Earbud-lovers Rejoice – Fiio Releases EM3K & EM3S

If there’s one thing to note about the audiophile world, it’s that there’s almost a cult following for each and every style of headphones. Whether that be custom or universal in-ear monitors, on-ear, over-ear, closed-back, open-back, etc…there’s a market for each. It seems recently there has been a resurgence in the earbud market.
Perhaps Venture Electronics are partly to thank for this with their hugely successful and popular $5 Monk line of earbuds. Fiio had briefly dipped their toes in the earbud market some time ago with the release of their EM3 earbuds (which were also included in the packaging of the M3 mini-DAP), and now it seems that they’re back in the form of the EM3K and EM3S!

What’s New With the EM3K and EM3S?

OK, so compared to the original EM3….errrm….it’s hard to tell, really. The drivers for the EM3K and EM3S again measure 14.8mm, feature a PET diaphragm, and have an impedance of 47-ohm and a sensitivity of 109dB/mW…exactly the same as the original EM3. Heck, even the weight has remained the same at 13.6g.

So, as far as the drivers are concerned, the hardware doesn’t seem to have changed. So perhaps, just maybe, Fiio spent some time on re-tuning the sound characteristics of the EM3K and EM3S. Cosmetically the new iterations also seem very similar to the original, although Fiio states that the EM3K and EM3S have “a more appealing design with UV shiny surface finish“.

EM3K vs. EM3S

OK, so what’s the difference between the 2 new versions? It seems that the only difference comes down to the fact that the EM3S as an inline mic and remote, whereas the EM3K is just a no-nonsense set of earbuds that feature no extra bells and/or whistles.

Price & Availability

Thus far it doesn’t seem like the EM3K or EM3S are available yet at any of Fiio’s global re-sellers, but they are available on Fiio’s AliExpress store at a cost of $12.99 each (excluding shipping and taxes). Interestingly, the EM3K’s price is the same as that of the EM3S, despite the fact that it does not have the inline mic or remote controls.