FiiOFT1 Pro Open-Back Planar Magnetic Wired Hi-Fi Headphones for Home, Studio, Recording, High Sensitivity (Black)

I really did not expect to like these headphones at all. In fact I have been a Sennheiser "purist" for years. The initial impression putting these on my head, even before putting anything through them, was "amazed" - light weight & airy open unlike any other open-back I have ever put on my head. Then I got to do a side-by-side comparison of these phones & the Hifiman Sundara phones which it seems everyone says are better. At the end of my comparison I can honestly say that they are not. These FiiOs are lighter & more comfortable, more wide open, are more efficient by far, & have a much broader & more open sound stage. The bass on these phones is not pushed, it is smooth & strong without being overpowering. The highs are nothing short of incredible - "crystalline" was the word that first came to my mind. Vocals are nicely present & very well defined & placed. You really notice the difference between bad & well-engineered recordings. Compared to the Sundaras these are very efficient - between the two I had to add much more volume when plugging in the Sundaras. The Sundaras were also darker & more muffled by comparison. The bottom line is I just did not like them & returned them. The FT-1 Pros are now my listening headphones & I never in a million years thought I would like something more than my Sennheiser HD650's, but honestly there's no real comparison, & they only get better the more I listen to them. Right now I consider them the best bargain available in the world of open-backed planar magnetic headphones bar none. Be prepared to spend some time breaking them in & plan on ordering a new cable - I'm not sure why headphone manufacturers think you will be sitting on top of your amplifier to listen & send them out with 4' cables, but it seems they all do that these days.

This headphone has the potential to be the de-facto headphone recommendation at the price point, combining great tuning and technical performance.As with most planar driver headphones, you get a very clean and detailed sound signature but arguably, this headphone is the best tuned of any planar headphone available below $1000.Bass extends deep and while it is not the most impactful (without EQ), it is fast and very clean with good definition.Mids are very neutral (which in audio terms is a good thing). Voices and instruments present in a very life-like manner with good separation.Treble, for a planar magnetic headphone, is relaxed but well extended (which is a breath of fresh air, considering most of the planar competition can sometimes be overly bright).This headphone competes very nicely with the mainstays at this price point and takes aim at the Sennheiser 6X0 series, as well as the Hifiman Sundara and XS and while it does not supplant them, it serves as a good alternative to consider for anyone who found the Sennheisers to not have enough extension in the bass and find the Hifiman duo to be too bright.Build quality on these is fairly decent and the headphones aren't overly heavy so most people shouldn't have problems wearing these for a long time. The headband, perhaps, could be improved - there is a slight hot spot at the top of the headband that may potentially cause discomfort during hours long listening sessions but a Capra strap would fix this completely.One con on these headphones: there is a bit of QC roulette - some units may have clipping in the bass at higher SPL. If you EQ in bass, or listen to bassy music at high volumes, the bass may distort and clip. Unfortunately, the unit I received is affected by this issue.

I've been using these for a few days and I'm extremely impressed with the sound they put out.The ones I received have the fixed low-end rumble and the newer mounting mechanism., so hats off to FIIO for making those adjustments so quickly.I'm using the 4.4mm balanced output on an HIDIZS DH80S DAC/AMP, and the FT1 Pro already includes the cable to do that. Testing them side by side with the Hifiman Ananda Nano (using the same FIIO cable), I honestly can't hear a difference between them after hours of testing. They are both fairly equal on weight and comfort, detail and soundstage, and they both have that powerful planar impact like my beloved Letshuoer S12 IEMs. My Sennheiser HD 598 Cs headphones sound terrible in comparison to those three.Don't buy into the BS from these YouTubers pushing high-end headphones, I've tried everything up to the $8k Hifiman Susvara Unveiled on a $15k amp, and you have to have dog-like hearing to tell the difference.$350 buys you the FIIO FT1 Pro AND a FIIO K11 R2R DAC/AMP, and for 95% of people this will sound just as good as that Susvara setup i mentioned.

5 stars not because they're the best headphones ever, but because seriously? Planars at this price that sound pretty decent across the board? They're basically a unicorn. On that basis alone I whole heartedly recommend them, but they're actually pretty good regardless of them being excellent value.