FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier – D/A Converter, Headphone Amplifier and Preamplifier

FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. describes the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier as a fully balanced D/A converter and headphone amplifier including preamplifier and thus another product that the company is launching as a designated desktop audio solution. The new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier follows the FiiO K5 Pro and FiiO K9 Pro systems, which were also offered as the FiiO K5 Pro ESS and FiiO K9 Pro ESS.

Great success of the FiiO K5 Pro and FiiO K9 Pro

FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. states that they were surprised by the great success of the FiiO K5 Pro, and as a result pushed their commitment to desktop audio and subsequently developed the flagship FiiO K9 Pro, which was also extremely successful in the market.

However, a gap was identified in the product portfolio between these two solutions, which needed to be closed, so another desktop audio solution was designed, which is now to be available with the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier.

Desktop Audio Solution with Fully Balanced Construction

The declared goal was to develop a DAC/Amp on a higher level, which also addresses demanding users, but can be offered at a moderate price. The new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier therefore follows the same audio architecture as the high-end FiiO K9 Pro solution with its sophisticated fully balanced design.

Compact Desktop Audio System

First of all, it should be noted that the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier is a compact desktop audio system that can be placed anywhere.

The manufacturer himself speaks of a solution that takes up no more than a third of a sheet of A4 paper and is only 55 metres high. In addition, the FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier can easily be placed vertically, so it takes up even less space.

The exact dimensions of the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier are 120 x 168 x 55 mm. The solid housing is made of aluminium and CNC machined. So it is above all the quite complex, elaborate construction inside that ultimately ensures that this solution weighs in at around 610 g.

D/A converter, headphone amplifier and preamplifier

The special feature of the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier is that it is not just a D/A converter plus headphone amplifier, but also a preamplifier.

The new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier has both digital inputs and an analogue input and can therefore be used in a variety of ways. For example, it can also be used in combination with active loudspeaker systems.

For easy operation, the front panel is equipped with corresponding selector switches and buttons, but first and foremost with a centrally located rotary encoder, which also functions as a status display for the operating mode of the unit by means of an RGB LED ring around the rotary knob.

While the connections for headphones – a 6.3 mm stereo jack for unbalanced headphones and a 4.4 mm pentaconn for balanced headphones – are of course located directly on the front, all other connections are on the rear.

Here you will find a pair of RCA jacks as analogue input, a pair of RCA jacks as analogue output, a USB-B port for connection to a PC or Mac, an optical and coaxial S/PDIF interface and the connection for the external power supply.

Converter from AKM

Even though an analogue input is available, the heart of the signal processing of the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier is of course a D/A converter from Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation. These are AKM AK4493SEQ DACs, the latest generation from the Japanese specialist, which are used here in a so-called dual-mono configuration and can thus process audio signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 384 kHz as well as DSD up to and including DSD256.

XMOS for high performance

In order to operate the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier optimally on a PC or Mac, XMOS technology is used, namely an XMOS XUF208 with dual clock management, so that reliable data transmission free of sound-damaging jitter is guaranteed at all times.

Output Stage with Two THX AAA 788+

A key feature of the new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier is, of course, its output stage, which also relies on two THX AAA 788+ from THX Ltd. and thus a separate amp module for each channel for the promised fully balanced setup.

It should also be mentioned that the D/A converters are preceded by an LPF (Low Pass Filter) as well as a particularly high-quality volume control in the form of NJU72315 and a buffer amplifier.

The manufacturer emphasises that an output power of 560 mW at 300 ohms can be achieved, at 32 ohms even 2,000 mW are available and thus the best conditions are created to operate really any headphone effortlessly.

In order to be able to make an optimal adjustment to the different headphone models, the FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier offers the possibility to adjust the output power, the so-called gain, in two steps. In addition, three output modes are available.

Sophisticated power supply

The FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier features a power supply that relies on an external 12 V switching power supply, but ultimately consists of several independent stages, with the voltage of each stage regulated by low-noise LDOs. All in all, the FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier’s power supply system is designed to deliver ample and clean power for an exceptional listening experience, according to the manufacturer’s promise, which also included overheating, overload and DC protection systems so that the FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier always works optimally.

Prices and availability

The new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier is expected to be available in specialist shops soon. The manufacturer states a recommended retail price of € 219,- for this new desktop audio solution.

Getting to the point

The new FiiO K7 Desktop DAC and Amplifier between the FiiO K5 Pro and the FiiO K9 Pro was designed to fill a gap in the desktop audio system market, says FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. about its latest addition. This combines a D/A converter plus a headphone amplifier in a compact, elegant desktop system, but also serves as a preamplifier, so that it can be used particularly flexibly.