- FiiO unveils EH13 over-ear headphones
- 40 mm drivers, LDAC compatible, ANC and 75 hours of battery
- All this for $49 / £49 (around AU$100)
Audiophiles will know the name FiiO; between the M27 digital audio player or the KA15 DAC amp, it’s popular with audiophiles looking for a portable hi-fi kit (the company also offers non-portable kits, but that’s not relevant to this story).
The company’s devices generally fall into the category of “reasonable” rather than “cheap” headphones, but every rule has an exception, and the new FiiO EH13 is today’s exception. These wireless earbuds only cost $49/£49 (around AU$100), so the brand is making a surprise bid for the top spot on our list of the best cheap earbuds.
FiiO is no stranger to headphones – we gave its FT5 planar magnetic enclosures five stars two years ago and its FT13 four stars last year – but these models were clearly aimed at audiophiles and cost around ten times as much as the EH13. Priced at $49 (or equivalent), the new EH13s are clearly aimed at the average discerning consumer.
The TechRadar team has put together their best ideas and can’t figure out why the FiiO EH13s are so cheap. LDAC, 75 hour battery, 40mm drivers, EQ and ANC for $49? How?! Of course, design is a little daily, but beyond that… what’s the problem?
We have not started the FiiO…
Like virtually every pair of wireless earbuds at this price, the FiiO EH13 features dynamic 40mm drivers, and while it’s hard to tell from the specs list how they’ll sound, the company is proud to maintain its nod of approval known to audiophiles. The mention of a “sapphire-coated composite diaphragm” seems rather bougie, though, especially for this price.
Thanks to Bluetooth 6.0, you get support for LDAC transmission (as well as AAC and SBC) and the brand’s EQ control app to personalize your sound.
You get 75 hours of battery life, which drops to 45 hours if you enable ANC. That’s right, a FiiO product with noise cancellation!
The EH13 offers a 3.5mm jack, with a signal processor designed to keep the sound consistent no matter how you listen. And there are other connection tools, like multipoint pairing.
I don’t particularly associate FiiO with entry-level technology, so I’m quite curious to experience the sound of the EH13. But judging from what the brand has shared so far, they could make for a great piece of entry-level FiiO technology, before you find yourself buying a new M33 R2R and sliding further and further down the slippery slope…
The best noise-canceling headphones for every budget
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