FiiO FT13 Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones – Purpleheart Music Desire
FiiO FT13 is a $299 USD pair of over-the-ear closed-back headphones with large 60mm dynamic drivers at the heart, wood composite nano-fiber wood diaphragm and U-Shaped damping tube. Today we will review FT13 and will also compare them to other similarly priced headphones including Kiwi Ears Atheia (349 USD), Audeze MM-100 (399 USD) and Aune AR5000 (299 USD).
Introduction
FiiO keeps launching new interesting products across all price points, but the new FT13 purpleheart is one of the most interesting ones, thanks to FiiO’s unique driver and acoustics approach. FiiO products are popular and the company is one of the most popular players in the audio industry, regardless of the price point you’re looking at. FiiO products are available and can be found on Amazon, Aliexpress and for sale through multiple Hifi channels, including the biggest hifi shops locally.
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 audio for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JabSPH
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3uddtfV
Build Quality And Design
FiiO FT13 s a closed-back pair of headphones made with Natural Purpleheart wooden earcups, from South America, an exceptionally hard wood with a unique color. The color you can see in my photos is what the headphones naturally look like, and each piece is allowed to age for 90 days, and each cup features unique grain, every pair being truly unique. At the core, FT13 also sports a large 60mm dynamic driver, which can create a deep bass and wide soundstage. This size of driver was also seen in FiiO FT1, and it should deliver a super deep bass.
To complement the dynamic driver, FiiO is using a wool composite nano-fiber diaphragm, made with insight from Europe, with technology honed for over 100 years of papermaking craftsmanship. This diaphragm is just 0.1mm thick and has a W Shaped suspension gasket. The W shape also increases the diaphragm area by 25.8% compared to a classic shape.
FiiO FT13 is a closed-back model, and beyond the closed-back design, it also integrates a system of passive noise-reduction components, including a standing wave dissipation chamber, specially designed read cavity sound-absorption cotton and a noise reduction U-Shaped tube. These components can further reduce ambient noise by up to 26 dB.
Technically, FiiO FT13 boasts a 32 OHM impedance, and a SPL of 98dB/mW, with a 113dB / Vrms sensitivity. FT 13 also comes with a Furukawa monocrystalline copper + silver plated oxygen free copper cable, which is crafted with an 8-Strand braided design, housing 1000 wire conductors in total. This cable features 500 secondary smelted Furukawa single crystal copper wire conductors, and 500 oxygen-free silver-plated copper wire conductors, with each polarity at 17 AWG. This is rather thick and this is a modular cable as well and you can use it with a 3.5mm SE or 4.4mm balanced connectors.
Earpads are a Lambskin and Suede combo, each with a durable design. Having two earpads in the package is interesting, because it allows you to choose between a deeper, quicker sound and a more vocal and atmospheric presentation. FiiO FT13 swivels in all directions, with a 38mm sliding length, 45 degrees of vertical rotation angle, and 35 degrees of horizontal rotation angle. You can even see the driver inside of the headp-hones, and it is tilted, angled in such a way that it has a conical deflector design. Inside the package you can also find a Yaoli linen storage bag, with FT13 being a direct upgrade from FT1 in the sound, cable and comfort departments.
Subjective Usage
I like how FiiO FT13 fits on my head, it is not a heavy pair of headphones, but they have a fairly natural clamping force for my ears. The headband allows the FT13 to sit well with medium and large heads, but for my head I am almost at minimum, so they might be large for smaller heads. Earpads are deep, comfortable and the sponge inside is nice and thick.
Passive noise isolation is very good, at around 20 dB actually, although it is not a linear passive noise isolation and certain sounds are dampened and isolated more than others. Cable quality is insanely high, as FT13 comes with a modular, flexible cable that does not conduct handling and microphonic noise.
The color is also beautiful, I cannot really explain how magical FT13 looks in person, they have a deep crimson, dazzling red and purple color, with multiple shades in the reflection. In general, they are really well made, with exceptional attention to build quality, no loose parts, no creaking or handling self noise. All is love with FT13 when it comes to build and comfort.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired FiiO FT13 with a collection of sources, including FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9. FiiO FT13 requires quite a bit of power to be driven well, prefers a high gain in general, and it can achieve a dynamic, punchy and vivid sound easily.
Overall Signature – FiiO gave FT13 a bright, open treble, which is the first thing you notice, but that is combined with a deep and slightly boomy bass, and a bright midrange that emphasizes female voices quite nicely. They work really well for modern music, pop, EDM, Dubstep and generally for synthetic music. This being said, the first few pieces I’ve enjoyed with FT13 have been movie soundtracks and I noticed that they have a clean-cut separation between voices and instruments, both in music and movies. This makes FT13 one of the best headphones you could ever get for gaming, or watching movies, if you wanted to hear a strong separation between voices and soundtracks. They work well for music editing, mixing, mastering and all music work you may want to do.
Bass – Starting from the bottom, FT13 is a deep sounding headphone in the bass, and they can reach around 30 Hz, but most strength for the bass is between 50 Hz and 100 Hz, which creates a nice boom and bloom for them. This makes the midrange warm and a bit bloomy, gives music weight and a noticeable amount of warmth. This being said, FT13 lacks the characteristic thickness usually heard with warmer headphones, so they feel bright in general.
Midrange – This all comes back to the midrange, which is more expressive and present in the upper midrange and less present in the lower midrange. FT13 thus feels quite bright and present for female voices, and this helps the separation of the instrumental layers and the vocal layers, but FT13 also sounds wide and very dynamic. Midrange generally makes even male voices a bit more musical, brighter and thinner. FT13 is great for modern pop, EDM and commercial music.
Treble – The first thing I noticed about FT13 is how bright and open their treble is, and they extend up to 20 kHz easily with a lot of presence and strength between 9 kHz and 14 kHz, and a peaking point at 11 kHz. This makes music slightly metallic, interesting, holographic and gives strength to special effects, shimmer, cymbal crashes and special effects. This also creates a sound that’s a bit digital and emphasizes synths, hence why I consider FT13 a great pair for electronic and modern music. It really renders synth textures nicely.
Dynamics And Textures – FT13 has a very fast impulse response, as promised by FiiO and this works well with modern music that is mastered well. This also means that it reveals grain and mistakes easily, but it seems to always sound quite dynamic and relaxed in the DR. The dynamic range feels wide even with ultra compressed music, and thanks to the strong separation between the vocal and instrumental layers, you actually never notice the compression in modern music and FT13 extends this style of music.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – FiiO FT13 sounds equally good at high and medium volumes, it gets more dynamically wide, and more detailed at louder volumes and sounds more compressed at lower volumes. This makes them a good pair of headphones to enjoy loud and very loud, and not an ideal pair of headphones to listen to at low volumes.
Soundstage – With a wide, holographic soundstage, FiiO FT13 sounds vivid and brilliant, but they also sound separated. There is a strong separation between the forward, vocal layer and the background instrumental layer, with FT13 being able to define each separately. Voices are always a tiny bit forward, while instruments are pushed in the background, except for the lead instrument, which is usually quite forward.
Comparisons
FiiO FT13 vs Kiwi Ears Atheia (299 USD vs 349 USD) – Atheia is made of metal and wood, just like FT13, but Atheia is quite a bit smaller, and would work well for all head sizes, except for very large heads, while FT13 is much larger, and would work well for all heads sizes except for very small. FT13 feels lighter, and the earcups have more space for my ears, although both headphones have thick earpads with a nice and soft sponge. The cable of Atheia is not quite as premium as the cable of FT13, which is modular, braided and feels nicer, has less handling noise. Soincally, FT13 is a bit brighter in the treble, deeper in the bass with more kick and more punch. FT13 has a higher resolution, better definition, and it sounds more dynamic, with less compression and more extension of the dynamic range. Atheia sounds more congested, but also thicker, and less colored than FT13. Both are great options with a wide soundstage, but Atheia in particular is best with aggro metal and grindcore, while FT13 is better with EDM, Pop, Movies, Soundtrack, gaming and as a generalist headphone for modern sounds. As both are closed-back models, it is worthy to mention that FT13 has a slightly better passive noise isolation.
FiiO FT13 vs Audeze MM-100 (299 USD vs 399 USD) – MM-100 is a different pair of headphones, made of metal, resilient, tight and rigid. It is much heavier than FT13, fit is tighter on MM100 and overall they don’t have any passive noise isolation. MM-100 also has a connector on just one cup, which is different from the 2 x 3.5mm connectors found on FT13. MM-100 is easier to drive and more consistent sounding across sources, but also can show hissing and background noise with noisy sources, while FT13 is less sensitive to this effect. For long hours of wear, FT13 is most certainly lighter and more comfortable to use. This being said, sonically, FT13 sounds brighter, lighter, less waxy, less congested, and more fluid, but also with far less bass emphasis than MM-100. While MM-100 does not strike me as a bassy headphone, FT13 is quite a bit brighter and this causes it to sound different, more open, less warm, less thick than MM-100. The soundstage is much wider, more holographic and with better instrument separation as presented by FiiO FT-13.
FiiO FT13 vs Aune AR5000 (299 USD vs 299 USD) – Aune AR5K is built around the idea of comfort, convenience and that MLD Dynamic driver, but they also come with a looser fitting, lighter weight, but open back, or at least semi open design compared to FT 13 which is fully closed back. This makes Aune AR 5000 a good option for a relaxed fit, looser than more relaxed than FT13, but without the passive noise isolation effect. AR-5000 is harder to drive well. Aune AR5000 is brighter sounding than FT13, and once both have had their burn-in, AR5K has a treble emphasis and upper midrange emphasis of around 10 dB over the bass, while FT13 is more balanced, boomier but deeper sounding. While both have a crisp female voice presentation, AR-5K is more fluid, less congested and more bright sounding while FT13 sounds a bit boomy, bloomy, deep and quite wide, while AR5000 sounds smaller, a bit more intimate, brighter, more crystalline.
Value and Conclusion
FiiO FT13 has a very good baseline price, and I was able to find it for 299 USD at the lowest, if imported straight from China, but the price can be a bit higher depending on local taxes but it is still super easy to recommend, comes with a transport case, high-grade modular cable, excellent comfort and build quality, and it is just generally an incredible headphone to use in person.
At the end of the day, FiiO FT13 purpleheart is a unique pair of headphones and delivers a bright, detailed but also deep sound, and if you’re looking for this kind of U-Shaped signature, a closed-back pair of headphones, with a modular cable, large earcups, light weight, and a highly resolving, dynamic sound, you will find happiness in a pair of FiiO FT13 headphones and your favorite music.
PROs
- High-quality build
- Comfortable
- Lightweight
- Modular cable
- Transport case
- Beautiful color and finish
- Excellent dynamic range
- Deep bass and bright, airy treble
- Versatile
- Fun to use and listen to
Cons
- Can be a bit hard to drive in person
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3JabSPH
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3uddtfV
--- 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 ---
