One of the most advanced, if not The most advanced portable DAC and headphone amp that could be connected wired or wireless to a smartphone was FiiO Q5 released about one year ago – a marvelous piece of equipment that worked with PCs/Laptops and with Android or iOS devices alike, FiiO even developed an App for it so you can unleash its maximum potential. It looked good, it sounded great, the biggest drawback it had was in terms of wireless capabilities. FiiO was already too deep into development with it and didn’t had time to implement the newest Bluetooth chip from Qualcomm, so Bluetooth 5.0, LDAC and HWA were dropped. Wireless tech was good but not great. It of course was just a matter of time when FiiO would announce a successor for it, slightly better on few things but much better on others. Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, please meet the FiiO Q5S.
FiiO is calling their all new cool looking flagship FA7 in-ear-monitors as SSS (Simple Symphonic Synergy), I’m however calling them to my close friends as BASS (Big Ass Sound System) lovers dream IEMs. There is something about them I just never experienced in a fully armature-based IEM, which I’ll write about later on. F9 put a high standard in the affordable IEMs category, F9 PRO raised that bar, FH5 did it again and now FA7 created a new, higher tier category in the FiiO line-up.
This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. It was originally written and published by Sandu Vitalie of Soundnews.net on May 28, 2019. At FiiO Spring Launch Event held in March 2019, FiiO left me glued to the monitor for about 2 hours announcing crazy cool new innovative products. The most interesting ones for me were the M11 game-changing DAP and the all new FH7 flagship IEM from the company of the rising sun. I don’t want to spoil from the get go that they did to me and my body, just wait and read, it will be worth it. FiiO is raising the bar in their IEM line-up about once a year and this year is no exception to that rule, FH7 are looking like a grown-up, serious and very good-looking product.
This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. It was originally written and published by Sandu Vitalie of Soundnews.net on Aug. 6, 2020. Is FiiO ever sleeping at night? I always wondered about that. The sheer number of products they release on a monthly basis is staggering. Last month FiiO announced for immediate release four new IEMs: a beryllium plated single driver FD1, a true-wireless FW1, a new hybrid FH3 and their newest and the greatest IEM in their portfolio: the FA9 IEMs. When it comes to flagship IEMs, FiiO adopted a Tick-Tock model to keep a high interest in both their hybrid and all-balanced armatures IEMs, but instead of shrinking their size year after year, FiiO is making them bigger, better and packed with extra goodies. If in 2018 the spotlights were put on the hybrid FH5, in 2019 in was on all-armature FA7, then FH7 hybrid IEM came last summer that is still my daily driver and my no.1 recommendation at less than $500. It was natural that an all-armature-based FA9 would follow next and that time is now.
Zeos is back in action (with working eyes and ears!) and he has the latest review on the new SMSL SU-9 Balanced MQA DAC! While he appreciates the non-slant design for the SU-9 that the SMSL SP200 has disagrees with SMSL’s go-to-market strategy for their various DACs, Zeos has very good things to say about the latest creation from SMSL: “My point is this DAC is very, very good. This is probably the best sounding SMSL DAC.”
At long last the wait is over: the SMSL SU-9 Balanced MQA DAC is now available! You can pick up the latest DAC from SMSL on Apos for $439.99, As with all purchases, when you buy from us you get the Apos Promise for Free Priority Shipping, an Extended 2-Year Warranty, a 45-Day Return Policy, and our 30-Day Lowest Price Match.
The FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC/Amp is now available on Apos Audio for $149.99! The FiiO Q3 DAC/Amp, along with all other purchases made on Apos, comes with our guarantees of 30-Day Lowest Price, an Extra 2nd-Year Warranty, a Free 30-Day Return policy, and Free Priority Shipping. The FiiO Q3 DAC/Amp touts a fully balanced THX AAA amplifier, so it can drive your high-impedance headphones while maintaining a low noise floor. It also packs an AK4462 DAC chip and three outputs, ensuring you get ease-of-use for your gear while enjoying top-tier sound. Some of the reviewers who got their hands on the Fiio Q3 DAC/Amp said that it was “completely amazing” and that they enjoyed “noise-free” THX amplification.
This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. It was originally written and published by Sandu Vitalie of Soundnews.net on Dec. 23, 2019. Without too much fanfare on 30 July of this year (2019), FiiO dropped the bomb and announced their latest and greatest M11 PRO DAP in a Facebook post. To this day, that one was the most commented post in FiiOs history and a clear message that people were genuinely excited about that one. Besides dual AK4497EQ flagship DAC chips, M11 PRO promised to be the world’s first DAP with dual THX-AAA-78 headphone amplifier modules. If you checked my latest reviews around here you probably know how much I love THX designs for their accuracy and honesty in delivering a clear and unaltered signal to every headphone. At the end of the day I am using daily a Benchmark HPA4 as my flagship desktop headphone amplifier and that says a lot about me and my tastes.
In an episode of Futurama, Fry meets God, who imparts this advice: “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.” It’s the sort of maxim that walks a knife’s edge between Hallmark schlock and real wisdom. It’s also a pretty accurate way to describe the Audeze LCD-MX4, a headphone that’s so objective, so analytical, so pure that it offers listeners a chance to peer into the source music itself. Is that a good thing? We’ll let the reviews speak for themselves.
This review is posted here in partnership with Soundnews.net. It was originally written and published by Sandu Vitalie of Soundnews.net on Jan. 29, 2020. Who would thought that at their flagship year from its inception, FiiO would announce at their Winter Launch Event in an One More Thing stunt, their highest performance and highly anticipated M15 DAP. What was quite unusual even for FiiO is that instead of just showing it to the world and telling everyone you will need to wait for another 6 months before you can buy it, it was available right away with preorders starting the next day. I still remember that I waited for more than 6 months for a M11 PRO after its announcement and I’m glad that didn’t happen with M15.