THL: Radon 6 came out of the blue and, to my ears, melds the best of all worlds from the Frontier Series into my personal favourite Frontier sound. Can you give us some insight into why you developed Radon, was it always a blueprint, or was it something you decided to create after you launched the other three Frontiers?
BB: Radon 6 was the answer to those who couldn’t decide between the Xenon 6 and Krypton 5, and when we wanted to release something special for our five year anniversary, we instantly knew what we wanted it to be! It [Radon 6] is an example where we listen to customer feedback and take the market’s reaction to our products into consideration. No, it wasn’t on the blueprint when the Frontier Series launched, but the naming we felt was perfect for the occasion. It sounded very potent.
THL: From both a technical and artisan perspective, what do you feel Kinetic Bass does differently, and how do you get the Kinetic and open BA bass drivers to work together for the final sound profile?
BB: Kinetic Bass is a hybrid conduction technology. We are using a traditional dynamic driver for air conduction (what your ear drums hear) and bone conduction (the sound that reaches your inner ear, to the cochlea through the bones in your head). This is very special because it enables us to tap into bone conduction in a very natural way.
We don’t use a dedicated bone conduction driver because we simply don’t need it. When it comes to getting the Kinetic Bass driver to work well with the BA OpenDrivers, it works similarly to any hybrid IEM because at the core we’re using a dynamic driver for Kinetic Bass.
THL: You create IEMs for artists, not just audiophiles. Were any (or all) of the Frontier Series created with artists in mind too? What does Radon offer artists that’s different from the other three?
BB: We included some live monitor mixing engineers to make sure the product worked well for them. Radon is unique that it’s not offered in a custom-fit* because between Xenon 6 and Krypton 5 our professional customers get everything they need.
Krypton 5 is a great model for more vocal clarity and a balanced reference sound signature, and Xenon 6 features a warmer reference sound signature. If there is demand, we may consider in the future to offer the Radon 6 as a custom IEM.
* FIR Audio has officially announced a limited run of 100 custom Radon 6 units, available to buy direct from its Asian and North American resellers. Quantities are currently limited to 20 per month.
THL: Final technical question: where to from here? Put on your future goggles and tell us where IEM tech is going in the next five years? What innovations are we likely to see? Will there be another Frontier? What would you like to see more of, less of, done differently? Go wild with some predictions!
BB: This is a very interesting question because the industry has gone through some very big changes in the past five years. There were brands that were very popular in some markets, and now not so much. The audiophile market will always crave something new and innovative, and we believe we will be at the forefront of IEM innovation during the next five years.
What does that look like? We can’t comment on that right now 🙂 The Pro Audio (professional) market relies more on customer service, product support, and reasonable prices. Our goal is to be the obvious choice when any customer is considering which brand to go with for in-ear monitors.
THL: So five years of FIR. What do the next five years hold for the company? Is it going to be more of the same – creating unique designs for audiophiles and artists – or are you going to try new stuff, reach new heights, branch out?
BB: The next five years for FIR Audio is going to be pretty exciting. In June we opened a new production lab in Nashville, Tennessee, where we will start producing two product lines: the Bellos Audio X- Series and a new Pro Audio-focused FIR Audio product line that is yet to be released. Being able to manufacture, service, and repair our products for our clients in the heart of Music City will give us a unique ability to more effectively serve our customers where they live, play, and rehearse.
On the audiophile side of the business, we are currently developing some ground-breaking designs with a whole new framework for how IEMs are manufactured. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but that’s just the FIR Audio way. Our “roots run crazy deep!”
I hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes interview. I’ll be writing a few more of these in due course, so stay tuned. In the meantime, please leave your comments below (or DM me), and let me know if you have any more questions you’d like to ask Bogdan and his team. Also, let me know if there are any other audio companies you’d like us to look into, and I’ll do my best to reach out.
