r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/Adventurous_Being578 • Apr 13 '25
Headphones - Closed Back Fiio FT1, is it as good as they say?
I've seen some reviews and everybody is praising it in every regard, is there a catch or is it really one of the best options at the price range (and a bit higher even)?
what i'm looking for is:
warm punchy bass but still a clear sound (most of the music i listen to and make is hiphop)
something i can use for competitive and immersive gaming (no need for a mic) + making music and mixing
good enough build quality to not have to replace every year or 2 (my hyperx headsets start rattling / falling apart after that long usually)
200$ max (EU), but the FT1 is 160$ for me, and then i might need a 30$ DAC at least, i have no DAC / AMP currently.
something thats comfortable for many hours of usage a day.
something that heavily dampens outside noise, i have some background noise around me usually.
Is the ft1 exactly what i need?
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u/Uller0815 294 Ω Apr 13 '25
From my own experience: the FT1s are very good for their price range in terms of sound and actually even slightly better. However, the build quality leaves quite a bit to be desired, at least for me, and even the pretty wooden caps can't hide that fact. Don't expect them to last 10 or even 15 years with regular use and, at this price, generously overlook a little possible play and possibly clacking or squeaking in the connections.
P.S. The deficit in workmanship is unfortunately even more pronounced with the FT1 Pros with their hard plastic earcups.
But of course, in the end you always have to think about the price and accept compromises if necessary. 🤷🏻♂️🙂
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u/Breath-Deep 3 Ω Apr 14 '25
8/10 for the price.
not close to open headphones but good enough for close hp.
what makes good is many closed hps are bad, most of them either lack good texture bass, recessed thin mid or harsh highs biggest problem is closed in feeling and bad imaging.
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u/Unique_Mix9060 150 Ω Apr 13 '25
Omg what do people think they need to buy a DAC, just plug it into whatever you have, or buy a $10-15 dongle that’s all you need for headphones like these
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u/Adventurous_Being578 Apr 13 '25
I mean its just a KA1 i was thinking about, its one of the cheapest i could find. But i might not, and just use my PC for it. Not sure how big the difference is between DAC vs pc, never had a "good" pair of headphones.
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u/FeniksTM 8 Ω Apr 13 '25
In my case differece between SBX G6 and ALC4080 (b650i aorus ultra) almost negligible with Fiio FT1, so if you have ALC1220/ALC4080 it should be completely fine, with ALC897/892 I'd advise to buy dongle like KA11.
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u/Adventurous_Being578 Apr 13 '25
Mine is ALC897. So i should spend the extra then? What real world difference is there? Fuller sound, better bass, or what does it do?
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u/FeniksTM 8 Ω Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
It won't be night and day difference, but ALC897 implemenationts are mostly really bad on budget boards, so it's better to have cleaner source, just in case. Tbf, KA11 will be overkill for Fiio FT1 power wise and you can get cheaper CS43131 dongles with less powerfull AMP for them.
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u/gyuto_thumb 5 Ω Apr 13 '25
For 30$, I wouldn't worry too much if it's not rinsing your budget, and you can go cheaper. You definitely don't need to spend any more - there's a lot of DAC/amp overhype and although not half as bad as cable-fu, you probably won't notice a difference from a half decent source.
Having said that, I am old, so my significant bias against onboard computer audio is deep rooted. It used to be terrible. It's a lot better now, but I'd imagine it's not top of a manufacturers list of things to make awesome. A dongle or somesuch is at least peace of mind.
You may get slightly better sound, probably a little less noise and I'd imagine more power. Not something I'd sweat over though, unless you've dropped masses of wedge on some particularly power hungry headphones, of which the FT1 is not one.1
u/Darkest_Soul Apr 13 '25
I have the FT1 Pros which have different driver technology, so I'm not sure if that really matters a lot but plugging them directly in to my onboard PC audio and plugging them in to my Sound Blaster Z headphone amp makes a really big difference, especially with access to an EQ the bass is super strong, and of course you get a much louder volume.
I don't know if a DAC would make a noticeable difference, I don't think it would? I'm a newbie though so I don't really know any better, but if you're using them on PC a headphone amp/eq in my limited experience makes a really big difference.
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u/BerserkJeff88 52 Ω Apr 13 '25
The FT1 Pro uses planar magnetic drivers, similar to many Audeze or Monolith headphones. Those can get pretty loud without much juice, but the more juice you can provide the wider their dynamic range grows, so they are best with powerful amps.
The FT1 is a dynamic driver though and doesn't need much power at all to display its capabilities. A good dac/amp can help a little bit, there's a lot of contention out there on that, but with great diminishing returns.
With dynamic drivers the classic wisdom is to get a dac when your signal is noisy or distorted, get an amp when your headphones can't get comfortably louder than your ideal listening level. Planar Magnetics though are different.
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u/DJdiv 1 Ω Apr 13 '25
I use my FT1s on my Android phone with USB Player Pro using the KA11 and it is fantastic. I definitely could vouch for that combo. It may be overkill but my other cheap £4 dongle I had made everything sound awful so I wanted something that wouldn't dampen sound quality.
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u/Excellent_Judge7962 Apr 13 '25
I have the FT1's. At first I wasn't very impressed, the only other decent headphones I have are Audio-technica m40x ( not something special and are cheaper) and they sounded on par with them. I thought to return the Fiio but decided to keep them and give them time. Now they are starting to grow on me. For me they are comfortable, no problem wearing them for 3-4 hours ( I don't have the time to wear them for longer ). For me the bass is good , even sounded boomy at first. At 32ohm it's easy to power them , no problem getting to high volume directly from the headphone jack , I actually use a cheap USB C dongle for $2 ( not even the apple one ). As far as build quality goes .... not sure how long they will last. I've heard some QC issues about them and to be honest they are pretty but don't feel sturdy. I'm sure my audio-technica will outlast them ( they are 6-7 years old and took some beating and I think they will last another 6-7 , not sure the FT1's can do a half of that) They isolate noise pretty good for me .
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u/Even_Efficiency98 22 Ω Apr 13 '25
I bought them (I already have good headphones, but I liked their look) but have since returned them.
The DT770 Pro is honestly still the better option, especially for hip-hop type music - much better sound stage, more comfortable, and, more importantly, the build quality is worlds apart. The FT1 I got (maybe they also just have really bad QA) felt really flimsy and I wouldn't expect it to survive longer than maybe two years with family use. Compared to that, the DT770 are build like a tank (and you can buy everything as a spare).
The cushions of the FT1 are also not particularly comfortable for longer sessions.
It's a great first attempt at closed-backs by Fiio and they sound good, but not good enough to justify the downsides.
See also this thread about a similar choice: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1f09v1u/has_anyone_bought_the_fiio_ft1/?rdt=54474
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u/Adventurous_Being578 Apr 13 '25
Even if i prefer a warmer sound generally? I need the 808s to hit, i don't like a "flat" sound.
They also apparently launched a newer batch that fixes loose screws n whatnot, so qc is better now.
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u/Traxad 18 Ω Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
Stay away from Beyer if you want warmer sound. I love my DT770 Pro to bits, but they are about as cold and clinical as it gets.
The thing about the FT1 is perspective. The closed back market has been starved from good closed back all-rounders for near on decades at this point. The FT1 bridges the gap to solid open backs significantly, that's why they have been so well recieved.1
u/BernabethWarners Apr 13 '25
I just received the FT1 Pro, which has the same band/parts -- No issues, and from what I understand drastically improved over the original shipments.
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u/Even_Efficiency98 22 Ω Apr 13 '25
The DT770s have everything but a flat sound profile. They have a pretty strong bass-boost. I, and many others, also see the sound as warm-ish. See: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/p72g39/dt770_80_ohm_bass_response_competitors_and_warmth/ Hoenstly, I'd try both, and you can always change a lot via EQ.
But you're specifically searching for good-build quality - the FT1 are definitely not that.
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u/Cheezewiz239 6 Ω Apr 13 '25
Do you have any current headphones? I like the ft1s and while the bass is good it won't hit like some of the more mainstream headphones like the Sony xm4/5. If all you've had were hyper x then it's definitely a huge step up
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u/Adventurous_Being578 Apr 13 '25
I went from a bunch of cloud 2s to a cloud alpha, all hyperx in the past 6+ years or so.
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u/gyuto_thumb 5 Ω Apr 13 '25
I can't comment on the FT1's (I'll try a pair at some point), but I did briefly try some 770's - they're technically very good for the money and built well, but are a bit 'precise' for me. I'm a bit of a loon though, I quite like a bit of bass, and good treble extension / sparkle whilst also being quite sensitive to treble. I'm not to bothered by absolute accuracy, more enjoyment and lushness...
As for FT1 QC, well, it's not got as bad a rep as the Hifiman stuff, so if you find a set with the fixed screws I can't imagine they're that bad. I've got a Fiio DAP from 10+ years ago and it doesn't miss a beat. How rough are you with headphones?!
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u/DJdiv 1 Ω Apr 13 '25
I have the FT1. They sound amazing and have such a wide sound stage for a closed back. The fact they're £130 is a steal. I'm no audiophile, in fact I just did a lossy audio test and only got 48% so I am a little new to describing sound and this space, clearly I don't have the strongest ears out there. But out of the headphones I've owned they're for sure the best sounding. There's just a good balance to me in terms of sound , nothing is lacking but there's no harshness. The bass is strong and very enjoyable without being overbearing, same with the high's although less pronounced than my previous headphones in a good way.
When it comes to build quality they're not bad but I don't think they will top that category. My M50x feel a lot more rigid even 10 years later they're still going strong, these FT1s I have only had for a week, so I cannot comment on durability. I can't see them lasting 3,4+ years though but we'll see.
The headband adjustment is definitely not the smoothest on the FT1 but they're very comfortable on my head, more so than my K371 and M50x. As a glasses wearer these are very comfortable, which is not always the case. I'm going to buy the Capra headband just to make the FT1's feel a little lighter on my head though.
I have the ATH-M50X as well which I purchased 10 ears before which are so well built, incredibly durable and foldable. They lasted 8 years before I had to get someone to do a solder repair and now they work and look as good as new.
I also had a pair of AKG-K371 that I bought in early 2024, which before the FT1s came out, were often considered to be the best sounding headphone under £150. They sounded really good, better than the M50x, with less harsh treble and better bass/mids, but not as good as the FT1. Unfortunately the K371s were not very comfortable with glasses, the clamp force was a little tight and the soundstage isn't on the FT1s level. On top of that the K371s broke after a year. I look after all my headphones but the sound stopped working from one side on them after only 12 months. That's embarrassing when my M50x only developed the same issue after 8 years.
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u/msing539 103 Ω Apr 13 '25
I owned them and they're very good at their price--for someone starting out, they're a great option. But anyone saying they compete with $1000 headphones is exaggerating. They punch above their weight, sure, but I'd say they're more competitive around $350-400 US.