Fiio R7 Android Streamer Review

[Nutul]

I am much more interested in functionality. Can this play any music without a wifi network?
Can it be controlled by an Android phone or tablet?

Yes. And Yes.
Although you might still be on your LAN for the tablet to control it.

EDIT.
Ooops, Mistaken thread. Forget the above.

 

[Burki]

I've used the R7 a longer time with a 8TB HDD connected and it has mostly worked.

For remote control with an, you've multiple options:
- remote control of the fiio player
- casting the screen

I've used primarily the first option, because the casting isn't so stable (eversolo has here a much better implementation).

 

[Stickler1]

I've used the R7 a longer time with a 8TB HDD connected and it has mostly worked.

For remote control with an, you've multiple options:
- remote control of the fiio player
- casting the screen

I've used primarily the first option, because the casting isn't so stable (eversolo has here a much better implementation).

Does it absolutely work with no internet?
Is there an Android app?

 

[PenguinMusic]

Does it absolutely work with no internet?
Is there an Android app?

Hi,

I have owned the R7 and then sold it to get it's bigger brother the R9. They work similarly. So Ic ana nswer your questions.

1°) Will the R7 work without internet at all ?
Yes. It will. You can just attach a USB Drive to it and let your favourite app (the in-house Fiio Music can do, but you can find better ones) index the whole content of your drive and you can play that music with no connection to internet at all.
Then if by "With no internet" you mean, not network connection at all, be it wired or wireless, please note that you won't have any way to remote control the device, even with the Fiio Cast app that requires both devices to be connected on the same network.
But if you have a network, but no access to internet, you can of course connect both device to the same Wi-Fi network (even without internet) and use Fiio Cast or, even better, use an app to cast from your Android phone to the R7.

2°) About the Android App.
Not sure what you mean here so if you could be a little more explicit...

To tell the whole story : I use the R7 this way.
I have ripped a lot of my CD's to my computer and then transferred the rips to a USB drive (even 2 USB drives).
Those drives are hooked to the R7 with a small "USB hub" and that workds flawlessly here...
I installed an app called "Emby Server" that you won't find on the App Store but that you can download directly from their website.
It then installs like a regular android file as it is a .apk file.
Launch that and then you can set up your own media server.

Once done (the indexing takes quite a long time), you can get any third party app on your phone that have streaming abilities (Symfonium, BubbleUPnp, mConnect, Emby client, Neutron...) and connect to the Emby Server on the R9 (requires both devices to be on the same network but I do not think it requires internet access).
That way you can browse a perfectly organized library...

You can also install apps like Neutron or USB Android Player Pro on the R7 and enable them as receivers. Then from your device you can browse the music through the R7 and playback to the required app. If you use Fiio Music, most third party apps will stop playback after one or two tracks...

Hope this helps

Regards

 

[Stickler1]

Hi,

I have owned the R7 and then sold it to get it's bigger brother the R9. They work similarly. So Ic ana nswer your questions.

1°) Will the R7 work without internet at all ?
Yes. It will. You can just attach a USB Drive to it and let your favourite app (the in-house Fiio Music can do, but you can find better ones) index the whole content of your drive and you can play that music with no connection to internet at all.
Then if by "With no internet" you mean, not network connection at all, be it wired or wireless, please note that you won't have any way to remote control the device, even with the Fiio Cast app that requires both devices to be connected on the same network.
But if you have a network, but no access to internet, you can of course connect both device to the same Wi-Fi network (even without internet) and use Fiio Cast or, even better, use an app to cast from your Android phone to the R7.

2°) About the Android App.
Not sure what you mean here so if you could be a little more explicit...

To tell the whole story : I use the R7 this way.
I have ripped a lot of my CD's to my computer and then transferred the rips to a USB drive (even 2 USB drives).
Those drives are hooked to the R7 with a small "USB hub" and that workds flawlessly here...
I installed an app called "Emby Server" that you won't find on the App Store but that you can download directly from their website.
It then installs like a regular android file as it is a .apk file.
Launch that and then you can set up your own media server.

Once done (the indexing takes quite a long time), you can get any third party app on your phone that have streaming abilities (Symfonium, BubbleUPnp, mConnect, Emby client, Neutron...) and connect to the Emby Server on the R9 (requires both devices to be on the same network but I do not think it requires internet access).
That way you can browse a perfectly organized library...

You can also install apps like Neutron or USB Android Player Pro on the R7 and enable them as receivers. Then from your device you can browse the music through the R7 and playback to the required app. If you use Fiio Music, most third party apps will stop playback after one or two tracks...

Hope this helps

Regards

Detailed response. Thanx. But in my Node system their is no network without Internet. If it can be controlled locally that's not a problem. Remote access could be facilitated via Bluetooth if it had an app like SVS. I suppose that play control of nested folders is too much to ask for.

 

[Diseasex]

For all the naysayers the reason I'm looking at this device is ... Android. Very little streamers like this. Your phone is a streamer but outputs signal wirelessly via lossy airplay or even worse bluetooth. Android streamer is the only way to stream apple play in lossless mode.
why not go tidal etc you might ask ? Well apple play is the only service (and I tried all extensively) that actually suggest me music I LIKE. So yeah I'm stuck with Apple play and am looking for the few devices that are android streamers where I can download the app and have lossless.
If you guys know similar devices that work with Apple Play and potentially could be cheaper, I'm all ears

 

[PenguinMusic]

For all the naysayers the reason I'm looking at this device is ... Android. Very little streamers like this. Your phone is a streamer but outputs signal wirelessly via lossy airplay or even worse bluetooth. Android streamer is the only way to stream apple play in lossless mode.
why not go tidal etc you might ask ? Well apple play is the only service (and I tried all extensively) that actually suggest me music I LIKE. So yeah I'm stuck with Apple play and am looking for the few devices that are android streamers where I can download the app and have lossless.
If you guys know similar devices that work with Apple Play and potentially could be cheaper, I'm all ears

Hi,

Stop searching. Get the R7.
Fiio is FOR SURE working on a Android 12 update (I can say, I am running the A12 Beta on my R9 )
This is the only ALL-in6ONE device that will run on Android AND allow you to install your own software.
Shanling devices sound better to my ears... But : they closed the system and so you are bound to use the apps they provide.
Which are not a lot and are often totally deprecated versions...
And as a bonus, they offer absolutely 0 support !

Maybe give the Matrix mini-i Pro 4 a look.
It may allow you to run Apple Music, but I am not sure...

If you do not need the in-built headphone amplifier, the EVERSOLO devices may be worth considering.

 

[Diseasex]

Hi,

Stop searching. Get the R7.
Fiio is FOR SURE working on a Android 12 update (I can say, I am running the A12 Beta on my R9 )
This is the only ALL-in6ONE device that will run on Android AND allow you to install your own software.
Shanling devices sound better to my ears... But : they closed the system and so you are bound to use the apps they provide.
Which are not a lot and are often totally deprecated versions...
And as a bonus, they offer absolutely 0 support !

Maybe give the Matrix mini-i Pro 4 a look.
It may allow you to run Apple Music, but I am not sure...

If you do not need the in-built headphone amplifier, the EVERSOLO devices may be worth considering.

Would you say Fiio R9 offers any advantage over Fiio R7 when I don’t need a DAC ? I use minidsp for dac so it’s only Apple Play lossless streaming that I need

 

[PenguinMusic]

Would you say Fiio R9 offers any advantage over Fiio R7 when I don’t need a DAC ? I use minidsp for dac so it’s only Apple Play lossless streaming that I need

Hi,

Bigger screen.
More powerful headphone amp.

Unless you need some features of the miniDSP (like, well, the DSP features...) I think there's no need to use the R7 or the R9 with any other device.

For me, such a device is an all-in-one... and the good thing is is it is a AIO with little compromise on all of it's features.

Regards.

 

[Diseasex]

Hi,

Bigger screen.
More powerful headphone amp.

Unless you need some features of the miniDSP (like, well, the DSP features...) I think there's no need to use the R7 or the R9 with any other device.

For me, such a device is an all-in-one... and the good thing is is it is a AIO with little compromise on all of it's features.

Regards.

Yeah. I only need the streamer part. Can’t find product for that so far

 

[PenguinMusic]

Yeah. I only need the streamer part. Can’t find product for that so far

Hi,

You just need the" streamer part ?
Not the DAC and not the headphone amp ?

Regards.

 

[Diseasex]

Hi,

You just need the" streamer part ?
Not the DAC and not the headphone amp ?

Regards.

I already use MiniDSP flex DAC. I stream from WiiM mini currently, but need to swap for something that supports Apple Music natively

 

[PenguinMusic]

I already use MiniDSP flex DAC. I stream from WiiM mini currently, but need to swap for something that supports Apple Music natively

Hi,

YOu listen with headphones ?
If so you need the headphone amp in the R7 ?

Regards.

 

[Diseasex]

Hi,

YOu listen with headphones ?
If so you need the headphone amp in the R7 ?

Regards.

Hi,
No not at the minute . WiiM mini -> minidsp flex -> amp .
I want to swap the first part

 

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

Two solutions come to mind that will be cheaper than R7.

1°) Old phone with Android and OTG ;
2°) Raspberry Pi5 with Lineage that allows to run Android on it.

Regards.

 

[Diseasex]

Hi,

Two solutions come to mind that will be cheaper than R7.

1°) Old phone with Android and OTG ;
2°) Raspberry Pi5 with Lineage that allows to run Android on it.

Regards.

Yeah, but there’s problem with controlling it from a sofa - iPhone or iPad app . Tough man

 

[Nutul]

Yeah, but there’s problem with controlling it from a sofa - iPhone or iPad app . Tough man

If you chose a RPi5 with any audio distro for it (Volumio / moOde / etc.) you control them from the sofa, via their web-interface, from any devices' browser...

 

[Diseasex]

If you chose a RPi5 with any audio distro for it (Volumio / moOde / etc.) you control them from the sofa, via their web-interface, from any devices' browser...

Volumio doesn’t integrate Apple Music , neither does moode as far as my googling goes.

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit

Edit: Been reading and looks like many fiio devices work with the fiio app and Apple Music , so maybe don’t need the r7. Though headphone amp is tempting so I’ll bite the bullet (and the price)
Thanks everyone

Edit2: After watching some YouTube looks like I have to control Apple Music from the device itself, and not mobile whilst on sofa. Can owner confirm this please ? Deal breaker for me