FiiO FH19 review: wired earbuds that push the boat out so far, it's basically lost at sea

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FiiO FH19: Two-minute review

Another day, different brace of FiiO headphones, and this clip it’s nan FiiO FH19, a brace of wired in-ear monitors. The FH19 are, by FiiO standards, a reasonably costly proposition and truthful it follows that nan company, arsenic is its established practice, has thrown nan room descend astatine them wherever specification and creation are concerned. If FiiO has overlooked thing here, I’m not astatine each judge what it mightiness be.

As is due for a merchandise pinch specified a large specification – a mates of move drivers positive half a twelve balanced armatures per earbud, enhancement exertion for astir parts of nan wave range, precocious purity sterling metallic cable, you sanction it – nan FiiO FH19 are rather physically large, too. The proviso for 22 pairs (count ‘em!) of various receptor tips helps to get nan champion fit, but astatine 12g a broadside these are chunky earbuds contempt nan wide usage of aluminium and titanium successful their construction. And contempt their cautiously ergonomic shape, plentifulness of FH19 will protrude from each but nan astir generously sized ear-hole.

A contender for best wired earbuds? Perhaps – they person plentifulness to them, aft each – but whitethorn autumn down connected that top-end sound. It's a close-run thing.

FiiO FH19 review: Price and merchandise date

• $599; £549; AU$999
• Launched successful July 2024

The FiiO FH19 wired in-ear monitors are connected waste now, and arsenic you tin spot from nan asking value successful various territories, nan institution is not acrophobic of lining up against immoderate of nan biggest names successful each of IEM-land. From nan eccentricity of nan Campfire Audio Cascara to nan dead-eyed pro credentials of Sennheiser IE 600 and Shure SE535, you’re not short of prime if you’ve large money to spend…

FiiO FH19 review: Specs

Fiio FH19 review: Features

• Hybrid move driver/balanced armature arrangement
• Midrange notch select and ‘S.Turbo’ bass enhancement
• High-purity sterling metallic cable

The biggest news present arsenic regards ‘features’ has to beryllium nan driver array FiiO has specified – each FH19 earbud features nary less than 8 drivers. A brace of 13.7mm move drivers are arranged successful a push/pull layout successful an effort to maximize shape consistency and trim nan magnitude of powerfulness required to execute optimum sound unit level, and six Knowles balanced armature units woody pinch midrange and treble reproduction. FiiO has worked intimately pinch Knowles, specifying acoustic vents astatine nan rear cavity of nan midrange drivers to maximize sound energy, and pinch Onkyo to guarantee nan cleanest imaginable sound from nan move driver arrangement.

And conscionable successful lawsuit this seems a spot tentative, nan institution has added a midrange notch select to minimize nan overlap betwixt nan sound produced by nan midrange and high-frequency balanced armatures. There’s besides nan racy-sounding ‘S.Turbo’ exertion that virtually acts for illustration a turbocharger by guiding low-frequency soundwaves done a turbine-like building to present (according to FiiO) heavy and vibrant debased frequencies. 

What else? Well, alternatively than resistor-based ceramic capacitors, nan FH19 characteristic movie capacitors for greater crossover accuracy. And a suspended sound coil reduces some nan adhesive load and reduces nan anticipation of unnecessary interaction – instead, location ought to beryllium smooth, azygous diaphragm movement.

FiiO suggests nan full FH19 statement results successful a brace of in-ear monitors pinch a wave consequence of 8Hz - 40Khz, a sensitivity of 109dB and an impedance of 16 ohms. Which intends nan FH19 really ought to beryllium delivering full-range sound from beautiful overmuch immoderate root of euphony without excessively overmuch difficulty.   

Getting audio accusation into this almost performatively analyzable statement happens via 1.2m of high-purity sterling metallic cable. It consists of 8 braided strands, each carrying 28 wires for a full of 224 wires - each individual ligament is enamelled, and nan cablegram is twisted successful Litz braids. It connects to each earbud utilizing stainless alloy MMCX connectors, and nan relationship to a euphony root tin beryllium made utilizing either of nan ‘twist/lock’ unbalanced 3.5mm aliases balanced 4.4mm jacks that are supplied.     

• Features score: 5/5

Fiio FH19 review: Design

• Semi-open housing
• Swappable audio filters
• Titanium and aluminium construction

First things first: these are comparatively large, comparatively dense in-ear monitors, and contempt nan truth that FiiO provides nary less than 22(!) pairs of receptor tips of various sizes and materials, if you’re connected nan smaller-eared broadside nan FH19 are going to consciousness for illustration rather an uncomfortable earful. 

Let’s assume, then, that your ears are nary smaller than ‘a spot smaller than average’. In this scenario, nan FH19 are easy to fresh securely and, acknowledgment to nan cautiously ergonomic style of nan housing, comfortable too. Yes, they protrude from nan receptor successful a somewhat inelegant fashion, but that conscionable allows bystanders to get a bully look astatine nan semi-open creation pinch its aluminium ammunition and titanium midframe.

There are sound reasons why nan FH19 characteristic a semi-open housing, of people – they’re mostly to do pinch nan equilibrium of soul aerial unit and nan prevention of unit connected nan eardrum. Equally, FiiO has selected aluminium for nan earbud ammunition because of its ray weight, durability and willingness to beryllium formed into comparatively analyzable shapes, while titanium’s rigidity and guidance to corrosion make it a wise prime for nan midframe. The truth that they harvester to present a merchandise that looks upmarket and moreover rather melodramatic doesn’t do immoderate harm, though.

Obviously, by allowing nan wearer truthful overmuch scope to get a comfortable fit, FiiO is hoping to maximize nan audio capacity of nan FH19, but it’s besides taken much nonstop steps. The FH19 are pre-installed pinch a ‘green’ audio select which, according to nan company, “delivers refined and elaborate treble”. But it besides supplies 2 replacement pairs that tin beryllium fitted by nan wearer: ‘red’ (which “enhances debased frequencies, providing powerful and impactful bass”) and ‘black’ (“offers balanced sound that is clear and transparent”). A small instrumentality is supplied to make nan changeover arsenic elemental arsenic possible.

The instrumentality itself arrives successful a reasonably large, hexagonal recreation lawsuit that features immoderate branding and besides contains a magnetic cable-tie, a mini brushwood to thief support your FH19 clean, and nan replacement 3.5mm cablegram termination. It, for illustration nan earbuds themselves, looks and feels for illustration a premium item. 

• Design score: 4.5/5

FiiO FH19 review: Sound quality

• Spacious, well-defined sound
• Rapid, punchy and entertaining presentation
• Can beryllium goaded into top-end unruliness

Like immoderate brace of in-ear monitors, nan FiiO FH19 will execute astir agreeably erstwhile they fresh correctly. Unlike astir pairs of in-ear monitors, nan FiiO connection you good complete a twelve options wherever receptor tips are concerned, truthful getting to nan constituent of identifying nan astir due brace takes a small longer than normal.

Similarly, nan audio select options request to beryllium investigated successful bid for you to found what your penchant is – although, arsenic I will talk conscionable a small later, nan pre-fitted ‘green’ brace are apt to beryllium nan slightest commonly deployed. But erstwhile you person reached nan constituent whereby you’re happy pinch some nan beingness fresh and nan audio filters fitted to nan FH19, there’s an atrocious batch to for illustration astir nan measurement they sound.

A 24bit/44,1kHz FLAC record of Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, for instance, sounds energetic, wide-open and rapid. There’s due power of nan onslaught of low-frequency sounds, truthful moreover erstwhile they’re coming heavy and accelerated there’s due meaning and separation. Rhythmic look is confident, and momentum is maintained astatine each turn. Similarly nan midrange is elaborate and packed pinch variation, truthful nan close-mic’d vocal is expressive and accusation regarding technique, timbre, cognition and each nan remainder of it is disposable successful spades.

The semi-open statement allows nan FH19 to sound much freely than nan accustomed ‘directly into your ear’ sensation of monitors that are, to beryllium fair, straight successful your ear. There’s an airiness and openness to nan soundstage they present, a sensation of nan spread betwixt circumstantial elements of a signaling and much than capable elbow-room for each of those elements to do their point successful thing approaching isolation. But there’s nary wide consciousness of isolation aliases remoteness to nan sound nan FH19 serves up: alternatively it’s rather tightly unified and unarguably ‘together’. The signaling is presented arsenic a performance, arsenic individual elements acting pinch a communal purpose alternatively than simply doing their ain point while different things hap nearby.

Switch to a 24bit/96kHz FLAC record of Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and nan FH19 proceed to impress. They salary adjacent attraction to nan harmonic variations successful circumstantial instruments and nan wordless vocalizations, and dispatch nan bigger move shifts successful measurement aliases strength pinch nan benignant of casual effortlessness that lets you cognize  there’s plentifulness much wherever that came from. 

The tonality present is fundamentally neutral, your prime of audio select notwithstanding, and contempt nan numerousness of nan drivers, nan FH19 merge nan wave scope well. Where nan audio filters travel into play astir obviously, though, is wherever treble consequence is concerned.

A 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC record of LesAplx by Floating Points has plentifulness of high-frequency activity, of galore different tones and substances, to offer. There’s nary 2 ways astir it, pinch their default ‘green’ audio filters fitted, nan FiiO FH19 are altogether excessively happy to get difficult and edgy astatine nan apical of nan wave range. Even pinch 1 of nan different select options selected (my penchant is for nan ‘black’ option, FWIW), it doesn’t return a batch for nan treble consequence present to get a spot overexcited. Dial successful much measurement and things conscionable get shinier and, successful extremis, abrasive.

Still, this is easy mitigated against. Leave nan ‘green’ audio filters good alone, don’t perceive astatine nan benignant of volumes you shouldn’t really beryllium listening astatine anyway, and each will beryllium well. 

• Sound value score: 4.5/5

FiiO FH19 review: Value

• Stack up good against nan title for price
• …But only if they fit

If you’ve publication this acold past I’m going to spell up and presume you don’t deliberation your ears are excessively mini for FH19 ownership. So arsenic agelong arsenic they fit, there’s plentifulness to propose nan FiiO connection very acceptable worth for money

The value of materials utilized and nan measurement they’re constructed, nan engineering prowess that’s been brought to carnivore and, astir of all, nan unfastened and engaging sound value they’re tin of delivering successful almost each condition spot to that. Hear them against nan champion of their rivals and you’ll quickly realise what FiiO is offering present is not to beryllium sneezed at. 

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should you bargain nan FiiO FH19?

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FiiO FH19 review: Also consider

How I tested nan FiiO FH19

• Connected to a FiiO M15S DAP
• Connected to an iFi iDSD Diablo 2 headphone amp
• With a large scope of integer audio contented of each types and record sizes

I won’t dress it has been immoderate benignant of hardship, not really. Using nan 4.4mm balanced relationship I joined nan FiiO FH19 to a FiiO M15S integer audio subordinate and to an iFi iDSD Diablo 2 headphone amp – this measurement I was capable to perceive to integer audio files of each sizes (320kbps to 24bit/192kHz) and to euphony of each styles. I besides connected them straight to nan 3.5mm unbalanced headphone socket of an Apple MacBook Pro – not an research I’m successful immoderate benignant of hurry to repeat. 

Read much astir how we trial earbuds.

• First reviewed: October 2024 
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