This is a review and detailed measurements of the FIIO R7 DAC, media player, headphone amp and streamer based on Android operating system. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $700.
As you see, you have the equivalent of a normal Android phone screen. It is impressive in size compared to typical small displays we see in audio gear. Physical controls are limited to power on/off, volume and selection of which ports are active (headphone, line out or both). The touchscreen itself is responsive enough. Here is the back panel:
There is a lot in there that I won't get into. I suggest seeking other reviews for all the feature set.
For now, the R7 has a different operational paradigm than I have seen in other streamers. For example, every input is selected by starting a dedicated app for that! For example, to get input for S/PDIF, you start the Coax app by selecting it from a Music Mode setup option. If you want Roon, you have to hit on that app as you see in the above screen snapshot. No remote is provided making switching between inputs a bit tedious.
Even the volume control seems to be implemented through an app as turning the dial takes a while to pop up the gorgeous display. There was no acceleration and given that the volume control is not very deep, adjusting the volume by large amounts was annoying.
On the other hand, things like selecting options is made much simpler given the large display and ability to quickly touch to get into those options. And having stock Android means you can download any app to it making the device much more future proof than other streamers.
Very unusual is the inclusion of external DC input even though there is a built-in power supply.
Let's see how it performs. In the interest of not spending a lifetime on this, I limited my testing to a few configurations as you see.
FIIO R7 Streamer Measurements
Let's start testing by using Coax input and XLR output:
THD+N is actually better than company spec of 0.0005%. As it is, the SINAD of 109 dB places the R7 at the top of our "competent" category:
Reassuringly, performance is identical with streaming using Roon player over Ethernet:
Note that the output level that you see is determined by the gain setting you set which is normally reserved for headphone output. It seems that the line out is sampled after that buffer. So for the above tests, I had it set to Ultra as otherwise the output drops to 3 volts and change. SINAD did not change with either setting though. We are distortion limited there as the noise performance is actually better:
Jitter performance is excellent in both modes of operation:
I was however disappointed by the reappearance of "ESS IMD Hump:"
I can't believe ESS still has not sent a bulletin and fix to every implementer on how to get rid of this despite us publicizing the fixes other companies have produced.
Linearity is perfect:
Multitone was superb indicating the THX buffer amp performs much better below its max power on this front:
I was relieved that there are only three filters so I don't have to spend 15 minutes testing them all.
Wideband THD measurement was very good and frequency independent:
Fiio R7 Headphone Measurements
I limited my testing here to balanced, 4-pin XLR output and only three gain levels. There was ample power in both 300 and 32 ohm tests:
You should be able to power just about headphone with ease. Note that lower gain settings don't give you a noise advantage so might as well use the higher settings as to have better headroom.
I expected better noise performance though:
Given how good the DAC was going through the same buffer, I am puzzled by these results.
Conclusions
The R7 shows off its gorgeous, large touchscreen display which should be standard on any streamer (horizontal or vertical). Likely to get around Android audio pipeline limitation, seemingly every feature is implemented using a separate app. While the actual implementation of these apps is very good, you do have to get used to using the device as if it were a phone or a computer than an AV device. I wish a remote control was included as that would paper over some of the operational cracks here.
Performance in a word is competent. It is a step below state of the art as it should be as state of the art DACs cost as much as this streamer. The one thing I like to see fixed is the ESS IMD Hump. The solution to that is rather trivial (once you know it) and is documented on this site.
Overall this is a very good attempt at innovating in streamer market and showcasing good software development capabilities. Usage of Android provides a stable and extensible platform which is good.
I am going to put the FIIO R7 on my recommended list.
R7 Specifications
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome. Click here if you have some audio gear you want me to test.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
As you see, you have the equivalent of a normal Android phone screen. It is impressive in size compared to typical small displays we see in audio gear. Physical controls are limited to power on/off, volume and selection of which ports are active (headphone, line out or both). The touchscreen itself is responsive enough. Here is the back panel:
There is a lot in there that I won't get into. I suggest seeking other reviews for all the feature set.
For now, the R7 has a different operational paradigm than I have seen in other streamers. For example, every input is selected by starting a dedicated app for that! For example, to get input for S/PDIF, you start the Coax app by selecting it from a Music Mode setup option. If you want Roon, you have to hit on that app as you see in the above screen snapshot. No remote is provided making switching between inputs a bit tedious.
Even the volume control seems to be implemented through an app as turning the dial takes a while to pop up the gorgeous display. There was no acceleration and given that the volume control is not very deep, adjusting the volume by large amounts was annoying.
On the other hand, things like selecting options is made much simpler given the large display and ability to quickly touch to get into those options. And having stock Android means you can download any app to it making the device much more future proof than other streamers.
Very unusual is the inclusion of external DC input even though there is a built-in power supply.
Let's see how it performs. In the interest of not spending a lifetime on this, I limited my testing to a few configurations as you see.
FIIO R7 Streamer Measurements
Let's start testing by using Coax input and XLR output:
THD+N is actually better than company spec of 0.0005%. As it is, the SINAD of 109 dB places the R7 at the top of our "competent" category:
Reassuringly, performance is identical with streaming using Roon player over Ethernet:
Note that the output level that you see is determined by the gain setting you set which is normally reserved for headphone output. It seems that the line out is sampled after that buffer. So for the above tests, I had it set to Ultra as otherwise the output drops to 3 volts and change. SINAD did not change with either setting though. We are distortion limited there as the noise performance is actually better:
Jitter performance is excellent in both modes of operation:
I was however disappointed by the reappearance of "ESS IMD Hump:"
I can't believe ESS still has not sent a bulletin and fix to every implementer on how to get rid of this despite us publicizing the fixes other companies have produced.
Linearity is perfect:
Multitone was superb indicating the THX buffer amp performs much better below its max power on this front:
I was relieved that there are only three filters so I don't have to spend 15 minutes testing them all.
Wideband THD measurement was very good and frequency independent:
Fiio R7 Headphone Measurements
I limited my testing here to balanced, 4-pin XLR output and only three gain levels. There was ample power in both 300 and 32 ohm tests:
You should be able to power just about headphone with ease. Note that lower gain settings don't give you a noise advantage so might as well use the higher settings as to have better headroom.
I expected better noise performance though:
Given how good the DAC was going through the same buffer, I am puzzled by these results.
Conclusions
The R7 shows off its gorgeous, large touchscreen display which should be standard on any streamer (horizontal or vertical). Likely to get around Android audio pipeline limitation, seemingly every feature is implemented using a separate app. While the actual implementation of these apps is very good, you do have to get used to using the device as if it were a phone or a computer than an AV device. I wish a remote control was included as that would paper over some of the operational cracks here.
Performance in a word is competent. It is a step below state of the art as it should be as state of the art DACs cost as much as this streamer. The one thing I like to see fixed is the ESS IMD Hump. The solution to that is rather trivial (once you know it) and is documented on this site.
Overall this is a very good attempt at innovating in streamer market and showcasing good software development capabilities. Usage of Android provides a stable and extensible platform which is good.
I am going to put the FIIO R7 on my recommended list.
R7 Specifications
| Name/model | R7 | Hardware solution | Soc: Snapdragon 660, DAC: ES9068AS, AMP: THX AAA-788+ * 2, USB: Snapdragon 660 |
| Working mode | Android mode/Pure music mode/USB DAC mode/Bluetooth receiving mode/AirPlay mode/COAX mode/OPT mode/Roon Ready | ||
| Color | Black/White | Weight | ≈1282g |
| Dimension | About 160x110x134mm（without base） About 170x110x134mm（with 0° flat base） About 182.5x110x134mm（with 7° elevation base） | Volume control | Knob |
| Screen | 4.97 inches (720 * 1280) full-fit screen | Internal storage/Free space (ROM) | 64GB/≈46GB |
| RAM | 4GB | Gain | Ultra high/Super high/High/Medium/Low |
| Memory card | Single SD card expansion, theoretically supports up to 2TB | Recommended headphone impedance | PO: 16 ~ 150Ω |
| Channel balance | L20~ R20 (0.5dB per level) | BAL: 16 ~ 300Ω | |
| Buttons and ports | |||
| Button | Volume knob (it has button's function)*1 Output selection knob (similar to button's function)*1 | USB | Type-C (USB3.0) * 1 USB A (USB2.0) * 1 (data transfer) |
| DC power in port | Φ 6.2mm DC socket | Toggle switch | DC/AC switch |
| Balanced output ports | Standard 4.4mm * 1 4-cores XLR * 1 | Phone out port | Standard 6.35mm |
| Balanced line out ports | 3-cores XLR * 2 | Single-ended line out ports | RCA* 2 |
| OPT input port | Standard TOSLINK | COAX input port | RCA |
| OPT output port | Standard TOSLINK | COAX output port | RCA |
| Network port | 100M Ethernet port | ||
| Features | |||
| WiFi | 2.4GHz/5GHz, DLNA, AirPlay, WiFi music transmission,Roon Ready etc. | Bluetooth Emission (5.0) | AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC/LHDC |
| Bluetooth receiving (5.0) | SBC/AAC/LDAC | FiiO Link | WiFi and Bluetooth control for Android, WiFi control for iOS. |
| MQA | 8x decoding | All to DSD | √ |
| Max sampling rates | USB DAC: 384kHz/32bit; DSD256 (Native) | Bluetooth codec indicator (knob light) | Blue: SBC |
| Local decoding: 384kHz/32bit; DSD256 (Native) | Cyan: AAC | ||
| USB Audio：768kHz/32bit；DSD512（DoP/D2P/Native） | Yellow: aptX HD | ||
| COAX IN: 192kHz/24bit | White: LDAC | ||
| OPT IN: 96kHz/24bit | Orange: LHDC | ||
| COAX OUT: 384kHz/24bit; DSD128 (DOP) | |||
| OPT OUT: 192kHz/24bit | |||
| EQ | 10-segment dynamic EQ (±12dB), 8 preset EQ, custom EQ,PEQ supported. | Sampling rate indicator (knob light) | Blue: lossy |
| Operation modes | Support gesture operation, two-button navigation, three-button navigation | Cyan: SQ | |
| Screen saver | √ | Yellow: HR | |
| Firmware upgrade | √ Local upgrade, OTA upgrade | Green: DSD | |
| Double-click to wake up | √ | Magenta: MQA | |
| Power parameters | |||
| Power supply | DC 12V/3A OR AC 100-240V~ 50/60Hz | ||
| Audio parameters | |||
| Phone out performance parameters (6.35mm, USB DAC/OPT/COAX, Ultra high) | |||
| Output power | L+R≥1850mW+1850mW (16Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Output impedance | < 0.5Ω |
| L+R≥1250mW+1250mW (32Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Crosstalk | ≥77dB | |
| L+R≥160mW+160mW (300Ω，THD+N＜1%） | Peak voltage | 18Vp-p | |
| SNR | ≥ 124dB (dbA) | THD+N | < 0.0005% (1kHz / -8dB@32 Ω) |
| Frequency response | 5Hz~ 50kHz: attenuation < 1dB | Noise floor | < 4uV (dbA) |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.3dB | |||
| Phone out performance parameters (6.35mm, USB DAC/OPT/COAX, Super high) | |||
| Output power | L+R≥1450mW +1450mW(16Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Output impedance | < 0.4Ω |
| L+R≥750mW +750mW(32Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Crosstalk | ≥73dB | |
| L+R≥80mW+80mW (300Ω，THD+N＜1%） | Peak voltage | 14Vp-p | |
| SNR | ≥ 124dB (dbA) | THD+N | < 0.0005% (1kHz / -6dB@32 Ω) |
| Frequency response | 20Hz~ 80kHz: attenuation < 1dB | Noise floor | < 4uV (dbA) |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.3dB | |||
| Line out performance parameters (RCA, USB DAC/OPT/COAX) | |||
| THD+N | ＜0.0005%(1kHz/-0dB@10KΩ) | SNR | ≥ 118.5dB (dbA) |
| Crosstalk | ≥112dB | Noise floor | < 2.7uV (dbA) |
| Frequency response | 5Hz~ 80kHz: attenuation < 2dB | Line out level | 2.2Vrms |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.1dB | |||
| Balanced phone out performance parameters (XLR4/4.4mm, USB DAC/OPT/COAX, Ultra high) | |||
| Output power | L+R≥1000mW+1000mW (16Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Output impedance | < 0.5Ω |
| L+R≥3650mW+3650mW (32Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Crosstalk | ≥116dB | |
| L+R≥630mW+630mW (300Ω，THD+N＜1%） | Peak voltage | 39Vp-p | |
| SNR | ≥ 122dB (dbA) | THD+N | < 0.0005% (1kHz / -8dB@32 Ω) |
| Frequency response | 20Hz~ 50kHz: attenuation < 2dB | Noise floor | < 7.5uV (dbA) |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.3dB | |||
| Balanced phone out performance parameters (XLR4/4.4mm, USB DAC/OPT/COAX, Super high) | |||
| Output power | L+R≥800mW+800mW (16Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Output impedance | < 0.5Ω |
| L+R≥3000mW +3000mW(32Ω，THD+N＜1%) | Crosstalk | ≥116dB | |
| L+R≥320mW+320mW (300Ω，THD+N＜1%） | Peak voltage | 27.7Vp-p | |
| SNR | ≥ 122dB (dbA) | THD+N | < 0.00048% (1kHz / -6dB@32 Ω) |
| Frequency response | 5Hz~ 80kHz: attenuation < 2dB | Noise floor | < 7.5uV (dbA) |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.3dB | |||
| Balanced line out performance parameters (XLR3, USB DAC/OPT/COAX) | |||
| THD+N | ＜0.0005%(1kHz/0dB@10KΩ) | SNR | ≥ 125dB (dbA) |
| Crosstalk | ≥121dB | Noise floor | < 2.5uV (dbA) |
| Frequency response | 20Hz~ 50kHz: attenuation < 2dB | Line out level | 4.5Vrms |
| 20Hz~ 20KHz: attenuation < 0.1dB | |||
| Audio format support | |||
| Lossless: | DSDSD64/128/256(".iso”,".dsf”,".dff”),DST iSO DXD:352.8K/24bit APE FAST/High/Normal:384kHz/24bit(MAX) APE Extra High:192kHz/24bit(MAX) APE Insane:96kHz/24bit(MAX) Apple Lossless:384kHz/32bit(MAX) AIFF:384kHz/32bit(MAX) FLAC:384kHz/32bit(MAX) WAV:384kHz/32bit(MAX) WMA LOSSLESS:96kHz/24bit(MAX) DTS: 192kHz/24bit（MAX） MQA：Full Decoderer | ||
| Lossy compression: | MP3,OGG,WMA,AAC and other formats |
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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome. Click here if you have some audio gear you want me to test.
Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
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