FiiO knows a thing or two about making things that seemingly cost too little for what they offer. The FW5 is like that: these 149 USD TWS earbuds support Snapdragon Sound with bitrates up to 900kbps via LHDC. Like all FiiO products, the new model is aimed at audiophiles on a tight budget, but how good are they really?
Design
While I always appreciate FiiO’s build quality, their designs are usually hit-and-miss. I still don’t love the way the FT3 look even though I have no issues with anything else. The FW5 also have a distinctive look, but this time I am quite happy with the design. They are instantly recognizable (a real feat nowadays), and the packaging feels premium — like it usually does with FiiO.
The box includes the earphones, a plethora of ear tips including the new fancy HS18 ear tips that are extra thin, as well as a charging case, a cable and a manual.
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The earphones themselves are plastic, which isn’t usually the case for the brand, but this time the FiiO wanted to be practical making these as light as possible. I am not a huge fan of the gunmetal color but it works here. There’s nothing to say about the case: it has charging indicators and a Type-C port, and not much else. The design is pretty utilitarian. There are no buttons of any kind on the case.
Controls and Connection
Each earbud has two buttons. I needed time to get used to them though since I forgot the last time I had ACTUAL buttons on my IEMs. Some would love to go back to the basics, some will miss gesture controls. I find buttons easy to learn and more reliable in some situations.
The FW5 offers a variety of sound quality options (SBC, AAC, aptx/aptx Adaptive, and LHDC) to deliver great audio. For the best sound, it’s advisable to have an Android phone with Snapdragon 888 or newer. But you will have no issues with any device, even iPhones which I mostly use. I found no issues with latency, especially on Apple devices with the AAC codec.
Each earbud has a built-in 65mAh battery that can provide up to 7 hours of continuous use on a single charge. The included charging case, which has a 380mAh capacity, can recharge the earbuds multiple times, allowing for a total battery life of more than 21 hours.
Sound
The FW5 uses a special setup with a separate digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and three tiny speakers in each earbud. This translates to a rich and enjoyable listening experience.
The sound is slightly warmer than usual, with a bit more emphasis on the bass. However, the included ear tips can change the sound as it usually happens. Thankfully, there’s a lot of them in the box. One type offers a more balanced sound, while the other gives a warmer, bassier feel.
As FiiO prefers, the FW5 sounds pretty neutral and reproduces clear sound. The stage is very wide, especially for the price. In the app, you can limit the volume — or increase it if you want.
The microphone quality is quote good, and the FW5’s passive noise reduction is better than I expected which is important since there’s no ANC.
The app
Of course, there’s an app. It’s called FiiO Control, and it’s… all right. I found it a bit finicky: it refused to work with my earbuds until I erased them from my iPhone and connected them through the app first. The app offers basic functionality: an EQ, volume control (limit it or make it louder), and the option to disable the indicator LED. Curiously, you can also limit the charge level and stop your buds at 85% charge. I haven’t encountered that before. An option to force codecs will come in handy if you use Android and actually have a choice in the matter.
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Verdict
The FW5 is FiiO’s first serious attempt at making a TWS, and I think they succeded. For 149 USD the only thing that’s missing is ANC which in 2024 it’s kind of a must.