FiiO - FT3 350 Ohms

Having my ears tuned to NAIM AUDIO & KEF Reference speakers for past 40 years, finally I wanted headphone which would be close to my hifi system and I was not disappointed with FIIO FT3 350 Ohms. Very musical. Under Rs.300000 non can beat this headphone.

What makes a headphone great? The experience.
Bass quantity like a closed back, bass quality like an open back. dead on neutral with mids and treble with exceptional resolution.
a bit uncomfortable for people with larger than average ears.

This is my first audiophile grade headphones. The build quality is marvellous, choice of materials is commendable, packaging includes all the accessories you can think off. The most important aspect is sound quality, I loved it. Since I don't have other products to compare, am saying my personal first time experience. Thanks to headphone zone, I got an amazing deal on black friday sale. I was confused between 320 ohms version. But wanted a more convenient one to use with mobile phone and laptop, so fixed on 32 ohms model. Another advantage of this model is that it comes with a more portable size cable unlike 320 ohms model. I also considered Meze classic 99. But I being a fan of Fiio and own Fiio R7, and SP3 and wanted to have the complete line up , and for that I am Happy. I think you can compare quality of Fiio products to that of Apple. So much perfection even in packaging!

Right from the packaging it was clear that no corners were cut (pun intended) when the box arrived in another postage box also provided by the manufacturer having plastic protectors to shield the corners from damage.

Also there are a lot of things going on in the box as well, a set of pleather pads is provided in addition to the suede ones that come installed on the headphones. I did not use the headphones for a significant duration with the suede pads and switched them for the pleather having watched reviews elsewhere that the pleather pads are better for clarity etc. But the changing of the pads did prove to be a nervous couple of minutes due to the possibility of damage though they were subsequently changed without issues. It does take some effort and care though.

To speak about the performance, the quality is indeed excellent and the details clearly audible. Even the low end rumbles were heard without any EQ. There is also good focus on the vocals contrary to other reviews that i watched before going for these. The sound is also natural but that is a general characteristic of open backs. I did not test with any tracks for the sake of doing so but with songs that I would hear otherwise. There seems to be a general consensus that the suede pads result in a slightly more bassy and a bit muddy sound though I didn’t verify this.

Ifi Hip Dac 3 was used to power the headphones via the 4.4 mm output and there was no shortfall in power, impedance being considerable at 350 ohms.

The build quality is very good and almost everything is metal, though the cups are spring loaded, which makes it a point of observation as to how long the mechanism holds up.

The headphones certainly feel a bit bulky in no small part due to the metallic build. However this does not take away from the comfort and the headphones do not clamp the head very tightly and feel light on the head upon wearing them.

Finally, the case provided, and other accessories and connectors all are well built. You also get a braided 3m long cable, which may be a slight nuisance for some, but at least it doesn’t feel substandard.

Everything considered, this was a kind of a risky buy as these are my first serious pair of headphones, from a brand that has not launched many headphones and no full sized headphones. But the package feels complete with great sounding headphones and no need to purchase anything additional or replace stock parts. I am happy with this purchase.

The title describes my impressions of the FiiO FT3. I had purchased this as a high-impedance headphone to try out on another recent purchase Xduoo TA-26. The TA-26 had elevated the sound of my HD 650 considerably - and the FT3 appeared to be the only contender (impedance-wise) within my budget. I was greatly impressed. I did A/B testing (vis-a-vis the HD 650) across multiple albums from artists such as Willie Dixon, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Waits, Dusty Springfield and Neil Young. Sound from the FT3 was airier, instrument separation was better, detail retrieval was better - compared to the HD 650. It reminded me of the Sundara - but a more full-bodied one. In all cases BUT ONE - the FT3 outperformed the HD 650 in my opinion. The one case where the HD 650 was ahead was Greatest Hits by Neil Young. Tracks from this album sounded tad brighter on the FT3. In conclusion - FiiO has come frightfully close to dethroning the venerated HD 650 - and might even do so for some with a different music library. I eagerly look forward to future iterations of this headphone - which I hope will cover the ground that presently remains between the FT3 and the 650.

Great build, great flat, extended, fast , transparent yet refined headphones which sounds incredibly good even with mobile phones and portable sources. Bass extends deep so combined with very good sensitivity and 350ohm it sounds lot bigger than it should, even with low output sources. With dedicated amps it is literally your end game set up. Supplied cable is very good but very long. You can use cables of hifiman he 400se too. Best part is the supplied case and
replaceable connectors which get you covered for all situations. It sounds surprisingly speaker like giving you a cohesive soundstage without any hole in between. With such high traits it competes with the league of hd800, focals and other high end planars, courtesy the latest tech used in diaphragm and damping design. Frequency response is extremely closely matched to harman curve, making it suitable for every type of music. No need for eq. Packinging is very very robust and well designed too. All in all great headphones at very attractive price.