FiiO Q1ii - Definite Upgrade But 1 Small Flaw

Pictures in tables are default 1200 x 800 resolution - click to view larger images.

INTRODUCTION

I genuinely like my iPhone. I have the iPhone SE (based on the 6 internals but with the 5's body dimensions). The SE is very linear (tonally flat), has low distortion, and is incredibly easy to use. Mine has 64 Gb of memory (so with aac256 files I have a lot of music on it), can drive most portable earphones well and has good Bluetooth and wireless capability. The biggest thing though – its virtually always with me, so as a music source it gets almost as much use as all of my other DAPs. The issue is that Apple seem to be steadily removing the 3.5mm jack from future iPhones. Which leaves you with the option to go Bluetooth, have a lightning capable earphone, or run the risk of trying different amps or dac/amps to gain compatibility. And this can be hit or miss. Enter FiiO with the new Q1 2nd generation DAC/amp – and this time its fully certified for iOS use. It can also be used as an amplifier, a computer DAC, and possibly be used with some compatible Android devices. So lets look at this new release and see if FiiOhave hit the mark.

ABOUT FiiO

By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the FiiO Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary.

FiiO was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But FiiOhas spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. Today, their range includes DAPs, portable amps, portable dac/amps, desktop dac/amps, earphones, cables and other accessories.

FiiO’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.

DISCLAIMER

The FiiO Q1 2nd generation (aka the Q1ii) that I’m reviewing today was provided to gratis as a review sample. I have made it clear to FiiO in the past that I did regard any product they sent me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. I have purchased quite a few FiiO DAPs and amps over the last 5 years. Recently FiiO informed me that everything they send to me now is a review sample and they will not accept further payment. So I acknowledge now that the Q1ii I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity.

I have now had the Q1ii approximately 4 weeks. The retail price at time of review is USD 100.

PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'. (or a base-line for interpreting my thoughts and bias)

Spoiler: Click here for a summary of my known preferences and bias

I'm a 50 year old music lover. I don't say audiophile – I just love my music. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly changed from cheaper listening set-ups to my current set-up. I vary my listening from portables (mostly now from the FiiO X5iii, X7ii and iPhone SE) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD). My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Sennheiser HD800S, SennheiserHD600 & HD630VB, MS Pro and AKG K553. Most of my portable listening is done with IEMs, and lately it has mainly been with the Jays q-Jays, Alclair Curve2, 64 Audio U10 and LZ Big Dipper. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present – although needs updating) is listed in my Head-Fi profile.

I have very eclectic music tastes listening to a variety from classical/opera and jazz, to grunge and general rock. I listen to a lot of blues, jazz, folk music, classic rock, indie and alternative rock. I am particularly fond of female vocals. I generally tend toward cans that are relatively neutral/balanced, but I do have a fondness for clarity, and suspect I might have slight ‘treble-head’ preferences. I am not treble sensitive (at all), and in the past have really enjoyed headphones like the K701, SR325i, and of course the T1 and DT880. I have a specific sensitivity to the 2-3 kHz frequency area (most humans do) but my sensitivity is particularly strong, and I tend to like a relatively flat mid-range with slight elevation in the upper-mids around this area.

I have extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent. I do use exclusively red-book 16/44.1 if space is not an issue. All of my music is legally purchased (mostly CD – the rest FLAC purchased on-line). I tend to be sceptical about audiophile ‘claims’, don’t generally believe in burn-in, have never heard a difference with different cables (unless impedance related etc), and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences. I am not a ‘golden eared listener’. I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 50, my hearing is less than perfect (it only extends to around 14 kHz nowadays). My usual listening level is around 65-75 dB.

For the purposes of this review - I used the Q1ii with my iPhone SE, iPad Mini, my PC and laptop (as DAC), my X1ii as amp only, and with (believe it or not) the X7ii and X5iii for digital out from an Androiddevice.

This is a purely subjective review - my gear, my ears, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own experience.

FURTHER NOTES FROM FIIO
This is of course a review sample from FiiO, and as such there are some noticeable differences between what I have as a reviewer, and what you'll receive as a consumer. These include:

• The indicator light on the retail model will be green – this one is blue

• Not for sale is engraved on this unit, but isn't on the retail model

• There are slight differences in PCB layouts of the review samples, but the overall configuration and sound is the same.

• The silk screening on the review samples is very faint (text next to gain and bass buttons). It will be much clearer on the retail models

WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A PORTABLE DAC/AMP
I usually list (before I start with the review) what I would look for in a portable DAC/amp. This is useful to remember when looking at my scoring later in the review.

• Genuine portability

• Good battery life

• Clean, neutral signature

• Easy to use

• Low output impedance

• Reasonable output power – should be able to drive IEMs and earphones up to 300 ohms

• Good gain control

• Hardware EQ if possible

• Easy installation of DAC drivers

• Value for money

• Free of EMI (use with smartphones)

In this particular case though, the most important requirement was going to be interaction with my iOS devices.

PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH
Previous = Fiio E7, Beyerdynamic A200p, RHA L1
Current = Fiio E17K, Q1, Cozoy Aegis, iFi Micro iDSD, IMS HVA

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The Q1 arrived in FiiO’s standard retail style packaging – a plain white box measuring 110 x 165 x 53mm. The front has a picture of the Q1ii, and the rear has some compatibility and other information in English and Chinese.

Opening the outer retail box reveals a plain hinged lid inner box with the Q1ii in the top layer, and underneath the accessories.

Retail packaging                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Inner box

All accessories

The accessories include:

• Lightning to Micro USB OTG cable

• Micro USB data/charging cable        

• 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio interconnect cable

• 2 x large and 2 x smaller “stacking” bands

• Slide-proof silicone “stacking” pads

• Soft mesh storage pouch

• Warranty and instructions

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATION	FIIO Q1 2nd Gen	FIIO Q1 Original
Approx price USD	~ USD 99	~ USD 60
DAC Chip	AK4452	TI PCM 5102
Amp Chip	OPA 926	MAX97220
LPF (line-out)	OPA1662	Not stated
Highest Res Support (DAC)	384/32 PCM and DSD256	96/24 PCM
Output Impedance H/O	<1.2 ohm SE and <2.0 ohm Bal	<0.3 ohm
Max Output Power @ 16 ohm	112 mW SE and 240 mW Bal	not stated
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	75 mW SE and 220 mW Bal	190 mW
Max Output Power @ 300 ohm	11 mW SE and 45 mW Bal	Not stated
SNR	>109 / 115 dB (USB / AUX)	>107 dB
THD+N	0.002 / 0.003% (USB / AUX) at 1 kHz	0.005% at 1 kHz
Frequency Response	5 Hz-55 kHz SE, 5 Hz-80 kHz Bal	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	~ 11.5 dB	-2.5 dB/3.2 dB SE and 3.2 dB/9.1 dB Bal
Channel Imbalance	<0.2 dB	<0.2 dB
Max Output Current	>150 mA	>75 mA
Peak Output Voltage	4.4 Vp-p SE and 7.4 Vp-p Bal	7.2 Vp-p
Dimensions	99 x 59 x 13mm	97 x 56 x 13mm
Outer Material	Powder-coated Aluminium	Powder-coated Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm SE and 2.5mm Bal	3.5 mm
Line In/Out	3.5 mm (shared)	3.5 mm (shared)
Weight	101g	100g
Battery Capacity / Life	1800 mAh / ~ 20 hours (Aux) or 10 hours (USB)	1400 mAh / ~ 30 hours
Recharge Time	3½ - 4 hours	3½ - 4 hours

BUILD
The Q1ii is rectangular shaped with nicely rounded curved edges, but this time a flat shaped main body – much easier for stacking than the original Q1. The body consists of a top and bottom plate with a one piece matt black hollow aluminium body. The size and shape is perfect for FiiO’s X1ii or X3ii DAP’s – same W and L dimensions. It is slightly shorter than my iPhone but almost the same width.

Top – headphone outputs, line in/out and TOCOS pot	Bottom – USB port and gain / bass switches

The front face of the main body simply has the word FiiO in the bottom centre, and the Sony Hi-Res logo at the top centre. The top panel (if you go by the wording direction) has
the bass boost switch at the left, micro USB port in the centre and gain switch on the right. The markings on the switches are so faint that they are unreadable, but FiiO tells me that this issue was known and has been corrected on the final production units.

At the bottom is a 3.5 mm headphone out socket on the far left hand side, a 2.5mm balanced headphone out socket next to it, and a 3.5mm line-in/out in the centre. At the far right is the TOCOS analog pot, and just inside it is the LED light (charging / operating) and a small LED which indicates if DSD is being utilised. The TOCOS pot has a very smooth action, and there is extremely low channel imbalance (0.2 dB or less).

Comparison to original Q1	Newer model is much better for stacking (no curve)

Overall the external build quality is essentially faultless (it appears to have one design fault though - which we'll cover shortly), and the Q1ii really does feel nice in the hand.

Internally the the Q1ii uses the AK4452 DAC chip which has impressive S/N ratio and low distortion measurements. Combined with the XMOS platform, it is also capable of decoding DSD up to DSD256 and 32/384 PCM. The Q1ii also utilises 2 separate crystal oscillators – each designed to handle separate sampling rates to achieve the highest accuracy in digital to analog conversion.

The main amplifier chip is the OPA926 – the same chip utilised in FiiO's new flagship X7ii – and there are two of them (the second one for balanced mode). Line-out LPF is handled by the TI OPA1662.

HEAT AND POWER

The Q1ii doesn't really heat up at all, and is quite cool to the touch even after a few hours playing.

In terms of power output, the specs say that it'll put the following output into these loads:
Into 16 ohms = 112 mW SE and 240 mW Bal
Into 32 ohms = 75 mW SE and 220 mW Bal
Into 300 ohms = 11 mW SE and 45 mW Bal

But what does that mean in real world turns? So lets look at a few scenarios. Armed with my trusty SPL meter, I set out to see just what the Q1ii could and couldn't (subjectively) drive. For this test I used the Q1ii attached to my iPhone SE.

IEMs / Earbuds


First up was FiiO's own F9 (28 ohm impedance, 106 dB/mW sensitivity), and approx 10.00-10.30 on the pot (or about 1/3 of the total pot) was able to easily get me my preferred 65-75 dB volume level in single-ended mode on low gain. Max volume on high gain pushed this to 95-100 dB, so no issues there. Balanced mode increased the output by about 6dB.

Next was HiFiMan's RE2000 (60ohm impedance, 103 dB/mW sensitivity), and approx 11.00-11.30 on the pot (or just over 1/3 of the total pot) was able to again achieve my 65-75 dB volume level in single-ended mode on low gain. They sounded pretty good to – no signs of being under-driven.

The last test was with VE's brilliant Zen2 open ear-buds (320ohm impedance, 108 dB/mW sensitivity), and this time I needed just over 12.00 on the pot (just under 2/3 of the total pot) to achieve the 65-75dB (this was quite hard to measure with the SPL meter – so take with a grain of salt). To give myself confidence they weren't being under-driven, I also tried them with the more powerful A5 amp, and it confirmed that with the Zen2, the Q1ii was performing well (it was nice with the bass boost engaged too).

So IEM's don't seem to be an issue – what about headphones?

Full Sized Headphones


First up this time was Sennheiser's HD630VB (23 ohm impedance, 114 dB/mW sensitivity), and approx 10.00-10.30 on the pot (or about 1/3 of the total pot) was all that was needed in single-ended mode on low gain (again 65-75 dB). And like the F9, max volume on high gain pushed this to 95-100 dB. So far so good.

Next was Alessandro's MS Pro (32ohm impedance, 98 dB/mW sensitivity), and this required only 10.30-11.00 on the pot (or again approx 1/3 of the total pot) to get to the same approximate level.

Time to really push the amp, and this time my 300 ohm, 102 dB/mW sensitivity HD800S. Surprisingly (to me anyway) 12.00 on the pot got them to the same listening level, and they did sound pretty good. It wasn't until I cross checked with the A5 (which will put 150 mW into the 300 ohm Senns compared with the Q1ii's 11 mW) that I noticed the better control over the driver, and especially the improvement in bass response (the Q1ii was a little loose). Unfortunately I couldn't test the balanced output with the Senns, as I do believe that in balanced mode, the Q1ii should be able to do a reasonable job even with the harder to drive HD800S.

On the whole though, the Q1ii did a really decent job providing good clean amplification.

SONIC PERFORMANCE

Preface
I’m going to preface this section with a little critique I received a while ago (by PM), and my answer to it – so that you can understand why I don’t comment on some things, and why I do comment on others. I was told my review on another amp was poor because I didn’t include sections on bass, mid-range, treble, sound-stage, imaging etc – yet referred to an amp as warm, full, or lean.

Now I can understand the reference to warm / full / lean – as they are very subjective terms, and whilst I’d like to avoid their use, they are invaluable to convey true meaning. Comparing my NFB-12 to the Aune X1S for example – the Audio-gd does sound richer and warmer. It’s the nature of the DAC which is used.

But I choose not to comment on bass, mids, treble, and most definitely not sound-stage – simply because when we are talking about an amp – IMO they shouldn’t be discussed. An amp’s job is to amplify the signal with as low distortion as possible, and output as linear signal as possible. If it is doing its job properly, there is no effect on bass, mids, or treble – except if hardware boost is concerned. And IME an amp does not affect soundstage (unless there is DSP or cross-feed in play) – that is solely the realm of the transducers and the actual recording.

So we have that out of the way how does the Q1ii perform sonically – as a separate DAC and as a DAC/amp combo?

Tonality
The first thing I did was to check the linearity of the Q1ii's amp section. To do this I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. At first glance the Q1ii measures pretty flat – with a very small drop off south of 50 kHz (only a fraction of a dB). This could be my equipment, and its something you won't notice.

I next measured the DAC section using the same method, and there was noticeable roll-off in the top end. My problem is that this shows up on a lot of DAC sections (many have more than this), and I suspect it maybe something to do with my equipment – although the E17K DAC measures completely flat on the same equipment. Perhaps then, it is something to do with the ultrasonic filters at play. All in all though – the Q1ii does appear to have very good linearity.

I’ve stopped measuring distortion (THD / IMD) as I need better measuring equipment to get to the levels FiiO is able to measure. I think we can trust the published distortion measurements.

Finally I listened and compared it to the E17K (one of the most linear device I own). In subjective comparison, the Q1ii does have a slightly richer / warmer / fuller tonality than the E17K. So what does this tell us? Simply that the Q1ii supplies reasonably linear, and very clean output. Purely subjectively, it sounds pretty neutral and to my ears, ever so slightly on the warm side of neutral. It does have a very clean background which creates a good sense of space.

Amp section measurements – incl. gain and bass boost	Dac and amp measurement

Gain and Bass Boost
You'll note in the graphs above that I measured (amp section only) both gain and also the bass boost. Gain is approximately (just under) +6 dB between low and high, and this correlates with FiiO's own measurements. Likewise the bass boost provides a gradual slope up from approx 1 kHz peaking at about 20-30Hz at approx +6dB, so it is very much a sub- bass oriented bass boost, but will also raise mid-bass and lower mids up in a gradual gradient. 

Balanced vs Single Ended
The balanced output is provided by the 2.5mm output. I went back and forth with the Q1ii balanced, single-ended and back again (using FiiO's own F9). It was pretty difficult getting an exact volume match because the pot had no markings, so it was not a very objective exercise. But I still couldn't tell a real difference, so time to measure and see if there actually was any.

FiiO F9 balanced vs single ended	FiiO F9 after volume matching

Using the F9, I measured both single-ended and balanced (the difference with the F9 was close to 6 dB). I then applied a linear gain to ARTA to completely volume match the two and align the graphs. The frequency response was identical. In my own tests, I'm noticing no differences between the two when volume matched (and nor should there be when you think about it – they use the same hardware – just x2). Maybe my ears are simply not good enough to hear the other differences some people associate with balanced output.

But the additional voltage and output power provided by the balanced circuit should be handy if you have harder to drive headphones, and I am looking forward to checking this with my HD800S when the adaptor eventually arrives.

Format Support
I've tested with PCM up to 192/24 and the Q1ii has had no issues natively decoding. I also managed to send a direct DSD stream to the Q1ii and the DSD LED light “lit up” so I have to infer that it is natively decoding that as well. I did not test at the maximum 32/384 resolution stated on the specs – because quite frankly I can't find any music to test it with. Perhaps a case of “numbers going mad”.

Use as a DAC
On my Linux desktop, the Q1ii is instantly recognised, and I had no issues passing through DSD and PCM via Jriver at correct resolutions. Of course it was driver-less too, so no hiccups or concerns.

Switching to Windows 10 and I was amazed to find that when plugging (and this is without loading drivers), the Q1ii was not only recognised, but also Windows loaded a generic driver and would play everything from 32/44.1 to 32/384. I'm assuming that its using the Windows mixer to up or down sample – but it sure sounds pretty good. To get the full range of available sample rates, its just a matter of downloading and installing FiiO's driver (from their website). I successfully connected and tested a number of different formats (bit-perfect using the ASIO driver), including native DSD. No issues for me whatsoever, and it is a really good option (IMHO) as a DAC for a portable solution.

My next test was with my iPad mini, and once again, instantly recognised and playing without hitches. One of the best features the Q1ii adds in this configuration is simply the pot (variable volume). Anyone used to dealing with the “hitched” volume steps from iPads / iPhones will relate to this. Its just really nice having fine control over volume.

The final test was one I didn't expect to work – but it does surprisingly well. Using a micro USB to micro-USB, I connected the Q1ii to both the X5iii and the X7ii. Both recognised the Q1ii and asked if I wanted to pass digital audio via Neutron. I chose to do so, and both devices then sent the audio via USB to the Q1ii. This was unexpected, but worked brilliantly.

Weaknesses / Issues
So far I have only found one – and unfortunately its a bit of a doozy. When paired with the iPhone SE, I intermittently get bursts of EMI / RFI intruding on the music (basically as bursts of static). FiiO knows about the issue, and has recommended disabling Bluetooth/wireless on the iPhone to eliminate it (ie putting it into flight mode). The issue of course with this is that the Q1ii is designed to be paired with thephone, and the phone in flight mode is effectively just an iOS device – no longer a phone. Unfortunately it is the one blemish on an otherwise practically perfect device.

My advice to FiiO would be to fix it (shield it properly). Its still a really good little amp and DAC/amp – but its effectively crippled for use with the phone (and isn't that what they went through the whole certification thing for)?

COMPARISON WITH SIMILAR DEVICES

I thought at this stage it would be a good idea to try and compare the Q1ii with some alternatives. My prerequisite was that the comparable units should all be portable DAC/amp devices which would work with my iPhone – so I’ve used the ones I have at my disposal – FiiO Q1 original (USD 60) vs FiiO E17K (USD 99) vs IMS Hybrid Valve (USD 270). For testing I’ve used my iPhone SE, headphone out of thedevice in question, and my Sennheiser HD630VB to evaluate. I also tested with the Brainwavz B400 and a number of different IEMs - but for the comparisons below the tests were actually performed with the AKG. All devices were volume matched with my SPL meter at 1 kHz with a constant test tone.


I used the included cable for the Q1ii. All other devices required use of the L19 cable to connect successfully with my iPhone.

FiiO Q1ii (~USD 99) vs FiiO Q1 original (~USD 60)
Starting as usual with build quality – both are built really well with virtually no imperfections. They are virtually identical in size, but the Q1ii has the more modern look, including the flatter profile which is far better for stacking. The original Q1 has a lot longer battery life though (up to 30 hr vs up to 20 hr)


As far as features go, both have bass boost and gain controls. The newer Q1ii has the balanced circuitry and can also cater for more sample rates (including native DSD decoding). Using the Q1 original and L19 cable, it is often a bit fiddly connecting with the iPhone. Sometimes I have to plug and re-plug before its recognised. But once it is connected there isn't any issues. So far I haven't spotted any direct issues with EMI or RFI with the older Q1 (which makes the issue with the Q1ii all the more disappointing).

Sonically the two sound incredibly close, and despite a lot of back and forth I think I would be lucky to tell the two apart in a proper blind test. Both sound better (subjectively to me) than the iPhone's native output.

FiiO Q1ii (~USD 99) vs FiiO E17K (~USD 99)
I should preface this to say that the E17K is still my favourite Swiss army knife for a portable amplifier. Again – both are built really well with virtually no imperfections. They are virtually identical in size, but the Q1ii is slimmer and again has the more modern look. Both have a flat profile ideal for stacking.


As far as features go, both have gain controls, and where the Q1ii has bass boost, the E17K has full bass and treble controls. The newer Q1ii has the balanced circuitry and can also cater for more sample rates via USB, although both are pretty good if using coax (E17K can do up to 24/192). Using the Q1 original and L19 cable, it is again often a bit fiddly connecting with the iPhone. Sometimes I have to plug and re-plug before its recognised, and the driver shows Bravo X USB audio – but plays perfectly. Again once it is connected there isn't any issues. There are also no direct issues with EMI or RFI with the E17k.

Sonically the two sound a little different, and I could pick them apart easily (even blind). The slight warmth of the Q1ii is very apparent when compared to the razor flat linear response of the E17K. The E17K is actually a lot closer to the iPhone's tonal output – which is probably why I don't tend to use it paired (there is no point). In terms of preference, I would probably gravitate toward the new Q1iis overall tonality – but prefer the E17K's feature set (I'm really looking forward to a potential upgrade of E17K if they ever decide to upgrade it!)

FiiO Q1ii (~USD 99) vs IMS HVA (~USD 270)
The IMS HVA is a vacuum tube portable hybrid dac/amp developed locally by an engineer in NZ. Both are once again built really well with virtually no imperfections. The IMS HVA does have that wow factor with the tubes lit up, but the Q1ii is the more modern looking device, both slimmer and smaller dimensionally, and far easier to stack They are virtually identical in size, but the Q1ii is slimmer and again has the more modern look. Both have a flat profile ideal for stacking – but my prototype HVA does have a USB out which makes stacking difficult .


As far as features go, both have gain controls, but that’s where it ends for the HVA. No bass controls, but it will decode the same formats – including DSD. Using the HVA and L19 cable, and this time its a lot more reliable and pretty much connects with the iPhone most of the time straight away. The driver shows Bravo X USB audio – and plays perfectly. There are also no direct issues with EMI or RFI with the HVA, but because of the configuration of the valves you can only run the iPhone SE at about 75% volume, otherwise the HVA can distort the valve output.

Sonically the two sound very similar, both having a hint of warmth in the overall tonality, and both very engaging (and superior sonically IMO to the iPhone SE's native output). The HVA is also the tiniest bit smoother in the presentation of upper mid-range or lower-treble, and this is noticeable. People who prefer the sound of tubes will pick this immediately – its simply the even order harmonic distortion at play. You either love it or you don't.

As far as preference goes – if the HVA was easier to stack, I would probably use it a lot more – it really does sound brilliant. But the FiiO has it beat on form factor, ease of use, and is quite close tonally. Its also miles cheaper.

VALUE

Always a tough one to call, and especially when there is an overall issue (the EMI/RFI). But when you look at the overall features and sound quality for the price, I can still recommend this device. And if you look at my initial requirements, it meets every one (portability, battery life, clean signature, ease of use, low OI, reasonable power, nicely implemented gain and HW EQ, and easy installation of DAC drivers) for a very attractive price.

The only one it fails on is the EMI/RFI issue, and while potentially a deal breaker for some, I'm hoping there is a solution – FiiO just needs to find it.

FIIO Q1ii – SUMMARY

The Q1ii is one of those devices that practically ticks every box, and unfortunately misses on one – but its a significant one. The unit is extremely well built, pairs easily with both desktops and also my iPhoneand iPad mini, and is very easy to set up (as a DAC).

It has some well thought out and implemented features – including HW bass boost, and a good gain control, and the addition of balanced could be quite good for those with slightly harder to driveheadphones (within reason).

In terms of overall tonality, it is quite linear (especially the amp section), and has a little hint of overall warmth (assume this is treble roll-off) when using the DAC section. It sounds really (extremely) good.

At $99 it represents incredible value when you compare features for price. There is one little caveat though. There are some issues with EMI/RFI which present themselves as small static bursts occasionally when paired with the iPhone SE. I should qualify this – they are intermittent, and seem to be dependent on location and what the phone is doing. Sometimes I'll get an hour with no sign, and others it'll be regular enough to be annoying. The big issue is that its a problem and it shouldn't be there.

So how to rank? Well quite honestly if this issue was fixed, the Q1ii would be a well deserved 5/5. With them present (for me anyway) I see the Q1ii as an 80% success or 4/5. Very good – but not quite great yet.

Recommendations for FiiO – come up with a solution as quickly as you can – and also a good stacking method. Please.

I just want to close with thanking Sunny and the team at FiiO for arranging the review sample.

Q1ii with iPhone SE and F9	With the ME1 and U10	Digital out with the X5iii and HD630VB