Treble
The treble performance is a bit subdued with the FH15. It delivers the treble in a moderate way, without much crispness or bite. It doesn’t have a dynamic or energetic treble. Instead, it has a very smooth and easy going approach, targeting a forgiving and soft presentation.
The treble nozzle filters don’t change the situation much. In fact, I think this might be the least filter-dependent FiiO hybrid IEM in recent years. Some may find this presentation a bit too polite, whilst some may prefer this exact delivery for their comfort for long listening sessions.
Don’t expect to have great transparency in treble though. It’s good for this level, but not so good when you compare it to the higher-tier IEMs. The relaxed approach also makes the FH15 forgiving of poorer recordings, if that plays well for you.
The Treble still has good extension and detail, and the unaggressive nature is a bonus for comfort-seekers as I remarked. There’s still a good definition here, despite the polite delivery, which is a good thing. I recommend the green treble filters with the FH15.
Technical Performance
The FiiO FH15 has a nice sound stage for the money, but when you listen to it for some time, you realize that the width is not great. Is it fair to expect it to be immensely wide? No, it’s not, but just don’t expect a very wide staging. Depth-wise things are better, the separation is good but not very sharp, and the transparency level is pretty okay.
Background darkness could’ve been better as it sometimes plays slightly muffled and vague. It’s not easy to focus on that one particular instrument or a back vocal with that background. It’s not bad, but I think they can improve that aspect. At the same time, I absolutely liked its timbre and tonality. It’s really good and natural.
The IEM’s imaging capabilities are good. There’s fairly good instrument separation and definition across the spectrum. It has a very good balance as well. The resolution is fair for the price but not spectacular.
I recommend pairing with analytical or flat-sounding sources to match the FH15. The sound is quite bassy and warm so it would be a good idea to pair it with a colourless and neutral DAP or DAC/Amp.
Comparisons
The FH5S is around 250-270 USD, so there’s not a huge price difference between these two. The FH5S has a more premium carrying case but the rest of the package is similar. It’s a bit bulkier than the FH15, so one can say the FH15 fits better with better ergonomics.
Sound-wise the FH5S, with its semi-open design, has more breath and air in its presentation, with better bass control and texture. The mid-range has better transparency and resolution, and the treble has a better definition. Also, the FH5S sounds more cohesive and balanced, with better staging and imaging performance.
On another note, the FH15 has better isolation of course.
AFUL Performer5
The next review will be the Performer5, so I can directly compare these two just before posting AFUL’s review. The Performer5’s shell is acrylic versus the aluminium shell of the FH15. They both fit very well but the FH15 has a slight edge there in terms of ergonomics and it’s clearly better for isolation. AFUL comes with a better cable in my opinion. But its package content is no match for FiiO.
Sound-wise to me AFUL brings more to the table with better coherency and balance. Its bass is much more controlled, the treble is more pronounced with better articulation and extension, and there’s more resolution and transparency overall. FiiO offering has more bass with much more impact, it sounds smoother across the spectrum with much more body and fullness.
AFUL Performer5 has a wider soundstage and better layering with better separation. The FH15’s timbre is better with more realism. They sound quite different and both have their strengths. But to my ears, AFUL performs truer for the purist audiophile.
Conclusion
The FiiO FH15 gives the impression that it’s a slightly cheaper and newer version of the old FH5. My positive takeaways are; a great timbre for the price, a full and organic sound, and soft delivery all over the spectrum. Apart from sound quality, I can say that this is one of the best IEMs at this price in terms of fit and comfort. Not to mention this legendary package content for the money.
The bass presentation would be a bit polarizing, however, and for taming it down you need to use it with a certain configuration. That would be the treble filters and double-flange ear tips. Then if you can pair it up with an analytical and flat-sounding source, you have a great set in your hands for just 229$.
And yet, it’s not certain that the target audience would bother with such a pairing and configuring tussle. The FH15 has good potential regardless if you’re ready to do the things I’ve mentioned.
Page 1: Packaging, Design
Page 2: Build, Fit, Sound Quality
