FiiO&JadeAudio Over-Ear Headphones Discussion & Impressions Thread
I wrote a review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-ft3.26449/reviews#review-30684
It's not a game changer but I like it. Solid alternative in it's price range.
It's not a game changer but I like it. Solid alternative in it's price range.
rprodrigues
500+ Head-Fier
So, will there be larger (at least with bigger inner holes) pads for the FT3?
I wrote a review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-ft3.26449/reviews#review-30684
It's not a game changer but I like it. Solid alternative in it's price range.
Very nice job!
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please make the inner diameter of the ear pads at least 9 centimeters in height
Thanks, Fiio
I hope these will be two types of ear pads, one is leather and the other is suede
Dear friend,
The FT3 comes with Protein leather earpads and Suede earpads. And we will also consider your feedback in the new earpads.
Best regards
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That's great, thank you very much.
Fiio has great customer service. Well done!
R&D story (4) is it necessary to get such a high impedance of 350Ω?
Speaking of the impedance of over-ear headphones, we will find that it has actually been developing to a lower level. The main reason is actually to follow the development of the front end. In the early days, they were mainly connected to desktop devices, followed by iPods, and even cell phones. Many new headphones behind international brands even took “ directly connecting to cell phones” as a selling point when introducing them to the public.
Of course, technology is progressing. Thanks to the material of the diaphragm, many headphones have low impedance and high sensitivity. Other technologies are also constantly developing, such as magnet technology.
However, under the premise that other conditions are basically the same, the higher the impedance, the better the sound quality. We would try to explain it in a simple way.
1. From the perspective of the system, high resistance is more conducive to the front end
Headphones and a front end (players, headphone amplifiers) form a system. Based on the formula, P (power) = U (voltage) * I (current), and R (resistance) = U / I, so P = I ² *R. Therefore, if the sensitivity is the same, the higher the impedance, the smaller the current demand on the front end.
As a result, the system is composed of high-impedance headphones, and the output current of the front end will be small. While for the circuit of the player and DAC/Amp, at present 99.99% are fixed-voltage amplification rather than current amplification, so ensuring accurate voltage output is easier than accurate current output, especially for players, headphones, and desktop systems with high supply voltage. The higher impedance can reduce the burden on the front end, while the lower impedance is more difficult to deal with.
2. From the perspective of sound dynamics, high resistance is conducive to improving the resolution
Low-resistance headphones mainly rely on current, while high-resistance ones rely on voltage. Therefore, low-resistance headphones with the same dynamic have a small range of voltage variation, while high-resistance has a large. A greater voltage amplitude means an improvement in resolution.
Here is a simple example. It is easy to hear noise floor in low-resistance headphones, so the volume should be kept at a low level. But high-resistance headphones can keep a relatively high volume. In this case, we can hear the subtlety of the music at low sound pressure which will not be covered by the noise floor.
3. From the perspective of sound dynamics damping coefficient, high resistance is good for controlling unnecessary vibration of the diaphragm
In the audio power amplifier circuit, there is a professional and important parameter called damping coefficient, which is the load impedance/output impedance of the amplifier.
The output impedance of the amplifier is determined when the circuit is designed. And the load (speakers/headphones) is variable, so the higher the impedance of the headphones, the higher the damping coefficient when connected to a player.
The damping system can be roughly understood as the control force the amplifier has over the load, because headphones are a kind of inductive load, which has a counter-electromotive force to resist the drive of the amplifier. Therefore, if the damping coefficient is too low, the sound will be muddy, dragging and slow.
4. From the perspective of headphone manufacturing, high-resistance headphones are hard to produce
The impedance of the headphones comes from two parts. One is the DC resistance of the voice coil, and the other is its inductive resistance. Generally speaking, the longer the coil's copper wire, the higher the DC resistance. The more turns of the coil, the higher the AC inductance.
However, if the copper wire is too long, the voice coil will be too heavy and thick. Therefore, in order to control the weight and thickness of the voice coil, we generally use a finer copper wire to wind the voice coil. The thinner the copper wire, the weaker the strength. And it will be harder to solder.
Therefore, the cost of manufacturing high-resistance units is relatively higher.
5. FiiO wants to differentiate the headphones by high resistance
Since there are so many advantages of high resistance, the disadvantage is that it has higher requirements on the front end. FiiO’s portable and desktop devices have much higher output power than mobile phones and other front ends, so we don’t have to worry too much about it like many headphone brands.
So, when other brands are making low-impedance headphones, focusing on high-impedance ones may be a smarter strategy.
greenblured
100+ Head-Fier
Is 350 Ohm measured at the drivers resonant frequency or is it an average over the whole frequency spectrum? Maybe Fiio can post an impedance plot?
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Made an EQ for those who likes harman tuning. I don't have the headphone yet myself, but if anyone cares to try it, you might want toplay around with the high shelf filter. It's hard to tell if it's right without testing by ear.
#FiiO Large Dynamic High-Res Over-Ear Headphones FT3# R&D story (5) A good product is not just about absolute performance
FiiO's slogan is "Born for Music", which contains two meanings. One is we chase good sound, and the other is we hope our products can bring an excellent user experience with fun and delight.
In other words, the user experience is as important as the sound quality in FiiO’s design concept. If a product has excellent sound quality yet worse build quality that has to be sent back for repair again and again, or if a product is complicated to use, it will absolutely not be a FiiO one.
In the FT3, this concept has been perfectly inherited as well.
1. The world's first headphones with 3.5/6.3/4.4/XLR headphone plugs as standard
The FT3 should be the world's first over-ear headphones that come with 4 types of headphone plugs as standard. Although it is not something difficult and interchangeable plugs have been popular for years, we saw rare headphones feature this design.
The cost is not very high, but it can really give consumers a better experience.
2. Well-designed headphone storage case
Many brands also designed storage cases for their over-ear headphones. But the one of the FT3 includes many thoughts and details. For example, there is a Velcro design inside the storage case for both the headphone cable and plugs, which can help firmly fix them.
By the way, many consumers want to purchase one, but it was tailed for our FT3, so may not be suitable for other headphones. Therefore, we currently have no plans for retail. So sorry for that.
3. Comes with double pairs of earpads as standard
This follows the EN3NC. When first developed over-ear headphones, we received suggestions from our users, saying that it is too stuffy and easy to sweat to wear over-ear headphones in summer. So, we equipped 2 types of earpads, one is suede, and the other is protein.
Besides, the material of the earpads has a certain impact on the sound, so users switching earpads themselves will be quite a perfect solution.
(1) Earpads are easy to be consumed, no matter how good they are.
(2) It includes 2 different pairs of earpads that allow 2 different tones, making it more fun to play with.
(3) Suede is suitable for winter, and protein is for summer. We have already taken into account the season difference.
There are many other detailed designs on the FT3. Here we just mentioned something that we had while other brands did not. These little designs will not cost too much, but they do provide great convenience and a better experience.
FiiO's slogan is "Born for Music", which contains two meanings. One is we chase good sound, and the other is we hope our products can bring an excellent user experience with fun and delight.
In other words, the user experience is as important as the sound quality in FiiO’s design concept. If a product has excellent sound quality yet worse build quality that has to be sent back for repair again and again, or if a product is complicated to use, it will absolutely not be a FiiO one.
In the FT3, this concept has been perfectly inherited as well.
1. The world's first headphones with 3.5/6.3/4.4/XLR headphone plugs as standard
The FT3 should be the world's first over-ear headphones that come with 4 types of headphone plugs as standard. Although it is not something difficult and interchangeable plugs have been popular for years, we saw rare headphones feature this design.
The cost is not very high, but it can really give consumers a better experience.
2. Well-designed headphone storage case
Many brands also designed storage cases for their over-ear headphones. But the one of the FT3 includes many thoughts and details. For example, there is a Velcro design inside the storage case for both the headphone cable and plugs, which can help firmly fix them.
By the way, many consumers want to purchase one, but it was tailed for our FT3, so may not be suitable for other headphones. Therefore, we currently have no plans for retail. So sorry for that.
3. Comes with double pairs of earpads as standard
This follows the EN3NC. When first developed over-ear headphones, we received suggestions from our users, saying that it is too stuffy and easy to sweat to wear over-ear headphones in summer. So, we equipped 2 types of earpads, one is suede, and the other is protein.
Besides, the material of the earpads has a certain impact on the sound, so users switching earpads themselves will be quite a perfect solution.
(1) Earpads are easy to be consumed, no matter how good they are.
(2) It includes 2 different pairs of earpads that allow 2 different tones, making it more fun to play with.
(3) Suede is suitable for winter, and protein is for summer. We have already taken into account the season difference.
There are many other detailed designs on the FT3. Here we just mentioned something that we had while other brands did not. These little designs will not cost too much, but they do provide great convenience and a better experience.
Dsnuts
Headphoneus Supremus
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I am surprised there is not more buzz about the FT3s around here. Been testing them out for the past 2 weeks or so and these get better and better as I am trying out my sources.
Absolutely stunning on the K9 pro ESS. No surprise Fiios own flagship dac/amp synergizes something amazing with the FT3.
By the way the FT3 is fantastic for gaming. Its detail and imaging is perfect for it actually.
I am of the burn in camp and while there are some that feel there is no difference with burn in. I disagree. They get more dynamic sounding to my ears with better note weight over time imo. It could be due to the increasingly more powerful sources I am using as well but I remember not being as impressed as I am today when I first heard them.
In any case. I personally think these are sleepers. The only catch on them is that they do need some grunt from an amp or a dedicated source for them to show what they can do.
Absolutely stunning on the K9 pro ESS. No surprise Fiios own flagship dac/amp synergizes something amazing with the FT3.
By the way the FT3 is fantastic for gaming. Its detail and imaging is perfect for it actually.
I am of the burn in camp and while there are some that feel there is no difference with burn in. I disagree. They get more dynamic sounding to my ears with better note weight over time imo. It could be due to the increasingly more powerful sources I am using as well but I remember not being as impressed as I am today when I first heard them.
In any case. I personally think these are sleepers. The only catch on them is that they do need some grunt from an amp or a dedicated source for them to show what they can do.
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