Fiio FT5 Planar Magnetic Headphones Review

mmorpg.com:

Fiio has been on a run over the last two years, releasing products at a breakneck pace. We saw its second-ever pair of over-ear headphones with the Fiio FT3 and were impressed at its quality. Today, we’re looking at the second headphone in the FT line with the Fiio FT5, the company’s first-ever pair of planar magnetic headphones. It’s competitively priced at only $449 and aims to go head-to-head with industry stalwarts like Audeze and HIFIMAN but does it have what it takes to compete?

The good news is that, yes, it’s an impressive debut at this price. The sound quality is classically planar magnetic with crisp details and great layering but offers a warmer tone that stands in contrast to most of the competition at this price. It’s a solid pick, especially ahead of the holiday season when sales are likely to keep prices low.

Fiio has been a major player in the IEM, DAC, amp, and DAP worlds for years, so it was with some surprise that I learned its second FT headphone would be a planar magnetic. The FT3 used dynamic drivers and sounded great, and since that’s the most common type of headphone available today, that made sense. The planar magnetic market, though… that’s a different beast. It’s populated by some of the biggest names in audio. HIFIMAN and Audeze are probably the most well known, but amongst enthusiasts, there are many others that have set a high bar. Fiio would have to aim high.

Why they’ve approached this market makes sense, though. It’s proven to be an enterprising brand that’s willing to challenge the status quo and deliver exceptional quality for reasonable prices. Considering many HIFIMAN and Audeze headphones go for $700+ and extend well into the thousands, that’s a welcome proposition. It also saw that