I‘m looking for new iems in the 300+ price range and fiio is the only brand that most dealers sell here.
Because fiio already has 3 different lines with plenty of different models, I wonder which one performs best.
I‘m mainly listening to classical and K-pop and what something that’s wider than my Legacy 3 and DM6 with good timbre and better resolution.
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No other brands available?
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Of course I could just order from HifiGo or Linsoul but at 300€-400€ I would probably have to pay 60-100€ for customs and import tax.
Fiio as a brand has already arrived at most Hifi dealers, so if anything goes wrong or I just don’t like the sound at all I can simply send them back.
Both LS or HG have no customs/fees couriers.
Yes, local shops give you the security, but… Fiio.
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It depends on what kpop songs you are listening to. For Fiio, I will only recommend the FH3 mainly for Kpop. The FD5 is a step up in a way but I didn’t like it for some of the female vocals sibilance and treble spikes.
The FH3 and FD5 are able to handle busy tracks like IZONE ‘Secret Story of The Swan’ and ‘Panorama’. But like my recommendations in terms of the Fiio FD5, it’s best to demo it first before deciding.
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With FiiO be careful with the highs. Their productivity is much higher than other brands for the same or higher price 
So would it be better to just pay customs and get iems from China? I’ve heard that the Mangird Tea are really good and might be a worthy upgrade.
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linsoul/hifigo avoid customs charges by claiming the item at a low enough value to avoid taxation, some courier services will still impose some sort of charge depending on where you’re living (ie they have no other option than using that courier, this CAN happen with DHL), but otherwise you should be good. i’m in the u.k and haven’t paid any additional costs to anything from linsoul/hifigo, linsoul customer support is atrocious too but probably on par with random aliexpress sellers so ymmv, less familiar with hifigo customer support
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Customs will check the package regardless of the price it claims.
And there are no tax free limits anymore so I will definitely have to deal with customs
if I’m not wrong, up to 150€ rule is that the vendor will pay EU the vat, buyer will pay the shop the cost (i.e. no import taxation). for items above 150€, taxation is a buyer problem (i.e. you will have to pay customs duties and vat).
That’s over now. Everything especially from China has customs and fees now. Even a 5€ phone case
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Yes but some couriers still avoid. If you check linsoul/hifigo, you’ll see that. Im also in EU.
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This is 100% true for Germany also. As a western customer it took some time to wrap my head around this chinese business practice.
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umh. it seems europe rule are not aligned with what you’re saying
“Customs Duty is not due for goods, provided directly to the buyer when their value does not exceed 150 euros.”
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This explains it well imo.
EDIT: So @juliangst is right I think. However people are probably alreading using loopholes (sites like Hifigo, Linsoul etc)
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With the new VAT reform, duty is only due for goods above 150€ but most IEMS I’m considering cost more than 150€.
If they don’t have a warehouse in EU which most sites like Hifigo and Linsoul don’t, I will most likely end up paying 19% VAT and those 5-10% on top of the price.
And no, it doesn’t matter what price they print on the box. I already got a few IEMs from china and they were inspected by customs control and duty and VAT was charged according to their real price.
Like I’ve said before… Some couriers still avoid, no matter what. Yunexpress (used on aliexpress, hifigo and linsoul) is one of them. They pass customs in another country. For me, they do it in Spain, as an example.
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At this price point I would like to be able to send the IEMs back if I don’t like them and that’s always a hassle and sometimes not even possible with those chinese hifi dealers
Then yes, you’re most likely stuck with Amazon offerings.
I just read a few reviews and the Fiio FD5 seem to be good.
They have more natural timbre than the Mangird Tea or Blessing 2, which is what I’m looking for because I listen to a lot of classical