I think it has achieved a high level in terms of sound, workmanship and price. FiiO FT1 is a wooden over-ear headphone with a good texture, which allows many audiophiles to experience the joy of wooden headphones with a low budget. And its driving threshold is not high; compared with similar headphones, FiiO FT1 has a very strong overall strength.
- $169 – Check latest price on AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries
Design: Retro and elegant, exuding a classic charm
As a closed-back wooden shell over-ear headphones, FiiO FT1 weighs about 340g without the headphone cable, and feels relatively light in the hand. Officials said that the wooden shell of FT1 is made of North American walnut, and then undergoes a series of CNC processing, manual grinding, polishing, and painting processes to create a unique texture for each headphone.
In terms of the actual looks and feels, the FiiO FT1 does exude a retro and elegant charm. At the same time, it is also quite exquisite in details, and the overall appearance also presents a sense of luxury.
The earcups are made of woven fabric with excellent durability and breathability, so you won’t feel too stuffy even if you wear them for a long time in a comfortable temperature environment. Here’s a little tip: before wearing the headphones, you can also rotate the earcups according to your own habits and adjust the angle between the hollow part and the ears to ensure that the ears are completely covered without being oppressed.
The original intention of the design of closed-back headphones is to isolate both internal and external sounds, so passive noise reduction is very important. FiiO FT1 has ventilation holes on the side, and more acoustic ventilation is designed in a hidden position. It can effectively isolate external noise in the office, allowing you to focus more on music.
The headbeam supports rotation and stretching in three directions, which can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to different head shapes and reduce the burden on the head when worn for a long time. It is worth mentioning that the stretching and sliding of the headband is a ball structure, which has a certain damping feeling when pulled.
FiiO FT1 comes with two headphone cables of the same material, one with a 3.5mm plug and one with a 4.4mm plug, which is rarely seen in headphones priced below $200. Generally, headphones at this price only come with one cable and an adapter. If you want to use a 4.4mm upgrade cable, you have to spend extra money to buy it. The metal accessories of these two headphone cables have a good texture, and the outside of the cables are wrapped in dense nylon. Plus, it is also equipped with a storage bag, which will be more convenient to carry out.
Acoustic Configuration & Sound Description
FiiO FT1 uses a configuration of PU+60mm large dynamic structure+25mm voice coil. The large dynamic driver is newly developed by FiiO and is equipped with a large-area W-shaped diaphragm design to greatly reduce the distortion caused by split vibration. FT1 uses nanowood fiber composite diaphragm, which is processed through multiple processes and has a thickness of 0.1mm.
The magnetic circuit system has also been changed from the internal and external dual magnets of FiiO FT3 to a single magnet. The frequency response range of FT1 is 10Hz~40kHz, and the impedance is 32Ω. Overall, this is a relatively easy-to-drive over-ear headphones, which can be easily driven by connecting to a mobile phone or tablet.
FiiO FT1 has achieved a good balance between low-frequency and mid-frequency. The low-frequency quantity is sufficient, the rebound speed is fast, and the strength is just right, which will not make people feel Irritability. More importantly, its frequency band separation is very good at this price, and the low-frequency does not cause any masking effect on the mid-frequency. With the support of good low-frequency, FT1 has achieved a relatively excellent level in creating atmosphere.
The mid-frequency is not particularly full, and the vocals are not very forward. I think the designer tends to show a relatively stretched and natural sound state when tuning. In actual effect, the vocals are more faithfully restored, but the thickness and moistness are not outstanding.
The high-frequency is handled in a relatively restrained manner, without an overly strong presence in the process of music interpretation, which is a relatively reasonable orientation among entry-level and advanced over-ear headphones.
The soundstage is quite satisfactory. Compared with the products of the same price, the vertical soundstage is worthy of praise – strong three-dimensional sense and clear positioning. The edge of the horizontal soundstage is more obvious, the imaging is small, and it will not be crowded when listening to musical instruments. Overall, FiiO FT1 is more suitable for listening to small-scale indoor music and some other near-field tracks.
FiiO FT1 vs FiiO FT3: Comfortable Fit and Sound Quality
FiiO FT1 and FiiO FT3 are somewhat different in wearing design. FT1 needs to be manually adjusted to the best position for you, while FT3 has an adaptive headbeam. The earcups of FT1 are oval and can completely cover the ears. The earcups of FT3 are round and feel a bit stuck on the ears. I prefer the wearing style of FT1.
Both headphones are easy to drive, but they use different acoustic architectures. FT3 is an open-ear headphone, so it has a wider soundstage, faster dynamic response, and a more natural feel. FT1 is a closed-back headphone, so the low-frequency quantity is easier to perceive, and it is better at creating a pop music atmosphere.
The sound of FT3 is slightly warm and light, which has certain requirements for the listening environment. FT1 has a refreshing and lively sound, with sufficient low-frequency expression, which can be used in more complex listening scenarios.
Conclusion & Specs
FiiO FT1 is very suitable for entry-level audiophiles with a budget of $200 due to its excellent sounding, comfortable fit and wide compatibility. Whether it is daily office work or enjoying music, its relaxed, natural and balanced sound performance can bring you a comfortable listening experience.
FiiO FT1 specs and features:
- 60mm large size dynamic driver
- Nanowood fiber composite diaphragm
- North American black walnut ear shell
- Oxygen free copper silver plated cable
- 32Ω high-sensitivity design
- $169 – Check latest price on AliExpress, Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon countries