Review: M-Fidelity SA-50 – Transparency

M-Fidelity SA-50

SOUND

The M-Fidelity SA-50 is a neutral to bright monitor which sounds supremely clean and transparent. It has an emphasized treble section and a very crisp mid range that has very good tonality.

It’s pretty uncolored and true to the recording, although this trait could be somewhat “dry” and “sterile” for some people. It all depends on your preference, as always.

BASS

The SA-50 has a reference tuning and a neutral tonality, and lows reflect that character as a foundation. There’s not a big presence here. The focus is on mid bass and you won’t hear some big rumble on the sub bass area. Yet, I think it has a quality bass performance for this kind of a sound, especially on the mid bass.

Resolution in the bass department is very successful, like in the rest of the spectrum. The overall mid bass quantity is so ideal and that gives the monitor a nice body, even though it’s not a big one. That prevents the IEM to sound very thin, despite its bright nature. So I think this is the most ideal presentation for this kind of a neutral, reference type of monitor, to preserve its overall character.

The bass is quite tight too. It doesn’t spread all over the place, stays in its area while making the mids sound very clean. It has a fast decay as well, recovering swiftly after the hit. As a whole I liked the bass response of the SA-50. It’s not my type of bass with its relatively small presence, but when I think about the overall tuning of this IEM, I understand the reasoning behind this neutral bass presentation.

MIDS

The mids are very close to reference sounding. I actually think this is the closest IEM to my studio monitors, among all of my in ears, in terms of cleanliness and tonality. The note size is not big though, and I would prefer a bigger body in the mids, but that doesn’t change its incredible transparency. It’s really hard for me to think about another monitor which has this transparency level. Maybe I could bring up 2-3 different models of flagships, but they’ll surely cost more. There’s no veil between you and the sound whatsoever. You’re inside the recording, inside the studio.

This section is not perfectly flat though, instead it has a lift in the upper mid range. This adds even more crispiness and sparkle, but it also brings a tendency to sibilance. If you don’t have a great source & recordings, it’s very probable for you to hear some sibilance with vocals. Therefore I can say it’s quite an unforgiving monitor, because of its great transparency and this tendency to sibilance. A small EQ could do the trick for you here, as it worked for me.

TREBLE

This maybe is the most impressive part of the M-Fidelity SA-50 as it has a great treble response. Very extended, articulated and high resolution. Even so, it’s not flawless with the apparent emphasis on the lower treble area. When combined with the upper mid lift, this emphasis forms a pretty bright presentation overall. This boost makes the IEM quite forward on trebles, but everything is pretty much under control unless you crank up to volume to very high levels.

M-Fidelity SA-50

M-Fidelity SA-50

This is why I think it’s a joy to listen to this IEM on a relatively low volume. It gives the treble and its details just effortlessly. It’s one of the best IEMs I’ve listened to in terms of detail presentation and articulated treble. That’s also why it’s great with Acoustic & Jazz music. It’s great with acoustic because it’s fast and very well articulated, and great with Jazz because of the transparency & resolution, extended treble and reference type tuning.

There’s great air in the treble and great extension altogether. Despite its lower treble boost, I would still give this IEM 10 out of 10 for its highs. This is as good as it gets. It’s very easy to say it’s kind of aggressive and bright upon a first listen, but when you give it more time, you understand it’s very special in the highs.

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE

Up until this point I think you’ve already realized that this is a technically strong CIEM. No question about it. It maybe isn’t the most enjoyable or entertaining in ear, but it certainly sets its mark on technicalities and it’s very profound there.

Starting with the sound stage; it gives you a great feel of width and depth, yet the width is the more impressive part. With its extension, separation and black background, it gives you a tremendous stereo image. It plays highly technical and almost to the point of sounding analytical. You can hear every bit of detail because of its strong retrieval, and you can point out the instruments on the stage comfortably.

The dimensions are not like a concert hall here but they are studio-like. Yet, it does this studio type of staging so well, that you could say it’s like having studio speakers attached to your ears. Add its reference frequency delivery to the mix and you have a very detailed, reference studio-type sound. This CIEM will not be denied for its technical prowess.

The review continues on PAGE 3 with synergy and comparisons.

5/5 - (12 votes)
Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedin

A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

5 Comments

  • Reply October 4, 2018

    Willy

    Nice review, as always. This is likely to be my next iem (first ciem, that is). I notice that you can choose to have a silicone shell or not. Apart from what you mentioned in the review (the isolation that is), is there any other difference in terms of sound between the two materials?

    • Reply October 4, 2018

      Berkhan

      Thank you Willy.

      I don’t think there will be a noticeable difference in sound without the filling. But you should ask that to Alf. In theory this is a more reliable and sound-wise a better design, but I don’t know if there’s really a difference in sound, since I don’t have a hollow version to compare.

      • Reply October 4, 2018

        Willy

        I see. By the way, how will you compare this with the earsonics sem6 v2? I think this is also an neutral iem…

        Also, I am really thankful that you (and guys in headfonia) write all these good reviews. I bought the hs1551 and the noble savanna after reading your reviews and these two are currently my favourite.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.