FiiO EM5 Review

Amplification and source pairing

At 32Ohms impedance and 109dB sensitivity, the EM5 is exceptionally easy to drive and it really doesn’t need discrete amplifiers of either the portable or desktop varieties to extract great performance from it. My Samsung S9+ doesn’t need to go above 50% volume via its 3.5mm jack to get the EM5 to about 85dB in volume, and to be honest this pairing could make for a pretty decent travel or office companion if I were separated from any of my other devices. 

FiiO EM5

My Earstudio ES100 is my day-to-day music and productivity workhorse when I’m commuting. It allows me to play local FLAC files as well as TIDAL via LDAC Bluetooth streamed from my smartphone, and it also allows me to make voice calls via its inbuilt mic. The EM5 is able to make great use of the ES100’s available 2V from its 2.5mm balanced jack, although I’m certain it’s using only a tiny fraction of that to get up to comfortable listening levels. This makes for a terrific-sounding pair, with the ES100 able to extract all of the EM5’s spatial drama, mid-range tone and top-end detail. The minute downsides of LDAC Bluetooth being outweighed here by the convenience of portability – the fact that the ES100 can clip onto your collar without you even feeling it is pretty impressive. 

The Chord Mojo is an impeccable match for the EM5, providing a silky and refined presentation with an entirely black background that allows the EM5’s imaging chops to shine. The Mojo’s slightly warm presentation and tempered treble suits the EM5’s mid-range focused tuning, making for an extremely musical and euphonic pairing. 

Astell&Kern’s new SE200 DAP is simply a ridiculous pairing with the EM5 in terms of transparency, detail, and engagement-factor. The way the SE200 and its AK4499 chip (the 2 x ES9068AS are no slouches, either) is able to organise a vivid, diffuse soundstage for the EM5 to play-in is just plain fun and never ceased to surprise. I found myself reaching for the EM5 + SE200 combination over my desktop rig more than a few times over the review period. 

FiiO EM5

Conclusion

And therein lies the brilliance of the EM5: it allows you to create a no-compromise, open sound reminiscent of a full-size set of open-back headphones wherever you are, without fuss. I did think initially that its use-cases would be limited, thereby making them somewhat of a niche proposition, but thinking of the EM5’s in IEM-terms isn’t the right way to view this talented little pair of earbuds.

The FiiO EM5 has a properly grown-up and impressive sound that will reward the listener with an open, spacious, and surprisingly natural performance when fed with appropriately matched music. Let’s just say I’m never going to the trouble of packing a pair of open-back headphones with me when I travel going forward – the EM5 is simply superb. It gets our nod, and certainly earns a place on our ‘recommended buy‘ list.