INTRODUCTION:
As someone who would still consider themselves as a newcomer into the world of Hi-fi equipment, It can be tough to determine what is needed, and what is not. If you are not careful, you can spend lots of money on redundant or useless equipment for your setup.
For me, I felt that I wanted a portable amp for my setup. I was getting mixed answers on whether this would be a worthy purchase. Then came the FiiO Q1. The Q1 was the perfect answer as it is a portable USB DAC/AMP with line in/out features as well meaning it was very flexible in its uses and could fill many voids in my gear. Not to mention the incredibly low cost.
At the time of purchase, I had only had experience with one other FiiO product, my X1. And if I learned anything from the X1, it is possible to deliver high performance and high build quality for a low cost. Because of this I decided to make the purchase. What resulted in this purchase is what I will talk about below. Is the FiiO Q1 a worthy investment? Let’s find out.
SPECIFICATIONS:
More specs on the Q1 can be found on FiiO’s own specs page located here: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/44/parameters
PACKAGING AND IN THE BOX:
If you’ve purchased a FiiO product before, you may recognize the packaging as being very similar to that of your other device. For example, the box is nearly identical to that of the FiiO X1. The box is enough to protect the device and included accessories, not much more. I would assume that this is what allows FiiO to pass on the savings to us!
Speaking of included accessories, FiiO never fails to deliver a handful of useful accessories you wouldn’t otherwise think to purchase. In the box you will find the following accessories:
These accessories are part of something I have come to enjoy from FiiO’s packaging, as most of their products come with these extras already included. The only thing I was missing from the kit was the X1/X3 stacking kit, which cannot be blamed as not everyone uses this kit.
BUILD QUALITY/DESIGN:
The Q1 has a very flask like design. The weight is by no means heavy, but instead simply feels like a solid product. The main section of the casing is black coated metal, With a metal potentiometer knob on the top. The end caps are actually made of a plastic that has been textured to look like an aluminum or metal housing.
On the top you will find your headphone out port, LED indicator, Volume knob, and Bass boost switch. On the bottom, you will find your Line in (3.5mm) port, Gain switch, USB port (line in/charge) and the charge on/off switch.
Overall the build is very simplistic and feels very high quality. After months of use I have yet to even scratch the casing, meaning that it is a very solid device. My only complaints really come from the abilities to see a switch status easily, as well as the volume knob, which is hard to tell which side to read to determine/change volume.
The battery life on the Q1 is so good its nearly jaw dropping. When I saw the 30 hour battery life on the product specs, I was skeptical to say the least. Surely this was using the device in the most minimal of setups. Which is just not the case. Over my time I have changed between Hi gain, Lo gain, Bass boost on and off. And even listening at a loud volume with high gain and bass boost I was able to get nearly 24 hours on the device. Using this with my X1 has also improved the life of the X1 as well, meaning I get more playtime between charges on my source! Well done FiiO, Well done!
THE SOUND:
So the real question is, could I actually hear the difference. The answer is absolutely yes. As my current daily driver I have put the device through its paces. It has been connected in all manner of ways to multiple sources, with all sorts of different headphones.
Overall speaking, the Q1 has a rather neutral sound that lends itself to a warmer sound. Somewhere between the two really. The sound is clear and clean. Instrumentation is well separated and despite the warmer sound signature, it still provides a nice, small bit of sparkle on top. The highs can feel a bit extended, but never so much that it detracts from the track.
One thing that many other owners and users have noted is that the Bass boost does not add much more additional “bump”. Admittedly, I was even one of these people. After spending time with different configurations I have found that the Bass boost focuses more on adding quality to the Bass, rather than the quantity. On my FiiO X1 it fills out the low end that I feel the X1 was lacking. Mids also benefit from the added Bass.
By no means does the Bass boost make your headphones thump your head, which I am actually okay with. I find that with the level of bass and the quality is really a good match for most genres of music, making this a very easy purchase for the first time purchaser like myself.
One thing I did note was that when turning on the Q1, from 0-0.8 on the analog knob there is no audio, then the right ear kicked in only, and the left ear did not kick in until about 1.0-1.2 on the knob. Once here, the sound was very balanced left/right. This likely has to do with the potentiometer, and most people will not run into this unless pairing an easy to drive set of cans on high gain (Where this was most noticeable). Speaking of gain controls, Low gain has been enough to reasonably drive all manner of headphones I have yet to test. Even my Hifiman HE-400 will be happily driven on low. Although, they sound the best with bass boost off and high gain on.
CONNECTIONS:
Being as versatile as it is, the Q1 has many different connections that can be used, I wanted to give a brief overview on how each option works, and how it changes.
The most commonly used option for me was the standard 3.5mm line in option, as this is what allowed me to stack my X1 together and make a nice portable rig. The line out option also has the added benefit of making the product compatible with nearly any device. This does skip the DAC (for obvious reasons), meaning that you will not be getting the most out of your new Q1, To do that you’ll really need to try one of the other connection options, such as..
USB line in! This will allow you to connect the device to a computer and have the device function as a DAC/AMP straight from your computer. I tested compatibility with both Windows and Mac, of which neither had any issues. In fact, the plug and play ease of it all made it a joy to use. Simply plugging it in and turning the device on changed the audio output on my computer to the Q1. This allowed me to drive things like my Hifiman HE-400’s or a fellow head-fiers Mad Dog Alphas properly from my laptop, something that normally shows dull and lifeless through the standard HO port. I did have some troubles getting Foobar to recognize the FiiO as the desired audio out, but I suspect this was Foobar’s issue, rather than FiiO. The USB Charge switch will also allow you to turn the charging off/on as desired, which will help when conserving laptop battery or cell phone battery when using in our final connection type.
Finally, there is a handy feature, although not officially supported by FiiO. This is the USB OTG compatibility. This allows you to use a USB OTG cable (such as the one shown in the pictures below *Sold Separately*) to utilize the DAC and amp through your compatible smartphone. I was able to test this with android phones as well as Windows phones without issue (Please note that for Windows phone you must be using a new Windows 10 mobile phone such as the Lumia 950 or 950XL, as the new software AND hardware is required. Compatibility with Android will vary depending on your phone).
**UPDATE** @holden4th was nice enough to inform me that he was also able to successfully use OTG with his Iphone 6s and Ipad air. This will obviously require a slightly different version of the OTG cable (Lightning cable to OTG). However it seems to work without issue!
Some people seem upset the OTG cable was not included. However, it makes sense seeing as the feature is not officially supported. On android phones you may have issues using OTG with apps such as Tidal or Spotify, but options like Hiby and Onkyo work without issue. On my rooted Zenfone 2 I was able to make all sound process through USB out, meaning all apps functioned great through the Q1. This offered a vast improvement on the Zenfone 2 headphone out options, even using the headphone out into the 3.5mm of the Q1. The fact that the cable was only a few dollars on amazon, but provided such an improvement I highly recommend it if you have a compatible device.
CONCLUSION:
The Q1 is a great purchase for an first time amp buyer. It allows a large feature set at a very low cost. And as FiiO has always managed to do, they have provided a product that is not only low cost, but has a big sound. Overall I am very happy with my purchase as it has allowed my sound quality to improve in all areas. And having the extra power to drive more difficult headphones is an added benefit of future-proofing myself. The battery life is also large enough be able to use the device for a very long time without having to search around for a charger. In short, another fantastic product from a reliable and consistent company!
EQUIPMENT USED:
Headphones – RHA 750, Shure SE 425, Shure SE 215, Bose IEM2, Hifiman HE-400
DAP – FiiO X1, Lumia 1520, HTC One M8, Asus Zenfone 2
Songs – Kansas – Carry on my wayward son, Noah Guthrie – Death of me, David Bowie – Rebel Rebel, Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, Ed Sheeran – Runaway
As someone who would still consider themselves as a newcomer into the world of Hi-fi equipment, It can be tough to determine what is needed, and what is not. If you are not careful, you can spend lots of money on redundant or useless equipment for your setup.
For me, I felt that I wanted a portable amp for my setup. I was getting mixed answers on whether this would be a worthy purchase. Then came the FiiO Q1. The Q1 was the perfect answer as it is a portable USB DAC/AMP with line in/out features as well meaning it was very flexible in its uses and could fill many voids in my gear. Not to mention the incredibly low cost.
At the time of purchase, I had only had experience with one other FiiO product, my X1. And if I learned anything from the X1, it is possible to deliver high performance and high build quality for a low cost. Because of this I decided to make the purchase. What resulted in this purchase is what I will talk about below. Is the FiiO Q1 a worthy investment? Let’s find out.
ABOUT ME:
I am a 26 year old music enthusiast, audiophile, music lover, whatever your terminology is for us with empty wallets and great tunes! In my obnoxious youth I could never understand why someone would drop the cash for headphones like ours. Over time I learned the differences in not just equipment, but in source files.
Suddenly I found myself spending some money on good gear, and over time it has developed into something more. Not only did I find myself enjoying my music more, but I found communities that share in my hobby.
I have a very extensive and eclectic musical library. I tend to avoid rap and heavy sided metal music. Otherwise, I am game. Most of my music comes from Folk, Rock (all kinds), Alternative, Singer/songwriter, and Acapella. I would say that I am a balanced listener, with perhaps a bit of a bass-head tendency. My library is comprised of mostly legally obtained Redbook 16/44.1 with a few vinyl rips done for me by a friend.
My DAP experience has been all across the spectrum, but has recently began the hi-fi journey. Starting with my original RCA RD2204 Lyra (the old days) and continuing to SanDisk Sansa’s, clips, Ipods, Iphones, Android phones (such as HTC one M8) and Windows Phones (Lumia 1520, 1020). Recently I have begun collecting my newer gear starting with my first Hi res dap as the X1/Q1, as well as testing the Sony A17.
My headphone use is primarily IEM with a few cans. My primary gear currently is my Shure SE-425’s and my Hifiman HE-400’s. I use my FiiO X1 with the Q1 DAC stacked as my daily driver currently. But enough about me!
ABOUT FIIO:
FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. Is a Chinese based audio company established in 2007. Rather than focusing on the information you can find on the about page, let’s focus on what they don’t say. FiiO has been making audio products that have become a staple of the head-fi and general audiophiles gear. Nearly everyone on our forums has at least had some time with one FiiO product or another. FiiO has made themselves known for inexpensive, high quality gear with a knack for customer focus. I feel this has helped FiiO become a strong contender in the few years of products they provide. If you want to know more about FiiO, please check out their about us page located below:
http://www.fiio.net/en/about.html
I am a 26 year old music enthusiast, audiophile, music lover, whatever your terminology is for us with empty wallets and great tunes! In my obnoxious youth I could never understand why someone would drop the cash for headphones like ours. Over time I learned the differences in not just equipment, but in source files.
Suddenly I found myself spending some money on good gear, and over time it has developed into something more. Not only did I find myself enjoying my music more, but I found communities that share in my hobby.
I have a very extensive and eclectic musical library. I tend to avoid rap and heavy sided metal music. Otherwise, I am game. Most of my music comes from Folk, Rock (all kinds), Alternative, Singer/songwriter, and Acapella. I would say that I am a balanced listener, with perhaps a bit of a bass-head tendency. My library is comprised of mostly legally obtained Redbook 16/44.1 with a few vinyl rips done for me by a friend.
My DAP experience has been all across the spectrum, but has recently began the hi-fi journey. Starting with my original RCA RD2204 Lyra (the old days) and continuing to SanDisk Sansa’s, clips, Ipods, Iphones, Android phones (such as HTC one M8) and Windows Phones (Lumia 1520, 1020). Recently I have begun collecting my newer gear starting with my first Hi res dap as the X1/Q1, as well as testing the Sony A17.
My headphone use is primarily IEM with a few cans. My primary gear currently is my Shure SE-425’s and my Hifiman HE-400’s. I use my FiiO X1 with the Q1 DAC stacked as my daily driver currently. But enough about me!
ABOUT FIIO:
FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. Is a Chinese based audio company established in 2007. Rather than focusing on the information you can find on the about page, let’s focus on what they don’t say. FiiO has been making audio products that have become a staple of the head-fi and general audiophiles gear. Nearly everyone on our forums has at least had some time with one FiiO product or another. FiiO has made themselves known for inexpensive, high quality gear with a knack for customer focus. I feel this has helped FiiO become a strong contender in the few years of products they provide. If you want to know more about FiiO, please check out their about us page located below:
http://www.fiio.net/en/about.html
SPECIFICATIONS:
Dimensions: | 97 x 56 x 13.1mm |
Price (USD): | $69.99 |
Material: | Metal with plastic end caps |
Weight: | 100g |
Battery Life: | Approx 30 hours |
Battery: | Rechargeable 1400 MAH |
DAC Chip: | TI PCM 5102 |
Amplifier: | Maxim 97220 |
Hi-res Ability: | 96kHz/24 bit |
Line in: | Yes (3.5mm) |
USB Line In: | Yes |
Output Power: | 190mW (32 ohm loaded) |
Recc. Impedence: | 16~150 ohm |
Bass Adjustment Range: | 0/5dB |
More specs on the Q1 can be found on FiiO’s own specs page located here: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/44/parameters
PACKAGING AND IN THE BOX:
If you’ve purchased a FiiO product before, you may recognize the packaging as being very similar to that of your other device. For example, the box is nearly identical to that of the FiiO X1. The box is enough to protect the device and included accessories, not much more. I would assume that this is what allows FiiO to pass on the savings to us!
Speaking of included accessories, FiiO never fails to deliver a handful of useful accessories you wouldn’t otherwise think to purchase. In the box you will find the following accessories:
- Rubber bands for stacking
- USB Cable
- 2 non-slip mats (To avoid slipping and scraping between stacked devices)
- 3.5mm aux cable (Approximately 1.5 inches long)
- User manual
- Warranty Card
These accessories are part of something I have come to enjoy from FiiO’s packaging, as most of their products come with these extras already included. The only thing I was missing from the kit was the X1/X3 stacking kit, which cannot be blamed as not everyone uses this kit.
BUILD QUALITY/DESIGN:
The Q1 has a very flask like design. The weight is by no means heavy, but instead simply feels like a solid product. The main section of the casing is black coated metal, With a metal potentiometer knob on the top. The end caps are actually made of a plastic that has been textured to look like an aluminum or metal housing.
On the top you will find your headphone out port, LED indicator, Volume knob, and Bass boost switch. On the bottom, you will find your Line in (3.5mm) port, Gain switch, USB port (line in/charge) and the charge on/off switch.
Overall the build is very simplistic and feels very high quality. After months of use I have yet to even scratch the casing, meaning that it is a very solid device. My only complaints really come from the abilities to see a switch status easily, as well as the volume knob, which is hard to tell which side to read to determine/change volume.
The battery life on the Q1 is so good its nearly jaw dropping. When I saw the 30 hour battery life on the product specs, I was skeptical to say the least. Surely this was using the device in the most minimal of setups. Which is just not the case. Over my time I have changed between Hi gain, Lo gain, Bass boost on and off. And even listening at a loud volume with high gain and bass boost I was able to get nearly 24 hours on the device. Using this with my X1 has also improved the life of the X1 as well, meaning I get more playtime between charges on my source! Well done FiiO, Well done!
THE SOUND:
So the real question is, could I actually hear the difference. The answer is absolutely yes. As my current daily driver I have put the device through its paces. It has been connected in all manner of ways to multiple sources, with all sorts of different headphones.
Overall speaking, the Q1 has a rather neutral sound that lends itself to a warmer sound. Somewhere between the two really. The sound is clear and clean. Instrumentation is well separated and despite the warmer sound signature, it still provides a nice, small bit of sparkle on top. The highs can feel a bit extended, but never so much that it detracts from the track.
One thing that many other owners and users have noted is that the Bass boost does not add much more additional “bump”. Admittedly, I was even one of these people. After spending time with different configurations I have found that the Bass boost focuses more on adding quality to the Bass, rather than the quantity. On my FiiO X1 it fills out the low end that I feel the X1 was lacking. Mids also benefit from the added Bass.
By no means does the Bass boost make your headphones thump your head, which I am actually okay with. I find that with the level of bass and the quality is really a good match for most genres of music, making this a very easy purchase for the first time purchaser like myself.
One thing I did note was that when turning on the Q1, from 0-0.8 on the analog knob there is no audio, then the right ear kicked in only, and the left ear did not kick in until about 1.0-1.2 on the knob. Once here, the sound was very balanced left/right. This likely has to do with the potentiometer, and most people will not run into this unless pairing an easy to drive set of cans on high gain (Where this was most noticeable). Speaking of gain controls, Low gain has been enough to reasonably drive all manner of headphones I have yet to test. Even my Hifiman HE-400 will be happily driven on low. Although, they sound the best with bass boost off and high gain on.
CONNECTIONS:
Being as versatile as it is, the Q1 has many different connections that can be used, I wanted to give a brief overview on how each option works, and how it changes.
The most commonly used option for me was the standard 3.5mm line in option, as this is what allowed me to stack my X1 together and make a nice portable rig. The line out option also has the added benefit of making the product compatible with nearly any device. This does skip the DAC (for obvious reasons), meaning that you will not be getting the most out of your new Q1, To do that you’ll really need to try one of the other connection options, such as..
USB line in! This will allow you to connect the device to a computer and have the device function as a DAC/AMP straight from your computer. I tested compatibility with both Windows and Mac, of which neither had any issues. In fact, the plug and play ease of it all made it a joy to use. Simply plugging it in and turning the device on changed the audio output on my computer to the Q1. This allowed me to drive things like my Hifiman HE-400’s or a fellow head-fiers Mad Dog Alphas properly from my laptop, something that normally shows dull and lifeless through the standard HO port. I did have some troubles getting Foobar to recognize the FiiO as the desired audio out, but I suspect this was Foobar’s issue, rather than FiiO. The USB Charge switch will also allow you to turn the charging off/on as desired, which will help when conserving laptop battery or cell phone battery when using in our final connection type.
Finally, there is a handy feature, although not officially supported by FiiO. This is the USB OTG compatibility. This allows you to use a USB OTG cable (such as the one shown in the pictures below *Sold Separately*) to utilize the DAC and amp through your compatible smartphone. I was able to test this with android phones as well as Windows phones without issue (Please note that for Windows phone you must be using a new Windows 10 mobile phone such as the Lumia 950 or 950XL, as the new software AND hardware is required. Compatibility with Android will vary depending on your phone).
**UPDATE** @holden4th was nice enough to inform me that he was also able to successfully use OTG with his Iphone 6s and Ipad air. This will obviously require a slightly different version of the OTG cable (Lightning cable to OTG). However it seems to work without issue!
Some people seem upset the OTG cable was not included. However, it makes sense seeing as the feature is not officially supported. On android phones you may have issues using OTG with apps such as Tidal or Spotify, but options like Hiby and Onkyo work without issue. On my rooted Zenfone 2 I was able to make all sound process through USB out, meaning all apps functioned great through the Q1. This offered a vast improvement on the Zenfone 2 headphone out options, even using the headphone out into the 3.5mm of the Q1. The fact that the cable was only a few dollars on amazon, but provided such an improvement I highly recommend it if you have a compatible device.
CONCLUSION:
The Q1 is a great purchase for an first time amp buyer. It allows a large feature set at a very low cost. And as FiiO has always managed to do, they have provided a product that is not only low cost, but has a big sound. Overall I am very happy with my purchase as it has allowed my sound quality to improve in all areas. And having the extra power to drive more difficult headphones is an added benefit of future-proofing myself. The battery life is also large enough be able to use the device for a very long time without having to search around for a charger. In short, another fantastic product from a reliable and consistent company!
EQUIPMENT USED:
Headphones – RHA 750, Shure SE 425, Shure SE 215, Bose IEM2, Hifiman HE-400
DAP – FiiO X1, Lumia 1520, HTC One M8, Asus Zenfone 2
Songs – Kansas – Carry on my wayward son, Noah Guthrie – Death of me, David Bowie – Rebel Rebel, Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, Ed Sheeran – Runaway
You should've lead with that.
When used as a USB DAC on my work laptop, I leave bass boost off, it muddies the sound for me, depending on the music of course. If a heavy bass track comes on I might turn it on, but there's enough oomph in my opinion without the bass boost in USB DAC mode.
I'm using a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-1350s, and listening to CBC Music, their stream is pretty decent quality for an online stream.
Being this is a HiFi site, some may scoff at the idea of streaming, but give it a try.
http://music.cbc.ca/#!/genres/rock
The 90's stream. Surprisingly good.