Sound Impressions Starting with The Bass: The Strongest Bone Conduction Experience
The XE6 has a V-shaped, dynamic sound signature with extra highlights made for the lows. First off, as expected, the Xenon 6’s bass is special. The renowned Kinetic Bass serves Xenon 6 unprecedented bass characteristics that differ from conventional dynamic drivers. The factors are also different from Bone Conductor drivers that recently started to make their presence in in-ears. The purpose of FIR’s proprietary Kinetic Bass is to offer that realistic “bass punch”, and the Xenon 6 serves that perfectly.
The bass is gigantic and up-close, more than plenty to serve the bassheads. Though XE6 doesn’t sacrifice the detail aspect as a flagship IEM. The XE6 keeps a high-resolution sound for the bass, letting the texture and bass grains kept well displayed. The texture is still on the smoother side, so those who want a type of IEM that handles the bass more aggressively resolving in texture may not find it ideal. But then again, the XE6’s presentation would be enjoyed by most in that specific case – including myself.
What I find interesting and unique about XE6’s bass is that even despite such an up-close and gigantic bass slamming the headroom, is that the bass doesn’t sound overpowering or overflowing despite its abundant bass quantity. The bass slams are thick and offer dynamic slams, yet Xenon 6 can still keep the bass well controlled. The bass is quite agile and doesn’t smear into the mid-range.
Also, while XE6 makes the bass presence significant and lively, it doesn’t let the bass break the overall balance of the sound, hence the sound is quite well-balanced – even while having basshead properties! In short, XE6 has superior “basshead properties” than conventional basshead IEMs due to stronger liveliness, as well as crossing out as many cons of what a basshead IEM would typically have – in the case of XE6, there’s barely any found.
The Mids: Pronounced, Gigantic Vocals
Let’s now talk about the vocals. When talking about Basshead IEMs, the bass would of course be done great or perfect, though what about the mids? The mid-range is considered a difficult task for any IEMs with different pricing and sound signatures, yet if talking about flagship-tier IEMs that also go for a basshead tuning, the challenge would skyrocket. As for Xenon 6, the mid-range is slightly recessed. It’s surely not meant for those who seek strong transparency or tacky vocals that are distinctively separated from the bass. Nor is it meant for those who want mid-focused IEM or noticeably bright vocals.
However, the XE6’s recessed vocals differ from typical means, and I mean in a good way. First, the vocal timbre is spot-on with neutral-bright nuance, hence not causing muddy or “water-soaked” vocal timbre that some lower-tier basshead IEMs may have. Another highlight of XE6’s vocals is the great transparency and scale of the vocals. While the vocals aren’t as thick and full as the lows are, they still don’t get veiled or overpowered by the bass.
The hat would also go off for the great sub-bass control that FIR has done. The filter tuning also plays a significant role, and I prefer the stock silver filter (as well as the review is written based on the default silver filter). Overall, the vocals give a feeling of what a generic yet premium dynamic driver IEM – seamlessly and glowingly connected with the lows, with cohesive timbre and thickness, which doesn’t make the vocals bulge out for super clarity, yet still with resolution, accuracy, and vivid vocal presence.
The Highs: Surprisingly High-Resolution & Crisp Trebles For a Basshead IEM
Highs do their duty to make the sound balanced by not letting the massive bass and its weight press onto the music, counteracting with crisp and clear treble notes. While the body is inevitably thinner than the lows, highs are agile and are packed with enough density. The texture is lush and smooth, well accompanying Xenon 6’s bassy sound to flourish with treble sparkles and shines. Highs are highlighted just enough to supply enough shine and air and don’t overpower in quantity or brightness.
The Open BA driver as well as other FIR technologies makes apparent differences from typical basshead IEMs and Xenon 6. Typically, such strong bass quantity and presence would swallow up the upper frequencies yet not for the Xenon 6. Indeed, the trebles aren’t the “main character” while playing the music, yet the trebles do a fine job accompanying/supporting Xenon 6 as a refresher with its pronounced treble details and crisp textures. Without it, the Xenon 6 would’ve sounded muffled or the upper vocals and trebles would’ve made a dead-drop. The Xenon 6’s treble performance and clarity would be ideal for most general unless you’re particularly looking for a strongly highlighted trebles like AME Gaia or Eminent Ears Ruby do.
Next Page: Comparisons with FIR M5 & FIR Radon 6 / Verdicts