Last week we talked about the Acoustic Research AR M2, the high-end hi-res music player with an equally high price tag! And yeah, people liked it, but most folk don’t have £899 to spend on a portable player. Thankfully, there is something out there that is almost as good, yet costs half the price. Best of all, it’s from a brand that knows its way around, in every sense of the phrase! FiiO’s speciality is portable, with a huge range available to you at various price points.
But what makes this player special, is it’s the highest-end FiiO of the lot.
That is the gorgeous FiiO X7 Portable Music Player and DAC. And yes, while we do prefer the AR M2, this really is the next best thing, and it comes in at half the price! The thing about FiiO is they tend to focus moreso on the great value products. Low prices for very high quality and hi-res dedicated products, with the X1, X3 and the X5 stacking up beneath it. The X7 is still excellent for value for money, all the while being the third highest-end hi-res player we do.
It looks great, it sounds great and it’s very easy to use. Not quite as slim as the AR M2 (part of the reason why it’s still number one!) but still very easily carried around. It’s leaps and bounds ahead of the other FiiOs in every possible way, and definitely worth a try for anyone who is a fan of the brand or of portable music in general. But what makes it even better, is what it can be paired with.
That’s the entirely optional but highly recommended FiiO K5 dock designed for use with the entire FiiO X range, but best paired with the X7 (well, it is the highest end model!) Now, docks might seem a little old fashioned, but they’re actually a hugely underrated bit of kit! You don’t have to rely on Bluetooth, it charges your player while it plays and it adds extra amplification. Best of all, it works as a separate (additional) DAC, which means it kind of serves the same function as a mini pre! It looks stunning and has volume control too, making it an upgrade worth the player. It helps make the X7 a highly versatile device that makes for a good portable and at home player.
Just in case you’re wondering, it sounds great too. We tried it with a pair of Sennheiser Momentums as well as the Hifi Man Edition X, as well as a few higher end models too – even though it’s unlikely you’ll be travelling with those! It drives both the mid-range and the high-end stuff well, which means it encompasses both worlds nicely.
What makes this a particularly interesting choice is the fact that there isn’t much else out there to compete at this level, and this price point. The Colorfly C4 is the only direct competitor – but that’s a very Marmite product (love it, hate it, you know the drill!), with less features and usability than the FiiO. So, if you want to be truly portable, this is a player worth your consideration.
Check out the full specs and read more about the X7 by clicking here!