Fiio did a terrific job filling out its portfolio of late, and top-of-the-line additions is the Q7. The DAC is aimed on the high-end phase, and has an attention-grabbing origin story. It primarily options the center of the M17 digital audio participant — which retails for $1,800 — however with out the participant portion. So the Q7 would not have a display and it misses out on all of the bits wanted for an audio participant: there is no Android interface for starters, and it is not powered by the Snapdragon 660.What you get as a substitute is similar audio circuitry because the M17, and that makes the Q7 very attractive. Going this route not solely makes the Q7 that rather more versatile, however it additionally brings the worth down by a major quantity: $749, or simply 42% of the price of the M17. You’re nonetheless getting the identical unimaginable DAC and amp modules — it options ESS Sabre’s ES9038Pro DAC and the stellar THX AAA 788 amp — all in a conveyable type issue that is usable with a telephone or in a desktop setting.The Fiio Q7 launched in November 2022, and you may your arms on it at Amazon for $749 (opens in new tab). I used the DAC for the higher a part of 4 months, and having used most of Fiio’s current launches, I can truthfully say that this is among the model’s finest efforts. The versatility mixed with the design and the {hardware} on supply right here makes the Q7 an outstanding DAC, and it could simply be the all-in-one endgame DAC you are in search of.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Let’s begin with the design. The Q7 shares Fiio’s new design aesthetic, and which means you will discover aggressive styling with jagged sides and RGB lighting alongside the vents on the edges. With dimensions of 158.4 x 88.5 x 28.3mm and a weight of 620g, the Q7 is an absolute unit, and whereas it’s designed for moveable use, it’s too huge and heavy to only throw round in a bag, and you will be higher served by the likes of the BTR7 as a substitute.Image 1 of 5(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The Q7 is made out of aluminum, and even from a primary look, it is simple to see that this can be a high-end product. The machined aluminum chassis mixed with the gold accents give the DAC a variety of character, and the glass panel that runs alongside the size of the Q7 on the entrance offers a pleasant distinction to the design and makes the DAC look that rather more elegant.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The display is positioned on the entrance, and the 1.3-inch TFT panel has a decision of 240 x 240, which is greater than sufficient for the meant use case. You’ll discover THX and Hi-Res Audio labels on the backside, and the again of the Q7 has a textured end that feels nice to carry. The proper aspect of the Q7 has the buttons for energy and music playback, and including to the daring styling of the DAC, these are hexagonal.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The quantity knob is on the prime, and it’s decked out in gold. It options an RGB LED ring on the underside that adjustments coloration primarily based on the supply getting used: blue for music playback as much as 44.1KHz/48KHz, yellow for 88.2/96/176/352.8/384/705.6/768KHz, inexperienced for DSD64/128/256/512, and magenta for MQA playback. Like the K9 Pro, this can be a good visible indicator that tells you the standard of recordsdata being performed.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The backside of the Q7 homes all of the enter choices, and also you get optical and coaxial inputs together with USB-C, and a DC port. All the ports have covers to make sure mud would not get in, and you will find the ability toggle on the backside. There’s additionally a nifty toggle that permits you to change between DC energy and battery: the Q7 has an enormous 9,200mAh built-in battery, however it may be powered by the DC port. If you employ the latter, you possibly can bypass the battery altogether, and this makes probably the most quantity of sense when you intend to make use of the Q7 in a desktop setting.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)If you are eyeing the Q7 for moveable use, know that the battery lasts simply over ten hours on a full cost, and charging the unit takes an agonizing 4.5 hours. There isn’t any quick charging right here, and I solely noticed the cost go as much as 10W when related to a USB PD 3.0 outlet on the Nexode 200W.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)You’ll discover all of the outputs up prime, and also you get a single-ended 3.5mm jack, balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm ports, and even a full-fledged 6.35mm connector. The 6.35mm port will get a mud cowl, and it is nice to see Fiio bundle the full-size port on this gadget. The 3.5mm and a pair of.5mm ports work as line out as nicely.The display will get shiny sufficient and has a full-color panel, and is right for viewing supply data and accessing the menus. You can navigate the menus with the amount knob — which doubles as a multi-function button — and you’ll choose the language and change between the 4 modes: USB, Coaxial, Optical, and Bluetooth. On that observe, the Q7 has an in depth choice of Bluetooth codecs, together with AAC, SBC, AptX, AptX LL, AptX adaptive, AptX HD, and LDAC.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Fiio is understood to bundle a variety of equipment with its high-end merchandise, and that is no totally different with the Q7. The packaging for the DAC is the largest I’ve seen but from Fiio, and contains a variety of gear: the DAC is encased in a stunning brown leather-based case within the field, and it has cutouts for all of the ports, buttons, and RGB lights on the edges.You additionally get a good set of cables, together with USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, a smaller USB-C to USB-C cable that is angled (that is fairly helpful), and a USB-C to USB-A cable. As the Q7 works in a desktop configuration, you get an influence provide inside the bundle that is capable of ship 24W to the unit. The largest accent within the bundle is a customized cooling stand that is designed for the M17.Fiio bundles this stand for the Q7, and the explanation for that is apparent: the DAC will get scorching when plugged in, and because it would not have any energetic cooling, it wants an adjunct to do the job. The angled cooling stand is powered off USB and has a big fan that does an admirable job managing thermals, and the fan has three settings.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)As for the audio {hardware}, the Q7 is outfitted with ESS Sabre’s flagship ES9038Pro DAC together with THX’s AAA 788+ linear amplifiers, and you will find Qualcomm’s QCC5124 driving the Bluetooth portion. Fiio is not messing round right here, and the caliber of the {hardware} clearly alerts the model’s intent — the Q7 is a high-end DAC that holds its personal towards nearly some other gadget on this class.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The Q7 presents 32-bit/768kHz PCM decoding and DSD512 in USB DAC mode, and also you get 24-bit/192kHz together with DSD64 in coaxial mode and 24-bit/96KHz through optical. There’s additionally MQA rendering for Tidal, though it is at 8x. With the acquire set to Ultra High, the Q7 is ready to ship 1500mW of energy at 16Ω, 1100mW at 32Ω, and 130mW at 300Ω over the single-ended 3.5mm and 6.35mm ports.For the two.5mm and 4.4mm balanced connections, the Q7 delivers 1500mW of energy at 16Ω, 3000mW at 32Ω, and 500mW at 300Ω. Needless to say, the Q7 has greater than sufficient energy to drive nearly any headset no matter how demanding it could get.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)When it involves the sound, the Q7 is in a category of its personal. I used it with the Audeze LCD-X, Meze 99 Classics, and the HD6XX, and it did an outstanding job driving all of the headsets. The {hardware} on supply means you get wonderful lows paired with clear mids and hovering highs, and the tonality was on par with the K9 Pro, an enormous achievement in and of itself.Whether it is total layering or the soundstage, the Q7 will convey the very best out of no matter headset or IEM is related to it, and Fiio did a powerful job sustaining the audio constancy in what is actually a conveyable gadget. The soundstage is totally clear, and you will not discover any distortion right here.Simply put, the Q7 is the very best moveable DAC you may get proper now, and whereas it’s massive and cumbersome to hold, it has the ability and tonality to place its rivals to disgrace. The better part is that you could simply plug it in and use it as a full-fledged desktop supply, and that is what I’ve been doing with the DAC. If you need a versatile DAC that does not miss out on any options, the Q7 is my present suggestion.
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Today’s finest Fiio Q7 offers (opens in new tab)
With a daring design and all of the connectivity you might ask for, the Q7 nails the basics. The high-end audio {hardware} makes this a wonderful selection when you’re in search of an all-in-one moveable DAC.