In-Ear MonitorOverreview

NiceHCK F1 Pro

The planar that sanded off the 8 kHz sting — and got argued about anyway.

17 sourcesUpdated
$99Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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NiceHCK F1 Pro

The short version

What to know.

A $99 single-planar IEM built on a 14.2 mm driver, sold without the tuning nozzles its predecessor had. Sources converge on the shape — V- or U-shaped, sub-bass forward, lower mids set back, upper mids and lower treble lifted — and on the package: small all-metal shells, an unusually good stock cable, twelve pairs of tips, easy to drive, average isolation, and imaging and separation that punch above the price. They divide on almost every judgement that follows. Whether the bass has real physical impact or only depth, whether the midrange is rich or hollow, and whether the treble is the safest planar tuning at this price or a set treble-sensitive listeners should avoid, are all live disputes with serious reviewers on both sides. One thing nearly everyone reports independently: sibilance on female vocals, including reviewers whose overall treble verdict is positive.

About this product

The second-generation planar, not the original F1 — and the “Pro” does not mean more adjustable: it drops the F1's three swappable tuning nozzles for one fixed tuning. Sold with a choice of 3.5 mm or 4.4 mm stock cable; the braided Cyan cable people photograph it with is a paid extra.

NiceHCK spent a decade known for cables. When the sub-$150 planar war broke out in 2022, they joined it late and quietly: first the F1, then, at the end of 2023, this — a 14.2 mm planar in a small blue aluminium shell for $99. It arrived into a field already crowded by the 7Hz Timeless, the LetShuoer S12 and the Kefine Klanar, all promising the same thing: dynamic-driver bass with electrostatic speed, at a price that made the gamble cheap.

What makes the F1 Pro worth the argument is that reviewers agree almost completely on what it is — a V- or U-shaped planar with deep sub-bass, scooped lower mids and an energetic top — and then split cleanly on whether each of those things is a virtue. The measurements are unusually useful here, because two of the loudest disagreements turn out to be two honest descriptions of the same curve.

A good fit for

  • A first planar IEM — this is the mainstream, all-rounder entry point to the driver type.
  • Electronic, hip-hop and other sub-bass-led music, where the deep shelf and fast decay both pay off.
  • Gaming and dense mixes, where separation and placement matter more than note weight.
  • Small ears — it is one of the most compact planars of its generation, and reviewers with fit trouble elsewhere name it.
  • Anyone who wanted an S12 but bounced off its treble.
  • Phone and dongle listeners: it needs no amp, though it responds to a clean one.

Think twice if

  • Vocals and acoustic music are your priority — the scooped lower mids and planar timbre are the most-criticised things here.
  • You are sibilance-sensitive. It shows up on female vocals often enough that nearly every reviewer mentions it.
  • You want mid-bass thump and slam rather than sub-bass depth.
  • You want to tune the sound yourself out of the box — there are no nozzles, no dial and no app.
  • You need real isolation for commuting; a small vented shell can only do so much.
  • You already own an S12, Timeless or Klanar. Every reviewer who compared them calls this a lateral move with a different treble, not an upgrade.

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

3 / 12topics divide opinion
imagingbuildvaluetonalitysoundstagedetaildynamicscomfortisolationbassmidstreble
3 Strong agreement6 Mostly agree3 Divided opinions

Common ground10

  • The shape is settled: a coloured V or U, sub-bass forward, lower mids set back, upper mids and lower treble lifted.
  • Sibilance on female vocals is real and widely reported — even by reviewers who otherwise call the treble smooth.
  • It is measurably and audibly tamer up top than the LetShuoer S12 it gets compared to, which is most of its appeal.

Points of contention9

  • Bass: the highlight of the set, or depth without real physical impact? The sub-bass shelf is normal for a planar but the mid-bass is the lowest of its direct rivals.
  • Midrange: rich, natural and full-bodied, or thin, hollow and metallic — the split that decides whether you like it.
  • Treble: the safest planar tuning at this price, or bright enough that treble-sensitive listeners should stay away.

A closer listen.

12 topics · 3 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Bass

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment13 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Everyone describes the same low end — deep, fast, clean, sub-bass-led — and then splits on whether it actually hits. One camp calls it the highlight; the other says it trades slam for speed and leaves bass-driven music underfed. The measurements suggest both are right about different parts of the curve.

Measured

The bass shelf measures about +9.8 dB at 20 Hz and +8.3 dB at 50 Hz relative to 500 Hz — a normal planar shelf, within half a decibel of the LetShuoer S12 and the 7Hz Timeless on the same rig, and about 2 dB under the Kefine Klanar. But at 100 Hz it reads +5.5 dB, the lowest mid-bass of those four.

vs. listeners — That single number reconciles the argument. The sub-bass really is there — the trace holds within 1.5 dB from 50 Hz down to 20 Hz — so “goes very deep” is accurate. What is relatively missing is the 100–200 Hz region that carries kick-drum thump and note weight, which is where “physical impact” actually lives. Both camps are describing the same curve from different ends of it.

Where it splits
the highlight — genuine rumble with planar speed and texture56%

“Every beat has a crisp attack edge and pleasing physical impact above “neutral” without overpowering the rest of the frequencies.”

NKT, In-ear Gems
depth without weight — not enough physical impact for bass-driven music44%

“It’s not basshead’s material for sure, so beware of this”

based-1, Head-Fi
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
In-ear monitor
Drivers
1 × 14.2 mm planar magnetic (2 um diaphragm, N55 neodymium magnets, dual-sided magnetic circuit)
Housing
CNC-machined aluminum alloy shells, 5-axis machining

Physical

Released
2023-12

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from hifigo.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 17

1–6 of 17 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 6

  1. This is a read of where the reviews landed as of July 2026, for a set that came out at the end of 2023. The sub-$150 planar bracket turns over fast, and the F1 Pro is cross-shopped constantly against the LetShuoer S12 and S12 Pro, the 7Hz Timeless, the Kefine Klanar and the pricier Hidizs MP145.

  2. Owner star ratings come mostly from people who chose to buy the thing, so they skew positive — and the 4.2 average here rests on 16 ratings, which is a small sample. The written impressions are worth more than the number.

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