FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier

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.

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.

Bought this to replace an iFi Zen V2 DAC/Preamp. In terms of overall sound quality there is very little difference; both DACS are extremely capable performers. In terms of usability and features though, the FiiO K7 is way ahead. The FiiO defeats the line/pre output when headphones are connected, whereas the iFi doesn't. This was an annoying feature of the iFi to say the least. To swap between 'speakers and headphones, I had to physically disconnect the pre out or power off my external power amp. Both options were very inconvenient since my power amp doesn't have a front panel on/off switch. The FiiO volume control system does not introduce a stereo channel imbalance. The iFi had an imbalance which was especially noticeable at low volumes. (iFi claim this is an unavoidable effect of having a pot in the signal path, however the vast majority of integrated amps and preamps that I've ever owned had analogue pots in the signal path. Whilst there were certainly no end of common problems, noticeable channel imbalance was never one of them.) In Windows, the FiiO works out of the box with no additional drivers. At least for the frequencies and bitrates that I'm using it does. The iFi required a third party driver just to work, and it wasn't the best. The FiiO's control and input options are better, having line out, pre out and both balanced and single-ended headphone outputs. It also features both USB and optical and coaxial S/PDIF and the input is selectable which makes it easier to use with multiple sources. I have mine connected to my PC via coax, and to my work laptop dock via USB. The control switches and labels are understated and functional which I love. The volume dial light is a bit gimmicky but the overall feel is still grown up and unflashy. There are a couple of drawbacks compared to the iFi: The FiiO's volume dial scaling is definitely weird and a bit laggy for quick changes. This is apparently deliberate and takes a bit of getting used to, but it's not as if you're always changing the volume so it's odd but not the end of the world. The iFi could be bus powered as it had a USB3.0 type B input. The FiiO's USB input is USB2.0 only and as such it requires a permanent outboard PSU. This is the second piece of FiiO kit I've bought (the other being the BTR3 portable bluetooth amp) and I am very happy with both.

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.

I have been using this amp and DAC for almost two months now and it has been working perfectly. I have been using this with my Etymotics ER4 IEMs and have the dial at around the 11O'clock position on Low gain on the dial. I have been happy to actualyl be able to use the volume control properly now as my old amp and DAC (Objective 2 ODAC) I could only have the dial moves two millimeters to get the same volume which meant I couldn't change it further otherwise it would be too loud or too quiet. Changing the voluem does have a bit of delay but isn;t a big deal for me as I mostly keep it on one setting. Appatrantly the reason for the delay is to protect against damage to IEMs that are sensitive compared to other audio equipment. I have found the sound quality to be very good, others may not agree obviously. But at least comnined with my etymotics it has a far clearer audio and better seperated, the mids are what I notice improved a lot more, so vocals, pianos, cellos and that kind of sound. I notcied any strign instrument and cymbals were clearer, any any delectronic and synthesizer sounds within the mids were a lot clearer and more defined too. Going back to my odl amp and DAC those all sound muffled and jumbled amongst each other. Some tracks I listened to in the past sound better as sometime sthe left channel had more instruments or sounds covering the MIds than the right, som on this new amp ana DAC it sounds balanced but going back to my old system sounds like the left channel is missing something now bucause of this channel change, sounds such as cello was more int he left channel than right on some tracks so on the old system the left channel sounds wrong and more focused ont eh right channel as these mid fdrequecy sounds are not as noticeable. Of course this may not be the same for everyone depending ont he music you listen to but this Fio K7 improved the balance a lot for me and sounds even across all channels at all times. Now my amd and DAC keep disconencting everytime the PC went to sleep or shutdown, or was restarted , weven with all the changes to windows 11 device and power settings and the BIOS. What I done was I bought a PCIE to USB 3.0 Expansion Card to put in my PC and connected the DAC to this and had no issues ever since and the audio device never disconencted again, so just a word of advice it may actually be the motherboard causing the issue. As to why my previous DAC never had the issue I have no idea but this expansion card for £20 resolved all of that. These cards have their own USB controller and circuitry going through PCIe so it's direct to the CPU and all the processing is conpletely seperate to the motherboard on-board USB hardware so it isolated the comminucation I used for the audio.

A really great DAC with good sound quality and power output. It was able to easily power my DT 770 Pros (80 Ohms) and my DT 1990 Pros. Just be aware that if your headphones don't support balanced output, you will have to use the PO output, which only has a fraction of the power output of balanced. However, it was still more than enough for my headphones. The DAC is fairly large, it is similar in size to a Nintendo Switch dock, so make sure you have the desk space for it. It also requires wall power. I would recommend this DAC as it gives you high quality audio with good power delivery for the price.

This product is fantastic. Lets get the only negative out of the way first: I don't like the RGB light around the volume dial and you can't turn it off. But as if they knew this, they had packaged it with some foam that you can leave around the dial that blocks the light. The positives: this gave a new lease of life to all my headphones. Vocals are a little recessed, and the bass booms and the treble sparkles. Whether the recessed vocals is good or not is personal taste, but it was easy to get used to and sounds fantastic. Its SO clear and transparent sounding. I've tried it with TYGR, T1, LCD-5, and S-7506 headphones. All sounded fantastic. Setup was a doddle, I literally just plugged it into my PC and everything worked. I also tried the optical in from my CD player, and it just worked. It has a high end DAC chip inside it, and its very well designed internally. I also have an ADI-2 DAC fs which has grounding issues with low impedence headphones buzzing and humming. The Fiio K-7 though, is silent as a mouse. No noise, no feedback. No matter how sensitive the headphones are, this thing handles it like a champ.

This amp is incredible value and absolutely demolishes everything in it's price class, with a well rounded, no frills feature set. It drives my DT1990s incredibly well with the knob at 2 o'clock on low gain, so there's plenty of headroom for much harder to drive headphones. If you have multiple inputs/outputs changing between them is very intuative and being able to use the volume knob for the line out to speakers, etc. is a big plus. Usability wise, the switch and knob feel are very satisfying, the feet make it feel very secure on my desk, and the RGB signal indicator is very tasteful. My only complaints so far is that the digital volume steps can be quite noticable if you're aggressively rotating the dial and that the included USB cable is quite short, but for £190 these are very easily overlooked.

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.

Kopfhörerverstärker sind dafür gedacht, schwache Ausgänge für hochohmige Verbraucher zu Verstärken (damit die Spulen auch genug „Kraft“ zum Schwingen haben). Das macht der hier. Produktspecs: Kann sich jeder selber drüber Informieren…und entscheiden, was besser oder schlechter sein soll. Brauchte (und brauche?) bisher keinen Kopfhörerverstärker. Da ein höher ohmiger Hörer im Anflug ist war das aber jetzt vorsorglich mal die Wahl. Aus der Qual. Man, da gibt's ja reichlich Auswahl. (Up's, reimt sich sogar). Lieferumfang: Verstärker, Netzteil, USB Kabel, Adapter von 3,5 auf 6,3mm Klinke. Also alles an Bord. 4,4 symmetrisch ist wohl erst im Kommen und wird bei meinem „Flieger“ dabei sein. Kann ich also noch keine Aussage drüber treffen. Anschluss an den PC via USB (sofort erkannt – Win 11; und gleich noch als Standard implementiert #Edit#1: Als Lautsprecher#). Kopfhörer (Sennheiser HD 599) und auch mein normales Soundsystem (Bose Companion 20) per Adapter auf 6,3 Klinke angeschlossen funktionieren einwandfrei (natürlich nicht gleichzeitig…). Wenn ich also „umschalten“ will brauche ich nur die Stecker am FiiO zu wechseln. Verarbeitung: Top. Ob die kleinen Schalter für „gain“ und „output“ über lange Zeit halten wird sich zeigen. LED um den Lautstärkeregler herum: Gimmick. Könnte stören: Da gibt's wohl über Umwege eine Möglichkeit zum Abschalten per Software. Mit Hinweis: Achtung hier! Achtung da! Mich stört das erstmal nicht. Erste Tests: Boah. Geil. Kopfhörer mit eingeschalteten „gain“ (=Verbesserung): Noch mehr wumms; bis zum Anschlag kaum Nutzbar da einem die Ohren wegfliegen(+6dB) – und das ohne Verzerrungen. Und ein noch größeres Raumklanggefühl - ohne dabei künstlich zu wirken. Ohne gain auch besseres Klangbild. Mit eben mehr wumms. Unterschiede mit verschiedenen Lautstärke Einstellungen kann ich da nicht heraus Hören. Mal der (PC) mal das andere (WinA) oder FiiO macht mehr...Kann da nicht wirklich Unterschiede feststellen. Soundsystem: Verbesserung. Nicht so deutlich wie über Kopfhörer. Und ohne gain. Hört sich für mich hier besser an. Bemängelte Verzögerungen beim schnellen hochdrehen der Lautstärke: Kann ich absolut nicht betätigen. Was aber der Fall ist: Bis Stellung des Lautstärkereglers unter „10.00Uhr“ ist praktisch nichts hörbar (auch wenn PC + Winamp voll aufgedreht sind). Das ist aber kein Mangel, da danach von sehr leise bis Ohrentot alles mit fein Tuning möglich ist – ohne Sprünge/Verzögerung. Härte Test wird der 300 Ohm Kopfhörer werden. Bin da aber guter Zuversicht. Ob sich dann symmetrisch 4,4mm noch besser Anhören wird…? Fazit: Für den Preis: Geiles Teil. Hat sich jetzt schon gelohnt. Und lohnt sich eben auf jeden Fall schon bei einem 50 Ohm Kopfhörer. Edit#1 27.06.24: Der Härte Test: HD 800S 300 Ohm. Via 4,4 mm symmetrische Klinke. Absolut kein Problem. Max 500mW gebraucht - K7 liefert max. 560mW an diesem Ausgang. Hammer. Mit "gain". Und da voll versorgt: Max. Lautstärke bis hin zum Ohren wegfliegen. Ist 4,4 jetzt besser? Hm, gefühlt - ja. Aber sehr subjektiv. Nochmal zur Lautstärke Einstellung im unteren Bereich: Macht Sinn, da ja von etwa 7Uhr aus der Verstärker eingeschaltet wird. Wenn da dann kurz später gleich fast "volle Lotte" rauskommen würde...könnte man sich auch mal vertun. Auch hier: Keinerlei Verzögerung/Sprünge in der Lautstärke Regelung. Keine Ahnung, warum das bemängelt wird. Versch. Baujahre? Weiterhin auch jetzt Kristallklarer Klang ohne Verzerrungen. Empfohlen am PC: Dort 100%. Auch z.B. WA: 100%. Regelung nur über den Verstärker. (Hab' ich so gelesen) - keine Garantie. Mache es aber so. Wie gesagt: Alles subjektiv: Andere Empfinden es vllt. anders. (Persönlich: Der 800S ist nicht zu Bass schwach - bring es nur weitaus natürlicher rüber. Und je nach Aufnahme ist da mehr als genug von zu Hören - mit wumms). Und es gehen über beide Ausgänge die Signale raus (6,3 & 4,4 Klinke). Schön, um Vergleiche zwischen zwei Hörern zu Testen. Zum K7 also End Fazit: Alles Richtig gemacht. Preis/Leistung Top. Kaufempfehlung.

DAC&AMP combo muy interesante. Fácil de usar. Entradas de 6,3 y 4,4mm. Sonido del DAC neutro sin color. Amplificación de sobra para cualquier auricular (excepto para los STAX). Peso liviano. Tamaño bastante reducido. La verdad que si no tienes uno y si tienes auriculares es una buena inversión. El sonido mejora evidentemente entre esto frente a un pc/movil pero mejora aún más si tienes auriculares demandantes como planares o de alta impedancia al tener una salida balanceada de 2000mw a 32 ohmios, lo cuál, a este tamaño, peso y precio es una locura. Lo recomiendo sin duda. A la artesanía y el sabor le puse una estrella.

Amplificador muito bom. Som muito limpo sem ruidos e faz qualquer fone tocar 4x mais alto. Top.

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.