FA7, the first Quad drivers IEM from FiiO , all Knowles BAs and 3D printed technical , MMCX design

[Moonstar]

Thank you, I liked your review

Nice review, thanks for taking the time to write and share it.

Thank you for your comments

 

[DarKu]

Hey guys, my video review is also ready, I hope you like it.
PS: be gentle, it is our second video

 

[JamesFiiO]

Hey guys, my video review is also ready, I hope you like it.
PS: be gentle, it is our second video

thanks, great review.

 

[magicalmouse]

Hi, does anyone know of any flange eartips that will fit these other than the fiio ones?

thanks

d

 

[FiiO]

Hi, does anyone know of any flange eartips that will fit these other than the fiio ones?

thanks

d

Dear friend,

FA7 max size of the sound tube is 5.5mm. So it's recommended to buy ear tips which inner diameter are between 4-5mm.

Best regards

 

[FastAndClean]

 

[TheoS53]

Lol, I was just about to post this. Thanks.

 

[Mantrox]

Just returned my FH5's since they developed a hole where they had a crease on the ear guides from taking them in and out so much.
I was about to buy the FA7's but i'm on the fence.

I like the FH5's sound, but the color scheme no so much.
The FA7's look amazing, right up my alley, but i'm not sure about the sound.

Does anybody have some FH5 vs FA7 impressions?
Could it be considered an improvement, or more of a different sound signature?

Edit: Nevermind, there were some clarifying impressions posted earlier.

 

[Papa253]

Just returned my FH5's since they developed a hole where they had a crease on the ear guides from taking them in and out so much.
I was about to buy the FA7's but i'm on the fence.

I like the FH5's sound, but the color scheme no so much.
The FA7's look amazing, right up my alley, but i'm not sure about the sound.

Does anybody have some FH5 vs FA7 impressions?
Could it be considered an improvement, or more of a different sound signature?

Edit: Nevermind, there were some clarifying impressions posted earlier.

I auditioned both for a few days, needless to say I'll keep the fa7's.
For me the fa7's sound more detailed and had a tighter bass, had a much better seal in my ears.

So for me the fiio fa7 was the better choice.

 

[human bass]

I auditioned both for a few days, needless to say I'll keep the fa7's.
For me the fa7's sound more detailed and had a tighter bass, had a much better seal in my ears.

So for me the fiio fa7 was the better choice.

Fiio really needs to make the nozzle of the fh5 a tad longer.

 

[Mantrox]

I just had the FA7's for a couple of days, and it seems like these are not for me.

The seal is better than the FH5 but they make a little too much pressure on the ear canal, even with the smallest tips.
The sound has bit more detail on the higher frequencies but the bass is plain weird compared to the FH5's; it's missing the punch.
The sound stage is a bit more closed.
But the killer was the fit. the resin feels great; the finish and looks are awsome but that tip that's supposed to be snug on your ear, just bumps against it creating that awful pain a few minutes after insertion.

Coming from the FH5's, these felt like a step backwards in terms of fit and sound quality.
I'm going to return them, and see if i can buy a pair of the clack version of the FH5's or something else entirely.

 

[06S2k07Si]

My quick review of the FIIO FH5 and FA7

DAP used: Questyle QP1R

Tips used: medium foam supplied in FIIO box

No break in time was given (yes I know this can make a difference...I just didn't want to wait)

I've been demoing the FH5 and the FA7 for just over 10 days now. There are aspects of both that I really like but still can't decide which ones I'll keep... (if any due to the new and yet to be released FH7 coming soon!). I'll agree with most that the complete resin chassis of the FA7 feels much better to the touch than the aluminum of the FA5...certainly not a deal breaker though. From a fit standpoint personally I can go either way. The FH5's aluminum is always a bit cold to the touch upon first insertion but quickly goes away. My ears don't seem to have any issue with fitment or insertion depth...again, for me, either fits nicely in my ears. I do like that the FA7's are notably lighter. Comfort on both are similar in my ears. As a quick note...the FH5's do leak quite a bit of sound (my wife noticed this yesterday when she was sitting across the couch from me). She said that this was quite annoying! . As a comparison and in the same location the FA7's could not be heard at all according to her. So note this if any of these are to be used in an environment where being quiet is a must! Isolation on both is quite good from the user standpoint. I would think they would be quite good in an airplane setting... one place I will be using these.

Sound

Both have their pros and cons. On a whole, I prefer the sound signature of the FH5's better. The bass impact/punch is hard not to like. I also prefer the amount of high end sparkle. They also have better dynamics and overall impact...this is very difficult not to like and I would say is the main reason I prefer the overall signature of these better. However, the highs at a moderate to loud volume, CAN be a bit too much or very slightly harsh at times. Source material and recording quality dependent. When listening with the QP1R and adjusting the EQ, this harshness can be eliminated or significantly reduced.

Regarding the FA7's... These are considerably smoother overall and not fatiguing. The main dislike of these is the midbass bloat, especially in male vocals and in some poorly recorded music. Yes there is more detail here and it is noticable over the FH5's...which does make this comparison more difficult to choose one over the other. The bass is good and slightly more detailed than the FH5's but these do not have the impact or dynamics of the latter. The overall high end is not as pronunced as with the FH5's but still more detailed. The FA7's are, as others have said, slightly more closed in or up close sounding and not as open or as spacious as the FH5's...choose your preference here. When adding in some EQ on the QP1R some of the midbass bloat and lower level of the high end sparkle can be addressed and does make enough of a difference to matter. If you are OK using an EQ I do suggest trying this as an option to tailor either of these to your liking. Ideally I'd like to find a set that does not need any EQ but...

I am waiting for a few cable options to arrive to see what changes if any I will see from those. I bought these before I knew about the upcoming release of the FH7's...maybe I'll just return both of these until those come out and are available to try!

Thanks for listening, Brian

 

[Papa253]

My quick review of the FIIO FH5 and FA7

DAP used: Questyle QP1R

Tips used: medium foam supplied in FIIO box

No break in time was given (yes I know this can make a difference...I just didn't want to wait)

I've been demoing the FH5 and the FA7 for just over 10 days now. There are aspects of both that I really like but still can't decide which ones I'll keep... (if any due to the new and yet to be released FH7 coming soon!). I'll agree with most that the complete resin chassis of the FA7 feels much better to the touch than the aluminum of the FA5...certainly not a deal breaker though. From a fit standpoint personally I can go either way. The FH5's aluminum is always a bit cold to the touch upon first insertion but quickly goes away. My ears don't seem to have any issue with fitment or insertion depth...again, for me, either fits nicely in my ears. I do like that the FA7's are notably lighter. Comfort on both are similar in my ears. As a quick note...the FH5's do leak quite a bit of sound (my wife noticed this yesterday when she was sitting across the couch from me). She said that this was quite annoying! . As a comparison and in the same location the FA7's could not be heard at all according to her. So note this if any of these are to be used in an environment where being quiet is a must! Isolation on both is quite good from the user standpoint. I would think they would be quite good in an airplane setting... one place I will be using these.

Sound

Both have their pros and cons. On a whole, I prefer the sound signature of the FH5's better. The bass impact/punch is hard not to like. I also prefer the amount of high end sparkle. They also have better dynamics and overall impact...this is very difficult not to like and I would say is the main reason I prefer the overall signature of these better. However, the highs at a moderate to loud volume, CAN be a bit too much or very slightly harsh at times. Source material and recording quality dependent. When listening with the QP1R and adjusting the EQ, this harshness can be eliminated or significantly reduced.

Regarding the FA7's... These are considerably smoother overall and not fatiguing. The main dislike of these is the midbass bloat, especially in male vocals and in some poorly recorded music. Yes there is more detail here and it is noticable over the FH5's...which does make this comparison more difficult to choose one over the other. The bass is good and slightly more detailed than the FH5's but these do not have the impact or dynamics of the latter. The overall high end is not as pronunced as with the FH5's but still more detailed. The FH7's are, as others have said, slightly more closed in or up close sounding and not as open or as spacious as the FH5's...choose your preference here. When adding in some EQ on the QP1R some of the midbass bloat and lower level of the high end sparkle can be addressed and does make enough of a difference to matter. If you are OK using an EQ I do suggest trying this as an option to tailor either of these to your liking. Ideally I'd like to find a set that does not need any EQ but...

I am waiting for a few cable options to arrive to see what changes if any I will see from those. I bought these before I knew about the upcoming release of the FH7's...maybe I'll just return both of these until those come out and are available to try!

Thanks for listening, Brian

I have just 1 observation, happy Wife happy Life.
Get fa7's!

 

[06S2k07Si]

I have just 1 observation, happy Wife happy Life.
Get fa7's!

Yeah right! I hear ya brother! Can I get an Amen?

 

[397324]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but does the FA7 have a deeper insertion than the FH5? With the FH5, I was always pushing them back in. I have never had any issues like that with any other IEM, so it's definitely the well known short nozzle issue with the FH5.