INTRODUCTION The mid-range IEM market ($250-500) has been somewhat dominated by hybrid designs recently, where in the past it was mainly the home of the more established multi-BA based earphones. FiiO has steadily progressed their own line of hybrid and all-BA IEMs (FH1, F9, F9 Pro, FH5) over the last 2 years, and the natural progression for the next iteration (after the release of the FH5 quad hybrid), was always going to be a quad BA. So far (IMO of course), FiiO’s hybrids have followed a set pattern, tending to be warmer and smoother aided by the dynamic driver for […]
FiiO
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While it’s a bit late, a few people asked me what I thought were the best products of 2018. That’s a difficult choice, as I didn’t get to experience as many as I had wished, and some are still due to be reviewed. As well, I didn’t get to explore Bluetooth headphones as I had hoped, so they will be missing in this comparison. I went over everything where I’d posted a review in the last year, added items that are here for review, grouped them and selected the best of each. Here is the list. Best closed-back headphones $500-1000 […]
FiiO is soon to announce their latest pair of IEMs and we have the exclusive. The FA7 features a quad of high-quality Knowles drivers per side, embedded in a 3D printed shell made from high-transparency, medical grade German resin. A variety of shells will be available, each with a nature-based design. Much like the FH5 IEMs (recently reviewed by both myself and Brooko) the FA7 is high-quality throughout, including a silver-plated monocrystalline copper cable, and a carrying hard case and pouch. As well as the standard “balanced” models, ear tips for “vocals” and “bass” are included alongside foam and bi-flange […]
INTRODUCTION Many of us (who are looking at using more than just our smart-phone for audio) will be looking for solutions for particular circumstances. Personally, I have a desktop set-up mainly centered around an iFi stack (iUSD, iTube, iDSD) – which powers my headphones (HD800S, HD600 + others) as well as my active speakers (LSR 305’s). Portably I switch between a few dedicated DAPs, of my iPhone + Bluetooth DAC/amps. At work I take my portable solutions. But what about those who are looking for a budget solution (desk-top or lap-top), or cheaper and more space-efficient work solution? How about […]
FiiO has packed the inexpensive M9 with features, including 2-way Bluetooth. I put it through its paces, including taking it with me on a trip to Tokyo.
INTRODUCTION I’m now a big fan of Bluetooth. Recently offerings such as the FiiO Q5 and iFi iDSD have shown us how good Bluetooth quality can be. More companies are experimenting using Bluetooth for transmission, and then sending the signal to a higher quality DAC for final decoding, thereby not losing fidelity to a lesser quality all in one Bluetooth (including DAC on chip) solution. And the overall quality of smaller SoC solutions has also been improving – making ultra-portable Bluetooth solutions very viable. There is a real freedom in not being tethered. It won’t be for everyone, or for […]
Video Review of the FiiO FH5 Introduction FiiO was interested in having me check out their new flagship IEMs, the FH5. Brooko has also reviewed these, and you can read his take on them here as well. I was definitely curious, as while FiiO has worked hard to make a range of DAPs and portable DAC/amps, entering into the IEM space is a whole other ball game. I was somewhat bemused by the idea that they are a “flagship” as they were retailing for only around $300. Current Amazon prices put them at $259. The last IEMs I had been […]
FiiO's Q5 is their flagship portable DAC amp. Yet it's only $350. I decided to see how it stacked up against its more expensive competitors.
INTRODUCTION FiiO have been very busy in the portable audio world of late, and it seems like only a short time ago they debuted their F9 series, and then followed up with a more consumer tuned (warm and smooth) FH1. With each release FiiO have progressively learned from previous versions, and they have got a lot of things right quite early – which other manufacturers still struggle with (like fit and comfort). So when they announced the new 4 driver hybrid FH5 and at a very competitive $250-300 price point, it was natural for many people (including myself) to take […]
INTRODUCTION FiiO has over time evolved with an interesting line-up in Digital AudioPlayers (DAPs). They started with the original X3 (affordable), then over time developed the X1 series (budget/entry point), X5 (high-end) and X7 (flagship). Most are on their 2nd or 3rd generations now. Along the way, we were introduced to the tiny ultra-budget M3 in late 2015, and very recently they have introduced the M7. Is this the flagship of the M series line, and just how does it fit into FiiO’s overall line-up? ABOUT FIIO FiiO was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low […]
INTRODUCTION Blue-tooth has changed a lot since it’s been introduced. Originally audiophile purists would turn their noses up at the overall quality (with good reason), and the early Blue-tooth standards and codecs were pretty much hit and miss. But over the last 2 or 3 years, progress has been rapid, and sound quality has gone from mediocre to impressive in a very short time period. We are now at Blue-tooth standard 5.0, and instead of the older SBC codec, we are seeing AAC, AptX and LDAC. Users of Blue-tooth can now expect Blue-tooth with a genuine lossless capability and with […]
FiiO’s new X7II has arrived as part of the World Tour. I’ve been looking forward to this one as I want to see how much it has improved over the original. Going by the specifications, it seems like they have updated the hardware in just about every way, with more memory, APTx Bluetooth, double microSD card slots and a better control layout.