
Review Summary
2016-04-05T08:45:24
This thing is awesome. Put in a 128gig card and flac as well as other hi res files. The good, it sounds amazing! Used old AV chord to plug into a car and brought those speakers to life. Used it with Shure IEM as well as over the ear and it was very impressive, soundstage and clarity was surprising. Have a set of HD800 that I will try but most likely will run this into a tube headphone amp. It's solid, I like the weight and sturdy build but could see how some may think it's a little large. Had some issues with apps as it's taking forever to download Spotify, so gave up for now as I still can't believe how good the recordings sound.
PETE G.
Great Dap
By PETE G.
This thing is awesome. Put in a 128gig card and flac as well as other hi res files. The good, it sounds amazing! Used old AV chord to plug into a car and brought those speakers to life. Used it with Shure IEM as well as over the ear and it was very impressive, soundstage and clarity was surprising. Have a set of HD800 that I will try but most likely will run this into a tube headphone amp. It's solid, I like the weight and sturdy build but could see how some may think it's a little la...
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x7 Android-based smart portable music player
Mastering quality lossless playback
· ES9018S DAC
· 32GB ROM
· 3.97" full touchscreen
· 1GB RAM
· 128GB microSD support
· 3500mAh battery
Powerful, power-saving CPU with 4x Cortex-A9
The x7 utilizes Rockchip's RK3188 SoC, with 4 Cortex-A9 cores (each 35% faster than an A7) running at 1.4GHz. It is also 30% and 40% faster than Tegra3 at CPU and GPU performance respectively. The RK3188 is also made in a new 28nm process, 55% faster and 60% more power efficient than the 45nm LPSoC process, ensuring long runtime with ultra-low leakage current.
No-compromises DAC for the Ultimate Sound
Designed originally for hi-end home audio, the x7 is one of the first devices to utilize the original ESS ES9018S in portable audio. Its 8 output channels can be bridged 4-a-side for an astonishing 135db S/N ratio and dynamic range, while THD is as low as -120dB. Compared to the ES9018K2M popularly used in portable devices, the original ES9018S features 6dB higher SNR and dynamic range at the cost of higher power consumption, a cost that the x7 is willing to pay with its robust power section.
Patented source + amp design for best of both worlds
Patent-pending dedicated source module + independent headphone amp module design keeps the compact integrated profile of a single portable music player while providing the sonic advantages of utilizing a separate headphone amplifier. The resulting customizability allows you to customize the resulting sound (warm, neutral, etc.), output power (for driving IEMs or full-size headphones) or output port (single-ended or balanced, etc.) by choosing among different modules.
· IEM amp module
· Medium-class amp module
· High-power amp module
· Balanced amp module
Reasonably sized for one-handed operation
The x7 utilizes a full multitouch screen for operation. Obviously, when it comes to music players, larger isn't always better. After extensive comparison with other music players, they settled on a width of 64mm, which is a comfortable middle size between 58.6mm (iPhone5) and 67mm (iPhone6) that is very suitable for one-handed operation.
Given the unavoidable thickness of the x7 from having a flagship-class DAC, amp and a battery to match, making the x7 comfortably handhold able from a thickness point of view is also a significant challenge. The x7 is carefully beveled at the edges and also has a stepped design at the back, which has proven to be a comfortable hold in user testing.
Symmetrical button design
Customizable mapping for left /right handed control
We each have our handedness preference for pressing buttons on the side of the player; the x7 carries 6 hard buttons, 3 on each side in symmetrical layout: volume +/-, prev/next track, power, play/pause; all of which may be mapped to either the left or right side for your most comfortable control.
Precision machining tolerances for reliable connections
To ensure that the headphone amp module is easily mounted and removed, with reliable connections, precision machining is essential; the chassis is CNCed in difficult side-on manner requiring precise assembly and each part is examined via magnified projection before being accepted for use. The expansion module is secured via stainless steel star screws, which may be unscrewed using the provided tool. Hardened bronze screw nuts are installed within the chassis for reliable multiple installation and reinstallation of modules without fear of loosening connections.
Quality supplier, precision CNC equipment, ensuring every x7 is successfully produced
Carefully chosen aluminum blocks are clamped to machining brackets. CNC machine bevels and machines the six sides according to the customized computer program. The main body chassis alone takes 160min to cut into shape. Onto the surface finishing production line; the chassis needs to be polished and cuts removed before the sandblasted finish is to be applied using microscopic metal beads. Onto anodizing, which takes place only after each part is thoroughly soaked in cleaning solution. Coloring takes place through microscopic pore closing. Thus each part takes 40 minutes to color. Finally they come to diamond edge beveling; the edges on both the front and back of the x7 are beveled using the same processing as for an iPhone 5, where in the diamond cutter revolves at 30,000 rpm to bevel the edges to a mirror finish and a protective surface is formed under the instantaneous high temperatures to produce the aesthetic bright beveled edges. The bronze mounting posts are then riveted and the whole chassis is inspected and packaged.
All-purpose player - universal decoder
Not only does the x7 support popular lossless / lossy music formats such as WAV, FLAC, APE, ALAC, AIFF, WMA, MP3, OGG, etc, higher formats such as DXD, DSD64/128 and PCM are supported at up to 384kHz/64bit / 5.6MHz (DSD).
x7's own customized music app
x7's embedded music app (FiiO Music) was researched and developed with almost as much effort as the hardware itself. Compared to usual Android music player apps, the x7 music app handles lossless music more proficiently and is more user-friendly. The UI is clear and concise and all status indicators and controls are available at your fingertips in a few screens.
Intuitive and powerful
Designed for the advanced audiophile. Swipe from left edge of screen to show the Now Playing playlist; slide up and down on the right side of the screen to adjust volume; the x7 also has other features such as custom playlists and batch of deletion of song favorites.
More fun with accessories for x7
The x7 supports pairing with Bluetooth devices for effortless wireless music playback and remote control;3rd party apps may be used to connect to unlimited online music via Wi-Fi. Through firmware updates, playback via DLNA, NAS and cloud storage will also be supported by the FiiO Music app.
Docking expansion functionality
Coming home from a day enjoying Hi-Fi music from the x7 on the move, you may plug the x7 onto the FiiO-exclusive docking amplifier K5 for even higher-grade home listening! The K5 charges the x7 while providing extra functionality such as >/- 1.5W output power, balanced line out and aux line in, while the x7 may continue to be connected to the computer via the K5 for e.g. USB DAC function.