INTRODUCTION

   One of the things people either love or hate about the electronics industry is that regardless of what one gets there's always something better, either already available or further down the road. This is actually true about every single segment of the electronics market and this is also something that has always intrigued me since very often today's high-end product is tomorrows standard. That being said sometime last year some of you messaged me on social media asking which flagship IEM from FiiO to get and more specifically between the very good FA9 (review here) and the FH9 which at the time i had yet to test/review and thus was unable to comment about. Well, FiiO did send me the FH9 model shortly after and finally after spending 2 months of using it my review (and answer to some of you) is finally here.

   FiiO was established in 2007 and has experience in researching and developing countless portable music products of different types, and sell FiiO-branded products through sales agents worldwide. The brand name FiiO is composed of Fi(fidelity from HiFi) and iO(number 1&0), representing the real feeling and convenient life that digital brings to life. Meanwhile, the Chinese “飞傲” is the transliteration of FiiO, indicating the positive and innovative spirit as thriving as spring. FiiO is focused on product quality, adheres strictly to ISO9001 standards in quality management and works hard to attain the lowest repair-related product returns rate.

   For the FH9 IEM FiiO has used titanium alloy precisely made with five-axis CNC machining for the enclosures (according to FiiO this material helps minimize unwanted harmonics and resonances) inside which they've placed a total of 7 drivers (1 dynamic plus 6 BA - Balanced Armatures) together with a 2nd generation 13.6mm DLC (diamond-like carbon) diaphragm dynamic bass driver resulting in an impressive frequency response of 10Hz-40kHz (108dB sensitivity, 18 Ohm impedance). As expected from their other top of the line models the 6 BA drivers placed inside each of the 2 units are manufactured by Knowles and more specifically at least 2 in each unit are of the SWFK-31736 model which is in charge of highs. Both enclosures feature a semi-open design for minimal eardrum pressure (also helps deliver a more natural sound) along with an interchangeable filter design which allows the end user to tune the FH9 to a specific music genre (3 sets of filters are available - balanced/bass/treble). With the FH9 FiiO also bundles a high-purity monocrystalline pure silver cable that features 8 branches of 28 wires each (224 individually isolated wires in total) together with stainless steel angled MMCX connectors. The bundle is equally impressive but since seeing is believing let's move forward with today's review and see what makes the FH9 model by FiiO one of the most sought after IEMs in the market today.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Typically, FiiO has used a black box to ship the FH9 inside so once again at the front we find their logo and a large product picture.

The high-purity silver cable with its MMCX connectors and available tips is showcased as drawings at the base of the box.

Moving at the top we find drawings related to the Knowles BA drivers.

Two barcodes and details about FiiO are printed at the rear of the box.

Once you remove the external paper cover, you'll find the main cardboard box.

As expected, the entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of black foam.

Contained inside the box are the FH9 IEMs, HB5 carrying/storage case, 16 pairs of eartips (bass/balanced/vocals/foam/double-flange/SpinFit), MMCX removal tool, cleaning brush, magnetic clamp, two pairs of audio filters (green/red), 2.5/4.4mm interchangeable audio plugs and the quick start guide.

THE FH9

The FH9 features an 120cm long high-purity monocrystalline pure silver cable which should be more than enough for most uses.

MMCX connectors are always good to have (especially when they have left/right markings on them).

FiiO this time over has used titanium alloy for the enclosures (available in black and silver colours) and i have to admit they look and feel great (the semi-open design also adds to looks).

Left and right markings are also printed at the rear of the enclosures next to air vents.

The filters mounted by default are the black ones which are for balanced audio.

You can replace them just by unscrewing them and using either the red or the green ones for optimal bass and treble respectively.

All three pairs can really optimize your listening experience and this is clearly one of the many things that set the FH9 apart from most of their competition.

The high-purity monocrystalline pure silver cable is thick and not really tangle-proof but it does look and feel great.

Since most people are probably going to use the FH9 with 3.5mm devices FiiO has pre-mounted just that.

Removing the tip/jack is very easy, just unscrew and pull it out.

Along with the 3.5mm tip/jack FiiO has also bundled 2.5mm and a 4.4mm tips/jacks all of which are gold plated.

The HB5 carrying/storage case looks very nice and as expected its exterior is made out of leather (measures 94x87x47mm and weighs just 98g).

Opening the case, we see that the interior is quite spacious and dressed with high-quality velvet.

By default, FiiO has mounted SpinFit eartips which are designed for optimal vocals and mids but you can switch those with 15 other pairs all of which are placed inside a case (each eartip type is tagged).

CONCLUSION

   When I reviewed the FA9 a couple of years ago I was impressed not only with the level of craftmanship by the guys over at FiiO but also the fact that I could tweak the audio parameters according to the type of music I was listening at just by using the small switches at the rear of each unit. Now even though it’s not quite as easy to swap the filters of the FH9 the end result is actually more natural compared to that of the FA9 with slightly better instrument separation (which can be both good and bad according to the music genre you’re listening to). Overall, however the clear and accurate audio produced by the FH9 is clearly one step above the FA9 and that alone could be the determining factor for some people. The FH9 are also almost twice as heavy as the FA9 and again that’s something that may drive away some potential buyers. Personally, I don’t really mind the extra weight because I never listen to music more than 1-2 hours at a time (and the titanium alloy enclosures are certain to last for a long time – same as the monocrystalline cable) but for people who do their weight may not agree with them. Finally in terms of bundle well there’s not much to say other than with a total selection of 16 ear tip pairs and a high-quality carrying/storage case like the HB5 I doubt you’ll find anything better in the market today.

   As i type these lines the FH9 IEM by FiiO retails for USD559.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for around 599Euros inside the EU a price tag which is actually more or less the same as it was at launch just over a year ago (which right now is probably a good thing). This means that the FH9 is not only considerably more expensive compared to the FA9 but they are also far from affordable. Still there are many similarly priced models in the market and even though i haven’t used or reviewed nearly enough of them to accurately compare with the FH9 things just can’t get much better and that’s all there’s to it and that’s also why it deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Impressive Build Quality
- Audio Performance (Mids / Highs / Bass)
- 1 Dynamic & 6 Knowles BA Drives In Each Unit
- 3 Audio Filter Sets (Balanced / Bass / Treble)
- Design (For Some)
- Available Colours (Black / Silver)
- Detachable Cable with MMCX Gold Plated Connectors
- Secure Fit
- Rich Bundle (HB5 Carrying Case / 16 Pairs of Eartips / 2.5mm, 3.5mm & 4.4mm Gold Plated Jacks / Magnetic Cable Organizer / Cleaning Brush)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Cable Thickness
- Weight