The FiiO FH9 is a Hybrid In-Ear Monitor with a mildly warm tonality, which offers pretty dynamic, lively and entertaining sound profile from the lows up to the highs. The bass of the FH9 is powerful yet controlled; the midrange is nicely transparent and detailed from the lower midrange up to the upper midrange, while the treble area is shown with a decent sense of extension and clarity. None of the peaks were too unbearable. They just added a splash of presence and flavor into those frequency areas. They each seemed to be of just a few decibels max. AudioSense DT200: DT200 is one of my favorite IEMs. It’s cheap, very well-made, and sounds fantastic. In a head-to-head confrontation with FiiO’s latest IEM, I found the latter to offer tighter lows but a narrower soundstage. For the price, I’d take both, but I’d be on a tight spot to only chose one of them. The FH9's shell is specially engineered to eliminate unwanted harmonic resonance generated as sound waves travel through the shell, sound tube and cavity - which greatly eliminates undesirable sibilance in the sound. Berkhan reviewed it and gave good praises, with one little warning: “The FA7 impressed me the most until now. The only problem with its sound is the overpowering mid-bass and lower mid-region. Another small dent is the treble extension. Yet, the most impressive part for me is the instrument presentation. That separation and tonality simply blew me over for this price.”

If you take a closer look at all the above-mentioned FiiO IEMs they all have similar characteristics internally and externally to the FH7s. The FH3 comes also with some nice additions such like a card case, a small carry pouch with zipper that is made of fabric material and a cleaning tool/brush.

Design

Here is where that exception lies since there’s no 2.5mm connectivity included as with past iterations. Not that a balanced connection is necessary since the FH7s tend to be super-efficient but it would have been nice to have. With either the “Balanced Filter” or the “Treble Filter” the FH9 seem like they are flirting just a bit shy of bass-head territory, almost like a perfectly satisfying tease, just not quite. Then if you actually screw on the bass filter…. “Hello bass lover we have a special Iem for you”. Seriously though… The Dynamic Driver has one sole job on the Fiio FH9 and that is to replay the bass region. To my ears the FH9 do so very well, with clarity and great resolution. In terms of tuning the additional dual BA driver configuration fo, the mids and highs deliver a more detailed presentation. The frequency response does not roll off as early at the extremes compared to the FD1. While the soundstage might be a bit more out of your head on the FD1, the imaging on the FH3 is tighter and more accurate for me. FiiO FH3 + iBasso DX160: business class. The iBasso DX160 is one of the best DAP in its price range, giving the FiiO M11 and Shanling M6 a real contender. It’s a great combo, even if a bit noisy, but the soundstage and bass are absolutely insane for the price.

These tips have got to be some of the most comfortable tips I’ve ever worn for the simple fact that the silicone is very thin and it does not expand much within the ear. That can become a source of irritation but here it just slightly molds itself inside the ear.Using the Balanced filter there is a more forward sounding and full sounding midrange. I adore the weight of both male and female vocals. Male vocals have good body, placed nicely within the imaginary stage. There is a crisp but whole element to male vocals that blends nicely with the rest of the replay. Female vocals on the FH9 are just fantastic to me. There is a sweet energy with a certain depth that sounds smooth and forward but also emotional and detail oriented. The cable also uses angle MMCX connections. I tend to prefer the MMCX connection over the 0.78mm2-pin connection since MMCX can be more robust. It also removes the possibility of pins being bent or left inside the IEM. People also say it abates with use. Not so. Mine still crinkle on adjustment after a fair bit of use. I hope this does not impact driver life and reliability, because when I was researching the crinkle issue I read a few driver failure cases as well. The FH3 continues what we here tend to think of as the superior line of monitors from FiiO, the hybrid monitor line. Like the FH5 and FH7, the design and familiar form factor of the FH3 with the CNC Magnesium-Aluminum alloy finish makes it a durable but lightweight and very comfortable IEM. The FH9 features a semi-open acoustic design incorporating FiiO's patented system of balanced pressure relief between the front and rear cavities.

This is a quality set for people who have been in this hobby for long and know what they want. If you just want a relaxing iem and don't want to tinker around, then get a tin t2 plus, aria or er2xr.

Forewords​

My main sources were: iBasso DX160/ FiiO M11 Pro / EarMen Sparrow Trusted sources from trusted brands that I used extensively for the past weeks. Although the green (treble) filters are my preferred filters of choice, they make the mid-range intolerable. They give an amazing extension that sounds very good with instruments, but they make a terrible match for vocals. That’s bad news for anyone who specifically enjoys highly energetic and emotional vocals.

At first I preferred pairing it with the iBasso DX300 + AMP12 as opposed to DX300 MAX, but after the break-in period it was the other way around — I preferred pairing it with the DX300 MAX. I was certain that the FH9 would cross the shine levels of treble and enter into the sparkle range. However, as it turns out, I was wrong. Not only does the FH9 (with the green filters) not cross the shine levels, but it also rarely crosses into the shine levels. Most often, it stays within the sheen range.The midrange of both In-Ear Monitors is slightly recessed due to the V shaped sound signature, while the FH3 shows slightly more clarity. The Ikko OH1 is more successful with male vocals because of its lower midrange tuning that shows more depth and fullness. The FiiO FH3 has the edge when it comes to the female vocal performance that due to the additional upper midrange intensity and detail retrieval. The cables on the 2 IEM’s are also quite different. The FH3 SPC cable with MMCX combo is more convenient and supple compared to the Spring 2’s 0.78mm connector. The Spring 2 also has much softer pure copper cables but the braiding felt a lot looser than the FH3 cable finish.