FiiO EH13 Bluetooth Headphones Review – Stealthy Bassy Music Companion
FiiO EH13 is a $49 USD pair of over-the-ear wireless bluetooth headphones with a 40mm dynamic driver at the core, using a Sapphire-Coated composite diaphragm, LDAC Hi-Res Wireless support and foldable design. Today we will review and explore the EH13 Headphones, and how they stand against the market in general, as those are the most affordable bluetooth headphones we’ve reviewed in more than a year.
Introduction
FiiO is once again pushing the boundaries of affordability and performance with their new EH13 Bluetooth headphones, as those are likely the most affordable pair of bluetooth headphones with a decent quality you can purchase right now. This will be a review to explore the shortcomings, if there are any we can discover, as at 49 USD, you should literally purchase EH13 above any other pair of over-the-ear bluetooth headphones from a supermarket, considering this is the lowest price you’re likely to find super entry-level ones.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4dHYmzd
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4WzJFMv
Build Quality – Design
FiiO EH13 is built around a 40mm dynamic driver with sapphire coating composite diaphragm, making the whole diaphragm really rigid, and resulting in a highly responsive driver with a low THD.
From my understanding, EH13 comes with ANC, and it can filter up to a promised -42 dB of noise, but they have multiple modes that we will test. This is achieved through multiple microphones and also through the usage of complex processing, but they have a DSP chip inside, which allows the drivers to complete the sound above what it would normally do without any processing.
EH 13 also has 5 microphones inside which have advanced ENC or cancels the noise when you’re talking on the phone, and they support LDAC and Dual Hi-Res, basically up to 99 kbps of data transmission, along with a 3.5mm wired input, if you want to keep using them wired instead of wireless. The DSP can be active in wired passive mode too if you turn on the EH13.
Battery life is up to 75 hours of battery life, and this lowers to 45 hours if you disable ANC. You can use the FiiO Control app on Android to set up the EH13, and they use tactile buttons instead of touch, our favorite for a pair of headphones. Technically, EH13 has a low weight of 278 grams, earcup pressure of 4.2N, they use BT 6.0, and have an impedance of 16 OHMs. Inside the package you have the headphones, a typec charging cable and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable.
Subjective Usage
First thing you will be thinking when touching EH13 is that they feel much more premium than the price point suggests. There are some quirks that just don’t make as much sense as I hoped they’d make, as for example all buttons and ports are on the right earcup. While not necessarily a bad placement, it takes some time getting used to.
I am so happy that FiiO has no touch buttons on EH13 as touch controls on a bluetooth pair of headphones was simply a nightmare, and the tactile buttons on EH13 are really nice and offer a good control that is not confusing. Comfort is good to very good as EH13 has a somewhat tight fit and clamping force, but plenty of room for my ears, can get big enough for my head at half of its max size, and can get really tight at minimum, basically being both big and small enough for everyone.
If you’re a sportive person, they do not fall off my head even if I headbang or do a lot of exercise. They are great for running, jogging, lifting and a good gym pair of headphones. And there is even an ANC if you find the noise around you to be too annoying, but that ANC eats some of the battery. Engaging the ANC does not really change the sound of EH13 too much and they just generally sound pretty good, have a good set of features, although transparency barely does anything if music is already playing loudly.
Sound Quality
Pairings – FiiO EH13 is a bluetooth pair of headphones so I’ve been using them Bluetooth. They do not work via USB DAC nor are recommended for any other usage besides Bluetooth. To Power the FiiO EH13 I’ve been using a collection of sources, including FiiO Air Link connected to Khadas Mind 1 Mini PC, Samsung S23 Ultra and Samsung S24 Ultra.
Overall Signature – FiiO EH13 sounds full and a bit warm, but in general is a good balance of power, pump, impact and depth, having a super good resolution and a balanced, if somewhat bright tone. They are great for energetic music, pumped up listening sessions, and feel like in general they were thought for gym usage. Max volume can go incredibly high, and EH13 is great for usage even in loud environments.
Bass – At the bass level, you can expect the low-end to kick in at around 30 Hz, with a lot of depth and power, as it reaches max pump at 40 Hz with an elevated presence up to 90 Hz, and some reminiscent extra pump up to 130 Hz. There’s plenty of bass, and EH13 is a strong basshead contender for this price range. The bass is a bit slow, bloomy and full, works really well for EDM and Pop, Dubstep and electronic styles, but it is a bit full and pumped up for rock and metal music.
Midrange – Vocally, EH13 works well with male and female voices, but it has a warm tint, it is best for EDM, Pop and commercial music as it adds a lot of instrumental body, and thickness, giving music a really nice extra pump and bloom. I would call them perfect for basically all music styles that are new and compressed dynamically. Female voices are usually more forward than male voices, and deep grows in metal feel almost whispered compared to bold and contrasty, emotional female voices.
Treble – Treble and top end reaches around 14 kHz with the highest peak being around 11 kHz, a lot of air and brilliance to keep music interesting, but a smoother – slightly dry style of treble that really works wonders for pop and dubstep, EMD and just electronic music in general. This makes EH13 great for most music that needs this type of electronic special effect width rather than classic rock cymbal crash.
Dynamics And Textures – With a compressed dynamic range, both due to the bluetooth compression and another layer of compression applied by EH13, they bring all details loud, music is very clear and easily audible, and this type of tuning is perfect for artists like Kotori and Skrillex. Great also for gym and loud music, loud environments, EH13 works well for commercial music that was mixed and mastered for radio. Texture is generally natural, slower and more sloppy in the bass creating body, and it gets faster the higher you climb in frequency, indicating likely a resonance frequency of the earcup that adds body and a bit of boom rather than a full-range acoustic echo chamber.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Music gets more compressed, more aggressive and bass gets louder the louder you go with EH13. This makes them good for a more dynamic, less pumped listening at lower levels, and really good for gym, pumped-up, bassy listening at max volumes. Maximum volume is really high and satisfying, as EH13 can reach up to 110 dB at absolute max with almost no audible distortion.
Soundstage – Staging is natural, with a natural instrument separation. Size alone is not deep, but has plenty of width with the right song. EH13 in general will not exaggerate the size of the stage too much, being great for a balanced listening experience.
Value – Conclusion
I have no idea how FiO keeps doing it and getting away with it, but pricing EH13 so low, yet offering such a rich set of features makes EH 13 an instant top choice if you’re on a budget and want an excellent pair of headphones to pump your day.
Overall, EH13 feels really good, premium even, has a super nice, stealthy design, sounds great and is not expensive making it a great choice. Features are plenty while comfort is great, but they can be taken at the gym, having a bombaclat sound that has tons of impact, bass, but also treble and balance between elements, enough to make them a good choice for basically everyone.
PROs
- Criminal value and feature set that actually works
- Comfortable but with a high clamping force, great for workouts
- Nice sleek design that does not scratch too easily
- Very high max volume
- Good battery life
- Ergonomic and lightweight
- Very good for commercial music, pop and dubstep / EDM
- Can work for metal music
- Strong bluetooth chip, no signal loss at all while I was using them
- Sweet female voices
- ANC and Transparency does not damage the sound at all
Cons
- Compressed dynamic range
- Tonality changes quite a bit with volume
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4dHYmzd
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4WzJFMv
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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
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