zrmaxwell

Android, because Apple can take their proprietary use-limiting BS and stick it where the sun doesn't shine... 🤨

If you replace a battery yourself and then turn it on, the operating system will give you a 'Non genuine battery' detection warning. It means you can't check the battery health level anymore. You can thank Apple for that.

AKG K361, Audio Technica ATH M40x, Sennheiser HD 559, AKG K275..  

The Sony NW A45 is still available? Wow.. I thought they would have killed it off to make room for the NW-A55. Anyway, thanks for the recommendations.

I've heard pretty good things recently about Sony's Walkman A series, specifically the Sony NW-A55. It's got 16gb of internal storage (plus a microSD card slot), decent sized display, and Sony claims it has 45 hours of battery life. It does have a proprietary charging cable, but the overall build quality seems to be very good. 

I'm pretty sure they are still compatible with V-MODA's own BoomPro microphone attachment. Also, i don't think those headphones need any extra amplification to be properly driven. 

Cool looking DAP with a premium price tag (expected since its their flagship). Hope i can buy (or at least demo it at an audio show one day..) 

The FiiO FH5 is a 2018 in-ear monitor flagship and have a hefty pricetag of $250. As a person whose best piece of audio equipment before acquiring these in-ear monitors was Audio-Technica's ATH M50x, my review of which you can read here, I expected big things such as a wider soundstage, wider frequency response range, enhanced clarity, clearer mids and highs, as well as a more enjoyable listening experience in both casual and critical sessions in general. So, I got the FiiO FH5 as an early Christmas present to myself, and ordered them late November earlier this year just as my Amazon Prime expired, so I got them next-day free of charge on top of that $250 price tag.
I have had these in-ear monitors for just under two weeks now and easily 70 hours sank into things, and here's my in-depth review.
 
The FiiO FH5 consists of a single dynamic driver coupled with 3 of Knowles' Balanced Armature drivers, making these in-ear monitors a quad-driver hybrid. The dynamic driver is present to represent the bass team with the triple balanced armature drivers to run for the mids and highs team. This combination of dynamic and balanced armature drivers is in theory a perfect match for covering all the frequency ranges and then some.
 
I was recommended the FiiO FH5 as I am a listener of Korean pop and its many subgenres such as bubblegum, ballad, R&B, soul, with a strong emphasis on female vocals in particular. I came from the TIn HiFi T2, which were great for the type of Korean pop I listen to, but they lacked low-end and had some strong sibilance about them so I wanted something a bit more premium. Enter the FiiO FH5.
 

 
The design of these in-ear monitors are extremely premium-looking and look like they would pair perfectly with a high-class supercar. FiiO's marketing notes on the FiiO FH5 lists that the lines on the faceplate of the FiiO FH5 were based on exotic supercars, and I can see exactly how that might be. The lines remind me of the likes of the McLaren 570S' frontal third, the BMW M2's frontal third, Ferrari 458 Italia's rear third, as well as the general shape of the Mercedes A45 AMG. This is such beautiful styling. The shape of these in-ear monitors is also designed to contour with many ears, given that these in-ear monitors are designed with a universal fit in mind. Classy design indeed.
 

 
The included MMCX-to-3.5mm cable is just as classy, with its angled hook-like connectors to better fit the over-the-ear style of these in-ear monitors. The cables' ends are also color-coded to match the FH5's color-coded rings, blue for left, and red for right. The cable is nice and thick, I bet I could abseil with this and not have it snap. The cable is rigid as well which aids it in literally never tangling over itself.
 

 
Included in the FiiO FH5's box is this set of 26 different eartips (including the ones attached the in-ear monitors themselves). These different eartips are made to vary the sound signature of the in-ear monitors, such as favoring vocals, bass, or giving a balanced sound signature. There are also a trio of memory foam eartips if you prefer memory foam over the silicone tips that are provided in the aforementioned different sound signatures.
 

 
I personally chose the vocal eartips myself as I prefer prioritising the highs in female vocals over anything else. In terms of how much of a change a different tip could make, it's not night and day. In my experience, I had to pay attention to which tip I was using and look out for the change in sound. It's still a great addition to have included so many bonus tips to try and it adds to the value of the in-ear monitors as a whole.
 

 

 
Highs:
The highs are crisp and detailed, a good example of presenting high quality highs is in Apink's 'I'm So Sick' chorus or the entire composition of fromis_9's 'Love Bomb' as they both utilise female vocals heavily and have a chirpy and bubbly background instrumental.
As I am using vocal tips, my highs might be a bit more enhanced than others who elect to use bass or balanced tips for example. I have not used any other eartip extensively as I have used vocal tips 100% of my time with the FH5s.
Despite the highs being crystal clear and full of life, there is little to no sibilance found in the sound signature of the in-ear monitors. I'm made to believe the lack of sibilance and hiss in the highs is thanks to the amazing sound isolation in the fit of these in-ear monitors. I have fairly standard and small ears, so these in-ear monitors fit almost perfectly and block out any outside noise.
 
Mids:
The mids are also just as detailed as the highs, I feel in my experience and sense of sound, the mids are a lot more prominent than the highs. A good example of the mids being a crucial role to the sound experience is Dragonforce's 'Ashes of The Dawn', where the electric guitars are extremely present along with the drum hits. Where the mids also shine is in instrumentation seperation in this part of the frequency response. Using Boney M's 'Rasputin' as an example for instrumentation seperation, the two guitars in the introductory segment of the song are perfectly seperated, and shine even further when the third guitar, a piano, as well as the vocals are introduced. These balanced armature drivers do not play around, giving a clear and concise mids sound floor. The mids is easily the strongest part of the FiiO FH5s.
 
Lows:
The lows are excellently presented on these in-ear monitors. Using Dethklok's 'Go Into The Water' as an example of excellent lows, the tenudo-like bassline of the song is almost head-shakingly clear and rumbly. Every guitar pluck is outrageously punchy and deep. The chant-like vocals are also husky and cavernous, the noise floor from the bassline is super satisfying.
Green Day's 'American Idiot' is another excellent example of fantastic lows on the FiiO FH5. The bassline for this song is amazingly profound and heavy-hitting to the ears. The bass is vibrant, vivid, and full of clarity. It's not muddy and also not overly done. Mind I also use vocal eartips, so bass eartips may even enhance the bass noise floor a bit more compared to what I am personally expericing using vocal eartips.
 

 
I'm going to listen to some songs using the FiiO FH5 fed through my PC which is using the Sound Blaster Audigy Fx soundcard with no additional features like EQ or surround enabled for the vanilla experience. I'm going to be using the Spotify version of each song at 320kbps to listen. I usually do timestamps but I feel as a better representation of the sound signature of the FiiO FH5 that I will comment on the different sections of the song to highlight the highs, mids, and lows altogether.
 
Song 1 - Momoland (모모랜드) - Bboom Bboom (뿜뿜) (Bubblegum K-pop)
Intro: The introduction's soft and sweet guitar melody is vibrant and clear, with the lows helping out the guitar's range a lot. The saxophone-like instrument gets the highs in full gear and does it well, with the mids managing to seperate the lows and highs nicely with no muddiness or sibilance. Verse 1: The vocals are vibrant and clear here with no hissing, which is impressive given the low noise floor the guitar in the background is still pulling off. The sparkly notes found in the instrumental are also pleasant to hear and are clear despite being very far back in the composition itself. I find it amazing that despite the naturally-closed soundstage of the FiiO FH5 that it manages to achieve a balance of composition to make sure nothing is muddy nor hissy. Pre-Chorus: The highs and mids shine a lot more here, there is still no noticeable sibilance nor hissing found even though the whole instrumental in this section has raised an octave or two. The vocals are still crystal clear and the guitar still manages to stand out. The slight synth in the background is ever so slightly muddled in between all the rest of the composition but still noticeable enough to distinguish itself from the rest of the instrumental. Chorus: Here is where the lows of the first verse and the highs of the pre-chorus come together seemlessly. The vocals combined with the lows of the instrumental are perfectly balanced and in such great clarity. I must stress again that I am using vocal eartips so with a different pair of tips, the highs may not be as seperated and the lows might even be deeper than now. Verse 2: In Momoland fashion, the second verse contains a lot of girl crush and urban hip-hop themes, these lows are not as exaggerated as the first verse, but are still comfortably low and deep. The vocals are also still extremely clear here. Bridge: The soft, pillowy vocals are a great use of the triple balanced armature drivers inside the FiiO FH5, these vocals are carried effortlessly forward despite the booming bass in the background of the song. It's amazing how well-balanced these in-ear monitors are in terms of sound signature. Song 2 - Shawn Mendes & Camilla Cabello - Señorita (Modern Latin Pop)
Intro: The deep, prolonged guitar strums combined with the quick, sharp, high guitar plucks perfectly balance each other with no muddiness or hissing. They are both full of clarity. Verse 1: Cabello's vocals make the highs shine hard with her tweety and nasally vocals. This combined with the same long guitar strums make for a nicely balanced composition that the FiiO FH5 can wholely appreciate and represent. Mendes' entry with his whispery and modest voice fills in the mids and also continues the guitar instrumentals. The cracks in Mendes' vocals chords are eerily present when listening to this song using the FiiO FH5, they are amazingly clear. Especially the latter section of the song with the subvocals from Mendes. Chorus: Mendes and Cabello's vocals are greatly matched and clear, the separation between the two vocalists is outstanding, and the continuation of the guitar is ever present. Clarity and balance are the main takeaways from the chorus of this song. Verse 2: The guitar is picked up a notch, as well as Cabello's vocals. The mids and highs are once again present and clear here, with the hint of deep, low bass still giving the composition some body. Bridge: This is easily the busiest section of the song. Despite this, Cabello and Mendes' vocals are still clear and far forward, with that returning guitar still audible and the light subvocals also making an appearance. This is one part of the song where it can be slightly muddled but not enough to notice in casual listening sessions. Song 3 - Green Day - American Idiot (Punk Rock)
Intro + Verses: The edgy and dirty gutiar solo is amazingly clear despite being purposefully nasty and unkempt, the kickdrum pauses are also punchy and vibrant. Chorus: The evidently punk-rock instrumentals are amazingly vibrant and fun, with the vocals also clear, the vocals are slightly overpowered by the instrumentals but I feel like this was done on purpose with a song of this nature. This simple composition is highly effective and punchy using the FiiO FH5, and I'm not even using bass eartips to listen to American Idiot. Bridge: This guitar and drum solo is amazingly fun and vibrant, the guitars are in perfect sync with the kickdrum also punchy and deep. There is also a light symbal audible in the background and I am amazed at how balanced the FiiO FH5 is at keeping the composition separated. I also love that the vocals are still clear and raspy to properly represent the vocalist's true sound signature.  

 
I picked up on the audio scene pretty late this year and only got fully invested when I first purchased my Tin HiFi T2, which I bought after requesting recommendations for budget-oritented in-ear monitors made with mids and highs in mind. While they were good, I sought after more, and just after two weeks, the FiiO FH5 introduced themselves to me.
I thoroughly believe the FiiO FH5 is going to be my ultimate in-ear monitors, for the price it is unbelievable how good they sound. Take with salt, as I have only tried a handful of audio equipment, with the FiiO FH5 easily topping all of them, and in every department.
 

 
Having originally bought these for Korean pop where songs tend to be on the fun and saturated side with enhanced highs and mids, I'm proud to say that I am in love with the FiiO FH5's bass and low-end reproduction. The FiiO FH5 is so good at the low-end and it's all thanks to the single dyanmic driver as it handles the responsibilities encompassing the low-end.
The mids and highs are just as clear, vibrant, crisp, and detailed as well, there hasn't been a time when I'm listening to a song and the vocals haven't shone brightly. The mids are greatly separated and allows for amazing instrumentation separation on the FiiO FH5.
 
I am completely satisfied with dropping $250 on the FiiO FH5, and actually from the unboxing and addtional accesories, not to mention the aesthetics, I would've thought these retailed for so much more. These in-ear monitors are amazing at balancing the lows, mids, and highs, and I suppose that's exactly what makes these my personal favorite in-ear monitor, and probably the best in-ear monitors I will ever get the chance to use in my entire life.
For that $250 price tag, personally, I'd say that is well worth it and then some.

Oh yeah. I will be researching to verify all day and night for days on end.. I want to make sure the problem i am having does not happen ever again.. 

looks like i found some business laptops with good specs and those features for a good price at best buy..

I've decided to just get a bluetooth adapter like the fiio btr3 or btr5 and connect my phone (when i purchase a new one) to it.. Yeah, it will be a pain to charge two items but its better than having a UI be buggy and laggy on a Digital Audio Player like you said..

Digital audio players is the fancy term audiophiles like to call MP3 players..

I wonder what will happen in the coming months..
 
https://www.gsmarena.com/google_will_require_all_devices_launched_after_january_31_2020_to_run_android_10-news-39526.php

Thanks for answering!

Since price is no problem, try looking at the TOTL (top-of-the-line) headphones from Abyss Headphones or Stax Audio. 

Let's face it.. everyone who has a samsung phone dating back to the S8 or Note 8 should realize by now that bixby is nowhere near as good as google assistant. It's a failed project that Samsung should absolutely 100% get rid of on the note 10.. however, chances are they will not.. 
 
How many viewers of this post wish bixby was just axed and forgotten about by the company? 

- no, I have an iPhone X. Plan to use that till it's too slow to be usable, or breaks. Unless I happen to accidentally yeet it down some steps, that's not likely to happen very soon
 
- It's a great design, good price (for an iPhone), fast af, has an excellent camera. Cuts out a lot of the stuff you don't actually need that makes the other phones cost more. Sadly, as per usual there's no headphone jack, and I'd like to see a smaller size (I like the size of the X, don't really want anything bigger rn).
 
- as I assume they're going to, make them more power efficient, slightly better camera, etc. Not much else you really can do. I hope they don't do some stupid mechanical flip up camera (not a fan of moving parts on phones, more to break), try and force them any thinner, or do some wack triple/quad camera setup that looks derpy (the XR has a single camera that's excellent, no need for more). I would like to see a return to metal backs instead of glass, but I doubt that'll happen (same with a switch to USB-C, not likely). Software wise, just a few more customization options for iOS, a proper dark mode and such.

Not everybody wants that is what I'm trying to say. Some people - like me - just want a phone that works and has good software, and iPhones do that better than the rest.

i doubt those phones will make it past 2 years of software updates.. 

i second this! 
 
The iPhone XS will be killed in terms of software updates in 2023, and full year after the regular iPhone X. Not sure how long you will use an iPhone but,.. the more you know, the better.. 

i second this! 
 
The iPhone XS will be killed in terms of software updates in 2023, and full year after the regular iPhone X. Not sure how long you will use an iPhone but,.. the more you know, the better.. 

Well, what other thing could you have meant?? The only two types of smartphones in todays world are iOS and Android.. To address your sheep comment, it is just that.. a comment. Nothing more nothing less. I am not a sheep, ffs.. I use what works best for me. To just call me a sheep makes you kind of sound childish and closed minded.. my opinion however..

It's because that's how it always was, and it won't change anytime soon. Fragmentation is a common problem in android. The issue is the customization each manufacturer places on top of the default android software, and also carrier bloatware. This won't change anytime soon. If you really want a android phone with the fastest updates, Pixel is the only phone so far.
 
There's a reason why Android is called "stock android" on pixel devices. Google designs both hardware and software, simultaneously, without adding any other extra customization. It's normal to complain, but you have to admit, Android is a mobile operating system designed to be customized.
 
By the way, its impossible to know what software Note 10 will come in. It's only October 2018, and Note 10 is expected to be released in August 2019. Way too early to determine anything about the Note 10.

PSA for this thread: You do not have to post pictures of your audio setup. That is not necessary but it is always welcome

Can confirm on my 1080p iPhone 6 plus that the max it can go to is 1080p on YouTube while my computer at 720p resolution can go to 4K  2160p on YouTube.