Here’s why I would recommend these headphones for your next purchase.
The case is black plastic, with a hinged lid that opens to reveal the headphones inside.
They measure about 28 x 23 x 23mm and weigh about six grams each.
The cleaning tools are a nice touch, too.
Any detritus that accumulates on the end of the ear nozzle is going to hamper the sound.
In all, this is a very aesthetically pleasing pair of headphones.
Let’s see how those specs stack up.
We’ll deal with these first.
For a start, the earphones don’t have any ANC (active noise cancellation).
IEMs are supposed to offer reference-level sound i.e.
sound that is reproduced as closely as possible to the way the recording artist intended.
The headphones also don’t support the LDAC codec.
Anyway, enough of the specs that don’t exist; what about those that do?
First up, driver configuration.
Each monitor has a 10mm DLC diaphragm and two Knowles BA (balanced armature) drivers.
Essentially, this tells you how loud the headphones will be.
Good job, seeing as they’re wireless and relying on their own battery for power.
The headphones also feature a Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth chip, and support Bluetooth version 5.2.
Despite being open back, we have an IPX4 rating.
So you could’t drop these in waterthat’ll ruin thembut they could handle splashing water from any direction.
You should still dry them ASAP, though.
But what about in practice?
FiiO FW5 Comfort
The FiiO FW5s are, for me, very comfortable earphones.
This meant I felt no pain while wearing them; actually unheard of for me with in-ear headphones.
However, even the Balanced ear tips (thicker material) resulted in very minimal discomfort after prolonged wearing.
However, this might not be the case for everyone; it depends on your environment.
Controlling the FW5
Controlling the FiiO FW5s is easy thanks to the physical buttons on each headphone.
These perform the usual operations like increasing/decreasing volume, accepting/rejecting/hanging up a call, and skipping tracks.
I have no complaints here, and I think the controls are very responsive.
For a pair of TWS IEMs at $150, you’re getting a fantastic pair of earphones.
In general, sound staging is fantastic, and the 3D imaging of the sound is also excellent.
Sound is detailed and clear across the frequency ranges.
Mid-bass remains warm, if a little pronounced.
I didn’t find this a problem; in fact, I quite enjoyed it.
Top end is crystal clear thanks to those twin Knowles BAs.
Recommending the FiiO FW5 TWS Earbuds
So.
Would I recommend these earbuds?
Damn right I would.
