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The FiiO FD5 hi res in ear monitor is the newly released headfonia using a specially built dynamic driver, beautifully designed headphone housing, and excellent build quality. The in ear headphones possess 32Ω impedance and 109dB sensitivity, which is generally quite easy to pull with most pocket music players or smartphones. FiiO also uses the IE 2017 Harman Curve standard to optimize the sound characteristics of the FD5. Let’s walk through the Fiio FD5 review below:
Unboxing
Before FiiO FD5 review, let’s check out its unboxing. Accessories included with the audio headset are a very nice leather case and other components such as a cleaning brush, a pair of replacement sound tubes, two 2.5 mm and 4.4 mm connectors, and an MMCX clip.
FiiO FD5 also comes with a lot of eartips with different sizes, classified into 5 separate categories for each diverse listening needs:
- Balanced: 3 pairs, size S / M / L
- Vocal: 3 pairs, size S / M / L
- Bass: 3 pairs, size S / M / L
- Tri-Flange: 2 pairs, size S / L
- Memory Foam: 2 pairs, M size only
Design and build quality
The FiiO FD5 housing is manufactured from beautifully polished stainless steel and weighs slightly heavier than the FD1 and FA7. The model number of the headset is laser-engraved to look bright.
On the housing, there are small holes for air release to help reduce distortion and feel the sound, when listening to music becomes airier, the soundstage improves because Fiio FD5 calls semi-open-in-year.
The nozzle part of the FD5 is 5 mm long, so it will be compatible with most eartips that you already own or are familiar with such as Ortofon, Spinfit, Comply.
There is nothing to criticize the line and the shine, when worn, the FD5 looks like a piece of jewelry. This high resolution audio headset is also suitable as a gift for girls. Rigid jack, simple disassembly, tight connection.
FiiO FD5 uses a detachable cable with good elasticity without noise, cable does not make noise even though there is friction with the shirt.
Three included headphone jacks are sufficient for most of your needs: 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm, no need to buy more cables. The FD5 cable is machined from high purity silver-plated copper with a total of 152 wires wound in 8 cores, 24 AWG thick. The cable itself is 18 AWB thick.
The cord uses an MMCX connector with a sturdy and strong grip, which can be considered to be better than the FH7 and FA9 (REVIEW). Users can replace the plug by removing the outer metal shell and replacing the plug they need, then screws the cover back into the original.
Features
The FiiO FD5 ear phone uses a 12 mm Beryllium dynamic driver with Neodymium N52 magnet construction for lines up to 1.5 Tesla, so that solid and fast bass and clear, detailed treble is available. The diaphragm membrane is made very thin and light, but it has a high hardness thanks to the coating of which is on the surface of a layer of Beryllium.
Due to its single-driver design, the FiiO FD5 does not require a crossover circuit. Also, the design team took advantage of the complex structural sound chamber and suppressed the internal standing waves to stabilize the sound, to amplify and disperse the sound.
Sound
The FiiO FD5 gives an excellent first impression when the sound quality is sharp and clear but has to turn the volume slightly high, and it seems that this driver needs a large amount of voltage swing to push the diaphragm to oscillate “right”, 3 sound bands keep shaping well at volume above 45%, low gain when listening on FiiO Q3 via Balanced 4.4mm. The bass is powerful and full of power but, with an extremely wide soundstage, it is sufficient to convey the position of each sound with the most precision.
The sound quality is customized with the IE 2017 Harman Curve Response, so that the FiiO FD5’s bass is boosted by a few dB, especially at mid-base for easy music listening and capturing. The treble is very vibrant and sharp, the upper treble roll-off is progressively smooth, making it very easy to hear.
The mid-range is slightly retractable, the physical sound is warm and quite natural, so the upper-mid is still not subtle and is still gritty, it is also a feature of in ear monitor using a beryllium driver. We think the FiiO FD5 has good tuning V-shape sound quality, which caters to the music needs of experienced audiophiles as well as novice players.
Speaking of the FD5’s bass, after about 4 days of burn, the in ear headphones almost reached their peak with good decay, just enough and very natural, making listening to jazz or acoustic, or most music without motion.
The bass is very strong, but clear and precise, though not on par with the FiiO FH7. In general, if there is no small weakness in the upper-mid, then the FiiO FD5’s sound quality should be said to have nothing to criticize.
Final line
From the FiiO FD5 review, we have found that this headset is a bit of a mixed bag because it does certain things well and other things poorly. Aesthetics and comfort are inadequate in some ways, as are cable, various jacks, and the quality of the headset is excellent. However, the system is not bad in itself, and the use of different audio players can lead to a better music experience.
If the shiny silver design catches your attention, the FiiO FD5 is worth considering, and the rest of the feature set and sound quality won’t let you down priced under $300 on the Amazon.com website.
However, when it comes to sound, the FD5 is excellent, thanks to the 12 mm Beryllium dynamic driver. It provides a fairly neutral sound that can be tweaked to your needs through simple settings. If you’re willing to overlook some of the shortcomings, the FiiO FD5 is a portable, easy-to-use, and audiophile-oriented headset that you will probably grow to love for the quality of its sound performance.
