FiiO FH9 may not be the most prominent product in the industry in some features, but in terms of different types of adaptability and comprehensive performance, FH9 deserves to be the flagship positioning.

• $485 – Check latest price on: AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries

Exaggerated Configuration

First of all, at the sounding unit level, FiiO FH9 adopts the configuration of 7 units: 1 dynamic +6 balanced armature drivers. The diameter of the dynamic driver has also reached 13.6mm, and the six armature drivers are also from knowles. The replaceable audio filters on the cavity make some fine adjustments to the sound. As well as the MMCX interchangeable wire sockets are retained.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the FiiO FH9 adopts a semi-open pure titanium casing. As a hard and light metal material, titanium metal has many advantages, and it also has a significant effect on the performance of sound.

Headphone Accessories

In terms of accessories, it is still equipped with 11 pairs of eartips, and almost all accessories you can think of, such as storage boxes, cable ties, etc., have been configured.

Among all the accessories, the most worth mentioning is the default headphone cable of FiiO FH9. A single crystal silver headphone cable with 8-pin braided interchangeable plugs. The connection of the headset is also made of stainless steel, and the connection is more stable.

Reference equipment and songs

As a flagship earbuds, the player is naturally equipped with the FiiO M17 player that FiiO just released not long ago. It is also my favorite product for driving low-impedance headphones.

The music that I listen to is mainly classical music. Music platforms and file sources are mainly from Apple Music and Qobuz, both of which use lossless online streaming to play and listen. The style of the songs is mainly classical music, there are also a small amount of pop music, rap, rock and other styles.

In terms of driver form and plug, the player uses a 4.4mm balanced driver, and the gain of the FiiO M17 is a medium gain driver.

Absolutely Balanced Sound Performance

If there is anything to describe the sound performance of FiiO FH9, it should be a state of near-ideal balance. The distribution of the three frequencies is very balanced, and as a dynamic+balanced armature earbuds, the FH9 is also very smooth in the distribution of energy and the connection between mid-low frequency and mid-high frequency.

And in the low-frequency part, the performance of the low-frequency part is also very good for pop music. The 13.6mm dynamic driver can bring excellent low-frequency performance with a sense of volume and texture.

For classical repertoire, FiiO FH9 also has an absolutely neutral interpretation, and this neutrality is not the same as the straightforward listening in the traditional impression. For FiiO FH9, the tri-band has a well-balanced distribution and the low-frequency can also bring a good atmosphere to the music.

The overall style is neither warm nor cold, just right. Transparency and imaging in the mid and high frequencies are also exceptionally clear, and the soundstage is moderately wide. For different recording types, small arrangements or sonatas will have exquisite sound field performance. For large-scale symphonies and concertos, the range of the sound field is also widened horizontally, and the imaging is still accurate, which is a very rare sound performance.

For vocals, the distance of vocals is slightly ahead. With clear lip imaging, the thickness of the vocals is excellent, and it sounds very emotional. The vocals and accompaniment will also have a relatively obvious sense of distance, maintaining excellent separation and full of details. For both classical and pop music types, it has a very good sound performance without obvious bias.

Combining the listening sense of different music types, I think the FiiO FH9 is closer to the “reference” level of sound performance. I was impressed with the absolutely neutral and balanced sound. Of course, you may think this is not a product that is “interesting” in terms of tuning style, and I agree. But for most music types, it can have a performance of more than 85 points, which is a very rare sound characteristic.

FiiO FH9 specs and features:

• One dynamic + six balanced armature
• 10Hz-40kHz frequency response
• 108dB(1kHz@1mW) sensitivity
• 18Ω1kHz impedance
• $485 – Check latest price on: AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries