Quick question for the experts / headphone gurus on here (@fentonsteve, @pencilsqueezer)….
I use a Fiio M11 with their FH7 IEMs, which has up to now been pretty damn good. However, playing it recently, the sound appeal “off” – difficult to describe but it’s almost like it’s being played from a hifi in a cavernous room. The sound is still very clear and okay in soft acoustic passages, but once the rest of the band kicks in, it just sounds wrong – it’s almost like a lack of bass, but more than that (told you it was difficult to describe). I have changed the filters in the IEMs, changed the earbuds etc etc, all to no avail.
I hooked up my Sennheiser HD650s to it and they sound fine, so it must be an issue with the FH7 – have o just dropped them too many times and buggered them ? Any ideas ?
Umm… dunno.
Ear wax building up in the mesh can a problem for some (including me). Apologies to those still eating breakfast…
I did check that – stripped them down and replaced the sound filters (they have balanced, detailed treble and dynamic bass – I swapped to the bass)
https://www.fiio.com/fh7
No signs of any gang in there.
Hi Chris. Am I correct in assuming that the cable connectors are MMCX on the Fiio FH7? Are you experiencing this problem via both ear pieces or just the one?
I’m not fond of MMCX connections. I only have one set that has them the OG Timeless 7Hz and I had problems with a loose connector on the right ear piece. I bought a replacement cable from Amazon and now they are fine but I rarely use them. My preference is for two pin connectors as they are far more robust. I avoid buying iems that have MMCX connectors such is my dislike. I would suggest buying a cheap replacement cable. If that fails to restore the sound balance then it may be time for a new set of iems. If that is the unfortunate conclusion I’m happy to recommended some iems as replacement if you give me a budget and some idea of your preferred sound signature.
Yes – they are MMCX connectors. I swapped the cable about a year ago (and this issue only started a week ago) as the cable plastic had degraded. I am getting the issue on both ear pieces, which would suggest it’s not a connection issue. I have also tried swapping from the balanced 4.4mm to the 2.5mm, so it’s not the connection on that end.
The only thing I can think is that I have dropped them and damaged the internal drivers.
I do (did) like the FH7, but am always open other suggestions – I tend to listen to it in bed late at nigh – hence IEMs, but am considering lightweight over ear headphones.
It sounds like they are damaged although it’s difficult to comprehend how exactly the same damage to the same drivers has occurred simultaneously in seperate ear pieces but as you have checked everything else…
I’ll recommend two sets. They retail for under £500 bps. Both offer a pretty neutral sound signature. Both are detailed with well managed bass, a good midrange and with enough sparkle up top without getting fatiguing.
Xenns Mangird Top Pro. Retails for £499.99.
Softears Volume S. Retails for £320. These are my current favourite iems. Very light and very comfortable. Lovely tuning. Oodles of detail with plenty of space and excellent imaging.
Thanks Peter – I will check out both recommendations.
Yep – I know what you mean about how both appear to be damaged. It’s puzzling me – and I spent many years doing failure analysis in the electronics industry !! Hence the call for some alternate opinions.
It’s a really strange effect – on the one hand they sound really crisp and clear as they always have, but just with this “cavernous” sound. At first I thought I had messed up some of the settings on the M11S, but they all appear okay and the fact my HD650s sound great suggest its not the player. Very puzzling. Maybe the inside of my ears have mutated so it only affects IEMs and not over ears……
I’ve just taken a look at what the drivers are in the Fiio FH7, four Knowles balanced armatures and one dynamic driver. From your description it sounds like the DD has failed. The BAs will be handling the mids and treble. I use a M11s, have you tried filling in the lower end with EQ? It may help to understand if the DD in the iems have blown if EQing a bit of a bass shelf has no audible effect. Other than that I’m stumped.
Fenton stand aside! This is THE post where I understand absolutely nothing… my sincere thanks.
It’s like watching Snowboarding – “She’s just done a full 270 with a twist on the rails followed by a 9/20 kerplunk and, wow, a side of aubergine curry!”
I tried watching snowboarding but watching someone sliding down a hill on a plank got old surprisingly quickly.
Yehbut, you old git sit there listening to obscure music on your top-notch, high-end headphones and out there somewhere there’s a fourteen year old girl saying “I tell you what, me and my snowboard are going to plunge into an ice ravine where I’ll turn upside down, rotate through 907 degrees (fact check needed) and win myself a Gold Medal. That’s if I don’t spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair”.
Yeah I could do that ice ravine shtick but where’s the challenge? It’s not like trying to find a reasonably priced head amp capable of successfully driving a set of Modhouse Tungsten V1. That’s properly tough.
I tried snow boarding. There was a lot of sitting down.
Was the sitting down in a bar? I could do that.
I’ve been watching some of the stuff going on in Livigno and shouting at the telly “I had an apres-ski in there!”
If any Olympians are reading this: stay away from the Mexican restaurant – the duty-free Tequila is lethal.
I broke a ski binding half-way down a mountain and had to come down a chair lift. It was bloody terrifying.
There was some sitting down in a bar. But there was more sitting down on the slope.
Thanks Peter.
I tried playing with the EQ – boosting the lower frequencies by about 5-6dB and the sound was very distorted.
I also managed to find the old cable (I swapped as the plastic coating had degraded). When I swapped to this the sound was better – it’s still off though. I’m thinking this may suggest an issue with the MMCX connections (I had earlier swapped the 4.4mm/2.5mm connector, ruling this out).
Nothing else I can think of to try, so it looks like some new headphones is probably my next step. I need to decide whether to stick with IEMs or go lightweight over ears (the HD650s whilst superb are too bulky).
It looks like it’s the MMCX connection. As I mentioned above I’m not a fan. Thankfully it’s nowhere near used as much as two pin. I can’t advise over lightweight over ears. I think the last time I used a set was back in the eighties with a Walkman. There are a few reliable reviewers on You Tube you could try. Super*Review and The Headphone Show are pretty reliable. Let me know how it all works out. It gets lonely out here in head-fi land.