HISENIOR Fe3 Universal – Shimmery toppings

 Pros: • Very nice sealing and fit

• Neutralish-bright sound signature (subjective)
• Adequate amount of ear tips
• Easy to drive
• All-Sonion BA set-up
• Commendable technicalities
• Decent cable inclusion
• Treble heads will be nodding on this one (subjective)

Cons: • Might sound dry and clinical to some
• a bit splashy on some tracks

DISCLAIMER:

I did not buy this product. It was provided as a review unit for the Philippines reviewer circle tour. Much thanks to HiSenior for providing us one. We are not compensated in any way. My thoughts and opinion here are not influenced by any form of incentive.

Manage your expectations as what works for me, might not work for you. We all have different perception when it comes to sound. My setup and gears may not be the same as yours, and that plays a big role in what I hear. I have learned lately that source plays a big role in this as I have been exploring different music streaming platforms. So, as we reviewers always say, take this as a grain of salt.

INTRODUCTION

Hisenior is a company from China that specializes in custom IEMs for artists, musicians and audiophiles alike. The name was derived from the concept of HI-FI and Senior hence their mature leaning sound. More on this as we move on.

I am a professional gigging musician, mainly keys, sax and drums player. Worked in 5 star hotels, played for local artists here in Philippines, and studio work for indie artist too. I listen mostly to almost any genre, but minimal rock and almost to none metal. My personal preference is mostly jazz and fusion and contemporary pop.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Driver: All BA set up (Sonion) 1 for the lows, 1 for the highs, 1 for the mids
Impedance: 40 ohms
Sensitivity: 113db
FR range: 15hz-20khz



For more details, please visit this official link:

https://www.hisenior-iem.com/produc...&_psq=fe3&_ss=e&_v=1.0&variant=39580055797796

INCLUSIONS and PACKAGING:

We received the official packaging of Fe3 for this review. From tips, cable, cleaning cloth, cleaning tool, a circular hard case (identical to Seeaudio’s Bravery case).

THE TIPS:

The tips here have an adequate amount. 6 pairs of wide bore ear tips, in S, M, and L sizes, in different colors. Teal for the small, red for the medium, and white for the large. And 2 pairs of foam tips. The red medium tips was used for this review. They are quite soft for my preference but not too soft. I tip rolled for this review, just like what I did with Hisenior’s T2. More of that later.

THE CABLE:

The cable is a white 8-core silver platted OCC, looks and feel premium, has a nice weight but a bit stiff. I actually got one as a freebie which cost around 69$. Thanks Hisenior! To have this included in the package is actually a good treat. I have not gone deep on cables, but it is nice to have a sturdy, reliable cable included. Configuration is a 2-pin.

THE SHELL:

The shell is made of Egger resin and allergy free. It has a glossy finish and very smooth feeling. The colorway is quite feminine for my taste. It is glitterish and colored pink and blue. At the back is a transparent design, with the drivers and circuitry all visible. Weight is very light but did not feel cheap. I like my IEMs with a little weight but this time, the feeling of almost not wearing anything in my ear, did not bother. One thing I notice is Fe3’s special nozzle. It does not have the conventional nozzle with a mesh. Nozzle is quite shallow too.



Now on to how it sounds…

TREBLE/HIGHS – 3.5/5

This is gonna be very subjective. Treble heads will definitely be happy with Fe3’s trebles. For treble sensitives on the other hand, you might want to watch out. On occasional cases, I find cymbals, bells and other elements falling in this department, a bit splashy. Micro details on the other hand is very commendable. For example the hit of a drum stick on hi-hats, are quite audible. Brass/horn sections is quite lively on this one.

Conclusively, trebles are very well presented here. It is just a matter of preference if trebles will appeal to you on this one. Tip rolling to tame the harshness is a welcome option here.

BASS/LOWS – 4/5

Bass here is quality over quantity. But Fe3 keep surprising me. When I thought that bass is on the lighter side of things, suddenly a track plays on my playlist and gives me a weighty, punchy bass. And so, Fe3 is capable of giving you a wide dynamic range. And if the track calls for it, that rumble at the sub bass is ready to give. It decays quickly though.

Conclusively, the bass here just keeps me on my toes. Still on the lighter side, but the lows here have good technicalities. With decent speed and does not bleed to the mids.

MIDS – 3.8/5

Mids are clean, detailed and well textured here. Leaning to female than male vocals. Instruments sometimes feel a bit, artificial than organic. Still, nothing undesirable here. Mids are forward, just right up my alley. Though I can’t say they are lush. I think clinical is the word for the mids here.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING – 4/5

Stage is above average here. An example is a track from Balmorhea – Harm and Boon. Panning of instruments are impressive. Width and depth is more commendable than the height. Separation of instruments are very desirable.

FITTING/ISOLATION – 4.5/5

Fe3, just like it’s baby brother T2 classic, gave my ears a good hugging. Don’t let its light weight fool you. Fe3 did not fell off my ears on most cases. Except when my ears are really perspiring a lot. Isolation is above average, as Fe3 is designed to be used by musicians on performances.



Here are some TRACKS that I used for reference. Allow me to share you some notes I’ve taken.



1. Get you by Daniel Caesar (16bit/44khz Tidal Masters via UAPP)

• Drum kicks has nice weight and punchiness.
• Bass guitar is on the light side, but sits well at the mid bass section.
• Vocals is very open and airy.
• Guitars are a bit sharp for me on this track. But well placed.
• Stage and imaging is very desirable.
• Instrument separation is impressive.

2. The Girl is Mine by Michael Jackson (24bit/44khz Tidal Masters via UAPP)

• Bass guitar and drum kick is on the lighter side but have great contrast.
• Imaging is very desirable here.
• Michael Jackson is well presented here.
• String section sounded a bit thin on this track.
• Guitars are well placed and textured.
• Other elements such as supporting instruments, are well placed on the stage.
• Instrument separation is very impressive.

3. Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams (16bit/44khz Tidal Masters via UAPP)

• Drum kick gives a well rounded sound. Good weight and punchiness.
• Bass guitar is smooth here.
• Brasses are very lively.
• Guitar plucking is well presented and placed.
• Rhodes is very subtle but well textured and placed as a supporting instrument.
• Vocals is very engaging and layered nicely.

And many more... Below are some of my favorite test tracks.

Lingus by Snarky Puppy
Thriller by Dirty Loops
Redefine by Incubus
Never too Much by Luther Vandross
P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
I'm not in Love by 10cc
Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
Pressure by Paramore
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Adia by Sarah McLachlan
Love Bites by Def Leppard

SOURCES AND GEARS

• LG v30 Quad Dac as my main player (high impedance mode on)
• Tidal Master subscription
• Offline Flacs and DSD
• UAPP app
• Hiby Music Player app

ADDITIONAL NOTES – TIP ROLLING

I noticed that the included tips are wide bore and short stemmed. So I tried tip rolling with my wide bore tips which are the BGVP W01. It tamed the harshness and a slight boost in the mid bass which suited my preference. I strongly suggest you find your desirable tips for this pair, as they can be too clinical at times.

VERDICT

The Fe3, is a bright pair right off the bat. At times I actually find them thin sounding as the lows and mids is presented in a very neutral sound. Then that boost on the trebles comes in. I asked my wife to try these and her first impression is that harshness on top. Though that boost somewhat opens a lot of micro details, it comes with a price and that is fatigue on long listening hours. Treble heads, this one is for you.


For a keys player like me, this tuning is quite constructive on performances and some studio work. I tried Fe3 on my weekly 2 hour live stream, and boy, it was a bit fatiguing to listen to. I even asked the sound guy on the board, to turn down my monitor level a notch.


At this price point, I think I would prefer the T2 classic over Fe3. This is purely subjective as I am treble sensitive. Nonetheless, I loved the technicalities of Fe3. Soundstage, imaging, detail retrieval and separation. Tonality wise, this one is not for me.