This is the official thread for the FiiO FT3
This thread is for discussion and reviews.
- Type: Over Ear
- Amp needed: Yes
- Open Back
Fiio official Aliexpress LinkThe specs on these look promising. Obviously they’ve put a lot of work into the design, but it doesn’t seem like FiiO has much of a track record when it comes to headphones. As far as I know there are no reviews or impressions available yet, but that will soon change because they’ve been shipping out the early orders.
I want to say they made a wireless noise cancelling set (but heard nothing about it really) and that’s basically it, wonder how these will turn out, also nice to see a higher impedance dynamic around this price, would potentially make it viable with some of the cheaper otl tube options depending on how it pairs
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I thought the same thing regarding the impedance and tubes when I saw the specs. It’ll be interesting to see if it sells well.
Edit: Given the price and impedance, Fiio has set this headphone up as one of the few high impedance Sennheiser alternatives in the same price range.
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I’ve got one on order, I’ll probably have it in 3-4 weeks impressions then 
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I’d love to read what you think of them. I was thinking about grabbing a pair myself, but I’m not home right now anyways and already have pairs waiting for me so I’ll happily wait until I seemore opinions on them. Like your’s for instance. 
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Got the chance to listen to them at canjam today. I would say this a warmish mild V shape with nice emphasis on the bass as per fiio’s usual tuning. What is quite amazing is that the imaging and saperation is really good along with the dynamics as well as it being a decently forgiving headphone.
Ran it both off the Fiio K9 pro ESS and the DX314. Works well with well recored songs like the nana accoustic online album but also is decently forgiving on badly recored songs like those from fripside.
Its main issue is that harsh vocals have abit too much meat added to them which makes it sould a tad fuzzy on metal pop songs like B1oom by amaranthe. But otherwise saperation is really nice for songs with lots of layers stacked on top of each other.
If not for the harmonicdyne athena which captured my heart the FT3 would be my top rec this canjam/
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The Fiio FT3 is only a few hours in my possession - so this is a very, very first impression. I am actually pleasantly surprised. The build quality feels premium, the accessories are nice, the two sets of pads complement each other nicely and - of course the most important aspect - they sound relatively good. A bit too much emphasis on bass and highs (mildly V-shaped indeed) with the suede pads. But this is also pleasantly energetic (a bit fun) tuned. The pleather pads are perforated on the outside and have suede inside and surprisingly reduce the bass a bit - they sound slightly more neutral and airy. The staging and imaging are not exceptional but to my liking (the angled driver helps).
The cable is well built and the exchangeable plugs are also feeling secure. It is a TS 3.5mm connector on the cup side. A 2x3.5mm-TRS cable also works (- on S). It is too long for me (3m) obviously aiming at desktop users.
I have a rather large head and the suspension headband has a bit too much tension (not a fan of those - i have way too many vintage AKG headphones with deteriorated rubber bands fixed with hair ties here) is (currently) keeping the cups a bit to high … I have to re-adjust them frequently - I guess time will fix that. The overall comfort is quite good - especially if you have a normal sized head. One issue: the suede pads are smelling a bit chemical out of the box - I hope that will disappear over night.
They do need a bit power; tested up to now only my A90D, Burson 3x GT and the LA90 speaker outs (fed by an RME ADI-2 DAC) - all of them are total overkill but I am in the upper third of the Low Gain (A90D) / 11:00 on LA90 / Medium Gain 3x GT at Volume 20 which is relatively high for me (I am a quiet listener).
It put them on my simple EARS - set to 84dB SPL and swapped the pads for the two FR measurements and then left the volume setting etc. the same for a comparison with an additional measurement of the HD 6xx as reference. Don’t take this as an exact FR measurement but more as a relative comparison. Blue are pleather pads, red suede and green is the HD6xx (all L/R averaged/psychoacoustically smoothed).
I will keep them, they are a nice addition to my collection.
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mine should be out for delivery tomorrow
I’ll refrain from posting impressions of the sound for now, I’ve only had the FT3 a few hours. They do look and feel high quality, the exterior is all aluminum. The cable is great, I hope this type of interchangeable connector system catches on. They don’t seem as open as some headphones, when you have them on environmental sounds are a bit muffled.
I had a little trouble removing the earpads by hand, but it was easy enough to slide a spudger tool between the earcups and the pads to get it started. Attaching the earpads is a breeze, and they click in securely. The earpad foam doesn’t feel very dense, hopefully they’re more durable than they seem.
I have a big head and big ears, and these fit me reasonably well. Luckily, the clamp isn’t too strong, I wouldn’t call it loose either though. I do wish the earpad openings were a little larger. It would also be nice if the headphones were lighter, but I don’t think the weight will be an issue for most people.
The are awesome The only reason i am not getting the fiio ft3 is because of the material underneath the headband its not a all way around Protein leather Headband i wish they went with 70MM DD drivers like Z1R Even the largest 70mm 89MM DD is yes i love big headphone drivers and i can’t not lie
You should not try to remove the pads with tools. It worked quite well for me as described in the “manual” to grab with your fingers underneath their attachment rings on the INSIDE of the cups (on the backside) and pull them out.
Yes, that’s probably good advice. I don’t think I’ll be changing the pads often though. I strongly prefer the pleather pads. The velour pads are bassier, but to me the mids seem too recessed. The pleather pads are more balanced.
I think the stock cable is an important part of the FT3’s tuning. I tried a Hart cable that I happen to have, but it made them sound a little flat and dull.
For an open back headphone the pads are indeed changing the character more than I expected. After the initial fear to destroy the pads, I am now a bit more used to tear them off the cups and swap them as needed. Although the engaging sound of the suede pads is also appealing ( I do have enough neutral headphones), I do prefer the pleather ones after testing the FT3 with tube amps (e.g. the Darkvoice) … couldn’t stand the excessive warmth with the suedes. I will stick to the pleather ones as well for now.
Letting them thaw out before using them but initial impressions from build/packaging/accessories are pretty good
Bonus stand is nice but if you want the anti slip pad on you’ll have to rip it off to disassemble it
EDIT: initial impressions.
comfort: with the suede pads didn’t have issues for an hourish session, pleather was uncomfortable after 20ish mins for me ymmv, didn’t have issues with the suspension strap or weight, clamp with suede pads was a bit light for me and pleather pads a bit much.
power - didn’t notice any deficiencies going from a BTR7 (low gain) Bal to a A90D Bal so not crazy power hungry.
sound - super fun V shape with suede pads, a bit more balanced with the pleather, good bass impact and treble sparkle, more of an intimate soundstage for an open back but has good imaging in exchange.
FIIO FH5 as a headphone?
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I tried a few different cables and didn’t notice a difference but ymmv
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They look well-built.
No bass roll-off on the graph and a intimate stage…
Is it possible that those are more closed back than open back?
Something like the Beyer open backs where they only have a few small holes?
(example)
Edit:
Picture of the inside from tech power up
Probably more semi-open. They do not change their sound significantly when you cover the cups with your hands and the material behind the holes looks very dense. On the other hand they are not isolating very much against outside noise and do leak the music (not a lot however).
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