Introduction

HiFiMAN might be the most covered Chi-Fi brand on TechPowerUp at the moment, but I will go out on a limb and say that FiiO is probably the most famous. The brand was established in 2007 with the goal to raise the reputation of products tagged "Made in China." It has won several major awards over the years and became a powerhouse when it comes to portable DACs and amps in particular. I too use the now-dated FiiO E17 for many things, and when the opportunity came up to test a FiiO set of in-ear monitors (IEMs) and introduce the brand formally, how could I refuse? Thanks again to Linsoul for helping with a review sample for TechPowerUp!


FiiO has several product lines within its portfolio, and even its IEMs are classified under the FA (balanced armature drivers only), FD (dynamic drivers only), and FH (hybrid of both drivers) series. The FH5s is thus a hybrid driver set of IEMs that belongs to the FH3/FH5s/FH7 series, having only just launched and meant to replace the older, outgoing FH5. There are two color options with the FH5s, including the silver one shown above and the black version I have here. FiiO is promising quite a lot, with customization options far beyond anything else tested so far. We find out how this all works out in practice as we begin the review with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications