We’re always excited about new frontiers in audio here at Mindisc, and today we’re
going to be looking at three of them: the flagship Frontier series of IEMs from US based
brand, Fir Audio.
The range starts with the 4 driver Neon 4, moves up to 5 driver Kyrpton 5, and tops out
with the, you guessed it, 6 driver Xenon 6.
Each earphone in the range comes in a beautiful metal finish, with the Neon 4 and Kyrpton
5 featuring aluminium earshells, and the top of the line Xenon 6 featuring this glitzy
gold stainless steel finish.
All 3 IEMs feature attractive sapphire glass faceplates - you can tell immediately that
these IEMs are the crown jewels of Fir Audio’s range.
Making an appearance again is the Atom Venting system, which we mentioned in our VxV review
as being similar to 64 Audio’s Apex module system - a valve in the earphone that is designed
to relieve pressure and ensure long term wearing comfort.
For the Frontier series, the Atom Vent is modular and interchangeable, allowing you
to tune the sound of the IEM by choosing a different module.
Compared to the 64 Audio Apex system where each module is quite different, the three
modules that come with the Frontier series earphones differ by only a few decibels each,
meaning that you can finely tune each IEM with slightly more or less bass and slightly
more or less isolation.
Another unique feature to this Frontier series is something you may have already noticed:
this very large, 10mm low frequency bone conduction driver that directly radiates low frequency
bass to your inner ear bones rather than through your ear drum.
As you might imagine, this gives these Fir Audio IEMs a truly unique bass presentation,
which we will get to later in this video.
Now the Frontier series may be very glamorous and shiny, but Fir Audio is also quite a practically
minded company.
You can see this in the beautiful metal earpieces of each model, which despite their heavier
weight, are still quite comfortable and balanced thanks to their smooth shape and longer nozzles.
There’s also a bunch of small details that demonstrate an attention to durability and
serviceability of these IEMs.
For instance, the 2 pin connectors on each earphone are reinforced and rated to withstand
up to 1000 disconnections without getting loose.
The nozzle on the filter features a retaining ring that keeps the filters securely in place
but can be easily removed for filter replacement.
The standard cable with these IEMs is a robust but lightweight 8 wire affair, and comes as
standard with a 4.4mm balanced termination.
All of these features help the Frontier Series stand out in an increasingly crowded field
of multi kilobuck IEMs.
We find that at this price range past $2000 Australian dollars, we have collectors and
enthusiasts who want to fill specific niches in their IEM collections, and people aren’t
necessarily looking for safe, all round tunings.
Well, if you wanted IEMs that deliver a truly astounding sense of scale and depth for genres
like pop music, hip hop, EDM, house music - these earphones should be at the very top
of your short list.
The Frontier series is bassy.
The bone conduction drivers are definitely doing their job, and the first thing that
hits you about the sound of these IEMs is just how BIG the bass feels, like it was coming
through from full sized headphones rather than in your ears.
The most neutral sounding model in this lineup, the Kyrpton 5, is bassier than the bassiest
model in the 64 audio lineup, the Nio.
I would go so far as to say that these are audiophile basshead IEMs, and unlike IEMS
with more aggressive, V-shaped tunings like the Empire Ears Legend X, the Frontier Series
IEMs also have smoother midrange and treble.
This means that these IEMs are basically perfect for more aggressive recordings and genres,
but you’ll find some vocals sound recessed and slightly dulled.
But the devil is in the details, so let's drill down into the differences between these
3 models.
The Neon 4 features 3 balanced armature drivers and 1 bone conduction driver.
This is the most fun sounding in the range, with a little bit of a spicy edge to the highs
that makes things sound crispy and immediate despite lower midrange vocals being somewhat
recessed.
I believe the Neon 4 will already satisfy a lot of people’s needs for a fun, forgiving
IEM - my only criticism of the sound is that sometimes the slight rawness of the highs
and somewhat recessed presence region in the midrange, the Neon 4 can sound a bit incoherent,
and note timbre for acoustic instruments isn’t as natural as it could be.
The Kyrpton 5 adds one more balanced armature driver for the midrange, and is the most tonally
neutral IEM in the Frontier Series.
Once again, highs are slightly edgy, with a little bit less of a gap in the upper mids,
but lower midrange is still recessed.
This is probably the closest to an all rounder in the line up.
Now I still think that the highs on the Kyrpton 5 have a slight hardness and glare to them,
so my comments about slightly unnatural note timbre apply here as well.
Lastly we come to the top of the heap, the Xenon 6.
Oh boy, this one is doozy.
The Xenon 6 adds an electrostatic driver for super high frequencies to the mix, but the
result isn’t necessarily what you expect, because along with the extended highs Fir
Audio has tuned down the edgy peak of the BA drivers.
The result is an IEM with smooth and extended highs that presents quiet detail and a wide
soundstage.
This is the most laid back of the Frontier Series range, and it actually took me a while
to wrap my head around the sound of this model because it is really quite dark sounding.
After spending time with it, it’s become my favourite in the line up.
The Xenon 6 has the most natural note timbre for real instruments, and this IEM has a way
of putting you on a pounding dance floor or a smoky jazz club while staying immersive
and unfatiguing with track after track.
I think you’ll be able to tell quite quickly from my descriptions, whether or not any of
these Fir Audio Frontier Series IEMS is right for you.
If you want an amazingly deep and grandiose sense of bass presentation, you should listen
to these.
Drop in and have a listen, or order online at Minidisc.com.au.
This is Lachlan for MinidiscTV, and we’ll see you next