FiiO FW5 In-Ear Bluetooth True Wireless Stereo Earphones

The FiiO FW5 are fully integrated hi-fi true wireless earbuds, made by the same team as FiiO’s flagship FH9 in-ear monitors. Each earbud packs a 10mm DLC dynamic driver and two Knowles balanced armatures, its own AKM AK4332 DAC and a Qualcomm QCC5141 Bluetooth 5.2 chip with LHDC and aptX Adaptive. FiiO chose sound quality over features like noise cancelling, and added dual-microphone calls, IPX4 water resistance, four physical buttons and over 21 hours of listening with the case. They are Snapdragon Sound certified and won a VGP award and a CIHE EHA 2023 Silver Award.

Sound first

As FiiO’s chief IEM engineer explains, the FW5 was FiiO’s first fully self-developed true wireless earphone, and the focus was not on features such as active noise cancelling but on the best possible sound. Rather than shape the frequency response with DSP, which would have been easy, the team refined the physical acoustic design to reduce distortion and keep the drivers’ own character, respecting the original music.

One dynamic driver, two Knowles balanced armatures

Inside each earbud, a large 10mm dynamic driver handles the bass and mids, and two Knowles RAD balanced armatures the treble, for powerful yet textured bass and every last detail on top. The dynamic driver is designed around strong N50 neodymium magnets for better dynamics and a grander soundstage. Its DLC (diamond-like carbon) diaphragm is rigid and light, so it breaks up less, with lower distortion and better resolution, and its PU surround is flexible and well damped, for lusher vocals and faster transients.

The balanced armatures sit in the sound tube close to your ear, reducing high-frequency losses on the way, so even tones around 16kHz come through clearly, for airy, finely detailed treble.

A real DAC in each earbud

Each earbud has its own AKM VELVET SOUND AK4332 DAC, measured by FiiO at up to 106dB signal-to-noise, −96dB distortion and 102dB dynamic range in the FW5’s circuit. Like FiiO’s DACs and headphone amplifiers, the FW5 has its own 32-step volume control: FiiO suggests turning your phone up to maximum and setting the level on the earbuds, to keep the full dynamics of the Bluetooth signal.

Qualcomm QCC5141 and hi-res Bluetooth

The high-end QCC5141, with dual DSPs and a dual-core design, gives stable, high-performance Bluetooth 5.2, with LHDC, aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC and SBC at up to 96kHz/24-bit, for better quality and wide compatibility. The FW5 is Snapdragon Sound certified, and it can connect to two phones at once: pause on one and play or take a call on the other.

An antenna in the faceplate

FiiO used the relatively large outer cover by fixing an FPC antenna to its inside, which greatly improves transmission and reception. A laser-etched and vacuum-plated finish keeps the cover looking and feeling metallic without blocking the signal.

IPX4 water resistance

A 0.02mm waterproof film fills the gap between the buttons and the shell, keeping water out while the buttons still feel good, and a custom water-resistant, sound-permeable mesh covers the nozzle and microphone openings.

Four real buttons, no accidental touches

Based on feedback from FiiO’s UTWS series, each earbud has two physical buttons, placed at right angles to the way you wear them so they are easy to press without pushing hard:

Clear calls

Two microphones in each earbud work with cVc noise cancellation for clearer voice calls.

21+ hours with the case

A 65mAh battery in each earbud plays for up to 7 hours, and the 380mAh case adds about 14 hours more, for over 21 hours in all; the case recharges in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Open the case and the earbuds switch on and reconnect to your last device; put them back and they switch off (as long as the case has charge). Four lights on the case show its battery, charging and whether the earbuds are inside, and a white light on each earbud shows pairing and connection.

Tune it your way

A 10-band parametric EQ, with adjustable frequency, gain and Q for each band, is available in the FiiO Control and FiiO Music apps.

Good to know

• The FW5 has no active noise cancelling: FiiO put its effort into sound quality instead.
• LHDC and aptX Adaptive need a phone that supports them; other phones use AAC or SBC.
• In the box: FW5 earbuds, charging case, USB charging cable, HS18 ear tips (S, M, L), balanced ear tips (S, M, L), cleaning brush, quick start guide and warranty card.