[dleblanc343]

Addicting! Tuning is great, emotional, analog. Bass a little strong sometimes for my tastes to be honest, but the “vocal eartips” fix things up a bit. Incredible value/$

Spiral dot eartips do best!

 

[FastAndClean]

how is the low bass, do they go low with eaze?

 

[slackerpo]

vs IT03 | sidegrade?

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Addicting! Tuning is great, emotional, analog. Bass a little strong sometimes for my tastes to be honest, but the “vocal eartips” fix things up a bit. Incredible value/$

Spiral dot eartips do best!

Oh man do these look nice...

I wonder if there's a package that matches or beats the package of build, accessories, cable, sound, and looks of the FH5 at this price. Willing to give up a slight bit in the sound department if the rest is as good as it seems to be here.

 

[thejoker13]

Thanks for your quick impressions between the FH5 vs the Massdrop Plus. I would like to know more of your thoughts between these as, I am torn between these 2 models. Looking to add to my small collection of IEMs -Shure SE215, VE Monks, and Fiio FH1- with something more substantial. I really like my FH1s. Nice bass impact on those and an all around fun IEM. The FH1s and the SE215s were a nice entry point for me into the world of IEMs.

The Massdrop+ have gotten a lot of rave reviews in this community and seem to be a great IEM for their $300 price tag. People praise their neutrality, micro-details, balanced sound, and comfortable fit. As a point of reference, the fit on my FH1s are great. Much easier to fit than my SE215s were. They really fit like a dream.

The FH5's come in for a little less so both are very close in price. There are currently much fewer reviews on the FH5s as they are so new, so i can't wait for more people to give their perspectives on them.

I am looking to use these IEMs for both portable solution and desktop setups. Desktop rig is a Jotunheim with standard dual AK4490 DAC and I also plug in my ifi Micro iDSD black label as another DAC source through my laptop. I have no issues with being able to handle the sensitivity of the MD+ due to having the Joti and iFi Micro BL. I also just received the Hiby R3 DAP and this would be used as my standalone portable solution, but also sometimes stacked with my ifi Micro BL when not on the move. I believe the R3 also has less than 1 ohm of output impedance so no issues with very sensitive IEMs like the MD+. The FH5s appear less sensitive than the MD+s so they will probably play easier on a wider variety of sources. (iPhone, iPad, laptop etc)

I listen to a variety of music genres but primarily Jazz, Rock, Pop, and Classical.

My full size headphones consist of Sennheisers HD6XX, HD58x Jubliee, Focal Spirit Classic, ZMF Classic (Fostex T50RP Mod), and Audeze LCD-2 Classic (non-Fazor). I enjoy all of these headphones for different reasons and have a nice balance of dynamics and planars, (Closed, Open, and Semi-open)

Any suggestions on which IEM would be a good compliment to my current lineup or should I just stick to full size cans? i would like to spend no more than $300, and hence the reason why the FH5s and MD+s are on my shortlist as options. Haven't heard many IEMs beyond what I own, so I'm not sure what sound signature I prefer.

Thanks for all of the great posts on the new FH5s.

Another 2 to add to your list to checkout should be the FLC8s and Toneking T4. They're the absolute best I've heard in the 300.00 and under segment in my opinion, ymmv.

 

[zeissiez]

I heard two pairs yesterday, the first pair I thought the mid bass was lacking, and when asked he seller said they were right out of the box. Then later I listened to a burned in pair. Wow, bass was much more satisfying.

Overall, it’s a slight V-shaped tonality. The highs were shimmering, but well tuned to avoid sibilance. Very well done there. The bass was big, bold and pretty deep too. Vocal while not as meaty as SE846, but it’s fine. But with spotlights on the highs and bass, the overall sound is not as coherent as Oriolus mk II or Noble K10U. But this is comparing to coherence kings. On its own, nothing much to complain about the sound.

Now, value for money, the fact that I was comparing it to much more expensive iems suggests that it’s on the high side. In fact I think that’s one of the best bargain in IEM world, just like 1more Triple driver, but a much better one.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

I heard two pairs yesterday, the first pair I thought the mid bass was lacking, and when asked he seller said they were right out of the box. Then later I listened to a burned in pair. Wow, bass was much more satisfying.

Overall, it’s a slight V-shaped tonality. The highs were shimmering, but well tuned to avoid sibilance. Very well done there. The bass was big, bold and pretty deep too. Vocal while not as meaty as SE846, but it’s fine. But with spotlights on the highs and bass, the overall sound is not as coherent as Oriolus mk II or Noble K10U. But this is comparing to coherence kings. On its own, nothing much to complain about the sound.

Now, value for money, the fact that I was comparing it to much more expensive iems suggests that it’s on the high side. In fact I think that’s one of the best bargain in IEM world, just like 1more Triple driver, but a much better one.

Did the seller say how much burn in had taken place on the better pair?

 

[zeissiez]

He didn’t mention about that, so I have no idea about that, sorry.

 

[Brooko]

My review of the FiiO FH5 quad driver hybrid IEM is now posted:
https://www.headphone-earphone.reviews/2018/07/23/fiio-fh5-hybrid-iem-review/

 

[JamesFiiO]

My review of the FiiO FH5 quad driver hybrid IEM is now posted:
https://www.headphone-earphone.reviews/2018/07/23/fiio-fh5-hybrid-iem-review/

Hi, Brooko, thanks for your review and the comparison with other IEMs

 

[superuser1]

My review of the FiiO FH5 quad driver hybrid IEM is now posted:
https://www.headphone-earphone.reviews/2018/07/23/fiio-fh5-hybrid-iem-review/

Paul, thanks for the excellent and detailed review. Really great how you have chosen to do the comparisons. Could you please throw some light on the soundstage of the FH5 in comparison to the DK3001. Thanks

 

[dsrk]

My review of the FiiO FH5 quad driver hybrid IEM is now posted:
https://www.headphone-earphone.reviews/2018/07/23/fiio-fh5-hybrid-iem-review/

Thanks for the excellent review, Paul.
You are the very few reviewers here who mention the exact songs used to review and very honest, not many do that.

 

[Brooko]

Paul, thanks for the excellent and detailed review. Really great how you have chosen to do the comparisons. Could you please throw some light on the soundstage of the FH5 in comparison to the DK3001. Thanks

To me the illusion of sound-stage (because remember there really isn't one with an IEM ) is narrower and more intimate on the FH5. It widens slightly as you take the 2 kHz peak out, but its still pretty narrow. I like what FiiO have done with the separation though, and I do think that might be the separate tubes contributing to that.

You'll also note I finally fixed my measurement "anomaly" (mid-bass bump which doesn't exist). Found that the DAC I use for measurement has a switch to apply a small mid-bass boost, and I had knocked it. Now everything measuring the way it should be

 

[Brooko]

Thanks for the excellent review, Paul.
You are the very few reviewers here who mention the exact songs used to review and very honest, not many do that.

Thanks - I do find a lot of reviewers do it nowadays (which is great) - and the only thing I'd like to see more of is using a reference IEM constantly to "cleanse the palate". Its something I should have been doing a long time ago, and really helps with getting an objective review out. I do find that its very easy to get acclimatised to a signature - then comparative scoring becomes difficult. BTW - sorry I hadn't replied to your PM - will do so shortly.

 

[Brooko]

Hi, Brooko, thanks for your review and the comparison with other IEMs

Thanks James - the FH5 is another very good progression for FiiO. I'd love to see a much flatter reference from you at some stage - especially a multi-driver. Anyway - definite props on the FH5 - its a very good IEM.