Fiio FH5s Review - A Disappointment?

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The Fiio FH5s is an unusual earphone given its dual dynamic driver and dual balanced armature hybrid configuration we were expecting a lot from this mid-priced offering. In the course of the review, we discuss the build quality aesthetics and of course the sound quality to find out if it is something you should consider buying in 2021. Additionally, we take a little time to discuss the alternatives that the FH5s are competing against.
Written review: www.audiophileon.com/news/fii...
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[@versaleyang]

I have a very different experience with the FH5s, I think it's a very good set for everything except rock and EDM, for that I use my FD5. The soundstage of the FH5s is just so good that I don't want to listen to anything else anymore regarding IEMs. My set has been burned in for 60 hours now and with Dekoni tips the treble has been tamed by a lot. It's the first set that FiiO actually actively recommend 200 hours of burn in under FAQ section. So I'll see how the sound changes after another 140 hours. Btw regarding regional preferences, Chinese language is actually very sibilant with a lot of ts and tch sounds, so it's a mistery to me why they still prefer treble forwarded tuning.

[@AudioLevels]

Yes, I agree, im not saying it's bad, it just doesn't fit with my needs with the other options in the price range. Im ok with the treble quantity but it was the metallic tone to it that I didn't gel with. The language point you bring up is very valid, it always puzzled me because they tune almost to promote that area in a lot of earphones (especially 10-20 years ago before they gained traction in the west). The music is also heavily focused on that high-frequency prominence so it seems if the sparkle is built into the music then why the need to add more in via the headphones. Never understood it myself. In fact, a lot of earphones back in the day were heavily praised in the Japanese forums which got me really hyped, and living in Japan I had access to those models, I would go to the store to try them and wonder wth people were hearing... of course I was coming in with a lot of pop and rap at that time which sounded terrible with such high note emphasis and light sub-bass response. Still, I credit that time with what started to make me appreciate good treble. I think over here people still too often equate bass with sound quality. Thanks for the comment :D

[@versaleyang]

@@AudioLevels Most people in the west started their audio journey with a crappy bassy headphones or IEM, I think the reason being back in the day, good amount of bass was very rare and most of the gear were just tinny in sound profile. But now that the driver technologies have gotten substantially better over the last couple decades, we now have punchy fast bass with good treble as well that don't cost you a liver or two to get, so the meta preferences have shifted a lot. The turning point was the Beats headphones, they went for the old meta just adding more bass, but by then the average consumer have become more conscious about what's actually good sound, so their market dominance started to fall really quickly to a point people just started making fun of Beats products. I was once a bass head as well, until I got myself a pair of open back headphones, then everything changed. :D

[@CorvusPeace]

I'm agree. And I have FD5 too. Love both of them. Burn-in is truly necessary in these. (FH5s)

[@AudioLevels]

@@CorvusPeace i cant see much difference to the metallic treble as this is handled by the balanced armatures. Everything reviewed is burnt in for 60-100 hours using a mix of waves sweeps and music, most of the time i just put the changes i hear down to brain burn and my ears adapting to new earphones. Granted i review ( and thus change earphones) often so differences can be more stark to me. Where did you feel the changes in sound occurred and after how many hours? This might be good information to people who like the look of the FH5s and are considering purchasing. Also interested to hear whether u prefer the fd5 or FH5s. Welcome to the channel :)

[@CorvusPeace]

@@AudioLevels 140 hours to hear some good differences. Bass adquire more impact (but not like FD5), good depth, and texture. Highs turns in something more refinated, some peaks still there, but not harsh. And that's a hard question. Both have goods an cons... but consider of my musical preferences, I would keep FD5. I feel mids more full bodied. In FH5s are cleaner, detailed, but thin. Thanks for the welcome! I'm a new suscriber of yours!

[@adminairfocus4489]

Out of the box , mine were very harsh in the high end. I was concerned & then burned mine in for 200+ hours . They are absolutely singing to me now . I am very happy with them

[@gasmaskdude2687]

Thanks for the review, saved a bunch of money on this.

[@msteele0]

Inner ear pressure does not exist with the FH5 because of the venting. It is the most comfortable IEM I own for my ears.

[@AudioLevels]

Yes, I mention that in the review, the dual dynamic drivers necessitate heavier venting making them semi-open. Happily, it also maintains sufficient bass in doing so.

[@HiFiGOAudio]

I personally like the energy of FH5s, though I agree tones have that metallic feel to them. Thanks for your honest opinion.

[@AudioLevels]

Thanks as always guys :)

[@deadstorm13]

Got my set a couple of days ago. Lovely presentation as always with FiiO products with plenty of extras to fiddle with. After lots of changing settings, tips and playing equipment I finally settled on clicking both the bass and mid on, using some bass style silicon tips and using the bass boost on my Q3. As a rock fan, I found the treble on these somewhat overpowering and slightly disappointing after using the FH3's for seemingly ever. Maybe they will improve with use. Good review, bang on the money.

[@gregwomack8162]

Eeehhhhh…nice review man!!! Aaauuummmm spot on mate.

[@RT7]

Finally English review 🤩

[@requeteque1970]

Would u recommend the best mmcx iem below $600 I am going for the Blue linsoul cable mmcx $89 as there something better than the Mandarin tea

[@gregwomack8162]

Check out the FiiO FH7 iem, a modest dac/amp like the FiiO q1 mark 2 and run it balanced with the FiiO LC-2.5D silver cable with a clean hi-res source. Perfect!

[@AudioLevels]

As pointed out the FH7 is in the running at that price point. In MMCX the Dunu EST 112 is really unique along with the Dunu zen if you can push the price (the zen comes with a great cable so you could save money there) 2pin is really great recently in that price, standouts have to be the Kiwi Orchestra, Thieaudio Excalibur, Fearless audio S8F and from what people are saying the Oracle as well although I haven't heard them personally.

[@PhotoTerco]

I own the FH3 and I like them a lot, this looks like a no no for me specially for my library mostly Rock and Metal. P.S. Nice Tudor Pelagos!

[@benpetx4]

Same here I own a FH3 and I bought the FH5S, the fh3 are a fun sounding iem the bass is upfront and the highs and mids are equally upfront, the fh5s it took me some getting used to but after the burn in I tried the switches (bass mostly) they do sound more clear good detail and very girthy bass, mids and highs are more elegant and more spaced out cause of the semi open back. I use the shanling mw200 neckband and it has enough juice to push good sound.

[@AudioLevels]

Haha good spot, most people just ask what it is :) Yeh, I agree much better earphones in this range for those genres.

[@younusyounus3873]

@@benpetx4 I have fh3. Is fh5s worth upgrade?

[@benpetx4]

@@younusyounus3873 the sound on the fh5s is much softer more clear and with the tunning switches you get different sounds. I feel like the mids a slightly quieter then the fh3. The bass is not as hard hitting but still has alot of heavynes and does well in deep notes, but that could be because of the wider sound stage. In conclusion the fh3 are Abit more harsh after a long listen to the fh5s, it's a decent upgrade.

[@benpetx4]

@@younusyounus3873 and you need more power to run I use the shanling mw200 neckband

[@ihpsta]

I have this weird inner left ear pressure when using the FD5. Don’t get me wrong they sound amazing, but I will try the FH5s when it comes in and see if the same problem persists. It might be my left ear lol

[@AudioLevels]

In terms of the pressure, the FH5s might be a good fit in that regard as the semi-open design means there is no real build-up of pressure. Some final audio earphones might also be useful as well as sticking to BA's which move less air.

[@zeissiez]

This iem has a full-size open back headphone kind of open sound.

[@TomBabula]

Would you say FH5 is better than FH5s? For comparison I have seen FH5 selling for $200.

[@Leon-nr1mu]

What is that blue cable in the video?

[@AudioLevels]

Its the Euphrosyne cable - bit.ly/2Ri76EN It's an absolute stunner and good value as well. Here is the review video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3Kofmqfp7uWp9k

[@Leon-nr1mu]

@@AudioLevels Thank you!

[@peradhonlimtrajitt5196]

How would these compare to like Meze rai solo in rock, pop genre

[@AudioLevels]

rai is probably better, I can do a head-to-head if you like as I have them here. However to be honest I am not a fan of either and think there are better IEM's for the money.

[@peradhonlimtrajitt5196]

I would like a rai solo review tho

[@AudioLevels]

@@peradhonlimtrajitt5196 sure i can do that. ill get one up this week and do some comparisons in with the FH5s :)

[@mrfrosty3]

Seems like a shame as they obviously put some effort into it. What I find so odd is that in their promotional videos they had someone specially mention that they tried to avoid the issues some people had with treble in the FD5. There are other manufacturers that have had some success with installing a balanced armature in the sound tube, like Tanchjim, Final Audio and also Etymotic so it can be done with the right tuning. I don't like the styling of the FH5s, it looks like it was intended to appeal to teenage boys.

[@versaleyang]

The treble is actually less harsh than the FD5 when both are new without burn in. My FD5 has gone soft in treble over the months, but the speed and fast decay also decreased a bit. Not sure how much the treble will settle with the FH5s with enough burn in, that's what I'm going to find out in a few days. However their statement isn't false that they did avoid the treble peak with the FH5s. I think the problem with this set is that they named it after the FH5 and a lot of people had very different expectations from it, like a beefed up FH5 which it clearly isn't. The tuning couldn't be more different than that, so I guess in a sense, it's a disappointment for those who had unjustified expectations.

[@V1ralB1ack]

My fd5's were smooth and big. Maybe bright compared to others but the treble was perfect.