In Fiio, so diligently conduct attacks on new segments of the market, that sometimes the victims are not only competitors, but also their own products. That's exactly what happened with the release of new F5 headphones, firmly stepped on the heels of the recently released Fiio EX1-2.
The first two models of the F series, named F1 and F3, belonged to the budget segment itself, offering, however, not the worst sound for their money. The new F5 from them are very different at both price and quality, and are rather an attempt by Fiio to gain a foothold in the middle segment. These headphones have not yet entered into a wide sale, until they can be purchased only in the official Fiio store on AliExpress, a set of F5 and an A1 amplifier costs $ 79. Because of this it turns out that one of the main competitors of the F5 is the Fiio EX1-II, and the fight here is not a joke.
Specifications
- Emitter: dynamic, 13.6 mm
- Frequency range: 20 Hz ~ 40 kHz
- Sensitivity: 102 dB / mW
- Impedance: 32Ω
- Cable: 1.2 m, interchangeable, with MMCX connectors, 2 cables included
- Plug: 3.5 mm TRRS, 2.5 mm TRRS
- Weight: 21g
Packing and delivery kit
In terms of packaging, everything is more or less traditional: a black outer box of thick paper, internal of solid cardboard. Restrained printing, authentication sticker - all this we have already seen many times. Inside - headphones themselves, a quality plastic case (by the way, its Fiio plan to sell separately), two sets of 3 pairs of nozzles of different sizes (differ by sound) and two replaceable wires. The first is a headset to please everyone at once, Fiio made a standard switch, so the three-button headset works without problems with both iOS and Android devices. The second cable is more interesting, first, it is better for the materials used, and secondly - it is balanced, with a 2.5 mm plug. It seems that Fiio decided to emphasize that they see the future behind such amplifiers.
Design and comfortable wearing
The appearance of the headphones remotely resembles all the same EX1, which is not surprising, they are still doing Dunu, and, in addition, there is hardly any other way to place almost 14-mm speaker in the user's ear. In the headphones, developers competently combine metal and plastic, achieving both strength and lightness at the same time. "Overall" F5 is very interesting, they have their own look, different from other models present on the market. The build quality is not bad, there are no noticeable problems and flaws.
Fiio F5 is well seated in the ear, except for the owners of the smallest ears. The headphones provide a soundproofing slightly worse than average (but better than the EX1) and comfortable wearing for a long time. Separately, I will note with what tightness the attachments are worn, worry about the fact that they will fly, it is not necessary.
The wires are made interchangeable, which is surprising for this price category, but even more unusual is the fact that there are two pieces at once. The first is a normal headset wire with a microphone and a three-button control unit. This wire is equipped with a switch that allows you to use all three buttons on both iOS and Android. This is quite a nice "chip" given that more and more players from Fiio itself are supported by a three-button headset. The second wire is more interesting, it is soft, very flexible and features a 2.5 mm TRRS plug for balanced connection. The wires use MMCX connectors, they are not the tightest, but they manage their task normally, however, how they behave after a year and a half of use, now it will not be predicted.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- NuPrime DAC-10H and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2016 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Lotoo PAW Gold, theBit OPUS # 2 and iBasso DX200 and others as portable players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 72 hours.
In Fiio decided to immediately "cover" that part of users who do not like light and analytical filing, and release in some way the antipode EX1-II. F5 for filing a little darkened, with "tasty" MF and slightly smoothed HF. Sound is quite dependent on the tips, so you can experiment with them for a long time, especially if you go beyond the scope of delivery. I tested the F5 with a balanced cable, using an adapter from a balanced 2.5-mm plug to a regular 3.5-mm from Fiio (sold separately) if necessary.
The F5 bass is slightly accented, with the focus on the mid-upper range area. However, deeper "layers" of LFs are also present in sufficient quantities. They, of course, lack structuredness, but expecting the reverse in this price category would be foolish. The bass is not the most biting, but the speed is normal, the LF is fed "foul" and tight. Transmission of textures is normal.
The midrange is a bit overshadowed, or, to be more precise, inferior to the presence of the bass, but fortunately the F5 avoid turbidity and do not let the midrange crush the middle. This model does not differ superdetalnostyu, although in general, their details are sufficient for most cases. F5 play more closely and emotionally, not trying to give analyticality in the filing. The imaginary scene is somewhere medium in width and slightly less than the average in depth, but the separation of plans succeeds in the model well.
The HF is slightly smoothened in terms of attacks, but quantitatively they are slightly larger than the "mid", so the headphones do not sound turbid or jammed, bass is compensated for the HF, thus providing enough air and ease in the feed. People sensitive to HF, you can advise to try different attachments, I also made stock wide.
In the specified price range, there are a lot of headphones, but I can not spend the next couple of months comparing the F5 with all imaginable models. So I limited myself to what was right at hand, not doing other comparisons.
Fiio EX1-II . This almost open model offers a lighter and lighter sound with better midrange detail and sharper HF. Also, the EX1-II has an imaginary scene. Fiio F5 on this answer a lot of LF and more emotional midrange.
Dunu Titan 1 / Fiio EX-1 . The first version of the headphones, which have become almost legendary, differs slightly less than the LF, a little more HF with more sharp attacks and a more voluminous scene. Pay for this is soundproofing and less weighty bass.
Ostry KC06 . One of the "folk" models is characterized by a lower resolution across the entire range, plus it has a slightly sharper HF. On the other hand - Ostry has better sound insulation and a slightly wider imaginary scene.
Dunu Titan 3 . An attempt by Dunu to "twist" the sound of the megahits of Titan 1 to repeat the success of the first model could not. Although, in my opinion, the T3 is a very good model with accented on mid-range sound (which was then developed by Dunu in DN-2002), offering a very lively and natural pitch. Compared to F5, T3 has fewer LFs, but MFs are more detailed, and HFs better work out attacks.
Compatibility
I think, in the case of F5, it's easy to guess which sources they are positioned for. Headphones play well with different mobile devices, but they have a "level" margin for midrange players. Of course, with the Fiio X5-3 they are one of the best pairs, but other devices with them are quite good.
Genre headphones are versatile enough, but styles that benefit from a small LF accent sound especially nice. To the quality of recording, the model is tolerant, scores of 6 on a 10-point scale.
Traditionally, several tracks for example
Royal Blood - Do not Tell . Can I make rock without a guitar? Yes, it's not a question, the already disbanded team "I and my friend's truck" is responding. If we talk about the more famous and still active bands, we can not help but recall Royal Blood, who recently released a new album. Fresh work is distinguished by a dense sound with an abundance of low-frequency grooves, so the Fiio F5 with its feed very well cope with the transfer of the atmosphere of this plate.
Igorrr - Opus Brain . I think that if you take an ordinary person who lived on the planet 200 years ago and let him listen to the creation of this French band (or almost one man band?), He will be sure that this is how the devil comes to Earth. Igorrr famously interfere in its furnace everything from baroque classics to almost black metal and synthesizing anything like a sound. Of course, for a similar material it would be better to have something reinforcing, but the Fiio F5 as a whole normally cope with the transfer of all the nuances of this fire during the plague in the wandering circus. And yes, "Savage Sinusoid" turned out to be heavier and more like metal, rather than electronic music. So fans of the unusual extreme - I highly recommend it.
Overkill - Shine On . Well, I will continue this collection of relatively fresh (well, 2017 for sure) release from the trash classics. On the new album, the old people continue to please us for what they like: drive, dense reefs, energetic melodies ... It's surprisingly good to put the character of Fiio F5 in this music, playing out even not on "excellent", but certainly for "good" .
conclusions
Becoming the main player in the market of portable players, DACs and amplifiers, Fiio continue to be fixed in adjacent segments, including headphones. F5 is exactly what the company knows how to do best: a balanced solution that offers good quality at an affordable price.
The article is based on materials .
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