Earphone Review

Fearless Audio S8F

Sound Analysis.

S8F has an analytical tuning which is high mid and treble dominant with good bass definition and clarity. It is an intense listen where you’ll be immersed in details and sounds, keeping your attention peaking at all times. It certainly isn’t an easy listen like warm or smoothened out IEMs. Let’s dig deeper into the specifics.

Bass.

The bass is unlike what you expect from standard multi-BA IEMs. It is well present with fast attack and decay. The notes are well defined and the lower range can go deep when it needs to. It isn’t abnormally boosted and songs like Karnivool’s Goliath are a fun listen. The bass tone sounds gnarly with good definition. But the focus is still towards treble and high mids and the bass presence might not satisfy the needs of the ‘extreme’ basshead inside you. Tending bassheads who love a maturely tuned bass will be happy with the S8F.

Mids.

The lower mids take a back seat here. They aren’t overly recessed but the higher mids are more dominant to demand your major focus. That doesn’t mean that the lower mids aren’t good. The lower mids are done well enough to keep the snare’s body and deep vocals sounding great but the snappiness of the snare and sparkle in the vocals take a slightly larger piece of the pie. The detailed higher mids also give the S8F its prominent character.

The peak around 4.5kHz makes S8F intensely detailed. You’ll hear lots of micro details and quieter sounds that you would’ve earlier missed in smooth and warm sounding IEMs. The S8F highlights nuances even in relatively smoother songs like John Mayer’s ‘Gravity’ and ‘Slow dancing in a burning room’. The spring reverb in the latter ripples through the heart (being a little over dramatic like John Mayer for affect, Lol!).

Vocals and acoustic guitars sparkle! That’s exactly how they sound in the S8F, sparkly, clear and very detailed. If the singer smacked his lips between lines, you’re going to hear it. S8F gives you a spatial image of watching the singer perform in a small concert hall. I re-watched John Mayer’s live concert film ‘Where the light is’ and his intro acoustic segment with songs like ‘In your atmosphere’ and ‘Free fallin’ gave me gooseys and kept me smiling with satisfaction. I could even hear Mayer fanboys clearly (along with the obvious fangirls), screaming their heart out in between songs. Hmmm… Haha

Treble.

The treble is as detailed as the high mids. S8F sounds quite open and airy without getting harsh. Snares have good stick attack and cymbals are present but not strident. Vocals, acoustic and electric guitars get further help from the treble in sounding clear and detailed. But on the flipside, if you aren’t used to heavily detailed IEMs, the S8F can get a bit intense and might fatigue your ears out in longer sessions initially. Once you get used to them and your ears adapt, the fatigue will vanish. I being a musician wanna know everything that’s happening in a song with every detail highlighted, so I love and enjoy this character a lot. Also, on the bright side, the detailed sound signature enables me to listen to songs rather clearly at low volumes, which is quite cool because generally if the IEM doesn’t sound as detailed, one tends to go straight for the volume button to compensate for the muddiness, leading to dangerously loud levels. This makes S8F quite safe for your ears considering loudness levels. All in all S8F’s treble is energetic and makes listening to songs fun and exciting at all times.

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation.

S8F has a wide soundstage, wider than most IEMs I’ve heard in its price range and it is all thanks to its clear and detailed sound signature. Imaging is on point and instruments are placed quite accurately. Separation between instruments is one of the best I’ve experienced in this segment. All in all, no complaints here.

fearless_s8f-1

Comparisons.

S6RUI vs S8 Freedom

Think of S6RUI as S8F’s sibling who is younger by a year (2 drivers). S8F sounds airier and creates a better sense of space. It has more sparkle and snap in the 2-6kHz region. The mids are relatively thinner and have better resolution. The bass sounds more authentic, tighter and cleaner but both S8F and S6RUI have good slam! Personally, for me, the S8F sounds more exciting with better resolution overall.

But on the other hand, S6RUI is warmer of the two and an easier listen. If you don’t want as much resolution and prefer listening to an easier sound signature, go for the S6RUI. But if you want a more detailed and resolving IEM, S8F is the one.

fearless_s8f-8

Conclusion.

S8Freedom is another winner from Fearless. I’m lucky to have been sent 2 of the most popular models, S8F and S6Rui, and I found both to be quite interesting while still serving slightly different audiences. S8F with its energetic, lively and detailed signature gives the obsessive listener enough reasons to be happy and not much to complaint about. Fearless with their pricing, attractive customization options and various sound signatures across different models are out there to serve the various demands of enthusiasts and are certainly a company that you should know and look into when your hands get itchy for the next purchase. I can cross my heart and recommend the S8 Freedom with full confidence.

Gear used for testing and review.

  • Logic Pro X session with hi-res test tracks played through Universal Audio Apollo or Focusrite Clarett Pre X audio interface headphone out.
  • Hiby R6 Pro
  • Oneplus 7 Pro

Reference Songs list.

  • Foo Fighters- The Pretender, Best of you & Everlong
  • Coldplay- Paradise, Up in flames & Everglow
  • Ed Sheeran- Thinking out loud, Bloodstream & Galway Girl
  • Chainsmokers – Somebody, Sickboy, This Feeling & Closer
  • John Mayer- Slow dancing in a burning room, Stop this Train & Say
  • Gavin James- Always & Hearts on fire
  • Switchfoot- Meant to live & Dare you to move
  • Linkin Park- Papercut, Somewhere I belong & Talking to myself
  • Maroon 5- She will be loved, Payphone & Lost stars
  • Lifehouse- All in all & Come back down
  • Karnivool- Simple boy & Goliath
  • Dead Letter Circus- Real you
  • I Am Giant- Purple heart, City limits & Transmission
  • Muse – Panic station
  • James Bay – Hold back the river
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20 thoughts on “Fearless Audio S8F”

  2. Thanks for a great review. Any plans to review the Fearless Audio Roland? Heard some great things, but also some negative. Considering buying, but would have to be without trying first.

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  3. Hi there – do you think the Fearless 8f be a good match with the HiBy R5 & a upgrade copper cable? I’m looking to bring a touch more warmth but keep the detail for classical music… thanks

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    2. Hey there! Fearless S8F is highly resolving in the upper mids and treble, with both being slightly forwardly presented relative to the other frequency bands. A cable’s affect on the sound signature depends on a lot of parameters and I can’t generalize a cable pairing suggestion by just knowing that it is copper. With that said, in my experience, S8F paired well with Electro Acousti’s 7N Single Crystal Copper cable and 7N UP-OCC cable, Effect Audio’s Ares II and Ego Audio’s Whiskey. If you have a specific cable you’re looking at, let me know. Maybe I’ve tried that too. 🙂 As Alex said, I don’t have the R5 but owning the R6 Pro and knowing that Hiby generally goes for a natural neutral-ish tone, I doubt you’ll go wrong with R5 as a DAP pairing with S8F. But still check with people who have the exact same setup you’re wanting to get. Recently, I’ve been using S8F more with DX160.

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      1. thanks for your comments, that’s helpful. So to achieve the goal of clarity, depth, weight with a touch of warmth which combo would you recommend with the S8 – DX160 or R5? I was looking at Plussound, Satin Audio, PW audio but not specific cables. I’ll check out your recommendations. The other IEMs I was looking at were the Oriveti OH500 & Acoustune HS1551CU, and just trying to improve the overall sound through cable rolling. I’m thinking to see some money with the R5 then buying a better IEM or the DX160 and probably the OH500 or the HS1551CU. Any thoughts? Struggling to make a decision when I’m unable to try any of them!! Thanks again for your feedback & advice

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  4. I’m sorry I can’t help you there as I haven’t tried most of the products you’ve mentioned myself. I can tell you this that S8F and DX160 are both excellent VFM products, probably my favourite under $500 and I can easily recommend them.

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    1. Thanks again for your help. I’m just trying to find the Electro Acousti’s 7N Single Crystal Copper and 7N UP-OCC cables you were referring to. I’m assuming you are talking about the shop on Alibaba.com? Any chance you could post links of the cables you’re talking about please? Thanks

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  5. Hi again, sorry to keep asking questions. I ordered a set of S8 Pros from Penon Audio. However I’ve had a few people suggest these are too sensitive at 15 ohms to use with the ibasso DX160. Is this correct? If so would the R5, Shanling M6, or something else be better? I’m also going to order the Eagle sign: CS Series UP-OCC COPPER litz to help round up the top end & fatten out the bottom end a bit… so just wondering if the Cayin Niis would work or would this be to bright if I’m looking for an overall sound that’s larity, depth, weight with a touch of warmth? Sorry struggling to see my way through all the reviews etc so any advice you can give would be appreciated… thanks.

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    1. I don’t have the Fearless S8 Pro nor have I had the chance to listen to it ever, so can’t say how well they’ll pair with the mentioned DAPs. Sorry, can’t help you here.

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  6. Hi! great review there. I want to know if you like your S8F with DX160 better than R6pro, what do you say? because I have DX160 too

    but now I can’t decide what to buy, S8F or Fiio FH7. I’d be grateful if you could compare those 2

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    1. Hey! Thanks! Well I can enjoy S8F with both DX160 and R6 Pro, no hard preference here. So if you’re planning on getting the S8F, DX160 should do just fine.

      As for S8F vs FH7, they are starkly different. S8F has more impactful and resolving bass, good upper mids definition and resolving treble supporting those upper mids. I like FH7 only with the bass filter and even with that it doesn’t have a lot of bass impact or rumble. It relies on lower treble driving the signature and not the upper mids definition. I feel upper mids are slightly lacking in definition. Also, S8F fits me very well owing to its finely designed semi-custom shells. I’d personally choose S8F over FH7.

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      1. Thanks for the reply!
        I was leaning towards FH7 before, as it is the cheaper option and easier to find here in my country. But I think I have to reconsider my options.

        I thought its only a matter of taste between the two, but it looks like S8F is more of an upgrade to FH7 from what you describe. I feel like I have to try them out myself, but I don’t think leaving my house at a time like this is a good option. Guess I’ll have to wait and try them before making any decision.

        Thanks again for the input. Cheers!

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  7. Pingback: Fearless Audio Roland – Twister6 Reviews

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