The BEST for Apple Music (& more): FiiO R7 review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2024
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0:00 Intro
1:03 The R7 for dummies
1:54 Headline 1
4:02 Headline 2
4:51 Headline 3
6:11 Initial thoughts on bit-perfect
7:55 The R7 as a pre-amplifier...
8:22 ...and as a headphone amplifier
10:27 Specifications
13:04 Headline 4
13:40 Apple Music
14:45 Headline 5
17:27 vs. Bluesound NODE X
21:28 Final thoughts
👉 As seen in this video...
FiiO R7
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Bluesound NODE X
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Campfire Audio Trifecta Astral Plane
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Final D8000 Pro
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Meze 109 Pro
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Meze Elite
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NAD Masters M23
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Enleum AMP-23R
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Zu Soul 6
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#FiiO #AppleMusic #Spotify
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The thing that boggles my mind is that Fiio is charging $700 usd for a device running Android 10, an OS from 2019 which had it's last Google security update in Feb 2023, coupled with the Snapdragon 660 which was released in May 2017.
So you have a 4 year old EOL os running on 6 year old hardware for $700.
You're also going to start having the problem of apps dropping support for unsupported OS versions probably by the end of the year. Fiio hasn't released any plans for updating that I've found and the only reddit post I can find mentioning it is full of fanboys drinking the kool-aid and saying you can just sideload the apps if support is dropped. That only works if the streaming service still allows for older, unsupported versions of the app.
Edit: To its credit I will say that at least it's designed to be a home unit. As a portable starts to show its age and the battery starts to wear out many of them either end up in ecycle piles or become home units anyway. So it's got that going for it, which is nice.
I don't think you really need latest google security because, after all, it's not a phone. And running an old android version means it could use affordable chips to do the job. In the end, how many are there really care about its android version?
Apple music and Tidal use android 5 and 4.4 OS versions respectively(my personal use case). And the limited use case for the device of streaming and sound processing the chipset is more than adequate.
A word of warning for classical music listeners. I have several Fiio products and two of their flagships DAPs. The R7 and soon perhaps the R9 use the same player. It is regularly updated and the company is quite good at fixing audiophile issues. However, the DAP software, currently 3.1.8 still has no tab for "Composer". You can only search by Album, Artist, Genre and "Folder". It's been a request for years but they unfortunaltey just don't get it. I can simply speculate on the software engineering team that has no idea what classical music is because it is easy tweak to do. So for classical music fans, you must absolutely know which album you are looking and cannot scroll by composer and have the albums under that. Very sad because it's a great product. And the R7 is very functional
It’s such a ridiculous over sight! Frustrating that the company won’t listen to it’s own consumers! 🤦🏻♂️
I was so glad when Apple introduced the Classical Music App. As the standart music players just fail with organising classical music where you have sometimes a gazzillion different recordings for the same piece of music and I think (so far) that nailed it pretty good.
Organise your files into folders for each composer. Ball ache, yes, but solves the problem.
Third Party developer have often problems with composer at apple music. Just from an developer / app developer perspective - so i could be that they tried but coudnt manage it without compromises for you - the user 😉
It doesn't even have the "Year," which is very essential for an old-timer like me who loves to navigate down memory lane with my collection.
I really appreciate that you always share "new facts" with us... so many reviews feel like they are just running through the manufacturer data sheet. Really appreciate your content, and where I have become bored of many other sites... you seem to really keep producing content I want to watch to the end and that isn't trying to drive clicks.. Thank you
Thanks for the kind words. Well, of course, I am trying to drive clicks but I am also trying to produce videos that make that click worthwhile. :)
@@DarkoAudio Understand... but there is blatant, in-your face click bait with no content. Then there is your approach where you get the balance just right :)
Veritasium made a great video about Clickbait which I think you might enjoy.
Thank you for the video John, what a great background you have there, it really looks stunning. Those colors and contrasts look fantastic.production it's never been better.
This is one of the most beautifully designed electronic devices I can think of, for nearly every reason I can list. I gives the audio enthusiast just about everything they could want from a single unit, and looks sleek while doing it. I want one of these so bad. 🤤
I think the form factor of the Eversolo beats it, but that's just me. The functionality of this likely beats the EverSolo.
@@BaaBaaBoozeHound I prefer the Eversolo aesthetic as well. But the Fiio does have the headphone amp if you need it .
Great Job, there is a lot to cover on a unit like this and you gave us a good idea of the units flexibility as well as your experience.
Nice to see Fiio back on the channel, great overview 🥰
Thank you, great videos. I appreciate the side by side comparisons
Most detailed review I have seen for this device so far. I noticed it soon after it was first released & just from it's look I was impressed! I have a NAD M10 which of course was more expensive & seriously thinking of selling it and buying a FiiO R7, thanks again!
Thanks for all you do John. Cheers from Salt Lake!
You have a great talent at predicting what I’m going to need in my near future. Thanks again.
Get the r9, which is an upgrade. I own the R7 and it's already perfect, but I imagine the r9 will be beyond perfect.
Always Informative and entertaining. Interesting device. Love your channel! Thanks so much.
This video clearly took a lot of work to research and produce. Greatly appreciated.
Just took delivery of an R7, w/- a remote control for just over a $Kay AUS!! Looking forward to hooking this up to my vintage analogue stack. Thanks Darko for a brilliant review.
This product is so beautiful. I just want to use it as a headphone dac/amp system for my desk.
The R7 is actually an outstanding all in one for a gaming desk. I dont have to choose between music and gaming chops..i have both. Tons of power, great sound, throw in dolby access and i can use any headphone i want for gaming AND music. And to top it off it looks cool as heck on a gaming desk.
Your R7 review is doin' me' head in. I have a Fiio X5 with amp and love it. I lust for the Cambridge streamer!!!
The interface looks a dream. Is the interchangeable base for viewing angle. Great Review. 😎
Great review!
Enlightening! Thanks!
Great video as always John. I've had my R7 for a while now. For the home office, I love it. The screen really does make this device. I'm happy with the sound it produces via my current speakers (Logitech z623) I think I will get a power amp and bookshelf speakers (while I just wanted a 'cheap' system for the office, but hey. Us audiophiles lol)
I use mine 100% for Roon and not needing to need my phone to change tracks (or install Roon remote on my work PC) is the real winner. I just couldn't 'love' the Node X. I wanted to.
Not having a HDMI port doesn't bother me as I have a system for the home theatre. But you can connect an external USB screen. I doubt I'll do that as I have no room left on my desk. But a cool feature.
Looking forward to part 2 of this.
For me as Deezer user this is it, with it I will be able to use Deezer connect and gapless playback. Perfect.
Thanks John for this review.
Man I've gotta say, your room is looking nice! Those deep blue kefs next to the red wine colored zu soul 6's is a very nice backdrop. And then that emerald green wall that perfectly compliments it all, love it! Also great video as always❤
Thank you!
Great review, and very interesting concept! What I don’t find convincing is the form factor and the design. I would start with the Beosound 5 as an inspiration.
Excellent video John. I think this FiiO R7 is more versatile than the Bluesound node x. At least the FiiO R7 isn't a limited edition so can wait a few months for it.
Great video. Thank you John. Will you be able to compare the R7 with the new R9 soon?
Great review, John! I thought you were going to get a finger cramp for sure, during your RHCP skip episode and what a grin, lol. Stay safe, sir.
Thanks for your review John. Is the Fiio silent if used as a preamp?
Thanks again. Great review.
It has double RCA outputs so you can hook up two active subs to it. I do the same thing with me preamp.
That's a good point!
this looks super cool
Tremendous video , now looking at my node 2i thinking of my next move. My Shure 846 should sound great too. Thank you.
Best audio reviewer on plant earth ❤
Not true but thank you. 🙏
I hope to see a review of the Eversolo DMP - A6, as I just purchased that. Thanks for the great content and audio advice.
The R7 popped up on my online shopping suggestions a couple of months ago and I thought it would be a perfect headphone music station in my office. The R7 takes care of music with it’s screen easily accessible while I work on my computer
Great video John. Showcases the versatility of the Fiio.
Personally I gave up on touchscreen based devices for speaker setups after trying out an iPad as a streamer for a while. Would only really look at the Fiio as a desktop device.
I actually got myself an R7 for my birthday last month, pairing it with FiiO's FT3 headphones, and I've been loving it to bits. Beyond using it to listen to music, I've also used the USB DAC function to route my PC sound through it for both gaming and movie watching. As someone still dipping my toes into the whole hi-fi scene, the price point is much easier to bear, and the results have been exemplary. I'm looking to add the new FiiO SP3 speakers to the setup as well, just to complete the desktop hi-fi setup, and hopefully those turn out to be great as well!
Damn you are getting deep into the FiiO eco system and I love it! Their products are hard to beat price performance wise and very newcomer friendly. Enjoy your journey 😀
Hi Have you heard of the EVERSOLO-DMP-A6. it has slot for internal SSD drive. It looks good and got a lot of good reviews .
I have heard several people talk about the sound getting a lot better when you use a different power supply. I was so hype when I saw the R7 for the first time, but my wishes for the R7 plus or R8 is that there is a mic input, because it would be the best DAC/amp etc. for a PC setup, and I agree that it is just missing hdmi and sub output.. that said, you get a lot for your money in the small box
so glad i found this product through your videos on it! thanks for all the info... one question, which output would you suggest to use to transport the audio from r7 to an AVR (i have onkyo rz70) with some decent DACs in it too...? thanks for your videos! :D
I have one of these for desktop use and I love it. I stream music directly from it via xlr out and connect a subwoofer via using one set of the two rca outputs. The xlr and rca are both active. In the video i noticed it was presented as if a subwoofer is not an option. In fact, you can hook up two subwoofers to this thing if you use the xlr out to your amp/active speakers since there are two sets of rca out. I haven't tried this, but you might be able to even use a sub or two with headphone listening. Pretty sure the node has sub integration and crossover settings built in which the r7 does not but i didn't have an issue integrating using the dials on the back of my powered sub.
Great info thanks
Thanks John for the review. Would really love to see you review the Eversolo DMP-A6 at some stage (as it would seem from the comments section in previous videos , other viewers as well). As a Future-Fi proponent it should tick most of your boxes.
Awesome job John! You're like (in the best way possible) an IKEA manual for explaining these type of devices 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Could you expand on the sound quality of the internal DAC? As someone looking to merge streamer+dac in one unit, is the R7's DAC at the level of the ZenDac, Mojo 2, or RMI's ADI-2, etc?
Really interesting review. I own a FIIO M11plus. A marvelous portable DAP for headphones, which also has line-out and multiple gain modes etc. At first glance, it looks like the R7 is an M11plus in a bigger box with extra output connections and extra knobs. Same DAC, same OS, similar touchscreen & same ability to run Tidal/Spotify/Apple stream and from an SD card. The price is also ~identical, which is surprising given the extra hardware. Nice!
Does the M11plus act as a Roon End Point? Be nice to be able to use it as a mini desktop solution when at home to justify the costs.
As somebody who wants a device to power my headphones while being connected to my PC, also has other connection options for a phone or tablet, can do standalone streaming, and has a visual element, and cheaper than a Naim Atom Headphone, the R7 seems great.
Those KEFs in the background are looking so good.
Yes, agree! What exact KEF model are they?
@@ardeshirrohbanie2909 Seems like the new R3 Meta.
To me this is a product which has got ‘the next one (R9?) will be significantly better’ written all over it - great start though! Excellent desk solution.
Excellent review. Thank you and truly appreciate it.
One question - If I connect R7 to a home theatre receiver or a soundbar using optical out, would the output be bit perfect?
My music source would be Apple Music on the R7.
Hello John, nice to see you answering messages on youtube :-). Those 2 streamers seem very fine and you are certainly right to speak about the quality of their analog outputs. But what about their digital outputs ? Do you consider those equal in all situations ? Do you hear some differences ? Would you use those in a more high end system with a nice DAC like the ones you used to show in your rack in Berlin ? I watched a lot of your videos (a lot !) and I don't think you ever spoke - of course I may miss the one where it happened - about the differences in quality of digital outputs on those (raspberry, bluesound, fiio, wiim, ...) and your opinion on streamers without analog outputs. Thank you so much for your highly instructive and super didactic videos. Keep up !
Holy crap! 'The Forest' is about as deep a dive into David Byrne's catalog as one would ever want to go. It's excellent and strange.
I got to see David himself perform the album in its entirety with the Oregon Symphony back in the day. Standout memory for me.
I’ve always been a DIY kinda guy for streaming endpoints, I’ve stuck to a Raspberry Pi or Airport Express (AirPlay 2) with an external DAC. This is the first off-the-shelf streamer that has tickled my inner nerd. I think some really cool things are in the future for this with the open nature of Android.
I remember sending you multiple messages several years ago regarding the brand, it's good to know that you finally consider Fiio.
You did? I'm sorry but I don't remember those. I tackled this FiiO because I've had some good experiences of late with their affordable IEMs.
@@DarkoAudio, It was at the time that you were doing reviews of the dragon fly dacs for mobile phones, I started using fiio and it seemed good to suggest the brand to you, I did but you didn't answer me until now. Greetings from Mexico.
I like Fiio products, I have a Fiio M3K DAP, exceptional for $50. I don't use a smart phone so I needed a streaming solution using a tablet for control. Enter Amazon Music Unlimited, the Echo Link & Fire tablet with Alexa. All four work well together with the tablet located at the listening position, one advantage over the R7. Add a better DAC, I use a Schiit Modi 3 that is shared with a Sony Blu-ray player for CD etc playback & I have a capable inexpensive system. I hope this helps others without a smart phone in a similar situation. Enjoy!
Very nice. I hardly ever stream I use my lpod with my entire CD collection loaded on it. AAC encoding. Not bad for the speaker set up I have. When I do stream I use my (FIO BTR5) Definitely best sound for my budget
Thanks for the deep dive on this cool new tech. After watching, I was left wondering if the R7 or similar product would add anything of value if someone were to have a Chromecast Audio/Toslink/Amplifier set up?? I can throw just about anything to mine from any phone and it plays perfectly. Perhaps the R7 adds the convenience of having a wired touchscreen interface next to your amp?
hahahaha I love your RHCP panic mode at the end of the video
i really like the my Fiio R7 with apple music already installed. my problem is while it can do airplay it can't do be part of a group airplay. if you choose the R7 for airplay the other connected airplay devices disconnects. hope there is a fix
I own the R7 since eight weeks. There´s a lot to like on this unit. Extremely versatile. But I encountered two problems:
1) When running Roon on the R7 and altering the volume with the RM3 remote, the Roon app frequently crashes.
2) It is possible to display the R7 screen on a HDMI monitor/TV. You just need a USB-C to DP-HDMI adapter cable. Great when you additionally use a BT mouse a BT keybord. Perfect for operating it from your couch. Problem: when you send the R7 to sleep mode for a longer time (>4 hours) while the Monitor/TV is connectet, the R7 freezes when trying to restart it.
I hope FiiO is going to fix those issues soon. They also promised to release a remote app, wich everybody is waiting for.
Great video John and what a fantastic looking audio device I love the idea of the operating system built around Android very swish. HDMI eARC would have been a nice addition to allow connection to any modern TV also unsure if the on board display can be mirrored onto a TV and the mouse feature on the remote control could then be used pointing at the TV rather than the small display screen on the device.
great video sir - dont need one, but its a pretty interesting product I think.
can I connect my Android or Apple phone to the R7 as a remote control? does this work like google connect, spotify connect etc?
eversolo dmp a6. next ok?
ive always liked FiiO products love my FiiO M11S great portable player
So it can be used as a Roon endpoint? What’s best work around then for absence of HDMI Arc
Can you use the R7 as an apple music end point? Select and change tracks on an iphone or apple tv while the R7 outputs bit perfect to an external dac?
I love apple music but I have since switched to Tidal as I am unable to find a device or streamer that does such feature with apple music.
In 2023 we now have Apple vision but we still dont have native bit perfect playback with Apple music. Will we ever?
Off topic I was looking at both the Fiio & Eversolo! I’ve had the the Arcam CDS50 for a few years now it’s a SACD / streamer. But I was never able to stream Tidal off it even though it’s Tidal capable. It runs off the MusicLife App which had a recent update last week ! Hallelujah! The Tidal stream now works! If you’re in the same boat give it a go !
What is the best streamer, the FIIO R9 or the Eversolo DMP-A8? Maybe a option for your next review
Dear John. Thanks for that overview. Great job. Just a question, is R7 comparable to a phone with usb dac in terms of functions and sound ? PS its great to see you smilling thinkering with R7.
Nice review! If you put a SD card in the back is it available as another drive to save Apple Music to?
great video & really appreciate the straight to the point information 👍 really looking seriously at getting this for our studio, apple music native & xlr outputs networked ✅ wowza seems like it has more positives than negatives 😃
You bought the black. I'm getting the white to use with Sennheiser ie900. I can tell John likes it. Obviously, you can properly EQ headphones with a dedicated third party EQ app with Apple Music on this streamer dac/amp which isn't as easy as people think with smart phones. Meaning I can power my HD800s with these and EQ the bass to get the best from native hi-res without any downsampling. I mean this is a no brainier…
I love your bookshelves John! They look fantastic! The white pair and the blue. Which brands are they?
Hey John, Fiio made a DC power input for the R7, the PL-50. This apparently gives the R7 better sound.
I've been very interested in the FiiO stuff but more on the portable side. I currently use a Chord Electronics Hugo 2 driving my Meze Empyrean. I only use it in my home but I like this setup because I can wander around the house if I want (the Hugo2+2Go just fits in my pocket when I'm walking around although it sits on the arm of my chair most of the time). I'd love to see you review whatever FiiO portable unit (or units) you consider to be reasonably comparable to the Hugo 2 because Android OS on the device giving the ability to have full Roon queue management and album selection capabilities via the Roon Remote app would be a very nice addition for me as long as sound quality is similar to than the Hugo 2 - or better but that's not a requirement, I just wouldn't want to feel that I'm going backwards.
Thanks for the great review. By using the Apple Music app on the device, will you bypass the Android internal downsampling so u play highres track bitperfect?
Great video as usual John, take my attention your computer desk, it looks tiny and movable, the kind of solution that I'm looking for, can you share the brand and model? Thanks
Hey !!! Thanks for in depth and detail video
I want to use Apple music android application on this product and as you mention android will down sample the frequencies to 48khz but Fiio engineer have find out to by pass this standard feature some how and it gives bit perfect playback with some apps. If apple music android app gives the bit / khz output on this device ?
Thanks 🙏
Support for squeezebox protocol would also be great for those who don't afford the roon subscription, but with an airplay plugin in LMS it works, no gapless though.
great video
Connected my iPod Classic to a 2020 Skoda Superb via USB and quite surprisingly it worked. Picked up Artists, Albums, Playlists and Artwork. If the FiiO R7 could do that I'd be very happy!
Dear John, here’s a question: on iOS, it is possible to control one Apple Music instance from a 2nd device. It’s not quite like Spotify connect, but it allows you to use a phone from anywhere in the house to control what an Apple TV is streaming, from within the Apple Music App. Would this work with the FiiO, can I use an iPhone as a „remote“? (Maybe not because it’s Android and the switch controls for this functionality are hiding in the controls for Airplay.) I am curious.
nice to see the kef's. got a pair of the OG's on clearance :)
Hi John, can you use an SD card to expand the device storage and offline music to the SD card, just like an Android phone? Thanks.
Would this pair well with the cxn v2 through optical out. Using the dac in the cxn? Just want to be able to use apple music through it not using the built in dac. Or is there better options.
Hi John I have the Fiio K7 headphone amp its a great unit.
hi, love your video. Can review the similar Android streamer DAC on Shanling EM5 & EM7 ?
Dear John, is there an app for the Fiio or do I need the remote control for remote controlling? If there is an app - is it okay? Bye & thank you for your great work.
Do the coaxial and optical outputs of the Fiio R7 allow for variable volume (for Peachtree GAN-1 amp)?
Ciao John, useful video, thank you. You mentioned it is not possible streaming through Tidal connect. Do you think It will be released a software upgrade in the future? By the way is Tidal connect as good as when it streaming natively?
Does it have USB Audio Out through that USB C portnin the back? Also, would I be able to fire up TH-cam Music on my phone and control TH-cam Music on the R7?
Holy Molly, this device is multifunction monster.
Hi John do think this could work together with my NAD C3050LE, kind of missing the display from my old CXN. Could be sound better? Or Atlas least different. Quite a sorpresa for me running Apple Music in an Android device 🎉
How is the internal DAC on this unit? Would it be plug and play into my Rega Elex-R?
Great review.
I'm looking for something with a optical output mainly to connect to my vehicle for media. Any recommendations? Thanks
Great review John, as always very detailed and concise. I have two questions, as you mentioned no subwoofer out. Would someone be able to use the line outs to a sub with lines out itself and then out to desktop speakers such as the Fiio SP3s? Also does the R7 have the capabilities to play spatial audio on Apple music or Dolby Atmos/ 360 Reality Audio on Tidal? I would speculate that as the R7 runs as an android device it should be available through the native apps same as a regular phone. Thank you very much in advance.
Other than the access to a huge music catalog off lining content is one of the best features of streaming apps on smartphones and tablets. I don’t have to worry about mobile data limits or network availability while away from home, travelling or commuting, network reliability or compromising data resolution.
Wonder how’s the Fiio stacks up against eversolo dmpa6
I've heard once that the r7 has a sound latency when you use the digital audio from your computer. Is that true? I also wonder if you're gonna be reviewing the Fiio sp3 speaker set
If you have a usb storeage drive with all your music on, can you just plug into the R7 and play straight from that? If so how easy to navigate the music is it? CheersOaul