FT13

Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Main system: Sources: Retina 5K 27" iMac (i5, 256GB SSD, 40GB RAM, Sonoma 14), 4TB external SSD with Thunderbolt 3, Audirvana Studio, Qobuz Sublime, Singxer SU-6 USB bridge, LHY Audio SW-8 & SW-6 switch, Sonnet Pasithea, COS Engineering D1, Laiv Audio Harmony; Active filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Power amplifiers: Kinki Studio EX-B7 monos & Gold Note monos on subwoofer; Headamp: Enleum AMP-23R; Phones: Raal 1995 Immanis; Loudspeakers: Qualio IQ [on loan] Cables: Exact Express Flame, Furutech; Power delivery: 2 x Kinki/Vinshine Tai Hang on amps and source stack, Furutech DPS-4.1 between wall and conditioners; Equipment rack: Artesanía Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Exoteryc amp stands; Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators, AudioQuest FogLifters; Room: 6 x 8m with open door behind listening seat; Room treatment: 2 x PSI Audio AVAA C214 active bass traps
2nd system: Source: FiiO R7 into Soundaware D300Ref SD transport to Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Preamp/filter: Lifesaver Audio Gradient Box 2; Amplifier: Kinki Studio EX-M7; Loudspeakers: ModalAkustik MusikBoxx + Dynaudio S18 sub; Cable loom: Exact Express Earth; Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra, Akiko Audio Corelli Corundum & Castello Solo; Equipment rack: Hifistay Mythology Transform X-Frame [on extended loan]; Sundry accessories: Furutech cable lifts, Furutech NFC Clear Lines; Room: ~3.5 x 8m
2nd headfi system: DAC: Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe with POW; Headamp: Cen.Grand Silver Fox; Headphones: Raal 1995 Magna, HifiMan Susvara
Desktop system: Source: HP Z2 work station Win11/64; USB bridge: Singxer SU-2; DAC/headamp: iFi iDSD Pro Signature; Speakers: DMAX P61 Headphones: Final D-8000, aune SR7000
Upstairs headfi system: FiiO R7; Headphones: Meze 109 Pro, Fiio FT3
2-channel video system: Source: Oppo BDP-105; All-in-One: Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe; Loudspeakers: Zu Soul VI; Subwoofer: Zu Submission; Power delivery: Furutech eTP-8, Room: ~6x4m
Review component retail: €330

Purple heart. It's the United States' oldest military decoration created in 1782 by George Washington and awarded to those wounded or killed in combat since April 5th, 1917. But it's also a South-American hardwood species that grows up to 50m tall and 1.5m thick. "When freshly cut, the heartwood of purpleheart can be a dull grey-purplish brown. Upon oxidation, the wood turns a deeper eggplant purple usually within days. With further age and exposure to UV light, it becomes a dark brown with a hint of purple. This colour shift can be slowed and minimized by using a UV-inhibiting wood finish." This tight-grained pest-resistant wood is popular in upscale furniture, musical instruments and was the timber of choice for Parisian hifant terrible, Franck Tchang of Acoustic System Int. aka the home of the original acoustic resonator whose equipment racks used solid purpleheart for its resonance-attenuating properties. Enter FiiO's closed-back FT13 where this wood combats chamber resonances assisted by the U-shaped tuning duct highlighted in blue below which lowers the shallow barrel's resonant frequency.

The over-sized 60mm dynamic driver uses a W-shaped 0.1mm thin cellulose pulp of Nordic Birch reinforced with carbon and wool fibres. The 25mm voice coil uses ultra-thin 0.035mm Japanese copper-clad aluminium wire on a lightweight polyimide Kapton former to maintain low moving mass for 98dB/mW sensitivity at 32Ω. To lower wear weight to 356g, the lambskin-upholstered bridge uses die-cast magnesium alloy with a ball-bearing 38mm long slider arrangement. Claimed bandwidth is 7Hz-40kHz and the included Furukawa hybrid copper/silver cable is 1.5m long terminated in twin 3.5mm for the cups and a 3.5/4.4mm swappable amplifier end with 6.3mm and XLR4 adapter included as are real leather and textile pads to change the tuning. As shown, the driver mounts at an angle to more directly aim at the ear canal whilst a foam insert behind the driver acts as additional rear-wave absorber. The two available high-gloss lacquer finishes are "freshly oxidized" deep purple or "UV aged" brown.

At press time FiiO Germany listed the FT13 at €330 so on par with Meze's evergreen 99 Classic now in MkII guise. As a quasi companion review to my prior writeup of FiiO's FT7, I refer you to that for the company background. Enter some of my general headfi views. One, due to its ubiquity and long-term R&D, a dynamic driver's performance is easier and cheaper to maximize than a planar's. Whilst we frolic in the sub €500 strata—exceptions exempted—dynamic designs enjoy an automatic performance advantage. Two, over open-backed designs, sealed headphones face the extra challenge of trapping the rear wave. This triggers chamber resonances just as speakers do with room modes; and far increased likelihood of out-of-phase radiation reflecting through the membrane into the ear minimally delayed in time to sum or subtract. Three, sealed designs make it easier to generate bass pressure for extension and power but harder to prevent bloat from internal resonances. The latter can interfere with overall micro resolution and general separation. Four, stronger on-ear pressurization from sealed earcups can cause quicker listening fatigue and sweaty ears. Five, the obvious upside is reduced sound leakage. It makes sealed headphones more appropriate to wear in company.

If this is a real not AI model, note her wearing the smallest slider adjustment. With the range left, the FT13 seems made for very tall skulls from Easter Island.

For the FT13 FiiO claim 26dB of attenuation. This also works in reverse by suppressing environmental noise from intruding into our sound bubble. Using these in a coffee bar surrounded by busy patron chatter should be far more satisfying and socially acceptable than wearing the open-backed FT7 planar – not that I see why you'd flaunt very big €749 luxury cans in public. In the wood—I can't really say flesh, can I?—the FT13 cups felt somewhat plasticky from that thick gloss skin covering up the fine pores of the purple heart so quite different from the more artisanal wooden feel of Meze's 99 Classic. Just so, finish quality itself was great. My senses simply called it more shine than soul but à la above model, I expect that the target audience will be thrilled. Whilst my noggin is very sizeable even if I can't vouch for its contents, I did sit slightly below half mast on these sliders. Usually I only have one click left or max out completely. Easter Islanders indeed. With the cable entries heavily angled forward, the R/L identifiers on the inside of the click stops are redundant but won't show. Suede-feel pads came pre-mounted, the pleather versions were extra. The attractive hard case was the same as came with the FT7. Before I hit 'play', my inner accountant gave these two thumbs up for their ask. Then I hit 'play' and my inner critic fired the accountant. Mind you, even the critic found these very comfortable to wear and delightfully rapid on song on the dial. 35/100 on a Shanling M3 Ultra's low gain pounded; literally.

The slider adjustment as I used it. Salt'n'pepper braided cable with 4.4mm plug swappable to 3.5mm.

Mother of Molly. This tuning felt like a red-nosed clown's exaggerated smiley face. Some people fear clowns. It's called coulrophobia. Really. It's a thing. So was the FT13's response. Its top end was turned up for stiff freshness such as to trigger my model-year 1962 ears into unpleasant ringing. The low end tilted up even more as though saluting a drum'n'bass parade. It's hard to pitch the effect without sounding wilful. So-called V-shaped tunings are popular at Meze but mellow by comparison. This curved up both ends rather more. I really didn't get on especially in the lower treble. I don't typically mind some extra bass but didn't disco die in the last century? I adore the FT7, even presented it with an award and very limited spot in my Favourite Finds of 2025 feature. I love my two FiiO R7 compact streamer/pre/headfi decks bought from audiophonics.fr and use them daily. If a review sample won't align with my taste and notions of correctness, I can usually still imagine an audience for it. Just change taste and/or ancillaries. That same imagination couldn't follow the FT13. Whilst presumably tuned for high excitement factor, I found it quickly fatiguing. It sounded a bit like its cups look: very shiny but with their gloss unnaturally overdone. Had I turned into an undercooked bore? On this occasion I felt curiously left out. With FiiO's track record and design experience, they must know things I don't. They must have tailored this close-backed glossy quite beautiful dynamic model for a very specific target group. I'm just too set in my ways to recognize those prospective buyers. For me, the nomenclature triggered Western numerology. I even wrote this on a Friday. I best leave it there.

I was clearly the wrong guy for this job. Sorry, FiiO. For once, you and I didn't hear ear to ear. My apologies. And yes, I did snap off the velour pads and on the smoothies. It wasn't enough difference to get me into the frame…