The FiiO JT3 are the best headphones for audiophiles on a tight budget, and there’s very little competition. It’s rare that I see headphones below $70, let alone wired audiophile-grade headphones constructed of high-quality materials like (admittedly, faux) velvet and metal.
If you’re tired of plasticky, cheap-looking headphones but you don’t have a lot to spend, then boy, will you want to know about the JT3. These headphones are a whirlwind of premium design and premium sound, and are most certainly the model to beat now.
FiiO JT3 review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A supremely cheap pair of wired headphones
- What does it cost? $69 / £66
- What do we like? Almost everything: the affordability, the comfort, the sound quality… it’s all amazing
- What don’t we like? There’s a tiny pinching at the top of the treble, and some bass can be a touch muddy — but this is easy to overlook
FiiO JT3 review: Specs
FiiO JT3 review: Price & availability
The FiiO JT3 are astonishingly good value. The cans are just $69 on Amazon U.S. and £66 from Amazon U.K.. When I saw this price, my jaw literally dropped. Honestly, if you told me these headphones cost $200, I’d believe you. That’s how good they are.
I genuinely thought perhaps FiiO’s sales assistant mistyped when listing the JT3 on Amazon. Surely they should be at least $169. Even $269, I’d still believe you.
Finding a pair of headphones of this caliber at this price is stumbling upon the motherlode. The sound quality, comfort, and design are light-years ahead of the rest. I’ve tested the FiiO FT13, which are utterly decadent, but will cost you a whopping $329. I’ve also tested the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen — $349 — which are some of the best detail-listening cans I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.
You’ll notice, though, that these two models are grossly more expensive than the JT3. As I said, at this price point, you’re hard-pressed to find something of similar quality. The Philips SHP9600 are $79 and also highly respected in the audiophile sphere — but the JT3 knock $10 off the price. Similarly, the Audio-Technica ATH-R50X are open-backs known for their expansive and natural soundscape, but they’re an extra $100 smackaroos.
FiiO JT3 review: Design
- Black or silver grilles
- Super comfortable even for hours and hours of wear
- Velvet ear cups
It’s not just the supreme sound quality that makes me think the JT3 should be $100 pricier — they’re also mighty comfortable. When I wear them, I feel like a monarch from the days of yore; I should be being carried in a palanquin, fanned with bejewelled ostrich feathers, while eating decadent dates harvested under a full moon.
Thanks to the memory-foam-feel velvet ear cups that literally caress my head and a double-strapped headband that perches upon my skull like an aerial hoopist, I could wear these cans for hours and hours without noticing them. Although the silver headband looks a little weird if you’ve got a small head like me, I don’t mind.
As you might expect from headphones with a weight-bearing band, the JT3 are as comfortable as the Meze 99 Classics 2nd Gen and a little comfier than the FiiO FT13. Comparatively, they’re much more comfortable than your standard Bluetooth options, like JLab JBuds Lux ANC ($69). The cups themselves are also incredibly flexible and can contort up to 90°, which is great if you need to fold them up small or if you have a particularly odd-shaped head.
You honestly can’t tell these cans cost just $70 from looking at them, either. The open back comes in either black or silver — I tested black — and looks and feels premium. You can see the 50mm dynamic driver guarded behind the grill; these are open backs, after all.
I wore the JT3 for hours, and I could barely feel them. This is one of the key things I look for in over-ears, as I have quite a sensitive head. The JT3 passed with flying colors.
FiiO JT3 review: Connectivity
- 3.5mm jack
- ¼” jack
- No Bluetooth
Although the JT3 don’t have Bluetooth connectivity, this is not a con. These are not your standard Bluetooth, commercial headphones. These are not for commutes. There’s no ANC. No app. No calls (but there is a mic?).
As I said, these are not cons. The JT3 are not that type of headphone, and that’s fine. You have loads of other options for that — I’d recommend checking out the aforementioned JLab JBuds Lux ANC or my favorite over-ear Bluetooth headphones, the Soundcore Space One Pro ($199).
Right, now that’s out of the way, I’ll talk about what features and connectivity options the JT3 do have. And, yeah, it’s very little. But that’s fine!
The JT3 come with a gold-plated 3.5mm jack and a ¼” twist-on attachment. That’s it. Even so, it’s all you need. Simply plug your headphones into your listening device — I used my MacBook Air M2 — and you’re ready to start movin’ and groovin’.
FiiO JT3 review: Sound quality
- Divine, rich, warm bass, but can be a tiny bit muddy in heavy genres
- Supremely clear treble and pronounced mid-range
- A touch of pinching at the very top of the high-end at high volumes, but this is minimal
If you couldn’t already tell, the FiiO JT3 sound marvellous. Genuinely. They’re a marvel. I’m not quite sure how FiiO has managed this quality at this price. There’s got to be some wizardry or black magic involved here, surely?
To test the FiiO JT3, I listened to music via Qobuz, our best music streaming service for audiophiles. All tracks I streamed were in either CD-quality or 24-bit 192kHz.
First, I played ‘Major Threat’ by chokecherry. This is a fast-paced, frenetic indie shoegaze rock track, with an obsessive female vocal. The vocal was a standout in this song: it drove the track with urgency. I will say that the heavier sections — so the first verse and chorus — were prone to a little muddiness, as everything was fighting for dominance, and some of the cymbals were a tiny bit pinched.
I played another fast-past heavy rock track with female vocals — ‘Throw Yourself to the Sword’ by Die Spitz — to ascertain if this was an isolated issue, and, unfortunately, this track was a touch muddy, too.
Even so, I don’t think this is a critical issue for open-backs that cost literally $70. Of course $70 cans won’t perform like their $329 cousins (FiiO FT13), so I think the JT3 are unbelievably adept for the price.
After, I switched genre to a more ambient electronic track, ‘Beach 2k20’ by Yaeji and Robyn. This track is built over a synth-violin effect and a hip-hop-tinged electronic percussion, rounded out with breathy, feminine vocals. Considering this song has only a subtle bassline, the bass was clear and created a strong foundation for the rest of the track to groove over.
The synth mids were at the forefront, but didn’t overpower the soft vocals, which settled over the soundscape like morning mist. Everything earned its place, and I couldn’t believe how impressive this track sounded.
Last, I played ‘The End’ by The Doors, an 11-minute epic constructed from ethereal percussion, pensive guitars, and Jim Morrison’s iconic, emotive, storytelling voice. The JT3 handled this track as deftly as you’d expect from headphones double the price. The elements worked harmoniously together while keeping an expansive soundscape. The percussion sounded as if it were coming from all around me, despite a tiny crispness at the peak of the treble, and the keyboard and guitars garnished the soundscape like a delicate jús at a Michelin-star restaurant.
Overall, the JT3 perform like a much, much pricier pair of cans. The soundscape is expansive without being distant, and the warm sound signature doesn’t forget about delicate details in the treble.
For just $70, I doubt you’ll get better sonic performance. Actually, if you find a pair of headphones that sound better for less, I’ll eat the JT3 myself.
FiiO JT3 review: Verdict
I really don’t think you can get better performance for less. The FiiO JT3 completely obliterated my expectations — now, I am a changed woman. A changed woman who never wants to take the JT3 off her head.
With a complex soundscape that delicately balances the details in the high-end and the propulsive depth of the low-end, the JT3 are the ideal headphone for the beginner audiophile who can’t spend upwards of $300 on some powerful cans. If you want to enjoy serious listening sessions at home — or if you want to be brave and wear these open-ears in public — then you need to check out the JT3.
For music lovers on a budget, there’s never been a better time to get new audiophile-grade cans. The FiiO JT3 are severely underpriced, so I’d grab them before someone else does.
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