Fiio K7 THX Balanced Desktop Amplifier

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The Fiio K7 uses the same THX AAA 788+ amplifiers found in the K9 Pro. But at only $200, how good can it be?
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[@Yxzjvc]

They recently released a bluetooth version of this. It's even more versatile now!

[@ugur3527]

I appreciate them for not putting MQA support.

[@glsracer]

There's something magical about AKM DACs

[@kevinying6334]

It's crazy, but I believe in that too.

[@JeffB1961]

ordered a K7 yesterday . thanks for the review .

[@rafaelruiz-tagle358]

I'm a new subscriber because of this great video and I am looking forward to seeing more. It's nice to see that I made the right purchase. There are so many dac/amps that made me unsure if I made the right purchase. However, I did compare the k7 to the topping DX3 Pro (also $200). It was also a night and day difference. It took me 30 seconds to see the difference and richness to the music. The k7 is definitely an awesome purchase!

[@kto-to6129]

you compare it in unbalanced output? I'm trying to find something for dt770pro

[@danisold]

I've listened to a bunch of reviews on the k7 and this is best review by far.

[@timschutte3961]

Got it for a few weeks now and love it great sound for the price...and coming from my old E10 that still works after 10 years almost 24/7 on and a big improvement.

[@ppg68]

I've just received today my k7, also switching from an E10k, first impressions I can't really notice a difference when testing at same volume lol

[@timschutte3961]

@@ppg68 Yeah volume was not that impressing and getting a balanced cable and headphone so will have more power then cause unbalanced it gives 1,2 watts and balanced 2 watts. And the E10 sounded more amazing for the price and they sound almost the same while it is a new chip and 1 chip per channel now. And if you really wanna hear a difference you have to spend around 600€ for a upgrade.

[@audiofile1178]

Great review as always. I got to try the K7 and it is definitely a good sounding unit. I think this is now a better option than the Zen DAC in the budget category. I had a question, I recently got the RS2 and I am curious to know how it scales up in sound when using external Amp. What is your opinion on RS2 + K7 as an Amp vs just RS2.

[@Spartan-sz7km]

Getting fiio k7 bluetooth, first dac/amp!

[@kendoglarson5419]

Is this the AKM chip model? Then you are describing the AKM well. It's dynamic and aggressive. Authoritative & engaging are good words too. The AKM is great on dirty guitar affects, gritty synth, and distorted edm sounds, but wait to you hear voice detail. AKM velvet sound to me is an end game chip.

[@Tssukiii]

@@aszszsdascszcszzszszszzsYes

[@kevinying6334]

@@aszszsdascszcszzszszszzs well, it does the HD6XX 300ohms quite well, through balanced output. The amp section of the K7 is really good IMO

[@Mageoftheyear]

Great review. I think this would pair wonderfully with the HarmonicDyne Athena.

[@KartikoKurnianto]

Any plan to make comparison between the K9 Pro (AKM) and K9 Pro ESS... or maybe also include the upcoming K9 (non-Pro)?

[@mkunikow]

I would like to see Zen Dac V2 review :)

[@annasipul]

the volume issue you mentioned is because is logarithmic, most audio gear use logarithmic potensiometer so, if you doesnt like that, change to linear one

[@chrispapa6700]

from zen2 to k7 what an upgrade.

[@TearfulNight]

did you upgrade from zen 2 to k7 ?? how is the quality of sound .. ??

[@davesway1170]

I enjoyed the video quite a bit. Thank you

[@TPQ1235]

Excellent review. I am looking at this and a few other DAC / AMP combos and your review tipped RHA balance in its favour. The volume issue won’t be a factor for me as I find I tend to set it once and just leave it.

[@abhik6503]

How does it compare to k9 pro ess

[@quantumcreator8888]

Bluetooth version available… 👍 k7BT

[@PKAPE004]

If I have to choose one between the K7 and the Btr7, which one would you recommend?

[@williamcodywinter]

The volume delay is something to do with Low Gain on Fiio desktop devices as I have its big brother the K9 and there is a delay with the volume knob on low but not medium gain.

[@primeshmohanty7701]

You're using the Fiio K9 pro or K9? If you're using the K9 then how does it perform in your day-to-day usage?

[@psyber84]

Would you consider this a good upgrade from the iFi Zen Air Dac?

[@JeffB1961]

the fur baby made me watch , tell her i said thanks :)

[@k_DEDb07]

i dont know a lot about audio. beginning an interest. i bought 2x Kali Audio LP6 V2 speakers for PC and Moondrop Blessing2 Dusk for stream monitoring. do I need something like this? it will improve my sound clarity and I can connect the speakers to the back of the unit and control the volume those as well? thanks for reading

[@ancientalien815]

I can't believe they got one of the most important things wrong on this amp. The volume knob. How do you mess that up...

[@kevinying6334]

They actually explained why it was like that in their FAQ page. TLDR is; it's intended because of limitation in processing power at the price range. In use, I don't really see it as a problem, it adjusts literally within the second you turn the pot. Sure, there's a delay, but it's super brief (look at it this way, turn the pot slowly up or down, and the change in the volume is seemingly instant.)

[@Fliang]

How does this compare to the jds lab element 2?

[@cfusername]

I have the K7. I agree about the volume knob. Also the volume "jumps/crackles" sometimes, if the knob is turned fast. Probably a software issue, since the microcontroller reads the pot value and then adjusts the actual volume. It probably needs some more software filtering to make it always a smooth transition. Personally, I would prefer a simple power toggle switch on the front, instead of having to turn the knob down every time. Was thinking about putting one in myself, but since the power connector is directly soldered to the PCB, I don't want to touch that for now.

[@Gizaudio]

Yeah, its a little annoying for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@VanFanelzz]

Do you think the FioO K7 will pair nicely with an HD660S2 ?

[@JBizzle22]

I’m wondering the same thing. Did you ever find out an answer for that?

[@VanFanelzz]

@@JBizzle22 well i have them since december and it works nicely. The only issue with the fioo is turning up the volume knob slowly so that the DAC follows that level of volume but so far so good

[@procitydj6342]

Hello Dave, quick Q regarding the volume control on the K7 & K9 models. Does the front volume knob also attenuate the output volume on the line / out RCA & all selected (mode) output connectors on the back or is the volume control only for the headphone amplifier outputs on the front? I am looking to use this in a primarily desktop audiophile application only. Appreciate your reply. Thanks, ~Rick

[@VladimirP]

The K7 has two modes. In one, a fixed value is applied to the RCA. In the other, you can adjust the RCA signal using the volume knob. These modes are selected using the "Output" switch. I have a K7bt and am very satisfied.

[@Rubiks_LIVE]

my K9 Pro ESS just randomly died after a few months. I'm a little skeptical when it comes to Fiio products now. Although, the unit was incredible, I don't want to have to worry about something just not working after a while.

[@glsracer]

If there's a warranty then you're good to go. Even the best brands have a small number of infant mortality failures.

[@off2geo]

I never had a Fiio DAC/Amp crap out on me. Now, a K9 crapping out would really hurt one's butt, I understand that.

[@Rubiks_LIVE]

@@off2geo it indeed hurt my butt

[@oscargiovannipatinohernand1221]

Same happens to me with iFi micro, too bad, changed to Fiio no issues, some times is just bad luck or isolated issues.

[@DoctorStrange01]

Literally every recommended and relatively popular DAC has some "died after few weeks/months" reviews and i have no clue which one should i buy. A lot of good opinions about Topping, Schiit or SMSL and all of them have these "died after x" cases, it's making my head spin. I guess all of these companies have problems with quality control.

[@alebt17]

Thank you for this in-depth review! How do you feel the K7 compares to something like the E70/L70 combo, especially in terms of smoothness and engagement?

[@iikatinggangsengii2471]

any dedicated amp will sound better

[@meonao123]

how does it compare to Zen dac/can combo, im using Sundara, does it worth to upgrade to k7?

[@parischatzigeorgiou43]

Sounds like a very good choice for someone that wants to buy their first equipment, right? I don't have lots of experience with hi rez audio. I know only what i have read and I am looking for something to start. This DAC/AMP all in one looks like a really good start, also i am considering getting the Sennheiser HD650 along with it. Anyone tried this combo? What I want to achieve is sound staging with all its possible details but I am not ready to spend thousands before I explore and get some experience and learn what's what.

[@hearmeout0909]

Same situation, Got the HD660S2 and ordered K7 today, I'm excited to hook them both up and listen to the music.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

The volume pod not being precise is a big downer for me...

[@FadedDream6969]

Ya it kinda sucks but its digital so it has its benefits I guess and hopefully they update it. Zeos did a review and had his issues as well but, for a balanced thx dac amp similar to the k9 for 200 bucks is kinda crazy. I think this is gonna be the go to combo for the price for awhile, but will see maybe ifi drops something crazy good for that price but as of right now this smokes the Zen dac v2

[@moonabhinav]

I remember the volume pod is digital and when you increase it slightly it take a while to increase it that level. It was done due to request on fiio page in head-fi to make the changes in volume, input and gain gradually instead of instant. There should be a driver which is more immediate. I faced the same on K9 Pro AKM version

[@andrewy1983]

There's a genuine reason. Because of the sensitivity of iems being used. Needs a low sensitivity part on volume wheel. After half is for headphones.

[@JoseFerreira-zb7wh]

@@FadedDream6969 unless you really need balanced, i'd go with topping dx3 pro +. lot more features and cheaper. and i think looks better.

[@lostalx]

@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh Topping QC is not good. Have seen so many issues over the time at ASR forum.

[@burghelvasile3313]

Sir, what do you think about Fiio k7 compared to Cambridge magic 200m im nod dac for stereo system consisting of Marantz pm 6006 + Dali Oberon 3. Or other recommendation please. Thank you.

[@nagylevi3827]

The PM6006 has a decent DAC inside it. A K7 or equivalent would be an almost imperceptible improvement. I actually found it better sounding than a K11 R2R I recently returned.

[@kevinnicholson7722]

how is this better than the BTA30 Pro from the same manufacturer?

[@rajkumar.6182]

which is best for instrumental separation,open balanced sound (xduos basic,fiio k3, fiio q11,fiio k5,zen air dac) reply me bro🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@Manupassero]

why did I watch you? now my wallet is 200 dollars lighter...... your fault 😂 great review though!

[@mkunikow]

Wow what a great review. I am wondering will this match my DT 990 250 Ohm ....

[@nlmaster9811]

Unbalanced would be pushing it, using an adapter so you can use the balanced output would probably be acceptable.

[@brokenjed]

I'll let you know how they pair with my DT880 600 ohm in about a week.

[@andisucatte5030]

​@@brokenjed how did it go

[@Frank_P83]

did you try the K5 Pro Ess ? it's 50% off right now, wonder if it's about the best thing to get right now ?

[@Tssukiii]

Worse than K7 and Topping DX3 pro + Wouldn’t pay more than 100$/€

[@johngotti8544]

If I have the fiio k5 pro the old one you thing this would be and upgrade or stick to one I have already 🤷‍♂️

[@TearfulNight]

I read a lot on reddit .. everyone says K7 is an upgrade over K5 .. especially on balanced out they said its day and night difference

[@trevorjames5493]

Does anybody know if this is better than q3 mqa sound wise ? I know the Q3 is portable and has a bass boost button and they're around the same price used but not sure which one to check out

[@roncoleman5007]

Does it have the asio capability like the E10K?

[@sisar7]

Hey is this a great upgrade for my PC's motherboard soundcard. For gaming,music, and usual movies.

[@zDennii]

depends on ur Headphones that you use. It could be better when the Headphones can deliver it. I just saw an improvement by using Soundblaster X3 over my Motherboard Audio back in the Day.

[@sisar7]

@@zDennii I use IEM's, mainly the truthear zero with a ibasso Dc03pro but there are times that there would be a static sound and times that the sound would go completely off and i have to unplug the DAC and plug it in back again. Idk if a bigger DAC/AMP would solve the problem.

[@zDennii]

@@sisar7 the static noise is sometimes possible with the quality of the amps, my Soundblaster x3 does that but my Shanling UA3 not. With the Sound break could be some Problem with the Energy options, just Look in the balanced Profile and do All eco settings off. Than you could Look in the device Manager and deactivate the USB Hubs eco too. Should be somewhere in the Properties of each usb thing.

[@zDennii]

@@sisar7 did you tried the Smartphone App and try to change some settings? Like gain and Filters maybe it helps. But the Dac should be a good value like mine. I dont even know if a bigger dac could Sound better.

[@sisar7]

@@zDennii I'll definitely check the app. Thank you for replying sir!

[@mib5633]

i thought fiio quoted true balanced? are the RCA in all single ended??

[@jonasharp3]

No balanced input unfortunately, just a set of two identical DACs that feed to two identical amps. If you use an analog input it’s single ended by default, but you can still listen to single ended through the 4.4 mm port. This is definitely intended as an all in one solution, and it’s genuinely a bad buy if you intend to use it with another amp or dac. It sounds absolutely lovely, on true balanced using the digital input, but it’s really best on its own. If you need modularity spend a bit more on E30 L30, or magnius modus, if you don’t, this is a huge value.

[@Mytube82x]

Is it possible to use my android phone as a sound source with a usb c adapter with this amp?

[@false-set]

Should be

[@neobobik]

Hello! Does better usb cable (one that connect pc with dac) improve sound quality or not?

[@Tssukiii]

No, if the cable isn’t broken it doesn’t change anything that could be heard or proven.

[@neobobik]

@@Tssukiii Thanks for the answer! 👍

[@zDennii]

Do you think, it is a massive upgrade over a Shanling UA3 with AK chip as Desktop use? I dont know if it will be so massive that the cost being worth :/ especially for iem usage..

[@miki890098]

For iem usage, very probably not worth it. Iems are meant to be used with low power sources, like smartphones or laptops. There's no reason why such a powerful amp might improve the performance of an iem that was thought for that use in my opinion

[@lubis1991]

@@miki890098 Nah, laptops especially have terrible DAC/amps with significant noise and interference. And there aren't any balanced headphone outs on these devices AFAIK.

[@jasony1011]

where is power switch?

[@Princeton_James]

Turn the dial all the way to the left and you will hear and feel a click when it turns off. Go in the opposite direction to turn it on.

[@bringbackthelegendbybright3144]

Can we connect ie 200 to k7?

[@Tssukiii]

Yes, using the 6.35 to 3.5 adapter included with the K7 Should work fine

[@petermesaros3839]

Has K5 Pro ESS same volume knob problem as K7? I´m considering between K5 Pro ESS and K7. Thx for answer :)

[@clickbaitpro]

No. K5 Pro volume knob is smooth and didn't have that delay

[@LyuboA]

yep L30II is much better amp then K7 THX even with low Ohm IEM at max volume at high gain on L30II theres nothing if you have K5 Pro just get L30II for more power since K5 Pro and K7 sound exactly the same but the best combo will still be E30II + L30II

[@zoltawiewiorka9555]

No. Its not true. Had all of them. Sold K5 and Topping. There is no "best" . Differences are subbtile...

[@LyuboA]

for anyone considering K7 you are much better going with Topping E30II + L30II same dac chips better implementation and much cleaner higher output power from L30II don't fall for marketing crap thinking THX is something special actually Topping and many others have better and cleaner amps then THX

[@zoltawiewiorka9555]

Yea, even if THX is not something special, K7 is about 70 Euro cheaper than L30E30 stack. Another thing is guarantee..

[@Mr_Ev1]

That's not what the review states though

[@Xerathful]

Is there any headset input for topping e30II? Sorry it will be my first dac.

[@Dex4Sure]

"Clean" often sounds worse...

[@frogger1555]

You are spamming this under many K7 reviews. Are you out of your mind or just paid troll?

[@sexyapple138]

is it good for hd650/he400se/sundara/deva?

[@Anomalyn1]

yea, very good pairing

[@orestistzitziris]

Is it a good choice to pair with my dt990 pro 250ohm? Now i have the fiio q11, i like the sound(deep and clear)but not enough power for the dt 250ohm.

[@Tssukiii]

Should work fine The dt990 isn’t that good though, so selling it and buying another headphone (easier to drive with you q11) would be more beneficial

[@ozgmg1252]

@@Tssukiiilike which one?

[@Tssukiii]

@@ozgmg1252 in that price range: probably HD560S B-stock from Sennheiser (100$) If you like some more warmth and bass, step up to the Harmonicdyne Zeus Elite

[@Tssukiii]

@@ozgmg1252 HD560S or for bass Harmonicdyne Zeus Elite