Faaeal is a long player in the portable audiophile industry where they are famed for producing mostly open earbuds that are both high quality and budget friendly. What is rarely seen is their IEM series and since the release of the Hibiscus way back in 2018, 2025 have seen a new emergence from them into the IEM category with the all new Faaeal Tulip and they are a more premium product from them but still in a very reachable price for users. I have reached out to Faaeal and they have gladly sent us a pair of the all new Tulip for us to review and we couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity. How will they fare in this ever growing IEM industry? We shall find out here.
Functions & Specifications
Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the new Faaeal Tulip;
- Driver Type : 10mm PET Gold Ring Large Dome Dynamic Driver
- Jack Typе: 3.5/4.4mm
- Rated Power: 3mW
- Speaker Impedance: 14±15%Ω
- Sensitivity: 110±3dB
- Frequency Range: 20-20KHz
- Cable Length: 1.2m+3cm
- Cable Core: 4 core OCC+OFC silver plated (Standard Version), 4 Core 56 Strands OFC (Hibiscus Pro)
The Faaeal Tulip can be purchased at their official store at AliExpress as well as many other platforms worldwide.
AliExpress：https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805040935057.html
Shopee:
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging here is simple, straight to the point and it reduces waste as it comes in a rather small box that looks pretty normal with the tulips petal design. Inside we will be greeted with a product brochure and a beautiful medium sized, multi functional leather zippered box that honestly might be the most useful storage I have ever encountered. Inside we will be greeted with the cable alongside the IEM head and flipping the top compartment we will find 6 pairs of eartips in a holder and a small pocket behind. It is a useful case as it can carry all the things you need, including a small dongle neatly and they are made in a very high quality manner.
Design
The design here is inspired by the tulip petals and their design is rather unconventional but they fit well due to their small size and good ergonomics though some eartips rolling is recommended to get a good seal and some time to get used to their somewhat pressureless fit. They are an open back design with a rather large back vent that increases air producing a more natural sound and honestly they are beautiful to say the least with a unique style that showcases their enthusiasm and innovative minds. They are made from full CNC aluminum alloy, finished with an anodized coating that looks premium and classy.
The front nozzle is slightly long with a 6mm diameter and they are fitted with metal mesh to prevent dust and moisture entering. Near the nozzle are the pressure relief vents and no driver flex is present due to their rather big vents but isolation here is average.
The connectors are the standard flush 2 pin 0.78mm and they have a good tight fit.
The driver used here is a single 10mm PET dynamic driver with dual chamber that has a gold ring on the edges of a larger than usual dome.
There are a total of 7 pairs of eartips where 4 pairs are orange coloured and 3 are black. All the eartips seem the same to me and they are high quality eartips. Cable has 2 variants to choose from where 1 type is copper based, that is the Hibiscus Pro and another is a standard silver-plated copper where users can choose from 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced. The cable looks well made with beautiful curves present on the jacks and they are soft to the touch. The cable can be bought separately and soundwise they are pretty decent for their price with a clear sound that has a warmish character to them especially with the copper ones.
Gears Used for Comparisons
FiiO Q7
Questyle M15
Hiby FC6
Hidizs S9 Pro
Hidizs S8 Pro
TangZu YuXuan Ji
Truthear Hexa
Tigerism Dark Magician Revised
Intime Sho DD
Intime Miyabi
TangZu WanEr 2
RoseSelsa Star City 5 Pro
Songs list
Tone and Presentation
The tone of the Tulip is a quite balanced one with a very minor bright hint towards the upper mids. They possess a good warm sound that is smooth without any major peaks across the whole spectrum. Overall details are decent and clarity is great with a wide dynamic range. The Tulip possesses a mild U shaped to an almost balanced sound signature that has good neutrality and they are an accurate sounding set. They are a tad safe or polite in their sound but the smoothness does give a fatigue free listening suitable for a wide range of genres.
Soundstage
The soundstage here is pretty decent with their great width and depth but rather average in height as they are up against many competitors in this age. They do possess a good amount of air partly due to the large back vent with a hollow design. The Tulip does give a good headroom that doesn’t give out boxy vibes.
Separation and Timbre
Separation is great here as they are a well tuned single dynamic driver and they sounded well balanced across all frequencies without any major emphasis and they sounded full. Their left to right separation is also a great stereo sound that has no crosstalk issues. They have a natural timbre that is breathy and smooth sounding along with an accurate dynamic sound signature that gives a lush and immersive sound presentation.
Drivability
Rated at only 14 ohms with a 110 db sensitivity, they are easily driven and a simple setup like a dongle is sufficient. Their scalability is average and a simple setup is sufficient as they don’t need any major driving power to sound their best. They are forgiving with the type of files played as they aren’t as revealing in flaws but they do perform better with well mastered tracks with higher bitrates like DSD but only by a small margin. They are a great outdoor companion as they sounded great even with streaming.
The Bass (Low)
The bass on the Tulip is a flat type of bass that has a focus more towards the sub+bass region. There is almost no mid bass lift which gives a rather accurate and natural type of bass that doesn’t interfere with the other frequencies thus no bleed is present. This type of bass does sound a tad polite with bass oriented tracks such as EDM, hip-hop and jazz but in return we do get a cleaner midrange that makes vocals shine. They aren’t light on bass per say, instead they do have a correct amount that has a tight slam with great texture. Details here are average but clarity is great with no signs of muddiness nor bloat. Extension here is slightly fast but isn’t so steep that it makes the bass sound muted. Sub-bass here has a greater presence but isn’t too overpowering and it reaches quite deep with a decent amount of rumble.
The Mids
The midrange here is a neutral midrange that has a slight amount of recessiveness but they are still able to sound present without sounding too distant. Midrange here is thick and they have a rather spacious midrange with accurate placements suiting for live performances and acoustics. Details here are good on the micro side but aren’t the best when it comes to macro partly due to the slightly recessed presentation. Clarity here is great with a clean and clear sound with a hint of brightness when it goes to the upper midrange region. Resolution here is great with a vivid sound that has a mild coloration to make the midrange sweeter and lusher. Transparency here is average for their price as they are a little hazy on certain genres such as metal and rock but they are still accurate overall without any weird timbre.
The Highs
The high range here has a neutral presentation with a hint of brightness that has a fatigue free sound that is well suited for treble sensitive folks. There is some forwardness in the overall highs that prevent the Tulip from being lifeless and they possess a great natural sparkle but crispness is rather average. Details here are great with all high notes well displayed alongside clean and clear highs. The high range here does lack attack and energy that gives music some bite for a more aggressive sound that some users would want but they are inoffensively tuned to create a fatigue free listening. Treble here is balanced with a well extended sound that has ample clarity without any harsh intensity. Transparency here is average but they are resolving a high range that is well extended with a great amount of air.
Comparisons
VS TangZu YuXuan Ji
The TangZu YuXuan Ji is one of their latest offerings that employs a topology dynamic driver and they are another work of art as they are pleasing to the eyes like the Tulip. They are priced lower than the Tulip but the unboxing experience and the accessories on the Tulip are better in the sense of a more high quality, practical storage case and better cable. The overall sound of the YuXuan ji does sound brighter and have more energy on the higher end but the Tulip sounded smoother with more immersion.
The high range on the YuXuan Ji has a bigger presence with livelier sparkle and they are crisper while the Tulip has smoother, airer highs. Details are on par with each other but the YuXuan Ji has better clarity and has better transparency.
Midranges on the Tulip sounded thicker and more balanced overall while the Encounter sounded clearer with a nore brilliance in their upper midrange. Resolution on the Tulip is slightly better and has a better body.
Bass quantities on both are similar as they are leaning towards a flat sound but Tulip has more authority in their slam and sub-bass region. Details and clarity on the YuXuan Ji is better but the Tulip does sound more extended with better air.
Soundstage on both are great with adequate width and depth but the Tulip does sound more open and has better air presence overall.
My pick: Faaeal Tulip
VS Truthear Hexa
The Truthear Hexa is one of the most loved IEM from them and they are priced similarly with the Tulip but lack a proper unboxing experience like the Tulip. It is equipped with a single dynamic driver with 3 balanced armature and they indeed have a Harman sound signature that is accurate but it is playing on the safe side. Build on both are great but the design on Tulip does look better but the fit on the Hexa is better due to their conventional IEM fit.
High region on the Tulip has a slightly stronger, crisper and livelier feel versus the rather flat highs on the Hexa. Details and clarity are similar but Hexa sounded more resolving and smoother overall. The Hexa high does lack bite or energy versus the Tulip.
Midrange on the Hexa sounded more forward with a more resolving mids and transparency, the Hexa has better micro details but macro details and clarity is better on the Tulip. Both have clear and lush vocals but the Tulip sounds more open and has a better dynamic range.
Bass quantity on the Tulip is bigger and has a better slam but both have similar extensions. Sub-bass does go to the Tulip for their depth with a cleaner, stronger rumble. Details and clarity on both is on par with each other here but texture sounds slightly better on Hexa.
Soundstage of the Tulip does sound wider alongside similar heights. Airiness on Tulip is better for their open back design.
My pick: Faaeal Tulip
Synergy
For synergy, the Tulip actually matches easily with any source for their smooth overall sound that isn’t too polite. For treble lovers, matching with bright source from the likes of Sabre chipset will do the job and for a thicker overall sound, AKM chipset matches them well alongside Cirrus Logic and others. They are easily driven and aren’t too sensitive to pick up noise, so a low powered, efficient DAC/amp will do the job but there is a risk of it being overpowered when used on desktop powered gears due to the 11 ohms rating.
Good pairing
Hidizs S8PRO, Hiby FC6, FiiO BTR7, Qudelix T71, Moondrop MIAD01, EPZ TP35, Questyle M15
Not so good pairing
FiiO Q7, FiiO KA3, Dunu DTC100, Hidizs S9PRO
Who Is It For?
The Faaeal Tulip is an easy recommendation for those who seek a smooth, offensive sound signature but without being too polite and still very enjoyable. They have an open back so not really recommended for loud, noisy environments but good for an airy sound presentation. They aren’t a pair for monitoring as they do lack a clinical sterile sound but great for casual listeners. The open back makes it not really suitable for workouts as moisture might enter sooner or later. The Tulip is suited for vocal based genres, metal, rock, pop and acoustics but jot so much for EDM, jazz or hip-hop. For gaming and movies, they do the job rather well but aren’t great as they lack isolation and immersiveness.
Final words
The Tulip is a well thought product when it comes to their design, built and all the way to their nifty storage. A lot of enthusiasm has been put into this product and their sound signature here is a crowd pleaser in my opinion as they are inoffensive yet still having a fun factor to them alongside a well designed open back that is spacious and airy. They won’t please everyone as for some detail freaks, they do lack details and clarity but only in a small margin. Fitting on these IEM is a little tricky to get the best sound, but once getting it right, you will be rewarded indeed. Given their rather friendly asking price, they are overall a great, unique product to own and maybe a gift for your loved ones. Keep on blooming Faaeal.
I would rate this product 4 over 5 stars
Pros
- Great value
- Original, solid, beautiful build
- Premium packaging with useful, high quality case and nice cable
- Mature, inoffensive U shaped tuning
- Open, spacious sound
- Organic, breathy timbre
- Dynamic with good musicality
- Deep, textured, organic bass with tight slam
- Decent overall clarity and details
- Spacious, thick mids with a lush sound
- Smooth high range with great sparkle
- Good soundstage
- Balanced treble intensity
- Good resolution
Cons
- Doesn’t scale up with amplification (nitpick)
- Average micro details
- Tuning a little safe (nitpick)
- Upper mids brilliance a little low
- Not a revealing set
- Finicky fit (subjective)
- Overall clarity isn’t the best in this price range
- Not for treble heads, bassheads and monitoring
- Isolation isn’t a strong suit