Simon Lucas auditions this refined new pair of over-ear, planar magnetic headphones…
FiiO
FT5 Planar Magnetic Headphones
£429
Guangzhou’s FiiO Electronics Expertise Firm Ltd has made some missteps since its inception in 2007, but in broad phrases, the corporate’s trajectory has been upward. Its credibility as a purveyor of transportable music gamers, headphone amplifiers, DACs and related applied sciences – particularly the place desktop audio is worried – is totally unarguable.
Recently, FiiO has been making decided strikes within the headphone market, and this land-grab does not appear to be slowing down any time quickly. With final 12 months’s FT3 open-backed, hard-wired, over-ear mannequin, the corporate as soon as once more demonstrated each its value-for-money dependability and its willingness to deal with areas of the market that may be charitably described as ‘retro’.
Now FiiO is again, this time with the FT5. It is usually hard-wired, open-backed and over-ear however represents the model’s first foray into the world of planar magnetic driver know-how. Nevertheless, it isn’t the one firm trying to convey this esoteric engineering method right down to a real-world worth level. For instance, Audeze – not too long ago acquired by Sony – and HiFiMan are high-profile planar magnetic evangelists. But it might be a courageous particular person who guess in opposition to FiiO being the corporate that manages to actually democratise it.
UP CLOSE
Magnesium aluminium alloy, I’m reliably knowledgeable, is simply two-thirds as dense as plain outdated aluminium alloy – which is why FiiO makes use of it for the FT5. And even then, it weighs a not-inconsiderable 456g with out cables. There isn’t any arguing with the truth that it appears and feels significantly extra upmarket than the plastic-framed alternate options from rival manufacturers. Additionally, the cautious headband/hanger association – which makes use of a slim, adjustable protein leather-based band inside a metallic body – signifies that this pair of headphones stays snug even over prolonged listens.
Consolation is additional aided by a selection of earpads. Two varieties are equipped with the FT5: one pair in protein leather-based and the opposite in suede. In my expertise, the previous resists handing again physique warmth for longer than the suede pair, and the 2 have sonic variations. These should not as dramatic because the remarkably flowery language on the FiiO web site suggests; in line with FiiO, the kind of sound achievable through the suede earpads is “magnificently vigorous”, no much less.
This pair of headphones does not fold flat, which fits some solution to explaining the relative bulk of the equipped tan leather-based carrying case. The earcups do transfer in three axes, although, which suggests a snug match is definitely achievable. Or at the very least it’s when you’re not too petite-headed, as the headscarf adjusts way more readily for the big-headed amongst us than it does the small.
Every earcup has a 3.5mm wired connection for the 1.5m braided silver-plated monocrystalline copper cable, which clicks into place securely and stays mounted in all however probably the most excessive circumstances. The opposite finish of the cable can function both a 3.5mm, 4.4mm, 6.3mm or 4-pin XLR connection, and swapping between terminations is a swift and simple course of.
The earcups themselves are designed to work in tandem with the rear of the driving force housing. This acts as a baffle to isolate sound waves at each the entrance and the rear, whereas the frilly grille on the rear of the earcups is meant to manage and speed up the airflow created when the driving force itself is shifting. Each treble decision and the size of the general sound are the claimed beneficiaries, in line with FiiO.
It’s the driver itself that is the actual story right here, after all. The planar magnetic transducer in every earcup is a hefty 90mm in diameter, an insignificant 6µm thick, and printed with aluminium/silver alloy coils. Every has eleven neodymium magnets positioned on the within of the driving force and 9 on the surface; they’re parallel to the driving force coils to make sure most driving pressure. It is an association that FiiO reckons is sweet for a frequency response of 7Hz to 40kHz and goes some solution to explaining the comparatively excessive kerb weight of the FT5. It additionally ends in a headphone with an especially easy-to-drive 96dB/mW @1kHz sensitivity determine.
THE LISTENING
Passive headphones dwell or die by the standard of the music supply they’re pushed by. In flip, that is in thrall to the standard of the recording itself. It appears unlikely that anybody is able to spend FiiO FT5 cash as a way to plug them straight into the noise-ridden headphone socket of a laptop computer laptop and take heed to closely compressed MP3 recordsdata. But it is a situation that can’t be fully discounted, so I did exactly this as a part of my listening periods. The FT5 was hooked as much as an Apple MacBook Professional, in addition to into the headphone socket of a Naim stereo amplifier, plus certainly one of iFi’s loftier headphone amplifiers. All the pieces from so-so-sounding 320kbps MP3s to 24-bit/192kHz FLAC recordsdata have been performed.
As you may anticipate, the FT5 sounds finest when given the best materials to work with. When dealing with the 2017 remaster of David Bowie‘s Sound and Imaginative and prescient as a 24bit/192kHz FLAC file through a dear headphone amp utilizing a 4.4mm balanced connection, the FiiO sounds far costlier than you’d anticipate. In just about each respect, it is an informative, participating and convincing hear.
Tonally barely on the nice and cozy aspect of impartial, there may be nonetheless loads of chew and crunch to the highest finish, even when it is fractionally thicker than is good. Bass notes aren’t so overheated that they outstay their welcome and drag their toes. And though the midrange is just a bit overstated, it is by no means shrill. That is excellent news as a result of there’s a lot occurring within the presence area, which is stuffed stuffed with element, each broad and superb.
The soundstage itself is expansive. For instance, even throughout the extra deserted moments of Speak Speak‘s Spirit of Edenthere’s loads of room for every particular person component of the recording to specific itself with out being impacted by every other. Flip up the quantity, and these headphones merely get louder, with not one of the crowding or sudden-onset two-dimensionality that much less completed designs can fall sufferer to. The recording stays organised and coherent, simple to comply with, and confidently described.
Certainly, it doesn’t matter what quantity you are listening at, this pair of headphones is in a position to deal with the dynamic peaks and troughs of PJ Harvey‘s 50ft Queenie with ease. Adjustments in depth and assault are tracked faithfully and effortlessly. Likewise, the extra delicate harmonic variations obvious in Ólafur Arnalds‘ The sunshine are recognized, contextualised and delivered with comparable proficiency. The assault and decay of particular person notes are managed with full positivity, which is especially welcome the place low-frequency info is worried. Even the gimpy rhythm of Eyelids by Fridge is given convincing expression, with bass sounds managed with straight-edged willpower.
Inevitably, there is a drop-off the place element ranges are involved; with a change to a 320kbps MP3 of Within the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Impartial Milk Resort – the soundstage turns into reasonably imprecise. But this is not probably the most judgemental pair of headphones round – whereas some designs all too willingly expose the shortcomings of compressed audio recordsdata, the FiiO fortunately makes the perfect of issues.
VERDICT
FiiO’s FT5 is an excellent headphone in an attractively old-school approach. Granted, this kind of cash should purchase you a lot extra fancy features- corresponding to wi-fi connectivity, noise cancelling, folding frames for higher portability, and so forth. – but attempt discovering one thing that really sounds pretty much as good. In that respect, you will be hard-pressed to discover a design that is extra participating and gratifying to take heed to, on the worth, than this – or, for that matter, as effectively constructed or completed.
