FiiO FD7 Review

Sound performances

Tonality

Highs: sharp and refined. The FiiO FD7 fits above the FD5 and FH7 in this aspect. No harshness, some nice boost on the upper range, notably around 8kHz, but that remains very lovable. For a sole DD IEM, that’s utterly impressive, even if the similar-priced multi-BA FA9 manages to deliver a little more details, ever so slightly. Yet, that’s absolutely brilliant.

Good test-track: Dead in a Dreamweb – Ugress

Mediums: rich and full. Obviously, the wide soundstage, paired with the semi-open design and clean mids make for a very pleasant experience. As usual, FiiO’s done an excellent job in this regard: voices are bliss, and the IEM can fully immerse you, in just a few seconds. It misses the 3D effect found with or FA9, but compensates with a better dynamic range.

Good test-track: I’ll stay – The RH Factor

Bass: deep, fast, natural. As usual, the lows are the pillar of all the great things that happens upfront. The bass is astounding and the more you listen, the more you get hooked. The big diaphragm and complex engineering really shine here, and the FD7 automatically raises above any other FHx IEM, in my opinion.

Good test-track : Day Break – CYA

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Associations

FiiO FD7 + FiiO M3 Pro: pretty little things. If you’re on a budget but don’t want to go cheap, the M3+FD7 is a sure choice. Sure you don’t get streaming, and all the fancy options, but you’ll get a very solid combo, able to overshadow many pricier solutions. Sure the FD7 cost 7 times more than the M3 Pro, but hey, it’s up to you.

FiiO FD7 + EarMen Sparrow: pocket-sized bliss. EarMen DACs have become my main choice when I want to get good sound on the go. Using them daily since the day I got one, I’ve been hooked to the Sparrow and its clean balanced headphone port. Paired with the FiiO FD7, you get: beefy bass, powerful vocals, and a wondrous soundstage, that puts you in the center of your music

FiiO FD7 + FiiO M11 Plus LTD: obvious choice. The M11 Plus LTD  is one of the best DAPs in its price range, based on the excellent M11 Pro. It’s a great combo and you can feel how the brand tailored each of those products, to match the other. For the price, the overall render is absolutely insane, so if you can, get one as long as it’s available.

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Conclusion

Once again, FiiO achieves great lengths and delivers exactly what they promised: a flagship dynamic driver IEM, a tad more expensive than usual. The new volcanic system works as intended, giving you a nice, relaxed, sound signature that should suit any genre and any source.

It’s a good upgrade from the FD5, like Apple did with the iPhone 13, compared to the 12: everything has been enhanced, and we’re even closer to perfection. The new shell looks stunning even more compared to the glossy FD5.  It’s a robust design that didn’t neglect style and, once again, those IEMs look as good as they sound.

I can’t write bad things about that IEM. That would be unwise and unfair, but FiiO has been spoiling me for years, and I expected more. That said, this is one great in-ear and if you’re searching for a TOTL IEM, at a premium price tag, this is definitely the one.

Page 1: Fiio overview

Page 2: Design & Build Quality, comfort, Isolation

Page 3: Specifications, Bundle

Page 4: Sound part 1, 

Page 5: Sound Part 2 + Conclusion

4.2/5 - (25 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

2 Comments

  • Reply October 6, 2021

    Hugues

    Thank you for this test. I have The M11 pro and i still esitate betwin fh7 (399€ only since few days), fa9 and this fd7. To me good mediums is the most important, natural voices and realistic acoustic instruments.

  • Reply February 16, 2022

    Tom Fontanella

    Great review. It seems like there is a consensus about this IEM that it is very good but not “special”. My modest collection of two other quality IEMs use strictly BAs, so these seems like a good complementary unit that won’t break the bank.

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