[Shane D]

Just getting into these. All the extras are impressive. Some pic's are attached.
I was using the Ambrosia's by Nectar Sound, which also use dual 3.5 mono connectors. I put on the Hart cables and ran with the stock pads. Fresh out of the box, they sounded a little muffled or veiled...

Changed to the stock cable ("392 wires of high-purity, silver-plated monocrystaline copper cable") and didn't notice much change, but only tried it for less than a minute. Then I changed pads and the difference, to me, was large.
Very bassy/dark headphone and the mids are a bit recessed.

I like to run planar's on my iFi amp as a bit of bass boost is always welcome and the 3D function on iFi amps just seems designed for planar's.

Just several songs in and using my testing list, but I already notice that it really quiets down Adele. Mmmm, not sure about that one.

A fun week ahead!

 

[flowervase]

I'm debating on whether or not I should get the FT5 or reorder the meze 109 pros. I tried the 109 pros for about an hour and only an hour due to the left drivers jack being loose so the audio would cut out if it wasn't in the perfect position. From what I heard of it, I really enjoyed the warmth and the bass extension compared to my current daily drivers the DT 1990 pros. The 1990s have been nice but I feel rather boring as I bought them as a replacement to my 6 year old elex that died last year, and I definitely felt the elex was more "fun" compared to the 1990s.

I'm interested in the FT5 due to their bassy/warm sound from what I've read as I haven't ever really had a pair of headphones that featured a strong bass presence (until I tried the 109 pros, although they are my only reference for "bassy" headphones). I also have only tried one planar, that being the Hifiman HE-400i from 8 years ago that died on me. Those headphones really amazed me at the time since they were my first "audiophile" headphones but I think it was really the soundstage that amazed me.

So I'm currently not sure which headphone will fulfill my current headphone desire the best. Since I really loved the soundstage on the he-400i, would the FT5 be closer to that compared to the Meze 109 Pros? I know the Hifiman house sound emphasizes soundstage and the FT5 is more intimate compared to them. Does the FT5 lose out in other qualities compared to the 109 pros? I'm avoiding Hifiman due to QC from what I've read and my own short-lived experience and I only have about $850 to spend on some headphones.

 

[Shane D]

I'm debating on whether or not I should get the FT5 or reorder the meze 109 pros. I tried the 109 pros for about an hour and only an hour due to the left drivers jack being loose so the audio would cut out if it wasn't in the perfect position. From what I heard of it, I really enjoyed the warmth and the bass extension compared to my current daily drivers the DT 1990 pros. The 1990s have been nice but I feel rather boring as I bought them as a replacement to my 6 year old elex that died last year, and I definitely felt the elex was more "fun" compared to the 1990s.

I'm interested in the FT5 due to their bassy/warm sound from what I've read as I haven't ever really had a pair of headphones that featured a strong bass presence (until I tried the 109 pros, although they are my only reference for "bassy" headphones). I also have only tried one planar, that being the Hifiman HE-400i from 8 years ago that died on me. Those headphones really amazed me at the time since they were my first "audiophile" headphones but I think it was really the soundstage that amazed me.

So I'm currently not sure which headphone will fulfill my current headphone desire the best. Since I really loved the soundstage on the he-400i, would the FT5 be closer to that compared to the Meze 109 Pros? I know the Hifiman house sound emphasizes soundstage and the FT5 is more intimate compared to them. Does the FT5 lose out in other qualities compared to the 109 pros? I'm avoiding Hifiman due to QC from what I've read and my own short-lived experience and I only have about $850 to spend on some headphones.

I have the Meze Pro 109's and do not find them very bassy. I use lots of bass boost with them. I haven't found them to be a great headphone, outside of the fact that their mids are Amazing.

I had the Elex's for several years and loved them. Not sure where you're located, but headphones.com has Clear OG's and might even have some open box deals around your price range. And they do have Elex's that were on sale for $499.00 and I think there were even open boxes for $449.00!
I bought the open box Clear's to compare to my Elex's. The Clear's were Not a huge step up from the Elex's, IMO.

I just plugged in my FT5's this morning. Right out of the box, I was not too impressed with the sound. I changed some cables and pads and it seemed to get better. As of 7:45PM I am Really enjoying them.

Changing headphone can sometimes set you back a bit and these did. Yesterday I was using Ambrosia's from Nectar Sound with DCA Ether pads.
These were a major change! I have heard them called lush and bassy. Fair enough, but my first thought was "Holy crap are these dark!"
Since then they seemed to have opened up a bit or, more likely, I just adjusted to them.

I am enjoying them quite a bit today. So far I have been going through Ash Grunwald (Blues guy from down under), the Beatles Red album, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and some Two Feet.
My testing list didn't start out great, but I was still adjusting.
Tomorrow I will run through rock and some jazz.

I suspect that in a few weeks I will be liking these very much and probably be selling the 109's.

If you like Beyerdynamic's, there will be a major change. There is not a lot of treble.

Just going by my preferences, an awesome purchase for you, (with sales or open box deals) would be the HD660S2's AND new Elex's. Might stretch your budget, but man what a double set!

 

[JonM78]

I feel like that frequency response looks pretty damn good!

Doesn’t resemble anything like Hifiman, Beyerdynamic, or Grado.

I agree. Good linear bass response and treble doesn't seem to have insane peaks. Not sure about the recessed midrange but I definitely prefer warm frequency response. I'll have to give these a try. I had Sundara for the longest time and the highs always bothered me. I had to push some bass in with EQ as well. Eventually I got tired of them and sold them.

 

[cleg]

My video about FT5. In short, I like all their aspects, from design to sound tuning. It's not dead neutral, like some popular planars. Instead, FT5 offers a more balanced signature while keeping a healthy amount of nuances and details.

 

[csch92]

so basically a planar 660s 2?

 

[Shane D]

so basically a planar 660s 2?

Much bassier than the HD660S2's.

And a little more comfortable, to me. Of course the fit is a bit looser. I also find the FT5 much nicer looking and feeling with all the metal. I get why everyone goes plastic for the lightness, but these feel really good to me.

I would give the HD660S2's the win for mids though, especially with the foam mod.

The FT5's also have less or quieter treble, which is a win for me.

 

[Shane D]

I have been using the FT5's daily since Saturday and I really am enjoying the sound.

Today I did some cable rolling. I used my Hart 3.5mm dual mono cable, my Hart 3.5mm dual stereo cable and the stock cable. With the Hart cables I get a great sound with everything coming out nicely. Bass is booming and the mids sound great, if a bit recessed.

With the stock cable there was one weird occurence: With White Flag by Dido, at the start of the song the sound is going from side to side. With the stock cable it just sounds like each side goes up and down in volume. With the Hart cables it sounds like it is going from one ear and through my head to the other. I know it sounds weird, but I find the effect cool and that is why I keep it in my test list. It is more of a headphone testing thing as I never use stock cables, and I guess this is why. I will be sticking with the Hart cables.

I also tried rolling the pads again. I put on the suede pads and they are definitely bassier. But it is a broad, sloppy kind of bass. And the recessed mids are more noticeable. I won't be using these again.

So, now I am sure on the accessories and will keep going with leatherette pads and Hart cables. While these aren't blowing away my favourite headphones, they do have a nice, full sound.

Amp wise, I have decided that I prefer one notch of bass boost on the iFi. I tried them on the Schiit Valhalla 2 and was NOT at all impressed.

So, BF2 with XLR to iFi Pro iCAN (with one notch of bass boost and two notches of 3D sound effects) and then Hart cable to the FT5's.
New rock, classic Rock and horn jazz all sounds awesome.

Comparison wise, the closest I can think of is my iBasso SR2's, except that the mids on the FT5's are not at all forward. But that thick bass and "muted/soft" treble makes the jazz just as enjoyable as the SR2's. There are no piercing highs when the players are wailing to the max.
I find that the Grado's and the Focal's excel at horn jazz, but they can be a little bright. I can't imagine anyone ever using the word bright in relation to these headphones.

I will keep using these right through the weekend and keep exploring my music collection. I think the next big test for these will be when I put them back on after a few runs with other headphones. My first impressions were not that great, right off the bat. But sometimes a headphone change over can be a little jarring depending on the models involved.

Bottom line: I am Very happy with these so far.

 

[Ichos]

FiiO FT5 Impressions



A more comprehensive version will be soon be available in my website.

 

[RainyDog]

Looks like different pads can potentially flatten the lower mids and boost the upper mids.

What is the outer dimensions of the FT5 cups and stock pads?

 

[timetolose]

Hi everyone,
I have been lurking in several threads here for a few weeks now, trying to make a decision on what to get as a more musical upgrade to my DT 900 Pro X. I have managed to narrow it down to either the HD 660S2 or the FT5, but between these two, I have been completely unable to make a final decision.
I don't want to start a collection, just a single daily driver that's as much of an all-rounder as possible, mainly for music, with some competitive gaming. My setup is very minimalist, where I plug my headphones directly into the audio jack of an M2 Mac Mini with no additional DAC or Amp. I have demoed (and liked) both, but only for a few hours each, so too short for any brain burn-in to happen and according to several posts in the respecive threads, both need significant time on the head before showing their true potential.
In Germany, both headphones are similarly priced at ~500€ plus some additional cost to meet my preferences (longer cable for FT5 or ZMF perforated lambskin pads for 660S2).
Several forum members have shared opinions and reviews on both sets, but I dont't feel like I could really parse which one is the better overall value/deal between them for my use case.
What are you guys' thoughts on this?

 

[Shane D]

Hi everyone,
I have been lurking in several threads here for a few weeks now, trying to make a decision on what to get as a more musical upgrade to my DT 900 Pro X. I have managed to narrow it down to either the HD 660S2 or the FT5, but between these two, I have been completely unable to make a final decision.
I don't want to start a collection, just a single daily driver that's as much of an all-rounder as possible, mainly for music, with some competitive gaming. My setup is very minimalist, where I plug my headphones directly into the audio jack of an M2 Mac Mini with no additional DAC or Amp. I have demoed (and liked) both, but only for a few hours each, so too short for any brain burn-in to happen and according to several posts in the respecive threads, both need significant time on the head before showing their true potential.
In Germany, both headphones are similarly priced at ~500€ plus some additional cost to meet my preferences (longer cable for FT5 or ZMF perforated lambskin pads for 660S2).
Several forum members have shared opinions and reviews on both sets, but I dont't feel like I could really parse which one is the better overall value/deal between them for my use case.
What are you guys' thoughts on this?

I think the HD660S2's are a better "all-rounder" but they like a bit more power. The FT5's are much easier to drive, but do scale nicely.

 

[timetolose]

I think the HD660S2's are a better "all-rounder" but they like a bit more power. The FT5's are much easier to drive, but do scale nicely.

Thank you for your input. Unfortunately I couldn't try the 660S2 at home, so I don't know first hand how it performs on just the Mac. As I understand, the 660S2's driver has a different impedance curve than the rest of the HD 6 line. Therefore, comparing how the other models perform here probably has limited value, but a borrowed 600 reached my usual listening volume at around 30% of the setting. My Mac does have the latest output version that can provide up to 3 volts.
Do you expect that I would waste much of the 660S2's potential when using it without a dedicated amp? I know that trying it myself would be best but I'm hesitant to further blow up my Amazon returns quota

 

[Shane D]

Thank you for your input. Unfortunately I couldn't try the 660S2 at home, so I don't know first hand how it performs on just the Mac. As I understand, the 660S2's driver has a different impedance curve than the rest of the HD 6 line. Therefore, comparing how the other models perform here probably has limited value, but a borrowed 600 reached my usual listening volume at around 30% of the setting. My Mac does have the latest output version that can provide up to 3 volts.
Do you expect that I would waste much of the 660S2's potential when using it without a dedicated amp? I know that trying it myself would be best but I'm hesitant to further blow up my Amazon returns quota

The HD660S2 has the same ohm rating (300) as the 600 and 650, so if those sound good to you the 660S2 should be no different. I actually prefer the S2's to the the 600's, 650's and 660S's.
Of course we all hear differently.

I think they will scale up with a desktop system, but will sound good with your Mac if the 600's did.

PS: The S2's sound great on my tube amps that don't put out a lot of power (Schiit Valhalla 2 and Little Dot MK9).

 

[Pfgo]

@timetolose
Technically, both headphones will sound good on your Mac. You just have to try it like you said. There are also sellers other than amazon in Germany. These probably aren't the first and last headphones of your life either. Good luck haha..