Fiio FD5 Review – Brazen

Comparisons –

Final Audio E5000 ($279): A similar style of tuning pushing one step further towards the warm and smooth side. The E5000 is slightly bassier but more mid-bass focused, lacking the sub-bass extension, slam and pressure of the FD5. The FD5 is more aggressive, the E5000 being smoother and warmer. The FD5 is faster and more textured, it has more energy and is more dynamic. The FD5 has better separation and a more accurate timbre, the E5000 being a little bloated due to its more mid-bassy voicing. The midrange is warmer and slightly more laid-back on the E5000. However, the timbre is slightly better on the Final, with a more accurate articulation and upper-midrange tuning. Though fuller, it is almost as clear, trading off some definition for a smoother top-end.

The FD5 is more revealing and articulate, better for those wanting more definition and tonal cleanliness. The treble is sharper and more aggressive on the FD5. The E5000 has a smooth lower-treble that feeds into its overall more coherent presentation. The FD5 has a lot more crispness and energy, alongside better foreground detail retrieval. While it has a little more air, the E5000 lacks the same extension and background detail retrieval of the FD5. Nevertheless, both provide wide impressively soundstages, the E5000 has a bit more depth at the cost of imaging acuity, which is noticeably sharper on the FD5.

Periodic Audio Be ($299): A Be diaphragm DD earphone, modded with the rear port blocked to provide a more balanced tuning. It is a bit more balanced than the FD5 in this configuration, being less U-shaped. Its bass isn’t as deep reaching nor as dynamic, the FD5 has more pressure and hits harder. Meanwhile, the Be is faster, tighter and more controlled with much more mid-bass definition and better separation. The FD5 has a bit more bass presence than the Be in this configuration, the Be is slightly more linear in tuning. The same goes for the midrange, the Be is a bit more linear but both follow a similar kind of curve.

The Be has more vocal presence that is better balanced with its bass. Its voicing is a touch more natural with a smooth articulation and less brightness. Both are lightly warm in tone. The FD5 has a more aggressive treble response, while the Be is a bit more organic with a lower 5k peak. While it has more body and texture, the Be lacks the same headroom and extension as the FD5, so it isn’t as resolving of fine detail as the Fiio. The FD5 has a larger soundstage and better imaging with sharper layering. The Be is more coherent with better separation.

Moondrop Blessing 2 ($319): Similar in price, with a 5-driver setup and more vanilla Harman tuning, the B2 has achieved its popularity for good reason. Immediately, it provides a more even and balanced sound than the FD5. While it is a hybrid, the bass isn’t as deep reaching and not nearly as dynamic as the FD5. The FD5 has more emphasis but also a much more aggressive note presentation, so in addition to being fuller and warmer, it is also more textured and pressurized. The Blessing 2 has better separation and a bit more mid-bass definition, but driver quality is not as good overall.

The midrange is more present on the Blessing 2 and benefits from higher definition and a more accurate timbre. It has a hint of warmth and more accurate articulation making it more accurate in general. The FD5 has greater clarity and is more articulate. It sounds a little brighter as a result despite being more laid-back. The FD5 has more warmth stemming from its bigger bass. The FD5 has a more energetic treble. Despite this, the Blessing 2 appears a bit more detailed in the foreground with better separation. The FD5 has slightly more headroom and sparkle at the very top. It has a wider soundstage while the Blessing 2 is more rounded with sharper imaging.

Final A8000 ($1999): The A8000 is brighter and more intense though this does place its technical prowess on a platter for the listener. While the FD5 is quite a lot bassier, the A8000 is just as deep reaching and far more resolving. It has a much cleaner tuning but also it much tighter and faster, delivering high definition in all regards. This comes at the cost of slam and impact which are much higher on the bassier FD5, further reinforced by its slightly longer lingering notes. When it comes to resolving power, however, the A8000 pulls ahead.

The midrange is much brighter and more forward on the A8000, it too is an articulate earphone and has less warmth to balance it out. The FD5 is more forgiving, it has more warmth and is more laid-back. While it lacks the tonal cleanliness and definition of the A8000, it is a bit more genre versatile. The A8000 does redeem itself slightly with a denser upper-midrange. This also means its treble has better separation from its midrange so it doesn’t suffer from the congestion here that the FD5 does. The A8000 also is a technical stride forward in this regard, it is immediately more detailed and has far more headroom. While the tuning here is similar, the extra extension means it resolves a lot more sparkle and micro-detail.

Both have similar width, the A8000 has more depth. Its more agile note presentation grants it more holographic imaging while its increased depth and better coronal imaging give it a more multi-dimensional image. The A8000 has more of that overt Be speed that one might enjoy on an electro-static headphone, the FD5 is, of course, much cheaper and scaled down considerably as a result. It still retains a clean, crisp and well-detailed foreground in addition to offering a more forgiving voicing that more listeners are likely to enjoy out of the box. This comparison doesn’t make much sense from a consumer’s POV, but rather highlights the expectations one should have when making a purchase decision.

Verdict –

While Fiio had some stumbles during their first foray into IEM design, their later models have genuinely impressed, some being real standouts in their price range. The FD5 continues this trend, offering an impressively versatile tonality on a capable Be-plated single-DD platform. While it doesn’t quite provide the speed and precision of higher end Be models, the same strong control and defined note structure remains. Meanwhile, its U-shaped derivative of the Harman curve impresses as well, offering a natural, inviting midrange and a dynamic, super punchy bass response. While it does skew a little bright at times and could do with a slightly smoother upper-midrange/lower-treble transition, the FD5 is a versatile and ear-pleasing performer in totality.

Those averse to sibilance and brightness may find placing some swab over the nozzle to help greatly and all colouration is in tasteful moderation to my ears. Moreover, it offers a wide soundstage with good lateral positioning and compact metal shells that feel great and will fit most ears well. I also adore Fiio’s adoption of a modular cable and the accessory set on a whole only enhances the versatility on offer. Perhaps its biggest downfall is that it does require a fair amount of driving power to flourish and can skew bright with less powerful ones. Here, the swappable nozzles do help a lot to restore balance if at the cost of soundstage and note definition. Altogether, the FD5 is one of the strongest buys in its price class, especially for those wanting an earphone that is well-built, tastefully coloured and customisable on top, just consider your source pairings before purchase.

The FD5 can be purchased from HiFiGO for $319 USD at the time of review. I am not affiliated with Fiio or HiFiGO and receive no earnings from purchases through this link.

Track List –

AKMU – SAILING

Billy Joel – The Stranger

Cream – Wheels of Fire

Crush – Digital Lover

Daryl Hall & John Oates – Voices

Dire Straits – Communique

Dirty Loops – Next To You

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

H.E.R – I Used To Know Her

Joji – Sanctuary

Kanye West – Ye

Radiohead – OK Computer

TALA – ain’t leavin` without you

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The weeknd – After Hours