end.

TL;DR:

I am most definitely looking forward to CanJam NYC next month because a future FW might be the move . I'll of course have to check out those $80k new Unique Melody IEMs (not a typo, being facetious), along with VE10, etc., but I can't imagine they check more boxes than FW already has.

Thank you Aroma Audio for reminding me how much I love dynamics in my music while packaging it into such a technically-proficient product---whether it’s got me conjuring up a mosh pit in my head through metal music that terrifies my neighbors, or shedding a tear to the microdynamics of each pluck of an acoustic guitar during an emotional guitar solo. Musicality, energy, and punchy, yet technical, controlled and organic---finally, a true WOW IEM for me .

Having owned or heard several Aroma Audio IEMs over the last few years, their latest flagship, Fei Wan, is an interesting departure from their previous releases in both tuning and appearance. The Fei Wan utilises 10 balanced armature drives and 2 dynamic drivers to deliver its sound and comes in what can only be described as “Bling”, gold-flaked shells.

I’ve been listening to Fei Wan for about four weeks now before starting this review, which has given them enough time to burn in and for me to appreciate the sound. Like everything in this hobby, what you are going to read are just my opinions based on my hearing, tastes, and previous experience. You may disagree with them, and that’s fine, but just treat them as one data point.

Packaging​

There isn’t a whole lot to talk about here. The materials used are high quality, and the packaging feels solid. The box opens in the middle, and the contents are pushed forward to present you with the IEMs in a case, a gold-coloured badge with the logo imprinted, some information cards, and a set of ear tips. Considering the price of the IEM, I think the packaging and contents are quite basic, and I would have expected a bit more in this price bracket. The IEMs come with Aroma’s “Sparkle” cable, which is a 2-pin SPC cable with a 4.4mm termination. We’ll discuss that more later.

Design​

The shells have a fairly standard shape and size for a hybrid with this many drivers. There are some small bulges on the back, which at first, I thought may have caused fit issues, but that hasn’t been the case at all. They have fit perfectly and never caused any discomfort at all. They are also very light, so it’s easy to get a good fit that requires no readjusting at all.

The IEM uses flush-mounted 2-pin connectors for the cable. Those 2 pin connections are extremely tight. Removing the stock cable was an experience, to say the least, and fitting aftermarket cables has been an endeavour of cautiousness given the recent shell-shattering experiences people have had with another brand’s flagship. They have loosened with some use now, but you would have to say they are excessively tight to begin with.

The appearance of the shells has been a little polarising. They are certainly “in your face” with the gold flakes, but if they are not your thing, you can order custom designs in both the UIEM and CIEM versions.

The stems are just long enough for me to get a good fit with my ears. The opening of the stem is quite large, so you need a fairly flexible silicon tip to fit them easily. Tips with a more solid core can be problematic.

Sound​

Fei Wan was not a “love at first listen” type of experience for me by any means. When I first got to demo them a couple of months ago, I listened with the stock cable and a Hiby R6 Pro II. I found that combination to be a little jarring at times, and treble was quite spikey. I then had the chance to demo it for a little longer and got to try more sources, which performed far better, but as the set wasn’t my own, I stayed away from trying different cables with it.

There were undoubtedly some impressive moments during that demo that lingered in my memory, and as time went by, I decided to give them another try and see if I could find a setup that would work for me.

There is no doubt for me that some of the recent IEM releases, such as Fei Wan and the Kinera Loki, have taken a step forward with the details and resolution they can produce. Possibly, it is a new generation of drivers that is available, I’m not sure, but they sound significantly better than most of the previous IEMs I have owned or tried.

I’ve found the sound Fei Wan produces to be affected a lot by the chain you use to listen with. There are some sources and cables I just haven’t liked it with for my tastes, but thankfully, there are others that make it shine. I am biased towards R2R sources in general, and for my tastes, this is where I have found the best synergy with Fei Wan. I have also done the majority of my listening using a Cardas Clear cable, which also has been the best match for me. I cover this more in the Cable section below.

Fei Wan is a technically impressive IEM. It can create a large soundstage that stretches as far back to front as left to right. It has excellent layering and imaging, and the detail level and resolution mean no matter how complex a track is, everything is clear and distinguishable. It is also able to do this with a broad range of genres, and by no means is what you might classify as a specialist. I would stop short of saying it is an all-rounder, as its more V-shaped bass and treble tuning won’t suit everything.


Bass is, for sure, one of the most impressive parts of this IEM. There is pretty much the same level of sub as mid-bass. The quality of the mid-bass is excellent. It’s a very adaptable set and can deliver all types of bass from different genres competently. The texture and decay, along with its ability to change the speed at which the bass is delivered as the track requires, are all first-rate. Fei Wan is just as happy delivering the banging bass a techno track requires as it is with the opening percussion sequence in Pink Floyd’s “Time”.

The mid range is full sounding, detailed and highly resolving. Stringed instruments lean warm, especially when combined with the lingering bass notes from the DDs. Vocals can sit slightly back in the mix, but there are tons of detail.

I have found that Treble is more affected by tip/ cable/ source than any other part of the frequency range. Also, before the dynamic drivers had some time to settle in, the sound signature was more dominated by higher frequencies, which is worth noting if you demo a new set. With the wrong chain, I have encountered spikes with certain music, but on the whole, I have had very few issues. It is an energetic top end for sure, but it is detailed and extends well. Through the many hours of listening and making comparisons for this review, I began to appreciate Fei Wan’s treble much more. It works well for EDM and is very nice for cymbals in Rock and Heavy Metal.

Cables​

I have found Fei Wan to respond well to cable rolling, allowing you to fine-tune the sound to your tastes. The stock cable is a big improvement over the stock cable that came with Jewel, but I haven’t always got on well with it from a sound point of view, depending on what source I use. From a distance, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a PWA cable with its braid and the material used for the jacket. It is very light and easy to wear. The hardware also looks nice, and a chin slider is included.

I compared it with my Cardas Clear 1950s clone and the EA Fusion 1 cables listening to “Moonbeam, Midnight, Howl” by Kerala Dust.

Cardas Clear

After listening first with the stock cable and then swapping to the Cardas Clear cable, you straightaway notice a greater sense of air to the track. When the vocals start, there is a significant jump in details and clarity versus the stock cable. When the bass drum hits at around the 01:08 mark, it does so with a lot more authority. As the track goes on, the vocals feel more encompassing. Overall, there is a lot more detail with the Cardas Clear cable, and it’s presented in a larger stage in all directions.

EA Fusion 1

Listening with Fusion 1, things don’t sound as closed in as with the stock cable, but the stage size increase isn’t as significant as it was with the Cardas cable. Vocals are more detailed, but they sound smoother than with both of the other cables. The bass drum hits aren’t massively different than the stock cable. There is slightly more impact, but they can sound a little rounded and lacking a little control. The short guitar solo, which comes in around 02:29, sounds good and is an easier listen than with the stock cable, with which it sounds a little spikey.

I also tried Fei Wan with a number of “cheaper” full copper cables I own, and I really enjoyed the results. For my tastes, I wouldn’t personally pick the EA or stock cable to pair Fei Wan with, as the Cardas Clear pairing is significantly better than both, in my opinion.

Comparisons​

When it comes to comparisons, I try to spend as much time as possible to find a setup that brings the best out of the sets I am comparing. It is often hard to get this across in a review, and I hate to think that people would read one of my reviews and think I just plugged an IEM into whatever source was closest at the time and lazily started to compare.

I burn everything I purchase in for at least 100 hours, sometimes more if I feel it needs it and then set about finding the best possible chain to allow a set to shine. By the time I come to review, I have settled on what I feel works best for a set, and if I was unable to find a good chain, I wouldn’t be writing.

I am obsessive when it comes to this process. I will try every source I own at every class or gain setting it has available. If it has a line out, I will try it with every amp I own and at every gain setting. I will try it with my desktop gear, and I will try it with all the cables I own. Once I have settled on something I feel is acceptable, I will start to listen to my library, and only then will I start to gather impressions.

Sources play as vital a part here as anything else. To think there is one source that fits all is to believe there is one IEM to suit all. For Fei Wan and for some of the IEMs I compare it to below, finding the correct source was vital to getting the best out of the IEMs and there can be quite a variance in listening experience between different sources.

Elysian Annihilator 2023



Thanks to greater availability, Annihilator has become a favourite among many in the community. Having owned the Elysian X in the past and at the time adored it for EDM, I was interested to hear how things have progressed in the last few years for Elysian and see if they finally mastered good bass.

When I owned X, it was its ethereal treble that really made it stand out. To this day, I don’t think I have come across treble in an IEM that is better for my tastes with EDM. Its biggest issue, though, was bass. While it was just about acceptable, it was far from class-leading.

I never had the chance to hear the 2021 version of Annihilator, but from impressions, I concluded its bass was quite similar to X. When the 2023 version launched, I read many impressions about how the bass was improved, but still wasn’t all that much to write home about. Annihilator 2023 was still mainly being mentioned for its treble.

Thankfully, one of my good audio friends picked up Anni and was kind enough to send me his to demo, and I have been blessed with good timing again for this review. I had a picture in my head of what Anni would sound like. X left a lasting impression, and I was looking forward to experiencing that treble again. As it turned out, that picture I had in my head couldn’t have been more wrong.

To shine, Annihilator certainly likes some power, and my listening volume was significantly higher with it than with any other IEM in my collection right now, no matter the source. To compare Anni to FW, I settled on the Hiby RS8 paired with the Mass Kobo 475. In my opinion, this pairing really brings the best out of Anni.

While Fei Wan doesn’t “need” the type of power the MK475 can put out, it certainly enjoys it, too, and it creates an encompassing and engaging listen.

I will point out before I begin that I have listened to both these IEMs through sources that don’t match well, and I have experienced somewhat disappointing results. It would be easy to dismiss either set in such a case. I have also experienced both these IEMs when they are driven correctly and with a source that allows them to shine. The takeaway here is don’t be too quick to write off either of them if they don’t work for you initially. Spend some time exploring.

I have selected a couple of tracks which I loved listening to on both sets to compare. Both are from electronic genres, which I feel both Anni and Fei Wan are best suited for my library.

“Lose Myself” by Space Motion



(RS8 Settings for Anni: NOS/ Volume to suit on MK475)
(RS8 Settings for FW: NOS/ Volume to suit on MK475)

Listening first with Anni, the track starts with a heavy beat and some varying cymbal sounds. Everything is detailed and easy to hear. There’s plenty of mid-bass thump from that beat, but it is controlled. You can focus on individual parts of the track easily.

As the track breaks at around 01:02 and starts to build, the dominant synth sound that is introduced brings a lot of sub-bass that you can feel across your head and chest. As the track progresses and the intensity increases, Anni handles it all effortlessly. There is a nice mix of sub and mid-bass throughout, and all of the higher frequency synth and cymbal sounds are detailed and cut through the mix with ease.

The soundstage with Anni stretches a good distance from left to right, and I have the sense of a 180-degree bubble in front of me, but I don’t get a sense of the stage wrapping around my head, so to speak.

Swapping to Fei Wan (and being very mindful of turning the volume way down first!), during the intro of the track, there is slightly more impact from that heavy beat, and likewise, there is a little more energy in the cymbals, but the thing I noticed first is that sounds are in a more 3D soundstage.

When that synth sound comes in, there is a great sense of sub-bass too, but I think slightly less than with Anni, but there are small margins between them. If you are someone who has gone to a lot of gigs in your time, I think you will enjoy the sub-bass Anni produces.

The biggest difference I pick up on is with the vocals, which have greater resolution and detail. When listening with Anni, I was quite happy with the vocals, but when you compare, there is a clear step up in details and clarity with the vocals with Fei Wan.

It is very easy to enjoy the track with both sets. There are small differences in sub and mid-bass levels between the two, but when you compare directly, the things I found to be noticeable were Fei Wan having a more encompassing and 3D soundstage and greater resolution and details with the vocals.


“Traveller (feat. Lizwi) [Kususa & QueTonrik Remix]” by DeMajor

I love this track, and it’s one I regularly use to test IEMs to see what type of listening experience they can produce. The track is rhythmic and has an almost tribal beat to it. It is the type of track you just want to be sucked into. Close your eyes and tap your feet.

Listening with Anni, the track starts with a beat that has an almost equal sub and mid-bass impact. For me, it produces that experience of almost being there live, listening to it and feeling the rumble from a stack of speakers.

Anni does a great job reproducing this. The track progresses and intensifies with many different drum, cymbal and synth sounds, all of which are presented clearly and add to the experience. As the vocals come and go through the track, they never get lost behind the other sounds, and they give a good sense of the left-to-right size of the stage with their placement. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the track with Anni.

Listening to the track with Fei Wan, my impressions of the differences between the two sets from the last track ring through here again. There are slight differences, with Anni having more sub-bass and Fei Wan having more mid-bass impact.

With Fei Wan, every sound impacts a little harder. Each drum and cymbal strike just grabs your attention a little more. There is just more intensity in the track. Whereas the vocals with Anni were more in line with everything else in the track, with FW, they step forward more, and the peaks feel higher.

There is more information being presented by Fei Wan and the difference in soundstage is quite clear again. When I listened to the track first with FW after coming from Anni I found it a little jarring at first, and it took me several times going back and forth to get a handle on what was happening.

With Anni, the sounds are being presented in a semi-circle in front of you. The sounds blend together well within it, and the rhythmic nature of the track makes it easier to get lost in as there isn’t as much jumping out and grabbing your attention.

With Fei Wan, the different sounds in the track are coming at you from left to right and back to front, and they all impact slightly more than they do with Anni. Your attention is being grabbed from what seems like many more directions in the 3D space around you than with Anni, and it takes a little time to adjust between the two different presentations.

For me, it hasn’t been a case of which IEM was better. Once I listened to one or the other without comparing, I enjoyed the experience both created enormously. Anni, with its more rhythmic and engaging nature, or Fei Wan putting on a display of details in an encompassing 3D space. Both of these sets are special in their own way. Often, I found Fei Wan’s treble to be superior to Anni’s, and likewise, I often found I preferred the sub-bass Anni could produce when adequately driven.


Kinera Loki Emerald

When I first had the chance to demo Fei Wan, I used that time to compare it to Loki, which I was then reviewing. It has been very interesting for me to revisit this comparison now that I own both sets, and I have had a much longer time to acclimatise to Fei Wan.

For sources, with the music I chose to compare with, I found the Hiby RS8 on its own to be the most suitable source. I enjoyed both of the sets with my desktop R2R gear, too, which it is more neutral sounding than the more coloured RS8.

“Dead Skin Mask” by Slayer

(RS8 Settings for Loki: Class A/ Mid Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 45/ Soundfield Plugin/ Darwin Ultra Filter)
(RS8 Settings for FW: Class A/ Low Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 44/ Soundfield Plugin/ Darwin Ultra Filter)

I have been asked a number of times what Fei Wan would be like for listening to Heavy Metal. It wouldn’t be the genre I think of first when it comes to Fei Wan, but I said I would give it a listen for the review.

I loved this track when I was a teenager and listened to it on cassette, so it was interesting to revisit it now with very different listening equipment!

With Loki, in the intro of the track, as the guitars are playing on one side and then the other, and the kick drum and vocals then come in, it creates a very engaging listen, and you get a good sense of its layering ability. The drums are very detailed and easy to hear throughout, but there isn’t a massive impact, even when the double kick drum pedals are in use. They sound excellent, though, as do the cymbal strikes throughout. The main guitar riff is the focus of the track up until the vocals take centre stage. As the track progresses, the guitar solo is superb. The track finishes out with the guitars, drums and vocals all seeking your attention, and Loki handles it all with ease.

Listening to the track with Fie Wan basically highlights the main differences between these sets. The guitars are positioned almost the same, and there is very little difference in how they sound. The first difference that is presented is the cymbal strikes in the intro. There is more intensity, and there is more of the metallic sound you would expect. The sound is very distinguishable above the guitar riff, whereas with Loki, it was sitting behind the guitars somewhat, likewise, with the kick drum. There is more impact from each hit, and there is also slightly more sub-bass. The drums and the guitars are on more of an even footing with Fei Wan, but with Loki, it is the guitars that take your attention.

The vocals sit slightly further back, with Fei Wan behind the more impactful drums versus Loki, where they step forward of everything. For this comparison, I think most people would lean towards favouring Fei Wan as it is more impactful, and that’s what you kind of expect from this genre. There is more detail in the guitars and vocals with Loki, but in totality, Fei Wan is more suited to this track.


“Cornflake Girl” (2015 Remaster) by Tori Amos

I really enjoyed this track with both sets, so it proved to be a good one for the comparisons.

(RS8 Settings for Loki: Class A/ Mid Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 42/ Soundfield Plugin/ Darwin Ultra Filter)

Listening first with Loki, the soundstage is very intimate. The instruments feel like they are situated very near to you. I can hear the lower notes of the piano coming from the left side and the higher notes coming from the right, so it feels close. When the vocals come in, they are centred, so it creates a kind of sense of the singer being surrounded by the instruments.

The knock-on from this is that the track becomes intense at times as all of the music is happening in a small area. Loki handles it well, though, and even when the vocals are hitting the high notes, and the track is at its peak, it never really breaks a sweat. Using the RS8 as a source, the bass and piano have a nice warmth to their tone but still stay true to life. Vocals are detailed and crystal clear, as you would expect.

Swapping over to Fei Wan, I keep all of the settings the same except for dropping to low gain and increasing the volume to 45.

The soundstage stretches out slightly more with Fei Wan to the sides and the rear, but there isn’t a huge difference. Initially, when the vocals come in, it’s noticeable that they are not as detailed as they are with Loki. I think across the range, notes are a little softer and don’t have the sharper edges they do with Loki. As a result, the vocals blend in more with the instruments with Fei Wan, and even though there isn’t the same detail or sense of it, it all comes together, and I enjoyed how the track was presented.

With Loki, every note is really defined and accurate, whereas Fei Wan presents a smoother and warmer version of the song with RS8. I listened to the track with more neutral sources, and while you can increase the note definition and make it sound more accurate, it simply isn’t as much fun as it is to listen to it with RS8. The enjoyment factor would make me pick RS8 as the source every time. Both Loki and FW do an excellent job with this track, and it really just depends on what you are in the mood for to pick one. A little more fun with Fei Wan or the life-like presentation of Loki.

Fir Audio XE6

XE6 has been my favourite IEM for many years. It has outlasted every other IEM I have owned and is one of two CIEMs I own. I listen only to EDM with XE6, and increasingly, that is the genre I most enjoy Fei Wan with.

While I know the tuning of XE6 will not be for some, there were parts of it which I felt were class-leading when it launched. Being a lover of BCDs, the kinetic bass that Fir created with the Frontier series was something very special for me. While it isn’t a traditional BCD, it certainly adds that tactile bass experience, which is seldom found in a set that doesn’t have some tech like this in it. It also has some of the best treble I have heard.

When I listened to FW out of the box, it was pretty different to the demo I had with it during my Loki review. Until the dynamic drivers had quite a bit of burn-in, the sub and mid-bass levels were far off where I would want them to be for EDM. With XE6 being my go-to then for comparisons, I felt Fei Wan may have only been passing through!

10+ days of burn-in later and giving myself some time to recover from covid, which I picked up at Christmas again, my experience has been quite different. We often talk about how mood, environment and tiredness, among other things, affect your listening experience, but I truly got to experience how poor health and a combination of those other factors really put a downer on things.

The tracks I have picked for comparison are exactly the type of tracks I love listening to with XE6.

For electronic music, I prefer Fei Wan with the RS8 and MK475, but the external amp is just too powerful for XE6, so for a fair comparison, I have just used RS8 with both IEMs.

“Walking with a Ghost” by Anyma

(RS8 Settings for XE6: Class A/ Low Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 36/ NOS)
(RS8 Settings for FW: Class A/ Low Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 41/ NOS)

One of the tracks of 2023 for me and a track I’ve enjoyed with XE6 many times. It starts with a fairly intense, head-rattling beat, and somehow, when the vocals come in, they are not lost behind it. As the track builds, it has a very rhythmic nature that draws you in, and as more layers are added, they add to the listening experience with the vibrations from the sub-bass and Kinetic bass.

Without the Kinetic bass of XE6, Fei Wan sounds more balanced initially in comparison. The heavy beat isn’t as dominant, but that is quickly forgotten about when you hear the lyrics. On first listen it kind of caught me by surprise as I was expecting to hear what I had just heard with XE6, but the lyrics jump out at you with clarity, detail and richness that wasn’t there with XE6. There is more detail across the board, and as a result, the soundstage actually sounds larger with Fei Wan as you can hear more nuances further out in the space it creates around you.

Both versions of the track that the two sets produce are very enjoyable. XE6 takes the hammer approach and pounds the bass line home with its usual authority, whereas Fei Wan allows more of the track to shine through.

“Player” Stylo

(RS8 Settings for XE6: Class A/ Low Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 40/ NOS)
(RS8 Settings for FW: Class A/ Low Gain/ Turbo Mode/ Vol 41/ NOS)

There is a visceral thud from the opening beat in the intro with XE6. As the track develops, it maintains that tactility throughout, showing off exactly what Kinetic bass is. The track has that almost cavernous feel to its soundstage, with sounds coming in waves from the distance and building to crescendos. There are many layers to the track, and the huge soundstage XE6 can produce is used to its full potential. It’s a very engaging listen, and the Kinetic bass adds a unique dimension to it.

Listening with Fei Wan, while there is decent impact from the opening best, it isn’t on the same level as XE6. If I were comparing it to other sets, I would probably be talking about how it was more mid and sub-bass, but XE6 is a special case. The bass quality with Fei Wan is excellent, though. It may not be able to match XE6 for the shear impact, but there is still plenty to love.

The soundstage isn’t quite as big in comparison either, but where Fei Wan is noticeably superior is in resolution. All of the notes, synths and drums have a fuller, more detailed sound, and Fei Wan sounds a step above XE6 on this front. It is also worth noting if I listen to the track with RS8 and MK475, then the differences in soundstage are much smaller, if any.

XE6 has few rivals when it comes to that tactile bass experience, but with Fei Wan, it feels like there is just more information arriving at your ears, and its bass performance is still class-leading in its own right.

Conclusion​

I guess one of the conclusions I personally came to with Fei Wan was to not write IEMs off so quickly in the future. During my initial demo and then when I took delivery of my own set, I often struggled to get along with the set, but since I found a chain that worked for me and took the time to get to know the set well, I’ve really started to enjoy it.

There is a lot to like about Fei Wan. It can cover a lot of different genres well. Feed it high-quality music, and it creates an unashamedly full-on listening experience while still maintaining the highest level of technical proficiency.

The Aroma Audio Fei Wan retails at $4688 and is available from MusicTeck in this part of the world.

This review - really a set of impressions and comparisons - is cross-posted from The Watercooler



After spending this week getting acquainted with Elysian Annihilator 23 and letting it burn in for 20 hours, today I started to compare it with the Aroma Fei Wan. Two IEMs that share many similarities! Although Fei Wan is about 50% more in retail price, amazingly the Annihilator 23 compares with it very well. And as @Rockwell75 has pointed out, they both feature the Asian/Eastern sound profile, a more top-down approach and yet with strong lower ends. Here are my impressions of the two side-by-side.

Chains:
N30 (hyper/classic tube)>Venom>Anni>Divinus Velvet
M9+>1950s Shielding>Fei Wan>Azla Sedna Max

Music:
A mix of classic rock, modern rock, folk rock, pop, and jazz vocal.

Impressions:

Annihilator 23:
On its own merits, what a terrific IEM in so many ways. I agree with what some others have said here, that it is more than a treble specialist. Anything I threw at it from my library sounded great.

In terms of fit, Anni 23 is not very comfortable for my ears. This is due to its bulk, wide nozzle and its angle for my ear anatomy. Even after tip-rolling to get to the best option (Velvets), I need a break after no more than several hours of listening. This is a bummer and is often a reason I rule out whether an IEM has a spot on my roster.

For appearance, the Anni 23 Ti is a gorgeous piece, as beautiful as the gold edition, and rivalling all other great looking IEMs I have seen in person. And, at the end of the day I don't really care about that. When it's in my ears, I can’t see it. But I can feel it and hear it.

As for the most important aspect, the sound:

I find Anni 23 has a relatively U shaped profile, with mids a bit more recessed than Fei Wan's.

With its DDs, the sub bass is good not great, as is the mid bass. It has a medium-plus amount of bass quantity, though much less would not be acceptable. By comparison to Fei Wan, Anni's bass quality sounds a bit pillowy and woolly. But if I hadn't heard FW, I wouldn't have had quite that impression. On its own, Anni’s bass is reasonably satisfying, and complements the treble in particular in a balanced manner.

Mids are well articulated but not as prominent as its high and low ends. On some more complex songs with lots of instrumentation and singing, I couldn’t hear the male vocals as much as I do on the Fei Wan in the same case. Acoustic instruments sound fantastic on Anni, with such great timbre and transients, maybe better than any IEM I have heard. I hear this in particular on Humble Pie’s “Sucking on the Sweet Weed“, as I’ve never heard it before, just wow. Anni has relatively no upper mids energy, as opposed to Fei Wan.

The treble is better than any I have heard. It is smooth, crisp, airy, rich, so many great qualities I had never heard in treble to this degree of dazzling until now. Higher-pitched female vocals like Sarah Jarosz and Jenny Lewis in particular sound beguiling. As fantastic as Fei Wan’s treble is, Anni’s treble is a bit of a step up. With all that it has going on in the high end, I am really pleased to find zero sibilance. And I would not describe Anni to be bright - it all sounds just right, from the top down. It is not fatiguing.

Both sets have excellent technicals: details, transients, dynamics, and staging in particular. Anni's resolution is on par with Fei Wan. Dynamics are very slightly behind FW. And staging is narrower and shallower than FW. I find Anni to have a cleaner (though not clinical) sound than FW. Both sets provide an emotive experience, with Anni’s being more relatively peaceful. Anni’s signature is warm but FW’s is warmer, thanks to its much stronger bass.

Just listening to Anni for much of the week, I found it often to be an exciting, activating listen, but generally scalable to the mood of a song. Compared to Fei Wan, Anni 23 is relatively calmer, and listenable for longer periods.

Fei Wan:
It is like Anni 23 on steroids. The sound profiles of both are similar, with FW having much more intensified qualities.

I have the universal stock Fei Wan, and its yellow and gold appearance is neutral for me, not as ugly as some have characterized it. I don't really care what it looks like, as long as the fit and sound work, which is the case.

For fit, Fei Wan is the most comfortable IEM I have ever used. I could have it in all day and wouldn't hardly notice it is there. I think the build is very good, more premium than others have described it.

I find FW’s sound profile to be U-shaped (almost W-shaped), even though many say it is V-shaped - I do not hear the mids to be very recessed. On songs with male vocals, they do not recede behind the rest of the band. Anni’s mids recede a bit more.

Fei Wan’s quantity and quality of bass is among the best I have ever heard, better in my mind than other DD class leaders like Xe6, Rn6, EVO, EXT, Maestro SE, and maybe even Trifecta, given how much more speed Fei Wan showcases in its bass. The only comparable fast and tactile sub bass I have heard is Grand Maestro, which unfortunately for me was so uncomfortable (universal model) that it was unusable.

On more balanced songs, Fei Wan’s bass is maybe the best I have heard as part of the whole experience. With songs featuring lots of lower end, like Yes “Starship Troopers”, Beatles “Come Together”, and Daft Punk “Get Lucky”, it is an incredible sound. Loads of gut-punch and thwack. Fei Wan’s bass provides a visceral, vivid, and satisfying experience. It rarely creeps up into the mids, maintaining a discrete and still coherent mix. On songs where there is a much warmer tone and deeply heavy resonant bass sound, like The Weeknd "I Can't Feel My Face" and Roisin Murphy "We Got Together", the high end is never overwhelmed.

Back to the comparison here, Fei Wan's bass is more tactile than Anni's. FW has much more sub bass than Anni. And its mid bass is detailed and not at all woolly like Anni's is relatively.

FW has incredible timbre. Acoustic instruments sound realer than any IEM I have heard outside of Trifecta. Voices are not only crisp and well delineated, I can hear a bit more realism to them than on Anni. Deeper male voices in particular like Jose James and Gregory Porter sound rich and evocative on Fei Wan.

FW has a fair amount of upper mid energy, as many have commented on. It can be fatiguing without the right setup. I have mitigated this verve with source, cable and tips to a large degree. FW sounds especially rich and smoothed over a bit on the M9+. But after listening to Anni for awhile, switching to Fei Wan, the burst of higher end intensity is palpable, for better or worse, depending on my mood and expectations of musical experience in that moment. At times it can feel like I am careening down a highway at night and the brakes go out. A white knuckle experience.

FW has excellent treble, maybe 90% the quality of Anni's. Relative to Anni 23, Fei Wan is brighter, though on its own merits I wouldn’t call it bright, more like glowing, since there is no sibilance to be found on Fei Wan either, try as I might to find it on test songs.

While both sets have top-shelf technicals, I find that FW is a small but noticeable level-up on all, except transients, where Anni has a slight edge. Fei Wan on the whole sounds bigger, more spacious. Relatively, Anni sounds like I am listening to a performance in an intimate club setting with minimal amplification, whereas with Fei Wan I am at a much larger concert venue with powerful amplification. Listening to David Crosby's "Woodstock (Live at the Capitol Theatre)" and Diana Krall's "Lets Fall In Love" particularly illustrates this distinction. I find FW to have more of an analogue sound than Anni. Both leave me with an emotive experience, with FW’s featuring more intensity of emotion. FW’s signature is warmer.

Overall, Fei Wan provides more of a dynamic and thrilling (and after several hours exhausting) listening experience than Anni 23. FW is not as scalable as Anni, though almost all of my library still sounds very good to great with it.

The bottom line:
Both Annihilator 23 and Fei Wan are superb, and different enough that they could each have a place on a great roster of IEMs, with Anni 23 being to me more of the all-rounder and FW being more of the fun joy-ride set. But the experience is more than sound quality, and for my roster, I need to decide whether Anni’s fit problems are worth living with. Considering that factor, if I had to choose between the two, Fei Wan would be the keeper, an outstanding one at that.



Last edited: Saturday at 1:52 PM

TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Aroma Audio FEI WAN

The Aroma FEI WAN have been sent to me as part of a tour, for me to test them out and to share my opinions. I have not actually had any contact with Aroma Audio as I was very kindly included in the tour by a fellow IEM lover. Therefore, it goes without saying that I have not received any comments or requests from Aroma Audio (or anyone else) and my opinions are based on me being as sincere and unbiased as humanly possible.

The official page for the Aroma FEI WAN can be found here: https://www.aromaaudio.com.hk/aroma-fei-wan.html

As with all the links I post, this is a non-affiliate link.

To avoid being repetetive in my reviews, you can find all the info about how I create the reviews, equipment used, how I receive the products and how to interpret my reviews by visiting: About my reviews



Intro…

Aroma Audio are a company that is firmly planted in the high end IEM segment. Although they do produce a DAC, an amplifier and a couple of other accessories, they are know for their IEMs, both universal and custom, ranging from the Star, which comes in at just over 200€, up to the Jewel, which is priced at just over 5000€. Out of the 13 models they currently have on their site, only 4 of these are less than 4 digit prices, so we are obviously not talking about a budget brand.

The FEI WAN I believe is their latest release and is priced around 4500€, making it probably the most expensive set of IEMs I have reviewed to date. Featuring 2x 9.2mm dynamic drivers, together with 10x balanced armature drivers, it uses a patented technology that they call "Coaxial Strong Magnetic Pulse Pair Double Dynamic Drivers Technology", which, according to their site, involves reversing the magnetic polarity and coil polarity of one of the dynamic drivers.

That is a lot of drivers, a lot of jargon and even more euros, so let's see what makes the FEI WAN special.



Build and aesthetics…

I skipped presentation as this arrived in a small brown cardboard box with no product packaging (as this is a tour unit). It did come with a storage case but I am not sure if that is relevant to the actual retail packaging or not.

The IEMs shells are 3D printed in a translucent yellow, with a yellow/gold sparkle under the face plate that shows the logo on one IEM and the model on the other, both in purple.

I have to say that I am not a fan of the aesthetics of these IEMs. Obviously that is just a personal thing as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but they wouldn't be my choice.

They are very light weight and the nozzles are rather long, with a curve to them. The nozzles are a little on the thicker side but not enough for me to have had any issues using normal tips of choice with them.

The nozzles also have a curve to them and, although the IEMs are by no means small, I have found them to be very comfortable. As soon as I put them in they felt at home and not fatigue built up over long (some very long) listening sessions.

The included cable is Aroma's own "Sparkle" cable, which retails on their site for over 500€. The cable is square core, silver plated oxygen free and Aroma say it makes the sound more "shiny". Now, you all know my opinions on cables, that if a cable is good, it is good regardless of price, but I wouldn't pick a cable to change the sound of my IEMs. In this case, the cable is one I am very fond of. It is a four core wrapped in fabric, yet it is not bulky and it is very soft to the touch, making it one of the nicest cables I have used. Metal hardware is present at both ends, although the two pin ends do have the plastic that is made for recessed connectors showing.

I understand that it is not possible to recess the connectors into the FEI WAN as it is rather crowded in there, and I applaud that they have included a nice cable, but for 4500€, it would have been nice for something to cover those plastic bits.



Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.)

So, the most important question of them all, how does the FEI WAN sound?

It sounds good. Very good!

I have spent my time with it listening to all kinds of music, from rock to rap, classical to pop, blues to reggae, and everything in between. It has done a great job with all the music I have thrown at it.

There have been a few occasions when things have been a little harsh but I think it is due to it revealing issues with the recordings more than any inherent issues of the IEMs itself.

But rather than just saying it sounds good, I will do my usual run through my test track list and give my comments on the performance in relation to the specific tracks.

First off, here is the graph in relation to my usual preference target:



Now this is one of those occasions when I was surprised to see the graph of the IEMs as I really don’t find that they sound like they graph. Of course, this can be me hearing what I want to hear, unconscious biases and all that, but I would never have guessed the FR based on what I had been hearing for 5 or 6 days before I measured them.

The subbass is deep and present yet very clean and controlled, in fact the whole bass area is, something that I find particularly impressive in the midbass section. Using my usual “Chameleon” as a test of the subbass, there is a deep and rumbling presence, yet the sensation is more of a clean subbass note than it is of a rumbling presence.

“Royals” has very defined subbass, with that grit that is part of the subbass on this track being quite apparent yet not dominant. I even ran some tests with a couple of bass drops that I don’t have on my usual test track list and the FEI WAN never seemed to lose control.

I just said that I am particularly impressed by the midbass, especially after seeing the graph. I did notice a little elevation in the midbass area but I would never have guessed that it would roll over into the lower mids. The sensation is not of bass bleed, rather of a very clean and precise midbass, with fast bass notes, such as in a lot of Victor Wootens music, being easily appreciated, note by note, without the sensation of loss of control.

My fatigue test of midbass, “Crazy”, does show that the midbass is there but it does not take over the sound signature and gives a lovely warmth to the guitar without becoming fatiguing at all. In fact, going through my test list, from EDM to acoustic, I never had the sensation that the midbass was anything less than great. That is not something I would have expected had I seen the graph first.

As we move through the mids and into the upper mids, again, the graph would lead me to expect a very low frequency focus with a lack of presence, yet, again, that is not the sensation that I get.

I am not sure if it is due to the quality of the drivers being used but the mid range, even the upper mids, do not give me a sensation of being recessed or lacking presence at all. Even with things like “Bury A Friend”, where there is a lot of low end presence to overcome, Biliie’s vocals are still clear and present.

Listening to “Bombtrack”, I found that maybe here the vocals could seem a little further back but I think that is mainly due to the fact that the FEI WAN present a very present an impressive lower range, with the drums, bass and guitar being felt more than heard.

The upper mids and lower treble being slightly reduced works very well for some of the harsher and more sibilant tracks, such as “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing”, where Lana Del Rey is not sibilant at all yet she does not lose presence. The same can be said for Zella Day in “Seven Nation Army”.

The details are very good yet the most impressive part to me is the placing of these details. There is a good sense of soundstage with all tracks, yet, when a track that has a lot of detail surrounding you, the sensation becomes excellent. I would say that, as far as image placement and sensation of layering, the FEI WAN are possibly the best IEMs I have heard to date.

For example “Strange Fruit” is a track that has plenty of layers and detail to the vocals but to really appreciate the complexity of what is going on, you need to hear it on something that really makes these layers shine. One of my favourite presentations of this song is with the Hifiman HE1000se and the Susvara, well, the FEI WAN create a sensation that is almost as good. That is a lot of praise!



Conclusion…

The FEI WAN are a set of IEMs that I don’t think I would have ever taken notice of if I had seen the graph (and the price) before listening to them. When I received them, I knew nothing about them and I think that has been responsible for most of the fun I have had with these IEMs.

They are a tuning that I would never have thought I would like but it just works together with the performance of these IEMs. There are certain tracks that I would prefer on other sets but in general, I can’t say that the FEI WAN haven’t impressed me every day I have spent with them.

I obviously can’t say that they are worth their price, as that is something that each person needs to decide for themselves when talking about this level of investment, but if you are in the market for a set of IEMs in this kind of price range, I think that the FEI WAN are something that you should really try to listen to if you can, as they are surprisingly different yet great at the same time.

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As always, my review is also available in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

AROMA FEI WAN
Specifications

• 12 drivers with 4-way crossover,

• impedance of 18Ω at 1KHz,

• sensitivity of 103 dB SPL at 100 m V RMS,

• acoustic insulation of 26 dB (CM),

• frequency response of 20-20KHz.

It is composed of 10 balanced armature drivers and 2 9.2mm dynamic drivers, with a unique patented technology called "Magnetic Phase Pair Strong Coaxial Dynamic Driver Technology". This technology involves reversing the magnetic and coil polarity of one of the dynamic drivers, resulting in improved sound density and dynamics.

I tried and listened to Aroma Audio FEI WAN, kindly lent by my friend Xinlisupreme. Let's start with visual and tactile contact: Shell not small but comfortable and adaptable at least to my ear canal. Transparent yellow side color, very intriguing due to the visibility of the perfect internal construction with relative driver housing. Stands out in the yellow, the coppery internal color of the copper wires. Visually the contrast is very fascinating. The upper shell is always yellow, but darker and not transparent. Very nice Aroma cable, not slippery or stiff but light and easy to handle. This too is very refined and beautiful due to the assonance of colors, where the black color of the cable meets the burnished silver color of the connector (4.4 in this case).

I ran the test with:

LP6 Ti Luxury Precision (199)

Lotoo Paw Gold Touch Ti
iBasso DX320
The songs I chose for the comparison are part of my normal selection:
Rage Against the Machine (Killing in The Name) – Peter Gabriel (Apres Moi) – Jambinai (Onda) – Mono (Halcyon).

Well... with LP6 and LPGT the differences were very subtle and in fact I believe that the substantial differences were expressed more by the character of the two dap than by Fei Wan who kept his prerogatives, his character, his quality high. Different story for listening with iBasso 320.

With iBasso the mid-low and low range hits harder (whether you like it or not is a subjective factor). Very full-bodied, dense sound. Clear voices. Precise and quite detailed sound.


With LPGT the low range has less texture and sounds less deep in the mid-bass. Increase the speed and the sound remains more fluid but with less body. With LP6 Ti (199) it seems to be in the middle between iBasso and LPGT. Everything sounds more compliant and above all balanced. It remains a bit less "cold" than LPGT where the sound remains clear (without ever exaggerating). LP6 Ti (199) has a great personality and of the 3 daps it is the one that best suits Fei Wan's character. He gives it a more correct sound than on LPGT or iBasso320.

Same thing about the midrange. I sound quite close with LPGT and LP6 Ti, where (like the Jewel) you get lost in the quality (high I must say) and I think it is the star of listening to Fei Wan. Structured voices, just a hair behind the instruments, but by equalizing LP6 Ti and LPGT you can adjust this parameter (if desired). Very clean, precise high range. From memory I would perhaps venture to say that personally I prefer the high range of Fei Wan to that of Jewel. Su Fei Wan seems fresher, bolder, freer. With LP6 Ti the sound remains enveloping, soft, but always responds excellently when the songs require energy and liveliness.

With iBasso both the mid range and the high range remain very very granitic. The sound acquires great power and structure. All this is a bit to the detriment of focus and three-dimensionality. The sound, while remaining qualitative, remains less fluid and a little less fast than with the other two Daps. But I repeat...here there is also a personalized issue of listening pleasure. I'm notoriously not a fan of low range. The sound of iBasso is therefore the one where Fei Wan's low range is most exalted. Although I prefer Fei Wan's low range with LPGT, where it loses a bit of body and remains drier and more controlled.


The characteristics of Fei Wan, however dap regardless, are very clear. She is different from Thunder, different from Ace and Jewel. In common with Jewel, I appreciate the quality of the midrange. On the high range it remains the most pleasant Aroma that I have listened to so far. A mix of quality and freshness that is not easy to combine in a single iem. The sound has a good soundstage. Neither immense nor narrow. But very well circumscribed. It seems to be in an excellently treated recording room. Where the sound remains neither analytical nor artificial in the opposite sense. The voices are good in general, always and anyway. On LPGT they are slightly advanced compared to the instruments, while on LP6 they seem more in line with the instruments. With iBasso the voices are more structured but barely veiled. The high range was a revelation for me. Clear, full, fast, never tiring or lacking. I found it perfect if I may say so.

I had Aroma Ace. I listened carefully to Thunder and tried Jewel for a few hours. I'm not hiding: Among these (each of which I liked for different reasons) I however find that this is a sort of collection of the work done by Aroma previously for a different product. I found Fei Wan to be very balanced throughout. Harmonious, but fast, open, but without overdoing it. It's not the iem that you put on and say "Wow" (as happened to me with Viking Ragnar for example), but after a while you forget you have it. She is light, sweet, never tiring. A listen that is never tiring or demanding, but still of high quality, like almost all the Aromas I mentioned. If I were to buy an Aroma today, I would definitely get Fei Wan. A truly new product. Unexpected…that you still think about it even after a few hours of listening, trying to find its flaws….

Congratulations Aroma