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INTRODUCTION

Choosing a portable or transportable set-up can be a daunting choice – especially for anyone new to the audio game.  Do I need an amp?  What are the improvements I can expect? Are there advantages over having a DAC/amp combo? Does spending a lot more guarantee me good sound? What am I missing out on? It can be a minefield with many differing opinions, and a lot of different subjective opinions.
 
In tandem with that is the many opinions tendered on what adding a new amp or amp/DAC can actually bring to the table in terms of clarity! details! soundstage! As I’ve gained a lot more experience, and (more importantly) tested more, I’ve come to realise that many of the differences I thought I’d previously heard are pretty subtle, and mostly occur because I wasn’t volume matching while comparing different amps or sources.
 
I’m a lot older now, and a little wiser, so if you’re interested in reading one person’s view of the FiiO Q1 DAC/amp and how it changed my opinion of my iPhone 5S output, then sit back and relax while we delve into the performance and features offered by this excellent little device. I’ve tried to mix a little objectivity in along with my subjective impressions – and hopefully this will combine to give you a fair and balanced view of my experience with the Q1.
 
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 was provided to me gratis as a review sample.  I have made it clear to FiiO that I still regard any product they send me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request. But I thank them for the ability to continue use of the Q1 – both for follow up comparisons and also for my own personal use.  The FiiO Q1 can be sourced from Amazon for approx. USD 70.
 
I have continued to use the Q1 for follow up reviews, and I recently inquired if I could purchase the device from FiiO.  They have insisted I keep the Q1 for my own use. So I acknowledge now that the Q1 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation.  I thank FiiO for their generosity. 
 
PREAMBLE - 'ABOUT ME'.
(This is to give any readers a baseline for interpreting the review).
 

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

 I'm a 49 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 (FiiO X5ii, X3ii, X7, LP5 Pro, L3 and iPhone 5S) to my desk-top's set-up (PC > USB > iFi iDSD).  I also use a portable set-up at work – either X5ii/X3ii/X7 > HP, or PC > E17K > HP.  My main full sized headphones at the time of writing are the Beyer T1, Sennheiser HD600, 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 and Adel U6. A full list of the gear I have owned (past and present 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 extensively tested myself (ABX) and I find aac256 or higher to be completely transparent.  I do use exclusively redbook 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, and would rather test myself blind on perceived differences.  I am not a ‘golden eared listener’.  I suffer from mild tinnitus, and at 49, my hearing is less than perfect.For the actual listening part of this review I used the Q1 both with my X3ii, stand alone with PC and netbook (to test the DAC), and also paired with my iPhone 5S. 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

1. Volume matching was done with a calibrated SPL meter and test tones (1 kHz) when required for comparison.

2. Frequency response and distortion measurements were taken using a relatively cheap Startech USB soundcard, which I know gives me a pretty good measure of objective data – but is somewhat limited by the card itself. By that I mean that I’m measuring the limit of the Startech’s performance on THD, and I believe FiiO’s published figures are more accurate. 

3. FiiO's Q1 product page can be found here

 
WHAT I WOULD LOOK FOR IN A PORTABLE DAC/AMP
I thought I’d 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 reasoning for scoring later in the review.

1. Genuine portability

2. Good battery life

3. Clean, neutral signature

4. Easy to use

5. Low output impedance

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

7. Good gain control

8. Hardware EQ if possible

9. Easy installation of DAC drivers

10. Value for money

 
PORTABLE AMP/DACs I HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH

1. Previous = FiiO E7, Beyerdynamic A200p

2. Current = FiiO E17K, Q1, K1, IMS-HVA, Cozoy Aegis, iFi Micro iDSD

 

THE REVIEW

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
 

Q1 retail box front	Q1 retail box rear	Inner box

 
The Q1 arrived in FiiO’s standard retail packaging – a white, red and black box measuring 130 x 130 x 24mm. The front had a picture of the Q1, and the rear has some specs and other information in English and Chinese.
Opening the outer retail box reveals an inner box with two compartments – one holding the Q1 and underneath an envelope containing the silicone pads and paperwork. The other has the remaining accessories.  The accessories include:

1. 1 x 3.5-3.5 mm “mini” inter-connect cable (35mm from jack to jack!)

2. 2 rubber stacking bands

3. A USB to micro-USB recharging cable

4. 2 x silicone “stacking” pads

5. Warranty and instructions

 

The accessory compartment, Q1 and envelope	Inside the envelope - docs and silicone pads	Pads are brilliant - perfect for stacking

Two things I’d like to mention in particular are the silicone stacking pads and also the inter-connect cable. The pads are 80 x 45mm, a little over 1mm thick, soft, flexible, and are “grabby” enough to bond to both surfaces of the source and amp you are stacking.  The physical size is perfect – large enough to protect (from abrasion or scratching), but small enough to not be noticeable between the two devices. They are absolutely perfect for use with FiiO’s stacking kits for their own DAPs.
 

Short IC, USB cable and stacker bands	Short IC is brilliant - much neater than other cables	Even FiiO's L17 is outclassed by the short IC

The inter-connect cable is wonderful. I’ve wanted a short cable for some time, and was going to probably order the one JDS stocks – but the one included by FiiO is fantastic. At just 3.5mm in length (measured from centre of one jack to the other), it is just long enough to comfortably fit between two devices with no overhang. As with all FiiO accessories, it is simple, sturdily built, and has good connectors.  This has helped make my portable rigs much lower profile, and is excellent for use with FiiO’s E17K also.
 
The entire package is very practical, covering everything you initially need for the Q1.
 
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The table below lists most of the relevant specifications for the Q1. As it is similar to the E17K, I have listed the specifications for this also.
 

SPECIFICATION	FIIO Q1	FIIO E17K
Approx price (Amazon) USD	~ USD 70	~ USD 139
Output Impedance H/O	<0.3 ohm	<1.1 ohm
Max Output Power @ 32 ohm	190 mW	200 mW
SNR	>107 dB	>113 dB (AUX IN)
THD+N	0.005% (1 kHz)	0.003% (1 kHz)
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz	20 Hz-20 kHz
Gain	~ 11.5 dB	0 dB / 6 dB / 12 dB
Channel Imbalance	<0.2 dB	<0.5 dB
Max Output Current	>75 mA	115 mA
Max Output Voltage	7.2 Vp-p	7.8 Vp-p
Dimensions	97 x 56 x 13mm	104 x 62 x 13mm
Outer Material	Powder-coated Aluminium	Brushed Aluminium
Headphone Out	3.5 mm	3.5 mm
Line In/Out	3.5 mm (shared)	3.5 mm (shared)
Weight	100g	110g
Battery Capacity / Life	1400 mAh / ~ 30 hours	1500 mAh / ~ 15 hours
Recharge Time	3½ - 4 hours	3½ - 4 hours

 
BUILD / DESIGN
The Q1 is rectangular shaped with very slightly bevelled edges, and a slightly oval shaped mainly body – reminiscent of a very small hip-flask. The body consists of a top and bottom silver plate with a one piece matt black hollow aluminium body.  Although there is no rounding of major corners, there is enough softening of the edges to avoid very sharp corners. The size and shape is perfect for FiiO’s X1 and X3ii DAP’s – same W and L dimensions. My one reservation with the actual design of the Q1 is with stacking – the slight flask shape is not as practical as having a completely flat top/bottom.  However with the silicone pad fitted this issue is largely negated, and there are no problems using with FiiO’s stacking kits. The slightly curved surface of the Q1 does feel nice when handled by itself.
 

Front panel of the Q1 (notice the curve)	Rear panel of the Q1	Bottom inputs and switches

 

The front face of the main body simply has the word FiiO in the bottom centre. On the opposite side is the Q1, model number, short description and mandatory input and regulatory information. The top panel has a 3.5 mm headphone out socket on the left hand side, as LED light (operation / charging status), central TOCOS analog pot, and on the far right is the bass boost button. The LED glows an azure blue when in use, red when charging, red/blue when in use and charging, and green when on the charger (fully charged but not in use). The TOCOS pot has a very smooth action, and there is extremely low channel imbalance (0.2 dB or less), and my only issue is that the volume markings on the pot are virtually unreadable (white on silver).
 

Top panel headphone socket, pot and bass boost switch	Numbers on the pot are barely legible	Blue LED and close up of bass boost switch

 

On the bottom panel is a 3.5mm input/output socket (left hand side).  Next to this is the gain switch (hi/lo), and micro USB port for charging and digital access to the DAC.  At the far right is a switch to turnUSB charging on or off. I’ll go into these features later in the review.  The switches are easy to operate, firm without being too hard to push or too loose, and again my critique would be that some form of black labelling might be easier to read rather than the descriptions etched into the silver of the end panel.
 
Overall the external build quality is essentially faultless.  It feels really good in the hand – solid and dependable, and has virtually no scratches after around 5 months of use. Using FiiO’s HS12 stacking kit, it is an ideal companion to FiiO’s X1 and X3ii.
 

Inside the Q1 - curved edge is now a lot more noticeable	Battery nestled on top of the PCB	Rear of the Q1 and the PCB is totally shielded

 

Internally, the Q1 uses TI’s PCM5102 DAC chip which has impressive S/N ratio and low distortion measurements, but more importantly is quite linear and neutral sonically (to me there is a very slight touch of warmth). Using the PCM5102 means that the DAC is limited to 24/96, but this is also a driverless solution and uses Windows generic drivers. So for ease of use, this is a good solution for the price point IMO. Coupled with this is Maxim’s MAX97220 amplifier, which according to the specs is a differential-input DirectDrive® line driver/headphone amplifier. The Maxim chip is rated as 125 mW into 32 Ω with a 5 V supply, so its clear FiiO has been able to boost this to the specified 190 mW listed.
 
HEAT AND POWER
So far I’ve noticed no heat build-up at all with the Q1.  Even after hours (driving my HD600s), it’s still cool to touch.
 
FiiO rates the target headphone impedance as 16-150 ohm, and I think that maybe a lot of people see this and automatically assume this little unit can’t drive a headphone like the HD600 (300 ohm properly). But FiiO in the past have been notoriously conservative with their published data (a good trait in my opinion), and the Q1 (like the E17K) has reasonable power output to drive even my HD600reasonably well. FiiO lists the specs as 190 mW into 32 ohm and 75 mW into 150 ohm. This should put the output around 20 mW into the 300 ohm HD600.
 

Q1 can be comfortable with the Campfire Audio Orions	Or even the HD600	And I can use the HD600 with just my iPhone + Q1

 

To put this into a real world test – using my iPhone 5S, digital out to the Q1, using low gain, and volume at max – I’m measuring mid to high 80 dB average readings with peaks in the early 90dB range. Add high gain, and that average is in the high 90’s and peaking over 100dB.  This was taken with real music and a calibrated SPL meter.  With very dynamic classical you may struggle a little more, but for me, the iPhone 5S + Q1 + HD600 nets me a really nice listening experience with most music at around 4/9 on the pot on low gain (mid 70db).
 
On the reverse side, with sensitive IEMs (and this speaks to the versatility of the Q1), with the 14 ohm 113 dB SPL/mW Campfire Audio Orion, around 2/9 on the digital pot is ideal (again around mid 70dB), and there is room to go lower if desired.
 
FEATURES / USEABILITY / SONICS
The Q1 is a very simple amplifier to use. Simply plug your source into the input socket, headphones into the headphone out, press play on the source, and adjust the volume on the Q1 to suit. The Q1 has a very low output impedance (<0.2 ohm) so it should suit even the most sensitive earphones. A note on this while I’m thinking about it – I detected no hiss even with the very sensitive 2000J, but take this with a grain of salt, because I know that my tinnitus can mask very faint hiss, so I am less sensitive to it than others. For the record, my wife (who has super sensitive hearing) couldn’t pick up any hiss either.
 
Gain
I mentioned the gain earlier, and FiiO has an interesting way of approaching gain with the Q1. On low gain, they’ve actually dropped the volume -7dB with high gain netting +4.5dB.  This gives a stated swing between high and low gain of around 11.5 dB – which is what I measured when I was testing.  I can only guess that this was to give more play on the pot with the implementation of the Max97220 amplifierchipset.
 
The one thing I have to congratulate FiiO with is implementing a decent gain increase.  Too often I have seen other amplifiers with quite small gain differentials – and this essentially nets no practical use. The other thing I’ve noticed with the Q1 via the headphone out is a decently black background from the headphone out in both high and low gain. I’ve noticed no increase in the noise floor using either of the gain settings and no real difference in sonic performance (volume matched direct comparisons).  So use the gain which is best suited to the load you are driving.
 
Interestingly, engaging the gain when using the DAC has different gain settings (-3.5 dB / +8 dB).  Still the same 11.5 dB gain swing though.
 

Frequency gain and bass boost - amp only	Distortion measurements- amp only	Frequency gain and bass boost - DAC + amp

 

Bass Boost
The Q1 comes with a more traditional bass boost. Engaging the switch nets a gradual EQ gain in the mid and sub bass.  This gives just under +2dB at 200 Hz, +3 dB at 100 Hz, +4.5 dB at 50 Hz and close to + 6 dB at 20 Hz. I really like this implementation as it doesn’t make the overall signature too thick or overly dark, but does give some heft in an area which can be rolled off in some headphones (the sub-bass region).
 
Interestingly – the bass boost (when engaged as a DAC and measured via line-out - see graph) starts at roughly 1 kHz, but has no change from 1 kHz to 20 kHz.  From the headphone out (i.e. as amp only) actually increases the loudness of the entire signal by about +1dB.  Not sure why this is – but interesting to note.
 
Use as a DAC (PC/Laptop)
The Q1 can also be used as a DAC for your PC, Linux box or MAC. The nice thing about this is that it is a driverless solution for all 3 OS platforms (well it needs drivers, but uses the generic inbuilt drivers in both Linux and iOS kernels, and the generic drivers within Windows also).  On my Windows 10 box, resolution and bit rate are capped at 24/96 max. On plugging the Q1, all of the devices tested recognised it as a FiiO USB DAC Q1.
I tried the Q1 with a YouTube video, and also with some basic gaming, and both times there was no latency or lag.
 
Whilst I wouldn’t think of using the Q1 as part of my main system, as I have access to any number of DACs, and it simply does not have the resolution or power of my iDSD, I did try it with my netbook (now quite aged, but still going strong).  The netbook, an ASUS 1015 PED EeePC has a very noisy Intel integrated sound card, and the Q1 makes a very noticeable difference – cleaning up the erroneous noise, and also adding a (subjective) depth of layering to the sound which I find excellent. I’ve also used it at work on my generic work PC, and had a similar experience. Whilst the DAC on the Q1 is never going to be a world beater – for the mere cost of $70 it is absolutely excellent as either a starter DAC/amp for a PC/laptop, or simply for a portable solution when you are on the road.
 
Use as a DAC (iPhone 5S)
So where has the Q1 made the biggest difference for me? Although I didn’t expect it, the biggest difference has been using the Q1 with my iPhone 5S – actually using the DAC and amp on the Q1, and effectively using the iPhone as merely a transport. And it is the implementation of being able to turn USB charge off that has made all of this possible. By engaging this switch, when plugging the Q1 to theiPhone 5S (using either CCK or equivalent cable), the Q1 is no longer using any battery power via the USB, and all it is doing is pulling the digital signal.  This then stops the iPhone from complaining about power – and allows the digital transfer to take place.
 
So Brooko – I’ve read before that you regard the iPhone 5S as being a great sounding device – what has changed? I’m glad you asked.  Nothing has changed really – the iPhone 5S still sounds great – very linear, very flat.  But adding the Q1 (again subjective) brings a slight touch of warmth, and again a depth of layering into the presentation of the music which I’ve found very enjoyable.
 
So – why don’t you just use lineout or headphone out to the Q1’s line-in then?  Well here’s the thing.  I’ve tried both, and volume matched over a period of an hour – I compared iPhone by itself, vs iPhoneheadphone out to Q1 and finally iPhone digital out to the Q1 – and time after time I was getting more enjoyment from the iP5S > Q1 with the Q1 doing the work as both DAC and amp.  In fact – if the iPhonewas a decent size (say 128 Gb), and I didn’t mind the stack, I could be very happy with this set-up as my main portable.  Yep – it really is that good. But sadly – the iPhone is only 16 Gb (it’s a work phone) – and I have a lot of other dedicated DAPs – but I’ve been surprised how often I’ve continued to use the iPhone and Q1.
 

Q1 + iP5S + CCK (a little unwieldy but works)	Q1 + iP5S + Vidal's home made cable - works most of the time	Q1 + iP5S + "test cable" - perfect length, and works every time

 

So which cable am I using?  Well for start off – I’ve been using the CCK and suitable adaptor cable.  It’s unwieldy but works without a hitch. I next had Head-Fier Vidal send me one of his home made cables– and while this is the perfect size, and “often works” – it is a little more temperamental than Apple’s CCK set-up, and occasionally will refuse to work (at least until I restart the music app, or phone). I suspect it may be the lightning connector.  If you’re interested in trying it though – I’d suggest dropping him a PM – as the cable does work and all he’ll wants is to cover materials and his time. Lately I’ve been using another cable which is flawless – but I’m testing it for someone else, and until they give me the OK I have to stay quiet on it. It’s now my go-to though.
 
Lastly – I haven’t tried the Q1 with Android – you’ll find other reviews that have though, and they can fill you in with their successes.
 
Line-out Performance
This is the one area of the Q1 I’m a little less enthused about – and I really don’t know why. With the Q1 as DAC, I’m perfectly happy with the headphone-out, and this is repeated with using the line-in from my X3ii (again using the Q1 headphone out).  But using the Q1 as DAC and then line-out to another amp (tested with the iDSD) I’m simply less enamoured with the output.  It’s also interesting to note that when I tried testing this to measure distortion, THD and THD+N both increased.  I haven’t shown the graphs for this one, as it could be my equipment.  But for me anyway, I have personal question marks about the line-out performance.  This could simply be placebo on my part, but I have noted it and would appreciate if anyone finds similar.
 
Other general notes
In the graphs I used above you can see that as a pure amp, the headphone out is extremely linear – basically measuring flat on my equipment from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. To perform these checks I used a calibrated sound card (calibrated to measure completely flat), ARTA and a loopback. So for all intents and purposes the Q1 is providing “wire with gain” – a very neutral amplification not adding or taking away anything.
When we move to the DAC, and again measuring from the headphone out, the first thing to notice is a very slight roll off in the upper treble.  But the roll-off is minute and the reality is we won’t hear it (even slightly).
When I measured THD and THD+N (distortion readings) they were below the realms of audibility, and although higher than FiiO’s readings, I did suspect that I was measuring the limits of my sound cardrather than the Q1.
 
Comparisons
I thought at this stage it would be a good idea to try and compare the Q1 with some alternatives.  My prerequisite was that the comparable units should all be portable DAC/amp devices – so I’ve used the ones I have at my disposal – FiiO K1 (USD 40), FiiO Q1 (USD 70) vs FiiO E17K (USD 139) vs IMS Hybrid Valve (USD 270). For testing I’ve used either my iPhone 5S or PC, headphone out of the device in question, and my AKG K553 Pro to evaluate. I also tested with the Campfire Audio Orion and VE Zen1 - 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.
 

Trio of DAC/amps - also tested with Zen1 and Campfire Orion	Q1 vs E17K	Q1 vs IMS-HVA

K1 vs Q1
The two devices are really chalk and cheese.  The K1 is 1/10th of the weight, 1/5th of the size and ½ of the price of the Q1, but really speaking it is the features which are the major difference here. Both are native/driverless DAC solutions – so ideal for laptop use.  Both have a max resolution of 24/96.  But the Q1 has 2-3 times the power output (depending on load), a volume pot (very important for me), a gain switch, and the ability to switch off USB charging during playback. The last feature means that the Q1 can be used with my iPhone 5S – the K1 can’t (it uses too much power) – which is a real pity. Sonically (tested with the PC), the Q1 sounds very slightly warmer than the K1 – but both have very good clarity.  The K1 actually sounds (subjectively) slightly more holographic. For my own particular needs – it is no competition.  While the K1 is a great sounding budget option – it simply does not have the features.
 
Q1 vs E17K
For this test I was able to use my iPhone or PC – and both work faultlessly. Size and weight are very similar with the E17K being marginally larger and heavier. Both are native/driverless solutions.  The Q1 has max resolution of 24/96 while the E17K is 32/96. Power output is practically identical, gain settings (E17K has 3 vs Q1’s 2), hardware EQ (E17K has full tone controls vs Q1’s bass boost), and both have ability to turn of USB charging – so they will work with the iPhone 5S. Both have volume controls.  E17K has the ability to take a coax input. E7K battery life is rated at approximately 15 hours or half of the Q1’s 30 hours. Sonically the two are very close, with again the Q1 being perhaps ever so slightly warmer than the E17K (which to me is very neutral). Again (subjectively) there is a feeling of a slightly more spacious or holographic feel – but this time with the Q1.  This is extremely slight though, and I really don’t know if I could pick it up consistently if blind tested. On the question of my personal preferences – paired with the iPhone it is close, but ultimately the E17K wins for me with its added features – and especially for the tone controls (check my E17K review for better idea of how good these are). For others – it will depend on the feature set vs your budget.  Both are excellent – it simply depends where your priorities lie.  One final note – the E17K can dock with the K5 desktop amp, the Q1 cannot.
 
Q1 vs IMS Hybrid Valve amp
This is a bit of a mismatch – in price and somewhat in features, but worth looking at nevertheless. Both are similar in physical size – with the IMS-HVA being slightly thicker, but also considerably heavier at 150g vs 100g. Both are driverless when used with my iPhone 5S – but I have to note here that the only reason I am able to use the IMS-HVA with my iPhone 5S is due to the “special cable” I’m testing – even with the CCK, it won’t work. With the PC, the IMS-HVA will go to a maximum resolution of 32/384 (vs Q1’s 24/96) but requires installation of the Bravo HD drivers. The Q1 outperforms the IMS-HVA by 3:1 inbattery life, and also has hardware EQ (bass-boost), whereas the IMS-HVA has none. The IMS-HVA also has an unfortunate issue with input signal – if it is too high it will overdrive the valves, and cause distortion.  Because of this, if using the iPhone, PC, or other source with full line-out, I have to drop the line-out volume of the source to around 75% (depending on the signal).  All my FiiO DAPs have the ability – so it is not a huge issue, but it does make comparison of output power difficult. The IMS-HVA will “just” drive my HD600s to my preferred volume (I am a low volume listener ~ low to mid 70dB) – but ultimately the Q1 has better control of total output power, and has more usable output power (the output gain on the IMS-HVA is very similar though). Sonically – because of the tubes – the IMS-HVA is warmer, but also seems to be able to resolve better and has more overall depth sonically. If I was personally judging purely on sonic ability (and it would depend on headphone pairing), I would probably pick the IMS-HVA despite its limitations and price difference (the sonic footprint is wonderful – somehow both smooth and resolving). However as soon as price, power, and full feature set comes into play, it would be extremely difficult to go past the Q1 – especially if you are on a tighter budget.
 
BATTERY LIFE
Prepare to be amazed.  FiiO rates the play time on a full charge at better than 30 hours and recharge at around 3½-4 hours. For my use I’d suggest that time is pretty accurate. It’s hard to monitor when you have a device with this much battery life, and I’d set-up to measure more than a few times, only to have the battery on the DAP die, or forget to check the device at around the 29-31 hour mark.  What I can tell you is that the one time I had the K553 Pros running (paired to E17K running off mains) and managed to measure non-stop (from the Q1 having a full battery), I know it passed the 30 hour mark, and died sometime before the 30hr 44 min mark.  Recharge back to full (mains power) was 10-15 minutes short of 4 hours.
 

In use - blue LED	Charging - red LED	Saving battery life on the X3ii

 

And like the E17K, the other feature I haven’t mentioned is the effect on battery life with the X3ii when using the Q1 with it.  Normally I’ll get around 10-11 hours with the X3ii by itself. Introducing the Q1 extends that to around 15 hours – just simply by taking the load off the X3ii’s amplifier. While I still use the X3ii mainly with the E17K, for anyone with any of the FiiO DAPs – but especially X1 or X3ii, the Q1 makes a great battery extender.
 

VALUE & CONCLUSION

So how do we sum up the Q1, and did it meet my expectations of what constitutes a good portable DAC/amp?
 
The Q1 brings to the table a light-weight medium sized portable footprint which should pair well with most DAPs or smartphones (check other reviews for compatibility with Android devices).  It has a very sturdy build, and quality accessories which are suitable to the device and its intended use. In particular I really like the included silicone pads (for stacking) and the short inter-connect cable.
 
Battery life (30 hours) is exceptional, and output power is ideal for most IEMs or portable headphones, and depending on the source (and your listening level), is also capable of handling headphones up to 300 ohms (my HD600 and Zen/Zen2 earbuds both were well driven by the Q1).
 
The features are excellent for the price point – and include a well implemented bass boost, very good gain differential, and the ability to turn off USB charging while connected via USB – which made pairing with my iPhone 5S possible.
 
Separate DAC drivers are not required with the Q1 which makes it an ideal pack-and-go solution for most portable devices, and although output is limited to 24/96 – for playback this is more than enough for most of us.
 
Sonically the Q1 has a quite neutral signature with a slight touch of warmth (it definitely isn’t sterile or flat sounding), and the very low output impedance makes headphone matching very easy.
 
At the $70 price point, if you’re after an entry level DAC/amp, or simply a portable only device, the FiiO Q1 represents excellent value for money in my opinion, and it has my recommendation.
 
My thanks to FiiO for arranging the sample unit so that I could evaluate it.