FiiO&JadeAudio Dynamic Driver IEMs Discussion & Impressions Thread
Mar 3, 2021 at 1:33 PM Post #872 of 1,891
Not going Summit-Fi these days, but they'd be on the list if I were lol. Right now it's the DT177X with a Grado Hemp en route and we'll see which I keep. The Beyers give me a similar presentation to what I get with the right tip combo on the FD5, curious about the Grado.
 
Mar 3, 2021 at 1:45 PM Post #874 of 1,891
The spike is significantly less pronounced. With the velours it's full but neutral-ish, the sheepskin makes it more of a V, but outside of some REALLY poorly mixed music that spike that you get with something like the 990 is not there at all. Extremely listenable.
 
Mar 3, 2021 at 4:36 PM Post #876 of 1,891
After a bit of back and forth I believe Fiio support is sending me a new set of narrow nozzles. They said their US division doesn't have FD5 parts yet so they have to ship them from China.

I've had about a week with the FD5 now and I'm increasingly impressed with how great they sound, and how comfortable they are even after hours of continuous use. I think they have the biggest and most seemingly natural soundstage I've heard in an IEM.
Have you tried looking through the nozzle (back to front), at a source of sunlight ?

Not that it would fix it, but I'm curious to know if one nozzle might've been fitted with two screens or something else, that makes the problematic side less porous.
 
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Mar 4, 2021 at 12:58 PM Post #877 of 1,891
Have you tried looking through the nozzle (back to front), at a source of sunlight ?

Not that it would fix it, but I'm curious to know if one nozzle might've been fitted with two screens or something else, that makes the problematic side less porous.

I took a look at them with light shining through and it does appear that one of the screens has a tiny irregular section where the screen appears different, like a little drop of glue or something was smeared into it.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 9:36 AM Post #878 of 1,891
I think Fiio took some omnipotent cells and created a human ear drum from which they then use to create these IEMs. The DLC and beryllium technology they talk about is nothing but a cover-up. Jokes aside the sound is so effortless in constructing the "scene" or in other words the image of the music I throw at it, that I just stop thinking about the FD5s and just listen in on the music. These are my every day IEMs now, regardless of what I'm doing, either just listening to music or even gaming. The positional information I get out of these are nothing short of spectacular.

Yeah that's as much I care about these, the treble mids and bass are of course good, as many would point out, they reflect my kind of sound signature. I come from an ATH-R70X and I feel like these are much like the IEM version of it.

The only issue is that it does really show the garbage in garbage recordings, and my musics tastes are far and wide and I do end up with albums with poor mastering, which end up usually as bad treble.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 9:44 AM Post #879 of 1,891
I agree. The FD5 is probably the most natural sounding IEM I've encountered. Everything is just "right". With the proper tips you can tweak the sound to your taste and then boom. Eyes closed, brain off, melt into the music.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 9:47 AM Post #880 of 1,891
I think Fiio took some omnipotent cells and created a human ear drum from which they then use to create these IEMs. The DLC and beryllium technology they talk about is nothing but a cover-up. Jokes aside the sound is so effortless in constructing the "scene" or in other words the image of the music I throw at it, that I just stop thinking about the FD5s and just listen in on the music. These are my every day IEMs now, regardless of what I'm doing, either just listening to music or even gaming. The positional information I get out of these are nothing short of spectacular.

Yeah that's as much I care about these, the treble mids and bass are of course good, as many would point out, they reflect my kind of sound signature. I come from an ATH-R70X and I feel like these are much like the IEM version of it.

The only issue is that it does really show the garbage in garbage recordings, and my musics tastes are far and wide and I do end up with albums with poor mastering, which end up usually as bad treble.
Its similar to the R70X? I am a bit interested in the headphone, is the bass also similar? On graphs it doesnt look like the R70X has elevated bass.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 9:57 AM Post #881 of 1,891
Its similar to the R70X? I am a bit interested in the headphone, is the bass also similar? On graphs it doesnt look like the R70X has elevated bass.
I don't really think there is much of a difference in the bass, it's equally good in terms of the volume and how low it goes. I have to say I'm more of a mids and treble guy, and I don't tend to look much for my bass. It could just be my perception in the end.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 10:09 AM Post #882 of 1,891
Comparing IEMs to full-size via their graphs is tricky just because of how different the "impression" of the frequencies is. When the speaker is big enough to create some physical vibration against your skin, less feels like more.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 7:02 PM Post #883 of 1,891
I agree. The FD5 is probably the most natural sounding IEM I've encountered. Everything is just "right". With the proper tips you can tweak the sound to your taste and then boom. Eyes closed, brain off, melt into the music.
Couldn't have said it better myself. The FD5's are shockingly good. And not even "for the money". They're just shockingly good, period. It's hard to believe how a single 12mm DD is capable of delivering so much high-level SQ. FiiO have made something really special with these.

After trying well over a dozen different tips, for me, the Final Type-E Black tips give them the best balance of tonality, texture and treble extension. I do have some JVC Spiral Dot++ tips on the way, but I honestly don't see much room for improvement. But I'll report back here if they're any better than the Final tips.

I'm still going to be trying out some different $300-$500 IEMs in the near future. But I've already heard some of the best high-end IEMs available, and honestly, I don't think they're that much better than the FD5. They all just have different balances of strengths-vs-weaknesses.

IMHO, the FD5 sets the bar for SQ and value in IEMs. :ksc75smile:
 
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Mar 5, 2021 at 7:07 PM Post #884 of 1,891
I have to be honest, the FD5 is pure endgame for IEMs for me. Right now it's just picking the full-size that give me the right enjoyment at the desk the way those do. Haven't quite nailed it.
 
Mar 5, 2021 at 7:43 PM Post #885 of 1,891
That is awesome when someone finds thier perfect iem. I considered selling FD5 but I decided not to after all. Not my target frequency curve but with little EQ adjustment not bad at all.
 

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