Fiio’s first-ever over-ear headphones are a fine debut
Over-ear headphones | £289| whf.cm/FiioFT3
There’s no shortage of competition at this level for this Chinese audio brand’s first foray into the world of headphones. The open-backed FT3s’ £289 price tag places them in direct competition with the Award-winning Grado SR325x, Sennheiser HD 600, and Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X.
In terms of general comfort and usability, the FT3 have most of the bases covered, though those with smaller heads may find that the range of adjustment isn’t enough. Still, we are pleased to find two pairs of removable ear pads – one in suede and the other featuring leather – provided. There is a danger those large, all-encompassing pads, especially in suede, can make your ears feel toasty, but we find that becomes an issue only after more extended listening periods.
It’s worth noting that the pads will impact the sound. Not only are the leather pads a little easier on the ear when it comes to heat, they are also the logical choice for anyone who favours a slightly leaner, more immediate profile to their music.
The leather-adorned headband flexes satisfactorily to the contours of your skull, while there is rarely a hint of excessive pressure or clamping once they are in place. You can get lighter open-back pairs, but when they are placed side by side with the Sennheiser HD 600 during testing, we don’t feel weighed down or over-encumbered when switching to the Fiios.
Sturdy and flexible build
Fiio has done a solid job ensuring the FT3 look and feel the part. They are robustly made and feel relatively hard-wearing, with a sturdy, flexible construction that bends and flexes without feeling strained in any of the usual weak spots.
The FT3 also boast high levels of source compatibility, providing 3.5mm and 6.3mm (single-ended) or 4.4mm and XLR-4 (balanced) XLR-4 (balanced) connectors. Any of these can be attached to the supplied 3m long cable. The cable length is useful if you sit away from your system, but can feel overly long in many use cases.
We hook the FT3 up to our Astell & Kern A&futura SE180 portable music player and see how the FT3 deal with a recording of Radiohead’s Reckoner. Immediately there is clarity and crispness to those opening cymbal clanks before the warm sweetness of the guitar finds its place within the arrangement. As things build, the Fiios allow the track to blossom and expand, rewarding us with a spacious
