Why Don’t More Headphones Feature This Classic Hi-Fi Material?

FiiO’s first closed-back headphones feature a material typically reserved for much more expensive hi-fi cans.

Published August 22, 2024

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FiiO is well known for its portable hi-fi players and desktop amplifiers. Recently, the Chinese audio company has branched out a little, releasing gorgeous new-age physical-media players like the CP13 portable cassette tape player and DM13 portable CD player. Now, it’s diving further into headphones.

While the hi-fi maker is no stranger to open-back over-ear headphones, its dynamic FT3 ($300) and planar magnetic FT5 ($449) are a touch expensive. Its newest over-ear headphones, the FiiO F1, are a step in a different direction.

Not only are the FiiO FT1 its most affordable over-ear headphones to date, they’re also its first closed-back headphones. Additionally, they feature a classic hi-fi material that’s fairly unique to headphones: wood.

FiiO FT1

Specs

Drivers	60mm dynamic
Frequency Response	10Hz – 40kHz
Impedance	32 ohms

$159 at AliExpress

Affordable hi-fi headphones, made with wood

The FiiO F1 are wired over-ear closed-back headphones — in fact, they’re the company’s first closed-back headphones. They feature 60mm dynamic drivers that, uniquely, are housed in real wooden cups made of American black walnut.

Wood is a naturally dense material that absorbs vibrations and helps prevent distortion — this is why many loudspeakers have wooden cabinets — and American black walnut is a particularly dense hardwood. FiiO says it “helps to effectively reduce cavity resonance and minimize standing waves.”

But this isn’t the only use of wood in the F1. The diaphrams consist of paper wood fibers — made from 90-year-old spruce wood from Northern Europe — that help the headphones deliver “a clear sound and natural tone. “

Of course, the FiiO F1 are far from the first headphones to feature wood so prominently. Meze Audio and Grado Labs are two well-known hi-fi companies that have been making headphones with wood ear cups for years — check out Meze’s Liric II ($2,099) and 99 Classics ($309), or Grado’s RS2x ($750) and RS1x ($550).

What’s different with the FiiO F1 is that they’re wooden headphones that are relatively inexpensive — they cost just $159.

There are other reasons why wood is less common in headphones. Unlike metal or plastic, wood requires a bit more care — it can easily scratch. It’s also considerably heavier than plastic, which typically doesn’t lend itself to comfort and portability.

Wood is also more sensitive to elements — changes in things like temperature or humidity can affect its acoustic properties. So most wooden headphones are wired headphones, meant to be listened to in a fixed location, like a home hi-fi setup.

Rounding out the features, the FiiO F1 features a similar ergonomic 3-axis headband found on the company’s FT3 and FT5 open-back headphones. The plush earpads are made of a high-density, breathable mesh, and the part that touches your ear is faux leather.

FiiO includes two cables in the box for connecting to either 3.5mm or 4.4mm (balanced) sources. Both cable are made using an oxygen-free copper-plated silver wire with 392 wires.

Price and availability

The FiiO F1 closed-back headphones cost $159. You can buy a pair right now from FiiO’s website or other authorized dealers.

The headphones are only available in one “black wood” finish. Since every pair is made with real American black walnut, each with a unique grain, each pair will have its own special appeal.