Fiio FT13 is Big, Bold and Fun /vs. FT1 Review

*For more insights, pictures and videos of this product please look at the review video above.

Can headphones be a rock n roll certified, fun carrying driven piece of work. Yes and these are the ones. They are moving and bopping your head with such effectiveness, and not just a head your entire body is electrified by this electrifying sound.

Yes, the spiritual successor to very popular and praised FT1 is here, and ready to rock your world.

Build Quality, Spec and Features

But before that, these headphones are interesting, they are titled purple heart on the box, and yes they have purple closed-back wood cups. I love all the premium materials here, the padding on earpads is nice, but it is extra noticeable at the headband which has nice soft padding.

You will have lambskin earpads preinstalled and in the box you will get suede earpads. Cable is super thick and nice Hybrid cable: secondary-refined Furukawa monocrystalline copper + silver-plated oxygen-free copper. They weigh 356 grams which is okay.

These are closed-back, 60mm dynamic driver. They are 32 ohms impedance, and 98db sensitivity so really easy to be driven.

Generally these are really nice-looking headphones, with premium materials and build, and with nice tech specs behind them. You can all see this at their website, I don’t want to spend much time here, and is nothing too surprising at 300 euros price range.

Sound Quality

But what makes headphones worth it or not is always going to be sound. And oh boy is there a lot to be talked about here.

These headphones are not going to satisfy everyone, heck I can say it now some are going to straight up hate them. They are so much grasping shamelessly the strengths of being closed back and riding that wave of very warm sound.

It is a specific sound, that is massively different from the all-around mantra that many headphones try to parade. It is warm, big, fuzzy and fun. So yes, this is not clinical, neutral balanced headphones rather headphones deep in V curve.

And the sound is like a big warm hug, that bass is justttttttttttt big! Now here we come to the point where Fiio is presenting us with two choices.

First is lambskin earpad and other is suede. One is trying to balance the sound a bit more, and exposing treble a bit more. And other is suede to remain happy in big bouncy sound, that might not be revealing too much or transparent.

And I had extended listening sessions with both earpads. And I can tell you, I was shocked with what happened to me. As if you ask me, lambskin is a better technically choice. It is more balanced, it is more detailed at top, but that sound that suede does is just so fun and right when I listen music where there is a lot of drive. Eg Rock and blues.

But in reality both ways, they need serious EQing to get the sound right.

I listened to blues icon Joana Armatrading, and especially on track Life Fire or Tall in the Saddle from self-titled album. Her voice is a bit lower, but tuning of guitar is also lower in vein of blues, even though the structure and playing is a typical rock song. But that cymbal and snare on drums, and her strumming of guitar left a mark. Left an energy, and a passion to just listen and listen and go yeah I can do this all night long.

It helps that there are a bunch of details at top to not just be a big bouncy sound, but also textured a lot. So you will hear everything on a soundstage. You will image placement of instruments.

While there is a lot to be said in treble in next section, idea of Fiio to overexpose treble is great for separation, it separates on soundstage, it is noticeable and there is a lot of texture. It combats the big bass, but it is a reason I prefer just a lot more suede to lambskin, but more of that latter.

Or listen to some Hubert Sumlin, his raspiness, his slow pace playing, his emotions through string works wonders here. Just pure love, pure fuzzy warm love.

And there are textures I was shocked for such a warm headphones, to have so many details. So much uptop energy, makes this combination pretty unique. Like fire and earth clashing at the same time.

Or just synth bass and wall of sound just sounds so massive.

I just loved that all that passion and energy that I got with these headphones, and if you are a person who loves that, who listens to a lot of blues, rock, and some electronica like IDM or Dub you are going to love these headphones.

Problems

But there are a lot of problems with these headphones. Like if you are not a person who enjoys what I mentioned before in previous section.... you are not going to have a good time.

The thing is such a clash of sound, does create a bit of unnatural sounding timbre. And sound accuracy is off the roof. If you use lambskin, to me the treble is just not finely tuned or refined. It might sound fatiguing really quick, and with suede sometimes bass was just overwhelming, especially when I was trying to do clinical listening.

Then all the imperfections and fun of these headphones kind of disappeared. This one is definitely not for you clinical listening peeps. Bass was overshadowing the mids so much, nothing could come at front.

It is so powerful headphones in both directions that transparency and clarity is not a strong suit of these headphones.

Something else, and this might be a problem with a lot of closed headphones, is that soundstage is okay but a lot can be desired here. It just lacks airiness and spread to fully immerse you on soundstage.

And those treble, while detailed and textured, feels overblown at times, almost unnatural which can make some music just sound disjointed. Like such an emphasis at both directions makes the sound lack cohesion.

And in the end that might be the biggest flaw of these headphones, that it tries too hard. Without weaving the structure of music correctly. It feels like it is trying to show off its beautiful feathers, while structure at where it stands is lousy at best.

vs. FT1

So we spoke that this is a successor of FT1, and that is not just me. If you go to Fiio website, they are also promoting it as such.

Now FT1 is cheaper, it is at least in shop where I buy things, 80 euros cheaper. But is it better? Well that question is all about taste.

To many FT1 could be more technically better headphones, they feel more balanced, more neutral and definitely have better midsection. With more clarity and transparency. Even though they retain a lot of similar qualities of FT13. They are also V shaped with bass and treble.

So is that a better buy, well consider this. You get better and softer headband, you get more quality cables with FT13, it is easier to listen FT13 on a long run.

And maybe what is the most important, to me FT13 is more fun headphones to listen. Easily more imperfect, and less, but if FT13 hits that special audience, that it tries to reach then it is definitely worth the price increase.

Even though FT13 is more balanced, more clinical, more transparent headphones, that also have good bass and treble.

Conclusion

Fiio FT13 feels like experimentation, it feels that Fiio is trying to by playing with sound signature to achieve a more unique sound. And in that sense, they created very weird but unique headphones in this price range.

FT13 is detailed, and yet it has this massive bass. FT13 is warm and can be listened on long run, and it helps a lot with imperfect or bright production of music. But they come with a lot of flaws, and certainly they are imperfect in the presentation of music.

So they cannot compete to be the best in class or something like that, value etc. But I kinda enjoyed them. I kinda liked them. And I think you might as well, and it is important to listen to these headphones, and not just listen to a technical validity of these headphones.

They are fun, I loved to listen to blues and rock with them. I just loved energy and drive how it moves good rhythm sections and guitars. How it is with its warm signature smoothing things, that you can listen to anything you want. Unless you want to be clinical with it, this is really enjoyable experience.

I recommend you check them out, and if it is not your cup of tea, then consider cheaper FT1.

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Keep daydreaming and see you on a next video.

Pros

Sound & Character

• Fun, energetic, and musical sound signature — very engaging for rock, blues, and electronic genres.

• Warm, bass-heavy tuning gives a “big, fuzzy, and fun” listening experience.

• Textured treble adds sparkle and separation, preventing the sound from being overly muddy.

• Distinct personality – doesn’t try to be neutral; aims for enjoyment and emotional engagement.

• Two earpad options (lambskin and suede) allow tuning variation:

  • Lambskin: more balanced and detailed.

  • Suede: warmer, softer, and more fun for rhythm-driven music.

    
    

Build & Comfort

• Premium materials – purple wood cups, lambskin pads, suede spares, solid hybrid copper/silver cable.

• Soft, well-padded headband and earpads for long-term comfort.

• Good weight balance at 356g, making them manageable for long sessions.

• Easy to drive (32 ohms / 98dB), suitable even for portable setups.

Listening Experience

• Rich, detailed texture even with warm tuning.

• Good imaging — can locate instruments decently on the stage.

• Enjoyable for long listening sessions, especially with warmer music.

• Improves harsh or bright recordings, smoothing them out.

  
  

Overall Impression

• Unique, emotional, and characterful sound presentation.

• More premium feel and comfort than the older FT1 model.

• A “fun-first” headphone — perfect for listeners who want musical excitement, not studio accuracy.

Cons

Sound Tuning Issues

• Not neutral or balanced — heavily V-shaped tuning.

• Bass can overpower mids, making vocals or guitars less present.

• Treble can be harsh or fatiguing with lambskin pads.

• Unnatural timbre at times due to exaggerated bass/treble.

• Requires EQ to achieve a more balanced response.

  
  

Technical Weaknesses

• Transparency and clarity are limited; not suitable for analytical listening.

• Soundstage lacks air and width — feels closed-in compared to open-back designs.

• Lack of cohesion — treble and bass sometimes feel disconnected.

  
  

Genre Limitations

• Not ideal for classical, jazz, or studio monitoring, where balance and precision matter.

• Highly polarizing tuning — some listeners may love it, others may “straight up hate it.”

 Compared to FT1

• More expensive (≈€80 more) but not necessarily better technically.

• FT1 offers clearer mids and better balance for those seeking neutrality.