Sound
FiiO always tried to give their customers a great performance for the money spent on their gear. But as I said in the intro, they lacked that certain flavor to sound somewhat special. They were good products nevertheless, yet I expected a little bit more from them.
While the new FiiO FH5 is finally in my hands for testing, I need to say from the start that this is one of the best products FiiO has ever released. That includes their entire portfolio. However, there are still some problems with the sound, but those are not as big as with the previous models I had.
The FiiO FH5 sounds just a little bit warm, controlled (besides sub bass), nicely balanced in mids & treble with a good tonality and technical performance. Especially the success in tonality caught my eye first, and I think it shares some resemblance to the FH1 model in that regard.
Bass
There’s a great amount of sub bass presence with the FH5 and that means it can satisfy the bass lovers. It has a great punch and rumble down low and it’s a joy to hear that tasty bass performance from the dynamic driver. FiiO has worked hard to get this type of a hit & rumble from the driver itself. They call this the “S.Turbo” technology, which is a special method to extract the desired bass power with a special tube design.
It certainly paid off, but I need to ask who needs this kind of a bass kick? I understand there are some people who really like to hear, and even feel, that punchy bass, but sometimes I feel the IEM gives a little too much sub bass, especially with the bass tips. So once again one’s preferences comes into play. I personally think this type of a sub bass level is not natural but I also understand that many people would love this presentation.
FiiO FH5
Mid bass is also a bit behind and that also applies to lower mids, which creates a thin sound in that particular area. And that affects the overall timbre a bit, as well as the tonal balance and body. I found that the balanced tips are the best choice in that regard, so I definitely recommend those. The bass has good layering overall and it’s very well separated from the rest of the spectrum.
It’s a good thing that FiiO presents different tips for different sound characteristics. Therefore you can still get a close-to-natural bass with the balanced ones.
Mids
The lower mids are slightly recessed while the upper mids are quite accentuated. The difference between them is not huge though, and this is one of the things that I like about the FH5. Sure, there are some imperfections but not on a dramatic level. The IEM still has a good balance across the spectrum, unless you don’t use the bass tips.
Overall midrange-transparency is pretty good for this price level, and the resolution is very nice. Instruments sound a little warm and slightly dark, but not to the extent to create a veiled sound. I really liked the tonality of the FH5 overall though. The instruments play naturally and effortlessly. They’re not too intimate but not too distant either, giving them a good positioning.
Mids could have been a little more open and crispy, but that depends on your preference. I like this warm and organic type of approach myself and if you like the same, you might be satisfied with the mid performance of the FH5. Still, the vocals are more convincing than the instruments overall.
FiiO FH5
Treble
Treble was quite surprising for me with this IEM. FiiO IEMs generally sound crisp and they tend to go aggressive with their highs, but not so with the FH5. It keeps treble under control while giving enough details and extension to generate a very nice and natural treble presentation. It’s a relaxed type of treble, yet you can still hear those details and extension.
Don’t expect to have a great transparency in treble though. It’s good for this level, but not so good when you compare it to the higher tier IEMs. The relaxed approach also makes the FH5 forgiving of poorer recordings, if that plays well for you. Extension-wise again things are pretty OK but there’s a noticeable roll off in upper treble. The highs are nicely articulated but it struggles to cope with very fast tracks here.
The good thing about the FH5’s treble is that it’s forgiving, soft and has good balance in terms of thickness. It doesn’t have a tinny sound. It sounds full and slightly warm, and this particular treble tuning works very well with those characteristics.
The review continues on PAGE 3 with technical comments, comparisons and summary
Long time listener
This doesn’t make much sense to me:
“The lower mids are slightly recessed while the upper mids are quite accentuated [… ] instruments sound a little warm and slightly dark…”
How on earth do you get instruments that sound warm and dark with an upper midrange that is highly accentuated? I’ve never heard that before. An accentuated upper midrange tends to make everything sound uncomfortably bright and hard.
Berkhan
Hi,
Brightness and emphasis are not the same thing.
Lee
Hi Sir, I need some advice for oriolus forsteni or fh5, if i use phone as my source, which will u pick?
Berkhan
Forsteni
Lee
Thank you =) waiting for ibasso it01s and it04w review.
Writer
Thanks for a great review! Been using the Final e5000 for several months now and have been looking for an additional pair that could be a little brighter at the high end. This could be it… I must have gone through a dozen FH5 reviews and they all seem consistently positive. I enjoy reading to your interpretations of your experience with each of your reviews.
Berkhan
Thank you very much.
Lance
Hi there! I’m considering the several earphones. I’m looking for something that provides intimate soundstage, punchy bass and more importantly a fun and engaging sound. My main genres are pop, acoustics and rap.
1) Fiio Fh5
2) BGVP dm6
3) Oriolus finschi
Thanks!
Berkhan
Sounds like the FH5 will suit you well. I haven’t listened to the Finschi yet but people who have say that it’s very good. I don’t know about the DM6.
Lance
Hi there! Would you recommend the Fiio Fh5 or Shozy BG ?
Berkhan
BG 🙂
Marco Angel De La Torre Camacho
Hi here!
have you tried to remove the protective mesh, some says it balances the sound more in the mids and highs
Berkhan
No I did not try that.
Michael Hoopes
I actually had to use the L bass tips due to the FH5’s shallow insertion depth; they were the only tips wide enough to maintain a seal with my ears. I also increased the insertion depth by adding 1.5 mm section o-rings (McMaster-Carr dash number 117N141) at the base of the nozzle. I generally use EQ, so I was able to decrease some of that mid-bass warmth and the upper-midrange peak. And yes, the extension is still there, but it doesn’t sound unnatural to me.
Berkhan
Good for you. If you balanced it out via EQ, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.
juan luis Quiroz guevara
How compared with the oriolus forsteni and the new finschi?
Regards,
Juan Luis.
Berkhan
I will review the Finschi soon.
As for the Forsteni, check out my IEM List: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/iem-score-list-constantly-up-to-date.815852/
Juan Luis Quiroz
The performance of the Finschi can rival the fh5?
Berkhan
They’re very different IEMs.
It can or can’t rival the FH5 depending on your personal preferences.
Björn
Hi, are these a suitable upgrade if I really enjoyed 1Mores quad driver?
Samuel
Hi, I’ve been looking for some new earphone ever since I lost my Shure SE215 and I’ve been eyeing FiiO FH5.
I was pretty happy with how the SE215 sound, except on the less powerful bass it offered, which is pretty understandable why.
I would ask if FiiO FH5 would probably satisfied me looking at my sound preference. I wish i can audition it somewhere but i can’t.
If not, is there any other iem recommended?
Berkhan
If you like the SE215 than you’ll love the FH5.
Bulent
I live in Istanbul, and my FiiO FH5 is broke down. Do you have any idea how I can make it repaired. Thank you for you help.
Berkhan
Hi Bülent,
I’ve sent you an e-mail for this.
Ozan
I’m using Ibasso IT-01 and i like them but i want to upgrade do you think FH5 is a good choice for mostly rap and edm?
BOUGARD David
Bonjour Berkhan,
Tout d’abords merci pour vos analyses toujours complètes. J’ai la chance d’obtenir le HIDIZS ap80 pro X spécial édition. J’hésite maintenant entre plusieurs IEM : Voici ma sélection (Je recherche surtout la restitution fidèle de l’auteur, en sachant que mes fichiers sont du DSD, dsf, Flac 24/192)…..
Hidizs MD4
Sennheiser IE 300
FiiO FH5
FIIO FD5
FiiO FA7S
…. Ou alors une suggestion ? (Pas plus de 300 EUROS)
MERCI A L’AVANCE !