[sidecross]

I would wish fiio would make more of their cables after market available with swap-able end fittings for 3.5mm and balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm.

 

[Whitigir]

Looks like fun, but $299 is CraZy talk. Bring it down $50-100 @FiiO and you'll sell 10x more.

This is a space I'd love to see some real inovation in, so I'll be keeping an eye on these. I'm a big fan of open designs while doing basic outdoor work or projects around the house. I'm actively writting this wearing the Galaxy Buds Live, outside sipping coffee. I'd bet this Fiio model would sound a lot better, and easily connectable to my DAP or BT gadgets.

10x of $299 is $2,990 where as 10x50 is only $500.....big differences

 

[LoneRanger]

meringo said:
Looks like fun, but $299 is CraZy talk. Bring it down $50-100 @FiiO and you'll sell 10x more.

This is a space I'd love to see some real inovation in, so I'll be keeping an eye on these. I'm a big fan of open designs while doing basic outdoor work or projects around the house. I'm actively writting this wearing the Galaxy Buds Live, outside sipping coffee. I'd bet this Fiio model would sound a lot better, and easily connectable to my DAP or BT gadgets.

10x of $299 is $2,990 where as 10x50 is only $500.....big differences

I don't think that's what @meringo meant, as your example is not showing figures of 10x more.......your example is just showing like for like sales at different prices!!

If they sold 10@ $299 = $2,990 but if they sold 10x more (i.e. 100 @ $50) then that would = $5,000........big differences indeed, which would get even bigger once you get into 100 & 1,000s.....

 

[sidecross]

meringo said:
Looks like fun, but $299 is CraZy talk. Bring it down $50-100 @FiiO and you'll sell 10x more.

This is a space I'd love to see some real inovation in, so I'll be keeping an eye on these. I'm a big fan of open designs while doing basic outdoor work or projects around the house. I'm actively writting this wearing the Galaxy Buds Live, outside sipping coffee. I'd bet this Fiio model would sound a lot better, and easily connectable to my DAP or BT gadgets.



I don't think that's what @meringo meant, as your example is not showing figures of 10x more.......your example is just showing like for like sales at different prices!!

If they sold 10@ $299 = $2,990 but if they sold 10x more (i.e. 100 @ $50) then that would = $5,000........big differences indeed, which would get even bigger once you get into 100 & 1,000s.....

I would agree the market is widening for mobile use of iem or ear buds, I currently use powerbeats pro and airpod pro for this use, and where wired versions make their use still problematic for me.

 

[digititus]

10x of $299 is $2,990 where as 10x50 is only $500.....big differences

What @LoneRanger said.

 

[rantng]

The swap-able plugs are nice, but I would've also liked to see a detachable cable at this price.

 

[fonkepala]

*well into the boutique world.

I can't name a single earbud that costs this much (not to say they don't exist) IDK....

IIRC, the CAX Red Dragon earbud runs close to a grand now. But that price tag comes with a custom tuning of the sound to the customer's exact liking, quality parts (no fancy material for the driver, granted) and the full attention of the maker. Fiio is a big company with relatively massive production facilities compared to the one man show that's behind the CAX Red Dragon. Taking economies of scale into account, the price point at which Fiio decided to place this seems more and more suspect, IMO...

 

[emusic13]

Looks as if quite a few people here need to check out the earbud thread https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/
Not all earbuds are your cheap run of the mill throwaways anymore. There are earbuds definitely worth more than $50- $100 and can sound better than many IEMs albeit no isolation. There's a reason why there's still a market. People who want headphone-like sound quality in a small form factor or want to hear their surroundings. Nontheless $300 still seems a bit much for this. $200-250, I'd buy.

 

[Cat Music]

The swap-able plugs are nice, but I would've also liked to see a detachable cable at this price.

yes, especially if the cable breaks, bye cable = bye headset

 

[meringo]

yes, especially if the cable breaks, bye cable = bye headset

Depends on how they treat the warranty. If they make people jump through hoops, or don't warrant cable issues, then its a no go. If they DO, then they've still got my attention. Periodic carries a 5-year warranty and doesn't seem to question the issue, so If Fiio does something similar already or on this model, then awesome.

I'm trying hard not to want these, but they really have my attention. I think a lot of people are pointing out legitimate issues in terms of value and long-term durability -- @FiiO prove us wrong. I want this one to be a winner haha

 

[Saoshyant]

I would feel a little more comfortable if the cable was detachable, especially given the modular nature of this cable. Assuming a decent warranty, I'm more curious about the sound as that would ultimately be the deciding factor for me.

 

[sidecross]

I would feel a little more comfortable if the cable was detachable, especially given the modular nature of this cable. Assuming a decent warranty, I'm more curious about the sound as that would ultimately be the deciding factor for me.

I would agree, there are not many iem's or earbuds that are five years old that have not been surpassed by newer micro-electronic products.

 

[GREQ]

The flute design is innovative! I bet they are printing using Carbon 3D, which is slick AF. Well, if these deliver on headphone/iem detail/bass/stage/image etc while being an earbud, I can see 300 in value. They need to really knock it out of the park with this flute tho.

By definition, this literally isn't innovative.
Innovation requires new ideas.
It is just curvy long tube, which is exactly what you will find on Aiwa's high-end earbuds from 1988.

There are also a handful of boutique earbud makers in South East Asia emulating these designs and ideas for a while.


The 3D printing however is a rather excellent idea.
That's definitely taking a big advantage of increasingly more affordable 3D printing technology for big companies.

 

[sidecross]

By definition, this literally isn't innovative.
Innovation requires new ideas.
It is just curvy long tube, which is exactly what you will find on Aiwa's high-end earbuds from 1988.

There are also a handful of boutique earbud makers in South East Asia emulating these designs and ideas for a while.


The 3D printing however is a rather excellent idea.
That's definitely taking a big advantage of increasingly more affordable 3D printing technology for big companies.

3D printing is a big game changer and will show more development in the future.

 

[FiiO]

The success of the 4th generation 3D printing process used to create the EM5 is due in large part to the use of skin-friendly, EU IIA medical grade certified resin. Not only is this glossy resin durable and not prone to color fading, it is also gentle and comfortable on your skin.