The Fender MXA2 Bundle is an in-ear monitor by Fender and amplifier by PreSonous designed to give you everything you need to monitor your live on-stage performance. Whether a musician or vocalist a good IEM package can help you get an accurate live mix while cutting down on the feedback from those annoying monitor wedges. Priced at just under $300 the MXA2 is also a step up from the MXA1 (under $200) and musicians may be curious if the MXA2 is worth the extra hundred bucks. I’ve got one right here and I intend to find out.

In The Box

FXA2 Fender FXA2 in-ear monitors MMCX to 1/8″ cable Carrying case Cleaning tool 3-sets of eartips

HP2 Presonus HP2 amplifier Power supply Full set of A/C plug adapters (for your world tour) Balanced stereo 1/4″ to 5-pin balanced cable Microphone stand mounting adapter

Features

Fender FXA2

The Fender FXA2 in-ear monitors have an improved housing design over the DXA1. The shape of the earphones fit very well in my ears and the eartips got a great seal. Inside are 9.2mm precision rare-earth drivers with a Groove-tuned™ port. This port allows some of the building pressure to release for a more balanced sound response. The frequency range on the FXA2 earphones is 6Hz to 23kHz… plenty to relay the full mix. The MMCX style cables allow for future replacement if you ever get a frayed or worn wire.

PreSonus HP2

The PreSonus HP2 is the same amplifier that comes with the MXA1 bundle. On the top is the volume and pan knob along with a mono/stereo switch and 1/8″ headphone jack. The cool thing about the pan knob is that it can be used for more than just hearing the left or right side of your mix. You can actually have the sound engineer send you two different versions of the mix (one in the left and one in the right). Then pan for the mix you want to hear whenever you need it. Pressing the mono button will sum them up so you can hear them both at the same time.

On the bottom side of the HP2 is the power button, 9v A/C plug and a 5-pin balanced input. This 5-pin plug is designed exclusively for the balanced 1/4″ cable (included) that will be bringing signal from the mixing board.

Finally, on the back of the HP2 is a belt clip to keep the volume and pan controls handy. And underneath the clip is the 9v battery chamber so you can be free of the short A/C cable. Two LED indicators on the top side will let you know when the power is on… or the battery is low.

How Does It Sound?

For the sound test I used the same method of testing the MXA2 as with the MXA1… Hi-Res files direct from the monitor output on my Pro-Tools setup.

The Fender FXA2 in-ear monitor is an improved design over the DXA1. The 9.2mm rare-earth drivers work in unison with the Groove-tuned™ port to create a more balanced sound. The bass is still great but the port helps release some of the built up bass that can cause the mix to get a bit muddy. Combine that with an amazing in-ear fit and a frequency range of 6Hz to 23kHz and you’ve got a nice IEM for the price. The mids on the FXA2 are quite a bit more noticeable over the DXA1 and the highs seem a bit better too. And the HP2 gets you ample SPL for those high volume live gigs.

Final Analysis

In conclusion, the Fender MXA2 Bundle is a great package for the price. Although similar to the MXA1 you get the much improved sound and design of the Fender FXA2 in-ear monitors giving you a more balanced and accurate sound. It’s definitely worth the extra dough for better sound of your monitor mix. Although I still wish these were both balanced armatures rather than dynamic I think this Fender / PreSonus bundle is still a great value for the price (just under $300). And read my Review of the Fender MXA1 Bundle to find out about a nice entry level IEM for even less.

You can get the Fender MXA2 in-ear monitor and amp bundle for the best price from these online retailers:

You need to make sure you have a good understanding of how to EQ your mix. In a live setting out these can sound very muddy! But the isolation feel is great no bleed through if your using the proper size ear foam. As always zzounds is the shhhhh... with providing fast shipping, great customer service. You guys rock!

The FXA2 are the second cheapest pair of in-ear headphones in iconic guitar maker Fender’s current audio range, sitting above the £78 Fender CXA1, but well below the £1100 flagship FXA9 Pro.

Functionally the FXA2 are fantastic value for money, offering a luxurious design and one of the securest and most comfortable fits at this price point. They also look outright gorgeous. Were it not for the slightly bright sound, these would be the top dog at this price point.

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Fender FXA2 – Design and fit

The FXA2 earpieces look wonderfully understated, with an ergonomic shape that you’d expect from more costly IEMs. Beyond the Fender logo on their sides, the only obvious design feature is a small grille marking the location of the “groove-tuned bass port”.

Fender claims the port improves the headphones bass response by increasing the amount of air reaching the FXA2’s “custom 9.25mm precision rare-earth drivers”. It gives the drivers room to breathe, basically.

The black FXA2 I reviewed come with a detachable, braided MMCXi cable that neatly plugs into the two earpieces.

This combination of subtle features make the FXA2’s one of the prettiest sets I’ve tested at this price point.

The FXA2 also tick most of the right boxes when it comes to fit. Fender markets the headphones as having a custom 3D-printed chassis, which will offer an “ideal fit” for 95% of users when paired with the correct-sized set of buds. From my time with these earphones there’s definitely some truth to this claim.

The lack of Comply foam tip option is a minor annoyance, but I found the four silicone sets were more than good enough. After finding the correct size I was able to get a comfortable, secure fit, with decent sound isolation despite me having outright cavernous ear canals.

The secure fit is aided by the stiffened ends to the cables, which make it easy to hook the headphones round your ears.

My only minor quibble with the Fender FXA2 design is that the cable doesn’t feature an inline remote, which is a minor annoyance if you want to change tracks on the fly without pulling your phone or media player out of your pocket.

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Fender FXA2 – Sound quality

Sound quality on the FXA2s is good. The 9.2mm drivers and bass port help to offer decent volume levels, wonderful dynamism and solid detail definition.

Listening to post-rock guitar the crescendo sounded powerful and swelled with every volume increase. It was also easy to pick out individual parts and instruments, despite the music’s complex, textured composition. Through it all the sound remained wonderfully distortion-free, even when the song hit eardrum-breaking levels.

The FXA2 also offer a decent stereo image, compared to other headphones in this price point, such as the slightly older Shure SE315, which remain fairly impressive. Listening to jazz it was possible to isolate the location of each instrument.

Sound isolation is also excellent, though I’m not convinced the FXA2 can actually block 22db of ambient noise as Fender claims.

Sadly all these charms are slightly let down by issues with the tonal balance. The FXA2 offer a fairly bright sound that overly pushes the high end. High-pitched trumpets in jazz and wailing rock guitars dominate the sound and at times can even take on a slightly acidic quality.

Being fair to Fender, these moments are rare, but the overly emphasised highs are a minor annoyance that hamper what is otherwise excellent audio quality at this price point.

The low end feels nicely balanced and matches the quality of Shure’s set. Blues double bass lines and rock parts have a decent enough rumble and don’t sound muted. Mids are also reasonably well defined and manage to avoid sibilance for the most part. But both their charms are at points overshadowed by that over-amped high end.

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Should I buy the Fender FXA2?

The Fender FXA2 are some of the most comfortable and swish-looking in-ear headphones you’ll find at this price point, and are a great choice for music fans looking for a mid-range set. The only slight downside is that, despite offering generally solid sound quality, their high end can at times be a little too forceful.

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What is the frequency response of the Fender FXA2?

The frequency range on the FXA2 earphones is 6Hz to 23kHz…

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