Fiio FH11

FIIO FH11
1DD + 1BA
$50

Before I start this review, first let me thank FIIO for providing the FH11 for review.
Rest assured, my review will always be independent no matter what happen.
https://www.fiio.com/fh11

Unboxing
What you get inside the box

• IEM
• Cable
• 2 Type of Eartips
• Manual

Build Quality


The FH11 has a conch inspired shell that looks unique for sure, BUT I don't know why FIIO decided to make the 2pin somewhat proprietary due to its shell design.


Cable is just fine, nothing special, but again I must mention the 2pin of this IEM is somewhat proprietary due to the IEM shell.

Comfort
I have some difficulty at first getting a good seal while using the FH11, But I can get a good seal. Though not as fast as your typical IEMs.

As for comfort, its fine, the shell is still light weight enough and is on the smaller side and does not create any hot spots on my ears.

Sound

Tested using Kiwi Ears Allegro, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, J-Rock, K-POP, Anisong, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz)

Tonality : V-Shaped

Bass : boomy and has a generous bass boost ranging from midbass to sub bass.
The bass presentation is a bit on the slower side, as for the quantity, I think it will suits bass heads just fine.

The bass of FH11 is NOT suitable for metal genre and double pedal IMO because of how generous the boost and rather slow speed of the bass.

Midrange : slightly recessed low midrange with coloration from the mid bass, while the upper midrange is somewhat boosted for extra clarity.
It creates somewhat a recessed feeling but a bit bloated sound on the lower part of the midrange, not very distracting, but its there.

Vocals on the FH11 is a bit bloated because of the mid bass coloration, with good clarity to balance out the bass boost.
Instrument such as violin sounds a bit intense but dry and tad metallic on the FH11, probably due to its BA timbre.

Talking about timbre, the BA timbre of this IEM is somewhat noticeable, not the worst but not great either.

Treble : is sparkly, a bit dry sounding, and on the analytical side, it has good presence, normal extension, and the quantity of the treble is never too much that makes you having a headache.

Technicalities

Stage : Average
A bit on the smaller side, not claustrophobic but small.
It has an oval shape to it, like the depth is more small compared to the width, if that makes any sense to you.

Imaging : Good
2.5D sounding tested using Kiwi Ears Allegro.

Positioning & Separation : Good
Despites the generous bass boost, the FH11 have a decent positioning and separation, I can pinpoint sounds panning out left and right with this IEM no problem, and the sound is not overlapping each other.

Detail Retrieval : Good
The FH11 has a good bass rumbles and treble sparkle that sounds detailed for its price, though one thing to nitpick, the midrange is not that resolving compared to its bass and treble.

Conclusion

Is the FH11 worth it?
It depends.

If you're on the market with $50 USD looking for a fun sounding IEM, then yeah why not consider the FH11.

Though one thing makes me a bit hesitant not giving the “go for it” is just that the 2pin connector is somewhat proprietary due to its shell design. So if you're going to change cable it will be a challenge to find an aftermarket one.

Besides that, the FH11 is actually kinda fun to listen for a short burst time of bassy v-shape session.

Thanks for reaching this far.

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review of FH11, here


-littlenezt.

**Fiio FH11 is available anywhere for $50. I purchased the product myself to write an independent review.


Specs

-1 DD + 1 BA Driver Arrangement.
-Impedance: 24Ω@1kHz.
-Sensitivity: 111dB/Vrms.
-Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz.
-Connector Type: 0.78mm 2-pin connectors.
-Termination Plug: 3.5mm.



Build

There is nothing to criticise. The fit is average, the shells and cable are very sturdy. Standard three sizes of tips come in the box. The 2pin connector is too stiff (getting softer).
There is no problem with comfort in general because the shells are small.



Sound

Easy to drive even for phone out.
V-shape + vocal boost. To be honest, this headphone is technically very good. Instrument separation, soundstage, positioning are good for the price. Resolution is not good at every frequency, but good overall. Detail reproduction is very good for the price. So what's the problem? Tone. Honestly, the treble annoyed me. There's almost nothing in the way of instruments. They're empty and undetailed.

Lower and upper frequencies are in the foreground and vocals are next to them. Instruments? So-so. Small roll-offs and faint timbres. The resolution of the lower mids is terrible. In parallel, the resolution of the lower frequencies is below average. Towards the treble, the resolution gets better.



Bass

The volume is well balanced. Subbass and midbass are in balance. But details and texture are weak. There is something that adds pressure to the mids. Low frequencies are not bad overall. In fact good for hiphop and edm

Mid

Like surface of the moon. The vocals are good, but the instruments are not descriptive enough. There's a lack of absorbed detail. Despite this, violin is good, I wish I could say the same for guitar. In short, they barely reach average.

Treble

Things aren't so bad in this part. The resolution here completes sound of the Fh11. But it also adds a metallic timbre to the sound. It adds an tiring brightness. The overall effect is unfavourable, although the vocal lift works well. The good thing is that the amount of extension is quite good. As a result, there is a lot of sibilant sound, I don't like it at all.



Comparison

Kiwi Cadenza ($35 1dd) vs Fiio Fh11 ($50 1dd+1ba)

First of all, the Cadenza is a more power-hungry iem than the FH11. When listened to with the phone output, the FH11 sounds much more resolution. This situation changes in the opposite direction when a powerful amplifier is in play. At similar volume levels with a good source, the Cadenza not only offers better resolution but also gives more detail. However, if you listen to music with the phone output, the Fh11 would be a better choice.

The lower frequencies are much cleaner and textured on the Cadenza. Fh11 shows a slightly better rumble in this area. In the mid-frequency range, the Cadenza has a good synergy between instruments and vocals. Fh11 is weak in this range. The Cadenza has a more rich sound, but it's a bit thinner at some points. Cadenza also reproduces more microdetails with power.

When it comes to treble, the Fh11 wins here. Compared to the Cadenza's upper frequencies that need power to show up, the Fh11 is easily extended. Here the Fh11 gives us much bells and whistles. Unfortunately, winning is not always good. The fh11 is a much more tiring iem and the "extension" advantage doesn't make the Cadenza boring. Finally, the resolution of female vocals is slightly better on the Fh11.

Final words: I think the only thing wrong with the Fh11 is the price. For comparison the Cadenza might be a bit unfair because it's almost perfect. But let's not forget that it's 35 dollars vs 50 dollars. If the FH11 was priced at $30, it would be a headphone to rave about.

So this new entry level IEM from FIIO is an interesting addition to their range. I think Fiio went for a different tuning to distinguish themselves for competition like the Truthear Zero's / Kiwi ears Cadenza's etc

For me personally, I didn't like the sound signature, I found the bass overwhelmed the midrange and the treble was not as balanced as some IEM's bass heavy IEM's. But I personally like a harman neutral with a slightly bass boost. With lots of EQ the bass can be tamed but I don't think that is the point of these IEM's. I think these are well design for a particular market segment and I imagine they will do very well, especially with their very bass heavy V-shaped sound signature.

Here are some photos of what you get in the box:


While you can't expect too many accessories at this price point, I found the cable and the different ear tips provided to be pretty good quality. Other than the bass boost my only other complaint (was the shape of the IEM's in my ear), my wife has small ears and they fit her nearly perfectly. found them too small compared or oddly shaped compared even to other small IEM's like the Moondrop Chu.

Overall a nice entry level IEM with a unique (in the current market) sound signature that will appeal to many but not really for me.