FiiO FT1 Pro Review

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FiiO FT1 Pro – Design & Build Quality

Shell

Sort of a mix of the JT1 and FT1, the FiiO FT1 Pro carries a little bit of both in its design, which isn’t a bad thing all in all.

Sure, the FT3 and FT5 look impressive, with an outstanding quality/price ratio, but, in real life, the dual-winged headband, or the shuriken looking faceplate, tended to be a little too… exuberant to my taste – even is the FT5 is little more tame on that regard.

Thankfully, the FiiO FT1 Pro, like the classic FT1, seems to be more conservative: a single layer headband, big round cups adorned with perforated aluminium faceplates, sliding rails to adjust the size… it’s basically a FT1, but premium. And, if I was not completely convinced by the look of the FT1, I have to say that I was a lot more fond of the FT1 Pro in that regard – crazy how a simple faceplate could change my whole view on that.

And, compared to the JT1, the uptake was even more obvious, the new model displaying many upgrades here and there: smoother cups, cleaner headband connection, seamless junction between the faceplate and the cups. A better headphone all in all.

Of course, if metal isn’t your thing, the FT1 might be more up your alley with its wooden cups. But again, considering the price, the result was surprisingly polished, and I’m quite sure these could easily stand next to higher-end models like the Meze 105 Aer without feeling out of place.

Build quality

At this price, the FiiO FT1 Pro exhibited one of the cleanest build I saw from a loooong time, matching the bigger siblings whom already set the bar quite high when they launched

It never cracks, nor bends more than necessary. The swivel rotates nicely, and upon closer inspection, I was surprised to spot torx screws, instead of your classic Philips one. Same goes for the sliding headband – offering a comfortable 38mm long travel – which stops exactly where you want, and glide without having you to push like a maniac.

The cups are surprisingly nice too, the FT1 Pro enjoying thin but rigid aluminium panels on the outer side, all carefully carved through CNC machines. A premium touch! Pair that with ultra-thick earpads, made of breathable fabric, wooven-braided cables with stainless steel termination, and you end up with one of the most satisfying experience you could get from a sub-$200 headphone.

Bonus point for the cables, made of silver-plated oxygen-free copper base, with 392 wires and a 24AWG thickness – plus you get two of them, 3.5mm and 4.4mm!

So far so good, so let’s see how they fit.

Comfort 

With traditional round-shaped cups, large pads filled with memory foam, a padded headband, and a Y-cable, the FiiO FT1 Pro was a bliss to wear, even during long listening sessions.

The clamping force is just right—neither too tight nor too loose—and the earpads were marvelous, filled with memory foam that molds to your ears perfectly. Add to that a 12 adjustment steps system on each side, and you should never struggle to find the right fit for you head, whether during casual listening or longer, more immersive sessions.

Bonus points for the padded headband, covered with suede fabric instead of the usual faux leather, that not only makes the headphones noticeably more comfortable, but also gives a more premium look – at least to my eyes – compared to clunky the dual-wing headband design found on the FT5 and JT1

Last but not least, I found the Y-cable design to be much more ergonomic than the typical one-sided cable usually seen on headphones in this price range. With even weight distribution, those eliminates that constant pull you could sometimes feel from the single-sided setup.

So far so good!

Isolation

Obviously, with an open-back design, isolation isn’t the FiiO FT1 Pro forte – whereas the FT1 was quite good in that aspect.

On a daily basis, unless you were to work in your own separate office, or with very comprehensive friends/coworkers/spouse, this isn’t the kind of headphone you’d use in a public space. As a solo solution though, this shouldn’t be an issue, at all.

Specifications

For the nitpickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go to the next page to see how the FiiO FT1 Pro performs.

1 micrometer thin + dual layer/coating technology

With the FiiO FT1 Pro, the brand introduces their second generation planar driver. A 95x86mm wide transducer, entirely designed and produced in-house, that should be available in more headphones at a later time – or so I hope.

Compared to its predecessor, this new driver embeds an ultra-thin diaphragm, half thicker than before (1 micro-meter) that should result in noticeable performance differences when vibrating at high speeds. A diaphragm even lighter than before too, despite its larger radiation surface, that took two years of independent research and development – so let’s hope that the result will be worth it.

On top of that, this new driver employs a whole new dual-coating system – patented – topped by a dual-layered sapphire system. In practice, the planar driver uses high-performance PET as the diaphragm substrate and selectively applies sapphire and aluminium to create a dual-coated driver. A technique designed to enhance the driver’s frequency response across the whole spectrum resulting in improved audio resolution and nuance, even at low volume.

And, if the first aluminum layer offers enhanced conductivity, the sapphire one shall contributes to the whole rigidity of the diaphragm’s, for better transparency. We’ll have to check on that later.

Balanced distribution + 28nm-grace process technology

To ensure the best possible performance with its new driver, the FiiO FT1 Pro incorporates a new patented acoustic technology, specifically developed for this model. A patented design which optimizes the uneven magnetic field intensity caused by adjacent magnets and further expands the magnetic field range.

In fact, by adding rounded corners on the sides of the magnets, FiiO was able to expand the magnetic field, resulting in a more evenly distributed system and thus, better performances. On paper, this new layout shall offer reduced breakup and distortion, leading to a more refined sound, like higher-end planar headsets.

And, in order to do that, the FiiO FT1 Pro is also the first headphone from the brand enjoying their new 28nm-grade process technology. A process inspired by semi-conductor industry that completely isolates the conductive trances material from the surrounding air – the traces material being confined in a vacuum state, then accumulating on the ultra-thin 1 micrometer diaphragm.

Numbers? 7Hz-40kHz frequency response, 112dB/Vrms and a super low impedance of just 20 ohms.

So yeah, normally, thanks to these technical enhancements working together, the FT1 Pro should offer an impressive level of performance… but we’ll have to find out!

The article continues on Page two, after the click here, or after the jump

Page 1: About FiiO

Page 2: Design & Build Quality, Comfort, Isolation, Specs

Page 3: Bundle, Sound, Conclusion, Summary, Full specs