FiiO FH11 Review – 1DD+1BA On The Budget
Introducing the all-new FiiO FH11 dual-driver hybrid set of in-ear monitors from FiiO. Belonging to the new “Bionic Conch” series of products that aims to deliver quality sound and exquisite aesthetics that punch way above its price bracket. The FH11 houses a 10mm carbon-based diaphragm dynamic driver unit along with a custom-tuned Balanced armature driver enclosed in a three-chamber acoustic cavity design. The pair features a C-shaped acoustic flute design that notably enhances the sound quality of the pair.
FiiO has designed the FH11 as a part of their “Bionic Conch” series of affordable in-ear monitors like the little brother FiiO FD11.
FiiO has designed the FH11 with a three-chamber acoustic cavity structure that provides enhanced sound reproduced with the lowest distortion and gives a clear performance boost. With a properly implemented acoustic dampening structure, the FH11 maintains proper air pressure within each chamber allowing precise and accurate performance from both drivers.
Further complementing the performance with the three-chamber design, the FH11 also has a C-shaped acoustic flute structure. It manages the air movement inside the pair and takes it to enhance the sound. It improves bass clarity and provides improved responsiveness to the set.
FiiO has featured a 10mm carbon-based diaphragm dynamic driver unit on the FH11. The driver here has been designed after an in-depth study of the performance of higher-end models such as the FF5 and the FH15. This new carbon-based diaphragm has a lightweight design with extremely strong tensile strength. It helps in producing cleaner sound with faster transients and lower distortion in the output signal.
FiiO FH11 IEMs have got rich and premium looks. The pair is crafted with exquisite liquid-die-cast zinc-alloy material. It looks absolutely beautiful and has lightweight aesthetics that contribute to a comfortable fit for most users.
With the help of a customized balanced armature driver on each side, the FiiO FH11 promises to deliver a crispy treble response with amazing clarity and maintains enough warmth to complement the strong sound produced by the Carbon-based DD unit. We will find out if the FH11 can keep this statement in this review.
What’s in the box
Features
- 1 DD+ 1 BA Driver Arrangement.
- Carbon-Based new-Generation 10mm Diaphragm.
- Custom-Tuned Balanced Armature Driver.
- Three-Chamber Acoustic Cavity Design.
- Liquid Die-Case Zinc-Alloy Metallic Ear Shells.
- C-shaped acoustic Flute.
- Highly-Cohesive Sound Presentation.
- Strong Bass, Excellent Clarity.
- Finely-Tuned Frequency Response.
- Triangular-Shaped Ergonomic Design.
- 0.78mm 2-pin Connectors.
- High-purity 120-core Oxygen-Free Copper Cable.
Specifications
- Impedance: 24Ω@1kHz.
- Sensitivity: 111dB/Vrms.
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz.
- Connector Type: 0.78mm 2-pin connectors.
- Termination Plug: 3.5mm.
- Price: $43.99
I would like to thank FiiO for providing me with the review sample of the FH11.
Sound
FH11 has an exquisitely designed architecture that promises quality sound reproduction with a detailed lower-end response. The sound that the FH11 produces complements different genres such as EDM, Rock, Pop, etc.
Lows
The bass of the FiiO FH11 is powerful, deep, and punchy, thanks to the 10mm dynamic driver that delivers a strong sub-bass rumble and impact. It tends to emphasize the mid-bass more than the sub-bass, but it is still able to play back a satisfying amount of rumble.
Because of the IEM’s more relaxing and warm-sounding tonality, the bass does bleed a bit into the lower mid-range. It doesn’t muddy the sound too much but instead gives it a somewhat veiled presentation.
I was impressed with FiiO FH11’s ability to play deep male vocals in a lush and relaxing tone. It is presented in a way that accentuates the velvety delivery, albeit at the cost of some micro detail.
Bass guitar strums are played back with very good note weight and emphasis, but once again it does so at the cost of resolution and clarity.
Mids
The FH11 has a V-shaped frequency response. It reduces its center mids while moderately emphasizing low mids and high mids. Generally speaking, there are many fans of this mids balance (tuning).
Low mids were present just enough to impart a little extra warmth on vocals and guitar fundamentals but avoided muddying the balance. Boosted high mids kept guitars retaining a bright drive, and balanced out the low-mid fundamental boost on vocals with a little extra emphasis
Treble
Though my impression of the Fiio FH11 wasn’t what I would explicitly call bright sounding, it provides some exceptional high-end detail for a budget IEM. Upon some extended listening, I started to notice that reverbs were extra pronounced but avoided overemphasis. In a similar vein, vocal air also had a healthy presence, which provided a pleasant, contrasting synergy with the warmth provided to them in the mids balance.
The same case for acoustic guitars: strummy transients sat well balanced with the lightly boosted low-end guitar hum found in the low mids. Hi-hats and cymbals sounded natural, and ride cymbals had a healthy dose of their harmonic overtones present in their long decays. Overall, the high-end seemed boosted just enough for some detailed layering without running into issues with sibilants, shrillness, or artificiality.
Technicalities
The imaging of the FiiO FH11 is average for the price range, with relatively precise positioning and placement of sounds in the stereo field. The FiiO FH11 has a good sense of directionality and distance, as well as good depth and height that creates a wide immersive soundstage.
Sum-Up
A $44 IEM that I can genuinely recommend for its clean balance and engaging imaging, not just for its relative affordability. The FiiO FH11 has a very full tone, at times almost too full, but one I would choose over many of the emptier-sounding IEMs in this price range. Overall, the FH11 should be bookmarked by anyone shopping for IEMs at this price point.