1 Dynamic Driver 4 Balanced Armature 8 Electrostatic Driver Flagship IEMs, FIIO FX17

Mar 18, 2025 at 10:18 AM Post #31 of 225
The FH9 were super good...

I was not plenty satisfied with the other (top game) FiiO iems produced since then...

Curiosity "mode on"... :beerchug:
 
Mar 19, 2025 at 2:51 AM Post #32 of 225
I'm a sucker for Ti shells, so I'd love to lay my hands on the FX17
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The resemblance with C12 (left) is uncanny
 
Mar 19, 2025 at 4:33 AM Post #33 of 225
The FH9 were super good...

I was not plenty satisfied with the other (top game) FiiO iems produced since then...

Curiosity "mode on"... :beerchug:
FH9 is a classical IEMs. :)
 
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Mar 19, 2025 at 5:25 AM Post #34 of 225
1 DD 4 BA 8 EST Flagship IEMs FX17 Is Officially Released!
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* The FX17 is available at our AliExpress Official Store. Click the link to take it home right away:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808485839562.html

1 DD 4 BA 8 EST design per side.
To get the best sound quality possible, the FX17 features a design of one dynamic driver, four balanced armature drivers, and eight electrostatic drivers per side. A five-way crossover has been precisely tuned to balance energy distribution among the driver and ensures each unit operates in its optimal state, resulting in a grander soundstage and more natural sound.
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Eight electrostatic drivers with a truly airy feeling.
Electrostatic drivers have exceptional high-frequency extension easily reaching 50kHz and sense of air that gives the listener a grander soundstage. Their downside is that their sensitivity is only 99dB/mW, which is low compared to the 110dB/mW sensitivity typically found in balanced armature and dynamic drivers - leading to the 'masking effect.' Thus, the FX17 uses 8 electrostatic units to increase sound pressure levels in order to make the electrostatic drivers more audibly perceptible as they handle the high and ultra-high frequencies above 6kHz, rather than just be for decoration.
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Four custom Knowles BA drivers.
The FIIO FX17 uses two Knowles balanced armature driver composite units that handle the mid and high-frequency sounds. Each of the composite balanced armature driver units is divided into two parts, one part responsible for mids and the other for mid-high frequency – leading to denser mids and a more transparent sound and allows them to transition seamlessly into the electrostatic drivers. To achieve higher flagship-level vocal performance, FIIO, in collaboration with Knowles, custom-developed a 'Midrange Enhanced Balanced Armature Unit.' Acoustic vents have been added to the rear cavity of the balanced armature, which provide more sound energy reserves for the mid-frequency balanced armature unit to further tap into the driver’s advantages. The overall result is lush, mellow vocals that make the singer’s alluring voice seem as if it's truly right next to you.
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Lithium-magnesium alloy diaphragm dynamic driver.
Lithium-magnesium alloy is lightweight, rigid, and has a density of 1.6g/cm³ - making it an ideal material second only to beryllium for a dynamic driver diaphragm. When reproducing high-frequency signals with rapid vibrations, the lithium-magnesium alloy diaphragm has excellent mechanical properties thanks to its high internal damping – leading to significantly reduced intrinsic frequency resonance and distortion. It allows distortion to not exceed 0.2%, for a truly clean sound.
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Pure titanium construction.
The FX17 features a minimalist aesthetic, with a classic and natural curved cavity. The FX17’s shell ear shell cavity is made of high-density, high-strength titanium that is precisely milled from a single block and meticulously hand-polished. It is treated with vapor deposition which hardens the surface and gives it a lustrous finish, making for a beautiful display of light and shadow intertwined.
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Mixed gold, silver, and copper cable.
The FX17’s cable utilizes three different transmission materials – gold, silver, and copper - in order to take advantage of the strengths offered by the different materials. The gold, silver and copper are forged at over 1000 degrees and undergo secondary refining to form crystalline monocrystals to remove impurities and reduce transmission loss. Each of the three elements has its own advantages, which together result in significantly improved sound quality.
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Three audio plugs included.
Included with the FX17 are three swappable audio plugs – 3.5mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced, and Type-C connector with built-in digital decoding and DSP, allowing you to enjoy high-quality audio no matter the device you are connected to. The Type-C swappable plug features a built-in DSP audio decoding chip that supports up to 32Bit/384kHz high-resolution PCM, and balanced output. It also supports 8-band high-precision PEQ. Through FIIO's proprietary algorithm and the FIIO Control app or web interface, the PEQ allows one to simulate or correct the headphones’ frequency response curve. Additionally, one can also export, import, share, and save EQ curves.
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Exclusive serialized nameplate.
Each FX17 comes with an exclusive serialized commemorative nameplate, engraved for a truly special auditory memory. Together we witness eighteen years of accumulated acoustic essence.
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For more impressive features, such as the Patented S.Turbo acoustic design, resonant back cavity, electronic and physical five-way crossover, 22 pairs of ear tips included, Hi-Res Audio certified, please visit the product page on our website.
 
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Mar 19, 2025 at 6:58 AM Post #36 of 225
I had the FX15 which had really good treble but just wasn't my taste. I bet these will be awesome in the treble.
 
Mar 19, 2025 at 7:15 AM Post #37 of 225
They finish making good IEM-s after FH9...

Now we have FX17 with crazy price which is hard to explain looking at how poor their previous models were.
Well,

Considering the build quality and what's inside, the price is very reasonable compared to competitors.

Then, the main thing remains to be heard : the quality of the tuning. :beerchug:
 
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Mar 19, 2025 at 7:25 AM Post #38 of 225
FX15 didn't really get much attention.
Let's see who's brave enough and has the cash to PTT on this FX17. Looking forward for some impressions.
 
Mar 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM Post #39 of 225
Others do well with just 4 est so 8 est are first time I have seen in an IEM maybe there are some IEM out there which also have 8est or even more.
But est are most expensive component in drivers.
Fiio has proven they can tune very nice IEMs with few drivers but now why this driver madness

EST are simply faster than BA. Speed = resolution.

If they implement this correctly, it has potential to shake up the competition.

Using Knowles BA for mids was a smart move. In my experience, it's less colorful or euphoric than sonion BA, so theoretically more accurate.

These type of design ideas (striving for neutral mids, and EE covering more trebles) seems similar to top "TOTL" IEMs.

The only possible "weakness" from a transparency view, would be the single driver for bass, instead of a double driver, which in my experience has been superior for performance.

Relying on a single bass driver may = having more bass textures (harmonics) from a large Single driver. Yet that can arguably be just as satisfying. Like the trend of how DD bass is more appealing than BA bass, and how planar bass more appealing than DD bass, due to their own specific timbres.

I see it selling around $1500 (US), which is very competitive for that price range. So it looks very, very good.
 
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Mar 19, 2025 at 10:24 PM Post #43 of 225
I had the FX15 which had really good treble but just wasn't my taste. I bet these will be awesome in the treble.
The FX17 IEM is FiiO's second DD+BA+EST hybrid electrostatic model, developed based on the FX15 and serving as the flagship of the FX series. It is currently FiiO's most premium-priced earphone.


The FX17 project was initiated in 2023 and was first showcased at the 2024 Beijing International Headphone Expo. Since then, it has undergone continuous refinements, including sound optimization, exterior design modifications, material changes, and upgrades to cables and connectors—essentially every detail affecting sound quality has been improved. From its initial showcase to mass production, the FX17 has gone through three different design iterations. As a flagship model in the $1400+ category, the final design embraces a minimalist yet luxurious aesthetic, ensuring a refined and elegant presentation.


Acoustically, the FX17 follows the tuning philosophy of the FX15, with its most distinctive feature being the use of Sonion electrostatic drivers. Since electrostatic drivers have relatively low sensitivity, the FX15 had a lower overall sensitivity to enhance the presence of the electrostatic units. It even featured an electrostatic switch to allow users to fully appreciate the unique characteristics of electrostatic drivers. Similarly, the FX17 adopts the same crossover approach as the FX15, with the electrostatic drivers covering a wide treble and super treble range. The FX17 utilizes an array of 8 electrostatic drivers, not only increasing treble density but also improving sensitivity, making it easier to drive.
 
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Mar 20, 2025 at 3:11 AM Post #44 of 225
The FX17 IEM is FiiO's second DD+BA+EST hybrid electrostatic model, developed based on the FX15 and serving as the flagship of the FX series. It is currently FiiO's most premium-priced earphone.


The FX17 project was initiated in 2023 and was first showcased at the 2024 Beijing International Headphone Expo. Since then, it has undergone continuous refinements, including sound optimization, exterior design modifications, material changes, and upgrades to cables and connectors—essentially every detail affecting sound quality has been improved. From its initial showcase to mass production, the FX17 has gone through three different design iterations. As a flagship model in the $1400+ category, the final design embraces a minimalist yet luxurious aesthetic, ensuring a refined and elegant presentation.


Acoustically, the FX17 follows the tuning philosophy of the FX15, with its most distinctive feature being the use of Sonion electrostatic drivers. Since electrostatic drivers have relatively low sensitivity, the FX15 had a lower overall sensitivity to enhance the presence of the electrostatic units. It even featured an electrostatic switch to allow users to fully appreciate the unique characteristics of electrostatic drivers. Similarly, the FX17 adopts the same crossover approach as the FX15, with the electrostatic drivers covering a wide treble and super treble range. The FX17 utilizes an array of 8 electrostatic drivers, not only increasing treble density but also improving sensitivity, making it easier to drive.
Since this is such a high price product, any chance for a tour in Europe? Even though we have the possibility to buy and return it if we don't like it, I prefer not to. Trying before buying is recommended at this price.
 
Mar 20, 2025 at 3:42 AM Post #45 of 225
Since this is such a high price product, any chance for a tour in Europe? Even though we have the possibility to buy and return it if we don't like it, I prefer not to. Trying before buying is recommended at this price.
Hi, may i ask where are you from?
 
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