[ferraro25]

Just got these, and I wonder if I might just hate beryllium drivers. Disappointing sound for the price, just like the ZMF Verite Closed.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Just got these, and I wonder if I might just hate beryllium drivers. Disappointing sound for the price, just like the ZMF Verite Closed.

May you want to explain what gets you mad about?

The FD1, for me, was the opener to my beloved FD5. ^^
Guess it suits people with high freq loss better then me, but it was, and is, a pleasure to plug them in from time to time.
I've recommend the FD1 to an older colleague and he's pleased with.

Though, for me it ain't an iem for higher volumes bc of the high-mids/treble, especially with female fronted metal.

 

[harry501501]

Been a while since I've bought an IEM, took a sabbatical away from this hobby as I wasn't getting the same buzz for the newer stuff in the budget I liked £30-100 mainly. But I am starting back at work again finally after working from home during-covid, so fancied a new toy and at random chose the FD1. From reading here, I thought it was hilarious how polarising the opinions were on the FD1. This is pretty normal I know, but they either have "NO bass" or "far too much bass", "laid back treble" or "shrill, sibilant treble", "recessed mids" or "forward, balanced mids"... and so on. Anyway, I quite like it... I'll start there. From opening and seeing the two different types of tips tho, I was fairly sure from the off why they could be such an enigma and so widely described.

I tried the small-bore tip first. As expected they were a very secure fit and went pretty deep and they tilted slightly angular upwards into the ear canal. The sound was very airy, thinnish, bright, lovely sparkly treble (actually pretty well done), with a very forward vocal. Bass was there, but it was AKG like in that you could sense the sub-bass notes being hit, but bubble-like and fleeting, feint at times depending on the song. I liked it for like an hour... then felt pretty fatigued by the forwardness of that central vocal and a particular upper mid-spike. But I did expect that tho. The fit and the direction the nozzles are inserted seem to project the music in the direction of your forehead or just around the back of the eyes. It gives the soundstage a strange placement, it portrays good depth as you're hearing mids/treble at the front and then sounds at the back/sides in the stereo image. Bass sits centrally. I can see why some may like it, it could give the impression of a holographic soundstage and the sparkly treble gives a good sense of detail.

Moving over to the wide bores tho I got what I expected... a fuller and a more traditional sound. Bass now does have some weight behind the notes, it isn't the most super accurate, but it isn't wooly or loose or overly powerful. It's just nice (well for me). Mids sound slightly recessed, but they are sitting more centrally now and to me sound more natural. The upper mids and lower treble are actually very well done IMO, they are tasteful, natural, and only on certain occasions a tiny bit dry mainly affecting certain vocalists and sitting on that line of sibilance. But I've only come across that on a few occasions, mostly the vocals are actually really nice, with better articulation than I thought they might have. Soundstage is within the head, but I think it's natural and typical in size of earphones in the price bracket... and above tbh. I'm not too sure how the inner workings of the Beryllium driver have been put together, the only other B driver I've come across is the Periodic Audio BE... which was too large for me to get a decent fit, so only foam tips worked... which gave the sound an overly thick sound... with powerful bass response... too much tho for me. BUT funnily enough, with smaller bore silicons held in the right place, the sound also thinned out and became pretty bright and the bass was tamed TOO MUCH lol.

The only other IEM I've had such a similar change in sound with going from traditional smaller silicon tips to a wider bore was the HZSOUND Heart Mirror. Now they do have a much different signature to the FD1, but with smaller silicons wedged way in, the sound of the Heart was also thinner and had the feel of being overly detailed (micro detail especially). But they also sounded bass light, something that comes up in some reviews. Changing over to a wider bore tho makes them much more natural and the bass comes out nicely. The sound warms up, not laid back, but with more body.

Anyway, the FD1 at the price is a great bargain. Lovely fit, great cable. With wide bores, there's a well-done mix of fun, consumer-friendly/audiophile sound. Treble IMO is really well done, very tasteful. Detail is very good, nice macro detail. Bass is punchy and adapts well to different styles of music. Instruments sound 'real'. Soundstage is within the head, maybe just outside it. It's got enough separation tho and imaging is well done, so it's not congested or definitely not small. It's not a V-shaped signature, nor is it totally balanced... it's sitting in between for me... maybe leaning more towards slightly weightier, balanced.

If the Jade Audio set is the same signature but cheaper then that's a helluva deal. But at £55 it's a bargain. I prefer it to the iBasso it01, Spring 1, and DMG... sets that probably share parts of its signature slightly... but of which none of them gets AS RIGHT.

Anyway, hope this helps anyone looking into them.

The FD1 is a great multi-genre earphone.

 

[FiiO]

Been a while since I've bought an IEM, took a sabbatical away from this hobby as I wasn't getting the same buzz for the newer stuff in the budget I liked £30-100 mainly. But I am starting back at work again finally after working from home during-covid, so fancied a new toy and at random chose the FD1. From reading here, I thought it was hilarious how polarising the opinions were on the FD1. This is pretty normal I know, but they either have "NO bass" or "far too much bass", "laid back treble" or "shrill, sibilant treble", "recessed mids" or "forward, balanced mids"... and so on. Anyway, I quite like it... I'll start there. From opening and seeing the two different types of tips tho, I was fairly sure from the off why they could be such an enigma and so widely described.

I tried the small-bore tip first. As expected they were a very secure fit and went pretty deep and they tilted slightly angular upwards into the ear canal. The sound was very airy, thinnish, bright, lovely sparkly treble (actually pretty well done), with a very forward vocal. Bass was there, but it was AKG like in that you could sense the sub-bass notes being hit, but bubble-like and fleeting, feint at times depending on the song. I liked it for like an hour... then felt pretty fatigued by the forwardness of that central vocal and a particular upper mid-spike. But I did expect that tho. The fit and the direction the nozzles are inserted seem to project the music in the direction of your forehead or just around the back of the eyes. It gives the soundstage a strange placement, it portrays good depth as you're hearing mids/treble at the front and then sounds at the back/sides in the stereo image. Bass sits centrally. I can see why some may like it, it could give the impression of a holographic soundstage and the sparkly treble gives a good sense of detail.

Moving over to the wide bores tho I got what I expected... a fuller and a more traditional sound. Bass now does have some weight behind the notes, it isn't the most super accurate, but it isn't wooly or loose or overly powerful. It's just nice (well for me). Mids sound slightly recessed, but they are sitting more centrally now and to me sound more natural. The upper mids and lower treble are actually very well done IMO, they are tasteful, natural, and only on certain occasions a tiny bit dry mainly affecting certain vocalists and sitting on that line of sibilance. But I've only come across that on a few occasions, mostly the vocals are actually really nice, with better articulation than I thought they might have. Soundstage is within the head, but I think it's natural and typical in size of earphones in the price bracket... and above tbh. I'm not too sure how the inner workings of the Beryllium driver have been put together, the only other B driver I've come across is the Periodic Audio BE... which was too large for me to get a decent fit, so only foam tips worked... which gave the sound an overly thick sound... with powerful bass response... too much tho for me. BUT funnily enough, with smaller bore silicons held in the right place, the sound also thinned out and became pretty bright and the bass was tamed TOO MUCH lol.

The only other IEM I've had such a similar change in sound with going from traditional smaller silicon tips to a wider bore was the HZSOUND Heart Mirror. Now they do have a much different signature to the FD1, but with smaller silicons wedged way in, the sound of the Heart was also thinner and had the feel of being overly detailed (micro detail especially). But they also sounded bass light, something that comes up in some reviews. Changing over to a wider bore tho makes them much more natural and the bass comes out nicely. The sound warms up, not laid back, but with more body.

Anyway, the FD1 at the price is a great bargain. Lovely fit, great cable. With wide bores, there's a well-done mix of fun, consumer-friendly/audiophile sound. Treble IMO is really well done, very tasteful. Detail is very good, nice macro detail. Bass is punchy and adapts well to different styles of music. Instruments sound 'real'. Soundstage is within the head, maybe just outside it. It's got enough separation tho and imaging is well done, so it's not congested or definitely not small. It's not a V-shaped signature, nor is it totally balanced... it's sitting in between for me... maybe leaning more towards slightly weightier, balanced.

If the Jade Audio set is the same signature but cheaper then that's a helluva deal. But at £55 it's a bargain. I prefer it to the iBasso it01, Spring 1, and DMG... sets that probably share parts of its signature slightly... but of which none of them gets AS RIGHT.

Anyway, hope this helps anyone looking into them.

The FD1 is a great multi-genre earphone.

Dear friend,

Thanks for sharing the experience. The Jade Audio EA1 is having the same unit as the FD1. But they are not using the same cable and the EA1 does not have the headphone box like the FD1.

Best regards

 

[harry501501]

Had this for a while now and still my go to set. Out of the box it was the tasteful treble that stood out but it's from lower mids and down that are very impressive. It's easier for budget sets to boost the upper mids and treble to push out detail or at least give the impression of lots of detail, but harder to separate instruments and vocals on the lower end... But the FD1 does so very well.

Anyone who thinks these lack bass haven't found the right tip cos they have some of the best lower range in the sub £100 bracket that I've heard. Yeah it can be ever so slightly thick but only occasionally. Lovers of EDM, synths, disco, pop, acoustic guitar, drums, live rock, jazz will really enjoy the FD1. The weight and slam of the low end has this control and accuracy that is done with confidence.

If you're buying this for classical, metal or busy music you should look elsewhere. It hasn't the soundstage width or highs to do them justice. You'll get a lot from lower end instruments but not top end. Perhaps it's partner set will do there?

 

[Dobrescu George]

If you're looking for warm and thicc, and if you want it FiiO, FD1 is the perfect choice to start your audio journey! I make full comparisons with three other popular entry-level IEMs, to give you a better idea of where they stand in the market, and how well they match to current runners for the title of the best entry-level Chifi IEMs

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2022/03/fiio-fd1-iems-warmer-thicker-effect.html