The audio hobby can sometimes feel like an echo chamber. Often, it seems like the only gear that gets much traction comes from the same group of five or so brands with endless marketing budgets and connections with a select group of highly influential reviewers. There may be something to be said about great gear selling itself – one might argue that if people aren’t talking about it, maybe it’s just not good – I certainly fell into this trap. But with the constant deluge of releases and the reviewer collaboration arms race in the sub-$100 price bracket, great gear can often go unseen. The Fiio JD7 is just that – the rare gem that no one seems to know about – not even Fiio themselves!
Pros:
Very engaging and fun
Build quality is top notch
Technical performance is quite good
Cons:
Can be a more intense listen for those of you looking for a relaxed listen
Included accessories are lacking but as long as the IEM is good right it shouldn’t matter right?
Included cable is… a cable
Disclaimer – I bought these with my own hard-earned cash. Also, thanks to @o0genesis0o for introducing this set to me. I bought these on his recommendation!
Build – Probably among the best-built IEMs I’ve tried, let alone at the modest price of 79$. This is not surprising, considering they share the exact same metal shell as the $320 Fiio FA7S! That said, the included cable is nothing to write home about – it is a cable. And the accessories included? Well, let’s just say, the kit is very barebones! You’re paying for the IEM though and not for fancy accessories that will just end up staying in the box or getting tossed out right?
Overall Sound – I’d describe these as a meatier Harman – the upper mids through treble follow the Harman curve almost exactly, but the JD7 has a good amount of midbass whereas Harman tuning would generally suck out the midbass. This makes for an incredibly fun listen – it is slightly-V in that the low and high ends are elevated but not so much that the mids suffer.
Bass – Oodles and oodles of slammy, punchy, tight bass. Quantity is ample, and quality is definitely there. I tested these along side Hexa and these really made Hexa’s bass sound slow and poor quality. These will rumble when called for and have a good amount of impact. Basslets be wary though, there is a good amount of bass on this set!
Mids – Nice noteweight here, owing to the ample amount of midbass. Male vocals have a nice body and presence. Upper mids are slightly forward, so it does well with female vocals as well. Fairly good clarity here, certainly above average for the price range.
Treble – Smooth, with good air and sparkle. These are energetic IEMs. No offensive peaks or sibilance here, but they do lean bright – those of you who prefer to listen in the dark might need to be wary. I think the bass response balances out the treble a bit, so the brightness is kept in check more than the typical Harman-tuned IEM.
Techs – Above average detail retrieval and competitive even compared to IEMs like the Kato. The soundstage is wide, and the imaging is pretty good as well! Considering the energetic nature of this IEM, timbre is still good!
Closing thoughts – I’m surprised by how little attention this IEM has gotten. Fiio must not be spending many marketing dollars on this one, but they should! I bought these along with the Hexa, and while Hexa was getting all the hype at the time, I honestly thought the JD7 was the more interesting choice and ended up returning the Hexa. All in all, the Fiio JD7 is an engaging IEM that I highly recommend anyone looking for sub $100 take a serious look at – especially if you’re tired of everything following the same curve these days. This is a fun listen with good technical chops that won’t break the bank!
Where to buy:
Amazon US
