[FiiO FH7] Flagship 5-Driver (1DD + 4BAs) Hybrid In-Ear Monitors, Knowles DFK + SWFK Composite BA Drivers, 13.6mm Beryllium DD Driver
Jun 11, 2019 at 5:21 PM Post #286 of 1,922
Mine are 12 and 18 and I hardly see them and I STILL never get to use my speakers. Then again I probably prefer the headphones to be honest, and now I’m not even using the headphones since getting the M11/FH5 - just too convenient to bother getting off the couch or out of bed to go to the desktop rig :p
To build on that, for me I am seriously starting to enjoy listening to IEMs more than headphones... while you lose out on the sound stage that headphones present to you, almost any IEM I have presents a cleaner / clearer and crisper sound than my headphones... that of course is a personal preference, and I am sure that some Head-fi denizens are even now preparing the torches and pitchforks for such blasphemy! :)
 
Jun 11, 2019 at 5:28 PM Post #287 of 1,922
To build on that, for me I am seriously starting to enjoy listening to IEMs more than headphones... while you lose out on the sound stage that headphones present to you, almost any IEM I have presents a cleaner / clearer and crisper sound than my headphones... that of course is a personal preference, and I am sure that some Head-fi denizens are even now preparing the torches and pitchforks for such blasphemy! :)

I’ve called for an emergency meeting of the Audiophile Board of Governors, your card is being revoked immediately.
 
Jun 11, 2019 at 5:49 PM Post #288 of 1,922
My interest in iems over full size has grown in the last few years due to the portability and the price point of great sounding headphones coming down. I still love my Sennheizer’s but they are not as convenient
As iems and they don’t make me look like weirdo sitting in my car with a huge pit of cans on waiting for my daughters dance class to end.

The more I listen to the FH7s the more I’m liking them. I’ll report back if I figure out this sibilance issue.
 
Jun 11, 2019 at 6:06 PM Post #289 of 1,922
I’ve called for an emergency meeting of the Audiophile Board of Governors, your card is being revoked immediately.
I expect nothing short of a full on Ninja team descending and hauling me away hogtied with pure silver audio cables while being forced to wear full sized headphones playing some Gregorian chant...!
 
Jun 11, 2019 at 9:14 PM Post #291 of 1,922
any1 tried these with mmcx bluetooth adapter?

I use these with the Shure RMCE-BT2 on my S10+ (No AptX HD :sob:). No white noise present and they still sound great! I'll probably hear some loss in details somewhere if I tried really hard in a quiet place. The convenience of not dealing of cables is worth it though.
 
Jun 11, 2019 at 9:25 PM Post #293 of 1,922
Got my FH7 and here is my review:

The good:
- Treble is so clear and forward and the highs are perfect with no sibilance, probably Knowles magic. Green tips or Red tips can reduce treble if you are not a fan of it, nice of Fiio to design replaceable filters.
- Vocals are perfect as in not too forward or recessed
- Soundstage is pretty good for an IEM
- Fit in ear is great and despite being hybrid, they're not too big
- Finish looks fine too.
- Sub bass is present and adequate but not "basshead" level in my opinion.


The bad:
- Mid bass seems severely lacking. I can feel it missing in all of my music.
- Sub bass is there but I was expecting more from a Beryllium coated 13.7mm driver. I guess my expectations are too high since HBB said it has the most sub bass of his top 5 Chi-Fi IEM list for May.
 
Jun 12, 2019 at 1:11 AM Post #295 of 1,922
Can anyone recommend a rugged mmcx cable for use with fh5/7? Every plugin mmcx i have used so far fails within a couple of months and always at the same place; just behind the bit which connects to the iem itself either left or right. Its getting expensive :frowning2:

Cheers!

Ps.. So far its been 2x fiio cables and 2x penon cheaper replacements
 
Jun 12, 2019 at 2:11 AM Post #296 of 1,922
To build on that, for me I am seriously starting to enjoy listening to IEMs more than headphones... while you lose out on the sound stage that headphones present to you, almost any IEM I have presents a cleaner / clearer and crisper sound than my headphones... that of course is a personal preference, and I am sure that some Head-fi denizens are even now preparing the torches and pitchforks for such blasphemy! :)
The convenience factor is undeniable. In photography they say the best camera is the one you have with you. Same applies to audio. When I’m lying in bed the HD800 and R-28 amp in the study aren’t going to help me.

That said, it takes a very good dap and IEM to approach the quality of a high-end desktop setup, and even then it doesn’t quite go all the way. Even the venerable Andromedas are outdone by the HD800 when it comes to space and air and pure resolution. However, just as headphones have benefits over speakers (clarity, precision, isolation, price), so IEMs have some benefits over headphones (much easier to drive, better bass with a good seal, more convenient and immediate).

I don’t think it’s a case of either-or, you can enjoy both equally in different situations. Just don’t expect high-end desktop sound for $200 and you’ll be fine.
 
Jun 12, 2019 at 2:12 AM Post #297 of 1,922
My kids are 7 and 5, I need a headphone that blocks out the whining, complaining, and fighting!

Mine are 8 and 5. They are awesome and get along well but the only time I have to listen is when they are asleep and then I can’t crank the system so my headphone journey began 8 years ago.

Mine are 12 and 18 and I hardly see them and I STILL never get to use my speakers. Then again I probably prefer the headphones to be honest, and now I’m not even using the headphones since getting the M11/FH5 - just too convenient to bother getting off the couch or out of bed to go to the desktop rig :p

On the theme of active families, I agree, it's hard to get time to listen when you have a full house. I got heavily into IEM's and portable rigs around 5 years ago, and was roundly chastised for my insular behaviour, lol. Since then my iem use has reduced, and I have installed a Roon based network of speakers, some reference, some lifestyle, around the house which works well and means I can still listen fairly discretely but remain part of the family. Still am fascinated by a good micro-setup however!
 
Jun 12, 2019 at 2:15 AM Post #298 of 1,922
- Mid bass seems severely lacking. I can feel it missing in all of my music.
- Sub bass is there but I was expecting more from a Beryllium coated 13.7mm driver.
Check your seal. Lack of/underwhelming bass is almost always related to seal. When I first got the FH5 I was shocked at how lean and thin they sounded. Then I tried the bass tips. And foam tips. Problem solved. Tip size also makes a huge difference with these IEMs. If you’ve done everything and hey still lack big bass impact, then I guess what people are saying about the FH7’s more neutral “audiophile” tuning is true.
 
Jun 12, 2019 at 3:08 AM Post #299 of 1,922
The convenience factor is undeniable. In photography they say the best camera is the one you have with you. Same applies to audio. When I’m lying in bed the HD800 and R-28 amp in the study aren’t going to help me.

That said, it takes a very good dap and IEM to approach the quality of a high-end desktop setup, and even then it doesn’t quite go all the way. Even the venerable Andromedas are outdone by the HD800 when it comes to space and air and pure resolution. However, just as headphones have benefits over speakers (clarity, precision, isolation, price), so IEMs have some benefits over headphones (much easier to drive, better bass with a good seal, more convenient and immediate).

I don’t think it’s a case of either-or, you can enjoy both equally in different situations. Just don’t expect high-end desktop sound for $200 and you’ll be fine.

Won’t disagree with you, especially since this whole hobby is completely subjective! That said, I have a few pretty decent desktop setups (DX7S/THX 789, D50/JDS Atom, and DX3 Pro) and decent headphones (Eikon, Ether CX, Elex, Aeon Flow Closed, Sundara - these are the ones I now have, I have sold many others) and honestly my IEMs driven out of my R6 Pro or iFi xDSD sound better in some ways - TO ME... I have always found over ear headphones to simply have a signature that is too warm and veiled by comparison to the specific IEMs I tend to enjoy these days (S8F, DM6, KPE, TSMR-3 Pro, R1 Zenith, among several others).

But, as I said, this is a very subjective hobby and naturally all of us will judge the same hardware differently!
 

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