FiiO has always been known for their budget-friendly offerings that somehow manage to serve up great performance in spite of their affordable prices and it still applies today. We were wowed by their extremely wallet-friendly FiiO X1 back in 2014, and impressed by how they managed to add even more features in the FiiO X1 II. So you can certainly count us among their fans.
This year marks the 10th anniversary for this ambitious audio company, and you could say the company is going stronger than ever. Now they’ve got a brand new flagship music player (the X7 Mark II), the latest version of their mid-range music player (the X3 Mark III), and a new portable DAC/Amp (the Q1 Mark II).
The one thing in common between all three? Balanced output. That seems to be FiiO’s next big push – to “Make Balanced Output Standardized”, and it certainly starts from these products here.
X7 Mark II
Advertised as being “thoroughly transformed, inside and out”, the new X7 takes some design cues from the X5 III, with chamfered edges for a smooth finish that’s better to grip. It also gains two of its rapid charging technology modes, and a brand new 8-core desktop DAC chip that supports High Resolution Audio and is said to bring a wider sound field.
A desktop grade DAC is used for the X7 Mark II, so you can be sure it will be plenty responsive.
Modular amp options allow you to further customize your sound.
Compared to the original, the X7 Mark II is shorter, lighter, and thinner, and so should fit better into your pocket. The modular system from the original remains, and FiiO says the X7 Mark II will support the same amp modules as those used by the X7, so existing owners will be able to continue using the modules they’ve bought.
Over 500GB of music is plenty to carry with you.
The X7 Mark II has two microSD slots to complement its internal storage of 64GB, meaning it can pack a total music storage of up to 576GB. FiiO is also quick to point out that the player has a total of 2GB of RAM, making it both fast and responsive. It runs on Android 5.1 OS, and has a dedicated music mode if you want to completely simplify things.
The new X7 certainly fits nicely into your hand.
Two memory slots let you easily expand the capacity of the player.
As you can see, the X7 Mark II fits nicely in the hand. It has a nice heft to it, and the screen resolution is certainly more than adequate for a PMP device. We like that the included protective case fits cleanly over the entire player, giving protection without much extra bulk.
The Line/Coax/Opt out underscores the X7 Mark II's ability to act as a DAC.
The volume wheel is nicely knurled for better feel, and we thought it allowed for finer and faster adjustments. We do wish you could also use it to wake the screen though, as it's a lot easier to reach by feel than the power button.
The X7 Mark II retails for S$999.00.
On the next page, we touch on the more affordable X3 Mark III and Q1Mark II devices.
X3 Mark III
Next up, was the X3 Mark III. Unlike the previous generation, this gains a balanced 2.5mm output jack while maintaining the 3.5mm single-ended headphone output. This again doesn’t come with internal memory, but takes a microSD card up to 256GB in size. You’ll also get dual high performance PCM5242 DACs that are placed separately from the low-pass filter and headphone amplifier, hence reducing the potential for interference.
How the new X3 compares to the previous version.
While the player looks almost identical to the X3 Mark II it replaces, we’re told the scroll wheel has been updated to a more sensitive touch wheel, while also being thinner and lighter. In fact, the X3 Mark III is improved in virtually every aspect, while being lighter to boot.
As you can see, the X3 Mark III retains the familiar interface from the X3 Mark II. It's simple, but also easy to use and works well. We thought the new touch wheel was a bit more sensitive than the old click one, but overall it didn't add that much more. As with before, the screen is also just about adequate for displaying the necessary icons and information.
Both the X7 Mark II and the X3 Mark III will function as external DACs for your laptop. Both also support Bluetooth 4.1 for pairing with your speakers or wireless headphones, so you don't have to be tethered via cable. The X3 Mark III retails for a more wallet-friendly S$329.00, just $30 more than the X3 Mark II.
Q1 Mark II
Speaking of DACs, FiiO has a brand new Q1 too! The Q1 Mark II is a MFi certified DAC/Amp with Native DSD decoding capabilities that was built just for iOS users. It weighs just 101.5g, and is able to power headphones with impedance rating from 16-150Ω. As with all the other products, the Q1 Mark II is HRA certified (high resolution audio), and it supports a max sampling rate of 384kHZ/32 bit thanks to the XMOS platform.
The Q1 Mark II will go for more than 10 hours as an iPhone DAC, and just over 20 hours as an independent amplifier. It also comes with a generous helping of accessories. There’s a Lightning to micro USB short cable, a micro USB cable, a 3.5mm audio cable, two short bundling bands, a set of slide-proof pads for bundling, and a cloth pouch to keep it all in. You get all this for just S$179.00, so that certainly seems like pretty good value.
The Q1 Mark II is slim and powerful.
The Q1 Mark II supports both 2.5mm and 3.5mm headphone jacks.
The Q1 Mark II weighs just 101.5g, and measures just 99 x 59 x 12.5mm. The rounded edges feel very nice in your hands, and it certainly is thin enough that you might just be able to squeeze it and your smartphone into your back pocket - where most flagship phones are these days.
We're told stocks for these products will only arrive in two-to-three weeks, but pre-orders are open so you can head down to your nearest authorized dealer to book your set now.
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.