FiiO FD5 Review (IEM)

[noel_fs]

Neutron player has great EQ

it also has literally the worst UI, i can safely recommend UAPP, its a little pricey but worth it. you can use it in multiple devices with your google account

 

[noel_fs]

Well it is his occupation, the man needs an income to live, nothing wrong with that, I have watched some many other reviewers and I consider Crinacle a low offender, when compare to others who are a shame of human beings, besides he is an entertainer also, so funny. In my opinion I put Crinacle second to Amir in headphones reviewers

i could agree with that if he didnt manipulate his measurements

he is not second to amir, absolutely not

 

[odyo]

Wow this is surprisingly impressive especially after the U12T.

Blessing 2 killer ?

 

[faheem]

Thanks for the review, Amir. Impressive iem.

 

[Merkurio]

Wow this is surprisingly impressive especially after the U12T.

Blessing 2 killer ?

With PEQ, I think you're well served with a wide array of IEMs and you should look at other aspects (such as comfort, isolation, design, etc).

I currently have 3 IEMs that I EQ to the same IEF neutral with bass target (similar to Harman but with a bit less upper mid presence); ER4SR, AirPods Pro and Audeze iSINE LX.

All of them sound fantastic once EQ'd, but serve different purposes (ER4s when I need passive isolation and best sound quality, AirPods Pro for everyday comfortably use and iSINE LX for gaming through my Xbox Series X controller). What I feel I need is something more comfortable than the ER4 that I can use without deep insertion and with better "humph" at bass regions, a single DD for sure, then I'm done.

At this point, I think there's no need for TOTL IEMs if you have access to PEQ and a "good enough" base IEM, but everyone has their own opinion about it (some prefer not be tied to PEQ and that's ok).

 

[odyo]

With PEQ, I think you're well served with a wide array of IEMs and you should look at other aspects (such as comfort, isolation, design, etc).

I currently have 3 IEMs that I EQ to the same IEF neutral with bass target (similar to Harman but with a bit less upper mid presence); ER4SR, AirPods Pro and Audeze iSINE LX.

All of them sound fantastic once EQ'd, but serves different purposes (ER4s when I need passive isolation and best sound quality, AirPods Pro for everyday comfortably use and iSINE LX for gaming through my Xbox Series X controller). What I feel I need is something more comfortable than the ER4 that I can use without deep insertion and with better "humph" at bass regions, a single DD for sure, then I'm done.

At this point, I think there's no need for TOTL IEMs if you have access to PEQ and a "good enough" base IEM, but everyone has their own opinion about it (some prefer not be tied to PEQ and that's ok).

Yeah TOTL iems seems stretch to me. I can kinda get it when it comes to headphones. They are more complex designs and harder to pull off.

 

[Merkurio]

Yeah TOTL iems seems stretch to me. I can kinda get it when it comes to headphones. They are more complex designs and harder to pull off.

And even lower costing headphones (like the HE400se and HD560S) can get dangerously close to higher-end offerings from a pure sound quality perspective once EQ'd, but yeah, with IEMs you commonly have a better start point in terms of frequency response and distortion, as it shows with this FD5.

Having had (and tried) a lot of high end over-ears and IEMs over the past I can definitely say that with the right tonal corrections, spending more is only justified if you are really looking for other aspects (such as comfort, design, quality of materials or spatial qualities that only models like the HD800 or egg-shaped Hifimans can provide).

 

[Madlop26]

i could agree with that if he didnt manipulate his measurements

he is not second to amir, absolutely not

Well it is just my personal opinion, who is then the second in your opinion

 

[Aperiodic]

And it achieved that without using BA or multiple drivers.

Guess there goes that myth.

I bought a pair of Etymotic ER2SR ($79)(dynamic) so I wouldn't have to risk losing my ER4XR's (~$300) (BA) while commuting. I was surprised to find myself reaching for the 2XR more and more, Sold the 4XR's and replaced them with Periodic Audio Be (2nd gen). All due respect to Ety & other BA makers and fans, I will never buy another BA. And I used Ety BAs for years. The ER2s still see commuting duty because I can shrug off a $79 loss more easily than a $400 one, but the Periodics are clearly superior.

The whole multi-driver BA design approach is a tacit admission that BAs struggle to deliver bass power (and, judging from my experience, dynamics as well.) It is a rabbit hole. Buy dynamics, end of story.

A note on comfort: It is extremely hit-and-miss. I believe I tried every tip on the market before settling on a third-party set. Experimenting pays off.

 

[raif71]

Hopefully @amirm can review the Fiio EM5

 

[Zensō]

Now that’s more like it!

 

[GWolfman]

Wide ones.

Do you think this caused some of the boominess?

 

[Guerilla]

So BA is not a type of driver, but a marketing word invented to falsely convince buyers that Knowles has designed something new. They are just multiway headphones. Nothing new, so please dont polute forums with gibberish terms.
Cheers!

 

[Guerilla]

Hopefully @amirm can review the Fiio EM5

Those looks like last century earplugs. "High purity contacts", "Medical grade resin". That til guy is a phony salesperson with NO integrity.
Cheers!

 

[AudioSceptic]

It's light and stiff.

As used in the legendary Yamaha NS1000(M) speakers! <https://www.hifinews.com/content/yamaha-ns-1000m-loudspeakers>

 

[Veri]

The manufacturer describes the design as "semi-open" and indeed holes are visible; does it leak sound in and out like open-back headphones ?

Good question.

 

[Jimbob54]

So BA is not a type of driver, but a marketing word invented to falsely convince buyers that Knowles has designed something new. They are just multiway headphones. Nothing new, so please dont polute forums with gibberish terms.
Cheers!

As distinct from dynamic drivers. What's with the attitude?

 

[Azathoth]

If anyone has discomfort using this IEM, I used these and now I can wear them for a day without no issues. Just FYI.

 

[brandall10]

So BA is not a type of driver, but a marketing word invented to falsely convince buyers that Knowles has designed something new. They are just multiway headphones. Nothing new, so please dont polute forums with gibberish terms.
Cheers!

The BA was invented by Knowles back in the 1950s for the hearing air market. It absolutely is a different kind of driver, its mechanical nature allowed miniaturization that was disruptive in its original application.

It wasn't until the 80s that BAs - still singles - were used in an IEM context, and it wasn't until '95 that Jerry Harvey (a sound engineer at the time for rock bands) used 2 drivers in one shell for bottom support. 3 drivers weren't used until the UE10 10 years after that... since then things have gone a bit nuts with up to 18 drivers IIRC.

The industry regards them as 'faster'/more accurate/detailed than dynamic drivers (I'm not asserting that, that's how they've traditionally been regarded) with the main drawback being the relative lack of sound power, hence why multiples are seen as needed, or in the case of hybrids that a DD tends to handle low-end duty. Etymotic being a pioneer in this space and seemingly taking an early scientific approach to this certainly pushed this notion, with the driver matching and tuning to IEF neutral. When I got into this stuff in 2003 the ER4 was seen as the most detailed listening device money could buy.

Clearly if they're producing more distortion than dynamics that idea falls on its face. I dunno if this is true in isolation or perhaps the application used by 64 Ears was pushing the drivers too hard or some other mechanical issue caused by the design of the shells/x-overs.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Rather beefy jack connector. I saw the same for the 64 Audio earlier. Is that usual for IEMs? I always assumed that IEMs are designated more for mobile applications, where, I thought, smaller connector would be more convenient.

It's a "perceived value" thing. Cheap-medium earbuds/phones come with basic, compact plugs and plain wires. More expensive ones come with "nicer" cables and metal plugs because they're expected for the extra money. There won't be an audible difference, though, unless the cheaper one is really poorly made.