Fiio FT1 Headphone Review

[amirm]

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the Fiio FT1 closed back headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $165.

I looked up the price after I opened the package and was shocked that it was this cheap! I expected a cost at or north of $500 with those nice wooden cups. The headphone is light and was comfortable to wear.

Fiio FT1 Headphone Measurements
As usual we start with our frequency response measurement and comparison to target:

As noted, I had a hard time getting the channels to match even though fitment on the fixture was easy. Company advertises compliance with Harman target and we see that in the bass region. Alas, it is too much of a good thing, with too much energy up to 300 Hz. Beyond that, the response kind of tracks our target but has variations and seemingly some shortfall in upper treble as well. The myriads of variations will make EQ development by eye difficult:

But we will give it try post listening tests.

Distortion is good in bass seeing how we would be lowering the levels there. But lower treble shows fair bit of disturbance:

Then again, the blue curve as 94 dBSPL is quite reasonable.

Impedance is on the low side and a bit variable:

Sensitivity is excellent which when combined with above, should make it a very easy load for most sources:

EDIT: Forgot Group Delay:

Fiio FT1 Headphone Listening Tests and EQ
My first female, instrumental sounded wooly already so I immediately developed the bass EQ:

That lightened the load at the low end but excitement was lacking in the rest of the spectrum. I dialed in some quick filters and was surprised that the overall package transformed the FT1 into a very listening headphone. My reference tracks all sounded good. Sub-bass was deep and thundering. Spatial qualities took a huge jump forward with EQ as well.

Conclusions
The Ft1 headphone packaging and build is well above what its price indicates. It produces lots of bass which we can dial down with EQ. There are a lot of twists in the rest of the spectrum. While collectively I was able to correct for them, I prefer to not have to dial in 6 filters and try to optimize them.

Sadly, I can't recommend the Fiio FT1 headphone as is. With EQ, it becomes quite nice, with high level of comfort and looks.
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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[Rja4000]

Thanks for this review.
Seems quite correct for the price
(ok, with EQ...)

 

[neoheresy]

I like my pair a lot. It is true that it won't sound nice to everybody, as it is geared toward specific genres. For what I listen to most of the time, which is black and death metal, this is a very good pair of headphones.

 

[EeeGee]

Thanks Amir for the review.
I bought it a few months back out of curiosity influenced by the positive reviews and low price. I totally agree with your conclusion.
After eq it is a very nice package for casual listening. Wouldn't be my first pick each time but can provide a lot of enjoyment under the right mood.

 

[JSmith]

Seems QC/build might be lacking on these too;

Thanks for the time in testing these Amir, pics;

JSmith

 

[Guenselmann]

The hinge design has already been updated, time will tell if it is now sturdy enough.

I think this strikes a good balance between price, build and sound quality. I like that it's easy to drive, might consider it for the office and drive it directly from my phone.

 

[FTB]

It's what I heard when I tried these headphones...
Thank you for the review !

 

[Heinrich]

The midrange distortion points to a design flaw or at uncontrolled production. HiFiman shows quite similar issues with all of their offerings. While 'planar' seems to attract much attention, the outcome isn't real. They should get their production line under control and implement QC additionally. At today's standards QC would dump like 30% right to the bin. Saddening, but so it is.

 

[roladyzator]

The midrange distortion points to a design flaw or at uncontrolled production. HiFiman shows quite similar issues with all of their offerings. While 'planar' seems to attract much attention, the outcome isn't real. They should get their production line under control and implement QC additionally. At today's standards QC would dump like 30% right to the bin. Saddening, but so it is.

If I remember correctly, the FT1 has a dynamic driver and the FT1 Pro has a planar driver (and is open-back).
Few influences / reviewers (DMS, Resolve) have been saying these are a better recommendation than K371 but I would be careful about that.
Maybe that's the case if the K371 doesn't sound as intended on one's head.

I'd still point people to the K371 first and perhaps the FT1 if the K371 doesn't work for them.

 

[Heinrich]

If I remember correctly, the FT1 has a dynamic driver and the FT1 Pro has a planar driver (and is open-back).
Few influences / reviewers (DMS, Resolve) have been saying these are a better recommendation than K371 but I would be careful about that.
Maybe that's the case if the K371 doesn't sound as intended on one's head.

I'd still point people to the K371 first and perhaps the FT1 if the K371 doesn't work for them.

My bad, I was under the impression the device is a planar.

 

[FTB]

If I remember correctly, the FT1 has a dynamic driver and the FT1 Pro has a planar driver (and is open-back).
Few influences / reviewers (DMS, Resolve) have been saying these are a better recommendation than K371 but I would be careful about that.
Maybe that's the case if the K371 doesn't sound as intended on one's head.

I'd still point people to the K371 first and perhaps the FT1 if the K371 doesn't work for them.

Clearly when I tried the Ft1, it was too bassy with a upper peak (maybe the one we see at 5 kHz or after 10 kHz) and the k371 was better.

 

[GD Fan]

Is 6 EQ filters a record high on ASR?

 

[amirm]

I don't think so but it is rare.

 

[Tell]

I like my pair a lot. It is true that it won't sound nice to everybody, as it is geared toward specific genres. For what I listen to most of the time, which is black and death metal, this is a very good pair of headphones.

I don't think any genre benefits from a bloated upper bass/lower mids like these FiiO are producing.

 

[FTB]

I don't think any genre benefits from a bloated upper bass/lower mids like these FiiO are producing.

I think it's a common subjective nonsense that some headphones are made for a type of music or another.

 

[Kremmen]

If I remember correctly, the FT1 has a dynamic driver and the FT1 Pro has a planar driver (and is open-back).
Few influences / reviewers (DMS, Resolve) have been saying these are a better recommendation than K371 but I would be careful about that.
Maybe that's the case if the K371 doesn't sound as intended on one's head.

I'd still point people to the K371 first and perhaps the FT1 if the K371 doesn't work for them.

I own the K371 and I feel it's a fabulous sounding headphone, closed back or otherwise. However, I'd be reluctant to recommend it to others due to the snapping headband issue which has affected even the most careful users. Mind you, they may have neglected to mention that they have heads like The Mekon!

Mine is still in one piece thankfully, but that's probably because I've grown reluctant to use it for fear of it snapping.

 

[FTB]

I own the K371 and I feel it's a fabulous sounding headphone, closed back or otherwise. However, I'd be reluctant to recommend it to others due to the snapping headband issue which has affected even the most careful users. Mind you, they may have neglected to mention that they have heads like The Mekon!

Mine is still in one piece thankfully, but that's probably because I've grown reluctant to use it for fear of it snapping.

I'm of the people which has no quality problems with the k371 despite daily use, it's possible !

 

[Subob]

I listened to this at London CanJam, having read and watched all the hype about 'budget killer' etc etc blah blah blah.

Whilst build quality seemed reasonable for the price on first glance, and comfort levels were good, on my test tracks playlist it didn't impress me one bit. I moved on pretty swiftly. Of course, YMMV.

 

[markanini]

This headphone was incredibly hyped for the first few months after release, "AKG K371-killer" "new class leader". I'm glad I resist joining hype trains.

 

[Subob]

This headphone was incredibly hyped for the first few months after release, "AKG K371-killer" "new class leader". I'm glad I resist joining hype trains.

I'll be the first to admit that the hype will undoubtedly have influenced my impressions. Expecting great things, due to the incredibly hype you mention, I was extremely disappointed to say the least.

I much prefer auditioning headphones where I know little or nothing about them first. That way I get a largely unbiased response and can take it from there.