FiiO FT3

FIIO FT3 350ohm
1DD 60mm Beryllium plated
$300


First of all, let me thank FIIO for providing me with this headphone sample for this review.
Rest assured, my review is always 100% my own personal opinion.

Unboxing
Build Quality

Is very good, the FT3 is an open back design and the earcup is made from metal, while the headband is suspension type design coated with pleather.

From looks standpoint, it is somewhat giving me a “toy like” vibes? Or “Sci-Fi”? I don't know what FIIO try to aim with its beyblade looking earcup design.

Anyway, the looks is not my thing, but hey it is subjective I guess.

While the cable is made from Furukawa Monocrystaline cable, sounds fancy, the length of the cable is 3 meters, which is a bit too long to be honest.
Oh by the way the end of the connector is modular, very nice.

Comfort
Is very good, and I do use glasses for context. I can wear the FT3 for more than 3 hours before I feel like I needed to take off the headphones, the clamping force is just right, not tight, but not that loose either.

Sound

Tested using FIIO K9 AKM, FIIO KB3
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, J-Rock, EDM, RAP, Jazz, Metal)
Sound in General : Neutral – Warm

Bass is depending on what earpads you're using, with the Suede pads, bass is getting a decent amount of lift, still on the neutral side, but lifted.
With the Pleather pads, its like your reference typed bass.
Bass presentation on the suede pads is more rich, deep, and powerful.
While on the Pleather pads, it is more tight, tamed, and agile.

One thing I must said about the bass is that, it is very well extended to the sub bass region, uncommon for an open back design, especially with the Suede pads, it hits really deep and hard, I'm impressed by how deep and impactful FT3 bass is.
Though keep in mind, the quantity is not bass head levels, its more like referenced type but with very good impactful presentation.

Midrange is just like a referenced type midrange, it sounded like that with either pads, it has very good note weight, a bit on the warmer side.
Due to the bass and treble not really having that much lift, midrange is getting the main focus here.
It sounds open, a bit forward, but not shouty in my opinion.
Though for context, if you find HD600 vocal to be shouty, the FT3 vocal presentation is a bit similar to the HD600, but to my ears, both headphones are not shouty.

Treble with the pleather pads is having a bit more shine because of the reduced bass, with the suede pads overall tuning is more balanced, it just add enough sparkle on the mid treble – air region.
Overall treble presentation is just having enough bite to make everything sounds exciting and more musical than your average referenced typed headphone.

My preference in general is to use the default Suede pads, because of how the bass is lifted, it adds more body and character to the overall sound, and is very pleasing to listen.
Though if you plan to use the FT3 for audio related works, you can use the Pleather pads, I think with that it will suits your needs more.

Technicalities
is "Good" for its asking price of $300

Stage is decently wide, not the widest that I've heard, but it has very good stage layering, it feels like everything is very well placed.

Imaging is good, it sounds holographical with the right source.

Positioning and Separation is very good, probably thanks to its very good stage layering.
Object is very well positioned and is free from overlapping, even when playing a complex sound.

Detail Retrieval is average, to be honest with you, the FT3 is not a detail monster type of headphone, it has good amount of micro details but I think there is some micro details still missing from the presentation.

Comparation

Sennheiser HD600
The HD600 is more tamed and precise in sound presentation.
The sub-bass of the FT3 is much more extended compared to the HD600, but HD600 has very good overall control to all of its frequency spectrum, While on the FT3, it is more playful and musical.

Technicality wise, the stage size of FT3 is much more wide and grand compared to the HD600, and thanks to that, sound is much more well separated and positioned. Other aspects such as imaging, detail retrieval, is more or less on the same level.

Conclusion
Is the FT3 worth the asking price?

Well, from sound perspective, if you want an open back headphone with superb sub bass presentation, you should definitely check the FT3 or at least give it a try.
No joke, I'm super impressed by how deep the sub-bass can reach, the FT3 sub bass is somehow sounding more deep than my other set of closed back headphones which is crazy !
The FT3 is also very comfortable to wear for my head, and I do wear glasses for context.
And not only that, the overall build, packaging and accessories of FT3 is very well made for its asking price of only $300.

Well I guess thats all from me for now, thanks for reaching this far !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review video of this review below


-littlenezt.

My thanks to Apos audio for the chance to review this amazing set of headphones. as always my opinions are my own.
https://apos.audio/products/fiio-ft3-open-back-dynamic-driver-headphones

Product highlights
60mm large dynamic driver for powerful sound
Beryllium-plated gasket and DLC diaphragm
350Ω high impedance for pure sound
Asymmetrical magnetic circuit system
Furukawa monocrystalline copper wire cable
Aluminum alloy construction
Comfortable open-back design with hollow mesh
3-axis swiveling design for a perfect fit
Angled drivers for reduced frequency response distortion
Open-back design
2 distinct sounding ear pads
Specs
Impedance: 350Ω
Sensitivity: 102dB
Frequency Response Range: 7Hz-40kHz
Driver Type: 60mm Dynamic Driver
Diaphragm Material: Beryllium-plated Gasket + DLC Diaphragm
Weight: 13oz (391g)
Earpad Pressure: 4.0N±0.3N
Cable Length: ~9.8ft (~3m)

What’s included
3.5mm interchangeable plug
4.4mm interchangeable plug
3.5mm female to 6.35mm male adapter
4.4mm female to XLR-4 male balanced adapter
Leather storage case
Protein leather earpads
Suede earpads
Headphone cable
Instructions

Build:
The FT3 is made of all aluminum giving it both strength and a lighter weight compared to other metal headphone, while it does have a decent heft it still is comfortable for music or gaming for a few hours. The Cable is made of over 9 feet of Furukawa monocrystalline copper cable and made so well, my only gripe is foe me the length is unnecessary and very cumbersome. I luckily have a large assortment of cables that fit. while the pads are on the thinner side, they still feel quite plush and comfortable, although my ears were rubbing against the round and much smaller internal diameter. Sitting listening to music this wasn't much of a bother only moving around it was noticed. Build in general is much superior to HifiMan or Sennheiser in the same price range. Acessories with the Fiio are amazing quality, the case looks so nice, and the additional pads are a welcome feature. Between the velour and leatherette, I prefer the leatherette. The velour makes it a little more V-shaped and less airy.




Sound Impressions:

Bass:
The Bass is well defined with a nice but somewhat reserved impact, it is not to say the Bass does not dig down low but has a more controlled approach to its delivery. It becomes slightly more emphasized with the Velour pads. In general, the Bass is very good for an open back set of headphones. I think the Philips X2HR has slightly more Bass reach but not more Bass quality.

Midrange:
The Midrange presents Neutral and detailed with a hint of warmth in the lower mIds, mids are well placed and vocals both male and female are positioned centered. The vocals are more towards the thin side with colder sounding upper mids and female vocals. they are open and there is an almost analytical quality to the midrange in general.

Treble:
The highs are well extended well with excellent details and compliment the Bass well like a textbook Harman should. There is good air and separation throughout.

Soundstage:
The staging is wide, and imaging is very good, this however is not as deep or height wise. the FT3 can handle just about anything and from gaming to music and even movies and soundstage keep up with even the busiest of recordings.

Afterthoughts:
The Fiio FT3 is a very well made, Harman V-shaped headphone with a comfortable fit and signature It would be a good choice for casual listening with its detailed and pleasant tuning.

The FT3 is the first open Over-Ear headphone from FiiO. The brand is known for all kinds of high-end products in the field of "portable audio", such as the M17 DAP or the FD7 IEM. When I read the first announcements of the technical details and design of the headphones, I was directly excited about the end result. The FT3 wants to mix in the class around 300 € properly and whether it creates it, that I want to illuminate in the following.

The headphones including accessories are delivered in a sturdy cardboard box in which a brown leatherette storage box is located with all accessories including FT3. The headphones themselves are not made of plastic, but of aluminum. With a weight of just under 400 grams, it is not too heavy. The workmanship in this price range is absolutely top! From the appearance, it reminds me somewhat of a cross between hifi and gaming headphones by the very futuristic design of the shells. Faux leather and aluminum are finished to a final product, which creates a very solid and durable impression. It is delivered with pre-assembled textile pads. In the box there is also a set of leatherette pads for a slightly different sound tuning, which can be changed very easily. More on that later. The highlight is the delivery cable. It is somewhat reminiscent of the cable from my Sennheiser HD820 in appearance. It is a Furukawa Monocrystalline copper cable in the length of 3m with AWG 23 cross section. One cable and still all connection possibilities? Exactly! There are 4 different adapters in the scope of supply (3.5mm, 4.4mm, 6.35mm, 4 Pin XLR), which can be changed very simply by plugging and/or turning and thus the cable is everywhere applicable. Incredibly, I have not seen that before with any other manufacturer. I like it very much. Desirable would still be a second shorter cable for mobile operation. But that is already complaining at a high level.




What about the other technical details? Why was I so excited about these headphones? Well, it uses huge (60mm) dynamic drivers with a beryllium coating. Big driver = Big sound? Yes, you can say that. But the big drivers are also said to have less control. Compare that to the Focal Utopia, which uses only 40mm drivers and is known to portray transients with impact like no other. The main component of the driver is diamond-like carbon, which is very robust and lightweight. They chose this material to better control the movement of the large driver and for less distortion, which I think they did very well. At 350 ohms, the driver has a very high impedance, but is still relatively easy to drive due to the high sensitivity of 105dB. Bear-strong N52 neodymium magnets are also installed here to achieve a very high dynamic range. The drivers are angled to achieve better spatial imaging.



A pair of headphones with good technical details is only half the battle if they don't wear properly. The FT3 is exceptionally comfortable to wear. No even more, one of the most comfortable headphones I know of. A very comfortable contact pressure (neither too much nor too little) and an automatically adjusting headband similar to what you would find on a Stax SR-007. All this with a 3-axis swivel design to achieve the perfect seal. At first I thought the pads might be a bit small, but my average sized ears fit in easily and have plenty of room. With very large ears it might be a little tight.



How does it sound now? I tested it on my stationary chain consisting of Topping D90SE/DX320 MAX Ti on Niimbus US4 and portable on my iBasso DX320 MAX Ti. There in gain stage 2 with a control range between 10 and 12 o'clock, which is quite sufficient for my listening volume. It can therefore be operated without any problems on mobile DAPs. The drivers with the high impedance scale with the amplifier. Compared to the DX320 MAX Ti, the FT3 sounds a bit more dynamic with more impact on the Niimbus US4.



When I first put it on, I thought to myself does it really cost "only" 300€? A very dynamic sound with a precise stage, rich bass and very balanced sound offered me. The tonality is really absolutely successful and is strongly oriented to the Harman curve with slightly raised bass and treble range. It sounds comparable to a DCA Stealth, without of course reaching its technical sophistication in its entirety. That would also be very surprising, we compare here 300€ with 4800€. But 16x better is the Stealth certainly not as it is reflected in the price. In the 300€ class, I can't think of any headphones that come close to the FT3 in terms of sound. Neither a Hifiman Sundara nor a HD660S play tonally as correct as the FT3 does. Even some headphones in the higher price ranges, such as an HD820, could take a leaf out of the tonal presentation. They are nowhere near as successful as the FT3 and have to be laboriously readjusted via EQ.

The large drivers produce a very full sound image typical for Harman with a strong bass range that focuses more on the sub bass than the midbass range. The listener is offered a detailed, full, but nevertheless also impulsive bass range, which one would not expect at first due to the driver size. Obviously, FiiO has the driver very well under control with its selected materials. Just like a DCA Stealth, it goes a bit softer in the midbass area. The punch is there too, but it sounds smoother and doesn't hit as hard as it does with a Focal Utopia or Hifiman Sundara, for example. The latter, however, also focuses more on the midbass range and leaves the low bass somewhat feathery. This is not the case with the FT3. If you like the Harman tuning, you will love the FT3's bass range.

Big driver=Big sound gets my fullest approval in the area of stage imaging. Here I get an above-average stage imaging with very precise instrument separation. The Hifiman Sundara clearly has to admit defeat here. In terms of airiness, I also have nothing to complain about with the FT3. Everything sounds very open, also it isolates to the outside as good as not at all, which is not surprising with its very open construction.

The FT3 neither plays "too much in your face" nor too withdrawn in the mids. Nasal coloration of voices, as found in some headphones in this price range, is not found in the FT3. To hear voices even more real and authentic, I have to go for a 1300€ IEM like the U4s, which tops that.

The highs are typically Harman somewhat raised and offer enough brilliance. At very high volumes it can get a bit sibilant depending on the recording, but at my listening levels of 70db to 90dB everything is still in the green. The resolution is a bit higher than the Hifiman Sundara. The clarity is really very good and you don't miss anything in the first moment. You then have to switch to a much more expensive model to realize that the finest nuances come out a bit better there.

I mostly performed my test with the textile pads, since I like the tonal tuning best here. When switching to the synthetic leather pads, the sound image seems slimmer, since the bass range decreases in level. The treble range is more sharply outlined and thus allows details to be discerned even more easily. However, I personally don't want to do without this "big sound" and therefore prefer the textile pads.

Since these large drivers provide me with an unexpectedly clean and fast sound, I also wanted to test the technical qualities by using my EQ and boosting the bass range by +6dB with a basshelf. No problem for the drivers, which still do not show any distortion even at higher volumes. I like the basshelf of +6dB in combination with the synthetic leather pads. With textile pads it is already too much of a good thing for me even as a "bass lover"! But I already like it so much in the delivery state that I don't have to bother with EQ here.

Overall, FiiO has succeeded with the first open Over-Eear headphones immediately a success, which has in this price range in the future a proper word to say, if you look at the competing products. And I think that's a good thing. After all, competition inspires, as we know, and that leads to even better products in the future.