FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones – With elegant walnut

Foto © FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. | FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones

FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is once again expanding its range of headphones with the new FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones.

FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. has been known for years as a proven specialist in the field of personal audio devices, with an impressive range of in-ear headphones, earbuds and now open-ear headphones. Over-ear headphones were not offered for a long time until the company decided to launch the FiiO EH3 NC Wireless Headphones for the first time.

The product range of FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. currently includes the FiiO FT3 and FiiO FT5 models, which are now being joined by a further model, namely the new Fiio FT1 Closed Back Headphones. Based on the features of its big brothers, it offers fine sound and high-quality workmanship as well as the best comfort at a particularly attractive price.

Closed-back design with a fine walnut housing

The fact that the new FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones have a so-called closed-back design is already revealed by the product name. What particularly stands out here is that the developers have opted for a housing made of wood. In fact, American black walnut is used here, with the two housing parts being milled from a single piece, thus fully exploiting the advantageous properties of this material from an acoustic point of view. Sound-damaging resonances and vibrations should thus be largely prevented, as the manufacturer states. In addition, each headphone made of this material is, of course, unique and the feel also conveys a sense of quality.

Sophisticated driver design

In principle, a dynamic driver with a generously dimensioned diameter of 60 mm is used here, with a so-called nano-wood fibre diaphragm acting as the membrane, the driver having a so-called W-shaped suspension gasket and an ultra-fine Japanese CCAW voice coil and a U-shaped acoustic damping tube. So much for the manufacturer’s own description.

So it is a membrane that consists of a specially prepared wood-fibre paper composite, with FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. emphasising that the wood used is particularly old spruce from Northern Europe. In this context, it is pointed out that this is the same wood that is often used in instrument making because of its special properties.

The spruce undergoes a series of processes including steeping, boiling and hammering to create a specific pulp – then a precise proportion of carbon fibre material is added to meet the acoustic toughness requirements. The diaphragm then undergoes another round of baking and moulding, resulting in a final thickness of about 0.1 mm.

The suspension of the membrane is made of lightweight polyurethane, a detail that is intended to contribute to a particularly warm, detailed and musical sound.

The aforementioned ultra-fine Japanese CCAW voice coil is ultimately a 25 mm diameter CCAW voice coil, where CCAW stands for copper-clad aluminium wire, which describes the material used for the windings here. This design is intended to guarantee a particularly high degree of efficiency and optimal transient response.

The term W-shaped Suspension Gasket refers to an acoustic technology used by FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. for the first time in these headphones, which involves a W-shaped suspension seal. According to the manufacturer, this design minimises vibration losses between the various materials and reduces distortion caused by the driver breaking up, allowing the FiiO FT1 to deliver clean, refined sound.

The U-shaped Acoustic Damping Tube is a special damping element designed to improve the headphones’ bass response.

It should also be mentioned that the drivers in these headphones are arranged so that they are aligned parallel to the ear by a conical baffle. This helps to avoid standing waves. The result is minimal attenuation of high frequencies, further improving the sound quality of the headphones.

High level of comfort

A so-called adaptive 3-axis headband, which allows free rotation at different angles and thus guarantees a perfect fit, is designed to provide the best comfort when wearing the headphones.

Breathable fabric ear pads with a high-density mesh design effectively dissipate heat between the ear pads and the ears, and the sides of the ear pads, like the padding on the underside of the headband, are made of durable protein leather.

Complex, high-quality cable

Of course, a lot of attention was paid to the cable of the new FiiO FT1 to ensure the best possible signal transmission and high robustness in daily use. A 392-core silver-plated oxygen-free copper cable is used for both cable variants included in the scope of delivery. On the one hand, a version with a 3,5 mm stereo mini-jack is available, but also a symmetrical version with a 4,4 mm pentaconn.

Key technical data of the FiiO FT1

Broken down into the pure numbers, the new FiiO FT1 presents itself as a closed headphone with a dynamic 60 mm driver that can reproduce a frequency range between 10 Hz and 40 kHz at an impedance of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 113 dB. Accordingly, the new FiiO FT1 also features the Hi-res Audio logo.

In addition to the actual headphones, a cable with 1,5 m and 3,5 mm stereo mini jack, a cable with 1,5 m and 4,4 mm Pentaconn and an adapter from 3,5 mm stereo mini jack to 6,3 mm stereo jack, a suitable transport bag is also included.

Prices and availability

According to the manufacturer, the new FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones should be available in stores in the next few days. The recommended retail price is € 159,-.

Getting to the point

With the new FiiO FT1 closed-back headphones, FiiO Electronics Technology Co., the Chinese specialist in personal audio devices, is once again expanding its range of headphones, specifically in the over-ear headphone segment of the FiiO FT series. With a number of outstanding technical features and, last but not least, a housing made of fine walnut wood, this new addition is set to be a particularly exciting solution at an attractive price.