Fiio FT1 Headphone Review

[Bernard23]

Do you own the Yamaha HPH-MT8 and if so, are you using them stock or altered with different pads and/or EQing? I need closed over ear headphones that either I don't need to EQ, or they have low-latency EQ built in.

Yes I do, and stock pads. I'm also EQing them, though they don't need much.

 

[Reticuli]

Yes I do, and stock pads. I'm also EQing them, though they don't need much.

Hmm. Seems like if I need to EQ it, then I might as well save up for an HDB 630, because I need the headphone to be able to work well separate from a phone or computer.

 

[carlcamper]

I’ve ordered the HS-FT1C pads which supposedly reduce the mid and sub bass regions, will report once I tested them.

 

[carlcamper]

I’ve ordered the HS-FT1C pads which supposedly reduce the mid and sub bass regions, will report once I tested them.View attachment 507313

Happy to report the pads sound great, having reduced both the muddiness and boominess!

 

[Westsounds]

What is as good as these for a lot less money, with the big driver bass thing going on?

 

[Lukalumen]

I've never been more disappointed. These sound so offensive that I immediately have the need to take them off.

To start with the unboxing experience... In pictures they look really nice. The dark wood looks great with black and chrome. I even got the Fiio Melody DAC to pair with them. The DAC is tiny and excellent... The headphones are huge and in person look like you have two halves of a coconut stuck to your head. Absolutely not.

When I excitedly plugged them in and started playing music, I immediately made a face like I heard nails on a chalkboard. It's a bit unfair to call the sound like nails on a chalkboard... It's more like dropping a truckload of pots and pans down marble stairs. I think that would be a more accurate description.

The high mids are so grating and irritating that it makes my ears hurt. It completely drowns out any bass or highs that may or may not be there... It's like listening to music on a $20 Bluetooth speaker placed inside a metal bucket. That kind of describes the only frequencies I could hear.

Luckily, the Fiio Melody has a 10 band PEQ that was very effective at reducing the offensive ranges. But even after doing that, the sound in anemic and boring.
Even when increased by 12dB, the bass is just kind of there, but it doesn't slap. It doesn't make you want to move and it doesn't sound immersive. This is supposed to be a 60mm driver?!
Even after eliminating the irritating frequencies, the mids sound unnatural with a tiny weird distant sound. Paper composite and wood somehow sound metalic. Super weird.

Somehow my Skullcandy Crusher 540 Actives sound more detailed, natural, organic, airy, smooth and more enjoyable in every way.

Luckily, I ordered them from B&H and they're going straight back.

I'll keep the DAC though, it's really good. I use the Sony M1 to mix and game, and with a bit of EQ they stop sounding like studio monitors and sound like a lot of fun.

 

[solderdude]

The 'cone' is actually 50mm in diameter which by itself is already large for a dynamic given the fact that '50mm' drivers usually are around 43mm in effective diameter.
The 60mm is the total diameter of the driver and the sides are simply 5mm wide.
This is the way driver diameter usually is given by all manufacturers.

What was your EQ when you were using it?

 

[Lukalumen]

The 'cone' is actually 50mm in diameter which by itself is already large for a dynamic given the fact that '50mm' drivers usually are around 43mm in effective diameter.
The 60mm is the total diameter of the driver and the sides are simply 5mm wide.
This is the way driver diameter usually is given by all manufacturers.

What was your EQ when you were using it?

I tried a bunch of stuff. I kept pushing down all the frequencies that sounded grating to me. But it seems like that grating sound is all there is. If I tone it down to a comfortable level, there's no detail left there.
And turning up the bass doesn't make it more physical, it just makes it feed those low frequencies into my brain more, without the response I normally get when hearing a subwoofer or other headphones. Which is to vibe and want to move to the music.
This is what I ended up with, but I'm not saying I was happy with it. For example, this was too much bass, but not enough rumble and slap. If that makes sense...
I'm also 42, so increasing the highs over 11k is just to replace the Samsung's built in age adjusted EQ.

 

[DazST]

Wow, that's a whole lot of hyperbole right there.

 

[Lukalumen]

Wow, that's a whole lot of hyperbole right there.

What do you mean? Because of the way I drowned out the irritating frequencies?
What would you suggest I try?

 

[DazST]

What do you mean? Because of the way I drowned out the irritating frequencies?
What would you suggest I try?

No just the criticism seems a bit over the top; e.g. nails on a chalkboard, dropping a truckload of pots and pans down marble stairs, listening to a $20 Bluetooth speaker placed inside a metal bucket etc.
As for recommendations, I use Oratory1990 eq (slightly modified) and find it to be really good.

 

[Tito]

What do you mean? Because of the way I drowned out the irritating frequencies?
What would you suggest I try?

since you game with sony mdr m1.. you could download peace+apo eq on your computer and use some harman curve adjusted preset there for fiio ft1.

btw do you use any eq on your mdr m1 while gaming. what was the intention behind buying fiio, to get more bass?

 

[Lukalumen]

No just the criticism seems a bit over the top; e.g. nails on a chalkboard, dropping a truckload of pots and pans down marble stairs, listening to a $20 Bluetooth speaker placed inside a metal bucket etc

I mean, sure, it's colorful and dramatic... I was shocked at how different they sound compared to what the reviews are saying. But it's genuinely how I feel. I like to listen to music fairly loud (but not to the point where it's damaging). And getting close to that loudness with these headphones makes my ears ring and contract. I experience real physical discomfort and need to take them off.

 

[Lukalumen]

since you game with sony mdr m1.. you could download peace+apo eq on your computer and use some harman curve adjusted preset there for fiio ft1.

btw do you use any eq on your mdr m1 while gaming. what was the intention behind buying fiio, to get more bass?

On my computer I use the M1s just for work... To mix audio and monitor recordings (along with 7506 in some situations).

I game only on my PS5 and then I use them plugged into the controller, no EQ. I find them to be great for gaming.

After getting the Fiio Melody I've been trying them out on my phone (I use Qobuz to stream). And I found the little DAC to be really great. So when the FT1 arrived today, it really shocked me how much I'm not enjoying them.

The motivation was a million reviewers saying how good they sound. They made me believe I'm missing out on some audiophile bliss at an affordable price. So I went for it. And now I trust "audiophiles" even less

 

[Westsounds]

I've never been more disappointed. These sound so offensive that I immediately have the need to take them off.

To start with the unboxing experience... In pictures they look really nice. The dark wood looks great with black and chrome. I even got the Fiio Melody DAC to pair with them. The DAC is tiny and excellent... The headphones are huge and in person look like you have two halves of a coconut stuck to your head. Absolutely not.

When I excitedly plugged them in and started playing music, I immediately made a face like I heard nails on a chalkboard. It's a bit unfair to call the sound like nails on a chalkboard... It's more like dropping a truckload of pots and pans down marble stairs. I think that would be a more accurate description.

The high mids are so grating and irritating that it makes my ears hurt. It completely drowns out any bass or highs that may or may not be there... It's like listening to music on a $20 Bluetooth speaker placed inside a metal bucket. That kind of describes the only frequencies I could hear.

Luckily, the Fiio Melody has a 10 band PEQ that was very effective at reducing the offensive ranges. But even after doing that, the sound in anemic and boring.
Even when increased by 12dB, the bass is just kind of there, but it doesn't slap. It doesn't make you want to move and it doesn't sound immersive. This is supposed to be a 60mm driver?!
Even after eliminating the irritating frequencies, the mids sound unnatural with a tiny weird distant sound. Paper composite and wood somehow sound metalic. Super weird.

Somehow my Skullcandy Crusher 540 Actives sound more detailed, natural, organic, airy, smooth and more enjoyable in every way.

Luckily, I ordered them from B&H and they're going straight back.

I'll keep the DAC though, it's really good. I use the Sony M1 to mix and game, and with a bit of EQ they stop sounding like studio monitors and sound like a lot of fun.

They can’t be that bad, surely. They are well-made large drivers in a decent set of headphones. With good EQ’ing I can’t understand what the main issue would be. I still say there’s prob better for less but these do seem to be getting a lot of press and media attention. The larger drivers are quite rare in a lower cost, even though not a cheap set of headphones.

Your Skull Crushers are better. I tried a couple of those ear vibrators, earlier ones anyway. The hepatic feedback is interesting. They vibrate on your head but not exactly related to sound waves, its more of a gimmick I thought but, a bit novel nonetheless. I suppose they would be good with gamers, but I’m not sure how accurate the feedback actually is other than a rumble that could add some immersion to the overall experience.

 

[FTB]

On my computer I use the M1s just for work... To mix audio and monitor recordings (along with 7506 in some situations).

I game only on my PS5 and then I use them plugged into the controller, no EQ. I find them to be great for gaming.

After getting the Fiio Melody I've been trying them out on my phone (I use Qobuz to stream). And I found the little DAC to be really great. So when the FT1 arrived today, it really shocked me how much I'm not enjoying them.

The motivation was a million reviewers saying how good they sound. They made me believe I'm missing out on some audiophile bliss at an affordable price. So I went for it. And now I trust "audiophiles" even less

Don't believe the hype and trust the measurements :



When I tried them I couldn't bear the 5k peak and the too much bass.

 

[Lukalumen]

@Westsounds Yeah, the Skullcandy Crushers from years ago were fun, but not as refined. They came a long way since then and the haptic feedback now genuinely feels like a subwoofer. It's very engaging. But what's more surprising, the rest of the spectrum is really smooth and enjoyable. They don't sound fatiguing at all and have a lot of detail.

@FTB Yeah, I agree about the peak. But not about the bass. Which shows how differently we perceive music. Whoever was tuning these never went to a club or a live music performance, so they don't know what a good and engaging bass sounds like.

 

[Westsounds]

@Westsounds Yeah, the Skullcandy Crushers from years ago were fun, but not as refined. They came a long way since then and the haptic feedback now genuinely feels like a subwoofer. It's very engaging. But what's more surprising, the rest of the spectrum is really smooth and enjoyable. They don't sound fatiguing at all and have a lot of detail.

@FTB Yeah, I agree about the peak. But not about the bass. Which shows how differently we perceive music. Whoever was tuning these never went to a club or a live music performance, so they don't know what a good and engaging bass sounds like.

That’s really interesting thanks, maybe worth getting a set of Skullcandy Crusher 540 over these then, if big bass is a priority. Plus there’s some hepatic I guess with the newer skull crusher.

 

[FTB]

@Westsounds Yeah, the Skullcandy Crushers from years ago were fun, but not as refined. They came a long way since then and the haptic feedback now genuinely feels like a subwoofer. It's very engaging. But what's more surprising, the rest of the spectrum is really smooth and enjoyable. They don't sound fatiguing at all and have a lot of detail.

@FTB Yeah, I agree about the peak. But not about the bass. Which shows how differently we perceive music. Whoever was tuning these never went to a club or a live music performance, so they don't know what a good and engaging bass sounds like.

Liking more or less bass is part of the Harman research.



Source p26 : https://danishsoundcluster.dk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Olive_DSD_2022.pdf

 

[inselwissen]

@FTB Yeah, I agree about the peak. But not about the bass. Which shows how differently we perceive music. Whoever was tuning these never went to a club or a live music performance, so they don't know what a good and engaging bass sounds like.

I thought the muddy presentation in the bass and lower midrange was the most disappointing aspect of the FT1. If my band sounded like this on stage I'd have words with the FoH engineer afterwards.

That and the comfort. These are an instant hotspot generator on my head. I saw the Capra Strap recommended but wasn't gonna drop 30 bucks on a piece of plastic for headphones I could maybe salvage with EQ.