FiR Audio VxV Review

Packaging, Price & Accessories

The VxV  – according to FiR – brings the classic FiR sound to hobbyists and enthusiasts alike at a new and accessible price point. At the moment the VxV is selling for $999 USD? Even though it’s also on Massdrop right now, where it is selling for only $799 USD. That’s a great price for this IEM actually, keep reading. The VxV can be found in FiR’s shope right here: https://www.firaudio.com/store/5×5

The VxV comes in a small square white box with the VxV bunny logo printed on the top. To seal of the box FiR is using a yellow sticker with a fine strand of yarn, which you have to pull to split open the sticker. I love it. It’s all in the details.

On the sticker you can also see FiR’s reference to the VxV being an EDC, made in USA. Why the Every Day Carry reference? Simply because the VxV – as said before – is “the earphones you reach for and that sound good with everything”.

Inside the white box you’ll find a lovely yet typical leather carrying case. Again, it has the bunny ears “stamped” in it, a lovely touch. Next to that you will also find 3 bunny VxV stickers and FiR Audio’s warranty card. On the inside of the leather case you of course have the monitors, the 2.5mm terminated Specimen 25 cable which was developed for the VxV, a cleaning tool and a set of ear tips. To be more precise you get: Two different types of foam tips, 3 regular sets of silicone tips and one set of double flanged tips.

All-in-all, a complete set of accessories, and presented in a simple, yet original and lovely way.

Build quality, Ergonomics

Build Quality

The VxV is small unit size-wise and the shell and faceplate, as well as the MMCX connector are all perfectly finished. There are no sharp edges, everything fits perfectly. The VxV ear piece has a short canal with 2 ridges to keep the tips in place. At he end of the canal you have a metal grill to prevent ear wax and other dirt to get inside the ear piece. There really is nothing bad I can say about the VxV in this regard, it’s all top quality.

Fit, comfort

The Shell design is fairly basic, but as the units are so small, they’re very easy to fit in in your ear and they don’t stick out at all. The MMCX connector allows the cable to freely move around, and as such the VxV perfectly fits your ear. They’re really comfortable to wear, even for longer periods, and they never have the tendency to fall out.

The tips I have been using with the VxV are the smallest normal silicone ones. I in general find myself using a lot of foam tips, but in this case they were a bit thick and couldn’t get to fit them in my ear canal in a comfortable or well-sealing way. I have been using the VxV at night a lot and in my case, I can perfectly sleep with them without hem bothering me in any way.

Cable

The coaxial SPC Specimen 25 cable that comes with the VxV is simple and very flexible. It’s a silver plated copper cable and I never felt the need to use a different one. It’s soft, comfy and it sounds good. According to FiR this cable elevates the bass performance and it enriches the mids while enhancing the detail retrieval and presenting sweet lush mids.

Design

Firry is back! The face plates on both sides feature a bunny theme as you can see in the pictures. It’s simply but creative and I absolutely love it. Some of you probably won’t like all the bunny “references” but I find it quite cute and funny.

FiR Audio also has an eye for detail, and you’ll even find the main VxV bunny logo on the Specimen 25 cable’s cable splitter. Again, it’s all in the details and FiR absolutely has this covered.

On the left ear piece there is a mention of the configuration and the prototype version, wile you on the right earpiece find GPS coordinates. These of course track back to where FiR is located in the US. How cool is that!

Sound

So far there’s absolutely nothing I don’t like about the FiR Audio VxV IEM. So let’s have a look at how it sounds!

According to FiR Audio the VxV has a welcoming sound that promises immense enjoyment, the Five x Five has a full-bodied midrange presentation in a wide soundstage. Driver optimization and chassis design creates space in a natural manner: combining direct acoustic cues with reflective surfaces within the chamber of the earphone casing.

Are you still following?

FiR Audio is describing the VxV as an every day carry IEM. That means it should sound excellent from all sources and for all types of music and that it sound good for a majority of users.

Let’s find out if that is really the case.

General Sound

For our testing we have used a series of portables sources. The VxV is really easy to drive so there’s no need for heavy amplification. As said before the tips used were the normal silicone ones.

If you’ve looked at the video earlier in this article, you will have noticed that FiR describes the VxV as having a neutral sound signature. We to a certain degree agree to that, depending on the source in use. It’s not the warmest or smoothest IEM in my collection, but it isn’t fully neutral in this regard either. It really is depending on the source you’re using the VxV with. What the VxV however in all cases has, is a very popular and extremely engaging tuning: Good body from lows to highs, natural and spacious mids, punchy bass, lively vocals and treble with an enjoyable amount of energy.

Sound stage-wise the VxV performs quite well, helped especially by the airy and spacious midrange. I would say the VxV extends more in the lows than in the highs, but it doesn’t feel lacking in that regard. The Fir Audio VxV produces a fast, very clean and oh so clear sound. I can see why some are calling it balanced, though I would personally describe it more as a coherent IEM where everything perfectly flows, matches and connects to each other.

The depth and layering are good, but higher end units do outperform the VxV in that area. That’s no shame however. The detail retrieval from top to bottom is good, though the micro detail, note extension and decay could be further improved. For a 5 driver monitor in this price range however, the VxV overall impresses with a pleasant, energetic, and engaging sound signature.

The VxV is fun to listen to and it indeed does well for all musical genres. It doesn’t really matter what you’re plugging it in to, the VxV will always be enjoyable and sound excellent.

The part on sound continues on the next page. Click here.

Page 1: FiR Audio, VxV, Specifications

Page 3: Sound & Comparisons, Conclusion