The Fiio Ft1's are dynamic-driver closed-back headphones sold at around 170€ in the EU available in either Dark Walnut or Beech.
There has been a lot of hype around these headphones since the release, so after a short burn-in period and weeks...months... of listening to these, there can only
be one verdict for the FT1's.....

..... but starting first with the unboxing of the product. These come in a nice box with a lot of quality accessories. They
come in a nice traveling case, with 2 good quality sets of cables ending in 3.5 and 4.4 balanced connectors which is uncommon in
this price category, finally there is also a 3.5 to 6.35 adaptor completing the package.

The built quality of the headphones themselves is great considering the price. The American Black Walnut Ear Cups look nice
in my opinion. In terms of comfort, the Ft1's are very lightweight, the clamping force is just right, the hybrid earpads
(protein leather sides and fabric on the face) are also very soft so no issue wearing them for several hours. The only
criticism i have with the build, is that the screws connecting the cups and the headband can get loose over time
which has happened once over several months with extensive use, but this can be easily fixed with a screwdriver.

On the technical side the drivers used in the Ft1's are 60mm dynamic drivers, these cans have 32Ω Impedance with 98dB/mW Sensitivity
and can be easily driven, in fact i had no issues powering them with any gear i had on hand.

Now the most important the sound, and well to me they sound nothing short of amazing, of course it is not perfect as
with most of the headphones out there even the most expensive one's, but what you get for your hard earned money is a lot.
The bass is without a doubt the star of the show, it is emphasized and hits very low, on certain not so well recorded
tracks it can get to much but in most cases it's excellent. The mids are well balanced rich and full. The treble is well
extended, energetic & engaging in some rare cases with some tracks it can be too much and can lead to fatigue
at least to my ears. The best pairings was with the Aune S17 Desktop amplifier and A&K Kann Ultra DAP which both seemed to have better
control over FT1's drivers resulting in even better low-end delivery and slightly tamed treble.

Comparisons: at around the same price there is the Hifiman Sundara Closed (initial retail price 499€) now selling well under
200€, but there is no competition here the FT1 wins hands down, it betters it in every department, going up to the 620s
from Sennheiser it is clearly a closer competitor but to me the FT1 sounds slightly better although i must admit that for
traveling the Sennheiser's are the better option due to considerably better outside isolation, same story with the much
more expensive Focal Azurys (549€) which is technically better but has some shortcomings when it comes to comfort and has to much
spice in the treble for my taste, so it needs two above 1k€ contenders to really better the FT1's performance
the Noire X from Dan Clarke and the Bokeh Closed from ZMF which is insane.

Final Verdict: This is a simply a fantastic headphone from Fiio, a value monster that will be difficult to top at this price.
The Ft1 is a great choice for beginners and for all those who want a fun sounding closed back at a low budget.