I know you donât think so highly of the FD5. I remember an argument with you and a guy insisting FD5 was way better than the Tanchjim Oxygen. What about the Fh5s? What do you hinm about it?
Both the FH5 and FH5s are my least favorite Fiio hybrids. I prefer both the FH7 and FH3.
I will say though that the FH5s is special when it comes to being so open. It loses out on bass impact, but itâs very comfortable to wear and I never have any inner-ear suction issues while listening to it as I do most IEMs. Still, FH7 & FH3 > FH5 & FH5s.
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Does anybody have both FD3 and FD5? Whatâs the difference
Yep, I have a few Fiio IEMsâŠ
The FD5 is around $300. The FD3 is $110-$150. The FD5âs DD is coated with beryllium. The FD3 has a DLC Diamond Diaphragm. The FD5 has a more open sound due to the faceplate venting design. The FD3 venting is located on the underside of the MMCX connector and allows less air movement. Obvious faceplate designs and color differences. The tuning appears to be targeted as similar as possible within the hardware limitations.
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I guess that means the FD5 isolates slightly less, but it has a more airy quality, and a beryllium bass. Iâve never heard a beryllium IEM before, so I wonder how they sound compared.
Sort of. When more air is allowed to escape (more venting) bass impact is reduced. The FH5s sounds the most open of all the Fiio IEMs followed by the FD5.
If you think you prefer more bass or slam, the FD3 will be the better choice because it is not as open. @hawaiibadboy did a good job of explaining the differences in his FD3 review if youâre really interestedâŠ
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The tuning appears to be targeted as similar as possible within the hardware limitations.
Is that a trend among fiio gear, guess youâd call that the âhouse soundâ ? I was tip rolling my FD3 and FH3 the other day and noticed you could get them fairly close in tuning if you wanted to.
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Nah, Fiioâs tuning is all over the place. 
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Hello friends,
I got to experience the FD3 courtesy of a friend(he bought and sent me for an audition, I simply loved it <3 Here are my short impressions.
FiiO FD3: Not Just A Regular Single Dynamic IEM!!
FiiO is one of my favorite brands where I have used many of their gears previously including M11 Pro Music Player, FH5 IEM, and FD5 IEMs. And to be very honest, FD5 were my favorite single dynamic IEMs until today when I got to experience the FD3.
I was not at all interested in buying the FD3 at all. I thought I have now evolved from the state where I need my FD5 with me(I sold it long back). But hearing this gem, made me go insane. This little beauty comes very close to just 100$ but in my general opinion, is a much better value-for-money stuff than the FD5. Itâs like FiiO created a competition for themselves. Coming to brief impressions on the FD3.
Tonality: Warm with elevated bass. The bass response of this pair is like a sub-woofer. You get to experience some of the best bass you can at this price point with the FD3.
Lower End: As mentioned above, the best I have experienced at this price point. Itâs punchy, itâs impactful, itâs literally a sub-woofer in your ears. Want a fun listening session? FD3 is the perfect one for you.
Midrange: I find midrange warm and musical. The vocals have good clarity and carry good emotions with them. Acoustic instruments are well-detailed.
Treble: The top end has a smooth treatment, the extension is good, the instrument separation is excellent for the price point. There is no noticeable harshness or sibilance with the FD3.
Soundstage: Good width with a decent amount of air on the stage.
A short comparison between FD5 and FD3.
IMO, take a little bit of energy out of FD5, elevate some bass response, and give a warm touch to the vocals, whooosh FD3 is here.
Some Cons with FD3:-
In terms of sound, I just canât complain about anything. But obviously, if you prefer reference-grade or balanced sound, the FD3 is not for you. It has a bassy signature.
My Biggest concern with FD3 is its weight. I listened to the pair for about an hour or two, and my ears were paining. The earpieces are heavy and are not designed for long listening sessions.
Well, thatâs about it from my side on the FD3. Hope it helps you out. I will try to write an in-depth review soon too!!
Thanks. If you like it please leave me a like 
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I had the chance to listen to the FD3, even though I wasnât even interested in it and didnât like it at all. In retrospect I am very glad I did try it though, because it is such a good showcase how subjective this hobby is.
Some reviewers who like it (more or less):
- RikudouGoku rates the FD5 S tier (close to the very top of his list). Which baffles me even more is, that his target (according to squig.link) is probably my favorite of all of them
- HBB rated the FD5 at B⊠on par with the blessing2, Monarch and Dunu SA6⊠even higher than the Sony M9. And if I didnât misunderstand him, he prefers the FD3 over the FD5
On the other hand we have:
- Crinacle: Gives the FD5 a C+, which isnât very good by his standards
- Super Review: Gave both the FD3 and FD5 3/5 stars and was rather underwhelmed
I liked the FD3 as a product⊠the fit was good, the optics and haptics were great, I liked the cable, a lot of accessories⊠but the sound was terrible imho. Far too bassy⊠less details, then on a 20$ KZ/CCA⊠despite the lack of treble extension it somehow managed still to have sibilance.
I disliked the sound so much, that it turns out to be a great discriminator of which reviewers to listen to personally/
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I think there is something very wrong here. Less detailed than a 20 usd kz and lack of treble extension? Absolutely no wayâŠ
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Reading the gadgetgod 's review and comments like these makes me sometimes think we actually heared different iems. But I canât think of an explanation:
- what is the chance of both sides of my FD3 sample being defect in a way to give a coherent sound nonetheless? Doesnât seem likely
- I tried the FD3 on different sources
- I did fiddled with the eq a bit and they definitely sounded better with eq on, but when the eq was off, it sounded like a muddy mess
So I have no clue what could explain the discrepancy except individual hearing and preference.
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You are listening to the fd3 instead of the fd5 for one thing.
I liked the FD3 as a product⊠the fit was good, the optics and haptics were great, I liked the cable, a lot of accessories⊠but the sound was terrible imho. Far too bassy⊠less details, then on a 20$ KZ/CCA⊠despite the lack of treble extension it somehow managed still to have sibilance.
I think there is something very wrong here. Less detailed than a 20 usd kz and lack of treble extension? Absolutely no wayâŠ
You are listening to the fd3 instead of the fd5 for one thing
I donât quite get your point. So are you saying my experience is compatible with yours after all? Did you say my description doesnât apply to the FD5? Because I never made a statement about how the FD5 sounded, so I am confused⊠however my experience with the FD3 is very different - almost opposite of gadgetgodâs.
Have you heared the FD3? If so I would be interested in your comparison with the FD5.
EDIT: Just to be clear⊠i never heared the FD5 - I just assume it is similiar enough to the FD3 to group them together in terms of tonality.
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I commented because you mentioned me with the FD5.
I have not heard it BUT I have seen people saying that the FD5 is the better one, with better technicalities.
Which is why I dont think you can apply it to the FD5. Especially in the technicalities and the extension department, which is better on the FD5 compared to the FD3 according to some people.
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Hello friend,
I am also surprised to see your opinion about the FD3. The unit I auditioned belongs to my friend, and he is not an audiophile to start with. He just wanted a set with deep bass, so I suggested him to get the FD3.
Coming to my opinion, I also prefer some deep hitting bass response for my fun sessions, for my critical listening I either use HD650 or Shure SE846(mostly itâs the Shure love its performance). Hope this helps you in understanding my preferences.
Coming to the FD3 now, the only con I found in it considering its price range is its fit. The pair is surprisingly very heavy, heavier than FD5 even. That gives pain to my ears in just an hour of listening. With my Shureâs I have had far longer sessions without any issue. As per FD3âs sound impressions, I know bass sometimes has a boomy signature but I personally find that enjoyable for fun sessions.
Rest assured, I respect your review and impressions too as my personal opinion is everyone hears different, so it is genuinely possible for you to dislike something that I like.
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This is true as per me too. FD3 is good for its price segment. Obviously, it doesnât beat FD5 in terms of extension and staging.
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Which tips did you use on each set to get them close to each other?
Anyone own the FD3 and KATO? I was already planning on getting the KATO once theyâre more readily available in the US. I was thinking of getting the FD3 as a more musical and fun set while I wait.
I own FH3, Starfield, MELE, H40, EA1, EA3, NO.3.
FD3 worth it or not? Iâm sure at least 4 of the sets I own are better with detail retrieval than the FD3 is capable of.
Niestety ale w mojej ocenie fiio FD3 pro jest przereklamowane. Posiadam CCA C12 za 179zl z qudelix 5k i nie wazne w jakiej konfiguracji fd3 ma gorsze wysokie mniejsza rozdzielczosc co ciekawe bas w cca minimalnie potrafi niĆŒej zejsc scena bez roznicy w obu przecietna ale akceptowalna muzykalnosc tez bez jakiejs roznicy cca lekko swobodniej tez jakby graly. Sa to naprawde minimalne roznice ale sa. I to nie tak ze chce te sluchawki skrytykowac bo naprawde dobrze graja a wykonanie jest wrecz wysmienite tylko warto sie zastanowic sam bylem przekonany ze napewno musza zagrac chociaĆŒ trochÄ lepiej.