FiiO K7 Desktop DAC & AMP – Sound
DAC Performance
For this section I connected the K7 to my long-time reference monitors, the Focal Alpha 80s, using RCA pre/line-out. Right off the bat, the K7 sounds clean and vivid with the Focals. The bass is round, impactful, and recuperates fast, while the texture feels natural. There is a hint of warmth around the lower mid-section, and Focals had no trouble highlighting it during Anne Bison’s “September in Montreal” track. The midrange is articulate, engaging, and clean. The detail-retrieval of this region is impressive. The vocals and instruments sound natural with a good note-weight. Upper mids feel energetic, extended, and well-pronounced. They are also controlled, with no unwanted sibilance or shrillness. The treble reaches the top octave with good control and feels snappy. Good detail here also. Soundstage-wise, the DAC’s PRE/LO provides a medium-sized stage, not wide and not claustrophobic. Imaging and positioning feel accurate.
DAC & AMP Performance
Testing Gear: Hifiman Edition XS, Vision Ears VE7, Audioquest Pearl USB A-to-B, Qobuz & MacOS 12.6
The K7’s signature is balanced with hints of warmth. It sounds clean, articulate, and dynamic. It has a linear delivery with no particular emphasis on any region. It feels unsaturated and direct, especially with equally capable gear. The XS sounds defined, clean and clear with the K7, carrying a good amount of detail throughout the spectrum. The bass is clean, defined, and has good authority. The texture is natural. The PRaT is very good, especially so out of the BAL HPO. The bass hits and recuperates without feeling sluggish and the lows feel dynamic, fast. As for the midrange, the instruments and vocals sound articulate, dynamic with a good body. The instruments feel natural and do not feel artificial or too linear/clinical. The upper midrange is exciting, extended, and energetic, especially so through the 4.4mm HPO. Going back and forth to test BAL and UNBAL using Hifiman’s Edition XS Planar headphones yielded some interesting results.
To be clear, after testing both outputs in a volume-matched condition, I found the balanced output to be superior in terms of technical aspects. Balanced output feels more expansive, more spacious. The instruments have more room to chime, and the sound is more effortless compared to the SE. As for the treble, the K7 sounds exciting with its well-extended, well-pronounced treble. It is also controlled and there aren’t any shrill or sharpness. The treble response feels more accurate and more detailed via the 4.4mm output. If you are looking to get the most out of K7, I highly recommend you get a balanced cable of any sort. You don’t need to go crazy as there are many budget options when it comes to those as well, from brands like XINHS, Tripowin, Linsoul, etc.
The K7 sounds more refined, especially technical-wise, compared to the K5Pro. It has a wider, more spacious soundstage with an adequate depth to follow. The instrument positioning and layering feel great, particularly in this price bracket. The K7 pairs well with my modded 58X. They cost less than 350 bucks together yet perform well above that price tag in my opinion. Let’s continue with the background. With the VE7 in-ear monitor, the K7 has a low-noise background that is not completely silent but close. The hissing is subtle, but it is there. So if you are planning to use it with highly sensitive monitors, you may hear hissing. However, I can’t hear any hissing on any of my full-size headphones, which is good.
For an AIO solution, the K7 is an excellent performer in my opinion. The only problem I think is the relatively marginal performance difference between the BAL and SE, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a cable. Other than that, the K7 gets a solid thumbs up from me, sound-wise.
Comparisons
The $200 USD price bracket is a tough battleground and the competition is tough. Let’s check out the K7’s rivals.
vs. Topping DX3 Pro+ ($199 USD)
Topping DX3 Pro+ is also an all-in-one unit that features a great feature set including the addition of an LDAC capability. Topping managed to impress me with this device due to its fantastic sound quality and wireless capability. It can be used as a separate DAC and PRE. It does not have a balanced architecture and comes with a 3.5mm HPO. It is almost as powerful as the K7 as it can dish out 1.8W into a 32-ohm load. Sound-wise both devices are very good, however, with the Edition XS, fed through the 4.4mm BAL out, the K7 has slightly superior detail-retrieval and resolution. It feels a tad more dynamic and resolving compared to the DX3Pro+. The DX3Pro+ has a better soundstage depth, however, the width is better on the K7. Both of the devices are quite good and you can’t go wrong with either. Select based on your needs!
vs. K5Pro ESS ($209 USD)
I have to say that the move I expected from FiiO came with the K7 and the update that the K5Pro deserved came out as a new product altogether. I think FiiO did a really good job with K7. It offers us a fully balanced architecture and AIO capability at a price tag of under two hundred dollars. There is a marginal difference in sound quality compared to the K5 Pro ESS, especially when we listen via balanced output. The K7 offers more detail, more spaciousness, and higher resolution. Additionally, the soundstage presented by the K7 is more accurate and layered than the K5 Pro ESS. Especially in terms of technical aspects, I don’t see much reason to buy the K5Pro ESS. The K7 is the way!
Last Words
When we look at the device’s features, material quality, and the components underlying its chassis, we can easily say that the K7 is a very competitive, price-performance-focused DAC & AMP. Especially the use of dual 4493SEQ DAC chips and dual THX 788+ amp modules is almost miraculous at this price point. I am confident that the K7 will further cement FiiO’s place in the desktop market. After making a big mark on the premium level with the K9 Pro ESS, FiiO ensured that they won’t be leaving the budget market for the taking.
I really like the K7 and I congratulate FiiO for their amazing job. If you need a solid, powerful DAC & AMP for your headphones and you are on a budget, the K7 can make you very happy.
Page 1: FiiO, K7, Packaging & Accessories, Design & Build Quality, Features, Power & Technology
Page 2: DAC Performance, DAC & AMP Performance, Comparisons, Last Words
jax
I’m grateful because you compared the K7 with the DX3PRO+ topping, could you tell me how it goes compared to SMSL C200? I’m looking for the right partner for Monolith M1060C(dac/amp)
Yagiz
Unfortunately I haven’t heard the C200.
Seo
I plan to pick up the Edition XS this Christmas season along with a nice dac/amp. I have been leaning towards the K7 so far but am a bit more open to other options as well within ~300 dollars US.
Would you say that there’s a better pairing for the Edition XS within that price range?
Yagiz
Not really, no.
Yagiz
For 200-300 bucks, this is the best there is along with DX3Pro+. For a bit more, you could get the Topping DX5
Cheers!
Alex
Do you think 150$ is worth it for the Topping DX5 lite ? (same as DX5 but no MQA)
Tamas Vilaghy
Maybe CMs for dimensions need to be changed to MMs? 😂
Lieven
It’s once in cm, once in mm…?
Adam
How big is a difference in SQ compared to K9 Pro?
Yagiz
Quite a lot, I would say. The K9 Pro ESS is one of the three most impressive DACs I’ve heard in 2022.
Steve Markus
You recommend the K7 over the K5 Pro ESS, but if I am not going to use the balanced output for my HD6xx and really want a remote control, other than a bit of headroom, what am I giving up if I buy the K5?
zidane
thank you for the information
Yagiz
Thanks for reading Zidane.
Shawn
Would like to know how much difference the soundstage between K7 & DX3PRO+. Recently got K7 but realized that I won’t be able to get a balanced headphone anytime soon (Currently using an AKG K712 Pro), so it feels like a waste.
Also gaming is part of my concern, so I’m wondering if I should return it and get DX3PRO+ instead.
Thank you.
Yagiz
If you’ll not be going balanced anytime soon, I’d get the DX3Pro+.
Shawn
Thanks for your response!
carlos
The most obvious comparison, given its price, is the topping e50. So, soundwise, which one is best, the e50 or k7?
Yagiz
No, it’s not the most obvious comparison, because one of the products is only a DAC and the other is both a DAC and an AMP. If you’re only going to use it as a DAC and you can use it balanced, I would recommend the E50. (TRS to XLR)
If you’re going to use it as a DAC-Amp for your headphones etc. and have balanced cables, you can get the K7.
carlos
Thanks!
Going to use as a dac only for speaker system (not balanced).
Tony Yan
How is this k7 compared to l30 e30 mk2 combo? I’ve been eyeing k7 to pair with my edition xs but since l30ii has more power I may decide to go with the topping combo. Am I wrong?
Ashok Bira Mane
Yess