[Croptop]

How are these with sound leakage in a quiet room?

I have recently had to grudgingly part with EX1 because I could not use either in my office space, and have been looking at Titan 3s as the more closed set.

I have not specifically tested the F5s in a quiet room but I have tried turning the volume up to higher than my normal listening level and then putting the earbuds down on my desk and the audible sound is minimal. Of course, my ears are old so, as always, your mileage may vary.

 

[superuser1]

How are these with sound leakage in a quiet room?

I have recently had to grudgingly part with EX1 because I could not use either in my office space, and have been looking at Titan 3s as the more closed set.

Well both the F5 and the Titan 3 are relatively silent in a quiet room! But then again the operative word is relative.
Both have very different sound signatures IMO.

 

[dprtsk]

I have not specifically tested the F5s in a quiet room but I have tried turning the volume up to higher than my normal listening level and then putting the earbuds down on my desk and the audible sound is minimal. Of course, my ears are old so, as always, your mileage may vary.

Thank you, this helps, even though I've noticed that sound leak is amplified significantly when the EX1 were in-ear. Must be due to the ear acting as an acoustic amplifier.

Well both the F5 and the Titan 3 are relatively silent in a quiet room! But then again the operative word is relative.
Both have very different sound signatures IMO.

Can you comment of the difference in sound signature? I was under the impression that they should be similarly less v-shaped than the titan 1, and less bassy than the titan 5.

I'm thinking more and more that I should just buy the EX1 off Ali for cheap for when I want that wow soundstage, and keep looking for the ones I'm going to be able to use in the office. I mostly work to EDM, so there's always a rather discernible beat that leaks through much better than more acoustic tracks do.

 

[superuser1]

Thank you, this helps, even though I've noticed that sound leak is amplified significantly when the EX1 were in-ear. Must be due to the ear acting as an acoustic amplifier.



Can you comment of the difference in sound signature? I was under the impression that they should be similarly less v-shaped than the titan 1, and less bassy than the titan 5.

I'm thinking more and more that I should just buy the EX1 off Ali for cheap for when I want that wow soundstage, and keep looking for the ones I'm going to be able to use in the office. I mostly work to EDM, so there's always a rather discernible beat that leaks through much better than more acoustic tracks do.

Well The F5 for one is on the warm side of neutral and thats where the major difference with the EX1. The highs are rolled off without it seemingly having an adverse impact on the musicality. The soundstage on the EX1, as you correctly mentioned, is exceptional. That owing to that the entire sound has a distinct and different character from the F5. I would apologise for not being able to articulate satisfactorily.

 

[superuser1]

It seems that my right side unit has connection problems. Tried a few mmcx cables and when moving slightly the signal gets cut. Anyone experiencing something similar?

 

[moedawg140]

It seems that my right side unit has connection problems. Tried a few mmcx cables and when moving slightly the signal gets cut. Anyone experiencing something similar?

There were first batches that had some connectivity issues (as documented in this thread). Contact FiiO, and they will take care of you.

 

[superuser1]

There were first batches that had some connectivity issues (as documented in this thread). Contact FiiO, and they will take care of you.

I did contact them and while they sent me replacement cables it seems that is not where the problem lies. I did ask them what if the unit is faulty or the connection on the unit is faulty. Unfortunately i haven't yet received an answer.

 

[moedawg140]

I did contact them and while they sent me replacement cables it seems that is not where the problem lies. I did ask them what if the unit is faulty or the connection on the unit is faulty. Unfortunately i haven't yet received an answer.

Ah, okay. I agree, it may be the units themselves. I'm sure they will get to you in due time and more than likely replace the units for you, especially since we are all very much within warranty.

 

[superuser1]

Thank you for those reassuring words.

 

[aangen]

Would you like an internet hug to go with the reassuring words?

 

[moedawg140]

Thank you for those reassuring words.

For sure.

Hope you have an awesome rest of your weekend. (Imagine a dark-skinned fist bump)

 

[superuser1]

Would you like an internet hug to go with the reassuring words?

Yes but not from you

 

[aangen]

Respect!

 

[George Taylor]

Let me start by admitting up front, I generally am not a fan of IEMs. I'm not comfortable wearing them, and have never had any that compared (to me) to any of my full headphones. That has changed with the F5s. There has been a learning curve with them, how do they connect to the wiring. Getting the tips on them the first time was a lot of fun, for an older and not full of finger dexterity kind of guy. But having gotten past those issues, good lord these sound amazing. To me, they don't sound like IEMs. They sound like actual over ear headphones. They have depth to them I've never encountered with the others I've tried in the past. And such well rounded, full sound. Not lacking in anything. They sound so good out of my phone that I had to try them with my amp. And was once again surprised at how much like headphones they sound. Love them and highly recommend them to anyone looking to try something in the price range.

 

[dprtsk]

Brief feedback:


Compared to EX1:

• Larger, and less ergonomic.
• The black paint will scratch, soon.
• Less sibilant (EX1s were borderline for me), yet still very detailed.
• Bass is detailed, punchy, deep. Can’t comment from memory on how it compares, but I can’t say it’s worse. In any case, it’s great.
• Soundstage is similar.
• Vocals are much much better, actually there and enjoyable.
• Much less noise leaked, still a lot. I don’t turn my iPhone past half. This is okay volume for a quiet office anyway so I’m content.
• Straight jack = <3

These are definitely not going back.

EDIT:
Took them on the plane. Two observations:

1. Cannot lay down with them - they stick out and hurt the ear if pushed.
2. The noise isolation is sufficient, I find. Not even close to a closed set can do, obviously. I found that listening to a podcast with the F5s I drifted away to sleep, whereas with the RE-400 and their better insulation, I could not - the voices were too clear. Take this as you will.

Comparison to RE-400 (my main earphone prior to the F5):

• F5 wins soundstage, unfair to even compare. On some tracks it's mind-blowing, honestly. Sometimes I could swear the sound is coming from outside the earphone, and take it off to check.
• RE-400 wins for upper-mids to treble: higher male vocals and female vocals as well as woodwind instruments are much more natural, and more detailed.
  
• For bass, the situation is exactly the opposite - F5 has the body and texture that RE-400 completely lacks. These are not bass-head earphones, but they scratch the brain just enough to satisfy.
• I find the RE-400 to be less distracting: I put them on and forget about them, while with the F5s I'm more 'distracted' by the music. I attribute this mostly to the more engaging sound, and partly to the bulkier build. With the F5s it's "we're listening to music", while with the RE-400 it's "there's music playing". I may continue to use the RE-400 in the office.

Thoughts:

• Hardcore jazz/sax fans may want to look further than the F5s if even the RE-400 are noticeably more pleasant.
• EDM fans avoid the RE-400. F5 is great for minimal techno (big room sound extravaganza) and all sorts of house.
• Rock is a mixed bag with either - depends on the type and on the mastering. F5 is miiiles better than the EX1 though, with the latter NIN, Glitch Mob and anything dark was so dull it was sad.
• The F5 is not a perfect earphone by any means, and isn't an overall better earphone than the RE-400, but they are much better in some of the ways in which I sought improvement. I'll be keeping both.

One last note: All testing done on iPhone. When tested with an inline 75Ω Ohm resistor adapter, the upper registers popped on the F5, and female vocals became fantastic. This probably makes them pretty source-dependent, and a good candidate for amping.