FATFreq Scarlet Mini

The presentation is quite nice you get what Fatfreq call a “Fat red box” with the red silver cable or black.




My first unit came with a huge Channel imbalance so I had to send my unit back for repair. However, I was really not happy because I just got the Scarlet after waiting more than two months but Fatfreq assured me that they will be sending an immediate replacement along with gifts to compensate for the situation. So I received a metal case along with an released red cable.




The sound:

The Scarlet sounds really good for price just what you would expect from a bassy iem. So when my replacement unit arrived I kept testing the Scarlet with different sources to reach the perfect sound.
Although I tried dongles like Ibasso DC04 pro, Shanling UA5, Questyle M15 or The RU7 but none of those really could drive the Scarlet to it’s potential, and I found the best synergy with Hiby R6PROii, and Hiby R8ii with maximum performance settings enabled.

One thing to note that The scarlet is a sub-Bass oriented so you will get more deep rumple rather than mid-bass slam, and this could be a deal breaker for people as it was for me in the beginning but the the Scarlet made me appreciate sub-bass even more than mid-bass as Fatfreq was able to achieve such deep sub-bass with little bleed to the mids.

The mid-bass will still slam but it’s more polite comparing to the sub-bass. At least for me as I know that I needed more mid-bass with the Scarlet mini but could they really have delivered more mid-bass without bleeding into the mids even more? Honestly I don’t know and only Fatfreq could answer this question.

To make it simple the everything sound correct in the Scarlet but feels more pushed back comparing to the sub-bass that present its self with extreme confidence. Most people getting this set for the fun bass so don’t be expecting top tier resolution, and clarity while you could reach better technical performance with more power feeding into the Scarlet it will still not be an all rounder but it improve the overall performance.

The Hiby R6PROii:
the Scarlet could be driven and it sounds good to my ears. Although the R6PROii has only total 383 power via the balanced output. It still features a decent DAC/AMP that could drive the Scarlet to an acceptable level that will actually sound good and it’s my favorite source to use with the Scarlet currently. For settings I use high gain with Class A and I use the DRX10K Dynamics filter.


The Hiby R8ii:
Could absolutely drive the Scarlet to its potential thanks to its 710mW power output and much more advanced DAC\AMP configuration and High gain and Turbo mode despite all of the capabilities that the R8ii has to drive the Scarlet I still think they have a bad synergy slightly as the R8ii is very organic and natural source that tames most aggressive iems or at least roll of a little bit their aggressive toning at least to my ears. I use high gain with Class AB and engage the Turbo mode for the Scarlet and I use the Sound field filter to push the stage a little bit back for an illusion of deeper soundstage.


Comparisons:

Comparing the Scarlet to the Mangird Xenns UP. The UP is way better as an all rounder in my opinion as it has better drivers set, and EST drivers handling ultra high frequencies to provide overall better details, and more treble extension for an amazing detail retrieval. The UP is a very warm iem that will slam very hard via Mid-bass but it’s has good vocals, treble and sub-bass comparing to the Scarlet which I think lacks a little bit more treble extension and needed more detail retrieval.

Genres

The scarlet is very satisfying with genres like hip hop, reggae, EDM.

reggae
1-Daddy Yanke RUMBATÓN
2-PANTIES Y BRASIERES
3-La Llevo Al Cielo

Hip-hop
1-Butterfly effect by Travis Scott
2-Dive by kid cudi
3-ILL what I bleed by kid cudi

EDM
1-Long time by John De Sohn
2- Bromance by Tim berg
3-Theateum Antony Waldhorn


To sum up:

The scarlet mini is definitely worthy of the hype that it’s been getting lately. Although it’s slightly overpriced for a specialist set.The Scarlet provides the best quality and quantity sub-bass boost that I have ever experienced for an iem but its very hard to use as all rounder given all that bass distracting other frequencies. If you got the money, and you are a basshead go for it you will not be disappointed unless if you are a mid-bass lover then the Xenns UP will be a better set for mid-bass, and a better set overall.

Please check my video review I made for the Scarlet mini below.

TL;DR: Bring on the wubwub.

Overview
Hi all. Dipping my toes into reviewing IEMs because this has been a fun hobby and being given the opportunity to demo a product, it only feels right to spend some time to give impressions as a way to appreciate the product and give back a bit.

At this point in time, if you've ever been interested in a basshead oriented IEM and are looking for the TOTL, FatFreq has probably caught your interest. If they haven't...



FatFreq is a company out of Singapore. Their popularity has seemed to increase very recently with some of their releases either from word of mouth to various reviewers and influencers. They have several line ups but their Maestro series is what has people most excited (maybe it's time to check out their Signature series?)

https://fatfreq.com/

The Scarlet Mini is essentially a refresh of the Maestro Mini and was originally going to just be called the v2 (from my understanding and based on information found online... please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll be more than happy to edit this) before they decided to just name it the Scarlet Mini with a new look/color. I believe the Maestro Mini does have it's own dedicated v2/version update (with recessed 2-pin sockets, build-in mesh guard and slight tuning change for more natural bass timbre) but I digress.

Disclaimers: Shout out to @Sebastien Chiu - this product was received as part of the on-going Scarlet Mini Tour that he helped organize. I was given no instructions, not even told that I needed to do a review so these impressions are all of my own accord and desire to write about it.

Build Quality and Comfort
Photo dump time! The case and IEMs are absolutely gorgeous. They are some of the best looking IEMs I've seen and there are a LOT out there that look amazing. But, I'm sure I'll say the same thing to anything else that comes out.

They arrived in a padded hard case:











They came with their updated red cable and some tips/adapter. I didn't find the stock tips as comfortable for me (and I wasn't able to get the best seal with them) and, considering it looks like a size may not be on there, I only put them on for a moment before running my own tips.





I have a few sets of tips that I run that work for me. The nozzle on the Scarlet Mini isn't to the Zero Red levels but they're definitely not the smallest.

• Dunu S&S (which are great for larger nozzles) did not seal properly in my right ear. I use the L size for the Dunu S&S which usually seal with larger nozzles. It felt like a channel imbalance when I tried these tips on the Scarlet Mini so I moved on.
• SpinFit W1 (Size M) sealed properly but the right eartip got stuck in my ear when pulling out a few times. It felt a bit too tight of a seal.
• Final Type E Clear/Reds - I feel like Goldilocks but this was the ticket/fit that I was looking for. I used the size L for these and fit is perfect and comfortable.

With the proper eartips, these disappear. They fit wonderfully, the smaller IEM is comfortable (like Kato sized but with bigger sound than the Kato) and I could easily wear these 24/7 without any issues (beyond my wife probably being mad at me for not hearing her).

Sound
But, how do they sound? Bass. Thanks for reading. We're out.

For the sake of not repeating/reposting other people's squigs (as I'm too casual for this to get my own measurement rig), I won't post it but you can easily find measurements which all tell you one single thing:



Would a subwoofer gif have worked better? Probably.

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer or Phone.

Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Dongle & Pixel 8 Pro - Qudelix-5k
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro. (Oh god, if I had used the tone control on the bass to bump it up, I think my head would have caved in)

Lows/Bass: This damn thing hits hard. For such a smaller form factor of an IEM, the sound is heavy. At times, it felt like the bass was borderline -too- much and on some tracks, it felt like my head was nodding along to the music but not because of the music. But because of the incredible sub bass.

Yes, this is a -bass cannon™-. There is absolutely no apologetics to what the intent of this IEM is. The IEM will shake your head on tracks that have a lot of bass and will still make your head feel like it's thumping on tracks that don't focus on bass. But, I mean... that's what we're here for, right? You wouldn't have been interested in a Scarlet Mini if you weren't looking to rock out or wubwub out.

The best thing about the bass is that the focus is more on the sub bass and the rumble there vs mid-bass which reduces any potential bleed over to the mid-range (not that there isn't still some bleed but you'd expect more from looking at a graph).

Really, the quality, details, texture, everything about the bass feels like it could be the end game for a lot of bassheads. But this would not be an IEM that you'd want to have as your only set unless you were strictly just a basshead who only listens to EDM, hip hop or similar music. This is more of a second/fun set you keep which makes it a very niche pick up.

Mids: Considering how bassy this set is, how do the mid-range/vocals sound? Great, actually. They're pushed up/closer to you as a result of the overall sound package but far from recessed or clouded over. In fact, the vocals sound extremely natural and even female vocals still shine well on them, IMO. Still, this is not something you'd want to keep as a vocal centric set and/or your only set ever even with how good the mids (despite the heavy bass). There is some bleed over from the bass but it's not entirely taking over the mid-range.
Treble: IMO, this is the frequency that's the most effected by the bass. While the treble is definitely not fatiguing, there is definitely a bit of a lack of resolution/air/detail on the top end. That being said, It's hard to fault the Scarlet Mini for this deficiency as the top end sounds -good enough- considering what you're getting with the sound signature. In fact, while the advertising is that this is a V-shaped set, I would argue that it's a left handed check mark since V would indicate you're getting more treble/air and I don't feel that's the case.



These are not your reference quality IEMs and they don't make any attempt to advertise that they are though so I can't fault them on this.

Specific songs listened to and other Etc.:
Soundstage is OK. Imaging, separation is all not the strong points here. I don't think the technicalities are leading at their price point but I feel they're adequate enough that you wouldn't need to try and EQ it in this package. It's hard to make additional points because they're all just OK but you're not getting this set for those purposes which is why I think these are a great -fun- set but likely not going to be the only set you ever touch/get. I would argue that there's enough IEMs out there that provide that sound signature where you get from 'good' to 'great' on everything while the Scarlet Mini is about being a -bad@ss- set on the bass and being 'good enough' on everything else.

I won't breakdown how each song sounds like on the Scarlet Mini but hopefully this gives you an idea of the music I enjoy/listen to and gives you some color to what I felt the Scarlet Mini exceled at presenting to me.

Gorillaz - 19-2000 Soulchild Mix
Deadmau5 - There Might be Coffee
ACDC - Thunderstruck
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Ludwig Göransson - the Mandalorian Theme
Lumineers - Leader of the Landslide
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine
Holly Cole Trio - I Can See Clearly Now
L`arc-en-Ciel - Ready Steady Go
Black Keys - 10 Lovers, Gold on the Ceiling

On a lot of tracks, the Scarlet Minis were giving me what I wanted from the tracks in terms of the overall sound package but gave me the bass that makes listening to music -fun- and engaging.

I would say that these (or likely the Maestro Mini though I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet) would be the next step up for something like the 7hz Legato in terms of a higher price point basshead set. I -love- my Legato and I think these extend better on details/mids/technalities over the Legato while hitting harder.

Other Things to be aware of:
From my understanding, there is a huge backorder right now on these. Also, I don't think I would pick up the red cable as they feel a bit pricey for it (as others have said). Again, be careful on your eartips and don't hesitate to roll them to find the best fit. I used the Abigail dongle which worked out OK but I did have to push the power on them a bit to get the most out of them. Qudelix-5k worked fine and they performed well on the Archel 3 Pro that I use. They're great for high volume listening and lower/mid volume because of the signature and there's no distortion on either side whether you want to drown the world out or use them for lower volume/casual listening.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, bass.

The end.

But in all serious'ness, I think these are great for bassheads. While I -cannot- fault you if these end up being your endgame/only IEMs if you're a degenerate bass lover, that's likely not going to be for everyone. I think these would make a great 2nd/3rd option like having an all-star on your team who helps round out your line up when you need to drop the boom. Is the price worth it, though, for having it be a 2nd/3rd option? Price would be in the eye of the beholder and your choice.

Using my comparison of the Legato here... If the 7hz Legato were like the valedictorian of their Bassy Bass High class, the Scarlet Mini holds the doctorate and just published a Wubwub thesis that should be reviewed by anyone who wants to subscribe to that sound signature.

Thanks for reading!

FATfrequency is a small boutique IEM company from Singapore that has gained quite a popularity during the last two years, mostly due to their secret weapon to make IEMs with huge bass without bleeding into the Mids.

I have the chance to demo Maestro SE and Maestro Mini from FatFreq for a week, and I demoed Grand Maestro during the SoCal CanJam from FatFreq’s booth, so I am familiar with their products.

Thanks for @Sebastien Chiu and FatFreq for organizing this tour so that I have this opportunity to demo the hard to find Scarlet Mini, many headfiers wait for weeks if not months for theirs to arrive after order.




Scarlet Mini is a BASS CANNON™, which is patent pending technology for its magic that having the highest bass shelf without ever bleeding into the midrange. Many technologies are used to create the Scarlet Mini; readers can refer to the official website below for details:

https://fatfreq.com/products/scarlet-mini

You can order directly from their website for $635, or $794 with upgraded silver red cable, which is the version I am reviewing with. US customers can also order from the well-loved Musicteck for the best service. However, due to the recent backlog, the waiting time will be long.

Now let me directly go to the sound impressions. Most of my listed YouTube music below were used from my laptop to Schiit Multibit Modi2 to Flux FA-10, or Tuba tube amplifier, some are directly from Cayin RU6 from laptop. I also used Sony NW-WM1AM2 and Hiby RS2 with Scarlet Mini to listen to lossless local files. I will talk about the sources in the end.

Bass

As expected, the bass of the Scarlet Mini is huge and powerful, but not bloated in most cases. Depending on your taste, the bass of Scarlet Mini is more on the sub-bass, and you will feel more rumbling than hard-hitting punches.

The quantity of the bass is more than enough for most of the people, potentially there are few who may want to have more mid-bass in proportion in terms of the overall bass performance.

The quality of the bass is pretty good, in terms of details and texture. However, I would say that because of the huge bass volume, Scarlet Mini is still not the best compared to TOTL IEMs in terms of the bass quality. However, it is expected given the huge price difference.

Midrange

The midrange of Scarlet Mini is surprisingly good for a bass-head IEM. Vocal is pushed behind the instruments when bass is strong in the music as expected. The midrange is so good that Scarlet Mini is very close to being an all-rounder.

Treble

The treble of Scarlet Mini is well extended, not rolled off. It is also not offensive, non-fatiguing. Compared to the bass and midrange, the treble of Scarlet Mini is de-emphasized in some way and therefore you won’t find class-leading details.

Overall Sound Impression

Even though the performance of midrange and treble of Scarlet Mini are very decent, I eventually categorize Scarlet Mini as a specialist, instead of all-rounder. The best music genres for Scarlet Mini are Hip Hop, and electronic.

Technical Performance

The soundstage of the Scarlet Mini is good, but not the star of the show. As I mentioned above, the detail-retrieval is also not the TOTL level. However, both sound stage and detail-retrieval are very good in the price range.

Cable Rolling

I unfortunately don’t have the basic stock cable to compare, but for the upgraded red cable, I would suggest go for a better cable if you want to achieve the most potential of Scarlet Mini. I tried Effect Audio code 24 and most of my listening is done with the code 24 cable. It significantly improved the performance of the Scarlet Mini, I know this is a cable that is more expensive than Scarlet Mini but readers can check out the FatFreq thread, there are some much less expensive cable suggestions posted there.

Tip Rolling

Okay, I did not do too much in this department, but for most of the bass heavy IEMs, good sealing is essential. I find TRI Clarion tips a very good match for Scarlet Mini.

Music Examples

Jazz Variants La Bamba:



This is purely guilty pleasure for bass demonstration, especially the ending part.



Childish Gambino – This is America:



This classic Hip Hop is such a pleasure to listen to with Scarlet Mini.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Downtown:



Another classic Hip Hop shoot in one of my favorite cities.

Big Boi – Kill Jill ft. Killer Mike, Jeezy:



This is a classic music to use for Bass test, especially for the proportion of sub-bass and mid-bass. Compared to another IEM: CFA Bonneville, you can hear the difference very clearly that Bonneville has a higher mid-bass emphasis while Scarlet Mini is more on the sub-bass side.

FKJ & Masego – Tadow:



This is very interesting simple music that Scarlet Mini performs also very well.

Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why:



Female vocal focused music but Scarlet Mini is doing not bad at all.

Final Thoughts

Scarlet Mini is not very picky in terms of sources, but sometimes sources do make a huge difference. For example, there are some music played from RU6 or RS2, both R2R based, that I found the bass too overwhelming on Scarlet Mini. However, when I shifted to my Sony 1AM2, the bloated bass was no longer there. As matter of fact, Sony NW-WM1AM2 is a very good match with Scarlet Mini, it can almost be used as an all-rounder IEM.