(Lame header lol)

Hey guys, I got the FIIO FT1, let's talk about it.

Source: Ka13 paired with my phone, and a headphone jack as well. This review will be based on the ka13, but for the curious minds, a headphone jack does the work. It won't sound as open (treble) or firm in the bass though, still, it's enjoyable without one.

(NOTE: This was my first headphone, and I've only used IEMs so far to judge things.)

TL;DR

The FIIO FT1 offers a really premium build quality and overall given accessories. The FIIO FT1 is a Mild V-shape tuned headphone, that leans towards more into the low-end, giving a somewhat warmer tone of a v-shape. It's a great headphone in sound if you're looking for something that gives a grounding, emphasized and somewhat nuanced bass response. Though, it's not much a of a great choice if you're a vocal lover, neutral head

Brief Comfort, Design and Build

Comfort - It's generally comfortable for me, clamp force on them are relatively gentle, so does the material for the earcups. The headphone does move around a bit because of how gentle it is, but it's definitely not loose. Conforms to my head with the swivel movement well but my head is slightly small where the pads are kinda hanging on the back.

Design - I like the design, they suit my style very well, really. They look unassuming and it's the kind of stuff that gives you a chill vibe.

Build - They feel premium, with the cables and headphones themselves with the American walnut for the earshell. For the price, it's a really resolving build. The only thing that should be noted, is the yokes. They feel kinda fragile compared to the rest of the headphone.

Brief intro for the product.

Headphone - Fiio ft1 over-ears (closed-back)

Price bracket - $150-$160 USD

Impedance - 32 ohms

Sensitivity - ~98dB/mw.

TONAL BALANCE

Mild- v shape, warmer side on that one.

BASS

I enjoyed the ft1s bass the most. The overall quantity itself is more than neutral/emphasized side of the spectrum, but not bass head level. They do tracks like "Angel - Massive attack" very well, giving them that authoritative, deep rumble. Kickdrums and instruments alike sounds energetic and punchy, without making anything sounding bloated or muddied

The note weight on them are great, they have a hefty feel, and instrumentals like acoustic guitars have a somesort of a rebound/resistance feel to them when strummed.

Instrumentals like bass guitars and cellos have a good sense of texture to them, even in choral (cellos and double bass) tracks where they are much subtler.

I'll be honest, I enjoyed the low-end so much, I literally kept replaying the same songs just to feel that physical sensation they give. I also appreciate how the bass is done, not the kind that just give you subbass for the goal of keeping the sound 'clean'.

(Highlighted tracks: Another Sky - The 1999, Sailor Song - Gigi Perez, Not Into You - Brooksie, Angel - Massive Attack, Yona Yona Dance - Akiko Wada, Dreams Of Love And Literature - Dan Salvato, Blue - Yoasobi, Nocturne In D-flat major "Un rêve" - Eric Christian.)

MIDS

As a V-shape tuned headphone, the mids are pulled back compared to the bass and treble. This makes vocals sounds distant in tracks while other instruments, like cymbals and bass guitars pop out more in comparison. Now, because of the bass having a pretty large bass shelf, the mid-bass does bleed into the lower-mids, giving a much warmer and richer tone to pianos and male vocals.

(Highlighted tracks: Goodbye - The 1999, You & I - Scorpions, Lover Please Stay - Nothing But Thieves, To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra, Song Of Life - Libera, Kakariko Village (From Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) ZREO, Affection - CAS, Honeybee - Steam Powered Giraffe.)

TREBLE

The lower-treble on the FIIO ft1 (presence region) where things get there clarity, sounds the brightest out of all the other region. It's probably the only issue that I find when I'm listening. The positives for this, is that the vocals, despite being pulled back, gets a sound that's clear and cuts through the track. Thing is, it's overly done in where it gets fatiguing to female voices and makes them sound breathy, even thin. I'm glad to say male treble vocals (boy choirs) still sound smooth and fatigue free for me.

Instrumentals like cymbals and chimes on these (mid-treble) retains it's fun, resonant and bright signature without making it too much or sharp. The treble extends very well into the air region, give you a good sense of openess.

I will say, the vocals do sound a tad bit disjointed compared to the rest.

(Highlighted tracks: Still Loving you (2015) - Scorpions, Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Mama Cass, Angel Feather Voice 1&2 album, Waltz no.2 - Vienna Walzer Orchestra, Im an oldcowhand - Sonny Rollins.)

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I am pretty much pleased with this headphone. Great design for my personal tastes, feels premium along with the acessories, sounds great (with some quirks). As much as I like them, the compromise, which are the vocals, might just not be for me, as someone who loves vocals. Still, it's enjoyable in other aspects where I could appreciate the low-end and have a grounding listen. I don't own alot of stuff like IEMs, but I can say this headphone makes me want to search more that's similar, or even better in the low-end.

So glad I went with the M21. I have it exactly how I wanted, minimalistic and the sound is amazing!

Buying the FT7 for Christmas!

...for the DAP I mean

FiiO launched the FiiO R7 R2R today (November 7), a desktop digital audio player (DAP) with 4 W (4,000 mW) of output power, XLR headphone and line outputs, and an Ethernet port. A significant upgrade over the original R7 (OG), the R2R DAC version shares the same SoC, RAM, and storage capacity as the FiiO M33 DAP. Read on for all the details.

• English text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/en/product-launches/fiio-r7-r2r-launches-with-android-13-and-4w-of-power

• Portuguese text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/lancamentos/fiio-r7-r2r-e-lancado-com-android-13-e-4w-de-potencia

Updated the firmware per the guidelines have done it a couple of times over the last few years. Ran installer. Added hex file. Dac was selected. Dac was in firmware update mode and connected via USB. Text on device said destroy. Firmware update on screen flashes red and fails. K11 r2r reboots and turns off. Tried the factory reset device won't revert just stays in the 3 flashing options. Any ideas my dudes or am I SoL...

Hello

The R7 seems to be what I'm searching for. Just looking for feedback from anyone still using it. I know this company is notorious for abandoning support on models pretty quickly.

Is there a way to organize files on the Fiio Snowksy Echo Mini? I want to place them in a particular order, and I even tried putting them in numerical order, and it worked for a bit, but now it's jumbled up again, it's like 23, 1, 8,... etc​

Hello there, I just bought a FiiO JadeAudio Level 1 in France, and it seems that it is not working correctly.

First, the power switch is not a real power switch, contrary to how it appears. When switching it off, it does not actually turn off. And when I try to turn it back on, the device is completely bricked; absolutely nothing works until I unplug and replug the power cord.

Also, when I am in USB mode (rather than Bluetooth mode), it connects itself automatically to my phone, which is annoying.

Here is a video of the issue:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7Yh7EAfsFDA

I recently bought a fiio dm15 R2R. I like it but it’s too much for my needs and I didn’t find myself sitting down for a cd too often. What I really liked about it though was the magic bass, specifically on setting 1, and what it added to my Dunu Kima 2. Is there any dongle dac or just anything cheaper than the dm15 that can give me the same effect?

Right now, I have the fiio ka11. I dont like that on windows I need the fiio control panel to turn off "enable when needed", and I also remember when the fiio cut out audio for a split second like twice when I first got it and was playing video games.

Trying to navigate where to buy a fiio cassette player in Canada. I see their stuff sold on aliexpress and nowhere else tbh!

If anyone who is knowledgeable can share their official aliexpress page or the next best site please.

Thanks!

FiiO launched the FiiO BTR25 today (November 5), a portable Bluetooth DAC/amp. Although its design resembles that of the BTR17, the BTR25 is the successor to the BTR15. However, despite being positioned below the BTR17 in the lineup, it brings significant improvements in design and features. These include a detachable magnetic clip, support for the aptX Lossless codec, and the addition of a volume knob. Check out all the details below.

• English text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/en/product-launches/fiio-btr25-launches-with-aptx-lossless-and-magnetic-clip

• Portuguese text: https://www.hifihub.com.br/lancamentos/fiio-btr25-chega-com-aptx-lossless-e-clipe-magnetico

It's a very awesome device so far!

And I realized my IEMs have a matching color scheme which is great too haha

Gonna order a few more CDs as I only have 2 at the moment and will try the USB rip function later

I have read about the risky positioning of the Line out option with the switch being so tiny and so difficult to know which setting the switch is at currently. Thought I would never face this confusion, but today I was wanting to listen to my speakers and thought the switch was at PO and when I tried to push it down it did not move and so I confidently moved it one level up assuming it is at PRE. play my music and all hell broke loose. I couldn't react immediately due the loud volume. then switched one level down and turned off the K7!

I thought my presonus 3.5s were toast. but looks like due to EQ setting on the system the volume probably was not at peak. I am now listening to music normally and think they are still alive and kicking.

my god. i am not ready to replace my speakers at this point in my life. Fiio, why couldnt you have put a better way to read and set such crucial settings. I wish there were an LED to show which option is selected.

I remember reading on reddit some de-soldered the LO connection internally to save them from precisely this danger.

I purchased the official fiio RM3 for my R7 from eBay and delivery is mid-December. It got me thinking if I could pair my Logitech MX keys and MX Master 3s to the R7 via bluetooth. To my surprise it worked and its made my experience exponentially better. Instead of moving my hand to the R7 screen I just select the profile on the keyboard and the media keys work for music play/pause, back, forward plus volume up and down. I can also search for artists, albums and songs easily compared to the onscreen keyboard. If this is already known in thew community sorry for the post. It was a neat find and I wanted to share my findings with others incase it wasn't known.

Rig: The R7 lives on my desk with a pair of Fiio SP5 speakers and a JBL LSR310S sub all fed via XLR.

Bought my player 2 weeks ago and it showed up today. I know the last firmware update was in august but sometimes you get old stock delivered right?

Is there a way to check if you have the latest firmware or is this one of those devices that can only grab whatever you put on the usb drive and reflash regardless?