Planar In-Ear Monitors

* product drawings are for reference only, all in kind shall prevail

Mini planar

Mini wooden bowl

In Q3 of 2022, FIIO began research and development on “mini planar” IEMs. Unlike over-ear headphones with large planar drivers, creating a planar IEM posed unique challenges. The goal was to retain the characteristic high resolution and wide frequency response associated with planar drivers within the limited space of an IEM while also ensuring quality bass response and an overall full sound. This was not easy to achieve, and reaching these goals required breaking industry norms and taking an innovative approach.

After two years of meticulous work, we created the FIIO FP3/FP3 TC, featuring a second-generation, entirely self-developed 14.5mm planar driver. The diaphragm thickness is merely 1μm, the thinnest among its peers, achieved in part thanks to FIIO’s new dual-coating patented technology. The driver was designed to deliver excellent sound quality and impressive dynamics. The FP3/FP3 TC’s appearance draws inspiration from a “mini wooden bowl.” Prominent on the FP3/FP3 TC is a pure wood faceplate, with options for rosewood or black walnut finishes. Each earbud weighs only about 6.5g and features ergonomic enhancements for comfortable and worry-free wear.

Facing problems head-on, Breaking through them

2nd gen self-developed 14.5mm in-ear planar driver

The FP3/FP3 TC is equipped with FIIO’s second generation, self-developed 14.5mm in-ear planar driver. The planar driver has been designed from the ground-up by FIIO, from the diaphragm, to the patented dual-coating, to the conductive trace width, to the fine-tuning of the magnetic circuit, and even the standardized bracket fixings. Compared to typical off-the-shelf drivers, the self-developed driver can be completely customized to build and fit around it a sophisticated acoustic system, allowing the driver to achieve significant breakthroughs in sound quality.

Thanks to this intensive research and development, the FIIO FP3/FP3 TC features a large, almost limitless soundstage rarely found among its peers. It also effortlessly produces deep bass and detailed treble up to 40kHz, allowing you to fully dive into the music.

A true standout

1μm ultra-thin diaphragm

Engineers have constantly strived to achieve thinner and lighter diaphragms for planar drivers. After two years of independent research and development, we have created a class-leading 1μm ultra-thin diaphragm, using high-performance PET as the substrate. The difference between even a 2μm and a 1μm diaphragm thickness results in noticeable performance differences when the diaphragm is vibrating at high speeds, which ultimately affects sound quality.

The FP3/FP3 TC’s 1μm ultra-thin diaphragm is exceptionally lightweight, allowing it to respond with lightning-quick speed. It faithfully reproduces even subtle sounds in the ultra-high frequency range, as well as providing exceptional dynamic range.

Dual-stacked, Finely-tuned frequency response

Titanium + Aluminum dual-coating patented technology

“Each material has its own natural frequency and timbre. Pairing different materials each with their own properties to vibrate with each other leads to a rich variety of sonic experiences. That’s where the joy of HiFi truly lies - exploring the colorful and vast possibilities within audio.”

 Chief Engineer of FiiO IEMs R&D Center

The FIIO FP3/FP3 TC employs a newly self-developed technology for its planar driver – a patented dual-coating system. The planar driver uses high-performance PET as the diaphragm substrate and selectively applies aluminum and titanium to create a dual-coated driver. Such a design enhances the driver’s frequency response across different frequency ranges, improves audio resolution, and allows listeners to fully appreciate the nuanced sound quality of planar drivers. The first coating layer is made of aluminum. Lightweight and conducive, the aluminum coating enhances the traces’ conductivity, helping to reduce the IEM’s impedance and power requirements. The second coating layer is made of titanium. With its high hardness, the titanium coating contributes to the diaphragm’s rigidity and enhances treble resolution and overall transparency.

Advanced technology for advanced sound 28 nm-grade process technology

In order to achieve high sound quality with the intricate second generation self-developed planar driver, the FP3/FP3 TC’s driver needs to be manufactured with precision at the nanometer level. Traditional diaphragm coating processes are not precise enough.

To have its driver diaphragm be manufactured with sufficiently high quality, the FIIO FP3/FP3 TC’s driver is made using a 28 nm-grade process. This technique, inspired by coating technology used within the semiconductor industry, completely isolates the conductive trace material from the surrounding air. The trace material exists in a vacuum state at a pressure of 6.6 × 10⁻³ pascals, and the temperature is raised to 120°C. The trace material is transformed into ionized particles, which then accumulate on an ultra-thin 1μm film through charge attraction principles. This process creates the desired coating thickness for optimal acoustics and significantly enhances the durability and lifespan of the traces*.

Additionally, the FP3/FP3 TC goes beyond industry standards by applying this complex and rigorous process twice to each diaphragm, resulting in a dual-coated membrane design that delivers exceptional sound quality.

*The FIIO FT5 uses the same manufacturing process and its driver’s traces have undergone over six months of aging tests in FIIO Labs. During this testing period, there have been no occurrences of detachment, separation, or wire breakage in general. Sound quality still remains within standards. This durability experiment is still ongoing.

Hair-like thinness

0.055mm ultra-fine conductive traces

The conductive traces on the FIIO FP3/FP3 TC’s planar driver were designed according to the force principle acting on a coil in a magnetic field, F = BIL*. We leveraged a high-precision 28 nm-grade manufacturing process, allowing the conductive traces on the FP3/FP3 TC’s driver to be a width of merely 0.055mm – as thin as a strand of hair. By making each individual trace narrower, we can pack more traces more densely within the effective magnetic field. The total length of the FP3/FP3 TC’s traces is 486.5 mm, significantly enhancing the driving force experienced by the diaphragm while simultaneously improving headphone sensitivity.

0.055mm

Width of a single conductive trace

486.5mm

Total conductive trace length

105dB/mW@1kHz

High sensitivity

*Under constant magnetic field and input current, longer coils within the magnetic field experience greater force, leading to larger diaphragm oscillations and higher sensitivity.

Balanced force

Dual-sided 14 N52 neodymium magnets

In order to achieve a comfortable and lightweight design, the development team decided to place 7 N52 high-performance neodymium magnets on both sides of the FP3/FP3 TC’s driver. These magnets are arranged in a 7x2 pattern, totaling 14 in all. The balanced placement of these magnets allows the dual-coated traces to be distributed evenly within the magnetic field. This completes a matrix-style magnetic circuit system, ensuring that the diaphragm experiences balanced forces on both sides. As a result, the diaphragm does not move in irregular ways, which reduces distortion, and achieves high-fidelity sound.

Deeply extended, Dive deep into the music

“Tesla valve” patented bass enhancement acoustic technology

The FIIO FP3/FP3 TC is equipped with the same F.T.B.S.* “Tesla Valve” patented bass enhancement acoustic technology as in the FD15. The lengths, angles, and quantities of channels within the IEM’s cavity have been specially calculated to achieve a Tesla valve fluid structure. The result is significantly enhanced and deeply extended yet textured bass.

*F.T.B.S is FIIO Tesla Bass Sound

* Patent number: ZL2024203547620

Triple-level optimizations,

First-class comfort for your ears

Specially designed for comfort

High-precision 3D-printed front shell

To balance both lightness and comfort, the FiiO FP3/FP3 TC features a front shell made from high-precision 3D printing. This allows the shell to be flexibly shaped to a design comfortable for ears. This front shell is manually polishing and undergoes UV coating, leading to a luxurious texture.

Reducing the feeling of ear constriction

To break away from the common perception that planar IEMs are bulky and difficult to wear, the FP3 /FP3 TCreduces the contact area with the human ear. This minimizes pressure on the earlobe. Combined with the lightweight net weight of the headphones, the result is a comfortable listening experience.

New ear-stable design

Comfortable yet secure planar IEMs are rare. The FiiO FP3/FP3 TC features a specific support structure in the concave auricle area, which improves stability during wear.  Effortlessly go out and enjoy planar sound anytime, anywhere.

Light as a feather

Lightweight 6.5g per unit

The FIIO FP3/FP3 TC is a planar IEM that was designed to be light for a comfortable, effortless listening experience. To achieve this, the acoustic team has meticulously optimized the product’s weight while ensuring sound quality was not compromised. The weight of each FP3/FP3 TC unit is approximately 6.5 grams, making it fatigue-free for extended listening sessions and ahead of its peers in comfort.

Built-in decoding, effortless HiFi

Supports 384kHz/24bit audio decoding

The FP3 TC features a high-performance DSP audio decoding chip*, allowing you to enjoy high-res lossless audio without additional devices.

The FP3 TC supports 384kHz/24bit lossless audio decoding—an industry-leading specification that helps you effortlessly resolve lossless audio sources.

The FP3 TC is fully compatible with major platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Driver-free design, plug and play.

Personalizing your listening tastes

Supports 8-band PEQ adjustment You can adjust the frequency, gain, and Q value based on your personal listening preferences or target response to achieve a customized sound signature.

3 saving methods · Save to device: Writes the PEQ curve directly to the device · Save to local data: Saves the PEQ curve as a local file · Save to local EQ overwrite: Replaces the existing local file with the current PEQ curve

Upload to the cloud You can upload your curve to the FiiO Control app, seamlessly connecting to the cloud and sharing your PEQ settings.

*Only supports Android-based FIIO Control. The iOS version is currently not supported.

Massive PEQ curves, supports sharing online App-based curve sharing

Co-create in the cloud and enjoy colorful HiFi. In the FiiO Control APP, tap “Featured” to upload and share your personalized PEQ adjustment presets. You can also browse and download curves shared by other users to explore diverse listening experiences.

True balanced

Type-C balanced audio output

The FIIO FP3 TC adds balanced audio output* by connecting to the DSP chip’s L+, L−, R+, and R− audio signal pins, delivering the wide dynamic range of “true balanced” audio. This effectively improves left-right channel separation, avoids crosstalk caused by shared ground paths, and ensures high signal-to-noise ratio performance: SNR > 122dB, with distortion reduced and noise floor as low as <0.8μV.

Additionally, while enjoying true balanced audio, the FP3 TC also includes an in-line microphone control module, so you can switch seamlessly between HiFi listening and clear voice calls.

THD+N  <0.8μV

SNR  >122dB

Natural sound

Rosewood/Black walnut versions available

The FIIO FP3/FP3 TC features a natural solid wood faceplate, with rosewood/black walnut versions available: 

Black walnut

Originating from the high-latitude regions of North America, blacK walnut is renowned for its beautiful and elegant grain patterns, as well as its smooth and fine texture. It is used in luxury products such as yachts, high-end cars, and custom-made furniture. It is a relatively rare wood.

Rosewood

Rosewood grows in tropical regions and is commonly used in various applications, such as for high-end musical instruments and custom classical furniture. The wood itself boasts vivid colors and distinct grain patterns, making it a beautiful and elegant wood adored all over the world.

Hi-Res Audio certified

TheFIIO FP3/FP3 TC has been certified by the Japan Audio Society (JAS) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) to be Hi-Res Audio capable, a testament to the IEM’s ability to faithfully reproduce sound.

Wearing method：around-the-ear

IEM Driver：14.5mm

planar Frequency response：10Hz-40kHz

Impedance：36Ω@1kHz

Sensitivity：105dB/mW@1kHz

Cable material：4 strands totaling 392 wires of silver-plated copper

Cable length：about 1.2m

Unit weight：about 6.5g（excluding cable）

Headphone connector：0.78 2pin detachable

Audio plug：copper-plated gold 3.5mm

Faceplate material：Rosewood/walnut

Extensive accessories

①----------------FP3 box

②----Quick start guide*1  

③---HB11 storage case*1

④-Treble eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L) (M pre-installed)  

⑤-Balanced eartips*3 pairs (S/M/L)

⑥-0.78mm 2-pin silver-plated copper cable*1