What about stuff thatās at or above the $699 markā¦? Way too rich for me, but you know 
Illumination, and what else is there, even?
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Way too rich for me as well lol. The zen is my first transducer at that price range.
Closest to that price would be the ex1000 at 500 usd msrp. And the XBA-Z5 is also expensive but not sure what the msrp is. At least 500 usd though.
Illumination gets rave reviews, but Iām shallow enough to balk at spending that kind of money (or any kind of money, really) on IEMs I consider aesthetically offensive. Why, Moondrop? Why?
Just received the FD5. If I can improve the comfort on one side, these will be a keeper.
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And this is when it is still not burned in ? Would be nice to hear what your experience with them
Yes, not burned in yet, so I donāt want to say too much just yet.
I still have more tips to play with, although I want to avoid using the included tips in case the comfort doesnāt improve. Fortunately, I have the FH3 as well, which has most of the same stock tips (although Iām very curious about the triple-flange ones, which only come with the FD5).
Thereās also the bass nozzle to try as well
Ugh FH3s are basically perfect for my needs. So why is the FD5 sitting in my cart? I blame yāall.
I help you.
If the FH3 is already perfect for you (sounds exactly like you want it to sound) then there is no need to get the FD5 (it is different from the FH3).
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or
Like me, you were impressed enough with the FH3, that you wanted to see what FiiOās next level up would do.
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shhhh, im trying to save their wallet lol. 
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Yup thatās exactly it lol
Kakarot always trying to save us, appreciate yah!
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It is a hell of a lot of money, from a company with IEMs that havenāt exactly impressed me at affordable prices yet(Kanas Pro, Crescent, Nameless, B2), unlike FiiO with their FH3, and/or ThieAudio with their L3. If you have a hard budget, I wouldnāt go above FD5. You have some awesome options here still, like FH3, L3/L4, Tea, Believe, YBF, NM2+, and whatever else is out there yet to come or be reviewed. I am totally impressed with FD5, but FH3 still sounds very good to me(and Believe better, overall, likely with L4). FD5, like FH3, still has its flaws, so do not expect perfection if youāre going to upgrade, @cigmanfroyd lol.
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You just hit the sweet spot and I agree 100%. You can go with a Fiio FH3 or FD5, or a Thieaudio Legacy 3-5 and youāll have an incredible IEM thatās difficult for any other brand to beat anywhere near their price tags.
Unfortunately, 100% perfection may not exist in any product at any price point. This hobby has huge diminishing returns on investment. I personally feel endgame for anyone can be attainable at $300.00 or below.
FH3, FD5, L3-5, Mangird Tea are all $300 or below and are all fantastic IEMs.
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I think it will be quite disappointing if 2021 doesnāt bring IEMs in the $0-299 range that really step it up. And Iāll be watching and waiting, with the torn & tattered remains of my wallet. COME ON, STAX AND URBANFUN, LETāS GOOOOO 
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āUgh FH3s are basically perfect for my needs. So why is the FD5 sitting in my cart? I blame yāall.ā
Cingmanfroyd, for me it is even harder as i dont need to wait or put on cart, my local dealer has fd5 so need to sit to the car after work and get in an hour. Also with fh3 in my ears but few guys here are so good at hyping some iems that it is impossible to resist.But i will have possibility to try demo so will see what will be my experience. I surelly had no plans in near future to upgrade iems as fh3 practically what i like. But stillā¦ 
till now had so many iems but at the basic or entry mid point that it is clear that need some real mid tier iem. And buying iems from alie it is always possibility to get some horror type or unlistenablle piece of crap. And worst of all that you will read in review how good it is. Had some brand bgvp dm6 that were sibilant as hell ( it was the best thing in the wolrd according one famous youtuber at that time) Dont know but variance here with chifi also plays big rolle. Thatās why trying to listen first if it is possibility or look at more famous brans such as fiio. They have dealers everywhere so this is best way for me. Long story, sorry everyone. Fd5 keep waiting for me 
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I think Zeos did a pretty good job explaining these. ācohesiveā.
FH3 are the imaging and sounstage monsters.
I found it interesting that he falls in love with them more and more as he continues to listen to music during the video. He obviously didnāt spend much time with them.
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Haha thatās dope, wish I could just pick them up locally. Yeah testing them out beforehand is a double edged sword, if they rock then cant say no. Decided to invest in more CDs instead of the FD5 for now. Figure I will need to expand my library before I pull the trigger on the FD5s. At least thatās what Iām telling myself.
Yeah keep telling yourself about cds but i know that there will be that need for these i myself if they will be good then there will be no coming back. And this is this hobby rabit hole. But still it should have qualities that are worth to have over already amazing fh3. Zeos seems really liked fd5 in his video, only treble isnt sure.
That cable looks sweet. Any guesses to whether they sell those separately at some point and how expensive those would be?
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