FIDUE A65 Earphones Review
The mention of titanium drivers on the front of the sleek box design had us very excited, because that makes the £50 FIDUE A65 earphones the first earphones to incorporate such technology under our review.
Design
Lately earphones have become a bit too similar in appearance, with the bullet style dominating the mainstream market. FIDUE A65 earphones are crafted like no other earphones we’ve seen, sporting rounded triangular dome shaped bodies pressed from satin rose gold metal with brushed aluminium trimmings - unquestionably more novel and refreshing in style over the safe zone of the bullet earphone aesthetics. What’s more the solid body keeps the drivers housed securely, dealing with day to day stress well. Not to be overlooked are the microphone & splitter, also reassuringly constructed from metal, and the jack is gold plated too.
Comfort
A 1.2m cable (which resists severe tangling) enables listening on the go, or when stationary at an iMac, allowing for free movement of the head so you're not in any discomfort. The FIDUE A65s tuck into the ears with little complaint from any of us because the light and discreet fit is well balanced for prolonged listening. The only shame is that, despite FIDUE offering small, medium, large and a single shaped silicone tip variety, there are no comply memory foam tips bundled for a more insulated and personal fit. However, sound isolation is still very good, cloaking surrounding urbanised noise well, with the only sacrifice being a smidgen of extra comfort.
Controls
A one button remote makes skipping, pausing and playing music a pleasure from your chosen device, but the neglect of any volume control is frustrating and is an addition we’d greet warmly.
Sound Performance
The attack of sound is awesome from the FIDUE A65 earphones. They are nearly always on form, and volume levels equally impress. We simply cannot cope with the maximum levels of volume which offer plenty of clout for all preferences without distorting. So the 8mm titanium micro drivers prove they are fierce in pushing out the power, but is the balance good enough? Put simply, yes. These are built for your day to day listening, presenting all genres warmly. ‘Right as Rain’ by Adele, live at the Hotel Cafe, comes across as an exceptional performance of rich and juicy bass definition and crystal roar vocals - with a single guitar playing in harmony but not overshadowing.
On the other end of song examples is ‘Problem’ by Ariana Grande. What this song highlights is that the mid range on these earphones can on occasion sound slightly squished - although this is not majorly concerning, and only shows itself when a song demands conjoined deep bass and highs. This track has fairly sparky high vocal ranges running throughout a very busy and actually quite complicated setup of instrumental layers. Highs are in general clear, but the bass is the forerunner of impressive engineering attributes. Moreover, stereo imagery is good too; not anything as special as we’ve heard from the £180 RBH EP3 earphones, but for around a quarter of the price it’s ample.
Value
Earphones have come a long way in sound engineering and we have recently noticed that the soundstage is actually becoming a real thing within the lower priced end of the spectrum, like with the highly bright sounding £64.99 SoundMagic E80's and the £70 Final Audio Design Adagio III earphones. Whilst the FIDUE A65 earphones don’t portray a soundstage that surrounds your head, they do definitely add a straight dimensional sound atmosphere in each ear. For the £49.99 price tag they compete well against the £70 Final Audio Design Adagio III earphones which set an attractive bar in value. The latter are a little more detail rich and have sparkier highs, but for the difference in the price it’s difficult to argue against the FIDUE A65 earphones which are supplied with tips and a carry pouch too.
Verdict
These are an impressive earphone debut (for us) from FIDUE for £50, with a distinctive design and a rock solid build. Titanium drivers are our favourite delight with the A65 earphones, engineered to really impress the eclectic everyday listener.
