Today, James reviews the FiiO FT7, the company’s flagship open-back 106mm gold diaphragm planar magnetic driver headphones. They are currently priced at $699.00.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. I thank FiiO for their support.
You can click here to learn more about the FiiO audio products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This post follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
Following the launch of the popular FT5 in 2023, we now have FiiO’s latest flagship headphones called the FT7, an open-back planar headphone with plenty of industry-first features.
The FT7 represents quite a leap from the FT5. It features a new patented diaphragm with gold-plated circuitry and a sleek carbon fiber framework with zebra-wood covers.
The build quality is jaw-droppingly impressive, the tuning is more mature, and surprisingly, its price of $699 is lower than I was expecting pre-launch.
In this review, I found out how the FT7 performs against the FT5 and compares to competitors such as the Shanling HW600 and HIFIMAN’s Ananda Nano.
Features
The FiiO FT7’s 106mm diaphragm is one of the largest within its price bracket. FiiO advertises it as a gold diaphragm, which refers to the unique circuit imprinted on the 1-µm-thick, 106mm large membrane, made from 24K gold and pure silver materials.
I can’t confirm this, but the impedance is lower compared to the FT5, which has a thicker membrane.
The use of gold and silver in the circuit is said to help enhance the damping factor and improve the mid and low frequency response, thus enhancing the overall balance.
28 nm-grade processing is used for manufacturing, which you may be familiar with if you are into display cards and semiconductors.
The thin membrane is sandwiched between 9 N52 magnets on both sides, providing up to 1.5T flux.
On top of this, there is some attention to detail with a tweak in the physical response by manipulating the magnetic field with round-corner magnets. The design undergoes finite element simulation (FEA), and according to FiiO, this is done to arrange a uniform magnetic field and reduce distortion.
The FT7 is rated with an impedance of 25Ω with an SPL of 94 dB/mW, suggesting that you will need a decent amplifier to drive it to its full potential.
Design
I was quite surprised when FiiO completely changed the design for the FT7 and used a carbon structure for both the band and the earcups. This allows the weight to go down to 427g, though it feels even lighter than the number suggests.
The extrusion for fitting the cable connector is also nicely textured with a carbon pattern, which offers better protection for the connectors. However, it may limit swapping to cables that have big connectors.
The carbon earcups aren’t thick, so they don’t stick out much, and FiiO has added Africa-imported, hard zebra wood covers on each side.
This is an unexpected move, blending two materials that I normally wouldn’t associate, but the integration here is seamless and may help enhance the timbre.
One other small complaint would be about the adjusting mechanism. You can easily adjust the headband with two hands, but it is impossible to move the locking mechanism when the headphones are on your head.
However, it is very well-engineered to lock securely, along with the other hinges and spinning parts that rotate smoothly.
In addition, there are some fun hidden details. When you peek through the openings of the wooden cover, you will see FiiO’s logo printed on the driver.
Comfort
The level of comfort is better than the FT5. It is lighter and sleeker, with the carbon band providing just the right amount of clamping force for a sufficient seal without excessively pressing against the head.
Considering the weight and quality of the earpads, this is one of the most comfortable sets of planar headphones I have tried to date.
Earpad Choices
The FT7 comes pre-installed with lambskin earpads, which you can easily swap out for the fabric pads included in the packaging. The pads feature a well-designed locking mechanism and are directional. You simply pull them out, align the top bit, and push the new set back in.
According to FiiO, the lambskin pads provide clearer sound with wider staging performance and enhanced detail retrieval.
In contrast, the fabric pads are more breathable and may improve the depth of vocals, which I interpret as adding fullness to the bass, giving an impression of listening to a more closed design.
The difference when swapping between the pads is very noticeable, with each offering its own merits. To me, this is much more practical than cable rolling on the FT7. You can read my detailed observations in the sound section below.
Stock Cable
Before talking about the -192 degree cryogenic treatment of the liquid nitrogen-frozen monocrystalline 6N OCC copper material used for the stock cable, I must commend FiiO for their attention to detail.
The parts on the balanced connector and the splitter are explicitly designed to match the carbon theme, giving a premium aesthetic.
Regarding the cryo-treated cable cores, it is claimed that they undergo immersion in frozen nitrogen for 7 days.
The PFA insulation layer boasts a dielectric constant rated at just 2.1, providing excellent damping and shock-resistant properties. The company’s claim for doing this is to alleviate the “dry” signature often found in planar designs.
Whether you believe in this methodology or not, this is possibly the highest-grade stock cable I have seen with a thick gauge covered by a nylon sheathing layer that looks and feels tough.
The 4.4mm terminated balanced cable is 3 meters long, allowing you to comfortably sit back in a lounge chair while connecting it to an amp rack nearby.
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging of FiiO products is always of a high standard, featuring sufficient padding to protect the contents.
The FT7 also comes with two sets of ear pads and a carrying case that looks even more premium than the FT5 version, featuring a densely woven linen-textured material.
The carrying case is possibly the best I’ve seen included with any headphone product and is quite like the texture on Sennheiser TWS’s cradles.
You will also find a 4-pin XLR to 4.4mm female converter, as well as a 6.35mm to 4.4mm converter. This provides flexibility for connecting the FT7 to various headphone amplifier outputs.
Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions of the FiiO FT7 were completed with around 50-100 hours of run-in time with the FiiO K17 and K19 amplifiers as my main source and amplification.
Summary
The FT7 displays a widely stretched frequency spectrum with a gentle roll-off at both ends, preventing it from sounding too heavy in the bass or too bright in the treble, regardless of which pads you use.
It sounds like a slight M-shaped tuning to me, and to my surprise, I enjoy both tunings with the two sets of supplied pads.
That said, the effect of swapping the supplied pads is quite noticeable, more so than switching between cables. With either set, the tuning feels very mature, free of sibilance, and without any obvious flaws.
You can detect a clear difference in the airiness of the treble and the fullness of the bass, which shifts the focus from the bigger picture to spotlighting the vocals when using the fabric pads.
Timbre
The FT7, with its extremely thin diaphragm, delivers a fast transient response, providing a strong sense of density and control.
It sounds nicely textured in the bass and is highly detailed, with good brilliance that allows the vocal to cut through without stressing on sibilance.
I consider the overall presentation quite dynamic and vivid for a planar design, making it more pairing-friendly. Since the tuning with the two pads is quite distinct, my impressions will be separated below for each set of pads installed.
Lambskin Pads
The lambskin pads installed on the FT7 offer a more neutral and linear energy distribution, which allows for revealed upper registers and stronger vocal penetration, so you might want to pair with a warmer source for better balance.
The sound is clean and controlled, effortlessly extended and transparent in the treble, with the upper vocal range being more prominent and the mids articulated swiftly.
There is good agility in the bass with the lambskin pads, making them excellent for live recordings. They reveal details in the ambience and create an expansive, layered, wide soundstage without sounding boxed in or congested when more instruments come into the mix.
The presentation remains lively, even with a balanced tuning. With some nice brilliance captured in the upper registers without becoming overly bright, this tuning favors classical music, fast percussion, and strings.
This is especially so when you want to focus on details in the treble, such as string plucking or harmonics.
Fabric Pads
Alternatively, the fabric pads present a more fun, colored, mid-focused sound profile, as the treble becomes more dampened.
This further suppresses sibilance, resulting in vocals that are rounder and sweeter. The fundamental vocal frequencies and bass receive more focus, sounding fuller in body and more elaborated in decay.
The stronger emphasis on reverbs and bass creates a sensation of listening in a more closed environment, making the sound richer with more details heard in the bass.
This effect is particularly noticeable with big drums and large ensembles, but the FT7 still manages to sound layered and defined with multiple bass instruments.
I find the fabric pads more suitable for higher-pitched vocals, such as those from Yoasobi, K-pop tracks, operas, and saxophones.
The vocals sound sweetened and comparatively free from peaks and harshness, while retaining sufficient air and openness, and the vocal body is colored slightly warmer.
The tuning skillfully avoids unwanted peaks while preserving details, separation, and nuances in the pronounced vocal frequencies. The roll-off beyond 7- 8 kHz is early and sharp, yet it doesn’t sound overly dampened, with the higher frequencies subtly present.
However, it may feel unnatural when the mix is very mid or vocal-centric. In which case, I recommend swapping to the lambskin pads for better balance. I just wish that the treble could be slightly less attenuated; if not, it would be even more enjoyable and balanced.
Staging & Dynamics
Since the lambskin pads are more breathable and allow for faster bass response, they are the more expansive and defined option.
The soundstage feels laterally expanded, with satisfactory spacing and layering in the W-axis. Vocals are positioned a few rows in front, possessing ample body and power in the treble to cut through without coming too close, even at higher intensities.
This fast response enables more instruments to be presented without compromising dynamics, resulting in powerful, clean punch even with fast, loud drums and large ensembles.
The fabric pads sound more confined in staging. They are denser and dampen the treble more, shifting the focus towards the bass or mid-bass, bringing vocalists closer to the stage.
This is particularly great for jazz and solos, as the virtuoso feels closer to you compared to the more distant soundstage created by the lambskin pads.
On another note, I appreciate how FiiO dampens the treble this time. The vocals are delivered smoothly without emphasizing nasal tones or overly boosting the treble or vocal body. This approach allows the vocals to sound more authoritative and natural, and doesn’t sound altered.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
