[fooltoque]

Thanks, I was really surprised a store would have some listed as available, that’s why I asked. It would have been nice if we both could have gotten a set.

It was just my misunderstanding from the beginning. I don't read Japanese, so it wasn't until i put it through the translator that i noticed the "out of stock". Sorry to get your hopes up

 

[Carrow]

My E1008s may in fact be a catch and release - a little on the dark side for me. HMU if any interest

 

[passie42]

Hi,
I wanted to add earbuds to my collection of headphones and IEM’s.
I was hoping if someone could give me some advice.
I can choose between a set of used EM5 for 110,- euro, a new set of FF3 for 119,- euro and a new FF5 for 139,- euro. Which one is the best for me to buy and why?
classic pop, classic rock and current pop are my thing.

kind regards,
Pascal

 

[fooltoque]

Hi,
I wanted to add earbudsvto my collection of headphones and IEM’s.
I was hoping if someone could give me some advice.
I can choose between a set of used EM5 for 110,- euro, a new set of FF3 for 119,- euro and a new FF5 for 139,- euro. Which one is the best for me to buy and why?
classic pop, classic rock and current pop are my thing.

kind regards,
Pascal

I have all 3 of them, so I can at least talk about my experience with them.

I like the EM5 the least out of the 3. Something in the tuning irritates my ears, and the shape makes them hard to fit.

The FF3 is bassy. To me it gives an authoritative presentation. Overall tuning I think appeals to a broader range of people. Several people on this thread have remarked that it has a 'special something' that makes it the standout in the FiiO's earbud lineup.

FF5 is clean and detailed. It focuses more on mids and treble. The bass is clean but de-emphasized. To me it is an intimate sounding earbud, and I think the lack of instrument separation is its biggest weakness. That said, I like it the best of the 3 personally for its tuning.

To sum up. If you like thumpy, go for the FF3, otherwise FF5. I think classic rock would sound better on FF3, but a lot of pop songs will sound better on FF5.

 

[passie42]

I have all 3 of them, so I can at least talk about my experience with them.

I like the EM5 the least out of the 3. Something in the tuning irritates my ears, and the shape makes them hard to fit.

The FF3 is bassy. To me it gives an authoritative presentation. Overall tuning I think appeals to a broader range of people. Several people on this thread have remarked that it has a 'special something' that makes it the standout in the FiiO's earbud lineup.

FF5 is clean and detailed. It focuses more on mids and treble. The bass is clean but de-emphasized. To me it is an intimate sounding earbud, and I think the lack of instrument separation is its biggest weakness. That said, I like it the best of the 3 personally for its tuning.

To sum up. If you like thumpy, go for the FF3, otherwise FF5. I think classic rock would sound better on FF3, but a lot of pop songs will sound better on FF5.

Thanks a lot for your answer!
Based on the reviews I read I was about to buy the em5 but now I am having doubts. You are making it difficult for me
Based on the fact you have all 3 I am willing to believe what you say. I also had some doubts because I rather buy new earbuds instead of second hand but the reviews were praising the em5 as the best earbuds ever made.
So back to google to check the ff5 reviews.
Is it possible to describe what is irritating you? I have average ears so I think fitting them will be no problem but the fact they irritate you might be a problem.
You can see in my signature what I own and what I send back…did you try any of the IEM’s or headphones I have? Recently I bought the 1more penta p50 and I like them a lot. I am a average dude so I like my treble, the mids and bass also average. I am not a basshead and no treblehead but I do like some bass and treble. Just average. Not dark.
Again, thank you for your response because I may change my decision based on what you said.

 

[fooltoque]

Thanks a lot for your answer!
Based on the reviews I read I was about to buy the em5 but now I am having doubts. You are making it difficult for me

Sorry about that

Is it possible to describe what is irritating you? I have average ears so I think fitting them will be no problem but the fact they irritate you might be a problem.

I've described this before as a 'dirty' sound that is difficult for me to explain any other way. Other people in the thread seem to have no idea what I'm talking about, so it is maybe something unique to my ears. However, a general consensus that I've seen on this thread (not universal) is that the FF3/5 are preferred to the EM5.

I am a average dude so I like my treble, the mids and bass also average. I am not a basshead and no treblehead but I do like some bass and treble. Just average. Not dark.

Based on that description I'd go for the FF5 out of the 3. It is a great sounding bud, and I don't think you can go wrong with it.

Sound is so personal though, so it would be best to get other opinions as well.

 

[FlacFan]

Thanks a lot for your answer!
Based on the reviews I read I was about to buy the em5 but now I am having doubts. You are making it difficult for me
Based on the fact you have all 3 I am willing to believe what you say. I also had some doubts because I rather buy new earbuds instead of second hand but the reviews were praising the em5 as the best earbuds ever made.
So back to google to check the ff5 reviews.
Is it possible to describe what is irritating you? I have average ears so I think fitting them will be no problem but the fact they irritate you might be a problem.
You can see in my signature what I own and what I send back…did you try any of the IEM’s or headphones I have? Recently I bought the 1more penta p50 and I like them a lot. I am a average dude so I like my treble, the mids and bass also average. I am not a basshead and no treblehead but I do like some bass and treble. Just average. Not dark.
Again, thank you for your response because I may change my decision based on what you said.

If you have the ability to get both from Amazon you can test them for 30 days and keep the winner.
Cheers

 

[jmaranto]

This thread is dedicated to Tom (@HungryPanda), our friend and fellow earbuds lover that we lost to COVID-19.

Please DO NOT PM me for any question.

Sennheiser MX985, Blox TM7, Venture Electronic Zen 1.0, Rose Technology Mojito.

From top to bottom, left to right:
Audio Technica ATH-CM999
Dasetn Mod M760
Dasetn MC5
Musa SP2
Hifikiwi (晨光M&G) 'Lyrebird' H1
Hifikiwi (晨光M&G) 'Honey Buzzard' H1
Ucotech ES1003

Tingo TC200
HiSound AS-Feeling
Pioneer SE-CE521
Sidy (BGVP) DX1
HiSound AS-Miss
HiSound AS-Charm
Boarseman MX98s

Panasonic RP-HZE70
Tingo TC-100
Tingo TG-38S
HiSound PAA-1
HiSound PAA-1 Pro
HiSound Living
1More金澈 (EO320)

Ucotech ES903
Ostry KC08
MrZ (MusicMaker / ToneKing) Ting
MrZ (MusicMaker / ToneKing) Tomahawk
NineWave Studio Pro
JiuShao E600
JiuShao E300

From top to bottom, left to right:
Blox MC2
Hifiman ES100
湖西小筑DIY DDM
Yuin PK1
Creative Air
Headphone Association 400ohm
AKG K319

FiiO EM3 retail
Apple stock (2nd Gen.)
DUNU Alpha 1
VE Asura 1.0 beta
VE Zen 1.0
B&O A8 (Earphone / Earset 3I)
Audio Technica ATH-CM707

FiiO EM3 (M3 stock)
BenQ Stock (Sennheiser MX500 equal)
Shozy Cygnus
VE Asura 2.0
Sennheiser MX760
Marshall Minor

Panasonic HJ329
Sovov S20
SoundMAGIC PH-10
AKG K311
Sony E888
Sennheiser MX985
Panasonic RP-HV600

From top to bottom, left to right:
M1N (水月雨) V5
M1N (水月雨) VX
Sidy KT100
潜69
潜39
潜25
VE Asura 1.0 final

Final Audio Design Piano Forte II
JVC HA-F130
Baldoor E100
Celsus Sound Gramo One
Sennheiser MX50
Beyerdynamic DP100
VE Zen 2.0 Balanced

Vsonic UU2
AKG Y15
Sennheiser MX581
Sennheiser MX580
SoundMAGIC EP30
Edifier H101
Edifier H190

Blox ANV3
Blox TM7
潜25 red/blue edtion
Edifier H180
Edifier H185
Audio Technica ATH-CHX7
Edifier H186P

Blox BX III (TM7 beta）
Rose Technology Mojito
CrossRoads HR2
CrossRoads HR1

Left to right:
Hifikiwi (晨光M&G) 'Lyrebird' H2
VE Monk+
Fareal (original)
Pai Audio 3.14 (PR1)

Sound Tuner's 'Queen'
TY (Hi-Z) 400ohm
VE Monk
MrZ (MusicMaker / ToneKing) TO300

Ucotech ES1103
舜仕01B (Extraordinary Sound ESP-01B)
Fareal 64ohm 1.0
Fareall 300ohm 2.0

Fareal 64ohm 2.0
AuGlamour RX-1
TY (Hi-Z) HP-400s

DaiK DK-宋 (Song)
MoonDrop (水月雨） VX Pro
PureSound (醇声) PS100-500Ω Extreme Edition (= Classic Edition) Balanced

T&Y Audio (腾阳) 16ohm
T&Y Audio (腾阳) 300ohm
MrZ (MusicMaker / ToneKing) TY2

Atomic Floyd AirJax Sport
HY耳机 (HY Headphone) HY-1

TY (Hi-Z) 32ohm
TY (Hi-Z) HP-650
K's Earphone 500ohm Balanced

Yuin OK1
bengkelMACRO Edimun V3

Sennheiser MX375
Rose Technology Masya
VSONIC VSD3P
Sony Ericsson HPM-62 (recabled)

Sanyo EAH-Z3E
1MORE E320 Piston Earphone
Shozy BK (Stardust) Balanced

Yinman HiFi (音曼) 醇净2.0 500ohm
Rose Technology 64ohm
Heavenly Sound Concerto

Koss KE7
Koss KE10
**** PT15

Z-sound
1MORE E1008 hybrid dual driver
Lenovo 500

道具工厂(Prop's Factory) 1E39
BingZu (冰族) 梅花 (Plum)
Yincrow (音可若瓦) X6

QingYin (磬音坊) QY-550 Silver
QingYin (磬音坊) QY-550 Gold
PureSound (醇声) PS100-600Ω Balanced
PureSound (醇声) PS100-64Ω

AKG K318
Koss KDE/250

AKG Y10
AKG Y16A
NTT DoCoMo P01 (stock earphone for NTT DoCoMo FOMA P901iTV)

Kube 2 (a.k.a EK2 or EarKube 2)
Orin Sound Orin-300ohm
VJJB C1s
Handel SS-300

K's (凯) earphone K64 (64ohm 福利塞)
K's (凯) earphone 300ohm v2
K's (凯) earphone 500ohm 轮回 v2

Astrotec Lyra Classic (Lyra 3rd Gen.）
Svara L

Hi-Z HP-314P
PMV B01 Aoede
Sunrise SW-Dragon 2

K's (凯) earphone K200
Shozy Cygnus(?) Limited Edition
FaShaoZhe (发烧者) M90

NiceHCK EB200
NiceHCK DIY PK2
Vido (原道) stock earbud

SeaHF (虫哥) 400ohm new edition
Yinman HiFi (音曼) 醇净2.0 150ohm
MoonDrop (水月雨) Liebesleid (爱之悲)

**** Tank
DaiK DK-Song(宋) High Impedance Edition 155ohm
OURART Ti7

**** Z&W
Aidex ADX-SII-10001 (a.k.a. NineWave NW-Studio)
K's 300ohm (latest)

Seahf AWK-F64
Seahf 32ohm (latest)
NiceHCK DIY Graphene

南飞科技 QY-888 (previously known as QingYin 磬音坊)
Walnut E1

Moondrop (水月雨) Nameless / 无名
潜韵 (Qian) 潜69 2nd Gen.
YinCrow RW-777

JTS WM-42
Plextone X30mw
Plextone X33m
Z&W Panda (PK2S) Balanced

匠音 双动圈平头塞 (dual dynamic)
Toneking Unicorn
调音师 / 宏韵电声 HY1000 (方丈)
Z&W Panda (PK2S)

Svara Pro
NiceHCK EBX

Benjie BJ-49
K's Earphones 'White Bell' (White Ling)
K's Earphones 'Black Bell' (Black Ling)
K's Earphones / FinalAcoustics Poseidon

BGVP DX3
Penon BS-1 Official

Excellent work i love this thread <3

 

[passie42]

Sorry about that

I've described this before as a 'dirty' sound that is difficult for me to explain any other way. Other people in the thread seem to have no idea what I'm talking about, so it is maybe something unique to my ears. However, a general consensus that I've seen on this thread (not universal) is that the FF3/5 are preferred to the EM5.

Based on that description I'd go for the FF5 out of the 3. It is a great sounding bud, and I don't think you can go wrong with it.

Sound is so personal though, so it would be best to get other opinions as well.

Ok. I made a decision.
I am going for the ff5.
It’s what I read, the fact they will be new (not second hand like the em5) and your advice that made me make this decision. I thought that because the em5 cost twice as much as the ff5 there must be something special about them but maybe that’s not always the case.
Anyway I am confident I made the right decision.
Thanks a lot for the advice!

 

[fooltoque]

If you have the ability to get both from Amazon you can test them for 30 days and keep the winner.
Cheers

I think this is the correct answer. Well it depends on the country I think. In Japan the return policies are tougher than most.

 

[passie42]

I think this is the correct answer. Well it depends on the country I think. In Japan the return policies are tougher than most.

I am ordering from a store where you can pay your order in three parts. At the moment this is very convenient for me. They do have a 30 day return policy but I can not order 2 products at the same time.

 

[anli]

praising the em5 as the best earbuds ever made.

What is the date of that review?

 

[passie42]

Most are from 2020. Even here on head-fi

https://soundnews.net/headphones/iems/fiio-em5-review-a-trip-down-the-memory-lane/

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-em5.24708/

https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-em5-review/4/

https://moonstarreviews.net/fiio-em5-earbud-review/

https://everydaylistening.net/2020/10/09/fiio-em5-review-reincarnation/2/

https://headphone.guru/fiio-em5-beryllium-coated-dynamic-driver-earbuds/

https://iem.reviews/2021/03/30/fiio-em5-hi-five/

https://twister6.com/2020/10/06/fiio-em5/

They all praise the em5 which make me doubt the decision to buy the ff5

 

[anli]

Most are from 2020. Even here on head-fi

https://soundnews.net/headphones/iems/fiio-em5-review-a-trip-down-the-memory-lane/

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-em5.24708/

https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-em5-review/4/

https://moonstarreviews.net/fiio-em5-earbud-review/

https://everydaylistening.net/2020/10/09/fiio-em5-review-reincarnation/2/

https://headphone.guru/fiio-em5-beryllium-coated-dynamic-driver-earbuds/

https://iem.reviews/2021/03/30/fiio-em5-hi-five/

https://twister6.com/2020/10/06/fiio-em5/

They all praise the em5 which make me doubt the decision to buy the ff5

Three years is a long time, I guess. Especially for Chi-Fi.

 

[rkw]

They all praise the em5 which make me doubt the decision to buy the ff5

For myself, I didn't get along with the EM5: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/post-16979622
Also see the posts before and after mine.