- FiiO presents the EH13 over-ear headphones
- 40mm drivers, LDAC support, ANC and 75 hours of battery
- All that for $49 / £49 (around AU$100)
Audiophiles will know the name FiiO; Among digital audio players like the M27 or the KA15 DAC amplifier, it’s prized by audiophiles looking for portable hi-fi (the company also offers non-portable equipment, but that’s not relevant to this story).
The company’s devices generally fall into the “reasonable” rather than “cheap” head-fi category, but every rule has an exception, and the new FiiO EH13 is today’s exception. These wireless headphones are just $49/£49 (around AU$100), so the brand is making a surprise play for the top spot on our list of the best cheap headphones.
Now, FiiO is no stranger to headphones – we gave five stars to its FT5 flat magnetic cans two years ago and four to its FT13 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 cash-savvy consumer.
The TechRadar team has put together their best ideas and can’t understand why the FiiO EH13s are so cheap. LDAC, 75-hour battery, 40mm drivers, EQ, and ANC for $49? As?! Of course, the design is a little everyday, but beyond that… what’s the trick?
We didn’t start the FiiO…
Like basically all pairs of wireless headphones at this price, the FiiO EH13 have 40mm dynamic drivers, and while it’s hard to gauge from the specs list what they’ll sound like, the company is proud to maintain its well-known audiophile endorsement. However, the mention of a “sapphire-coated composite diaphragm” sounds quite misleading, especially at this price.
Thanks to Bluetooth 6.0, you get support for LDAC streaming (as well as AAC and SBC) and the brand’s EQ control app to customize your sound.
You’ll get a battery life of 75 hours, which drops to 45 hours if you activate ANC. That’s right, a FiiO product with noise cancellation!
The EH13 offers a 3.5mm jack, with a signal processor designed to keep sound consistent no matter how you listen. And there are other connection tools, such as multipoint pairing.
I don’t particularly associate FiiO with basic technology, so I’m very curious to find out what the EH13 sounds like. But judging by what the brand has shared so far, they could be a great entry-level piece of FiiO tech, before you find yourself buying a new M33 R2R and sliding further and further down the slippery slope…
The best noise canceling headphones for all budgets
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