Fiio is already a household name in this niche (but growing) audio world and they are going strong by introducing high-end stuffs in an affordable price with great performance. I have been following Fiio ever since their debut in portable audio 2007 with their K1 dac amp and e3 amplifier. They certainly have come a long way from those days and they are currently in my opinion produces one of the best priced to performance ratio products in this niche world of portable hifi proving high-end sound doesn’t comes with a high-end price tag. I currently using the Fiio’s M11pro and the Q5 DAC amp as my staple on the go player.
With their current releases of flagships such as M15 digital audio player, BTR5 hi-res Bluetooth receiver, FA9 balanced armature earphones and FH7 hybrid earphones, Fiio has updated their earbuds or EM series with a monstrous release of tht EM5 priced at USD299 packed with serious inventions and high-end materials. It is quite a giant leap from EM3 and I must say I am hyped by this release as I am an earbuds lover and also a Fiio fan.
HERE WE GO!
Packaging & Accessories
Fiio EM5 comes with a nice cardboard box that is quite simple but it’s okay. Opening the box, you will be greeted by a plethora of accessories that screams premium. Inside you will find 3 types of foam. There is balanced, crisp and bass foam which have variations of thickness with their own plastic case. It is honestly very nice, it’s a first seeing foams packed so nicely within their own case in the years of buying IEM or earbuds. I loved it!
Next you will find a beautiful blue coloured HB3 hard leather case that feels ever so solid but pretty in my eyes. This package doesn’t stop there, there is also 3 different screw-lock plugs which comes in 4.4mm balanced, 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm single ended termination, thus solving the headaches for the variety of terminations in this audio world.
Lastly u will find the EM5 earbuds in hand, and I must say its beautiful. The 3D printing of the earbuds really feels solid and high quality. The silver cable is awesome on looks and feels. This earbud doesn’t look cheap in any way. They certainly have the best looks and packaged ever so nicely of any earbuds I have seen hands down.
Good job Fiio!
Before I start the review, here is the specs of the EM5 earbuds
-3D printed resin shells
-14.2mm beryllium coated drivers
-Long-stroke composite diaphragm
-Acoustic flute-inspired bass tube
-High purity sterling silver litz cable with twist-lock swappable plugs(~120cm)
-Frequency Response: 10hz – 20khz
-Impedance: 32Ohms @ 1mW
-Sensitivity 109dB @ 1mW
-Weight 23.9g
Design
Flaunting a 3D printed design with high quality resin with a flute-design bass tube really gives a truly premium feel for this earbud. It looks really beautiful although it is resin not metal.
Pictures doesn’t do justice to the feel on hands with this earbud. With the extra bass tubes at the back makes it looks like a dragon sticking out the back of the earbuds. I really loved this earbud looks and feel, no complaints here.
The front mesh of the earbuds is also 3D printed with large openings for unobstructed passage of sound. The size of the earbud fits nicely in my ears just like a normal earbud. The cable is a high purity pure silver cable with a litz geometry. The silver really does shines in the sunlight and the cable is soft to the touch and does not tangle easily. Instead of having removable cable, Fiio has decided to have a high-end pure silver cable with this earbud, thus removing the needs of upgrading the cable of the earbuds, also, they have supplied the EM5 with twist-lock termination.
It comes with a 3.5mm single ended, 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced plugs. And I love this idea because it solves my headaches for having different termination of cables. Thumbs up!
The left and right of the earbuds are coloured with blue for left and red for right. You will also find 3 small dimples of the left earbud for easy recognition in the dark. Again, very well thought of.
Where to buy?
Fiio EM5 is priced at USD299 or RM1299 and can be bought at Red Ape – Headphone Store
Product Links :
Shopee Red Ape – Headphone Store
Red Ape – Headphone Store Official Website
Lazada Red Ape – Headphone Store
Audio sources
Fiio M11pro
Fiio Q5
Ibasso DC03
AudioGD 28.38 (Amanero, Dual femto)
Rudistor RP8 hybrid tube amp
Songs list
Adele – Rolling in the deep
Scorpions with philharmoniker orchestra – Wind of change
Armin van Buuren – In and out of love
Chicane – Halycon
Muse – Starlight
The White Stripes – Seven nation army
Soundstage
EM5 have a good soundstage. The depth achieved is very good and have the feel of a pair of full-sized headphones. It is not the widest soundstage that can be found in earbuds territory but I am satisfied with it. With live performances, the soundstage is quite natural for me where u can almost immerse yourself in the performance like on Wind of change, I can really enjoy the instruments in the music. It was sublime
Separation and Timbre
As an earbud, there will be some sound leakage as normal and EM5 does leak a little sound but not as much as other open back earbuds. For tone separation the EM5 does a phenomenal job as different frequency is very well presented. It has a balanced tone and every tone is well presented clearly and with authority.
The timbre of EM5 is excellent. You can easily pick out very single instruments being played in the music especially orchestral music. Every single layer in presented in style and finesse. Its amazing how Fiio has tuned this earbud where I can clearly listen and pick out every single instrument with ease. Vocals are amazing on this bud. Adele never sounds so good on this EM5. It is ever so clear topped with wide soundstage gives vocals a lot of depth and feels.
Tone and Presentation
The tone of the EM5 is balanced and neutral with a slight forward sound signature. To be honest I was expecting a very forward and aggressive sound from this earbud, but I was greeted with a smooth balanced silhouette with excellent details and clarity not found in my collection of earbuds. It has the intimacy of an in-ear earphones but also the big sound of headphones, I will place EM5 somewhere in between. Very nicely balanced.
https://tidal.com/browse/track/1110429
The Bass (Low)
The star of the show is the bass of the EM5 is sharp and clear with amazing depth. It does not have big rattling bass but it has the quickness, clearness and sharpness of bass, somewhat a bass that you will find in balanced armature drivers but with better thump. Bass heads will find the bass is lacking but for purist the bass is rather pleasant with a non-fatiguing signature. The clarity of the bass is amazing where no bleeds will be found. Impressive for me even with EDM tracks like Chicane’s Halycon and Armin van Buuren’s in and out of love, the bass delivery does not disturb the other frequencies and the sub-bass delivery is excellent. It is full of air and truly wide with good thump. Fiio has done a great job with the bass flute design as it leaves me tapping my feet to the beat.
The Mids
Tuning of the mids is a winner for me with this earbud. Its sweet, deep and slightly forward. It is not recessed in any way but it is slightly forward toward the high mids. Again, it is very clear, detailed and has a sweet tone that is enticing. Female vocals excel with this tuning while male vocals sound natural. Some users that like their mids thick might not like EM5’s mids. The mids for me is clear, balanced and full of details with a slight forwardness in the mix.
https://tidal.com/browse/track/38110257
The Highs
I must say EM5 highs is another winner for me. It has a crunchy sound and it is full of details without any harshness. I don’t feel any sibilance in the sound and it is very clear and packed with details. The airiness of the treble can be felt and it is nice. I have never experienced this type of treble in my collections of earbuds. It is non fatiguing and could listen to this earbud for hours without any fatigue setting in. Well done!
Driveability
Em5 is rather easy to drive even straight from smartphones. Is does benefits from a good chain of audio setup. It sounds amazing from my fiio M11pro on 4.4mm balanced like it was made from each other. Ibasso DC03 dongle is my go-to dongle for light listening and it’s sufficed for the EM5 even at 50% volume on my smartphones. On my desktop setup it was sublime. It benefits from full desktop setup and it scales up considerately.
Comparisons
VS Zen lite LL(3.5mm)
The Zen lite is a 300ohm buds with VE house sound. It has a bigger bass impact and thicker mids VS EM5 when driven properly. But clarity, details and highs on the EM5 trumps the VE zen lite all day. Being easier driven the EM5 does benefit from amping and good sources to a point, whereas the Zen lite needs the amping to sound good.
VS JCally EP09
JCally latest flagship of beryllium coated driver. The sound signature is quite similar which is balanced with slight forwardness but the EM5 is more smooth and less harsh VS EP09. The EM5 does have a larger soundstage and the tuning is more neutral and less fatiguing. Details is similar for these 2 earbuds but the highs on EM5 is more airy and less peaky.
VS Moondrop VX classic
VX classic is good in vocals but it sounds dry and thin in comparison with EM5. Soundstage is similar but the EM5 goes slightly deeper. Side by side the EM5 in more enjoyable and details is so much better with the EM5.
Who Is It For?
Fiio EM5 is really for earbuds lover that wants a flagship status earbud with a well thought design and a reference sound in earbuds. For those who love their earbud with a balanced sound, great details and superb clarity, EM5 is the earbuds for you. It is a smooth operator.
Final words
I really enjoyed the time that I have spent with this EM5. It really shows me what Fiio is capable of even in the earbud section. It has a mature reference tuning that is clear, detailed and smooth. I am really in loved with the sound, the design as well as the packaging. It is really an all-in package where I have a flagship earbud, a flagship silver cable with all the terminations that I needed also a handsome leather case all in one. Yes, it is slightly expansive but it comes with a great package and great build from a true audiophile company. Though I would wish for a thicker midrange and a full metal casing but that was just nit-picking. I was impressed with the superb clarity and details this monster can push out topped with the smooth deep bass with this special 3D flute design.
I give this product a solid 4.5/5 stars
(4.5 / 5)
Writer : Edmund Chan
