Introduction to FiiO's Product Line and Update Plan in 2021--From James

[FiiO]

Chapter 14 Discontinued Amps and Players

Due to the dual shock of chip discontinuation and rocketing prices, as well as the aging of products, we have to suspend production of some products, including:

FiiO’s entry-level Bluetooth decoding amp μBTR, a 30USD-level Bluetooth decoding amp. Our original intention of making this product is to attract more new users with relatively low price. It only took 13.5USD at the Chinese Double Eleven Promotion, and the sales volume turned out to be surprising. Thousands of units were snapped up in a single day. To be honest, it would be a pity to discontinue such a super cost-effective product of HiFi brand.

Entry-level HiFi portable music player M3K/M3Pro. These two products have been sold for quite a long time, with the total sales volume over one hundred thousand. The main reason for discontinuing them is the skyrocket price of chips and displays. Considering the these factors and the discontinuation of DAC, the price will increase by 30% if we change the original design. Besides, the combination of mobile phone and a dongle nowadays can also provide good sound quality and multiple functions. In light of these, I can only discontinue the M3K and M3 Pro.

Portable amp Q1MK2/Q3/Q5S. We halt the production of these three products mainly owing to the supply of chips. Though they gained some popularity when Apple Music supports high-definition lossless playback, the portable amp is still lagged behind in user experience when comparing to Bluetooth decoding amp. At present, since the chips are out of stock and our development resource is limited, we have to allocate the limited chips to other popular products.

For the six products above, the superficial reason for their discontinuation is the shortage of chips, while there is other underlying cause. With the times going, for those who have no high demand with limited budgets, TWS and dongle have turned out to be a good choice. Therefore, even though these products have been brilliant in the market, we don’t need to stick to the past, because there is a lot of new things waiting to be explored. And FiiO still owe to you guys countless products that we have promised to make. I do believe that FiiO will keep pace with the times and provide more and better products for users.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 15 Summary of Players/Decoders/Bluetooth Products



Up till now, all the introduction to FiiO's players/decoders/Bluetooth products and update plan in 2021 have been posted. Now, it’s time to draw a summary.



Products that continue to be produced and sold after changing the design of the old model:

D03K, E10K, K3, K5 Pro, BTR5,



New products that already launched in 2021:

M11Plus LTD, K9 Pro (AKM version)



New products that waiting to be launched in 2021:

M11Plus (ESS version), M17, K9 Pro ESS, FW5, UTWS5, BTA30 Pro.



Discontinued models:

μBTR, M3K, M3 Pro, Q5S, BTR1K.



Suspended models:

Q1 MKⅡ, Q3.



Models that we can barely maintain normal production and sales:

BTR3K, UTWS3.



For customers who are planning to purchase, please pay close attention to FiiO and our official accounts.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 16 Introduction to HiFi Wired Earphones Classification and FiiO’s Existing Product Line.



In the last few posts, I have already introduced FiiO’s products including players, amps, and Bluetooth products. Now it’s turn for the earphone family.



In the eyes of earphones audiophiles, the leading role is surely the earphone, and players and amps become pale in comparison. Therefore, big manufactures, like Sennheiser, more than 99% of their products are headphones of all kinds, the rest remaining some amps that used with over-ear headphones.



As a company starting from the amps, FiiO has been adhering to the philosophy of making progress one step at a time. From headphone amplifiers to players, each step may be slow but determined. It has been 10 years after the establishment of FiiO when our first independently developed HiFi earphone F5 was launched in 2017. Some audiophiles consider that FiiO updates and releases new product too fast. In fact, if we classify and position the HiFi wired earphones according to different usage/scenario/wearing method/style/price, there are still countless products waiting to be made. Therefore, on the one hand, we are trying to fill in the blank in order to enrich our product line. On the other hand, we update the old products on a regular basis of 18 to 24 months. So it can be realized that why we launch new products in a rapid speed.



The attached picture shows a brief classification of HIFI wired earphones and all FiiO earphones at present.



Before detailed introduction, I should repeat some of the points that have been said again and again:



1. Acoustics is a huge category, and different scenarios/wearing methods/usages have different requirements for product designs. It’s hard for one manufacturer to fulfill so many different needs with one single category.



2. Sound quality is subjective, and it’s closely related to personal preferences and physiological conditions. There is no such thing as standard sound quality but only the most suitable sound quality. Therefore, even if there are the same appropriate usage scenarios, the same wearing methods and the same usages of two products, they may vary in terms of tuning or type of earphone categories. Let me give you a typical example. Serving as the in-ear earphone, it can be divided into dynamic drive IEMs/ balanced armature IEMs/ BA and dynamic driver hybrid IEMs with different styles and characteristics. Different strokes for defferent folks. As a manufacturer, we are more willing to provide as many choices as possible to customers, instead of making choices for them.



3. In addition to the attributes of a product itself, the budget of every consumer is also different. Therefore, manufacturers need to launch products with different designs, performance and materials according to different purchasing power of consumers, so as to meet the various needs.



In short, we try to provide as many options as possible to fulfill everyone's different needs and preferences.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 17 Some Exploration of FiiO in Acoustic Technology in 2021





In 2021, before dwelling on FiiO’s earphones, let me introduce some exploration of FiiO in acoustic technology in general.



144 years have passed since Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. Compared with the rapid technological development in other fields, the development of acoustic technology can be considered to be slow. As a subdivision of the acoustic field, earphones have not made any revolutionary progress indeed. Of course, there are still some small innovations. Let me summarize and share the main trend of FiiO earphones in 2021 with you guys.



1. Research and development of diaphragm materials. This is mainly reflected in the application of beryllium to dynamic driver units. Firstly, we adopt the beryllium-plated diaphragm into the mid-range product, and then transfer this technology to the entry-level product. Finally, pure beryllium diaphragm is introduced into high-end products.



For the traditional dynamic driver IEMs , diaphragm material is one of the most important factors affecting the sound quality. With the attribute of rigidness, light weight and deformation resistance, beryllium can be the suitable material of diaphragm which has demanding requirement to weight, strength and deformation when vibrating. The beryllium diaphragm can be regarded as the one closest to the ideal acoustic diaphragm at present.



Currently, FiiO earphones using pure beryllium diaphragm are FDX and FD7, while those using beryllium-plated diaphragm are FD5, FH3, FH5S/FH5S Pro, FH7 and EM5. It can be seen that beryllium is used almost all the mid-end and high-end products.



2. Semi-open acoustic cavity design. The traditional IEMs, except for a small hole, can be considered as a completely sealed cavity. In this way, the sound is wrapped in the ear canal, which will generate greater pressure and prevent the movement of the diaphragm. The result is that the sound is not easy to open and the lateral sound field becomes narrow. This is especially true for dynamic driver IEMs. After our repeated exploration in structure and shape design, our FD5, FD7, FDX, FH5S/FH5S Pro all adopt a semi-open acoustic design. By doing so, both the performance of sound in sound field and the wearing experience are improved. We will also adopt this semi-open design to our new products in the future. Since the sound pressure level of the earphones is not so high, the semi-open opening is not that large, and there are acoustic materials to block mid- and high-frequency leakage, so there is no need to worry the leakage of sound.



3. Powerful magnetic circuit. Speakers and earphones are actually inseparable from magnets. In the magnetic field, a good unit has nothing more than high magnetic flux so that the diaphragm will not vibrate randomly and cause distortion. To describe it in an Chinese idiom, it can be said that high magnetic flux can drive the diaphragm to some extent just like "quiet like an elegant lady and brisk like a rabbit". Another important point is that the magnetic field should be uniform, so that the magnetic circuit system can be more stable. However, since the difficulty of the process of high magnetic flux unit and high cost, the coverage is quite low. But we still try to squeeze on our profits and spare no efforts to make excellent products. Therefore, starting from 2021, more and more FiiO earphones have adopted dynamic driver units with ultra-high magnetic flux, including FDX, FD7, FD5, FD3/FD3Pro, FD1, FH5S, FH3, etc.



4. Interchangeable plug. This is not directly related to sound quality. Interchangeable plug design mainly serves for an improvement of user experience, making it easier to adapt to different front ends. Our EM5, FDX, FD7, FD5, FH5S/FH5S Pro are equipped with this design. In the future, FiiO's mid-to-high-end earphones will come with this interchangeable plug as standard.

 

[ClayCamera]

Chapter 9 The Surprising K5 Pro, Keep Striving with New Chip

In the previous post, I said that the reason for the research and development of K9 series is owing to the hot sales of K5Pro. In fact, the popularity of K5 Pro can be traced back to E9, E09K and K5. These three models were both worked as a docking headphone amplifier at that time, with only the headphone amplification function. Using with FiiO’s portable decoding amp/player plugged into the dock, the two devices were soon combined into a desktop DAC headphone amplifier.

Therefore, these docking headphone amplifiers before K5 Pro can be seen as an accessory of our portable products, with limited functions and applicability of course. Later, Since many of our products has canceled the docking design, the K5 thus has no market naturally. We feel it would be a pity to discontinue a product whose design, appearance, and sound quality have been recognized by many users.

In light of this, we added decoding function and upgraded it to the K5 Pro. It soon achieved huge success the moment it hit the market. Each batch of K5 Pro was ordered by the distributors before it was produced. If we think it over, it is not surprising to find that K5 Pro is widely praised by users. With its simple functions, precise positioning, exquisite workmanship, beautiful sound, small size and strong driven capacity, you can hardly find any competitors on the market within the price of 1,000 yuan.

Appropriate Usage Scenarios
The K5 Pro is commonly used in desktop scenarios- put it on the desk and connect it with a computer/laptop. Especially suitable for users who have higher requirements for sound quality and need to drive over-ear headphones.

Due to the discontinuation of DAC chip, the K5 Pro has been out of stock for some time. As a result, we have to replace the DAC with 9038Q2M from ESS Technology. Hopefully, the new version of K5 Pro will catch up with the peak season at the end of this year and satisfy everyone's needs. We believe that the K5Pro will become an unfailing model with a long lifespan cycle in the FiiO family, just like the E10K. Maybe it is not so shining nor trendy, but it meets the most basic needs of users with its simple function, solid performance and affordable price. In one word, it is a classic!

Hi,
Thanks for the update on new products.
I'm planning to get a K5 Pro to drive my He400i 2020.
Is it worth waiting for the revision model with the new 9038Q2M DAC chip from ESS?
Is it expected to improve the DAC stage performance from the previous chip? Will there be a price revision?

 

[FiiO]

Hi,
Thanks for the update on new products.
I'm planning to get a K5 Pro to drive my He400i 2020.
Is it worth waiting for the revision model with the new 9038Q2M DAC chip from ESS?
Is it expected to improve the DAC stage performance from the previous chip? Will there be a price revision?

I do not have too much information of the ESS version for you currently. But since it is changing the DAC chip because discontinuation of the original DAC chip, the function and price may not change too much. If you don't mind waiting, you could have a try when it is available a few months later.
But if you want to enjoy the K5Pro now, choosing the K5Pro with AK chips is a good choice still.

Best regards

 

[ClayCamera]

I do not have too much information of the ESS version for you currently. But since it is changing the DAC chip because discontinuation of the original DAC chip, the function and price may not change too much. If you don't mind waiting, you could have a try when it is available a few months later.
But if you want to enjoy the K5Pro now, choosing the K5Pro with AK chips is a good choice still.

Best regards

Thank you for the prompt clarification. Have placed an online order.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 18 FD7, the masterpiece of FiiO’s Dynamic Driver Technology

As a new dynamic driver IEMs of FiiO, FD7 can be regarded as a masterpiece that integrates four technologies. Specifically, they are pure beryllium diaphragm, Semi-open acoustic design, magnet with high magnetic flux and interchangeable audio plugs.

Among the above four technologies, magnets with high magnetic flux are not uncommon in the industry, and interchangeable plug design has even become a standard for Chinese high-end earphones. Though the semi-open acoustic design is not used by many manufacturers, it is not rare in comparison. But the pure beryllium diaphragm units supplied in batches are really rare in the audio industry. Up to now, the products using pure beryllium diaphragms can be listed as below: FINAL A8000 (retail price in China is 1846USD), FINAL x DITA SHICHIKU.KANGEN (2906USD), DUNU Luna ( retail price in China is 1815 USD).

Not much to say the advantages of beryllium as a diaphragm for headphones/speakers, because a lot of information can be easily searched online. In this post, I will mainly talk about why pure beryllium is excellent material for diaphragm, and why are there only a few earphones using it.

The main reason is that there is only Materion that has established industrialized production of pure beryllium diaphragm materials. This results in two things: high price of the beryllium diaphragm material and long ordering time(12 months). The manufacturer would not willing to do business with us if we order few quantity. But bulk order requires sufficient financial strength. If 1,000 pcs of earphones are to be made, then 2,000 pcs of diaphragms are needed, which means hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to be invested. In order to make FDX/FD7, FiiO had invested millions dollars alone to prepare the diaphragm materials a year in advance. To be honest, this threshold is too high for many small brands. Moreover, with so much money has been invested, it will also be a big risk whether the headphones can be sold out.

For FiiO, money is not an issue. Even though FiiO has a relatively large global sales network among Chinese HiFi brands, sales is indeed risky since the future doesn’t look to be very bright for sales of high-price products. So, our strategy is to squeeze costs as much as we can and set a more affordable price. We therefore set an ultra-low price for FD7 of around 600USD, hoping to achieve small profits but quick turnover, so that more people can experience the unique sound of pure beryllium diaphragm.

Having said all that, you may also be curious about the sound difference between FiiO's pure beryllium earphones and other competing products. In fact, we discovered during the process that the performance of mids and treble among these earphones are very similar in frequency response curve. We can call this the unique sound of beryllium. Specifically, the treble extends very well, and is delicate and full of energy. This is something that difficult to manage when tuning because of technical limitations. A dynamic driver, for example, can also achieve excellent treble extension, but it often appears too bright and harsh. And if you want to reduce sibilance, it will lead to heavy sound with insufficient energy and density.

While for the mids and bass, the design of the cavity and gasket may gather greater influence. Different brands will distinguish themselves based on their own style of sound.

In short, I personally think that no matter which pure beryllium earphones are, experienced audiophiles can easily recognize their commonality. We can call this the unique sound of beryllium.

FD7 is more suitable for those who like the natural extension of single dynamic driver, coherent and smooth connection of bass, mids and treble, and often listen to instrumental music with rich high notes. For people who do not have a special preference but like to try new things, and hope to experience different styles, FD7 can also be a good choice.

In addition, since it is difficult to purchase pure beryllium diaphragms, it’s not easy for us to organize production and we thus fail to guarantee supply. From a pessimistic point of view, in light of long procurement cycle and risks control, we will not prepare too much material in advance. Maybe we will face a situation in the future where FD7 is not popular as we estimated because of shortages in supply. But I do believe that it is not common for a brand like FiiO to provide such an opportunity that is accessible to many of you to experience pure beryllium sound. In short, just buy and cherish.

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To be continued​

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 19 FiiO’s First Collector’s Edition Product, FDX

It has been 14 years since FiiO was established in 2007. Over the past fourteen years, the continuous needs and suggestions of our users have long motivated us to launch hundreds of products of various categories. This has also helped us to accumulate millions of users all over the world. In addition, since the founding team of FiiO itself are audiophiles, so we have always hoped to make something memorable and collectible for ourselves. Actually, we had tried when the FH7 was launched. We made a commemorative version of the FH7 with a gold-plated shell. But we finally gave up because of immature technologies.

After the FD5 was launch, we eventually made the final decision. That is, we were not only going to make an FD7 on the basis of FD5, but also to make FDX worthy of collecting. Now our wish has finally come true. But, how should we position this product?

Firstly, FDX is based on FD7, so the sound quality of FDX is fully guaranteed. It is an excellent pair of earphones in itself.

Secondly, Though it is based on FD7, FDX is more than FD7. With an exclusive gold-silver-copper braided cable equipped, the sound quality is further improved. If there is an chance, you can try and experience the subtle difference in sound between FDX and FD7.

Thirdly, FDX is not only a commodity but an accessory. One of our greatest wish for FDX is that it can only serve as a device for listening to music, but also a collection worth showing and collecting. So we combine the gold-plated shell and imitation diamonds together to highlight the earphones. I think it will not be odd at all even when putting it in a gold shop/jewelry shop.

Some people may think that this gold-plated shell + "diamond" combination will be too high-profile to take outside. Of course, different people have different opinions. It’s our freedom to choose what we wear today, and similarly, it’s also our freedom to choose what kind of earphones to wear. What seems certain is that no matter where you go, you will surely be the center of attention with the brilliant shimmering of the gold FDX in your ears.

Fourthly, FDX is more of a souvenir to commemorate the 14th anniversary of FiiO. Therefore, many of our staff, including myself, purchased FDX at their own expense. Personally speaking, I will put FDX into a photo frame and place in the study. When I retire in the future, I can share my past stories with my grandchildren.

At the same time, in the long path of FiiO’s 14-year history, we have met and made friends with countless users. Many users not only like our products, but also establish deep relationship with our brand. For them, FDX is also a product of special sentimental value.

In light of these, we have worked hard on details such as packaging and accessories. Each pieces has exclusive 14th anniversary nameplates with serial numbers placed in the wooden case. The value and significance of FDX can be more clearly demonstrated with these magnificent details.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to show my gratitude to millions of FiiO fans for their support to FiiO over the past fourteen years. The past wonderful fourteen years have been turned into FDX and well collected. Let’s keep growing step by step and look forward to the future. FiiO will definitely live up to everyone's expectations and continue to provide you with more and better products.

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To be continued​

 

[nv88]

What is the status of the Fiio M5 and M6 players?

 

[FiiO]

What is the status of the Fiio M5 and M6 players?

Low-end models

As for low-end models, the M3K, M3PRO, and M5 based on Ingenic X1000, the cost of them are very tense, whose performance mainly depends on cost control rather than technology. Therefore, we will not make any renewal plans under limited conditions. If there are demands in the market, we will continue the production. Otherwise, we will stop.

This is all the basic situations. As a manufacturer, we will also make efforts in other product types to make better promotions and sales. Survival and development will not be a problem, and difficult days will finally go to an end. If you are interested in our products, you can choose our existing products, wait for our later products, or turn to other brands. One way or another, your needs go first. Thank you very much for your attention and care for FiiO. We will keep on doing what we should do.

--FiiO’s Next Plan for Players

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 20 Nice and Affordable Twins FD3/FD3Pro

FD3/FD3Pro are also the new dynamic driver IEMs launched by FiiO this year. People who pay attention to our brand will find that most of our earphones produced this year is dynamic driver IEMs. Starting from FD1 in 2020, we have FD1-FD5-FD3/FD3Pro-FD7/FDX. There are four dynamic driver IEMs have been released in one year.

This is actually related to the preferences of the market/users. In 2017, FiiO started to make its own earphones with single dynamic driver, namly, F1-F3-F5. At that time we have gather enough experience and most importantly, customers prefer dynamic driver and balanced armature hybrid IEMs. We therefore have F9/F9Pro became FiiO's first earphones in vogue.

So, FiiO has mainly focused on BA/ DD+BA hybrid IEMs in the following steps. And the product line of DD IEMs has not been updated for 3 years after F5. However, in the earphone market, there is no such type of earphones that have absolute advantages. Compared with the DD+BA IEMs, there is no such problem as inconsistent sound for DD IEMs, because it doesn’t require frequency division. Even if it may not extend well in the treble in comparision of BA IEMs, it makes the power of the mids more prominent. I personally think DD IEMs are more suitable for classical music, absolute music and old songs. Young guys tend to prefer DD+BA hybrid IEMs with greater dynamics, greater frequency response, and stronger energy in treble.

And FD3/FD3Pro were born under this background. Starting from FD1, FD5 has won praise from the market and consumers. FD3/FD3Pro can be regarded as a cost-effective version of the predecessor FD5 with some technologies introduced.

In terms of design, FD3/FD3 Pro inherits the structure of the FD5. The aluminum alloy shell reduces cost as well as weight, so that the comfort level can be improved. In addition, the acoustic prism, semi-open cavity, and interchangeable sound tubes of FD5 are all continued on the FD3/FD3Pro .

Besides, after trying other better earphones cable for the earphones we released in early time, some consumers gave us a lot of suggestions and hoped that we could equip the earphones with a better cable. Therefore, we make our attempt, and this is the first time that FiiO has used cables to differentiate the standard version, FD3, and the high-end version, FD3Pro.

According to the market feedback, the sales ratio of FD3 and FD3Pro is about 6:4. It seems that there are still many users have the demand for two versions. Maybe we will make this a standard in the future.

Generally speaking, FD3/FD3Pro is suitable for audiophiles who have a preference for warm sound, and those who do not pursue extremely high resolution. They are more suitable for listening to classical songs, old songs and pop music.

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To be continued​

 

[mndless]

Any news about a potential update to the LC-BT2? I love mine, but I really wish they had even better battery life, or the same battery life, but with higher power output. I'd also like a stronger bluetooth transceiver, as drop-outs are pretty common with mine when using LDAC. I'm sure a lot of it is from a weak bluetooth antenna in my Hiby R3 Pro Saber, but even on my phone, which has remarkable bluetooth output strength, the reception is only average, even compared to cheaper sets.

 

[FiiO]

Any news about a potential update to the LC-BT2? I love mine, but I really wish they had even better battery life, or the same battery life, but with higher power output. I'd also like a stronger bluetooth transceiver, as drop-outs are pretty common with mine when using LDAC. I'm sure a lot of it is from a weak bluetooth antenna in my Hiby R3 Pro Saber, but even on my phone, which has remarkable bluetooth output strength, the reception is only average, even compared to cheaper sets.

The Story of Bluetooth Cable LC-BT1--From James：https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-story-of-bluetooth-cable-lc-bt1-from-james.956796/

In the end, it is likely that TWS ear hooks will have more development in the future. Therefore, Bluetooth cables ought to disappear completely from our product line in 2022.

Best regards

 

[musicheaven]

@FiiO not to derail your product updates but just as a first thought when looking at your offerings, it seems too much. You start loosing people when there are just too many options, you loose interest after a few variations. I understand you’re trying to please as many music lovers as you can but I find you’re diluting your work force on things that could be better spent on up to date designs, improvements through r & d and just enough variations to please most.

I can see 3 major options; low, mid and hi-end. Have a product for each with features sought by each should cover the range. Just some thoughts, nothing more.

I do have to add that you’re pricing is well within the community and that’s highly appreciated and valuable.