FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones - Ultra-thin membrane with silver and gold

The FiiO FT Series of headphones from specialist FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. has already produced some very exciting solutions, such as the FiiO FT1 Closed Back Headphones, FiiO FT3 Large Dynamic High-res Over-ear Headphones and FiIO FT5 Planar Magnetic Over-ear Open-back HiFi Headphones. Now another model of the FiiO FT Series is available, the new FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones. These are over-ear headphones that are primarily based on the aforementioned FiiO FT5 from 2023, but the quality standards for the new FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones have been set even higher, as the manufacturer promises.

The focus is primarily on a newly developed driver, namely a planar driver, which is very generously dimensioned and also relies on innovative technologies and exceptional materials.

Innovative planar driver

This is a 106 mm planar driver, which has a number of other special features in addition to these generous dimensions. Firstly, there is the very low thickness of the membrane, which is a special PET film that is only 1 μm thick and therefore has hardly any mass for highly effective operation with the shortest response time. Another outstanding feature is the special coating, which is based on selective vapour deposition with gold and silver for a multi-layer coating, whereby the special combination is intended to combine the advantages of both materials. This guarantees an extremely precise, detailed, dynamic reproduction and at the same time a very appealing, warm sound.

Incidentally, this driver is realised using the latest production technologies from the semiconductor sector; the manufacturer refers to 28 nm processor technology.

Powerful drive unit

In order to really utilise the full potential of the wafer-thin membrane with its special coating described above, the new FiiO FT7 also has a special drive unit in the form of a so-called dual-sided push-pull magnetic circuit system.

Each driver of the FiiO FT7 has 18 powerful N52 neodymium magnets with a magnetic flux of up to 1.5 T, according to the manufacturer. The magnets therefore offer plenty of energy reserves, which ensure excellent transient behaviour and a structured bass. In addition, the FiiO FT7 has been optimised using finite element analysis to ensure a uniform magnetic field at all times, guaranteeing distortion-free reproduction.

Exclusive design – open construction

The headphones have a housing made of high-strength carbon fibre to achieve maximum stability and strength with minimum weight. The FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones are designed as open-back headphones, which means that the ear cups have a front cover made of zebrano wood on the outside, into which a grille has been milled using CNC. This gives the headphones an impressively elegant design.

Low weight for maximum wearing comfort

Of course, headphones with a planar magnetic driver have a certain weight, so they cannot play in the same league as a model with a dynamic driver, for example. However, the new FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones weigh in at just 427 g, which is very, very light for headphones in this class and contributes significantly to the headphones’ high wearing comfort.

The tight headband with separate inner section for just the right amount of pressure and the two pairs of ear pads, one of which is covered in sheepskin and the other in suede, also contribute to this.

Liquid Nitrogen-Frozen Single Crystal Copper Cable

Another special feature of the new headphones is the cable, which is a solution with four conductors made of 6N OCC, i.e. high-purity copper. The lyre structure is axially twisted and PFA is used as the insulation material. The entire cable is also coated with nylon and undergoes cryogenic treatment at -192 °C. The cable is three metres long. It has a length of three metres and terminates at one end in 3,5 mm mini jack plugs for connection to the ear cups and at the other end in a 4,4 mm Pentaconn, which gives you the option of connecting the FiiO FT7 symmetrically to a source device.

Technical data of the FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones

The FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones can reproduce a frequency range between 5 Hz and 40 kHz with its 106 mm planar driver, making it Hi-res Audio certified. The manufacturer lists the impedance as 25 ohms and the sensitivity as 94 dB.

Prices and availability

The new FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones are already available from specialist retailers and are supplied with a suitable carrying case. An adapter to XLR and an adapter to 6,3 mm stereo jack are also included. The recommended retail price is listed at € 749,-.

Getting to the point

Once again, FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. is expanding its range of headphones, specifically over-ear headphones, centred around the FiiO FT Series. The new FiiO FT7 Open-back Planar Headphones, an open-back over-ear headphone with a particularly sophisticated planar driver that is designed to provide a particularly detailed, dynamic performance with a pleasantly warm sound character, are now available, according to the specialist for personal audio devices.