PAIRING WITH SOURCES:-
One can see the 32ohm impedance, 109db sensitivity, 100mw power handling capacity and can assume that the FD5 might a slightly power hungry but it is not the case. FD5 is a very jolly and eager IEM and barely sounds bad with even the bad source it sounds excellent. It barely has any pickiness. I drove it out of my Vivo V19, LG G7, Shanling UA1, Earman TR-Amp and even the iFi Micro Signature and the differences were not night and day. Obviously driving it out of a more capable source will yield better details, separation and layering but FD5 is barely sounds bad with any source.
In short it doesn’t change enough with sources. It has own flavor and stick to it any way.
HOW DOES THIS SOUNDS:-
I have been working with multi driver IEMs lately. Even when one had 3 dynamic drivers it had 3 nevertheless. I know what a single dynamic driver IEM can do but I still had some reservations. In the world with hybrid IEMs what can a single dynamic driver IEM do? The answer is a lot!! The single 12mm beryllium coated “Volcanic Field” inducing prism system driver has plenty offer here. It does have a bit of V shaped signature which puts the mid range a bit less forward than both bass and treble region.
This is not a dull sounding IEM by a long shot, it has energy across the spectrum and can be labeled as warm and slightly brighter. I have to say it has a bit of coloration too. It maintains good accurate tonality with a good timber.
I am using Stock vocal tips, wide bore nozzle and iFi Micro Signature for this review.
NARROW BORE NOZZLE:-
Let’s get this out of way first. The narrow bore nozzle in my opinion is suited for those who want more bass and don’t want treble energy. It has a boomy, wooly and a bit more textured lower end but it lacks everywhere else. It does not have the mid range clarity, treble energy, notes definition or dynamism. Except the lower end the rest of the spectrum feels compressed. I won’t recommend this nozzle for those who want better balance and details.
BASS:-
Being a single dynamic driver earphone one can expect plenty of lower end rumble and punch and that’s what we get here. It has bigger and more voluminous punch than the UM 3DT I reviewed recently. The sub-bass are slightly less emphasized with acceptable amount of rumble. Mid bass takes over the lower end with fuller and meatier notes giving the lower end its fullness. It has the vim and vigor I look for in dynamic drivers. Even with all this volume and punch thankfully it does not have wooliness or flab to worry about. It does not get too bassy or out of control. What it does is move good amount of air with a sizeable slam and nice control over notes. The upper bass is well controlled and blends nicely into the lower mid range. Decay speed is slightly slower than BA based IEMs but I can’t label this slow, which is true for both Penon ORB and ISN H40. This still gives good amount of precipitation and weight to the notes. FD5 delivers good texture and details. It has a mix of fun, Precision and accuracy which caters too everyone.
This area of slam is big, a bit smaller than the Lear Kaleido and bigger than UM 3DT but has lighter punch than these two.
MID RANGE:-
The FD5 has a slightly recessed mid range as its projection is slightly lower than the rest of the spectrum but when I compared it with the IMR R2 aten which has an L shaped sound signature the FD5 delivers much better instrumental and vocal note’s height. It has the attack which is engaging and slightly distracting to the trained ears at the same time mostly because of the slight jitter with the finishing at top. Since it’s the same driver the transition phases are very good and don’t have the obvious lack of energy. The whole mid range has slight bit of warmth with a bit of organic touch.
Vocals sound crisp and clear with a close to natural tonality, its slightly held back by the added aggression. Decay is paced with both precision and musicality in mind, giving the notes required amount of body. It is not thin like the AF180 or thick like the Fibae 4. Vocal notes have right amount of energy and transparency. Both male and female vocals sound accurate while resolving very good amount of details. Male vocals have slightly slower decay helping with thickness, giving them a nice throaty feel. Female vocals are sharper with accurate notes depth and are a delight with good bite. Vocal have nice texture and transparency. Instruments have slightly less energetic feel but do not compromise with transparency. The upper mid range a bit forward but do not have excessive energy to worry about. Only criteria I feel the FD5 is average is the slight lack of of air between instruments, its good but could have been a bit better.
HIGHS:-
The FD5 has precise notes presentation across the spectrum and it holds true for the treble section too. It doesn’t shy away from a lively and energetic presentation filled with plenty of details and class leading transparency, transparency which is not there even with more expensive earphones like Fibae 3 and DM8. Some earphones try too hard to exhibit better transparency and clarity with sharper notes but the FD5 doesn’t belong to that bunch either.
The transition phase from upper mid range to lower treble region has excellent energy and transparency while keeping any type of harshness at bay. The FD5 has very good treble extension and even when it goes deep into the spectrum, notes maintain good amount of energy and clarity. The amount of details, resolution and energy is very good and even through out. Needless to say that separation and layering is up to the mark with good amount of air and space between instruments. The treble stage is well spread and has good density to it. The bigger than average stage size helps a lot with instrument placements and density. If you love treble, tingling instruments and minute details the FD5 will not disappoint.
STAGE AND IMAGING:-
FD5 has a very linear stage, it doesn’t have much discrepancies when it comes to projection and emphasis. It has all the instruments taking appropriate amount of stage area. Yes the treble feels airier but it still is not the dominating kind while letting the rest of spectrum have enough room. The stage size is not huge but is better than average. It delivers very good notes height and depth while the x-axis width is lacking.
FD5 has a few problems too. It does not have the cleanliness with separation as the notes lack definition at their bases and the upper mid are a bit clumsy and feels a bit stressed.
