What are the main perks of a dynamic driver? One of them is coherency. Will they be competent? Depends on what you’re looking for. How about some technicality, are they any good? You’ll be pleased with this one. This time we’ll have a look at FiiO’s latest flagship Beryllium coated Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) single dynamic driver in ear monitor, the FD5 (that’s quite a mouthful to be honest).
Packaging
The box itself is a bit on the larger side. It’s packed with a double layer foam inserts which holds the IEM and the P-leather case (no hard case included) on the first tier, eartips and accessories on the second. Presentation wise, FiiO haven’t failed to impress me with their packaging and their generosity with accessories.
Eartips provided ranges from the Balanced tips, Bass tips, Vocal tips, two pairs of foam tips and two pairs of triple flanged tips for use with the narrow bore nozzle set. Inside the “Accessories” box, there’s a Final’s MMCX assist, a cleaning tool, a 2.5mm balanced and a 4.4mm balanced plug.
As for the IEM itself they’re solid, shiny, possess a good heft and utilizes a fairly foolproof design. Built with a stainless steel shell, the chrome finish on the sides with red and blue marker on the end of the MMCX connector of each sides. The vents (or grilles since they’re touted as a semi-open back IEM) and the texture on the back of the IEM is finely crafted. Combined with the polished metal finishing, the contrast between them translates into a premium looking product.The interchangeable nozzle system is a very welcome feature which adds more to the versatility of this IEM. Along with the 8 core silver plated modular cable system (they do feel nice and behave well IMO) which you can choose the termination configuration as you please, it’s one of the complete solution package offering from FiiO to date.
Functions and Specifications
- Material: Stainless steel
- Type: Semi-open back
- Driver: 12mm Beryllium-coated Diamond-like Carbon dynamic driver
- Impedance: 32ohms
- Sensitivity: 109dB/1mW
- Frequency Response: 10Hz-40kHz
- Connector: MMCX
- Cable: Modular 8 core mono crystalline Silver Plated Cable
What’s in the box
- FiiO HB5 storage case.
- Eartips: Bass, Balanced, Vocals, Foam, Triple Flange (for narrow nozzle) x S, M, L size each.
- Owner’s manual x 1
- MMCX assist tool x 1
- Cleaning brush x 1
- Interchangable nozzle x 1
Retail Price and Where To Buy
Sound and Tone Presentation
This is one of the most resolving single dynamic driver IEM that I have ever heard to date. Which actually took me by surprise. I’ve always look at multi-BA configurations as the more resolving and revealing IEMs (not necessarily by having more driver means better) but the FiiO FD5 changed my mind and how I look at driver configurations. In short, they are a very technical yet natural sounding IEM. And all that coming with the perks of a dynamic driver.
*Tip rolling is highly recommended. Personally I found that JVC Spiraldots do complement the sound signature of the FiiO FD5 and tame them with little/no penalty to their full capability.
Sources used :
- Foobar2k (ASIO) > Stoner Acoustics UD130 (Line Out) > Topping NX3s
- HiBy R2 (Line Out) > Topping NX4 DSD
Album used :
- Ella – The Best Of
- Ziana Zain – Best Of Ziana Zain
- Michael Jackson – This Is It
- Ratatat – LP4
- Hans Zimmer – Interstellar
- Scary Pockets – Best Of 2018, Vol. 2
- J-Fla – Rose
Bass
The bass on the FD5 is well extended and authoritative. Sub-bass is deep, well defined and more than capable to provide the rumble when called upon. Mid-bass being more dominant provides an impactful and punchy characteristics without being bloated nor sounding muddy. For me personally the bass is tastefully done with fast attack speed yet natural, controlled decay.
Mids
The mids are nicely tuned which is not recessed nor too forward. I would say the mids are tuned to be rather safe to complement both male and female vocals. Lower-mids do not suffer with upper-bass bleed but the instruments and vocals within that range are well bodied. Upper-mids while being revealing and engaging, they are on the edge of being shouty. Overall presentation of the mids are pleasant, transparent with excellent detail retrieval.
Treble
Timbre & Tonality
Natural, transparent and very cohesive sound presentation.
Soundstage
Their semi-open back design shell proves to be a success here. The soundstage is huge for an IEM (at least with my limited experience). I’ve had a fair amount of time listening to earbuds since I was introduced into this hobby and the FiiO FD5 is not that far off. Above average width which sometimes extends a bit further to the outside of your head and back of your ears. Depth on the other hand is slightly above average, extending a bit farther courtesy of their sound signature. However, the perception of height is very present. They scale very well with the width and depth which gives you an overall holographic soundstage.
Imaging & Separation
One word to sum this particular section: Precision. Each technical aspects are well presented and can be distinguished easily up to a certain extent. By certain extent, they do tend to sound a bit congested at times with complex passages. Stereo panning is accurate and separation is mostly balanced, in-line with the soundstage showcasing good central image and excellent distribution of sounds coming at you from vast different directions.
To further comprehend the ability of the FiiO FD5, I used them for FPS gaming. To be clear, this is an easier method for me personally to evaluate any technically-capable IEM. These are fantastic if you’re willing to shell out the cash for your gaming setup. Everything sounds clear, well defined with accurate holographic imaging which can provide an edge if you’re playing competitively (not to mention being immersive too).
*The narrow bore nozzle set is shorter than the wider bore nozzles, which explains why FiiO includes the triple flanged eartips. With this set on, they sounded more relaxed with elevated midbass, tiny bit recessed vocals and attenuated treble peaks. This eliminates the sibilance and fatigue issue encountered earlier on. One caveat from this signaure shift is the soundstage that is perceptibly wider but somewhat closed-in depth.
Driveability
I’ve found that Beryllium-coated dynamic drivers tend to be a bit demanding of power and there’s no exception here. Based on the specs alone, they should be fairly easy to drive. Yes, they are not that hard to be driven but with sub-par output power namely from non-Hi-Res smartphone, it just won’t do them justice. The vast soundstage and holographic image is just not there. Feed them a little bit of juice and they’ll sing gracefully with a grand presentation which will definitely give the listener an arguably satisfying experience.
Synergy
They pair very well with warm sources to compensate for the somewhat sibilant treble (apart from tip rolling and nozzle swap) and adds weight to the overall sonic presentation. On a neutral/bright source, they can be somewhat thin and tend to be unpleasant at times especially with those “S” and “T”. Depending on your tolerance to sibilance and music library, they might just be the most engaging and fun to listen to.
Comparison
Hillaudio Mirage (Carbon Nano-tube Single Dynamic Driver)
Full review can be found here: HillAudio Mirage
This is currently the flagship IEM from HillAudio featuring interchangeable nozzle and modular cable system (sounds similar, eh?) but is priced way below the retail of FiiO’s FD5. They’re made of solid resin with abalone faceplate and tuned with a mild V/W-shaped sound signature. Listening to the FD5 for the first time, they really remind me of the Mirage. Albeit their slight differences in sound signature, they are both very engaging, satisfying and can be fatiguing at times.
On sound, the bass is clean on both, with the FD5 extended deeper and more accurate in texture. Mids on the Mirage is more forward, a bit shouty while the FD5 being more transparent, more articulated on the micro details and nuances. The treble on the FD5 can be somewhat sibilant and airier in presentation as compared to the Mirage where they are sparkling and energetic enough but rolled off slightly earlier.
On technicality, the FD5 blows the Mirage away with that above average holographic soundstage, better separation and more accurate imaging. The Mirage itself is fairly accurate mind you. FiiO’s FD5 is a more refined IEM in this regard.
For Who?
Those who love a slight V-shaped, clean sound signature, above average soundstage with a very competent technical ability and dynamic range should consider this IEM. I would say that they’re not exactly an all rounder, but they do play well with various genres without coloring the original source files too much. Engaging and fun are the words I would use to wholly describe this IEM.
Verdict And Stars
A successful conceptual designed product is quite a challenge to achieve and I’d say FiiO really showcased their industrial know-how in design, workmanship and tuning of an IEM with the FD5. Equipped with a single dynamic driver which can perform technically on par with a Hybrid or Balanced Armature set without being too analytical, this is quite a feat to be honest. Not to mention that they are more coherent, natural sounding and also musical to the ears as compared to the latter. All in all, they are befitting their flagship title. One only gripe is that FiiO could at least do better with the asking price as the market segment in this price range is VERY competitive with other manufacturer’s offerings (read; value). Cheers!
(5 / 5)
