FiiO FP3 review
The FiiO FP3 wired earbuds are an entry-level answer to a luxury-bracket question: “what if in-ear monitors weren’t boomy, tinny little noise boxes?” In a market sadly defined by 10 a penny bass-boosted earbuds and wireless gym-friendly noise fodder, where’s the love for those who just want to listen to music well?
Great-sounding in-ears often come at a premium, particularly where cleverer and cleverer design is necessary to get the most out of something so small. At the extreme end of the price scale, you’ll find audiophile-grade in-ears that dwarf your current savings balance. Enter FiiO, whose in-house R&D has dramatically Aragorn-ed the doors wide open to inexpensive audio fidelity in the best-in-class wired earbud market.
At first glance, the FiiO FP3 wired earbuds are strikingly distinguished. A curvy plastic body (3D-printed, then polished and UV-coated) is adorned with a branded faceplate coin of rosewood or black walnut – it’s giving ‘executive saloon interior’, but not at all in a bad way.
This fun design, believe it or not, isn’t the star of the show here. Instead, it is FiiO’s internally developed 14.5mm planar drivers, which promise better precision, lower distortion and extended frequency response among other micro benefits befitting the drivers’ micro size. Planar drivers are a hit overall for their soundstage-y, highly responsive attributes, but FiiO’s done something especially remarkable in designing some highly capable drivers for IEMs that come in under $100. More on sound shortly, though; first, let’s try them on.
The FiiO FP3 earbuds are wired, with an around-the-ear design. The wire in question is a four-strand braided affair, which splits into two sets of twisted pairs connecting to the buds by way of a two-prong plug-in terminal. It is so, so cool that a pair of in-ears this cheap features removable wires as standard, not in the least for eliminating the biggest issue haunting less expensive wired earbuds – broken internal wires.
The FP3s’ wrap-over wear style is fun, functional and actually quite comfortable. Some clear heat shrink tubing covers the braided wires for the first few inches from the end connector, so there’s no unpleasant rub behind the ears. Once you get the buds themselves sitting correctly, you’ll start to feel like you’re wearing nothin’ at all (nothin’ at all, nothin’ at all, nothin’ at all…) – but not for altogether long, unfortunately.
A slight, but nonetheless aggravating, burn creeps in before long, even when switched down to the smallest size of ear tips supplied with the FP3s. While my undersized ear canals might not be in the 80th percentile, it’s still incumbent upon me to report this slight comfort-related misfortune. And misfortune is the word, because it’s a real shame that the FP3s don’t sit as well as they could do for long listening sessions. Why? Because they’re Actually Honestly Quite Good, Really.
The first thing that strikes me about the sound quality of the FP3 IEMs is their remarkable three-dimensionality. Where lesser earbuds unceremoniously cram you into an airing cupboard with your favorite band, the FP3s give you a wide hall; the playful guitarry arrangements of Maps & Atlas’ Beware and Be Grateful breathe freely, while Them Crooked Vultures’ roomy production sprawls out ahead.
That three-dimensionality presents not just with stereo image, but also dynamically. The toms in Sally Oldfield’s Blue Water (a secret 1980s groover your DJ friend would kill to know about) ping and bounce with delightful depth and sense of place.
The biggest bugbear I have with most less expensive earbuds is their approach to treble. Other reviews have reported an over-present sparkle, and even some harshness, with respect to the FP3s’ treble response, but I’m overjoyed to report that this couldn’t be further from my own experience. Instead, I found a remarkably well-tamed high-end, with a softness you’d normally expect to find in mid-sized speaker drivers.
Still, there’s a presence and robustness to the top end, which shines particularly brightly against the harsh noisy competition of the great urban outdoors. Big Americana arrangements such as those of Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha still carry clarity and weight, even as grumbling bus engines and caterwauling kids try to rob them of both. Listening to sparser heart tuggers, like Blood from Pile’s album All Fiction, you can hear the reedy, human quality that these drivers possess, and which works wider wonders for stand-out folky vocals and anything featuring strings.
The mid-range can occasionally be a little listless, but this does appear to be somewhat by design. Indeed, Queens of the Stone Age’s Lullabies to Paralyze is reproduced with a slightly incongruent cheerfulness, as some mid-scooping borrows urgency from ‘Little Sister’s guitars to feed the cymbals and kick instead. Bass, though, is supple and structured, supported by some nifty (and proprietary) acoustic design in the buds. Tasteful is absolutely the word – a world away from so many active earbuds' wubby flub.
As with practically any set of in-ear monitors, and even with the FP3s’ structured soundstage and carefully tweaked frequency response, you can figuratively hear the walls around your music. Despite this, the FP3s remain the broadest-sounding, least claustrophobic in-ears I’ve heard below $200.
These wired in-ear monitors are little more than they present themselves to be: excellently engineered budget IEMs, with phenomenal balance and dynamic tautness. There’s no on-device volume controls, nor a microphone to take hands-free calls with – but as someone who’s longed for a set of in-ears that do one thing well, I personally don’t miss these superfluous mod cons.
The FiiO FP3s in-ears, at $89.99 / £85.99 / AU$170 (approx.), are a fantastic value prospect for someone who wants a little more from their on-the-go listenings. For your money, you get the IEMs, six sets of silicone ear tips and a quite honestly bizarre little plastic drawer in which to store them. What you also get, though, is a listening experience at least five times more valuable.
FiiO FP3 review: Price and release date
- $89.99 / £85.99 / AU$170 (approx.)
- Launched December, 2024
The FiiO FP3 in-ears are a remarkable entrant in the best earbud space, marrying audiophilic impulses with budget-level price points. Sure, $89.99 / £85.99 / AU$170-ish might not sound ‘budget’ for a pair of wired(!), passive(!) earphones, but when you see the eye-watering prices of the in-ear monitors on which the FP3s were clearly modeled, the appellation will make absolute sense.
These in-ear monitors bring some smart driver design to a highly accessible price point, and fill what is honestly quite a large space in a market otherwise given to bulky, bass-heavy earbuds and weedy 10 a penny earphones. If you’ve ever felt let down by a gifted pair of Beats, or resented having to make space in your bag for a bulky pair of decent hi-fi headphones, the FiiO FP3s are the tonic you’ve been waiting for.
FiiO FP3 review: Specs
Should you buy the FiiO FP3?
Buy them if...
You’re a music anorak
The FP3s’ planar drivers provide unbelievable sound at this price, with an extended frequency range, tight dynamics and a broad soundstage that un-cramps your favourite artists’ mixes. If you’re fed up of compromizing on sound quality in your portable earbuds, try these on for size.View Deal
You’re on a budget
The sub-$100 price point puts these wired in-ears squarely in low-budget territory, despite their high-fidelity capabilities. Other, more expensive earbuds might have active noise-canceling and other built-in gubbins galore, but will they sound this good? Probably not.View Deal
Don't buy them if...
You’re a multi-tasker
The lack of built-in microphone, on-unit controls and even active noise-canceling may be a big turn-off for many. After all, earbuds are now unavoidably multi-purpose devices! If you want a catch-all set of in-ears you can work to, work out to and call your mum with, you’ll want a different product altogether.View Deal
You only use your smartphone to listen to music
Most smartphones today have, unfortunately, dispensed with analogue audio outputs altogether – making wireless headphones and earbuds de rigeur for out-and-about listening. The FiiO FP3s are wired, and so aren’t as convenient for some casual listeners (unless you have the right adapter, or a dedicated media player).View Deal
FiiO FP3 review: Also consider
Sennheiser IE 200
The Sennheiser IE 200s are meaty-sounding wired earphones, that bring robust volume alongside a robust build. The braided cable, around-the-ear wearing style and detachable cabling are all present and accounted for, as well as some nifty ear tip adjustability for slight on-the-fly sound designing.
Read the full Sennheiser IE 200 review here
Shure AONIC 3
Well-apportioned techy in-ears for their price, they cram some noise-canceling tech into their small earbuds alongside remote music and volume controls, and an in-built mic. The sound is clear and three-dimensional, even if it doesn’t quite reach the FiiO FP3s' dynamic tautness.
Read the full Shure AONIC 3 review here
FiiO FP3 review: How I tested
- Tested for six weeks
- Tested at home, listening to high-quality audio files through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2’s headphone out
- Tested out and about, using an iPod Classic
The FiiO FP3 in-ear monitors lived in my coat pocket for a month, wrapped around a 160GB iPod Classic I’m still proud to be toting today. I used them frequently while traveling between engagements, and while gallivanting around town on errands.
I also tested the FP3s at home, using my trusty Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface for its clear and pristine headphone output. I listened to records with which I am intimately familiar, so as to build a real picture of the IEMs’ performance against other devices.
Read more about how we test.
- First reviewed: March 2025
