Short answer: the FiiO FH7S. Both are rated 3.2/5 for sound quality (#939 and #950 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the FiiO FH7S costs $299.99 against $349 for the Shure Aonic 4, and with sound quality even, the cheaper one is the better buy.
Why pick the FiiO FH7S: Oratory1990 measured bass about 4.6 dB above the Harman target, so kick drums and bass lines hit with real weight for a hybrid built around a 13.6mm dynamic driver and four balanced armatures. Watch for: Low mids run 2.4 dB hot on top of the bass lift, which can make male vocals and bass instruments thick.
Why pick the Shure Aonic 4: Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural. The catch: Presence sits about 5.7 dB low with a 9.6 dB dip near 5.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the FiiO FH7S. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $49.01 less than the Shure Aonic 4.
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Oratory1990 measured bass about 4.6 dB above the Harman target, so kick drums and bass lines hit with real weight for a hybrid built around a 13.6mm dynamic driver and four balanced armatures.
Amazon $299.99 Lowest AliExpress $363.17 eBay
Lower mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, keeping voices and guitars natural.
Amazon $349.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| FiiO FH7S | Shure Aonic 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.99 | $349.00 |
| Ranked | #939 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #950 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 64 (measured by oratory1990, via AutoEQ) | 64 (measured by crinacle, via AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.76 dB standard deviation | 2.83 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.63 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.59 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.9 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.0 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 4 balanced armature) | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 1 x 13.6mm dynamic + 4 x balanced armature | 1 x dynamic + 1 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 18 ohms | 7 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 104 dB/mW | 106 dB/mW |
| Weight | 0 lbs (9 g) per earbud | 0 lbs (21.1 g) |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 19kHz |
| Back | Closed | - |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the FiiO FH7S from ekaudio, jaytiss, precog, superreview and vsg; the Shure Aonic 4 from aden, ekaudio and hu-fi, all via squig.link.
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