- FiiO has just unveiled retro-style on-ear mini headphones
- But with LDAC and volume/skip buttons on the earphones, they are also modern
- …and at just $29.99 / £32.99 I just want their extra time and their… kisses!
See if you are not channels Julia Roberts singing Prince from Richard Gere’s hotel bathtub in the film Beautiful woman Looking at FiiO’s late ’80s-inspired headphones, do you even love music—or movies, for that matter?
Not content with transporting me back in time to 1960s-era Bond films (with a Phantom flagship iFi DAC), it feels like every recent hi-fi release has been designed with the sole purpose of sending me into a world of analogue – cassettes at the ready.
FiiO continues to blur the lines between classic design and modern audio engineering with what it calls the “FiiO EH11 Retro Bluetooth Mini Headphones”. Yes, that name is also bigger than the blue banana…
At first glance, the EH11 look absolutely like the on-ears Vivian Ward plugged into a Walkman (which was precariously balanced on the edge of the Beverly Wilshire hotel bathtub) and wore to belt out the lyrics to Prince’s. Kiss. But look a little closer, and their compact wooden earcups separate them.
They may be inspired by iconic on-ears, but the design features transparent elements that reveal internal components, and these cabs actually double as control buttons. FiiO tells me you can rotate them, adjust the volume or skip tracks. The aim, says FiiO, is to create “an experience influenced by vintage hi-fi gear while remaining portable”.
You don’t have to be pretty to turn me on…
…but it helps! Weighing just 92 grams, the EH11 is certainly ideal for portable listening.
FiiO tells me that the 40mm dynamic driver in the earpiece has “a high-attenuation composite diaphragm” to lower the resonant frequency to 60Hz and “enables bass extension down to 17Hz”. Impressive.
The EH11 also features a semi-open acoustic design with ventilation ports and attenuation filters to reduce pressure, hopefully avoiding the “closed” typical on-ear headphones that can sometimes fall apart.
And these headphones aren’t just here for the retro feel. The EH11 supports LDAC Bluetooth, for audio of up to 990kbps when paired with compatible devices – and here FiiO will be happy to point you towards its fantastic JM21 high-resolution player, now available with extra storage.
The EH11 battery – yes, these are wireless headphones – apparently provides up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge, and a full recharge takes around 90 minutes.
And we’re a long way from the 1980s when it comes to the feature set, too: integration with the FiiO Control app unlocks genre-specific sound profiles, custom EQ, low-latency game sound modes and firmware updates.
Interchangeable earpads in two color sets are included for a slew of matching outfits, and are now available in transparent, off-white, burgundy, cyan or transparent black finishes, priced at just $29.99 / £32.99 (around AU$65).
That would make them easy candidates for our best budget headphones guide if the sound matches the vibe – and let me tell you, reader (*closes eyes, sings) “I just want to test them baby… from dusk till dawn!”
The best noise canceling headphones for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
