Overview

The FiiO FX17 is FiiO's flagship tribrid in-ear monitor, with 13 drivers per side: one dynamic driver, four Knowles balanced armatures and eight electrostatic drivers. It's for listeners who want deep, clean bass, rich vocals and airy, extended treble from one earphone, with a cable that connects to almost anything, including a phone's USB-C port.

The dynamic driver uses a lithium-magnesium alloy diaphragm, light and rigid with high internal damping, keeping distortion under 0.2%. Two Knowles composite balanced armatures (four drivers) handle the mids and upper mids, including a custom midrange unit FiiO developed with Knowles. Eight electrostatic drivers take over above 6kHz; electrostatics extend easily to 50kHz but are less sensitive (99dB/mW), so FiiO uses eight of them per side to balance the levels. An electronic and physical five-way crossover keeps the transitions smooth and the impedance curve flat.

The shell is milled from a single block of high-density titanium, hand-polished and hardened with vapor deposition. The cable blends gold, silver and copper conductors forged above 1000°C, and it takes three swappable plugs: 3.5mm, 4.4mm balanced, and a USB-C plug with a built-in DSP chip that decodes up to 32-bit/384kHz with balanced output and an 8-band PEQ. Each FX17 has a serialized nameplate, comes with 22 pairs of ear tips including HS18, SpinFit and HS20, and is Hi-Res Audio certified.

Simcoe Audio Video Insight

The FX17 is the one-earphone answer if you want flagship sound at home and convenience on the go. Use the USB-C plug straight from a phone or laptop, and set the 8-band PEQ in the FiiO Control app or on FiiO's web PEQ page. At home, switch to the 4.4mm plug with a balanced player or desktop amp. Note that the USB-C plug doesn't support UAC 1.0, so it won't work with game consoles like Switch, Xbox or PlayStation.

More Info

Why the FiiO FX17 Stands Out

Buyer's Guide

Who It's For

• The Flagship Seeker: Wants FiiO's top IEM with three driver types.
• The Phone and Desktop Listener: Wants USB-C convenience and 4.4mm balanced on one cable.
• The Treble Detail Fan: Wants electrostatic air and extension.

How It Compares

The FX17 adds eight electrostatic drivers per side on top of a dynamic-plus-balanced-armature design. For a hybrid without electrostatics, compare the FiiO FH19 with its push-pull dual dynamic drivers and six balanced armatures; for USB-C decoding around a planar driver, look at the FP3 TC.