Disclaimer

*As always, with each review I try to improve and better show my experience as a regular but avid and passionate user!

*If you are looking for a super technical and in-depth analysis, please feel free to look for another review. There are many guys here who have much more knowledge than me and have been doing this for much longer.

*This time, the unit being reviewed was kindly provided by FAAEAL in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

*I will try to be as brief as possible, "straight to the point!" And as unbiased as possible.

Gear Used

- EPZ - TP35, Fosi GR40, TempoTec V3 Blaze, SnowSky EchoMini (WAV, FLAC files and Tidal)

- Motorola Edge 50 Pro (UAPP), (Tidal)

- Notebook (Windows), (MusicBee), (Tidal)

- Penon Liqueur O and B, Dunu S&S, Sancai Wide, Whizzer ET100AB, Bamboo Tips, TRN T, SoundCocoon, ddHIFI ST35 (best match), Eproo 00, Divinus Prism

- 4.4 balanced cable, and High Gain as always

Specs

- Drivers Config: 10mm "Gold Ring Large Dome PET Single DD"

- Sensitivity: 110dB

- Impedance: 14Ω

- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz-20kHz

A close-up view of the open FAAEAL Tulip premium black leather carrying case. Inside the velvet-lined case, a display card elegantly holds six pairs of silicone eartips with orange and black inner stems. The braided copper audio cable is neatly tucked into the storage compartment below.

Unboxing Experience

Oh, here we go. With this unboxing I had one of the coolest and most satisfying experiences since I started in the hobby.

No, it's not super elaborate and full of goodies and things the end user will never use; on the contrary, it's all simple.

But the case, which in this case, apart from the black cardboard box, is the first and only thing we find, was so well thought out and well made that, for me, every set could have this same concept.

Well, look and judge by the images: this case would easily cost you $25-$30 USD and, if sold with certain names in front of it, it would probably cost you double.

Wonderful case, 6 pairs of eartips plus 1 pre-installed pair. Here I noticed something not so common. There are 3 pairs of orange eartips (S, M, L) and three pairs of black eartips (S, M, L), plus the pair that comes already installed in the IEM. Despite this abundance and the different colors, I could swear they are exactly the same eartips: same size, same material, and same hardness. It wouldn't be a problem if they were a truly "premium" type of eartip, but they're just okay, like a normal/medium-bore 07.

But it is what it is, and it's not a con, although I think they missed an opportunity.

The fully open FAAEAL Tulip storage case resting on a textured wooden surface. The top section securely displays the two rose-gold and grey petal-shaped IEM shells, while the bottom section neatly contains the coiled "Hibiscus" copper cable and its polished metal hardware.

Overall Build

SOLID! Full metal shell, CNC engraving, grinding, polishing, and anodizing.

The Faaeal Tulip really stood out in terms of design, and it got a lot of attention for that. With its shell shaped like a tulip petal, it manages to be eye-catching in such an elegant way; all the colors here, rose with gray, combined with the "hibiscus" cable, everything matches perfectly.

The cable is another highlight! Named Hibiscus, it comes in copper or rose, whichever you prefer. Made of OFC 5N, 4 strands, 56 cores in a Litz structure. The hardware is incredibly well made and has a bold design, just like the whole set.

The Faael design team wasn't messing around when they came up with this set!

Sound Impressions

Faaeal Tulip is a V-shaped IEM, or rather, a soft V or U shape. It has a very tight and generous low end, mids and vocals sit right in the middle, neither recessed nor forward. From the upper mids onward, things start to get a little more energetic. And the highs are a little on the bright and spicy side.

Energetic, Fun and Engaging

A macro shot of the FAAEAL Tulip in-ear monitor shell resting on its braided rose-copper audio cable. The dark grey CNC-machined aluminum body features the text "FAAEAL Tulip" cleanly printed on the side and is fitted with a translucent silicone eartip with an orange stem.

Bass

The overall bass has excellent quality. Quality over quantity, but there is still no shortage of quantity.

The sub-bass is good, a little shy and on the soft side. It's still very well done and it's not the low-end focus either.

While the mid-bass steals the show in this area, it has a certain authority over the sub-bass; it is tight, has a good punch, and good speed.

Mids/ Vocals

Even though it is in fact a V/U-shaped IEM, whichever you prefer, Faaeal did a good job with the vocals and mids.

When we think of V-shaped, we immediately think of laid-back/recessed vocals, and that is not the case with Tulip. The vocals were well placed, neither back nor forward. They are right there in the middle.

They have great presence; the male vocals have the necessary body, they are in a way quite "full" and still natural enough. The female vocals were also very well placed, and the start of the lift in the upper mids helped bring more shine to the female vocals.

Treble

In the treble region is where things change a bit. Starting in the upper mids and continuing into the treble, everything gets spicier, as I like to say, right on my limit of being too much.

So much so that I made a point of using a small-bore eartip to soften it and reduce that area a bit. A warmer source could help too.

It's bright, has good extension, and also a good level of detail, but I thought it needed a little refinement. A bit more control would be great.

I liked it, but I wouldn't recommend it to people who are sensitive to this region.

Technical Performance and Soundstage

Separation and overlap are really good, on par with competitors. Accurate imaging and good resolution.

The soundstage is very good, wider than it is tall, but overall very good.

An aesthetically pleasing arrangement of the FAAEAL Tulip audio setup. The high-quality rose-copper "Hibiscus" cable is coiled circularly on a wooden surface, showcasing its shiny metal splitter and 4.4mm balanced plug. The two IEM shells rest inside the coil, displaying both the faceplate design and the inner side with an attached eartip.

Overall Verdict

Overall, it's a really good IEM in the under-$100 category. Very correct, fun as a V should be but not in an exaggerated way, technically very capable, and as a bonus, whoever buys it will have one of the coolest-designed and best-built IEMs of recent months.

Oh, and that case? The icing on the cake.

Again, thanks to the FAAEAL Team for kindly sending me this unit. These guys rock!

Elegant, Fun and Beautifully Made - FAAEAL Tulip