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Fiio was on a roll in 2022, with the Chinese language model introducing 15 merchandise throughout a wide range of classes. I reviewed many of the merchandise launched final yr, together with the terrific K9 Professional high-end DAC, BTR7 transportable Bluetooth DAC, FA7S IEMs, the budget-focused K5 Professional DAC, and the M11S audio participant.
Fiio is not taking its foot off the gasoline in 2023 — removed from it. The model is venturing into new classes and is about to roll out thrilling additions to its burgeoning portfolio, and I am kicking issues off with some of the progressive merchandise it has launched to this point: the R7. Fiio calls this a desktop audio participant, nevertheless it’s a lot greater than that: it has a high-end DAC that includes ESS and THX elements, headphone amp, all of the ports you could possibly ask for, and comes with Android 10 out of the field.
It connects to absolutely anything, has the ability to drive any headphone, and features a pre-amp that enables it to work with powered audio system. The spotlight is that because of a clear Android 10 interface and enormous display screen on the entrance, it serves as an all-in-one community streamer that performs nearly any file and from any supply. Truthfully, the feature-set on provide right here is exclusive, and when you’re searching for an all-in-one answer for listening to high-res music, the R7 may be what you’ve got been ready for — it undoubtedly has been a revelation within the three weeks I used it.
Fiio R7: Pricing and availability
The R7 is the primary product in a broader push by Fiio geared toward desktop audio, and it debuted alongside the seller’s first audio system, the SP3, and the FT3 wired over-ears. The R7 debuted in China in January 2023 and is making its technique to world markets over the course of February, the place it’s retailing for $699.
Fiio despatched the usual black mannequin of the R7 for overview, however there’s additionally a white model that appears actually good. That is launching a bit later, and when you’re eyeing this streamer, it’s best to await the white mannequin.
Fiio R7: Design
The R7 is diminutive contemplating the sheer quantity of options on provide, and at 2.9 lb (1.3kg), it weighs half as a lot because the K9 Professional. What’s distinctive in regards to the R7’s design is the vertical orientation, and this makes numerous sense contemplating it has a similar-sized 5-inch display screen because the M11S. There are three navigation buttons beneath the display screen, with Fiio branding on the backside.
Very similar to the M11S, the display screen on the R7 is first rate sufficient for its supposed use case: music streaming. The 720p decision does not provide the finest pixel density, however is greater than serviceable for searching the likes of Tidal or Qobuz, enjoying locally-stored songs (there’s an SD card slot), or by way of a media server.
What I’ll say although is that it a big portion of what makes the R7 so good to make use of is the display screen; the product takes the most effective options of the M11S and K9 Professional and brings it collectively in a novel kind issue. On that word, whereas I like the truth that there are bodily nav buttons, Android 10 launched system-wide nav gestures, and so they work simply positive in each day use.
Persevering with with the design, there are two knurled knobs to the best of the display screen, with one serving for energy and quantity management and the opposite used for supply choice. The flexibility on provide means the R7 works with 4 distinct outputs: headphones and pre-amp, permitting you to make use of each headphones and lively audio system on the similar time, headphones out, simply pre-amp, and an ordinary line-out choice.
Just like the K5 Professional and K9 Professional, each knobs on the R7 have RGB lighting, with the colour altering primarily based on supply. For lossy music from sources like Spotify, the knobs mild up in blue. Supply recordsdata at 16-bit and beneath 1000kbps are categorised as Commonplace High quality, and the knobs go cyan to point the identical. Something over that’s Excessive High quality, and also you get a yellow mild, with inexperienced for DSD playback and magenta for MQA.
The headphone connectors are behind a mud cowl, and also you get a full-size balanced 4-pin XLR port, balanced 4.4mm port, and single-ended 6.35mm jack. There is a smaller mud cowl within the field that can be utilized for the XLR port when not in use, just like what you get on the K9 Professional. On that word, Fiio bundles a good variety of equipment within the field, together with a 3 meter USB-A to USB-C cable, two bases — one flat and one angled — together with adhesive, and a 3.5mm to six.35mm connector.
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The design aesthetic is in step with different units Fiio has launched in current months, and the white shade choice specifically appears to be like gorgeous. The usual black variant appears to be like adequate in its personal proper because of the all-metal chassis, and the vented sides make sure the R7 will get good passive airflow — there is a mud filter beneath to stop mud ingress.
The rubber base bundled within the field supplies a five-degree angle, and makes utilizing the R7 simply that little bit simpler. Because the R7 I’ve is an early unit, I did not get a distant management within the field, nevertheless it ought to be bundled with retail orders. General, I actually just like the design of the R7, and Fiio did a implausible job on this regard.
Fiio R7: Connectivity
The R7 has probably the most in depth set of connectivity choices of any music streamer I’ve used but, and there actually is not something lacking right here. There’s an SD card slot that permits you to use as much as 2TB SD playing cards, and you will find a MicroSD to SD connector already included. There is a full-size USB-A port together with USB-C connectivity, twin RCA line outs, 3-pin balanced XLR out, optical and coaxial out and in, and a 100Mbit Ethernet port.
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You get the choice of switching to DC energy offered you utilize one thing that may ship 36W (12V/3A). On the wi-fi entrance, you get dual-band Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and I had zero points connecting to my residence Wi-Fi community.
Persevering with with wi-fi connectivity, you will discover Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay, DLNA, and a smorgasbord of audio codecs that embody SBC, AAC, AptX, AptX HD, AptX LL, AptX Adaptive, LDAC, and LHDC.
No matter no matter wi-fi earbuds you are utilizing, it is possible for you to to get the very best constancy out of the R7. Much like wired audio, there are a selection of lighting modes that present a visible indicator as to what codec is getting used over Bluetooth: blue for SBC, cyan for AAC, purple for AptX/AptX LL, yellow for AptX HD, white for LDAC, and orange for LHDC.
Fiio R7: Options
Probably the greatest elements of the R7 is that it runs Android 10 with GMS, so that you get full entry to Google companies, together with the Play Retailer. Fiio has a retailer of its personal the place you possibly can set up most music streaming companies, and Fiio Music continues to be a superb alternative for music playback if in case you have recordsdata saved offline.
On the {hardware} facet of issues, the R7 is powered by the Snapdragon 660, and it contains 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s 44GB of storage out there to the consumer, however on condition that that is aimed on the fanatic section, a greater choice could be to make use of the SD card slot on the again if you wish to play locally-stored music.
Fiio is utilizing the AOSP Android 10 construct right here, and whereas the interface itself is unchanged, there are a number of audio-focused tweaks given the R7’s supposed use case. There’s Roon integration out of the field, a DSD mode that converts PCM playback to DSD, and 5 achieve ranges. Altering the amount surfaces a big quantity indicator on the display screen, and you can see the achieve degree right here.
You should use the R7 in a mess of modes: Android mode is the usual and also you get all of the options on provide right here, USB DAC mode turns it right into a DAC, Pure Music Mode switches to Fiio Music and shuts off the Android interface, and there is Bluetooth, AirPlay, and coax/optical modes as nicely.
I used the R7 in Android mode all through the testing window, and the interface itself is lag-free and fluid. Given the truth that it has a display screen, you possibly can stream movies on the R7, and it really works fairly nicely on this regard — though the orientation means you’ll have to lay it on the facet. On that word, you possibly can plug in a monitor by way of the USB-C port and use that as an exterior display screen for viewing movies, and it really works fairly nicely for that use case.
Now, the R7 will get firmware updates, it’s unlikely to change to a more recent model of Android or get safety patches. That mentioned, the utilization will largely be restricted to music streaming, so it is not as huge a difficulty as with a cellphone.
Fiio R7: Sound high quality
Fiio merchandise basically have a tendency to provide a clear sound, and the R7 isn’t any totally different. It options the identical ESS Sabre ES9068AS DAC that was used within the Q7 DAC, and contains THX AAA 788+ linear amplifiers, which have been a mainstay on numerous Fiio merchandise, together with the K9 Professional.
The R7 has greater than sufficient energy to drive nearly any supply, and it has DSD512 and MQA 8x decoding. The low noise flooring means there is no background hiss or distortion even with delicate IEMs.
Due to the {hardware} on provide, the R7 is ready to ship a clear sound with loads of decision. DAC ought to fade into the background and permit the music to shine, and that is what you get right here. I examined the R7 with the FA7S, Audeze Euclid, Thieaudio Wraith, and Focal Elex, and the readability mixed with analytical sound and good decision means the R7 pairs nicely with all kinds of merchandise.
Fiio R7: The competitors
You will not discover many community streamers with a built-in DAC/amp — at the very least not on this section — so you will not discover a lot in the best way of options. If you happen to’re searching for a community streamer so as to add to your present audio stack, there are just a few choices out there. Bluesound Node does job, providing first rate connectivity and feature-set.
You might additionally construct a customized streamer for lots much less by going the Pi route and utilizing a service like Volumio, however you will simply get a streamer; you will then must furnish your individual DAC/amp.
Fiio R7: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want an all-in-one answer for high-res music playback
- You are searching for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay connectivity
- You need a music participant with a clear Android interface and enormous display screen
- You want supply to connect with lively audio system
You should not purchase this if:
- You need a high-res display screen
- You want a music participant that may get Android updates
It isn’t typically that I get this enthusiastic about an audio product, however the R7 is not a median community streamer — it does a lot extra. The flexibility that you just’re getting right here is phenomenal, and Fiio deserves numerous credit score for delivering an all-in-one answer with such an exhaustive feature-set.
In fact, $699 is some huge cash for a desktop audio participant, however the R7 has a lot to supply that it’s a straightforward advice. It has a strong design that is constructed to final, you get all of the wired connectivity choices you need together with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Roon integration, and the clear Android interface mixed with the big display screen makes it straightforward to navigate and play your favourite music.
The R7 does a superb job as a DAC/amp in its personal proper, producing a clear sound with none distortion. There are no downsides to the product; positive, I’d have preferred a 1080p display screen and a more moderen model of Android out of the field, however aside from that, the R7 has been fabulous in each regard.
The R7 is a novel community streamer that does a lot extra. It has a big display screen, has all of the connectivity you need, delivers a clear sound, and appears good whereas doing all of it. That is the go-to alternative if you would like an all-in-one answer for streaming high-res music.
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