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FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier

These are exciting new features that Chinese company FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd is now announcing for the FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier, with the product name alone indicating a very important feature, THX AAA Amplification Technology, which is at the heart of this new portable D/A converter and headphone amplifier.


Portable D/A converters with integrated headphone amplifiers, this is a product category that the Chinese company FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd., as a proven specialist in personal audio devices, has been pushing for year and day, although it can actually be clearly said that it is FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. that is leading the way in this field.

Now, FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. is once again expanding its portable D/A converter product range with an integrated headphone amplifier by adding a special solution: the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier. The new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier incorporates not only the highly acclaimed THX AAA Amplification Technology, but also a world-class DAC and USB technology, providing a flawless solution for mobile music enjoyment.

The central interface of the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier is of course a USB interface, with a USB-C interface for connection to source devices. It can be used to connect PCs, Macs and even smartphones, and the manufacturer can of course provide all the relevant certifications for smooth operation.

The basis for this is an XMOS XUF208 USB chip which is directly coupled with the D/A converter, an AKM Technologies AK4462 Velvet Sound DAC. This allows signal processing with Linear PCM at up to 32 bits and 768 kHz as well as native DSD up to DSD512. The manufacturer promises particularly accurate signal processing free of any distortion, with lowest noise and thus full detail and dynamic range.

For the signal amplification, as already mentioned, the company relies on the so-called THX AAA Amplification Technology from THX Ltd.

AAA, this abbreviation stands in the concrete case for Achromatic Audio Amplifier and describes a technology which, according to THX Ltd., is nothing less than the ultimate amplifier concept for headphones. Amplifiers based on this technology should be completely free of any discolouration, and should also have virtually no distortion and no noise. The company uses a patented Feed-forward Error Correction Topology, and has also paid attention to the fact that it is a particularly efficient solution that is specially designed for use in mobile solutions, so that long battery life is guaranteed.

This is not the first time that FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. has used this technology in its AM3D Headphone Amplifier Module, an expansion module for the FiiO X7 and FiiO X7MKII portable hi-fi players, as well as the portable D/A converters from the FiiO Q-Series, FiiO Q5 and FiiO Q5s. So the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier is very close to its bigger brothers in terms of technical features…

With the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier, the user really has all the options to make the most of a wide range of headphones. This solution not only has a 3.5 mm stereo mini jack plug for unbalanced connection of headphones, but also a 2.5 mm jack and a 4.4 mm jack for balanced connection, all available as high-quality gold-plated sockets.

The new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier has the ability to set the overall level between high and low, and a bass gain switch that can be used to adapt to a wide range of headphone models. These are located on the lower front side, as is the USB connection.

The volume control, as well as the connections for the headphones, are located on the upper front side. A status LED indicates the different resolutions using RGB colours, as well as whether the signals are Linear PCM or DSD.

What’s striking is that the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier is extremely compact – in fact, it’s extremely flat, so it fits easily into any pocket and can be taken with you wherever you go. In keeping with its proven design, the manufacturer has opted for a solid and elegant aluminium housing in black.

The integrated lithium-ion battery of the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier has a capacity of 1,800 mAh and is expected to provide up to nine hours of play time. It is charged, how could it be otherwise, via the USB-C interface of the portable device.

According to the information currently available, the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier will not require much patience, and will soon be available at specialist retailers in Germany. The price for this solution will probably be € 139,-. Included with this solution you will also find everything you need to operate the FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier. Various cables for connecting different devices such as USB C to USB C, USB C to Apple Lightning, a 3.5 mm jack to 3.5 mm jack, a USB charging cable, straps to connect to a smartphone and a carrying case are all included with the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier.

Getting to the point

Now FiiO Electronics Technology Co Ltd. is once again adding a special solution to its portable D/A converter product range with integrated headphone amplifier, the new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier. The new FiiO Q3 THX Balanced DAC Amplifier incorporates not only the highly acclaimed THX AAA Amplification Technology, but also a world-class DAC and USB technology, providing a flawless solution for mobile music enjoyment.

Manufacturer:FiiO Electronics Technology Co. Ltd.
Distribution:NT-Global Distribution GmbH
Price:€ 139,-
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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