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FiiO FD5 Review (IEM)

Rate this IEM:

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 14 6.8%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 53 25.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 138 67.0%

  • Total voters
    206

Chyżwar

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Will using silicone tips alleviate the impression of muddy bass?

Not really. Even with the black sound tubes and vocals ear tips the bass is still muddy. Using the EQ does the job.

Without EQ these headphones are 10% better, 10 times more expensive exclusive version of the KZ ZST ;)
 

Chuckv

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Small update from me 2 or so weeks in. With EQ (of course) these might be some of the most "natural" sounding IEM I have , whatever that means. Dare I say "airy"? (no, no I dont)

They might not be my favourite though because they only get a B- grade for comfort. For me only the Etymotic deep insertion or the Blessing style smooth "in your whole ear" shell types are good for long term listening. But a bit of a tip, the Fiio are infinitely more secure with the split behind you neck than under your chin- far less of the nervous pressing on the shells to ensure you still have a good se
FD5 comes with deep insertion tips. At least mine do. What do you think of those? I went through all the tips trying to avoid the maintenance and perceived risks of deep insertion but I may have to since all 8 tips fall out. Great sound.
 

Jimbob54

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FD5 comes with deep insertion tips. At least mine do. What do you think of those? I went through all the tips trying to avoid the maintenance and perceived risks of deep insertion but I may have to since all 8 tips fall out. Great sound.
Not sure i saw/ looked - I will go back to the box! I prefer the standard shape single flange conical type for most IEM but etymotic. Thanks for the tip.
 

Jimbob54

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FD5 comes with deep insertion tips. At least mine do. What do you think of those? I went through all the tips trying to avoid the maintenance and perceived risks of deep insertion but I may have to since all 8 tips fall out. Great sound.
OK, it means swapping the nozzles (think that's why I ignored at first) but the large triple flange tips work great. Bring more bass back so I need to adjust the eq a bit but from a fit perspective, great.

They are similar in size and shape to etymotic large triple flange but sadly not interchangeable as the fiio need long stem and the ety short.
 

Jimbob54

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FD5 comes with deep insertion tips. At least mine do. What do you think of those? I went through all the tips trying to avoid the maintenance and perceived risks of deep insertion but I may have to since all 8 tips fall out. Great sound.
Just to add to this- whilst the 3 flange tips in the box need you to swap to the narrow nozzle, I had some cheapo black rubber 3 flange (medium) tips in my stash (with the stem that goes all the way down to the skirt of the biggest flange) and they fit on the standard stock wider nozzle. Again, changes the sound but makes future tip rolling easier as the nozzles are fiddly and prone to get lost.
 

Chuckv

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Just to add to this- whilst the 3 flange tips in the box need you to swap to the narrow nozzle, I had some cheapo black rubber 3 flange (medium) tips in my stash (with the stem that goes all the way down to the skirt of the biggest flange) and they fit on the standard stock wider nozzle. Again, changes the sound but makes future tip rolling easier as the nozzles are fiddly and prone to get lost.
Where can one purchase such large flange black rubber 3 flange cheapo’s for ones stash kind sir?
 

Jimbob54

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Where can one purchase such large flange black rubber 3 flange cheapo’s for ones stash kind sir?
Well, I bought some more from amazon (my previous order from years ago is now unable to reorder) but they are way too small. Ordered some off aliexpress but would hang fire until I've seen them after they arrive on the slow boat from China.

See how you get on with the included nozzles and tips, size wise they are the same in the ear, but a narrower stem.
 

Jimbob54

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and with the included 3 flange deep ear inserts you can scratch sub bass weakness of the list. It goes just as deep and sounds better than my Focal Clears. Shocked.
Too much to my ears. But yes, definite increase in da bass
 

Blorg

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I usually find short wide bore eartips pair best with IEMs that are bassy. This is definitely bassy, too bassy in the midbass- Amir's EQ helps a lot with that, after EQ it sounds much less boomy but still has great bass impact. I am currently using Whizzer SS20 Sound Field with it, which work great for me both for fit and the sound signature. These are much wider bore, and much shorter, than any of the stock tips.

DSC03628.JPG
 

Garrincha

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Small update from me 2 or so weeks in. With EQ (of course) these might be some of the most "natural" sounding IEM I have , whatever that means. Dare I say "airy"? (no, no I dont)

They might not be my favourite though because they only get a B- grade for comfort. For me only the Etymotic deep insertion or the Blessing style smooth "in your whole ear" shell types are good for long term listening. But a bit of a tip, the Fiio are infinitely more secure with the split behind you neck than under your chin- far less of the nervous pressing on the shells to ensure you still have a good seal.
I bought the FD5 recently as well and I am very positively surprised. Built quality, extras and foremost sound are excellent. For me comfort as well ( I use the smaller nozzle with the smallest tips, the Moondrop Blessing 2 did hurt my ear channel, so I sold it, too big for me). I use EQ and really wonder if there is any substantial upgrade in sound around with a much more expensive IEM? Would be willing to invest, but only if it really sounded better (resolution, soundstage, transients, the like, since FR and lack of distortion seem already at best).
Edit. I think it is really amazing what you can get nowadays for your money, about $250 at aliexpress for the FD5 (the appr. $200 7Hz timeless is also extremely good, living up to the hype), about $120 for the Hidizs S9 Pro dongle and, assuming you already have a cell phone and a Macbook with SoundSource EQ, $10 a month for Qobuz and you are already close to audiophile heaven.
 
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half_dog

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I bought the FD5 recently as well and I am very positively surprised. Built quality, extras and foremost sound are excellent. For me comfort as well ( I use the smaller nozzle with the smallest tips, the Moondrop Blessing 2 did hurt my ear channel, so I sold it, too big for me). I use EQ and really wonder if there is any substantial upgrade in sound around with a much more expensive IEM? Would be willing to invest, but only if it really sounded better (resolution, soundstage, transients, the like, since FR and lack of distortion seem already at best).
Edit. I think it is really amazing what you can get nowadays for your money, about $250 at aliexpress for the FD5 (the appr. $200 7Hz timeless is also extremely good, living up to the hype), about $120 for the Hidizs S9 Pro dongle and, assuming you already have a cell phone and a Macbook with SoundSource EQ, $10 a month for Qobuz and you are already close to audiophile heaven.
I prefer Moondrop Kato over FD5, but it is just a matter of taste. I can't explain why but Kato has a bass punch and a sub bass extension completely different form any other IEM I have tried... Fiio FD5 is a excellent IEM as well. About the 7Hz, the treble peak wasn't for me.
 

raif71

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I prefer Moondrop Kato over FD5, but it is just a matter of taste. I can't explain why but Kato has a bass punch and a sub bass extension completely different form any other IEM I have tried... Fiio FD5 is a excellent IEM as well. About the 7Hz, the treble peak wasn't for me.
I was contemplating getting the Kato or KXXS but the seller decided for me as he gave substantial discount for the KXXS so I passed the Kato. Anyway I heard that tonality is about the same for both of them. Hopefully I'm not missing on anything :)
 

Garrincha

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I prefer Moondrop Kato over FD5, but it is just a matter of taste. I can't explain why but Kato has a bass punch and a sub bass extension completely different form any other IEM I have tried... Fiio FD5 is a excellent IEM as well. About the 7Hz, the treble peak wasn't for me.
Well, I think one should use EQ for all headphones or IEMs, whenever available (not so easy on the iPhone though). I have the impression the 7Hz is even a tiny bit more resolving in general and a tad more natural on voices. Funnily, the Kato is already ordered, so I will make my comparisons. But I am still interested to know, when climbing substantially in price, if for example the ThieAudio Monarch Mk II, the Unique Melody Mest MKII or the Moondrop S8 are a whole new level or not.
 

raif71

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Well, I think one should use EQ for all headphones or IEMs, whenever available (not so easy on the iPhone though). I have the impression the 7Hz is even a tiny bit more resolving in general and a tad more natural on voices. Funnily, the Kato is already ordered, so I will make my comparisons. But I am still interested to know, when climbing substantially in price, if for example the ThieAudio Monarch Mk II, the Unique Melody Mest MKII or the Moondrop S8 are a whole new level or not.
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">via GIPHY</a></p>
 

half_dog

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">via GIPHY</a></p>
That's bullying =P
Well, I think one should use EQ for all headphones or IEMs, whenever available (not so easy on the iPhone though). I have the impression the 7Hz is even a tiny bit more resolving in general and a tad more natural on voices. Funnily, the Kato is already ordered, so I will make my comparisons. But I am still interested to know, when climbing substantially in price, if for example the ThieAudio Monarch Mk II, the Unique Melody Mest MKII or the Moondrop S8 are a whole new level or not.
Please, report back your thoughts about Kato :)
I have tried the ThieAudio Monarch Mk II, that's not a bad IEM at all! But... this is 5x a Kato and that's completely out of my ballpark and for me it isn't 5x worthy. I don't know, maybe my ears saddly (or happly, for my wallet) are not trained enough to perceive all that difference.
 

half_dog

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I was contemplating getting the Kato or KXXS but the seller decided for me as he gave substantial discount for the KXXS so I passed the Kato. Anyway I heard that tonality is about the same for both of them. Hopefully I'm not missing on anything :)
E'er... I had a Aria (considering people say it is pretty much the same of KXXS) and considering what've I typed above (not so trained ears). For me, there is a significant difference which I do prefer the Kato. It sounds cleaner, less messy and a really nice (sub) bass punchy. Aria is good for its price, but the bass used to leak over the mids turn it muddy. Kato is more "refined".
 

raif71

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E'er... I had a Aria (considering people say it is pretty much the same of KXXS) and considering what've I typed above (not so trained ears). For me, there is a significant difference which I do prefer the Kato. It sounds cleaner, less messy and a really nice (sub) bass punchy. Aria is good for its price, but the bass used to leak over the mids turn it muddy. Kato is more "refined".
I have Aria and KXXS. I don't find Aria to be the same as KXXS at all. The Aria certainly to me has higher end sound and sounded more open but KXXS is more refined. I enjoy both of them and will exchange them after some time. I also have the Starsfied, Blessing 2 and bunch of other iems.
 
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Somafunk

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Having recently bought a mojo 2 and 7hz timeless i can see myself trying out other iem's as ive been rather impressed, the last time I dipped an ear into the market was 15 odd years ago with an iriver h340, Ray Samuels Tomahawk amp and Etymotic er4-p which was a rather unwieldy brick to carry around (good earphones - terrible comfort and cable microphonics). I'm quite taken with the the idea of trying the Moondrop Crinacle Dusk, perhaps a Thieaudio such as the Oracle/Clairvoyance, possibly even the Monarch mk2 amongst other manufacturers of tribid iem's. Currently having a look through this thread to see what others are using. I mostly listen to electronic music so impactful bass response (but not overblown/muddy) is my primary concern.
 

Garrincha

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Having recently bought a mojo 2 and 7hz timeless i can see myself trying out other iem's as ive been rather impressed, the last time I dipped an ear into the market was 15 odd years ago with an iriver h340, Ray Samuels Tomahawk amp and Etymotic er4-p which was a rather unwieldy brick to carry around (good earphones - terrible comfort and cable microphonics). I'm quite taken with the the idea of trying the Moondrop Crinacle Dusk, perhaps a Thieaudio such as the Oracle/Clairvoyance, possibly even the Monarch mk2 amongst other manufacturers of tribid iem's. Currently having a look through this thread to see what others are using. I mostly listen to electronic music so impactful bass response (but not overblown/muddy) is my primary concern.
I own the FD 5 and the 7hz timeless, they are both really really good IEMs, especially for the price. Unfortunately I still have more or less the same questions as you do and not received a reliable answer yet. Is the extra money for the Monark MK2 or the Moondrop Variations/ S8 worth it soundwise? Both, the FD5 and the timeless sound already without EQ quite good, are close to Harman and have low distortion, but with EQ it is just already such a level that I am in doubt. Will there be considerable improvement? Anybody please with a well put and believable answer?
 
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