FiiO K7 Balanced Desktop DAC/ Headphone Amplifier Launched
FiiO's K7 balanced desktop DAC/ headphone amplifier offers high-end specs for a sub-£200 price tag.
The FiiO K7 is a balanced desktop head amp featuring USB, Optical, Coax, and RCA inputs, and both 6.3mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs.
The 610g 120mm x 160mm x 55mm K7 utilises a balanced six-stage audio circuit consisting of DAC, Low Pass Filter, Volume Control, Buffer Amplifier, Pre-Amplification, and Headphone Out. We're told that audio signals from each channel are processed separately by the K7, reducing crosstalk and ensuring the best sound quality possible.
Thanks to the dual THX AAA788+ amplification, low and high-impedance headphones should prove no difficulty to drive. Additionally, gain levels can be manually selected from the front panel, enabling you to adjust the K7 for your particular headphone requirements. For example, FiiO states that the K7 can output 560mW into a 300Ω load at 1% distortion; 2000mW into a 32Ω load at 1% distortion. SNR is listed as >128.1dB.
The FiiO K7 features an AKM AK4493SEQ DAC for each channel and will decode files up to 32Bit 384kHz / DSD256, thanks to the dual-clock management of the XMOS XUF208 decoding chip.
The indicator light surrounding the volume dial displays different colours depending upon different audio sampling rates received: 48kHz and below will display blue; 48kHz or more displays yellow; DSD files show green.
Powered by an external 12V switching power supply, the K7 boasts an internal power design architecture consisting of multiple independent stages.
FiiO adds that the voltage of each of these stages is regulated using low-noise Low-dropout Regulators (LDOs). In addition, intelligent DC protection systems guard against overheating and overload.
The FiiO K7 is available now, priced: £189.
Visit FiiO for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Hi-Fi | Headphones
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.