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FiiO’s flagship in-ear monitor is a masterclass in tuning and heralds its grand entry into the highly competitive midrange tier of earphones. I’ve seen the look in their eyes. Fearless, hungry, full of fire, staring directly at the sun and challenging all comers. Those in the shade can only admire the ferocity, audacity and borderline insanity. Like a raging bull charging to the fore, FiiO are marching towards immortality, bent on world conqueration, celebration and inebriation (in that order). Sorta like the movie 300, only on Xerxes’ winning side. FiiO have come a long way since dipping their toes in the vast pool of in-ear monitors (IEMs) via the EX1 a few years ago, essentially a repackaged Dunu Titan 1. Since going out on their own and starting their own band, they have launched three IEM lines; the F series for dynamic drivers (DD), FA for balanced armatures (BAs), and FH for hybrids. Today we look at what is FiiO’s priciest and most ambitious IEM, the FH5. Moar Drivers! Fresh off learning the ropes with their first hybrid, the FH1, where else to go but stuffing the IEMs with more and more drivers, before the inevitable purist approach by reducing the driver count? Before we get ahead of ourselves, the FH5 houses a total of 4 drivers, with 3 Knowles BAs handling the mids and treble; while a single 10mm polymer nanocomposite DD delivers the bass. The FH5 proves to be a powerhouse of patented technology as well, with solid Trishell housing, S.Turbo sound tube design for visceral bass delivery, and three independent sound bores for bass, mids, and treble. These drool-worthy new tech come together to evoke a sensational, sensory experience for the FH5, from sight to touch to hearing. We haven’t gone into IEM smell or taste yet, but who knows what the future might hold? I would like to thank Lily of FiiO for the review sample, and her continued support for my reviews. The FH5 currently retails for USD269.99 and is available through their official website and . Equipment Used: DAP IEMs FiiO FH5. FiiO FH1. iBasso IT03. Albums Listened Aaron Neville – Warm Your Heart. Art Pepper – Modern Jazz Classics. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories. Diana Krall – From This Moment On. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours. Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night. Macy Gray – Stripped. Meiko – Playing Favorites. Michael Jackson – The Essential. The New Appalachians – From The Mountaintop. Packaging and Accessories. One of my favourite movie phrases come from Kingsman, a Colin Firth starrer about gentlemanly conduct, where he says (in between bashing bad guys really hard), “manners maketh man”. So, well, packaging maketh earphones. How you present yourself to someone new can mean the difference between a future lifelong partnership or being shown the door. Since IEMs can’t really say “pardon me, miss”, a presentable appearance is the next best approximate. FiiO’s previous release FH1 had rudimentary packaging befitting an entry-level product, but here we see a huge step up. FH5’s packaging positively glows and demands attention. Not just a big box, like many life lessons we’ve learnt, it’s what inside that counts. Stuff and Ear-Stuffers. As you open the book-like casing, the FH5 stares back at you, a specimen of beauty and splendour, adorned with gold trim and matching cables. Nothing says “touch me” more than this. But easy tiger, we have more to uncover. Underneath, a host of eartips with different sound properties await, for vocal lovers, bass addicts, balanced nuts, and um, some foam tips for treble-haters perhaps. As with the FH1, a lovely Pelican-like case is provided, only now in transparent as opposed to the glossy black of old. Something tells me FiiO couldn’t wait to show off the FH5 at every opportunity. I have already extolled my love for the case in the FH1 review, but let me repeat it in simplified form. I love it, adore it, and would trade less-familiar family members for it given half a chance. As I start a third consecutive paragraph with the same word, rounding out the accessory set is a fabric zippered pouch and a cleaner tool. The pouch is more pocketable than the hard case but sans protection, I wouldn’t use it but then again that’s why we have options. The cleaner tool is for, well, ear gunk in the sound bores. Do keep your ears clean. Design and Build Quality. My, my. The FH5 looks marvelous. Even when compared to its predecessors, the FH5 stands out like a supermodel in a sea of girls-next-door. Inspired by fluid supercar designs, it has a sleek and aerodynamic shell, highlighted with grooves on the faceplate that look like either tiger claw scratches, or ruffled bed sheets. For now, the FH5 is only available in titanium with gold trim, with probably more colour choices soon based on customer feedback. Titanium, okay, grey might not be everyone’s cup o’ tea, but the gold trim adds finesse to its looks, subtly telling you it has hidden depths. Taken as a whole, I love the design. It’s meant to trigger an emotional response, like “buy me now”. Is that an emotion? Ah yes. Lust. Just… Lust. The lust amplifies when you hold the FH5 in your hands. Made of CNC machined aluminium-magnesium alloy, FiiO’s patented Trishell design feels smooth and fluid to the touch, yet solid and sturdy. The term velvety metal does not make much sense, but I’m calling it exactly that. It’s sexy metal built to excite. Speaking of build quality, the smooth finish and the machined edges inspire confidence. For now, the MMCX connectors cause no issues such as sound cuts or loose fits, and I hope they stay that way. Attaching cables to the FH5 let out a satisfying click, and the cables do not spin as freely in the socket as other MMCX connectors. Whether it will survive the apocalypse I cannot say, but if you threw these at someone I bet it will hurt. Cables. A lot of thought (and copper) was put into the FH5’s stock cable. The result is a beautifully-braided and sheathed cable made of high-purity monocrystalline silver-plated copper. The build quality far surpasses any expectations of a stock cable, outdoing the previous FH1’s braided cables easily. Like a photographer fawning over his favourite muse, the attention to detail is stunning. From the transparent connectors coded red and blue for easy differentiation, to the solidly-built 3.5mm jack, aesthetics play a big part in the cable’s allure. The cables behave fairly well too, with some memory retention but not so much as to irritate the user. My only complaints are the ear guides bend too much, and you do feel the weight of the cables. Otherwise it’s a winner chicken dinner. Balance to the Fore. Lily was kind enough to provide the LC-4.4B balanced cable for my Sony audio player. The cable is the exactly the same as stock, but with a 4.4mm 5-pole jack instead. The sound improvement going from single-ended to balanced playback in a Sony is obvious, with more apparent details, a blacker background, cleaner stage and better dynamics. Improvements vary for other players, but for Sony we go balanced every chance we get. FiiO did not include a balanced cable in its packaging this time around, making them (also available in 2.5mm TRRS) a separate purchase. Some will balk at this decision, but at USD36.99 for this silver-plated copper cable, it’s one of the cheapest in the market for spectacular quality. To soften the blow, FiiO included a balanced cable free of charge for early birds, so they got your back, albeit temporarily. Fit, Isolation, and Comfort. Like a silk robe, an oversized tee or mid-2000s Jessica Alba, some IEMs when you first look at them, you just know they’ll fit you comfortably. The FH5 has this charming quality where you just want to put them in you at first sight. That sounded wrong. In more polite terms, the smooth, ergonomic finish ensures seamless and pain-free insertion, removal, and re-insertion for years on end. Ahhh damn. The amorphous shape of the FH5 adheres nicely to my ear contours, and my ears thank them for the supreme comfort. Isolation is below average as I hear a lot of outside noise coming in, so these are not reliable for your daily commute. Where the FH5 falters is the short length of the nozzles. preventing a strong enough seal to stay in your ears. Finding the right set of eartips to solve this conundrum can prove exhausting. The Quest for Tips. I tried all the stock tips (not those stock tips, otherwise I’d be owning companies instead of writing reviews lol), and none gave the seal that I craved, much less the amazing sound I know the FH5 is capable of. Switching to JVC Spiral Dots made things worse, as the FH5 started falling off my ears. Spinfits fit wonderfully, but sound quality took a dive as the soundstage became congested. Finally, the perfect match for me came via Symbio eartips by MandarinEs, a foam-filled silicon that anchored the FH5 well. As for sound, detail levels remain high as treble is not sucked out, while the soundstage is relaxed and wonderfully spaced out. This is it. I can’t help but think the problem could be avoided if the FH5 had longer nozzles for a more secure fit. Sound Quality. In the interest of conformity and sheepism, critical listening was done after 100 hours of burning in. I like to give all IEMs with DDs a thorough workout, whether they need it or not. After 100 hours, generally the notes seemed to have tightened up with more focus, but this could be just a placebo, since I’d really like something in return for those 100 hours, y’know? The main setup used was Sony WM1A "K" Modded (low gain and Direct Source on) > LC-4.4B cable > FH5. Overall Sound Signature. The FH5 follows a balanced signature overall. I hesitate to call it neutral, as it conjures images of stiff upper lip audiophiles listening critically to a flat, boring tuning and jotting down notes fervently. Lest we forget, FiiO’s grammatically unquestionable motto is, “Born for music and happy”. This spirit encapsulates the FiiO experience, you’re here to let your hair...