Fiio EH11 Review
Check the link to the YT review at the end of this post.
Key Specs:
Driver: 40mm dynamic, composite diaphragm
Bluetooth 6.0; SBC, LDAC, dual connection supported
Battery: 30 hours
Frequency: 17Hz to 40kHz
Impedance: 16 ohms
Weight: 92 grams
Charging time: 2 hours
Overview
The EH11 is a lightweight on-ear headphone with replaceable foam earpads and wooden earcups. Fiio says the design is retro and compared to my other pairs of on-ear headphones, this is probably accurate. They look minimalistic like the headphones you'd get with some CD players. They have that plastic build with the metal sliders and bits of exposed wire. They even come in some fun colors so you can relive the joys of the 80's all over again. There is one button on the right earcup that you use to manage all of the controls except volume and track advance/reverse, which are handled by dials on the left and right earcups. With the single control button, you can play/pause, answer/reject phone calls, summon the voice assistant, and pair the headphones with another device. There is a single LED that indicates pairing state and charging state.
The call to action for these headphones is that they cost $30. They are available on Amazon but typically ship from China, so they won't show up at your door in a day or two. It took about a week for me to get my headphones once they shipped. Fiio is a solid audio brand that has been making good audio products for many years. When I saw SuperReview's video on YouTube extolling their virtues, I went directly to Amazon and ordered them right away. I didn't see that I had a lot to lose seeing as I have several other Fiio products and the price was so low that even if they were half as good as his review suggested, I'd still be fine with them.
Know What You're Getting Into, Though
Whether or not you are familiar with the Fiio brand, there are some considerations to keep in mind before you also run off and click the "Add to cart" button. First, you need to be OK with on-ear headphones. Although these are very light, they do sit on your ears and that can become uncomfortable after a while. This is true for all on-ear headphones. These don't have a lot of clamping force so I find I can wear them for much longer than my other on-ear headphones. But because they are headphones and not in-ear monitors, you can easily take them off when you're not listening to anything and they can sit neatly around your neck without being too much in the way as you might find with over-the-ear headphones. On-ear headphones are great for people with small heads like me. This is why I own more than one pair of on-ear headphones. I find that on-ear headphones will always fit my head and never sit below my ears. But these headphones may not be the best for very large heads as they don't have a ton of extension. If you do have an extra-large head, you may want to avoid these.
Second, you need to be OK with the advertised battery life. In a world where even budget over-the-ear headphones are now advertising over 90 hours of battery life, the EH11 offer a mere 30 hours and take two hours to fully charge from empty. For headphones you wear on your head, 30 hours isn't a lot. But compared to wireless earphones, this is really good. So, your perspective and expectations matter here in terms of whether you find the battery life to be a pro or con.
If you are OK with these considerations, there are many good things to say about these headphones but let me lead with the thing that drive me mad.
Bluetooth Performance
The EH11 have good Bluetooth range. I have been able to roam around my house and even wander into my basement and never lose the connection to my phone. This seems like a mundane thing to say, but I have paid 10x more for Bluetooth headphones and earphones that can't achieve this simple feat. Nevertheless, when connected to two devices, there is a persistent delay problem that I experience every time I start using the headphones that I notice when I am watching video with them. The video will start playing but no audio will come through the headphones for several seconds. In those several seconds, I miss out on the audio of whatever is playing. I don't know why this is an issue and after my experience with the SoundPeats Cove Pro, I'm starting to wonder if I'm just getting defective units. In any case, this has been my experience, and it has been annoying. I also find that using the button to play audio after having paused doesn't work consistently. These issues go away if I turn off Bluetooth on the second device.
Nevertheless, I really do like these headphones and there are good things to say about them as well.
Fiio Control App
Fiio has years of experience making apps for Bluetooth devices. I've used several Fiio Bluetooth transmitters/DACs over the years and this app interfaces with those devices as well as these headphones. Fiio allows for EQ customization with a 5-band and parametric equalizer with the ability to create and save presets. There are presets that are available for download as well. That means that there is a lot of ability to tweak the sound. There is also the ability to update the firmware and clear device pairings. It's a fairly basic app, but it has the things that will be important to most people who buy these headphones.
How Do They Sound?
In terms of sound, I agree with SuperReview that these sound better than you'd expect them to sound for $30. No, they aren't the best in-ear headphones I own nor are they the best sounding audio product I've heard below $100. The form factor determines that these won't isolate sound and you won't have the deepest bass. They have nice clear sound that is perfect for wearing during the day at work if you need to hear your surroundings. They aren't the best for critical listening, but they don't a fatiguing sound with sharp bright treble nor do they wear on you with a lot of muddiness, either. The microphones pick up your voice clearly and handle a little bit of wind fairly well but do fall apart with quite a bit of wind as you'd expect. They're really probably intended for indoor use as they have no protection against water or dust.
I think these are a great daily companion for listening casually to music or for listening to spoken word programs like podcasts and audiobooks. They have a pleasant sound that is comfortable to listen to for hours at a time and when they start to annoy your ears, you can just hang them around your neck and take a break but still stay connected to your phone, tablet, or computer.
YouTube Review:
