Even though this is likely the second FiiO review article going up, the FiiO FD3 and New K3 are the fourth and fifth FiiO products I have thoroughly tested, or owned. In fact, it is because these are extremely recent releases that I have bumped them up the order, and our Patreon Gold members can read the review of the FiiO BTR5 that was submitted earlier. In a way, this article going up earlier is good for the New K3 since I would have personally taken that over this for the increased versatility, similar power output, and a better execution for the practical use case. At $110, the New K3 is still a forced change that only came about because of the AKM DAC chip shortage, and I would have rather FiiO take the time to update the product more, rather than just the DAC itself.

The FD3 IEMs, on the other hand, are completely new, yet take a lot of inspiration from previous, more expensive FiiO IEMs. The clearest one is the 12 mm DLC dynamic driver with a 1.5 T strong magnetic field driving it back and forth, as well as the acoustic prism, both of which were taken from the FD5 that costs nearly thrice as much. Without having listened to the FD5, I can't tell you whether the FD3 is one-third the sound quality of the FD5, but I highly doubt it. These are really nice sounding IEMs for the money, especially if the tuning appeals to your specific needs. There are multiple means to customize the tuning deliberately in some regards, which especially favors the upper mids and treble range—a dark horse of the FD3 in my opinion. Any deliberate EQ outside of minor adjustments breaks this delicate balance, however, so keep that in mind.

At $110 for the FiiO FD3, I was going to say it is one of the easier recommendations to make. But then came the FD3 Pro with the better cable, at least if going by its specifications, which should address one of my cons above and also provides for more use options courtesy the interchangeable connectors allowing the FD3 Pro to be a hilarious overkill with the New K3 and its 2.5 mm balanced output. For $30 more I would probably go with the FD3 Pro and call it a day for a sub-$150 set of IEMs that comes with more accessories than some $1500 IEMs. It's not as though the accessories are a distraction from any major faults with the FD3, either. You can probably also see how I was reaching with some of the listed cons above. FiiO has had a good batting average thus far, and the FD3 at least continues that trend even if the New K3 doesn't as much.