FiiO EH11 Headphones Review – RetroFuturism Sounds Brilliant
FiiO EH11 is a 29 USD pair of on-ear headphones with an ultra portable design, blending retro and vintage, looking like they’re right out of an ad from the 1980. Today we review EH 11 and explore how they work on a modern world.
Introduction
While FiiO Needs no introduction, I find it amusic how EH11 would be so intriguing for someone who lived back in the 80’s as they’d never dream of turning the earcups for volume and song change, nor Bluetooth and such a good sound coming from their stereo. This being said, considering how good life was a few decades ago before AI, before even mainstream computers and social media, I am not quite sure who won more, us with tech, or people before with the simpler, more romantic lifestyle.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to FiiO for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4paoQgW
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Xr74M7
Build Quality – Subjective Usage
FiiO EH11 is a mini sized bluetooth earphone, and in reality it looks even smaller than in the photos I could find online. They are made with a retro compact design, have LDAC support and FiiO Control also. Without having read the official page I immediately felt like they are inspired by the 1980 era earphones, and yet they have a much better build and features than you’d expect.
The earcups are made of wood, and you can rotate them, the right one changing volume while the left one changes songs. The Ideea of RetroFuturism is blending historical elements with modern elements that give a premium feeling despite the vintage part of the design.
At the core of the EH11 we have a high fidelity 40mm dynamic driver with a powerful bass that promises actual extension down to 17 Hz, but with a loss in power starting around 50 Hz. EH11 is semi open and leaks quite a bit, while creating almost no passive noise isolation, and they have LDAC support, with a long battery life of up to 30 hours, and a 2 hour charge. I was able to get around 14 hours with LDAC and high volumes, but that is still quite a lot.
More surprising is the fitting and weight as EH11 has just 92 grams of weight, with a gentle clamping force of 1.7N, feeling like a feather, no hotspot although as they have a strong contact with your ears, if you’re in a warm place, they will feel warm. If you want to EQ them, FiiO includes FiiO App support with a built-in microphone. Those earpads will eat away in time but they are easy to take off and replace. The build does feel a bit fragile, and yet I like that they are so light and comfortable.
Sound Quality
Pairings – FiiO EH11 is a bluetooth pair of headphones with LDAC so I mostly have used Samsung s24 Ultra, FiiO Air Link and Khadas Mind 1 to test them. Connection quality is very good and with so much plastic, it is fair that they work well because plastic is not a strong EMI or RFI isolator.
Overall Signature – I was quite surprised by the sweet, natural sound of the EH11, as they have a natural treble extension, natural and balanced sounding midrange and a deep and warm bass. They’re a great choice without having a strong vintage tuning, and rather they sound modern and revealing, detailed and crisp.
Bass – Low-End starts at around 40 Hz, although it should have extension even lower, that loses power due to the semi open and on-ear design. Instruments have weight and a pump / pneumatic bass, with EDM sounding deep but not necessarily making the earphones vibrate on your head. Bass speed is natural-slow, creating a warm, pleasing tone with the bass having an increase in presence up to around 120 Hz. This adds weight and a bit of boom to all instruments and songs. There is much more bass than I heard with any on-ear designs before, with the bass having around 9 dB of extra presence over the vocals, especially compared to male vocals which are slightly recessed.
Midrange – In the midrange EH11 has a vocally sweet presentation that emphasizes female voices and dramatic presentations, giving more presence and brilliance to pianos and violins and taking away some power from male voices. This creates a pleasing, natural tonality for EDM, Pop and most modern music but they are not tuned intentionally for metal, but work well for rock.
Treble – Top end is fairly sharp and crisp, with a strong resolution and detail. Considering the price point, they render a ton of information, but most of the treble energy is between 8 kHz and 14 kHz with a gentle roll-off above. It is a bit of a W shaped presentation with strong bass, lower midbass, strong upper midrange, then some edge off then some extra treble pinch. Treble is present enough to make most music interesting, brilliant and vivid, but it is not over-the-top.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is natural, a bit compressed but very slightly while the texture style is crisp, with strong details and resolution. Despite the warm bass, EH11 is generally tuned to be analytical and revealing, and this fights a bit with the slower – natural driver speed, but FiiO Clearly wanted them to be as detailed as possible and they strive for resolution and clarity.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – EH11 does not like being taken to absolutely the max volume, as they start clipping but that is not an issue with one tick below the max. They sound best at low and medium volumes and become a bit shouty and aggro very loud. Sound is generally controlled and has a low distortion unless you approach the max volume.
Soundstage – With an around-your-head soundstage, EH11 has a vintage type of sound where music can sound rather big if you close your eyes, but it is not an ultra wide or holographic pair of headphones. Staging is much bigger in the midrange than in the bass or treble, and layering / separation is more of a focus than is the soundstage size.
Value – Conclusion
FiiO EH11 costs less than a day’s worth of food for 2 people, but it can be an endless source of music happiness for one person for more than one year, sounding really nice, being comfortable and even fashionable. Price Performance ratio and value is all the way through the roof, as they really are made well and sound excellent for that money, which is 30 USD.
I like how EH11 sounds, they are interesting, fresh, sound good despite costing little and having a vintage inspired fit. I like that you can rotate the earcaps to control playback, and that they have LDAC support along with a long battery, making them a top choice on a budget.
PROs
- Very strong value and price performance ratio
- Super nice design that is retro inspired
- You can control volume and playback by rotating the earcups
- LDAC support and a long battery life
- Natural and balanced sound that works well with both older and newer music
- Great overall idea and a nice pair of earphones to enjoy casually
- Good max volume and they sound best at low and medium volumes
- Top choice for a limited budget but kind heart
Cons
- Feels quite fragile while handling them
- Clipping and increased THD at high volumes, sounds best at low volumes
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4paoQgW
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Xr74M7
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
