NICEHCK F1 Pro’s packaging is as simple and elegant as always. The "F1 PRO" logo is centered, maintaining a minimalist yet aesthetic appeal.NICEHCK has done a great job in organizing the contents of the F1 PRO within the box. Everything is neatly placed in a large rectangular box.Contents of the NICEHCK F1 PRO packaging,1 pair of NICEHCK F1 PRO IEM,Original cable,PU leather case,Three pairs of gray balanced bore silicone ear tips in different standard sizes,Three pairs of opaque white balanced bore ear tips in different standard sizes,Four pairs of "EP-EX11" ear tips in different standard sizes,One pair of white wide bore ear tips,User manual and warranty card.
The earphones feature a primarily blue color scheme, with a touch of gold running through, reminiscent of the Zen PRO. Despite having a matte appearance, they are actually quite smooth. The F1 PRO is equipped with a 14.2mm planar magnetic driver, featuring an ultra-thin diaphragm and high-grade neodymium magnets with a coaxial magnetic design. This configuration provides consistent performance and significantly reduces distortion. The drivers are encased in a lightweight yet sturdy aluminum alloy shell with a compact teardrop design. The shell is CNC-milled and sandblasted for a premium and refined look. NICEHCK uses a 2-pin connector, as it is the most stable and easiest to detach for cable swapping.
The F1 PRO thickens the entire cavity shell, protrudes inward, and is scaled down, allowing users with smaller ear canals to wear them comfortably without pain. Additionally, the compact form factor provides a good seal and passive noise isolation, effectively blocking external noise.The original cable is tightly braided, consisting of 2-core high-purity OCC and silver-plated copper. The earhook receptacle, chin slider, and plug shield are made of metal alloy. At the plug end, you can choose between a standard 3.5mm single-ended or a 4.4mm balanced plug, both gold-plated for better conductivity and corrosion resistance.
(THE OFFICIAL POST)
Like typical planar earphones, the F1 PRO requires more power output to drive it properly, as the planar magnetic structure itself is designed to take more current than voltage output, making it less power-efficient compared to other drivers like dynamic and balanced armature drivers. A dedicated DAP with medium and high gain mode, DAC/Amp dongle, or desktop headphone amplifier is a better pairing for this set.
The NICEHCK F1 PRO has a U/V-shaped sound signature, making it more colorful in sound. The bass and treble are more accentuated
Bass:For a planar magnetic set, the bass response is quite fast, punchy, and rumbly, focusing more on sub-bass than mid-bass, but the latter has enough texture to prevent bass-centric instruments from sounding too thin.Sub-bass has perceivable reverberation from low-tone bass guitars, synthesizers, and drum machines. The mid-bass has resonant yet slightly hollowed sounds for bass guitars, thudding and gloomy sounds for bass kick drums.
Midrange:The midrange presentation is slightly recessed and hollow, particularly in some vocals and instruments. However, it sounds clean, detailed, and energetic, benefiting most female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds.
Male vocals are noticeably leaner in texture, especially baritones, which lack the plushness and richness I prefer. Tenors have spicy and tinny characteristics, while countertenors sound tender with an added brim. Female vocals, particularly contraltos, lack richness and smokiness, mezzo-sopranos sound fiery and coppery, and sopranos have gleaming and metallic sounds, making lyric and coloratura types energetic and expansive.
Brass instruments like trumpets, trombones, and horns have metallic, penetrating, and clear sounds. Woodwinds like flutes, piccolos, clarinets, and saxophones have clear and shrill, penetrating with brilliance, incisive and reedy sounds, respectively. Strings like violins sound metallic and bright, while guitars (both acoustic and electric) have crisp and lingering sounds. Percussion instruments like snares and tom-toms have resonant, dry, and cracking sounds, field drums have sharp and menacing sounds, and kettledrums have dry and deep sounds. Pianos sound bright and lively with each key stroke.
Treble:The treble response is on the brighter side, with noticeable emphasis on the upper mids and brilliance parts. Elevated upper mids and presence parts provide sharper attack, definition, and clarity at the expense of occasional slight sibilance in sibilant-laden tracks.
Cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels, and celestas exhibit good sparkle and excellent treble air extension. Cymbals have sizzling, metallic, and dry sounds, hi-hats have buzzing sounds, glockenspiels sound glistening and piercing, and celestas have glistening and sweet sounds.
Soundstage, Imaging, and Technicalities:The soundstage has an above-average to wide lateral span, good height reach, and depth for a planar set, providing a moderately spacious headroom within the aural sphere.
Stereo imaging presents a concave-like presentation, allowing the location of instruments and vocals in the soundscape. Despite good separation, layering appears to be two-layer rather than the standard four-layer typical of planar sets. However, it avoids sounding congested or disorganized in complex tracks.Like all planar sets, the F1 PRO has very fast and responsive transient speed without distortion in sound quality.The F1 PRO is quite resolving in both macro-dynamics and micro-detail retrieval, with sufficient note texture and sharp definition to extract sonic nuances and details like vocal ends, reverberations, and instrument notation attacks.
Summary:
Durable yet lightweight metal alloy shell chassis
Ergonomically designed contours for a good fit in most ear sizes
Inclusion of high-quality cable
Many choices of ear tips
Fun, musical, and engaging sound for audio enthusiasts who love colored tuning
Punchy and reverberating bass response
Energetic and gleaming midrange, suitable for some female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds
Bright and sparkling treble response
Quite decent technical capabilities
