Fosi Audio i5 Planar Magnetic Headphones are Coming!

[davidmthekidd]

Looks really good

 

[Skeza]

Interesting, found them on AliExpress already.

Also found somebody with a pair last year posting on r/headphones

 

[Cecala]

Got a chance to try it at Axpona at Zeos booth within the Eargear room. Needless to say - very loud room - open back - from sub- bass to midrange was good with a detailed upper frequency tuning, but not in a harsh sibilant way. Was being sourced from Z’s Orchard amp collab, don’t recall the preamp or DAC. Build was solid and the comfort was outstanding.

Unlike the Nano.

 

[GREQ]

Interesting, found them on AliExpress already.

Not exactly the same.
The Original Voice CS97M's rear grills are more open which reduces back-wave damping, which in turn introduces greater distortion.
The CS97M's ear pads are also about 40% thinner than the i5's.

It does appear to be the same frame, driver and cable, but it won't sound exactly the same as the i5.

(edited for typo)

 

[Skeza]

Not exactly the same.
The Original Voice CS97M's rear grills are more open which reduces back-wave damping, which in turn introduces greater distortion.
The CS97M's ear pads are also about 40% thinner than the i5's.

It does appear to be the same frame, driver and cable, but it won't sound exactly the same as the i5.

(edited for typo)

It definitely seems like Fosi has either acquired or "claimed" the original design and mass produced it.

 

[IceIceberg]

They look impressive! These are your first planar magnetic headphones, and they already look so high quality. Great job, Fosi!
So excited to try them!

 

[russellxz]

Hifiman, this is how a headphone is made!!

What’s wrong with hifiman? Those shiny CNC aluminum frames and S-shaped decorative accents are unnecessary and only add to the overall weight of the headphones. Since you’ve mentioned hifiman here, it feels like a redesign of the HE series to me. Honestly, no one can deny that everything about it is infinitely reminiscent of hifiman headphones, the headband, the cups, and even the head strap color.

 

[Cecala]

Yes, it is reminiscent of Hifiman for sure. The Fosi uses better materials and it appears to function better and is more refined in build quality. Also the price is more honest.
At the end of the day all that really matters is how do they sound, time will tell.

 

[russellxz]

Yes, it is reminiscent of Hifiman for sure. The Fosi uses better materials and it appears to function better and is more refined in build quality. Also the price is more honest.
At the end of the day all that really matters is how do they sound, time will tell.

I totally agree with you about the cosmetic build quality of hifiman headphones. There are issues that could be fixed pretty easily, but they just don’t seem to bother. That said, based on my experience and two decades in the game, I’ve had my fair share of disappointments. My Audeze LCD2, LCD3, and LCD4 headphones, despite feeling like they were built like tanks, broke down more times than I can count (driver failures), so I eventually gave up on them. And it wasn’t just Audeze, I had to replace my Chord Hugo 2 three times at launch because of various problems. I've also had issues with iFi products, including their Pro series, along with too many failures in the Micro and xDSD series. What I’ve realized after all these years is this, something might look and feel indestructible on the outside, but driver failures or hardware issues are a completely different story, and they’re not necessarily tied to the build quality or materials you can see. Anyway, as a hifier, I’m always happy to see more competition.

 

[azrussell132]

These look VERY interesting.