Texture is a little lean, more precise, airy and transparent, less rounded and organic, not as full bodied but it doesn't sound artificial or clinical. The treble has an airy quality but not overly sharp or aggressive. I like how the FH3 is able to present details while not shoving it into my ears in a strident manner. Whatever song is thrown at them, even ones that are heavy on percussion, the FH3 is able to deliver a fairly balanced tone shy of splashiness and grating sibilance. Soundstage & Imaging One of the unique design aspects of these tips is the rounded edge design at the output end of the tips. It seems rounded edges are easier going on sound refractions and it sort of reminds me of stealth magnet tech in which refractions were minimized by rounding off the magnet edges. Interesting indeed. The FH3 comes also with some nice additions such like a card case, a small carry pouch with zipper that is made of fabric material and a cleaning tool/brush. Comparing the FH3 to its overachieving entry-level sibling the FD1, the FH3’s are a step up in more ways than one.

On the top of the monitor housing is the MMCX (Micro Miniature Coaxial) female connectors with left and right color indicators, which is in blue for left and red for the right connector.The FiiO FH7s comes with 19 pairs of tips, 18 sets, and one preinstalled. Two of the sets are double flanged, two sets of foam tips, three spinner-type tips, a few silicone tips, and some rubber tips are also included. I bet I missed one or two. Moreover, the FiiO FH3 scales nicely with upper-range DAC/Amp. It a little DAP like the M3 Pro is quite enough most of the time, there is a clear difference once hooked with a DAC like AudioQuest’s Dragonfly Cobalt, or the new EarMen Sparrow. On the latter, I strongly suggest using the 2.5mm output, as that one gave (much) better results on this IEM. The FH3 accessories are rounded-out with 4 different types of single bore silicone ear tips in small, medium, and large bore with some additional foam ear tips. The stainless steel angled MMCX connectors are designed to make the wearing experience as painless as possible. The FH3 is rated at 24Ω and 114dB @ 1mW SPL so it is relatively easy for current, even from a decent smartphone. I tried it with a Nokia 7.2, and it was able to push the FH3 to decent volume levels.

Unfortunately it's been a long time since I have reviewed the FH7 and I wouldn't risk a comparison so I will limit my impressions against the FH5s. The included cable is a masterpiece and such aftermarket cables usually cost more than the FH9 itself. Summary - I had so many mixed feelings, because of how good the S12 is at certain things and how bad at the others. Sometimes I was really impressed with the fun bass tuning and I would dive deep into a piece to really spot all of the details, but the feeling that sometimes is just not right never really went away. I don't hate it - I actually tried hard to like it, but the tuning just didn't work for me - it doesn't mean it won't work for you. I listen to classical music most of the time and prefer bass light stuff, which places me in rather uncommon target. Keep in mind that most people really enjoy the V-shaped/Harman tuning. Berkhan reviewed it and gave good praises, with one little warning: “The FA7 impressed me the most until now. The only problem with its sound is the overpowering mid-bass and lower mid-region. Another small dent is the treble extension. Yet, the most impressive part for me is the instrument presentation. That separation and tonality simply blew me over for this price.” Even more performance is extracted from the beryllium-plated dynamic driver when it is combined with FiiO’s patented S.TURBO acoustic design. The longer and smoother turbine inspired sound tubes effectively filter unwanted high frequencies, giving one deeper and harder-hitting bass.The soundstage of the FiiO FH3 offers a sufficient expansion for a fairly precise placement of instruments and vocals. The stage has an moderate level of wideness, with slightly better level of depth.

The 10mm diameter beryllium coated dynamic driver is responsible for the lower frequency production of the FH3 which shows good performance in terms of tonality and intensity. The treble on the Spring 2 has a lot more presence compared to the FH3 which didn’t surprise me given the use of the piezoelectric drivers in its configuration. It does create a perception of better resolution. However, the FH3 sounds a little bit more coherent and wetter in its treble tuning when compared to the Spring 2 so it is the mroe forgiving sounding of the two. I can speak from experience, though that experience is limited to their entry-level resin models (Fiio FD1 and Jade Audio EA3). These models were very lightweight, and thus made them a perfect fit for daily drivers. What I am really excited about and am pushing as much as possible are modular cables. I haven’t heard whether they affect sound quality negatively or positively, but I like the convenience they provide. They are a game changer, that’s for sure. Also transparency, presence and definition are of higher caliber in the FH9 as is the spaciousness of the soundstage.Acoustically, placing the driver responsible for treble closer to the ear reduces unwanted treble reflections that might reach the ears compared to a typical earphone design, ensuring minimal loss of treble detail, and thus making for more pleasant listening. There is good control in the midrange with a clean outline to everything. I love that voices on this set are rich and evoke a feeling of being in a room with the singer. The midrange has smooth and detailed notes carried out in high resolution. The general feeling you get is close to neutral, impactful, and a dynamic response that is fun to listen to. There is also a small hump around 80Hz. The bass starts to dip way below 20Hz which denotes full bass representation that can be heard way below the mentioned 20Hz mark. So it’s very safe to say that the FH7s have a very good bass extension capability. The MMCX port fits perfectly, there is no gap wherever your hand can touch, no shards or misplaced element, and the smoothness of the shell gives a good level of comfort. Of course, you match the FiiO FH5 and FH7 sturdiness (duh) and this is an IEM that will withstand the harshest environment and the meanest treatments.