[JamesFiiO]

I like the MMCX connectors over the 2 pin. Unless you are cable rolling all the time, I don't see the MMCX being an issue. Worst case, I just solder a new MMCX set.

Yes, the MMCX is still the common choose for most brand. but there still have lot of people will have problem with the mmcx and they just return to us and give 1 star review on amazon. of course, it is our duty to improve the quality and we have noting to complain those people, but it is a fact that how difficult in this.

 

[superuser1]

Difficult but not impossible. I stopped buying fiio because of mmcx but that didnt stop me from buying others with the mmcx interface and believe me i have not had an issue till now.

 

[snellemin]

Yes, the MMCX is still the common choose for most brand. but there still have lot of people will have problem with the mmcx and they just return to us and give 1 star review on amazon. of course, it is our duty to improve the quality and we have noting to complain those people, but it is a fact that how difficult in this.

.

I personally wouldn't worry about a few 1 star reviews, compared to the about of sales FIIO is doing world wide. FIIO has established it self well enough in this market. Don't go Sony and come up with weird connectors. The only good thing Sony has come up with in the current portable market, is the 4.4mm connector and keeping its sound signature that is well liked by me and many others.

If FIIO is worried about these 1 star ratings, I would suggest adding "mmcx lifecycle" withing the user manual. Something like, repeated disconnections will wear out the male MMCX over time and a replacement will be required.

 

[haoyuan]

.

I personally wouldn't worry about a few 1 star reviews, compared to the about of sales FIIO is doing world wide. FIIO has established it self well enough in this market. Don't go Sony and come up with weird connectors. The only good thing Sony has come up with in the current portable market, is the 4.4mm connector and keeping its sound signature that is well liked by me and many others.

If FIIO is worried about these 1 star ratings, I would suggest adding "mmcx lifecycle" withing the user manual. Something like, repeated disconnections will wear out the male MMCX over time and a replacement will be required.

FWIW while Sony popularized the use of 4.4mm Pentaconn, they did not “come up” with it. IIRC Nippon DICS did.

 

[ledzep]

Yes, the MMCX is still the common choose for most brand. but there still have lot of people will have problem with the mmcx and they just return to us and give 1 star review on amazon. of course, it is our duty to improve the quality and we have noting to complain those people, but it is a fact that how difficult in this.

All connectors if repeatedly coupled/ uncoupled will wear eventually it's more of a user issue imo rather than a manufacturing issue buts its nice to know you guys at Fiio are always looking into new ways, great iems the 9's and 5's especially in the price bracket they are and that's coming from someone who owes iems and cans worth 10 /20 times as much, keep up the good work !

 

[JamesFiiO]

All connectors if repeatedly coupled/ uncoupled will wear eventually it's more of a user issue imo rather than a manufacturing issue buts its nice to know you guys at Fiio are always looking into new ways, great iems the 9's and 5's especially in the price bracket they are and that's coming from someone who owes iems and cans worth 10 /20 times as much, keep up the good work !

thank you very much for your encouragement, especially help me explained the MMCX quality issues. and we will try our best to provide more high quality products at reasonable price in the future.

 

[GJ2890]

Got mine today. So far, i'm really impressed by the quality/price ratio !

 

[EzequielFriscia]

I agree with Brooko that it is very much subjective on how we hear minor changes to sound using cables and tips but for me I found out a long time ago having the right tips for a particular iem is of the utmost importance for ME. I notice most manufacturers include a variety of what they think is universal for tips. For the most part included tips are usable but I have seen too many earphone included tips that are second thought or basically throw aways.

I honestly believe manufacturers don't really think things over when it comes to just how much variety of ear shapes and sizes their audience will have. Fiio actually does a good job, more than others that include their tips in the box. But even with the nice variety of tips. My FH5 sounds infintely better to me with a longer tips in the way of a double flange tips they did not include in the box. They sound more realized to me with a deeper incertion in my ears using a different tip. I tried every type of tips they included in the box and they work but don't sound or fit as good as my double flange tip I am currently using. In the same token. This same tip is useless on other earphones I own. This is the reason why as many earphones as I own I actually own more tips. I have a tool box with more different type of tips than I can count. Just for this reason.

Then there is the topic of cables. This is the most subjective of all but for me I can definitely hear a cleaner sound overall with a better textured bass end, better dynamic range using my silver cable on the FH5. I can go right back to the stock cable and it just don't sound the same. Same sound balancing and tuning but, just don't have that same sound from the silver cable. I have done this back n forth several times and I will most definitely stick to my silver cable. Guys have asked me if my cables I use cost more than the earphones themselves.

I have a basic rule of thumb when it comes to cables. No way am I gonna spend more than the earphones themselves on cables. That's just me. Aliexpress has cables that cost a fragment of what boutiques charge. My silver cable only cost me $65. But they make every single earphone they are attached to sound better in one way or another.

There is nothing wrong with using the stock cable. The FH5 sound perfectly fine with the stock cable. It is just that my silver cable it sounds better to my ears. Apparently James here agrees.

Can confirm 200% about the cables.

I ordered a cheap 8 core one and returning for 2 reasons, first the fit, the earhooks are very annoying and second the sound signature is too much warmth for my taste, its totally different to the stock cable which is not bad at all but I dont find quite vivid (And I dont mean warmth it just lacks something specially in the bass).

I cant find silver one to buy with a reasonable fast shipping, neither I cant buy in Aliexpress due to regional restricions about my credit cards.
Now I found an 8 core tin (*silver, thx ledzep) plated like the Fiio stock cable so I will try to see what happens.

 

[ledzep]

Can confirm 200% about the cables.

I ordered a cheap 8 core one and returning for 2 reasons, first the fit, the earhooks are very annoying and second the sound signature is too much warmth for my taste, its totally different to the stock cable which is not bad at all but I dont find quite vivid (And I dont mean warmth it just lacks something specially in the bass).

I cant find silver one to buy with a reasonable fast shipping, neither I cant buy in Aliexpress due to regional restricions about my credit cards.
Now I found an 8 core tin plated like the Fiio stock cable so I will try to see what happens.

Avoid tin plated it's used to stop oxidation and does a good job at that, but it's a bad conductor and better suited to high frequency like video. So even though the changes might be marginal you'll still want to get the cleanest signal from your source to iems, there again you might like the sound of it so as long as it's very cheap it's not going to be a waste of your cash, get it as a put me on and see if you can source a silver plated one at your leisure or better still just get solid silver.
Never been a fan of the mixed metals / hybrid cable, they look nice and I thats about it. A pure good quality 7N copper and a pure silver cable is all you need, a lot of the time it's the connectors that are the quality issue being gold plated brass rather than say gold plated terrilium copper or my favourite silver / rhodium plated copper.

 

[EzequielFriscia]

Avoid tin plated it's used to stop oxidation and does a good job at that, but it's a bad conductor and better suited to high frequency like video. So even though the changes might be marginal you'll still want to get the cleanest signal from your source to iems, there again you might like the sound of it so as long as it's very cheap it's not going to be a waste of your cash, get it as a put me on and see if you can source a silver plated one at your leisure or better still just get solid silver.
Never been a fan of the mixed metals / hybrid cable, they look nice and I thats about it. A pure good quality 7N copper and a pure silver cable is all you need, a lot of the time it's the connectors that are the quality issue being gold plated brass rather than say gold plated terrilium copper or my favourite silver / rhodium plated copper.

Sorry my bad. I’ll correct. It’s this one, not tin plated. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07D4CS6K5#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1533803493382

Great info anyways. Always good to know

 

[ledzep]

Sorry my bad. I’ll correct. It’s this one, not tin plated. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07D4CS6K5#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1533803493382

Great info anyways. Always good to know

That's not a half bad cable it's like a braided foil and quite well made

 

[Colors]

Avoid tin plated it's used to stop oxidation and does a good job at that, but it's a bad conductor and better suited to high frequency like video. So even though the changes might be marginal you'll still want to get the cleanest signal from your source to iems, there again you might like the sound of it so as long as it's very cheap it's not going to be a waste of your cash, get it as a put me on and see if you can source a silver plated one at your leisure or better still just get solid silver.
Never been a fan of the mixed metals / hybrid cable, they look nice and I thats about it. A pure good quality 7N copper and a pure silver cable is all you need, a lot of the time it's the connectors that are the quality issue being gold plated brass rather than say gold plated terrilium copper or my favourite silver / rhodium plated copper.

That's why I own pure copper and pure silver cables with rhodium plated Furutech connectors for 2-pin and MMCX

Looks sexy and sounds great.

 

[Vitandus]

I just picked these up. I am no audiophile, and don't know the lingo, and I apologize ahead of time if my choice of words is muddy.

Listening to these over a balanced cable on a Sony Walkman NW-ZX300. The treble was a bit much for me, so I EQ'd 2 kH by 4 dB and 1 kHz by 2 dB, as is commonly reported in reviews. Made a world of difference.

The separation of instruments is extremely defined. On some tracks, it really enhances the track. On other tracks, compared to the iSine 20, the definition of instruments on the FH5 is almost fatiguing. The best way to describe it is hearing a concert as each instrument rather than as a combined single orchestra. Like I said, though, with some tracks, it's really good and preferred.

Bass is tight, not boomy, but pronounced. I'd say compared to the iSine 20s, it's not quite the same "quality" of bass.

Mids are good. Vocals can be really in your face (forward) with some female voices. The EQ mentioned above helps. Instruments - esp woodwinds - sound very well defined. Adele sounds good.

Treble can be a bit too bright on some tracks for my tastes, and I like metal and prog rock. Listening to RUSH right now, and there are points where the highs are a bit much - again, compared to my iSine 20 and also my AKG K7xx. Some Iron Maiden tracks have the same issue. Interestingly, vocal/choral is spot on. I can listen to these all day. Just spun up some Hidlegard von Bingen, and sounds really good, and that definition ensures the voices are not muddied in the very sparse instrumentation as I've heard on some other IEMs.

Build quality seems to be really good. I haven't used the provided cable, so can't comment, but the actual units feel solid. Again, no audiophile, so I don't have a lot of experience. I will have to try the small tips, though, as the mediums feel to be right on the verge of too large and they make my ears ache after a short while.

 

[Richsvt]

I just picked these up. I am no audiophile, and don't know the lingo, and I apologize ahead of time if my choice of words is muddy.

Listening to these over a balanced cable on a Sony Walkman NW-ZX300. The treble was a bit much for me, so I EQ'd 2 kH by 4 dB and 1 kHz by 2 dB, as is commonly reported in reviews. Made a world of difference.

The separation of instruments is extremely defined. On some tracks, it really enhances the track. On other tracks, compared to the iSine 20, the definition of instruments on the FH5 is almost fatiguing. The best way to describe it is hearing a concert as each instrument rather than as a combined single orchestra. Like I said, though, with some tracks, it's really good and preferred.

Bass is tight, not boomy, but pronounced. I'd say compared to the iSine 20s, it's not quite the same "quality" of bass.

Mids are good. Vocals can be really in your face (forward) with some female voices. The EQ mentioned above helps. Instruments - esp woodwinds - sound very well defined. Adele sounds good.

Treble can be a bit too bright on some tracks for my tastes, and I like metal and prog rock. Listening to RUSH right now, and there are points where the highs are a bit much - again, compared to my iSine 20 and also my AKG K7xx. Some Iron Maiden tracks have the same issue. Interestingly, vocal/choral is spot on. I can listen to these all day. Just spun up some Hidlegard von Bingen, and sounds really good, and that definition ensures the voices are not muddied in the very sparse instrumentation as I've heard on some other IEMs.

Build quality seems to be really good. I haven't used the provided cable, so can't comment, but the actual units feel solid. Again, no audiophile, so I don't have a lot of experience. I will have to try the small tips, though, as the mediums feel to be right on the verge of too large and they make my ears ache after a short while.

Thanks for the review. Would you characterize these as 'bright' meaning treble heavy? I have been reading mixed things and heard eq and cabling can adjust. Just looking to get someone's early take and see if it might be worthy to try. Thanks again. Cheers

 

[Vitandus]

Thanks for the review. Would you characterize these as 'bright' meaning treble heavy? I have been reading mixed things and heard eq and cabling can adjust. Just looking to get someone's early take and see if it might be worthy to try. Thanks again. Cheers

With the EQ, not as shrill/bright to me. Ive heard the term "U-shaped" and that's what they sound to me. Bass is not boomy - but very present. Treble without the EQ is a bit much for me, With the dips mentioned, they're still strong up high, but typically not overdone. Certainly brighter than my iSine 20s, or my old Shure E2Cs. I need to listen to the AKG K7xxs on the same tracks again to do a good comparison.