Introduction

FATFrequency, better known simply as FATFreq, is a Singapore-based IEM brand founded in 2016 by individuals who are younger than most people reading this review. FATFreq began as an IEM repair outfit before getting into modifications of existing IEMs and, eventually, developing the know-how to make their own products. FATFreq started supporting the needs of local musicians and continue to put out professional IEMs to this day under its Musician (bass), Reference (flat), and Signature (balanced) series. All of these IEMs are available in universal or custom-fit versions with the latter having some of the best faceplates on the market including collaborations with local artists that make for tiny pieces of art more than just tools for work. However, I think it would be fair to say the brand has become popular worldwide for its Maestro series that takes the popular V-shaped tuning and kicks it up quite a few notches. The Maestro Mini in particular was such a hit in offering a high quality bassy sound at a reasonable price that FATFreq decided they could do more, thus the Scarlet Mini was born.


"Experience raw, unadulterated power with the World's First 30 dB sub-bass shelf, expertly controlled under 200 Hz. FATFreq's proprietary tubeless hyper tweeter system provides stratospheric ultra-high extension and brilliance to 40 kHz." Such is the marketing for the Scarlet Mini. You know it's serious bass when one of the patent-pending technologies that have gone into the making of the Scarlet Mini is simply titled Bass Cannon™. This is a set unabashedly meant for bass lovers and yet there is more going on which makes this more than a one-trick pony. FATFreq had only recently started taking orders for the Scarlet Mini, yet there is already a waiting period on the order of multiple months now. This is clearly an extremely popular set, so let's thank FATFreq for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp as we aim to find out what makes the Scarlet Mini so desired in this review which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

FATFreq is quite practical with its packaging to the point where you will likely get a large padded envelope with the product box inside. Incidentally, this product box also happens to be the storage/carry case for the Scarlet Mini! It's a relatively large Pelican-style hard case that is colored scarlet red to match the IEMs. There is a sticker label on the top where you can put your name for easier identification, if you wanted to, and we see a pressure relief vent built in the front where there is an oversized latch to help open and close the case. The plastic construction feels durable enough and either side has an extension, of which one has an included carabiner to help you attach the case to a backpack in case you wanted closer access to the IEMs.


Opening the box, we see an O-ring seal adding dust and spill protection to make this one of the better product boxes on the market. It's also filled with foam for added protection, including a thick sheet with machined cutouts to snugly hold the IEMs and the cable in addition to the various accessories in their own compartments. There's a welcome sticker on top, and we see the cable is wrapped around a circular desiccant disk. We get a cleaning brush and, since I had the upgrade cable included with this review sample, the other two modular plugs for the cable aside from the one that came pre-installed. There's also a set of ear tips pre-installed on the IEMs which have the cable in place too, so you can get going right away. For the purpose of this review, I took out those ear tips so you can see the entire collection of, well, just three sets of silicone tips in sizes S/M/L that come with the Scarlet Mini—I would have liked to see more stock ear tips. FATFreq did send a gift set of Tri Clarion ear tips with the Scarlet Mini, but I don't believe these come included with all orders, so I can't include it in the review. These are wider bore ear tips compared to the stock ones and I do recommend you try out some wide bore options too, if you're interested in this IEM set.


The last thing to do here is to detach the cable from the IEMs for a closer examination. FATFreq is using the popular 0.78 mm 2-pin terminations on the IEM side, so all you need to do is carefully pull the connector out of each side. Don't wiggle horizontally much lest you bend the thin plugs, and now we are ready to check out the cable and IEMs separately on the next page.