FiiO FH7 IEM Review

Anyone who tries a FiiO product is usually FiiOfied for life. And I’ve been a loyal fan since I bought the Q5 DAC/Amp. No other company can produce the same level of quality of the price. So, we at Audio46, are always excited to try out their latest IEMs. The FH7 is FiiO’s new flagship model. So, they must be confident about these buds. But will the FH7 suit your ears and listening style? Let’s take a closer look in this FiiO FH7 IEM Review.

FiiO FH7 Review

IN the BOX

FIT

I don’t know if my ears were just made for these buds, but the FH7 is one of the best fitting IEM’s I’ve ever tried. Sound isolation is fantastic, and they feel perfectly molded to contours of my ears. In fact, my colleagues have raved about the FiiO fit since the release of the FA7.

DESIGN

The frequency range is a wide 5 - 40,000 Hz. And these buds are easy to drive as well, with an impedance of 16 Ohms and a sensitivity of 11dB. The FH7 is hybrid design, sporting a 13.6mm beryllium driver for the lows and 4 Knowles balanced armature drivers for the mids and highs.

These earbuds are attached to a thick and shimmering 8 Stranded monocrystalline silver-plated copper cable. The over-ear memory wires have an elastic kind of design, making it unnecessary to mold them around your ears every time you put the earbuds on. The right-angled 3.5mm plug feels damn sturdy, and I also appreciated the color-coded MMCX connectors.

The shells are made from aerospace grade aluminum-magnesium alloy. So, rest assured that you can safely wear them on your next trip to Mars.

FiiO gives you a lot of creative control over the sound signature of the FH7, providing three pairs of interchangeable filters and a freqload of eartips designed to highlight certain aspects of the mix. I didn’t play around with these filters because it would mean I’d have to write more words. And even if I had the energy to fiddle around with them, I wouldn’t because the balance is perfect. With that in mind, let’s talk sound.

SOUND

Overall Impressions: Clean, meaty, fast, beautifully balanced, versatile.

Lows

Listening to good ol’ Bruno Mars, the bass is dryer than Moet Brut, offering tons of tight grip and texture. Although it’s a little forward leaning, it stays clear from overkill, reaching just the right amount of punch to make pop pop. And frequen’ hell, these things get really subby on hip-hop tracks. At the same time, the low end is tidy and avoids overshadowing the low-mids. And listening to double bass plucks, the FH7 reveals how natural it can make acoustic instruments feel, unveiling nuances in tone that make this IEM ideal for classical and jazz as well. 

Mids

Yes, people. Yes. The FH7 presents a gorgeous, very present midrange with generous low mids and no overblown upper mids. As a result, you’ll get full, meaty profile when listening to massive rock and pop-rock tracks. And vocals avoid sitting unnaturally forward in the mix, so, it’s a genuinely all-encompassing sound. The level of detail is also impressive; listening to violins in this range, the FH7 conveyed a highly realistic timbre with lots of substance and thorough resolve. Separation is also primo, with acoustic guitar strums presenting crystal-like definition, even in old muddy recordings. But my favorite thing about these buds is how fast and energetic they feel. Snares have tight, hard impact, giving tons of vitality to rock and pop tracks.

Highs

The highs lean on the brighter side, so some folks may want to opt for foam tips to mellow out the peaks. But for those who like their highs super snappy and sparkly will certainly gravitate towards this sound signature. Percussion is extremely crisp with minimal sizzle. There’s also a feeling of lightness and precision in this range, which works beautifully for classical music and acoustic instruments in general. Pianos glistened, while stings were intricate and delicate, effortlessly floating through chord progressions.

Soundstage

A decently spacious soundstage for the price. You can expect a nice amount of height from these buds, even if gradations in depth could have been a little better defined. But I definitely felt a good amount of dimension, and the great separation added to the feeling of precision in terms of instrument placement.

SUMMARY

There’s not one genre that these buds can’t handle. Energetic, meticulous and superbly balanced with tons of body in the mids, it’s hard to dislike this sound signature. Add to that a uniquely comfortable fit with effective sound isolation, and you’ve got a super solid IEM for under 500 bucks.

You can get the Fiio FH7 in our online store. Or visit our NYC store to buy it.