Immerse yourself in hi-fi sound without the typical pitfalls of planar magnetic technology with FT5 from FiiO, a pair of over-ear, open-back planar headphones with large 90mm drivers and an ultra-thin diaphragm. Thanks to micron-scale engineering, these headphones sport incredibly rich sound while being easy to drive.

With 20 neodymium magnets per driver and silver-coated aluminum alloy wiring, the FT5 provides impressive bass, treble unmatched by comparable dynamic headphones, and the ability to be fully driven by portable devices like smart devices and media players. The magnesium-aluminum alloy construction ensures durability and a light weight for long, comfortable listening sessions. The FT5 includes four plug adapters (3.5mm TRS, 4.4mm TRRRS, 1/4" TRS, and balanced XLR 4 pin), a velvet pouch, a leather storage case, and two pairs of earpads: suede (attached by default) for a balanced sound, enhanced atmosphere, and supreme comfort, and protein leather for a clear sound, wide soundstage, and high detail.

For Audiophiles and Music Enthusiasts    Large 90mm Planar Magnetic Drivers    20 Neodymium Magnets per Driver    6μm Ultra-Thin PAR Diaphragm    High Sensitivity and Easy to Power    Micron-Level Aluminum-Silver Alloy Coil    392 Wires of Silver-Plated Copper Cable    Lightweight Magnesium-Alloy Construction    Includes 2 Types of Earpads    Includes 4 Types of Plug Adapters

Sitting between dynamic moving coil and electrostatic headphones, planar magnetic headphones use a moving coil, like dynamics, but via a special, micron-level thin-film diaphragm, like electrostatic designs. Along with a 28 nm chip-scale process that yields a 6μm-thick diaphragm, the FT5 offers exceptionally detailed sound while also being much easier to drive, lowering power requirements.

When it comes to headphones, diaphragm design is everything. Too thin, and its likely to fall off the chassis. Too thick, and the sound quality will suffer.

After extensive testing, FiiO determined that a 6μm PAR diaphragm offers the best balance of efficiency, reliability, and resolution. This material ensures the FT5 sports excellent dynamics, a highly detailed sound, and rich bass not typically found in planar magnetic headphones.

The FiiO FT5 employs an extremely high-performance 90mm planar magnetic driver. Compared to a traditional dynamic driver, a planar magnetic drivers converts electrical signals to acoustic sound energy in a much more uniform manner, vibrating far more evenly across its diaphragm than a dynamic coil design.

Thanks to this even distribution of vibration and the lesser rigidity of the planar design over a dynamic one, there is little distortion and audio signals can be expressed in an accurate, faithful way. This technology is ideal for a truly lossless high-fidelity sound.

Since all the weight in a flat-diaphragm headphone design like planar magnetic is concentrated on the metal coils, selecting the ideal material is key to success. After extensive testing, FiiO chose a lightweight aluminum alloy as the ideal material. These coils are then coated in silver to enhance conductivity, making the driver easier to power without sacrificing high-frequency detail and the rich sound characteristic of planar magnetic headphones.

Partly to ensure greater wearing comfort, 11 magnets are placed inside the FT5's planar driver and 9 magnets are placed on the outside, leading to 20 magnets per channel and 40 in total. This balanced placement of magnets allows the aluminum alloy coils to be evenly distributed in the magnetic field.

It also allows the driver diaphragm to be well balanced between the forces of the inner and outer magnets, guaranteeing consistent movement of the driver and reduced distortion. The FT5 employs N52 neodymium magnets with magnetic density up to 1.5T, providing the strong forces needed to driver the large planar magnetic driver.

Traditionally, planar magnetic headphones are known for having low sensitivity, leading to many audiophiles using beefy desktop preamps to drive them to their full potential. Typically, this made them a poor choice for listening while on the go.

But the FT5 bucks this trend with its high-powered magnetic field, ultra-thin diaphragm, and nano-scale aluminum coating technology, allowing for a high sensitivity of 110 dB. This allows the FT5 to be easily driven by portable audio devices, allowing you to experience the golden hall of sound no matter where you are.

Since the FT5 features so many magnets, it needs a lightweight material that takes some of that load off without sacrificing durability. Enter the magnesium-aluminum alloy used in the FT5's construction. This alloy is only 64% as dense as aluminum, allowing the FT5 to be made much lighter for greater comfort during long sessions. This material also resists the intense vibrations of the 90mm drivers, providing superior sound quality.

The FT5 contains a specially designed open-back acoustic structure, with a driver housing in the rear used to carefully act as a soundwave baffle, isolating the sound waves in the front from those in the rear. The grille of the FT5 is scientifically designed to precisely control and accelerate the air flow of the driver. This results in both improved treble resolution over dynamic headphones and a much wider soundstage for an immersive listening experience.

The FT5 inherits the 3-axis swiveling design used on other FT-series headphones. This allows the earcups to freely rotate and attach to you no matter the angle or size of your head. This provides improved audio quality as well thanks to a better seal between the earcup and your head.

The FT5 comes with a 4.9' cable made of 392 wires of silver-plated monocrystalline copper, each wire with a diameter of 24 AWG. The copper wires help to give a solid and highly detailed sound, fully transmitting lossless audio to your ears. This cable also connects to the headphones via two interchangeable 3.5mm jacks, allowing for easy configuration.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. what is the difference between the AKG K 240 studio and the K 240 MK II headphones?

A: K 240 MK II are made in Austria, AKG K 240 are made in China.

Q: 2. Is it good for musicians(keys)

A: I am a musician and home recording enthusiast. I had a pair of these headphones 20 years ago and I decided to buy them again. They are just really good, basic, headphones. Whether you play keys or other instruments should not be what makes you decide. Headphones should give an accurate, flat response for whatever music you listen to so you can make decisions about your tone. I really dont want to spend over $100 for headphones. I only use these at night (when its too quiet to listen to studio monitors or recording when you cant have the monitors bleed thru the track so these were really the choice that made the most sense for me.

Q: 3. Is this comfortable?

A: I've worn versions of this headphone for very long periods of time in the studio, but now that I'm not in the studio anymore, I've purchased them for my employees who want great sound and comfort and may be sitting and coding for long periods. I think they are a great set.

Q: 4. What is the sound quality like between the T20RP(Open) & The T50RP(Semi-Open), How different are they? how are the sound signature different between the two?

A: You may find the following information useful directly from Fostex's website on the 3 models:Offering three types with different sound characteristics; Open (T20RPmk3) for Deep Bass, Closed (T40RPmk3) for Focused Bass and Semi-Open (T50RPmk3) for Flat and Clear soundAs for actual comparisons, I haven't seen any.

Q: 5. How long is the detachable headphone cable?

A: 3 meters (3.9 feet)

Q: 6. with the travel case?

A: The Audeze LCD-X Planar Magnetic Headphones Creator Package also includes the travel case.

Q: 7. It’s with the travel case ? Thanks!

A: No travel case included

Q: 8. How long are the head phone cables?

A: The cable is 1.9m.

Q: 9. Can the headphones be used on YAMAHA digital pianos?

A: The headphones mainly use a mini 1/8" plug, but they will come packaged with a 1/4" adapter to connect to a any Keyboard that has a 1/4" headphone input (or 1/8" input).

Q: 10. What is the driver size for these headphones?

A: The AKG K240 feature 30mm drivers.