Introduction

We recently visited FiiO to tour its large industrial park and got to know more about how the audio brand is able to release so many products each year, most of which seem to do well critically and commercially. These include old stalwarts such as IEMs and portable DAC/amps, but also now we see desktop audio equipment including speakers, network streamers, R2R DACs, keyboards, and headphones too, including the open-back dynamic driver FT3 and planar magnetic FT5. Soon after both of these headphones were released, FiiO added a closed-back set of headphones to its portfolio, this time under its sister brand Jade Audio, with the JT1 costing under $70. I have the JT1 here and thought it had potential, albeit was clearly going for a more mainstream V-shaped tuning and detail retrieval clearly wasn’t high priority. I was even considering doing a quick look article of it, but then FiiO released something recently that deserved far more attention.

The FiiO FT1 is a closed-back set of dynamic driver headphones that was announced in mid-August, although it has been in such demand that FiiO can’t seem to keep up months later too. It’s not hard to see why this has been so popular, given FiiO has effectively designed it to look and feel far more expensive than it is. The launch edition came with American black walnut ear cups, although now there is also a natural beech wood version with a lighter colored headband too. If this reminds you of some Sivga headphones, then you are thinking correctly. But what if I told you the FT1 was priced appreciably lower than the likes of the Sivga Robin and Oriole? Those looking at Meze wooden headphones will be even further away price wise, so already there’s a price advantage for FiiO even before we get to other aspects such as the 60 mm custom-designed drivers, and nice accessories including two stock cables and a carry case. Ultimately, it’s the sound signature that matters most though. So let’s thank FiiO for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp and put the FT1 to the test today, as we begin with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

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