FiiO FH5 Review
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Fiio for including me in the review tour and providing me the FH5 as a review sample.
Packaging and Unboxing Presentation
The Fiio FH5 is packed in a fairly large box that has a outline drawing of the FH5 on the front of the sleeve that is covering the box. Once the box is removed from the sleeve the front of the box is embossed with the FiiO brand name. The box is closed with a magnetic latch and feels very high quality. Opening the flap on the box you are presented with the FH5’s in a piece of foam with the cables attached. Underneath the foam, there is another two sections cut out of the foam below. In the top section there is the wide array of ear tips that are included. Below the foam insert with the tips is the clear “pelican” style hard carrying case. Inside that case is a zippered soft case as well as a small cleaning brush.
Accessories
Tips- There are 12 tips included. These 12 tips are divided into 4 different categories, Balanced, Vocal, Bass, and Foam. For the Balanced, Vocal and Bass tips there are 3 sizes, Small, Medium, and Large. Interestingly the foam tips, of which there are three sets, are all size medium.
Carrying cases- Included with the FH5s are 2 different styles of carrying cases. The first is a hard carry case that is a “pelican” style case, and it appears to be a clear version of the Fiio HB1). The second carry case is a soft case, made of a neoprene like material. Both cases are very high quality.
There is also a small cleaning brush included in with the FH5’s as well.
Cable- This, other than the way these sound, might be my favorite part of these IEMs. This is the best cable that I have ever used. The cable that is included with the FH5 is the LC-3.5B cable
Sound-
The sound is really where the FH5’s really shine. They give a non-fatiguing sound that makes then very comfortable to listen to. Their sound signature is very warm, and to me, I would say that it is a playful sound. I ran them as my daily driver for quite a while, and when I went back to my previous daily driver, the UE900s, there was almost no contest to which one I preferred. I like the FH5 much better and have continued to use them as my daily driver. In comparison with my over-ear headphones, the HE-400i, they sound very similar and out of all the IEMs that I own and use, they are the ones that come closest to the HE-400i for me. They have a well defined bass that is not too overpowering as well as nicely controlled and layered. For songs with significant bass impact the bass is nice and punchy and it is pleasing to listen to. Midrange and vocals are well defined, although in very bass heavy tracks seem to be a little suppressed by the bass. The treble and highs are crisp and well defined without being sibilant. These IEMs are incredibly detailed and have excellent soundstage and separation and resolution. All of this makes them wonderful to listen to.
General Use-
These IEMs are incredibly easy to drive even off of a smartphone or laptop. When I use them connected directly to my MacBook Pro, I only need to bring the volume up a few clicks before they get too loud for me. When listening from my iPhone 8, I generally put the volume between 1/4th and 1/3 of the total volume for them to be adequately loud. Despite the fact that they are incredible easy to drive, I still find that they benefit from some external amplification. I have used them with the K3 (preview unit), A3, Q1, E10, E17, and E09k. I personally think that they feel the best with the E17 as a DAC paired with the E09k as an amp. As a side note, the E09k is a wonderful sounding amp. The IEMs themselves are incredibly comfortable and I have no issues wearing them for hours at a time.
Closing notes-
I want to also say that as I was one of the last reviewers, FiiO gave me the option of purchasing these IEMs at a discounted price, which I did. I also want to note that the MMCX connectors on the FH5’s are not part of the metal housing and are in-fact a connector inside a plastic housing that is in the metal housing. After around 2 months of daily use I found that on the left driver that plastic housing was starting to become loose and able to wiggle. So far it has not affected the connection and the ability for the driver to produce sound, but i have been in contact with FiiO and am seeing what they can do to remedy the issue. I will update as that unfolds. It may be because I have a possible pre-production model, as it was part of the review tour, but it could be a sign of some build quality issues. Overall they are an excellent IEM and I feel that they compare to headphones far above their price range. I would be giving them a 5 star, but for the issue with the MMCX connector
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Fiio for including me in the review tour and providing me the FH5 as a review sample.
Packaging and Unboxing Presentation
The Fiio FH5 is packed in a fairly large box that has a outline drawing of the FH5 on the front of the sleeve that is covering the box. Once the box is removed from the sleeve the front of the box is embossed with the FiiO brand name. The box is closed with a magnetic latch and feels very high quality. Opening the flap on the box you are presented with the FH5’s in a piece of foam with the cables attached. Underneath the foam, there is another two sections cut out of the foam below. In the top section there is the wide array of ear tips that are included. Below the foam insert with the tips is the clear “pelican” style hard carrying case. Inside that case is a zippered soft case as well as a small cleaning brush.
Accessories
Tips- There are 12 tips included. These 12 tips are divided into 4 different categories, Balanced, Vocal, Bass, and Foam. For the Balanced, Vocal and Bass tips there are 3 sizes, Small, Medium, and Large. Interestingly the foam tips, of which there are three sets, are all size medium.
Carrying cases- Included with the FH5s are 2 different styles of carrying cases. The first is a hard carry case that is a “pelican” style case, and it appears to be a clear version of the Fiio HB1). The second carry case is a soft case, made of a neoprene like material. Both cases are very high quality.
There is also a small cleaning brush included in with the FH5’s as well.
Cable- This, other than the way these sound, might be my favorite part of these IEMs. This is the best cable that I have ever used. The cable that is included with the FH5 is the LC-3.5B cable
Sound-
The sound is really where the FH5’s really shine. They give a non-fatiguing sound that makes then very comfortable to listen to. Their sound signature is very warm, and to me, I would say that it is a playful sound. I ran them as my daily driver for quite a while, and when I went back to my previous daily driver, the UE900s, there was almost no contest to which one I preferred. I like the FH5 much better and have continued to use them as my daily driver. In comparison with my over-ear headphones, the HE-400i, they sound very similar and out of all the IEMs that I own and use, they are the ones that come closest to the HE-400i for me. They have a well defined bass that is not too overpowering as well as nicely controlled and layered. For songs with significant bass impact the bass is nice and punchy and it is pleasing to listen to. Midrange and vocals are well defined, although in very bass heavy tracks seem to be a little suppressed by the bass. The treble and highs are crisp and well defined without being sibilant. These IEMs are incredibly detailed and have excellent soundstage and separation and resolution. All of this makes them wonderful to listen to.
General Use-
These IEMs are incredibly easy to drive even off of a smartphone or laptop. When I use them connected directly to my MacBook Pro, I only need to bring the volume up a few clicks before they get too loud for me. When listening from my iPhone 8, I generally put the volume between 1/4th and 1/3 of the total volume for them to be adequately loud. Despite the fact that they are incredible easy to drive, I still find that they benefit from some external amplification. I have used them with the K3 (preview unit), A3, Q1, E10, E17, and E09k. I personally think that they feel the best with the E17 as a DAC paired with the E09k as an amp. As a side note, the E09k is a wonderful sounding amp. The IEMs themselves are incredibly comfortable and I have no issues wearing them for hours at a time.
Closing notes-
I want to also say that as I was one of the last reviewers, FiiO gave me the option of purchasing these IEMs at a discounted price, which I did. I also want to note that the MMCX connectors on the FH5’s are not part of the metal housing and are in-fact a connector inside a plastic housing that is in the metal housing. After around 2 months of daily use I found that on the left driver that plastic housing was starting to become loose and able to wiggle. So far it has not affected the connection and the ability for the driver to produce sound, but i have been in contact with FiiO and am seeing what they can do to remedy the issue. I will update as that unfolds. It may be because I have a possible pre-production model, as it was part of the review tour, but it could be a sign of some build quality issues. Overall they are an excellent IEM and I feel that they compare to headphones far above their price range. I would be giving them a 5 star, but for the issue with the MMCX connector
