This has been the case since the beginning with my fiio LC 2.5d cable, which I bought for the FH3.
However, after many months up to now, I have not seen any further deterioration or connection problems.
Maybe you could try this out.
I didnât because I didnât have any other problems.
Had the same issue with the left iem being loose. It was so loose when I got it, sound wouldnât play out of it. Had to use tweezers to lightly pinch and pull the contact areas and it fixed the issue. Buying a kbear rhyme cable from Ali helped with the loose spin on the mmcx connections.
Yeah I found out its the IEM, not the cable. When I swap the male connectors, the left one is still more loose.
Do you mean on the IEM side? Do you have a tutorial for that by chance?
I donât feel like itâs going to give out or anything, itâs not even loose, itâs just more loose than the other one.
For me the loose connection that would cut out audio was fixed when I used tweezers and gently squeezed the half circles together in the iem connection. For loose spinning mmcx, I think the link @Tobias.Swiss linked should help. Iâve found it hard to do personally but it does help. My left spins more than the right as well.
I used this video as reference when I had to fix the audio cutting out.
Of the tips youâve tried, did you find any of them to widen the soundstage even more?
Which Azle Sednas did you order, Iâm seeing one with a longer inner shaft, and another with a shorter inner shaft. I want to try the longer one but not sure if itâs suitable for the 4.5mm of the FD5âs balanced filter.
Deep mount did that, but its because its the one with most treble.
I got them all lol, honestly its only a difference in fit. Do be aware that their sizes are all one size bigger than average tips. So if you are using L tips normally, you should get ML sized azlaÂŽs.
I was expecting the FD5 to be fatiguing, but even after a day filled with Zoom meetings I havenât felt any fatigue so far. With my DT-880 I would go mad.
I am on the strugglebus concerning tips though. I notice my right ear canal is angled significantly different from my left one more and more.
The default ones fit really bad, the Final E tips donât seem to fit the nozzle (they keep sliding of), the Xelastec start to hurt after a bit and I donât really like the feel of the Spinfit CP100 (though itâs my best option so far).
Still need to try the Sony ep-ex10a, the included foams and the sedna earfit, though I only have the ML and L tips which are too big for me unfortunately.
I was on the same struggle bus as well. I took the plunge for Xelastec and the fit is a lot better. The ep-ex were quite good as well. Iâd be curious to know how you get on with the regular SednaEarfit.
I use the elecom EHP-CAP20 tips on them.
Iâve been rolling tips for a bit and so far this is my ranking. Note that this is specifically for the FD5, my preferences change with IEM.
rank / name / description
1 CP100: Sound good, dislike the texture of the silicone, seem to emphasize difference between ears for me, slightly decrease stage
1 Foams: Fit best, sound is good, but loses some bass
2 Stock: Not a great fit, sound decent enough
2 Earfit: Sound a bit harsh, bigger stage than CP100, I do feel they may be too big, but I donât have these in size medium
3 Xelastec: Sound balanced, but hurt my ears after a while and I hate how dirty they get with dust and stuff
3 Final E: Wonât stay on nozzle
4 Sony EP-EX10A: Bloat the bass, fit well
Next up is the small nozzle, very curious what thatâll do to the sound
So the narrow tube is a big olâ no-thank-you-sir for me. That triple flange monstrosity (in either size) doesnât come close to fitting my ear, almost pierced something and still no seal. I guess that means my ear is both wide and shallow or something lol.
I tried them with the stock tips and the Final E tips, which stay on there pretty OK. The sound could be described as more fun, but I would mostly describe it as plain worse. Itâs more bass focused, but not in a good way IMO. I quickly returned to the regular tubes.
Same verdict as I have with them then.
Hi! Welcome to my final check-in and overall thoughts of the FD5! For starters, I would like to say that I love the FD5 and itâs an IEM that Iâm gonna be using for a long time! Thank you to those who have read my check-ins this past month! Iâm not sure if I have helped on your decision of purchasing an FD5 or not, but this is, at the end of the day, my honest impressions and thoughts of this particular iem. So before I get started, I bought this IEM mainly for listening KPOP songs. Other genres are usually secondary so if youâre looking for impressions in other music genres, I did one just right above! I donât think this will be a very long check-in but weâll see! For perspective, here are the iems that I have used over the years until the FD5:
TFZ Exclusive 1 (2017) > TFZ No.3 (2020) > Tin HiFi T3 (2021) > Moondrop Starfield (2021) > Fiio FH3 (2021) > Fiio FD5 (Present).
My ears seems to be accustomed to the V-shape sounding due to using TFZ iems longer, so my listens may differ from yours. I find the FD5 more of an upgrade from the TFZ No.3 than the FH3 for me so when I was listening on the FD5, I became quite familiarised with itâs sound fairly quickly more than the T3, Starfield, and FH3.
Audio Source - Sony NW-A55 (MrWalkman DMP-A50 FEv2 (plus))
Listening volume - 63/120
Tips - Spinfit CP145 (M)
Cable - FD5 Stock
As of this posting, the burn-in period should be about 180+ hours. Does it have any sound changes after my last check-in? No. It sounded exactly the same as a week ago. In terms of burn-in, I found the most âNight & Dayâ sound changes to be after a week of purchasing it and it slowly changes in the 2nd week. Treble was definitely more tamed and comfortable to listen to. Soundstage opens up a bunch and vocals sounded more natural and crystal clear. Bass is amazing as well but I would like to add that Iâm not a basshead so for those who likes bass may have more insight than I do. The past few check-ins, I always complained about Vocal Sibilance and unfortunately nothing has change after my previous check-in. LOONAâs âHi Highâ still has vocal sibilance in the upper-midrange and those (ssssâŠ) are definitely present throughout the song. WENDYâs âWhen This Rain Stopsâ while itâs less vocal sibilant, itâs pretty much still present and thatâs very unfortunate. I even tried playing it on my Vivo phone which has an AK4377A DAC and even on a normal laptop (Macbook) audio source, the vocal sibilance is still very much present. It was all played in normal to below listening volume. I may have very sensitive hearing to these sibilance so from your end, you may not hear it at all. Fortunately! The rest of my KPOP music library doesnât have these sibilance. So far, only about 10% of my KPOP music library has vocal sibilance.
Rocket Punch âRing Ringâ sounded amazing with no vocal sibilance at all. For a synthwave-style Kpop song, the treble and those crashes just felt controlled. Itâs enjoyable from start to finish. Slower songs like Solarâs âHappy Peopleâ sounded great as well. Her vocals and the instruments doesnât overshadowed one another. Her vocals goes naturally forward when it wants to and it works like a charm. An even slower, calmer song from Solarâs âAlone Peopleâ really focuses on her Vocal lows and the FD5 really helps her vocals shined. The instruments backing up with her vocals really works well and it shows that her vocals are the focus of the song. This is one of the tracks that made me increase my listening volume a ton and there were no distortion at all.
Lee Jin Ah "RUN (with GRAY) focuses more on the dreamy bass and the keyboard. The male vocals feels great but somehow the female vocals felt a bit behind? recessed? Itâs weird. I decided to listen to her other songs like âIâm Fullâ & âRANDOMâ and she sounded great. Her piano solos really brings out some of the best the FD5 have to offer. Jazz works super well with the FD5 in general and going along with some Kpop Jazz, youâre in for a wonderful treat.
When I tune into some City Pop, YUKIKAâs âNEONâ and âSOUL LADYâ, they sounded naturally great despite digging into the 80s style. The vocals in âSOUL LADYâ does sound a lil bit more behind than âNEONâ so it shows that the midrange vocal-wise, the FD5 takes a step back. Other City Pop-style tracks like IU âLILACâ focuses more on her Vocals and unlike YUKIKA, IUâs vocal felt more natural here with the FD5. When I tried to listen to a higher volume, it can introduce to a bit of sibilance, but when listening on normal listening volume, it was fine.
Letâs go to some Korean Drama OSTs. Jinsoulâs âAs Time Goesâ and Chuuâs âSpring Flowerâ works wonderful with the FD5. There were no vocal sibilance at all and itâs very enjoyable to listen to. TAEYEONâs âAll about youâ, Gummyâs âRemember meâ, CHUNGHAâs âAt the endâ, and Heizeâs âCan You See My Heartâ from Korean Drama âHotel Del Lunaâ just works perfectly with the FD5. I thought itâs gonna give me some sibilance since some solo Korean tracks have them but Iâm amazed how Korean Drama OSTs provides everything the FD5 can handle. Personally, I rarely listen to Korean Drama OSTs but after using the FD5, itâs been great listening to some OSTs again.
Lastly, going into modern Kpop songs! Recently released EVERGLOW âFIRSTâ is just straight up fire with the FD5. Listening to just straight up lively Kpop songs like this really makes me glad to have bought the FD5. ITZYâs âë§.íŒ.ì. In the morningâ is one strange track but the FD5 highlights the Vocals and bass really well. No complains here. The groovy bass-focused WJSN THE BLACK âEasyâ doesnât overshadow one another. Their vocals and the instruments that focuses on the bass works really well together. This also helps me understand more on why the FD5 excels at being cohesive. IUâs âCoinâ also brings out the best of the FD5. While it sounded sibilant the first time, it slowly became one of my favourite songs to listen to with the FD5. It brings out all the details you need to hear in this track.
I donât really listen to a lot of male Kpop tracks but there are some that I can highlight. When listening to iKON âLOVE SCENARIOâ the first time with the FD5, there was a touch of sibilance but after going back into the song after a week, all that problems disappeared for me and it became quite enjoyable. WINNER âREALLY REALLYâ almost felt like itâs gonna have a treble peak but it didnât. Itâs just smooth sailing all the way. Last but not least, SHINeeâs â1 of 1â. Itâs a pretty treble heavy track but I find this particular track to be a wonderful example of how amazing the FD5 can be. It showcases their melodically vocals, soundstage, trebles and bass. When their vocals goes into the highs, it doesnât go sibilant on me at all. This track and the FD5 just works amazingly well together and it has been on my repeats for the past 2 weeks now after revisiting this song. A definite recommended song if you have an FD5 with you right now or not.
In conclusion? As a Kpop listener, itâs a wonderful IEM to have! Despite having some vocal sibilant troubles in some songs, as an overall package, you canât go wrong with this IEM if youâre only listening to Kpop. As for female solo Korean songs, you may need to try it out on your own to check if it suits your needs. From my end, Korean OSTs works great with the FD5. In terms of burn-in, I feel the most changed after a week of using it. While some songs vocal-wise felt like a step back, when there are songs that focuses more on the vocals, the midrange really shines so it depends on the song that you are listening to. With the Kpop songs that Iâve been listening to? The midrange feels naturally great.
Thatâs about it! Thank you so much for reading if you have read all of my check-ins! I doubt Iâll be buying any iems since the FD5 is here to stay with me for a long time. When you find an iem that is fun to listen to, youâre in it for the long haul! Iâm not sure if my posts are any of help if youâre currently deciding on the FD5 or not, but I hope it does! Lastly, Thank you so much especially to RikudouGoku and a few others here who have recommended me the FD5 while I was in a midst of exchanging my broken Starfield a month ago. The FD5, for the most part, is perfect for me as a Kpop listener! Once again, thank you so much for reading. Until then, take care and stay safe!
Once more, time to make the FD5 scream.
So small update on my tip journey into the FD5. I ordered the spinfit cp145 and the spiral dots which will arrive in 1-3 weeks. In the mean time I found that the FD5 fit me better when I use tips that are normally to large for me and not try to force them deep in my ears. On the FH3 I use M tips and they go quite deep, but on the FD5 Iâm better off taking large Sony ep-ex10a (or the ML SednaEarfit) and get them just behind the little flubby on the front of the ear without forcing them in.
Anyone else have a similar experience?
Anyone here tried the RHA nozzles on the FD5?
Nah I want to tame that mid/upper bass abit. Iâm actually perfectly fine with the treble, donât find them fatiguing at all.
The RHA filters from what I know do just that. Tame the treble.
I had the ZAX and ended up returning it. The hybrid driver and the tuning/placement of the drivers result in an unbalanced listening experience with the highs being shouty and fatiguing. The FD5 on the other hand with its single DD driver is very balanced and coherent with an amazing soundstage, separation of detail, clarity, just overall a great listening experience. The difference in price is justified and I believe less is more when it comes to IEMâs. In contrast the cheapy KZ EDX to me personally sounds better than the ZAX, and I picked one up as a beater set to baby my FD5âs.
