This and That:
Simple but unique/nicely designed cardboard box that contains the EM3 and some foam covers. That's it, but one shouldn't expect more for the price anyway.
Black shells without any FiiO logos.
Simple design. I rather like it.
Okay cable.
Sound:
I'm using low impedance sources and no foam covers.
Tonality:
Using earbuds, the tonal balance can vary quite strongly in dependence on how well the earphones seal the ear canals. On the EM3, this effect can be heard as well: inserting the earbuds deeper so that they firmly seal my ear canals, the sound is very bassy, dark and with mids that are way too much on the dark, warm and coloured side (the lower mids sound very thick). Reducing the seal on purpose so that the EM3 still sit securely in my ears but not as deeply fitting/strongly sealing leads to a less bass-heavy sound (that is still clearly bassy), with a bit more treble (that is however still undeniably dark and recessed). The mids sound still coloured (warm and dark), but not as badly. So without any EQ adjustments, a rather loose fit/seal is the way to get the most natural midrange presentation. Although "natural" is just to be seen relatively to the sound with a tight fit and seal in this case.
Listening to sine sweeps and music, the "bass" hump reaches from 50 Hz to 1.2 kHz, wherefore one cannot deny that it bleeds strongly into the midrange and makes it sound overly full and thick.
For earbud levels, the bass elevation is definitely strong and north of 12 dB wouldn't surprise me, and the only positive thing about it is that it extends comparatively well towards the lower bass.
Everything above 1 kHz is audibly in the background, with peaks around 3, 5.7 and 10 kHz, however all of them are well below zero and too little in intensity to be really noticed or to act as a mild counterweight to the bass or even mild signs of freshness. So yeah, unfortunately the highs are dark and rather muffled sounding.
Level rolls off above 12 kHz.
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In summary: overly thick and warm, bassy sounding with strong bleed into the midrange, and recessed, dark, muffled highs. Not natural, balanced or realistic at all.
With Foam Covers:
Midbass and upper bass slightly lose presence in my ears as soon as the foam covers are installed due to sealing less well in my ears, which makes the bass and root sound less, but still dominant. Unfortunately, so I have to say, the use of the foamies comes along with some disadvantages as well, so the treble becomes even darker, along with even darker sounding mids.
Just as expected, the overall sound presentation is also a bit foggier.
Therefore, all of the following notes about sound quality are based on listening to the EM3 without any foam covers.
Resolution:
For the price, the overall level of details is not fully bad. It's definitely not good though and one shouldn't expect performance that exceeds the price.
Over the entire frequency range, there is a certain veil, nonetheless the amount of distortions is commendably low, and below that of my BlackBerry WS-430.
Bass control isn't bad but actually solid, nonetheless there aren't many details in the lows and the speed could be higher as well.
The bass body is okay and rather pleasant, nonetheless not very defined.
The mids' resolution is okay for the price but not outstanding.
Treble differentiation and note separation could be better, but is okay for the price and still average - I've heard worse.
Soundstage:
Quite large, open soundstage with decent spatial depth but not very precise in terms of separation and positioning.
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Compared to other Earbuds:
BlackBerry WS-430:
The FiiO's cable is clearly better.
The BlackBerry is tuned way, way better and mostly neutral, however bass extension isn't as good as on the FiiO. So in terms of tuning, the WS-430 is miles ahead and more natural sounding.
The FiiO seems to distort less, nonetheless it sounds slower and less clean in the bass. In the other frequency bands though, the FiiO appears just slightly more detailed.
The BlackBerry's stage is slightly narrower but more precise.
Venture Electronics Monk Plus:
The Venture Electronics' cable is better.
The Monk Plus sounds better balanced, with a less present bass that doesn't bleed into the midrange, and a somewhat elevated (lower) treble.
The bass is tighter, faster and better controlled as well as somewhat more detailed on the Venture Electronics, while midrange and treble details are comparable.
The EM3's stage is more open sounding while the Monk Plus' is more precise.
Pai Audio 3.14 Flat:
The Pai’s cable is somewhat better.
The FiiO is audibly bassier and bleeds much more into the midrange.
The FiiO sounds darker and more muffled.
Bass extension is better on the EM3.
The Pai's lows sound cleaner and tighter. Control is about comparable.
Otherwise no large differences in terms of resolution.
The 3.14 Flat’s soundstage is somewhat wider and less deep than the EM3’s, but more precise.
Apple EarPods:
The EarPods sound more v-shaped (upper bass, lower root and lower treble emphasis), but have less bass quantity.
The EarPods’ mids are less coloured, but still somewhat artificial sounding, and a bit metallic as well as brighter than neutral. Ultimately, they're less coloured sounding compared to the EM3's, but appear more distant in the mix.
In the treble, the EarPods show a slightly metallic character as well, but in contrast to the EM3, the EarPods have at least some treble to begin with.
Basss extension is better on the EM3.
The EarPods resolve much better and are more controlled and tighter, faster and cleaner sounding.
The EM3's stage is somewhat narrower than the EarPods', however depth is about similar. Instruments are placed and separated audibly cleaner on the EarPods.
Conclusion:
Okay technical performance for earbuds in this price range, however the tuning just sucks, with a bloated bass that bleeds massively into the midrange and a dark, restricted, muffled treble.
There are better earbuds around for the same price.