#BUILDBOX REVIEW PORTABLE#
#BUILDBOX REVIEW BLUETOOTH#

Just like the M11S, the R7 is an enthusiastic and engaging listen, with well-controlled yet impactful bass that exhibits plenty of detail. We used a pair of Sendy Apollo planar magnetic over ears, which performed with fantastic precision, but it also lets more affordable equipment like the Sennheiser IE200 IEMs sing. It has the oomph to drive just about anything through its balanced output, too.

#BUILDBOX REVIEW PORTABLE#

Higher quality capacitors and a stronger power supply help it deliver audio that eclipses that of the already excellent M11S portable player.ġ20 steps of volume let you fine-tune even the most sensitive sets of headphones, with an ultra-low noise floor ensuring there’s nothing distracting you from the music. It has 32bit/768kHz PCM, DSD256 and MQA support, and is backed up by dual THX AAA-788+ headphone amplifiers to deliver 3000mW to your cans across five gain levels. It might only have a single DAC, but the ESS ES9068AS at the heart of the FiiO R7 is brilliantly capable. FiiO R7 sound quality: powerful performer

Is there anything missing? An analogue line input, maybe, but we’re nitpicking at this point. You can even abandon the built-in AC power supply for an external DC unit, although we found the sound output was perfectly clean straight out of the box. There’s AirPlay on-board, and it’s Roon ready for adding to an existing multi-room, multi-device setup.

#BUILDBOX REVIEW BLUETOOTH#

Wireless connectivity is almost as extensive, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that supports the AAC, SBC, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC codecs for cable-free listening without giving up too much sound quality. The former handles data transfers and also has a DP output mode, letting you hook the R7 up to a TV or monitor the latter can handle external DACs, hard disks or peripherals. There’s also pair of USB ports – one Type-C and one Type-A. The balanced 4-pin XLR, 6.35mm and 4.4mm headphone ports up front should clue you in that the R7 is fully loaded when it comes to connections.Īround the back you’ll find optical and coaxial digital in and out, two pairs of standard phono RCA line outs, and two balanced 3-pin XLRs for hooking up a pair of active speakers.

Buildbox review