FiiO has introduced its new flagship planar magnetic over-ear headphones, the FT15.
Following in the footsteps of the brand's established FT5 cans, FiiO bills the new over-ears as being aimed squarely at listeners "who want to explore the detail in their favourite recordings".
The FT15 use a set of 101mm planar drivers which, thanks to their generous surface area, aim to provide a "broad, open soundstage" with a tangible sense of scale. Central to the driver is an ultra-thin diaphragm, designed "to respond rapidly to the music" and provide a "precise, refined reproduction".
A diamond coating is added across the face of the diaphragm to increase rigidity, creating a blend of stiffness and lightness in pursuit of more accurate driver movement.
The drivers also feature FiiO's own uniform 'magnetic field' design, which employs custom contoured, high-strength magnets to help suppress diaphragm breakup and distortion for a cleaner, purer audio signature.
The headphones' cable uses monocrystalline copper and is cryogenically treated for a smoother signal transfer. The FT15 include a 4.4mm balanced connection, alongside 6.35mm and XLR-4 adapters, to give greater flexibility across a range of sources such as DACs and headphone amplifiers.
The FT15’s earcups are made from black walnut, so that each pair has its own unique appearance thanks to the variations in the wood's natural grain.
A carbon fibre headband complements the cans' wooden construction, chosen to keep the headphones' overall weight down to facilitate greater listener comfort.
The FiiO FT15 are available now, priced at £499 / $500 / €500. We don't get many planar headphones through our doors, but in terms of open-backed designs, the F15 sit between the Award-winning Grado SR325x (£250 / $250) and the superb Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Generation) (£699).
MORE:
I test headphones for a living but can’t make sense of the AirPods 5 launch
10 of the best acoustic tracks to test your hi-fi system
Check out the best wired headphones you can buy
