INTRODUCTION

    One of the things I’ve always liked about the electronics industry is that no matter how expensive a device is it will eventually become affordable and available for the masses. This of course applies to every single segment of the electronics industry but probably the product categories that stand out the most are large LCD screens, PC hardware and peripherals, smartphones/tablets and yes, even headphones/headsets. For example, even though planar based headphones have been around for roughly 2 decades now they've always been quite expensive thus targeted solely towards very demanding audiophiles and professionals. Last year FiiO released their first two over-ear Hi-Res headphones, the dynamic FT3 and planar FT5 both of which I’ve been using for almost 2 months now.

    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.

    Both the 60mm dynamic driver based FT3 and the 90mm planar driver based FT5 are over-ear open back design models that feature a Hi-Res frequency response of 7Hz-40kHz together with 350/36 Ohm impedance and 105/110dB sensitivity. Inside the FT3 we find angled drivers with DLC diaphragms and beryllium plated gaskets whereas in the higher-end FT5 FiiO has placed a grand total of 40 neodymium magnets (N52) alongside 6nm ultra-thin PAR diaphragms. Both the FT3 and FT5 feature suspension headbands, 3-axis swivel design, metal frames (aluminum for the FT3 and magnesium for the FT5), left/right audio jacks and easy to remove earpads. As for bundle FiiO packs a monocrystalline copper cable (3 meters for the FT3 and 1.5 meters for the FT5), 4 different audio plugs (total), 2 pairs of earpads (suede & protein leather) and a sturdy leatherette storage case with both headphones. FiiO seems to have done a great job with both the FT3 and FT5 models so let's see if that's really the case or not.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both the FT3 and FT5 are placed inside black boxes, only the former however has a partial product picture at the front.

A product description along with FiiO contact information is printed at the rear of both boxes.

The entire bundle is wrapped inside a velvet pouch in both cases.

FiiO has placed a similar bundle for their FT3 and FT5 headphones so aside the headphones themselves and their velvet pouches we also find large leatherette covered brown carrying/storage cases, 3m monocrystalline copper cable for the FT3 and 1.5m for the FT5 (392 wires, high-purity silver-plated), 4 audio plugs (3.5/4.4mm plugs, 3.5mm female to 6.35mm male adapter and 4.4mm female to XLR-4 male balanced adapter), set of protein leather and suede earpads for the FT3 and protein leather earpads for the FT5 and the user manuals.

THE FT3 & FT5

Both headphones are made out of metal alloys (aluminum for the FT3 and magnesium for the FT5), leatherette, memory foam and suede materials.

In terms of size, they are actually not that far apart and as for weight the FT3 weighs around 391g whereas the FT5 weighs around 456g.

FiiO has placed their logo on the exterior of both earcups and strangely enough even though the FT3 has leatherette cover for both the suspension system and the headband the FT5 has only for the suspension system (some people will like how this looks however).

Left and right markings are placed on the interior of both headphones with the ones of the FT5 being a lot easier to spot.

Needless to say, left and right markings are also placed right next to the 3.5mm ports located at the rear end of both earcups.

By default, the FT3 wears two medium sized suede covered memory foam earpads which you can swap for the bundled ones that have protein leather around them.

On the other hand, the FT5 has large earpads with left/right markings at their center which again you can swap for the bundled ones which this time over are entirely covered by protein leather.

By removing the earpad you can get a glimpse at how the twenty N52 neodymium magnets are positioned in each earcup.

As mentioned earlier even though the FT3 has leatherette used for both its headband and headpad the FT5 only has for the headpad (both look nice to me).

The leatherette covered carrying/storage cases are large enough to fit the headphones and their cables and of course the extra plugs.

Both the monocrystalline copper cable (3x3.5mm jacks) and the 3 extra audio plugs bundled with the FT3 are all gold plated.

Same of course is true for the FT5 bundle (worth pointing out is that by default the FT3 wears the 3.5mm plug and the FT5 the 4.4mm one).

For this review i primarily used the FiiO M15 and R7 music players.

CONCLUSION

    Last time i used Planar based headphones was well over 2 years ago so i had forgotten just how good such models are and how much more they deliver compared to dynamic models. Now if i didn't know any better thanks to the detailed and wide soundstage I’d probably describe the FT5 as having a 3D audio filter applied to them compared to the FT3. Separation is cleaner across the board, both highs and mids are extremely crisp and accurate regardless of what music genre you decide to use the FT5 with and as for soundstage (emphasis on the soundstage) again it's spreads wide and certainly not something I’ve encountered a lot to date. The FT3 on the other hand also produce crisp highs and mids but to my surprise they managed to surpass the FT5 in bass and yes even though this isn't nearly enough to pick them over the FT5's it's still worth taking into account. Also, strangely enough even though Planar drivers are supposedly harder to drive this wasn't the case while i was testing the FT5 since its volume was considerably higher than that of the FT3 at the same levels for both the M15 and R7 (i did think that perhaps the M15/R7 didn't have the necessary juice to drive the 350Ohm FT3 but that's not the case). Again, small details which could be very useful for some people when looking to compare the two. In regards to size yes, the FT5 earcups are slightly larger compared to those of the FT3 (60mm vs 90mm drivers) but thanks to the thinner design of those earcups (easily fit the entire ear inside) the FT5 actually feel just as comfortable as the FT3, if not more. The suspension system also works well (not perfect in terms of stability) but it's something we've seen many times to date with similar products (mostly gaming headsets however) so that didn't really come as a surprise. Bundling two sets of earpads was a good choice by FiiO, even though in the end I enjoyed using the suede covered ones more (higher comfort levels). Finally build quality for both the FT3 and FT5 is very good with the FT5 taking the lead in some areas like the exterior of the earcups and the ends of the headband (still both look and feel great when used).

    Right now, you can get your hands on your very own FT3 dynamic or FT5 planar Over-Ear Open Back Headphones by FiiO for USD299/USD429.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 311.56Euros/510.58Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) prices which reflect exactly what you’re getting (actually the FT5 is a steal on the other side of the Atlantic). Overall, i was very satisfied while using both the FT3 and the FT5 these two months with the latter clearly leaving the best impressions to me and so even though the FT3 is certainly worth the Golden Award the FT5 gets the Platinum.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Audio Performance
- Extremely Wide Soundstage (FT5)
- Planar Technology (FT5)
- Bass Levels (FT3)
- Comfortable
- Suspension Design
- 3 Axis Swivel Design
- Bundle
- Available In Black & White (FT3)
- Price (USA)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- High Impedance (FT3)