FiiO FP3 Planar IEMs – FiiO’s Self-Developed Mini Wooden Earphones
FiiO FP3 is a 89 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors developed by FiiO, with a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver at the heart, Wooden faceplates and with a lightweight, but sturdy design. Today we will review the FP3 and broadly compare them to other similarly priced earphones we have recently reviewed, exploring whether those are a good way to start your music journey and adventure.
Introduction
While FiiO has been on a roll with electronics, they are also popular in the IEM / Earphone world, most of their models being best-sellers all over the world, so today we explore a more affordable design they made, with insight and experience gained from the ones they previously created. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to FiiO for providing us with the sample for this review.
PROs – Deep and powerful bass, plenty of extension, plenty of power and depth. There’s a good sense of space and instruments are separated nicely, with a strong kick and a pleasing overall U-Shaped presentation. Comfortable fit, with a nice package and excellent price / performance ratio.
Cons – Passive noise isolation is only average, cable is quite springy.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4jAsnC0
Build Quality / Aesthetics
FiiO FP3 has a second-generation self-developed 14.5mm planar magnetic driver at heart, with a 1um thin diaphragm, and with 0.55mm ultra-fine conductive traces, hair-like thickness, having a total conductive trace length of 486.5mm. I think it is interesting that FiiO reveals so much info about the inner construction of FP3, because for most audiophiles, most of this information will not mean that much, yet for someone geeky like me, it is incredibly fun to explore. The planar magnetic driver made by FiiO has a Titanium + Aluminium Dual-Coating Patented Technology, and if you know anything about CPU Processors, FiiO uses a 28nm-grade process technology, a tech that was used for processor manufacturing around 2010, with some of the best known products using it being the AMD Radeon HD7970 Graphic Processor GPU and Sony PS3 using it as well. This is literally the same processing size used by most AMD CPUs launched around 2010, indicating that we’re at a new age for audiophile IEMs and processing level, which was not even technologically possible before 2010.
To enhance the bass of the planar magnetic driver, FiiO uses the Tesla Valve patented bass enhancement acoustic technology, which we’ve seen in FiiO FD15 too. To control the driver, FiiO implements dual magnets, so a magnetic on each side of the driver membrane, with 14 magnets in total, so 7 on each side, N52 neodymium magnets. The faceplate of FP3 comes in either Rosewood or Black Walnut, and those are some lightweight iems at just 6.5 grams per unit, not including the cable.
Speaking of the cable, fiiO uses a 4-Strand, 392-Wire Silver-Plated Copper Cable for FP3, and this is a silver plated, copper cable with a solid design. This cable has a length of 1.2 meters, and it connects to the IEMs with a standard 0.78mm 2-Pin connector. On a technical level, we have an impedance of 36 OHMs, and a Sensitivity or SPL of 105dB, indicating that FP3 will be somewhat hard to drive compared to most IEMs.
Fit / Subjective Usage
As with most IEMs, the most important parts are the subjective ones, and the IEMs are ultra comfortable, lightweight, ergonomic, with a medium fit, and a good pair of eartips included from the factory. The passive noise isolation is around 10dB, so average and they do leak your music cleanly, at a quiet volume. The cable is ergonomic, although it is also very springy.
The default size of the FP3 allows me to have room to spare, so they will fit someone with smaller ears too, and bigger ears are never a problem for IEMs.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the new FiiO FP3 I have paired them with a collection of sources, including Creative Sound Blaster G8, Astell&Kern Activo P1, FiiO KA15, Dethonray Listening M1, Shanling M1 Plus, FiiO BTR17 and HIFIMAN EF400. FP3 is generally a bit harder to drive than most IEMs, they eat quite a bit of power, and even with ultra high gain with most DAPs, they will need half the power they have to offer. This includes Lotoo PAw GT2 and iBasso DX340, and that’s needed to just make FP3 medium in volume, so for this one plenty of power will be needed. A bit of irony but also of luck comes your way because FiiO makes the new JM21 Music Player which has plenty of power, and it can totally drive the FP3, also having a pocket-friendly price. To drive the FP3, I have to bring my Red Magic 10 PRO to the absolute max volume it can offer. This being said, JM21 can drive FP3, but on high gain, at volume 75 / 100, so FP3 is most certainly one of the hardest to drive IEMs I’ve heard. It is not sensitive to hissing with any of the sources I have tested them with.
Overall Signature – The general signature of FP3 is sharp, bright, but with a full and deep bass, so you’re looking at a pair of IEMS with a V-Shaped signature, or rather U-Shaped, because the most exaggerated parts are the extremes, both the upper treble and the lower and sub-bass. This is very pleasing, and while the midrange has infused inside a bit of extra sharpness and emotion in the upper midrange, the whole sound is just enjoyable and fun with no strings attached.
Bass – Starting from the lowest of the lows, literally, FiiO FP3 can reach earth-shaking levels of bass and oomph, with a full impact, and deep rumble, you can hear depth and punch never heard of before in the entry-level range. FP3 delivers true rumble, reaching around 30 Hz at the lowest, although with the right songs and driving force behind, it can go down to 20 Hz. There’s a good sense of separation between the bass and the midrange, although there’s a bit of extra thick coloration and extra low-end presence all across the midrange. At any rate, you will never feel like the bass is not enough, and you will always have plenty of meat on the sonic bones.
Midrange – We get a fairly sharp midrange, with a slight emphasis on the upper midrange relative to the lower midrange, and FP3 presents music with a good sense of separation, although it makes female voices and high-pitched voices louder than male and low-pitched voices. Somehow, the pairing with FiiO JM21 is truly golden, as it tones down and relaxes the midrange a bit, because with most sources FP3 is rather aggressive, sharp to the point of being a bit fatiguing. Overall, it is a very lively and vivid signature.
Treble – With a sharp and sparkly sound in mind, FiiO made the FP3 as bright and well-extended as possible, and it is a pair of IEMs that can easily reach 20 kHz, having plenty of power and life up to the maximum volume. In fact, the treble seems to attenuate slightly with higher volumes, so FP3 is very sharp and clear at low volumes, but it does not get insanely bright at high volumes.
Dynamics – There’s a bit of compression happening in FP3, this is connected to the limitations on how loud they can get at max, but the effect is welcome in the entry-level range, as it can bring forward details and background elements that would otherwise get lost with most earphones in this range. Generally, FP3 is very pleasing to use.
PRaT / Textures – FP3 has generally sharp, aliased textures that bring forward the macro textures of most instruments really easily, and tive music a sense of high resolution and detail.
Volume Control – Although the sound is quite consistent across all volume levels, FP3 sounds good up to high volumes, and above 115 dB, the THD grows quite a bit, and the sound is best kept below this level. This being said, this is well more than what most people listen to, yet I did notice it once or twice, you cannot get to ear-bleeding concert levels with most sources.
Soundstage – FiiO made a fairly big stage for the FP3, it extends well especially in the lateral plane, with a good sense of instrument separation, especially for a single driver entry-level IEM. There’s a good imaging too, although what will impress you the most will be the
Value and Conclusion
You pay very little for FP3, but end up with a very high performance, they have a strong resolution, detail and clarity, with a crisp, clean sound, even though the price is very much in the entry-level range. I feel that with the performance of FP3, they might devour some of the other IEMs that FiiO has, including the pricier FD15, as FP3 has a similar sound, but costs less and is more comfortable.
If a FiiO can beat a FiiO, you know the FP3 will be competitive in the entry-level market, and currently it is one of the best IEMs I can recommend in the entry-level range for Electronic, EDM, Dubstep and Pop music. While the midrange isn’t the most natural, if you’re looking for a comfortable pair of IEMs, excellent dynamics, an engaging sound, and a full bass contrasted by a sharp and crisp treble, FiiO FP3 will be happy to deliver and for a high-quality pair of IEMs, you know you’re getting peak performance for every dollar.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4jAsnC0
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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