FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier

This is incredible value for money it transformed my desktop audio listening experience. So I recently went through an audio revamp. New pairs of cans, new amps, new library of CDs ect. I wanted a new desktop amp dac to replace the slightly aging e10k Olympus, also from fiio. That is also still a great dac amp, not quite desktop station worthy though. As most reviewers point out fiio has undeniably some of the best desktop units for the price. If you were like me you'd be tied between the fiio k5 pro and the k7. In my opinion both are extremely valid and good choices. For £50 extra the k7 is negotiable, newer hardware, lower SE output but higher through Bal, non ESS amps. Should be good to note that the k7 gets seperated dual mono while the k5 and recently released k11 does not. This makes stage on large open backs much more positional. To me both are valid and if you want the most power then you can't go wrong with the k5pro. All in all the amp dac is incredible, clear powerful sound with adequate power for 90% of cans. I can imagine £1000 800ohms might not have enough juice but if you were spending that much then you wouldn't look at this. In terms of competition I have no qualms giving some options if your price point is different. Ifi zen DAC air + can air combo. I have the can air it is an incredible amp for the price and even gives the k7 a run for its money balanced. It's a good choice if you use tidals mqa for your listening. Loxjie p20 hybrid An alternative from housebrand SMSL. A hybrid tube amp so you have tubes if you want that warmer tone. Also has balanced xlr if that's what you want. Far less power but at nearly half the price. In my opinion if you can afford it, it will shine for a while. If you can't afford it then there a couple other options but I think you should save it and grab this instead.

So let's start at the beginning, I have a K5 and use it as a DAC/desktop amp to my headphones/powered speakers and have always loved it. The new K7 came out and I thought it would be a step up, and I have some gadget money left in the pot, so let's give it a go. Is the K7 better, yes in almost every respect. Sounds better, has more connections and a genuine line-out level as opposed to most products that think putting a couple of outputs on the back and calling them a line out ( I imagine they would say they just meant it is a way of getting sound out) makes it one. Has a balanced-out jack option, and two gain levels (the K5 has 3 but that always seemed unnecessary to me) push button inputs selection and toggle outputs. So why did I return it, well for my use case the non-line out, line out, was slightly better in terms of control. An actual line out is loud and can't be controlled by the output device, whereas the K5 not being a line out level signal meant I had more control over the output and yes I know you can use it as a pre-out for much the same effect, however, the pre level wasn't quite up to the job in terms of volume control. I don't want to ever have to touch the speakers once they are set, I only want to have to use the one-volume nob. Picky I know but that's the particular use case for me. So, if I was using it just for headphones would I recommend it, good god, yes, for this price, no question. If it is connected to an amp and was being used as a pre-amp, absolutely, lots of inputs and again, a great sound for the price and you can use it as a headphone amp when it's connected if you have an amp without one! As I said, for my very specific use case ( speakers are quite high up on desk stands if that makes it any better?) I will stick to the K5 on the desk, if it wasn't for that I would take this in a heartbeat as it is an improvement on the K5 by every other measure. In fact, I may get one for the actual stereo a little further down the line when I change to a digital amp as they don't usually have headphone connections, just need to build the gadget pot up a bit.

The power switch integrates with the volume control knob. So, I turn it anticlockwise to switch off the unit. I would have preferred a separate power switch so I do not have to adjust the volume every time I switch it off. The audio quality is excellent. Purchasing quality headphones like the Meze 99 Neo is worthwhile. I had trouble hearing enough bass while listening to Spotify on Sony in-ear headphones. Overall, I am happy with my purchase, and the K7 is worth the money.

Teknik detaylara girecek kadar bilgiye sahip değilim ama iyi bir müzik dinleyicisi olarak şunu diyebilirim ki Sennheiser 660s2 yi Fiio K7'de 4.4 mm dengeli giriş ile kullanmaya başladım. Daha önce İfi Zen Air Dac kullanıyordum çok kötü diyemem bu DAC için ama Fiio K7 kullanmaya başladıktan sonra kulaklık resmen 2-3 level atladı diyebilirim. Geniş sahne ve enstürman detayları büyük ölçüde arttı. Ayrıca kulak tırmalayan müzikler netleşti ve berraklaştı. Daha zevkle ve keyifle müzik dinliyorum.

Der FiiO K7 war für mich eine richtig gute Entscheidung. Ich hab ihn mir ursprünglich gekauft, um meine Kopfhörer besser auszureizen, und was da rauskommt, hätte ich so nicht erwartet. Der Klang ist absolut klar, kraftvoll und einfach lebendig. Musik wirkt damit nicht nur besser, sondern auch echter. Gerade bei detailreichen Tracks merkt man, wie viel da noch drinsteckt, was vorher einfach unterging. Was mich besonders beeindruckt hat, ist wie hochwertig das ganze Gerät wirkt. Das Gehäuse ist massiv, die Regler laufen geschmeidig, und die Anschlüsse sind ordentlich verarbeitet. Da wackelt nichts, da knackt nichts, das fühlt sich nach Qualität an. Und dazu kommt noch die Beleuchtung, die dezent und stylisch ist, ohne zu nerven. Der K7 ist super vielseitig. Egal ob ich ihn über USB am PC nutze oder mal andere Quellen anschließe, alles funktioniert problemlos. Und er hat genug Power, um auch anspruchsvolle Kopfhörer ohne Mühe anzutreiben. Ich nutze ihn mit dem FiiO FT3, dem Meze 99 und dem Dan Clark Æon 2 Noire und alle profitieren davon. Für mich ist der K7 mehr als nur ein DAC oder Verstärker. Er ist das Herzstück meines Setups geworden. Kein unnötiger Kram, kein übertriebener Schnickschnack, einfach solide Technik, die klingt und funktioniert. Klare Empfehlung an alle, die aus ihrem Sound das Maximum rausholen wollen, ohne gleich ein Vermögen auszugeben.

Tenía un K5 Pro que se rompió a los 4 años de manera totalmente aleatoria. Estaba funcionando y, de un momento a otro, dejó de hacerlo. Se iluminan pero no sueltan sonido, cosas que pasan supongo. Ahora estoy con este K7 y sí se nota la mejora. No voy a entrar en detalles de audiófilo porque no lo soy, y tampoco creo que haga falta. ¿Se escucha mejor que con los cascos solos? Sin duda. ¿Se escucha mejor que el K5? Creo que, si los pones uno frente al otro y haces una prueba a ciegas, rara vez notarás la diferencia. Es un buen producto y se siente premium. No os compliquéis demasiado pensando entre X o Y, porque al final hay mucha gente elitista que le gusta gastar dinero en este hobby y marean mucho la perdiz con cosas que fuera de un laboratorio son irrelevantes. Suena bien y no creo que haga falta darle más vueltas.

Set up: Pc>Usb Dock>Fiio K7>HifiMan Arya Stealths Where do I start? Though this does add some warmth to my aryas, it balances out the 8k peak to the point where its enjoyable to listen to. Other clearer dac/amps, like the dx3 pro+, only compounded to the issue, making me return them. Not only does it add warmth, its extremely smooth and spaces out the instruments more, alowing it to feel open rather than congested, which was another issue with the dx3. Sounds also echo out as it should rather than being abruptly cut off, adding to the sound stage. Power wise, my Aryas can sound loud, and evening deafening if need be. Iems even more. If you need a nuclear reactor as an amp though, go for something else, and something most definitely more expensive. Its more lifelike/closer to what the music would sound in person like than the clinical presentation of the dx3. Because of this though, some details are drowned out. (Note that my opinions might differ and you might actually like the dx3's sound signature.) The caveats to this dac/amp is that there is no filter options and there some static when it is on high gain and there is nothing playing. Its not audible on sensible volumes, and only slightly audible on ear splitting volume. Another thing is the analog knob. It kinda sucks, as it doesn't follow a linear path, where it steadily goes from 1 to 100. Its actually logarithmic, where 7-10 oclock is barely audible (1-15 vol), 10-12 is medium (15-40 vol), and 12 - 3 is loud (40-90 vol). 3 to 5 is deafening (90-100 vol). Perhaps this is with iems in mind as they require a lot less power, but I find the dx3's infinitely spinning digital knob to be much more fun to play with. Anyways, This thing makes my aryas sound like a beast, where every other dac/amp ive tried gave me a headache. If you're on a budget and looking for something to power your Aryas, or anything similar, go with the K7. Oh yeah. It also comes with a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter. Instant 5 stars.

Gebruik deze dac versterker met de Hifiman xs. Dat is goed, maar koop er een gebalanceerde kabel bij en dezelfde koptelefoon wordt beangstigend goed. Geen reden om meer geld uit te geven voor audiofiel plezier...