The FT7 is FiiO’s current flagship headphone, featuring a large proprietary planar magnetic driver, carbon fiber housing, and a wooden grille. It was launched in the spring of 2025 and has a typical price of 699 USD.
The driver size is 106 mm, and the diaphragm is a 1 micron thin PET film, featuring vacuum-deposited gold and silver traces. Silver and gold are good choices, as they don’t corrode like aluminum, which potentially can increase longevity.
The magnet assembly is a symmetrical push-pull system utilizing 18 N52 neodymium magnets per driver, with magnetic flux up to 1.5 Tesla. The impedance is 25 Ohms, and the sensitivity is 94 dB/mW or 110 dB/Vrms.
FiiO FT7 SPECIFICATIONS
- Open back full size headphones
- Driver: planar magnetic 106 mm
- Frequency response 5Hz-40kHz
- Impedance 25 Ohms ±15%
- Sensitivity: 94dB/mW
- Cable length: 3m
- Cable material: monocrystalline copper cable
- Headphone cable connector: Dual 3.5mm TS
- Cable termination plug: 4.4mm balanced with adapter to 6.35mm.
- Headband: strap design
- Lambskin ear pads + fabric pads
- Soft shell storage case
- Weight: 427g
Current price and availability:
- Amazon: FiiO FT7
BUILD AND DESIGN
A lot of attention has gone into designing and building the FT7. It’s not your standard off-the-shelf headphone; it’s far more elaborately crafted than most headphones in its price class. It really feels like a true flagship headphone, even if, by flagship standards, it’s reasonably priced.
The FT7 is a rather large headphone. However, FiiO’s weight-reducing choices, like the use of carbon fiber, bring the weight down to 427 g. It features a headband arc design with a very nice strap, which makes it comfortable to wear despite the size.
FT7 PADS
The FT7 comes with two sets of pads:
- Sheepskin: the pre-mounted pads are fenestrated sheepskin on the inside and outside, with full sheepskin on the side facing your skin.
- Textile: the extra pads have fabric on the outside and on the side facing your skin, but with fenestrated leather on the inside.
There’s also a third option, which you can purchase separately. Its product name is HS-FT7A, and it’s an all-velvet alternative.
Different pads always change the sound to a larger or smaller extent, and reviewing headphones that come with several pairs of pads is much like reviewing distinct variations, or sometimes even very different sounding headphones.
I have chosen to use only the pre-mounted sheepskin pads for this review because I really like how the FT7 sounds with them. The presentation is more technical, open, and spacious, but in a very nice way, still retaining smoothness and warmth.
The fabric pads generally offer a slightly warmer sound with more intimate mids, slightly fuller sounding bass, more relaxed treble, and a bit smaller, less spacious soundstage. The third option, the all-velvet pads, I have not heard yet.
I might make an update later on comparing the two/three pad options more thoroughly, but for now I’ll stick with the sheepskin pads. I think they sound great, and it makes the review less confusing when I use the headphone with only the “best” set of pads – which also are pre-mounted.
You’ll probably find lots of comments elsewhere online about the pad difference in sound if interested.
That said, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a very good thing that FiiO supplies two different kinds of pads, and even offers a third variant. But in this review I want to focus on what I think is the best sounding version of the stock FT7, and for me, that is with the sheepskin pads.
FT7 CABLE
The FT7 comes with an excellent detachable cable. It uses 3.5mm connector sockets on the headphone side and is compatible with most standard aftermarket cables if you want to different cables.
The stock cable is 3 meters long and terminated with a 4.4mm plug. Two adapters are included: 4.4mm to 6.35mm (1/4″) and 4.4mm to 4-pin XLR.
The cable is made of 6N OCC high-purity monocrystalline copper (4 strands, 21AWG) and is cryogenically treated, frozen in liquid nitrogen, which some believe improves performance. It’s covered with textile to keep it more durable.
A shorter 1.5 m option is also available from FiiO, using the same technology and finish. The product name is LL-RC 2025 1.5M.
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS
Below follow my listening impressions using the preferred sheepskin pads, and the sheepskin pads only. I do not comment much on the fabric pads in this review.
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: Ferrum Erco mk2
- Leather pads
Wake Up by Jessie Reid
Very nicely balanced and highly detailed. Smooth and articulate, with excellent imaging.
Turiya … by Andrew Cyrille
The trumpet has a great timbre; it’s upfront and sharp enough to “bite” a bit while retaining a warm, pleasant smoothness. The percussion is snappy, and imaging is very precise. Excellent.
I’m The Mountains by Espen Eriksen Trio
The bass here is terrific. Perfect balance and excellent quality. The piano is smooth and gentle, but there’s also texture and subtle nuances. The percussion is tight and snappy.
Re-Melt by Tord Gustavsen Trio
Again, a very nicely balanced rendition of a jazz piece with lots of detail. Every instrument has a natural presence.
Teardrop by Massive Attack
The bass drum is tight but definitely not thunderous; the bass feels quite polite in presence, actually, but the quality is very good. The vocals are gentle and textured. The soundstage feels wide and deep, but not more here than on other comparable headphones.
The Hidden Camera by Photek
The bass is tight but not very powerful. It’s clean and sounds very even, but there’s no bass shelf. However, it still sounds very good; I like the neutral delivery. The percussion on this track often sounds a bit dry with other headphones, but not with the FT7.
Limit to Your Love by James Blake
Very nice vocal timbre. There’s a hint of warmth and a nice texture simultaneously. The bass is modest in quantity, but the quality is good.
Bullet In The Head by Rage Against the Machine
Punchy and well balanced. Nothing stands out too much. Detailed.
Bored by Deftones
Excellent tonal balance. The guitars are slightly warm but with nice texture. The bass isn’t overwhelming in quantity, though. Vocals sound nice and are easy to follow.
Vicarious by Tool
I would prefer a bit more bass, but I can’t really blame the FT7 for being neutral. A bit of EQ does the trick if needed. Lots of things are happening in this track, but the FT7 has no problem articulating the action.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
The bass is sufficient in quantity here; the vocals are upfront and are very detailed and gentle at the same time. This track can have problems with sibilance on the vocals; the FT7 is not free of sibilant tendencies, but they’re very discreet.
Escape Route by Boris Blank
This track sounds very neutral, maybe a bit too neutral. It lacks the fun factor and bass it can have. The trumpet is a bit sharp when it stands alone without the organic bass dominating. Every tuning has its tradeoffs. Lots of detail, though.
Spontaneous Compositorius by Thomas Agergard
The saxophone sounds natural but not very warm. The percussion is bright, definitely not dark. It has some articulation and bite but manages to balance on the right side of being too sharp or even painful, as it can be. The double bass is clean and tight without much warmth.
Young Vivaldi by Modo Antiquo
The FT7 delivers a crisp and textured string timbre without sounding too far from neutral/natural. Nothing is sugarcoated; there’s lots of energy and attack.
Summer 3 Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter
This track can often sound a bit dark and muffled, but with the FT7 it does not. Crisp and energetic, with lots of detail and a very articulate and upfront delivery.
WRAPPING IT UP
As mentioned before, this review only focuses on the FT7 with the sheepskin pads, and all my observations concern those pads only. The fabric pads make the FT7 sound a bit different.
Sound Signature
With the sheepskin pads in place, the sound signature of the FT7 is pretty neutral. The bass is modest but sounds very even, the midrange is on the crisper and brighter side but not excessively so, and the treble has some energy to it but doesn’t sound overly sharp or spikey.
Treble
With the sheepskin pads, the treble is definitely not dark; it can be sharp at times, but I don’t find it to be excessive. Great detail. It’s energetic and upfront rather than sweet and smooth.
Midrange
With the sheepskin pads on, the midrange is relatively neutral but not 100%. It can sound a bit upfront and energetic, but I like it and haven’t found it to sound honky or nasal. The texture is very fascinating and the FT7’s midrange is very revealing.
Bass
With the sheepskin pads, the bass is typical for good planar magnetic headphones. It’s tight and textured, and sounds quite flat/even in terms of frequency response. There’s no bass shelf or bass boost on the FT7; you have to EQ that in yourself. I like it this way, though.
Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage with the sheepskin pads mounted on FT7 is large and the imaging is very impressive.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
The detail level is very high; the FT7, with the sheepskin pads, feels like a very accurate and precise sounding headphone.
Dynamics are good. It’s not the hardest-slamming headphone I have heard, but it’s engaging and articulate.
The timbre is often slightly on the brighter, crisper side. However, I don’t think it strays too far from neutral, and it often has a tint of warmth and smoothness. I rarely find it dry or edgy, but occasionally a bit sharp.
COMPARISONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: Ferrum Erco mk2
- Sheepskin pads on the FT7
FOSI i5 vs FiiO FT7
The Fosi i5 is a full-sized, planar magnetic, open-back headphone featuring wooden cups. It was launched in 2025 and has a large driver with a 97 mm circular diaphragm. It’s typically priced around 550 USD.
Comparing the two, generally speaking, the FT7 is more technically capable, with better detail, soundstage, and imaging. It’s also more neutrally tuned. The i5 has more coloration, which can often be fun and charming but also the opposite. It depends a bit on the music you listen to.
You can read my full comparison here:
FiiO FT7 vs FOSI i5 Comparison Review
SENDY AUDIO EGRET vs FiiO FT7
The Sendy Audio Egret is a full-sized, planar magnetic, open-back headphone with wooden cups. It features a 98 x 84mm driver and was launched in December 2025. It’s typically priced around 799 USD.
Comparing the two, the FT7 in general comes off as more detailed and more neutral, while the Egret has a warmer midrange and is more colored sounding. Which of them I prefer depends a bit on the music, but the FT7 is typically the safer choice.
You can read my full comparison here:
Sendy Egret vs FiiO FT7 Comparison Review
AliExpress: Sendy Egret
HIFIMAN HE600 vs FiiO FT7
The Hifiman HE600 is, like the FT7, a full-size, dual magnet planar magnetic headphone with very similar specifications: 28 ohms for the HE600 and 25 ohms for the FT7, both rated with a sensitivity of 94 dB/mW. Both launched in 2025, and the HE600 is currently priced at 799 USD, slightly more than the FT7.
Comparing the two, I generally find that the FT7 has a larger soundstage, better imaging, and more detail. The HE600 is no slouch, but offers a smoother and warmer take.
You can read my full comparison here:
Hifiman HE600 vs FIIO FT7 Comparison Review
CONCLUSION
The FT7 is a genuinely impressive flagship effort from FiiO.
The build quality, materials, and attention to detail place it well above most headphones in its price class, and the sound backs it up.
With the pre-mounted sheepskin pads, the FT7 is quite neutrally tuned, detailed, and precise, with a great sense of texture. The midrange can be a bit bright and upfront, and there’s some treble brightness in play, but nothing too bad. The bass is well controlled and doesn’t roll off much. Typical for planars, it’s not boosted in any way, though, and some might want to add a bass shelf with EQ. Personally, I prefer this type of bass.
As mentioned earlier, I chose to focus this review on the pre-mounted sheepskin pads as they are my preferred pads. If you prefer a slightly warmer tuning, though, the fabric pads are a very good alternative and offer a somewhat different listening experience.
Overall, the FT7 is a highly capable and well-designed headphone that earns its flagship status without the flagship price tag.
The FiiO FT7 comes highly recommended.
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- Amazon: FiiO FT7
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