FiiO FH3 In-Ear Monitor Review

Specs

• Driver configuration : Hybrid – 2x Balanced armature + 10mm dynamic
• Frequency response : 10 – 40kHz
• Impedance : 24-ohm
• Sensitivity : 114 dB @ 1kHz
• Weight : 7.3g per earpiece / 40g incl. cable

Design

If you are at all familiar with FiiO’s other, more premium IEMs, then you’ll know exactly what to expect from the FH3. However, if you’re instead more familiar with the lower-end models such as the FH1s and other balanced-armature-based models, then the design alone of FH3 will seem a fair amount more premium to you. Whilst the 3D-printed housings of models such as the aforementioned FH1s and even the FA7 are indeed of really great quality, there is just something about a beautifully machined piece of metal which seems more premium. As mentioned, the design of the FH3 is heavily inspired by that of models such as the FH5 and FH7, although there are a few minor differences here and there. The housing itself consists of two main parts, namely the faceplate, and what we could perhaps call the shell. The shell seems very similar to that of the FH5, albeit perhaps noticeably smaller. The MMCX connector also seems rather similar to that of the FH5, although on the FH3 the coloured plastic surrounding the MMCX connector is more flush with the rest of the shell, and also round, as opposed to the more squarish-design found on the FH5. On the other hand, the faceplate is more similar to that of the FH7, with the main difference being that that FH7’s faceplate features more waves in the design. A more noticeable aesthetic difference between the FH3 and FiiO’s more premium models would also be the lack of any gold trim. Where the FH5 featured a yellow-gold trim between the faceplate and shell and the FH7 sported a more rose-gold trim, the FH3 is less flashy as it lacks any such colour accent. I’m not sure if those extra trimmings on the FH7 and FH5 served any particularly necessary function, or if they were mainly to make those models look more premium, but I wouldn’t say that the lack of this little visual detail makes the FH3 seem cheap in any manner.
Seeing as the FH3 is physically smaller than both the FH5 and FH7, I must admit that I find this one to be more comfortable than the other two models. I don’t recall them being uncomfortable at all, but to me the less bulky dimensions of the FH3 just takes the comfort up another notch or two.
The included cable also feels really good, and I think it’s the same type of cable which was included with the FH5. It is perhaps just a little bit on the stiff side compared to some of FiiO’s other cables, but it still feels to be of really good quality nonetheless. To be quite frank, I’ve reviewed some other IEMs that cost way more than what the FH3 does, and their cables neither looked nor felt anywhere near as nice as the one included here.
I should also note that in the past, the MMCX connections on FiiO’s IEMs have been a bit hit-or-miss for me in terms of how secure they felt. Sometimes they would note feel particularly secure at all, whilst on other models it could feel like you needed a damn crowbar to remove the cable. On the FH3, however, it feels perfectly balanced as there’s just enough tension to keep the connection perfectly secure, but the cable can also be removed with relative ease by just slipping my fingernail in between the housing and the cable connector.

Internally, the FH3 features a hybrid driver configuration which consists of two balanced armatures which handle the highs and mids alongside a beryllium-coated dynamic driver for the low frequencies. According to FiiO, the drivers are controlled via both physical and electronic crossovers which ensures that they cover the full frequency spectrum between 10 Hz all the way up to 40 kHz.

So overall, I think FiiO did an excellent job with the FH3. In terms of the design, there really isn’t anything I can find which is worthwhile to complain about. It might lack some extra bells and whistles such as a replaceable filter system to make some adjustments to the signature, but that’s not a feature that I’d expect at this price point anyways, and as a result I think, relative to this price-bracket, the FH3 is as perfect as I could expect it to be.

Sound

Thankfully, the good news doesn’t just stop at the design and build quality of the FH3, but it’s also got a very pleasing sound character; so pleasing that it might very well be my favourite signature from FiiO thus far.
Judging from the compensated graph and with the preinstalled black silicone eartips, the response from the FH3 does mainly favour the subbass region, but thankfully this contrast with the rest of the response is also not so prominent as to make the signature feel overly bloated. Instead, it adds some warmth and punch to signature, and those rather mild treble peaks seem to balance things out reasonably well which results in a signature which I perceive to be pleasantly u-shaped rather than v-shaped. It’s smoother and more natural-sounding than what an over-emphasised v-shaped signature sounds like, and I do find myself favouring a natural sound over a more coloured-sound.

FiiO did include a number of different eartips in the box, all of which do seem to change the signature to varying degrees, albeit very subtle overall. This biggest change comes from the foam tips which tends to tone down the vocal and treble regions. Of course, no IEM review would be complete without exploring some aftermarket tips, and I found these, specifically the JVC Spiral Dot and Spinfit tips, to have a more drastic effect on the sound signature of the FH3 than what the included eartips did. The Spinfits tend to elevate the vocal and treble regions, whereas the Spiral Dots tend to have the exact opposite effect, toning down those vocal and treble regions even more so than what the included foam tips did. Normally, I’d prefer the JVC Spiral Dot tips for most IEMs, but in the case of the FH3 I have to admit that I found the included smoked silicone tips with the red stems to offer the most balanced sound signature. However, the Spiral Dots do give me the most consistent measurements, so for the purpose of comparing the signatures between IEMs,I will once again use the Spiral Dots.

Even though FiiO’s FH5 has a retail price of around $100 more than the FH3, I do think that its signature is the closest competitor to the FH3 in FiiO’s lineup. In looking at their respective sound signatures, we can definitely see some major similarities between them. Up until around 1.5kHz there are indeed very, very similar. However, I should also note at this point that when I reviewed the FH5, I really did not like its signature very much. To me it just came across as sounding somewhat dark and that vocals seem to get masked by the bass and treble regions.
Now, when listening to the FH3, I did get that slightly dark signature, but it seemed much less prominent than what I remember the FH5 to have sounded. As a result, I find myself wondering if it’s perhaps the elevation in the treble on the FH5 in combination with the elevated bass which was responsible for that darker-sounding signature. Just to clarify again, I genuinely find the FH3 to be pleasant, whereas I found the FH5 to not be particularly pleasant at all – at least not for me preferences, anyways.
As I always mention, cymbal strikes are something which I pay close attention to as I find these sounds to give me a pretty immediate queue as to how natural a headphone or IEM sounds. I will often go for up to a week without listening to any music, just to reset my hearing to my natural environment, and then listen to some music which I know is well recorded, and in particular to those cymbal strikes. If, after having gone through that hearing reset period, the headphone or IEM portrays the music with a signature which doesn’t feel quite right, then I know it’s not really reproducing those sounds faithfully. And again, when doing this I find cymbal strikes to be the most obvious indicator for me.
With the FH3, I did find those cymbal strikes to sound just a little over-emphasised, but not nearly so much as to sound unpleasant. If I think back to the FH5, the FH3 actually seems to me like a more refined version of the FH5. 

I also fairly recently reviewed the Tin T2 Plus, and was completely blown away by how refined it sounded, especially given it’s really low price-point, and as a result it quickly became my ultimate budget pick. Comparing the signatures of the T2 Plus with that of the FH3, we can see that they’ve got some pretty big differences. In comparison, the T2 Plus has a brighter and much more neutral signature whereby the biggest peaks in the bass, mids, and treble are all very well-balanced with each other. There’s also a much smoother transition between those peaks. And yet, the FH3 offers what I perceive to perhaps be a more forgiving signature as the elevated bass response tends to warm up the signature. I’d say that, objectively, the T2 Plus has perhaps a more accurate and faithful signature, but most people would tend to favour the higher bass energy and more relatively subdued treble response of the FH3.

Value

So, at the end of the day, I think FiiO did an absolutely phenomenal job with the FH3. Not only does it have what I think is perhaps my favourite signature of any IEM from FiiO to date,  but I’m also genuinely pleased to see that FiiO did not skimp out on the design and build-quality here. It really is just such a well-rounded package for around $150. Speaking of the price, this seems to vary a bit depending on where you look, with average prices ranging from about $130 to roughly $160 or so. Yes, a 25% difference can be significant, but even if your only option was in the upper end of that spectrum, I would still highly recommend the FH3.
As mentioned, I still prefer the signature of the Etymotic ER2XR, but if the Etymotic was out of the equation I honestly could not think of any other IEM up to around the $300 mark that I would pick over the FH3. If you perhaps prefer something a little brighter and more neutral, then the Tin T2 Plus would probably be a better pick for you, especially considering that it also costs substantially less than the FH3, but the more U-shaped signature of the FH3 would appeal to way more people, and when you couple that with the great build-quality, I think for most people the FH3 would be a total no-brainer and offers a perfect 10/10 value.