In this article we review the FIR Audio E12 aka the Electron 12. It sells for $1,799 USD.
Disclaimer: FiR Audio kindly supplied the E12 (Electron 12) for this article. It does not need to be returned.
FiR Audio
For those that have never heard of the brand FiR Audio, here’s a little introduction. This custom and universal IEM company has a lot of background packed into their short brand-history. Started by Bogdan Belonozkho, former CEO of 64 Audio, FiR has quickly risen to one of the most innovative and sought after brands in the scene.
FiR Audio is the only company – to my knowledge – that produces tube-less custom In Ear Monitors. 64 Audio has been working with tube-less universals, but have never released one of their models as a custom shaped build.
That, however, is not the only thing that makes FiR Audio unique in the field. They also just introduced a new version of bone conduction – called Kinetic Bass. It’s actually a rather simple thought that turned out very well. They just point a dynamic driver right at the concha of your ear, rather than having it fire into it. Thus making you perceive bass vibrations basically coming from the outside. Similar to a speaker performance, but limited to your ears, rather than your whole body.
FiR Audio’s lineup of products spans from In Ear Monitors (custom and universal) to maintenance gear and other accessories. I have one of their IEM cleaners and think it’s an excellent investment to take care of your monitors.
Today we are taking a closer look at one of FiR Audio’s latest and most accessible – the Electron 12 a.k.a. E12, which retails for a price of 1,799 USD.
E12 (Electron 12)
Though most companies are going the route of hybrid driver setups, FiR recently went the other direction. The Electron 12 is an In Ear Monitor that uses only a single dynamic driver for the entire frequency spectrum.
Like all of FiR’s products, the E12 comes equipped with a hand full of unique technologies. The Electron 12 features Tactile Bass, ATOM venting (internal) and brings their new SwapX faceplate design to the table. This is basically a removable faceplate which attaches with a small magnet to the shell. There’s also the option to customize your own faceplate, which is very nice. You can design those custom faceplates through FiR’s IEM Designer.
The internal ATOM venting of the E12 cannot be replaced with modules, like we are used to from the Frontier Series (like Kr5 or Xe6). So you will be set to -17dB at all times. Which is also the set level of isolation.
FiR states a frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz, so basically all a human being can hear. The impedance is stated at 16 Ohms. I guess this is measured at standard 1kHz, but the webpage doesn’t give that info away.
The E12 can be purchased as a universal IEM or a custom IEM. The custom IEM uses what FiR calls FlexFit Canals. Think of it as a shorter stem on the CIEM, where the last bit of the canal is covered by a silicone ring, which is supposed to adapt to your canal shape.
The Electron 12 is actually not the only model in the Electron Series anymore, as it recently got accompanied by the E10 – a smaller (and cheaper) model.
The E12 can be yours for $ 1,799 and can be bought through FiR’s webshop or one of their many regional dealers around the globe.
The review continues on page two!
