[Owludio]

That is incorrect. The FH5 soundstage is intimate, not messed up. Bass is good enough and certainly not uneven. This is an FH7 thread, so I will stop here.

OK! Sorry, I got sloppy this time and forgot to mention that it is to my ears, compared to FH7 that has smooth bass response down to 20Hz or so, FH5 again, IMHO, has lean bass with abnormally strong emphasis on lower sub bass. As far as sound stage is concerned, it's even more subjective so I respect your opinion and BTW Zeus from Z-reviews hyped FH5 stage to high heaven and he seem to have pretty good ears for the high end gear. So, having mentioned already that I have freaky ears, I will defer to what seems to be a majority opinion here.

 

[Vitandus]

I'm curious about MS4. You kept it over FH5, I heard it's good, someone even compared it to FH7

Bass on the MS4 is insane. It’s not as detailed as the FH7, the bass is not nearly as fast and tight, but it’s actually entertaining.

 

[DavidS11]

OK! Sorry, I got sloppy this time and forgot to mention that it is to my ears, compared to FH7 that has smooth bass response down to 20Hz or so, FH5 again, IMHO, has lean bass with abnormally strong emphasis on lower sub bass. As far as sound stage is concerned, it's even more subjective so I respect your opinion and BTW Zeus from Z-reviews hyped FH5 stage to high heaven and he seem to have pretty good ears for the high end gear. So, having mentioned already that I have freaky ears, I will defer to what seems to be a majority opinion here.

FH7 cannot be compared to FH5. It is an improvement over FH5 and is reflected in the price.

I dig it. Sound is subjective as you are aware. Same goes to reviews. Ultimately you should be the judge and buy based on what you like. If you bought something you like then great. If not, just sell it or give it to someone else who can better appreciate it.

 

[gLer]

FH5 IMO is no longer great in under $300 range. Again IMHO Sony XBA N3ap is $299 and sounds superior with great bass, mids and stellar treble, not to mention REAL sounstage unlike FH5.
Hidiz MS4, Kanas pro, TFZ No3 (which I'm getting Monday), iKko oh1 (only $140) (Disclaimer: From mentioned above ,I only own it01,FH5 & N3ap) Even iBasso it01/01s

The one thing the FH5 has over all the others you listed is fit. It is easily the most comfortable (and stylish) IEM I’ve ever used and owned. More comfortable than Andromeda, 64Audio, Massdrop. I’m one of the lucky ones for whom the shallow insertion of the FH5 is perfect, and I’m hopeful the FH7 has the same fit along with upgraded acoustics.

 

[gLer]

FH7 cannot be compared to FH5. It is an improvement over FH5 and is reflected in the price.

Of course it can, unless you think more expensive is always better? That’s been dispelled so many times in this hobby it’s becoming a meme, and most notably by FiiO themselves (M11 for example).

Sure the FH7 will have many technical advantages over the FH5 (including an extra driver), but I think the FH5 still has some quirks (like yummy low sub bass and super smooth treble) that are preferable to the brighter tuning of the FH7 with some music.

 

[Misson07]

I just tried out the Fiio FH7 at my local audio store and here is my impression. The first thing I noticed is the bass; it's big and bold with great speed and impact. I never try the FH5 so I can't tell how much the bass is reduced but I can tell you that this is definitely not a neutral amount of bass quantity. The bass reach quite deep and has good amount of detail though I feel that it lack a tiny bit of weight in the lowest region, possibly to clear up the stage and prevent them from sounding congested from all that bass presence. It's still a damn good bass though and one of the highlight of this iem for me. Mid sit behind the bass and treble a bit in term of position though not too far back. Vocal has clear and pleasant tone with good clarity but it does lack a bit of substance in the lower mid, it still sound great and fit with the rest of the signature but I think that if mid range is your most important aspect of an iem then there might be more suitable iems out there. Treble extends well and is very clear and lively sounding. It is indeed a bit on the bright side but fortunately it does not exhibit sibilant to my ear (reference filter here), not much to fault here. Resolution is good from top to bottom, as is detail retrieval. Soundstage is great in both width and depth though imagine is just on the better side of average.

Overall, I find the FH7 to be a fun and exciting sounding iem with impressive price to performance ratio. They are not neutral but the sound is sculpted in a way that they are still able to maintain a good balance with none of the frequency getting overshadowed by the other; and while I might not quite smitten by them as much as some people in this thread, I still think that they are a great value and compete well with iems above their price point. I certainly like them enough to bought a pair for myself which I will be received in just a few days so I will add some more impression later if I find anything worth mentioning .

 

[Owludio]

The one thing the FH5 has over all the others you listed is fit. It is easily the most comfortable (and stylish) IEM I’ve ever used and owned. More comfortable than Andromeda, 64Audio, Massdrop. I’m one of the lucky ones for whom the shallow insertion of the FH5 is perfect, and I’m hopeful the FH7 has the same fit along with upgraded acoustics.

I like shallow fit for comfort as well. FH7 fits my ears about the same as FH5 but more securely with more reliable seal. For reference I'd say Weston 4r with large silicone was good fit and iBasso it04 with small tips fits like a custom.
As for the stylishness - I like black FH7 better. When I bought FH5 upon its release, my coworker liked its sound but said it's "too blingy" LOL. I don't care about looks, but FH5 irritated me with it's tendency to collect large amounts of moisture condensation on the grill. I had similar tendency with LZ A5 and it led to failure within one week and the same way RevoNext iem failed on me in 2 weeks. So hopefully FiiO knows what they are doing and moisture-proofed (Conform-coated?) circuits inside. Generally metal housings make me uneasy, so I took extra care of FH5 and will do the same for FH7 because if this is the heavy metal housing that's making bass so delicious, then it's worth it!

 

[Colors]

After tip, cable and filter rolling a thousand times, I expected ended up again with the stock cable and default medium “balanced” tips.

Best combination detail, tonality, comfort and enjoyment for me.

 

[Toom]

After tip, cable and filter rolling a thousand times, I expected ended up again with the stock cable and default medium “balanced” tips.

Best combination detail, tonality, comfort and enjoyment for me.

Yep, me too. Nailed it.

 

[JaZZ]

After tip, cable and filter rolling a thousand times, I expected ended up again with the stock cable and default medium “balanced” tips.

Best combination detail, tonality, comfort and enjoyment for me.

And this now that I've bought the FiiO silver cable!

That said, I'm quite happy with the sound. Can't really tell if it's an improvement, though, since I had to readjust the EQ settings anyway, and previously have installed the treble filter, which seems to bring even more detail and smoothness at the same time (again accompanied by EQ modifications). The greatest difficulty with rating the cable synergy is the annoyingly tight fit of the FiiO cables, particularly problematic during reattachment. I'd like to go back and forth, but don't feel like it.

Well, I was gathering my courage and swapped the cable back to the LC-3.5 C. The EQ setting needed to be adapted: +0.4 dB at 4 kHz, +0.8 dB at 8 kHz, +1.2 dB at 16 kHz. The sound was smoother and more relaxed than with the LC-3.5D, instrument localization was about the same, but the more laid-back sound made for a slightly larger space. Again back to the silver cable: more upfront and dynamic, more punch and impact. In my book it's a matter of taste rather than absolute quality. I'll stick with silver (for the moment) – and the treble filter will stay anyway.

 

[JaZZ]

After going back and forth once more I've come to the conclusion that I like the sound with the silver cable better. It's simply more accurate, as I hear it, whereas the stock cable's characteristic seems to be the result of a subtractive function: less attack, less speed, less detail. Although I didn't miss anything on the sound then, now with the silver cable it's audible what I could have missed. And now I have a hard time going back.

I understand that the stock cable possibly has better synergy with the stock FH7 in terms of tonal balance (which admittedly I didn't test). However, if you're not averse to equalizing, you can get more out of it with the LC-3.5D – at least that's what I'm experiencing myself.

 

[Vitandus]

I moved to the LC-4.4D. Right angle, nicer cable.

 

[crocolligator]

Henlo
Recently got the FH7 to upgrade from a 2.5 yrs old oriveti new primacy
Enjoying it so far but with the highs BAs right at the exit tube, i find the highs a lil bit too much with green filter and on some songs they kinda "meld" into this static-ish high note that's unpleasant. Been using it exclusively with red filters and it's great
Idk why some recommend no filters, won't that make highs too "punchy"?

Are the connectors supposed to swivel freely or mostly stay in place if untouched?
Coming from the ONP which are fairly small, im used to plunging the tips AND a good part of iem deep into my ear, the FH7 won't let me do that and it seems the tips are carrying most of the weight, is that how it's supposed to be?
If yes, are there more comfortable alternates i can try that can plunge deeper into the ears? Using large symbio tips right now

 

[gLer]

Henlo
Recently got the FH7 to upgrade from a 2.5 yrs old oriveti new primacy
Enjoying it so far but with the highs BAs right at the exit tube, i find the highs a lil bit too much with green filter and on some songs they kinda "meld" into this static-ish high note that's unpleasant. Been using it exclusively with red filters and it's great
Idk why some recommend no filters, won't that make highs too "punchy"?

Are the connectors supposed to swivel freely or mostly stay in place if untouched?
Coming from the ONP which are fairly small, im used to plunging the tips AND a good part of iem deep into my ear, the FH7 won't let me do that and it seems the tips are carrying most of the weight, is that how it's supposed to be?
If yes, are there more comfortable alternates i can try that can plunge deeper into the ears? Using large symbio tips right now

The FH7, like FH5, are shallow insertion IEMs. If you want a deep fit you’ll need to find smaller tips or use the double flange tips that come with the IEMs. I personally don’t like anything going ‘into’ my ear so the fit is perfect for me, but others like it deep, which also brings more isolation. The connectors are meant to swivel, but not too loosely. Once they’re in place they should stay in place, but I find the ability to swivel them makes them more comfortable than ‘fixed’ two pin connectors that don’t move at all. As always, YMMV.

 

[Colors]

Henlo
Recently got the FH7 to upgrade from a 2.5 yrs old oriveti new primacy
Enjoying it so far but with the highs BAs right at the exit tube, i find the highs a lil bit too much with green filter and on some songs they kinda "meld" into this static-ish high note that's unpleasant. Been using it exclusively with red filters and it's great
Idk why some recommend no filters, won't that make highs too "punchy"?

Are the connectors supposed to swivel freely or mostly stay in place if untouched?
Coming from the ONP which are fairly small, im used to plunging the tips AND a good part of iem deep into my ear, the FH7 won't let me do that and it seems the tips are carrying most of the weight, is that how it's supposed to be?
If yes, are there more comfortable alternates i can try that can plunge deeper into the ears? Using large symbio tips right now

It’s designed as a shallow fit IEM. You won’t be able to get a deep insertion with a long narrow stem like other brands I find that do custom IEMs but also apply it to their universal IEMs, ex: JH Audio, Noble Audio, Empire Ears, etc.

As for the highs, foam tips help tame it and the bass filter does as well. I personally find the bass and treble detail the best part about these IEMs so I don’t like to muffle either too much.