Price: PHP 2,499.00 (~USD 60.00)
Specifications
Type: Closed, insert-type in-ear headphones/IEM
Frequency Range: 17 Hz – 22,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 110 dB SPL @ 1 kHz, 1 mW
Impedance: 32 ohms
Maximum Power Input: 20 mW
Driver: Single Full-range Balanced Armature
Cable Layout and Length: Symmetrical, 1.2 m
Estimated Noise Reduction: -20 dB
Pros:
Smooth, detailed and accurate sound
Bass is better than most single BA earphones
Good noise isolation
Very comfortable
Flexible eartips
Flat cable design minimizes tangles
Can be worn over the ear comfortably
Cons:
Bass still lacks impact for bass-heavy music
Very microphonic when worn with the wires down
Introduction
The Feels Pro900 is the first premium in-ear monitor from the South Korean headphone retailer and OEM manufacturer Feels (http://www.myphil.com). Boasting a single balanced armature driver from Knowles in each side, could the Pro900 deliver good sound comparable to more expensive models from Shure, Ultimate Ears and Sennheiser? Check out the full review!
Packaging, Build and Ergonomics
The Feels Pro900 comes in a box that is simple but attractively designed. Inside the cardboard box, you will see that the IEM and accessories are placed in a covered plastic holder. While the packaging isn't as special as the Monster Turbine-series, it doesn't really look bad and it is quite useful for storing your eartips. Also, it is much better than Sennheiser's finger-shredding blister packs used in most of their CX-series earphones.
The IEM comes with four eartips: S, M (short), M (normal), and L. There is also an extra set of flexible eartip adapters just in case you lost the default adapters (more on that later). One downside is that there is no carrying case or carrying pouch in the package.
The IEM is well-built with good quality cables and metal earpiece housing. I can see that this set will withstand the test of time. In order to reduce the occurence of tangled cables and also to add style, Feels used the flat cable design from the Y-junction to the 3.5mm jack. However, the cables are very microphonic (you can hear the cables bumping and rubbing with your clothes). The good thing here is that you can wear the Pro900 over the ears which greatly reduces microphonics.
The earpieces mimic the design of the jet engine which is actually more turbine-like than the Monster Turbine-series. Unlike the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 and the Shure SE110, the small-sized earpieces look discrete in the ear. You would not look like Frankenstein while wearing the Pro900 outside.
The earpieces are very comfortable. I can wear the Pro900 the whole day without feeling any discomfort. The flexible eartips, known as the "3D Flex" eartips, also helped increase comfort levels. Since the eartips are flexible, you can adjust the earpieces away from the parts of your outer ear which are potential sources of pain when you are using in-ears for an extended period of time. The 3D Flex eartips use a set of adapters that are colored yellow or blue/red (depending on the country you live in) making it look pro. These adapters are removable in case you need to clean the nozzles.
Performance
The noise isolation of the Pro900 is very good. While commuting (LRT, street), the volume on my iPod Nano and LG P500 is only set to 35%. The isolation is better than my Creative EP-630 and almost comparable to my Shure SE215.
Now let us look at the most important part of the review which is the audio performance. First thing I noticed here is that the midrange is very nice. The vocals just come out nice and smoothly. Some instruments just come out of the mix in a very pleasing way. There is also some sparkle in the highs. The bass is good compared to most single balanced armature in-ears but bassheads should look elsewhere because this will not satisfy them. Soundstage is good for an IEM and some of my friends even said that the Pro900 sounded like open headphones. Since it uses a set of Knowles Siren BA drivers, its sound signature is quite similar to Shure SE110 and Meelectronics A151 as both of them are using the same type of Knowles-supplied drivers.
To further put things into perspective, I will describe the sound using some songs:
Think Good Thoughts - Colbie Caillat
All of You (2011) / 320 kbps MP3
The Pro900 is very much suited to this kind of music. This song sounded like you are listening to Colbie live in a bar. You can determine where the instruments are placed and you can even hear those micro-details coming out of the mix. The recording just sounded airy and wide.
Vegas - Sara Bareilles
Little Voice (2007) / 320 kbps MP3
Again, the vocals are very good. It felt like your ears are the microphone of Sara. The song’s emotion just hits you in a way that you would also like to go to Vegas.
Butterfly - Jason Mraz
Beautiful Mess: Live on Earth (2009) / FLAC
I really like how the instruments are placed in the mix. The horns at the right channel and the electric guitar/electric organ at the left channel just comes out from the mix. It Feels like you are here:
The Mack - Mann Feat. Snoop Dogg & Iyaz
The Mack - Single (2011) / 320 kbps MP3
While the bass of the Pro900 has more impact than most single BA earphones, it is still not enough to satisfy bassheads. While I can say I still enjoyed the song because the vocals are very smooth and engaging, the bass just leaves me wanting more. It doesn’t have the rumble that I am looking for.
Oye Baby - Pitbull Feat. Nicola Fasano
Planet Pit (2011) / 320 kbps MP3
While the bass lacks rumble, it still thumps in a tight and accurate way. While I couldn’t have enjoyed this song because of the lack of rumble, the other parts of the mix just came out nicely which made the song engaging.
The Pro900 works best with live, acoustic or any music that is rich in vocals. Bass heavy music like hip-hop and R&B shows the weakness of the Pro900 which is the bass rumble. Thumping bass, on the other hand, is acceptable but it will still not compete with multi-BA or dynamic earphones.
Conclusion
The $60 Feels Pro900 could really compete with IEMs priced around $100. No wonder why it became the flavor-of-the-month in-ears of Singaporean and Malaysian Head-Fiers. For those who are looking for vocals and instruments that just come alive in the mix, consider the Pro900.
I had a chance to try the Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 and I think that the Pro900 sounds better than the Super.Fi 3 (around PHP 6,000.00 in most local stores; MSRP ~US$ 100.00). The Super.Fi 3 is very much focused in the mids but it doesn’t have much sparkle in the highs. As a single BA in-ear, the Super.Fi 3 will not satisfy bassheads but the lows are there.
Now for those who are looking for more bass, check out the Klipsch Image S4/Reference S4. The S4 is very comfortable like the Pro900 and it produces a warm and bassy sound. I found the S4 very enjoyable in bass-heavy genres.
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