Disclosure: I’d like to thank FiiO for providing me with the EH13 for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and FiiO had no say or input on the contents of this review.

The FiiO EH13 is a budget-friendly Bluetooth over-ear headphone featuring 40mm dynamic drivers, Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC support, a hybrid active noise cancellation system rated for up to -42dB, 3.5mm wired support, dual-device Bluetooth connectivity (multipoint), and up to 75 hours of battery life with ANC off (45 with ANC on).

Priced at $50 USD, the EH13 has a very aggressive feature set for the price, as most budget ANC headphones I’ve used make compromises in codec support, tuning flexibility, or build quality. The EH13 still has compromises to be able to achieve this price, but FiiO is clearly trying to bring some of its audio expertise into the mainstream, commuter-friendly Bluetooth headphone market.

After looking at what FiiO is offering here, the EH13 does feel like one of the more interesting budget ANC headphones right now, so let’s get into the review and see what it’s all about.

• FiiO EH13
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• 3.5mm audio cable
• Quick start guide

The included accessory package is simple, but I appreciate that FiiO includes the 3.5mm cable. A lot of wireless headphones now technically support wired playback, but make you supply your own cable, so it is nice to see FiiO still including one.

One thing that is not included is a case or pouch, which is understandable at this price, but it does make the foldable design feel a little less complete as a travel package.

The FiiO EH13 follows a sleek, minimalist design language. It’s available in Black and a very clean-looking Off-White (this is the version I have). The build is primarily high-quality plastic, but FiiO has added subtle chrome accents around the ear cups that give it a more premium “lifestyle” look.

At roughly 250 grams, the EH13 is exceptionally light for its size, and the foldable design makes it easy to carry around. The earcups rotate and can fold inward, so the headphones should take up much less space in a bag than a rigid full-size over-ear design. The clamping force is a bit snug out of the box, which is intentional to ensure the ANC seal is effective. However, after a few days of use, it settled into a very comfortable fit.

The earpads use protein leather, which helps with passive isolation and gives the headphone a softer feel against the head. The downside is heat buildup. That is not unusual for budget closed-back ANC headphones, but it is still something to be aware of if you plan to wear them for hours at a time, or in warm environments.

The EH13 uses physical controls for power, pairing, playback, volume, track skipping, calls, and voice assistant access, with all of the buttons located on the right earcup. I prefer physical buttons on budget headphones because touch controls are usually inconsistent and prone to accidental activation. The right earcup also houses the 3.5mm aux connection and the USB-C port.

The placement of the buttons does take some getting used to. The volume rocker is on the front side of the earcup, and this position feels a bit unnatural as you have to twist your hand if you want to use your thumb to press the buttons. The ANC is on the back side of the earcup, which is where I think the volume button should have been, as it feels easier and more natural to press. The Play/Pause/Power button is beside the volume rocker towards the front of the earcup, also making it inconvenient to use. It’s possible I may be the only one bothered by the layout, but it feels backward to me.

The FiiO Control app is one of the more important parts of the EH13 experience. Through the app, you can adjust ANC levels, access EQ presets, and create custom tuning profiles. It offers a full parametric EQ, allowing you to bypass the stock tuning and shape the sound to your preference. You can also turn down the prompt volume, which I highly recommend as the default volume is painfully loud.

The FiiO EH13 uses a hybrid ANC system with feedforward and feedback microphones, with FiiO claiming up to -42dB of noise reduction. Each earcup has dedicated ANC microphones, and the FiiO Control app allows you to choose between three ANC levels. According to FiiO, this is what each level is for:

Level 1: Reduces wind noise.

Level 2: Alleviates ear pressure.

Level 3: Provides the deepest level of noise cancellation, though it may result in the highest ear pressure.

I’ll be blunt here and say that the overall ANC performance is acceptable, but not great. The ANC handles low-frequency rumble from passing cars to background office noise moderately well, but voices, the clattering of dishes, and construction noise come through a little too easily. The wind noise reduction mode (Level 1) does help when wearing the headphones in windy situations, but anything more than light wind will make the ANC completely unusable and bothersome. I would say the overall ANC performance is appropriate for the price, nothing ground-breaking here.

The transparency mode is functional but leans a bit toward the artificial side of things. It’s useful for hearing an announcement or a quick talk with someone, but it doesn’t have that “natural” transparency sound found on higher-end sets. Still, having a usable transparency mode at this price is a major win.

Bluetooth support is one of the EH13’s stronger areas. It supports Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC, AAC, and SBC codecs. LDAC is the important one here, especially for Android users and anyone using a compatible DAP.

LDAC does not automatically make a headphone sound great, but it does give the EH13 more wireless bandwidth than SBC or AAC. If you are using a compatible Android phone, digital audio player, or other LDAC-capable source, the EH13 has a better chance of preserving detail and avoiding compression.

One thing to note here is that there is no gaming mode or low-latency codec. When using LDAC, there is noticeable latency when watching videos, but when using the AAC codec, latency performance improves, with only a very slight delay between the audio and video.

The EH13 also supports dual-device connectivity, so you can connect it to two Bluetooth devices at the same time, even with LDAC enabled. This is useful if you want to stay connected to a smartphone and a laptop simultaneously, switching between music, videos, and calls without constantly re-pairing.

The Bluetooth connection is very stable in my testing, regardless of the codec used (mainly AAC and LDAC). I could walk 10 meters away from my source device without the connection dropping or stuttering.

The FiiO EH13 supports 3.5mm wired input, but with an important caveat: the headphone must be powered on for wired mode to work. According to FiiO, plugging in the 3.5mm cable automatically switches the headphone into wired input mode, and unplugging it switches back to Bluetooth.

This is not a passive wired mode in the traditional sense. The EH13 still relies on its internal electronics, which allows FiiO to keep the sound signature more consistent between Bluetooth and wired playback. The downside is that wired use still depends on a battery.

Still, I like that the wired mode is included. It makes the EH13 more flexible for laptops, handheld gaming devices, airplane entertainment systems, older DAPs, and situations where Bluetooth is not ideal.

Battery life is simply excellent. FiiO rates the EH13 at up to 75 hours with ANC off and up to 45 hours with ANC on, with a charging time of about two hours.

Those numbers are well above what I would normally expect from a budget ANC headphone. My extended testing (using the headphone for almost two months) confirms these numbers generally hold up in real-world use. With ANC off I as achieving 70 hours with LDAC, and with ANC on I was able to get close to 40 hours using LDAC. These results place the EH13 among the longest-lasting wireless headphones at any price point, ensuring that for commuting and flights, you’ll almost never have to worry about battery life.

The FiiO EH13 uses 40mm dynamic drivers with a sapphire-coated composite diaphragm. FiiO says the sapphire-coated dome increases rigidity, suppresses breakup distortion, and reduces high-frequency distortion by up to 30%, while the PEEK+PU surround helps with bass extension and ANC performance.

What this means in practice is we get a deliberately warm and engaging sound signature that prioritizes musicality over analytical precision. This isn’t a bright, airy presentation you might expect from budget headphones trying to impress with artificial detail. Instead, the EH13 is tuned for long-term listening enjoyment, creating a full-bodied character that works well across most genres.

Bass

The bass is the most immediately noticeable part of the EH13’s tuning. This is a warm, consumer-friendly headphone, so the low end should have enough weight to make pop, hip-hop, electronic, and movie content sound full and engaging. Mid-bass is warm and punchy, with generally good control. There is also a clear emphasis on sub-bass, which gives electronic tracks and hip-hop a satisfying rumble. Drums and bass guitars have a well-rounded, full-sounding character, with genuine weight and authority.

Midrange

The midrange is slightly recessed (classic V-shape), but vocals remain clear and carry natural weight and presence. They’re positioned slightly forward in the mix, which gives some intimacy to them.

The upper midrange does roll off earlier than what I would consider ideal, which removes some bite from acoustic guitars and reduces the forward presence of brass instruments. This makes for an overall smooth character, but can make some recordings sound slightly veiled.

This kind of tuning does work well for relaxed listening. It may not have the most forward upper midrange or the most analytical vocal clarity, but it should be easy to listen to for long sessions.

Treble

The treble has an overall relaxed quality to it. There’s smoothness in the presence region (2-5kHz), which helps essentially eliminate harshness and sibilance, all while giving a decent amount of air. This is a very safe tuning, and I think it sounds good for what it is, but I did find myself wanting just a bit more detail. Thankfully, you can use FiiO Control’s PEQ to bring out more sparkle if you prefer a brighter, more detailed sound.

Soundstage and Imaging

For a closed-back ANC headphone at this price, the soundstage is intimate but not claustrophobic.  The presentation sounds cohesive and engaging rather than cramped, but isn’t exaggerated. Imaging is also accurate enough, allowing you to tell generally which direction a sound is coming from.

The FiiO EH13 has five built-in microphones and uses ENC noise reduction for calls. Four microphones are used for noise cancellation, while one dedicated microphone handles voice pickup during calls.

For casual calls and online meetings in a quiet environment, the microphone quality is good, with very little background noise and no artifacts. With wind or any substantial background noise (traffic, construction, sirens), the voice isolation does its best, but many times the background noise just overpowers my voice. Essentially, what you would expect from a $50 ANC headphone.

One limitation is that using the microphone is not supported in wired mode. If you plug the EH13 in with a 3.5mm cable, you should treat it as a listening-only connection.

The FiiO EH13 is not a luxury ANC headphone, and it should not be judged like one. It is a budget Bluetooth over-ear headphone that tries to deliver as much real-world functionality as possible for $50 USD. What makes this headphone interesting is that FiiO did not just throw ANC into a generic plastic shell and call it a day. The EH13 has LDAC support, app-based PEQ, long battery life, multipoint, wired audio support, a foldable design, and most importantly, a generally pleasing sound profile.

The build is still budget-oriented. The plastic housing may scratch more easily than higher-end headphones, the earpads can get warm, transparency mode is not class-leading, and the ANC performance should be viewed as useful rather than flagship-quality. Those trade-offs feel reasonable given the price, and given that the sound quality is pleasing and fatigue-free.

The EH13 is not trying to beat the best ANC headphones on the market. It is trying to make the budget category feel less compromised. On that front, FiiO seems to have done a very good job.

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