FiiO told me about the FT1 in late spring this year, and by this time I had finished trying the JT1 and being just whelmed with it. I was really hoping this would not be a case of yet another company knowing how to put out nice open-back headphones but less so with closed-back ones. Between a lot of travel to multiple continents, I admittedly sat on this review for a bit longer than I would have liked too. However, the end result is I had more time with it and was able to time this review to when FiiO has not only released the second wood/color option for the FT1, but has increased production to where supply is hopefully not lagging behind demand by the time you read this. At this point I think it's obvious to everyone reading this review that the FiiO FT1 is a success. A lot of customers clearly love it, and it has rave reviews. I certainly get it, especially given this is a set that looks and feels more expensive than the ~$140-150 you can pick it up for. Even Sivga, who has made a name for itself with affordable wooden ear cup headphones, finds the FT1 to be eating its lunch by being priced less, tuned subjectively better, and offering better accessories too. The FT1 is a legitimate set for not just music listening, but gaming too. I honestly feel most people here should check it out rather than mainstream gaming headsets, especially if you prioritize build quality and sound.

On the other hand, I find myself being not wholly in love with the FT1 as many others seem to be. It's certainly not a perfect set; FiiO is well aware of this having priced it low but not low enough to be a loss-leader. It's not the most resolving set, and honestly you can get better value with IEMs if you are okay with those. Many still prefer headphones though, be it for comfort or simply because that's what they are used to. In that regard, and especially in this price range, tuning trumps everything else and this is where the FiiO FT1 impresses compared to the competition, as well as many other sets which cost more. The older recommendations, such as the AKG K371 and Creative Aurvana Live, might well be relevant enough to not merit replacing with the FiiO FT1—I haven't heard these two recently to vouch one way or the other though. I should also mention the FT1 has some tuning quirks which can work well for some but not for others. The build quality and industrial design is generally impressive, although I would have preferred some padding on the headband and would rather have the cables be less microphonic—thankfully not a big deal when not moving—even if it uses less expensive materials on the outside and we only get a single one. While I am at it, the ear pads are quite soft and comfortable, but even those wearing glasses might end up with a less-than-perfect seal that can drop the bass shelf by 4–5 dB even. I would also have liked to see larger openings in the ear pads, but also replacement ear pads listed sooner than later—especially since these are getting so popular that the FT1 has a good chance of being the next $150-200 benchmark. These things are not dealbreakers by themselves, but add up enough to keep me from giving an Editor's Choice award to the FT1. That said, I absolutely acknowledge the value proposition on offer and have no qualms about recommending it to both the audiophiles and gamers here.