FiiO has launched the FT15, a new pair of open-back planar magnetic headphones that combine oversized 101mm drivers with a dramatically thinner diaphragm and natural walnut earcups.
The headline technology is an 800nm-thick diaphragm that FiiO says is 86.7% thinner than the previous generation. The company has added a full-face diamond coating to increase rigidity while keeping the diaphragm extremely light, with the goal of producing faster response and greater detail, reports news agencies.
The 101mm drivers provide an effective radiating area of 6,443.5 square millimeters. FiiO has also developed a uniform magnetic-field system designed to distribute force more evenly across the diaphragm and reduce distortion.
Despite the large drivers, the FT15 is designed to be relatively easy to drive. It has a 24-ohm impedance and 95dB/mW sensitivity, allowing it to work with portable DACs, dongles and digital audio players as well as dedicated headphone amplifiers.
FiiO has also paid attention to the physical design. The headphones use North American black walnut earcups and a carbon-fiber headband, bringing the weight down to 425 grams. Two sets of earpads are included, along with a 4.4mm balanced cable and adapters for 6.35mm and XLR-4 connections.
The FT15 is priced at $499.99, putting it above FiiO's earlier FT5 while adding a substantially redesigned driver system and lighter construction.
The bigger story is FiiO's attempt to bring increasingly sophisticated planar-driver technology into a package that doesn't require an elaborate desktop audio setup. Whether the diamond-coated diaphragm delivers a meaningful improvement will ultimately come down to listening tests, but the hardware certainly gives the FT15 a distinctive position in FiiO's lineup.
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