Closer Examination

The charging/carry case for TWS earphones is a critical component of the overall user experience and we see FiiO has used a similar design as the FW5 case for the FW3 to save cost. The former goes with black and has no branding up top whereas the "space gray" FW3 case—there will be a white version in the future—gets the FiiO logo in black. The cases are similar in size at ~68.5 x 34 x 32.5 mm although the FW3 case comes off less rounded. Both have case battery indicator LEDs on the front below the notch used to help open it and these lights help show you the current battery level in 25% increments as well as flash during charging. Both cases have the same 380 mAh (1.4 Wh) battery inside with FiiO rating the battery inside each IEM to be 65 mAh (130 mAh in total per pair). This allows for a little over two charge cycles from the case which matches FiiO's own battery life rating—not great, not terrible. The cases themselves are easily pocketable, but I found the more rounded FW5 case less likely to snag and inside are the IEMs themselves in their charging compartments. Do note that the button placement on shells means you need to be more careful when taking out the IEMs though, lest you inadvertently push something while its pairing. It's an unfortunate design snafu but not a deal breaker in my books since you can easily remove them from the sides unlike with the Campfire Audio Orbit.


The space gray and black color scheme extends to the earphones too with the FW3 getting a metallic painting in gray and the FW5 going for a more expensive vacuum coating. Both should still last the test of time and I certainly did not see any scratches or imperfections. The face plates themselves make these look like the more expensive FiiO FD5/FD7 wired IEMs with the curves seemingly inspired by mountains and waterfalls somehow. More importantly, the IEMs come in at ~28.5 x 23 x 22.5 mm and I wish everyone was as diligent in reporting IEM dimensions throughout.


A closer look at the face plates shows there is an indicator LED on each TWS body too, with the FW3 getting one on the top and the FW5 at the bottom. There is also an air guide mesh underneath followed by a water-resistant and sound permeable cotton sheet which adds IPX4 water resistance to the FW5, but no such rating is provided for the FW3. Note also the smoother finish on the FW5 which further helps cement its status as a more expensive set. Both have physical buttons on the top and side for various pre-programmed functions and I do appreciate the secondary button to the side also has a tiny bump to make it easier for identification and use when they are placed in the ears. The larger form factor also allows for a separate antenna placed closer to the face plates for increased wireless reception. The lower section is rounded and ergonomically designed to fit in the ear concha where we also see the magnetic pins for charging, L/R indicators, and a vent for the dynamic driver inside to accompany the air mesh on the face plate. Neither set has extra sensors to help detect when they are inserted/removed from the ears though, which means you will have to manually pause music too in the absence of any ambient mode onboard. The nozzle is quite thin but highly angular so we'll see on the next page whether these fit in well. There is a pre-installed metal filter on the end to help prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Fitting the different ear tips will require you to slightly stretch the inner bore to fit over the nozzle before pushing them in and going around to ensure they are not at an angle. The notch at the end of the nozzle helps with this process and provides a hard stop to indicate the ear tips are in all the way. Seen above are each of the included size M silicone ear tips installed with the FiiO FW3 and FW5, with the company mentioning the standard thickness tips are balanced and the HS18 tips are optimized for vocals. In practice, just get the best possible fit first by trying out the various tips and sizes and keep in mind that both ear canals won't necessarily have the best seal with the same size or set, either. Then tip roll to your desire if you have specific ear tips that work well for you and perhaps sound better too.