FiiO QX13 Dongle DAC AMP Review – Quite Literal Mini But Maxi
FiiO QX13 is a $219 USD portable DAC AMP with a desktop-level power of 900 mW + 900 mW, an 8 – Channel ESS DAC ES9027PRO, and with 6 TI high-precision OP-AMPs designed for portability, extreme driving power, and a full carbon fiber body. Today we review FiiO QX 13 and will briefly compare it to the market, exploring the kind of sound and performance it delivers.
Introduction
FiiO is no stranger to portable headphone amplifiers, and this idea is what kicked them into action at the beginning of days. In fact, my very first headphone amp almost was a FiiO, if I could have found one back then, even the name got lost to the sands of time, but my first DAP that I really loved was from FiiO and their X5 was outstanding, beautiful and powerful. So today we review a modern, small and efficient DAC / Headphone AMP that has multiple strengths, and if it has any weaknesses, we’ll discover and cover those as well.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Il5W5V
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEHO7nN
Build Quality And Design
The level of power delivery and sonic quality that portable DAC / Headphone AMPs can deliver is steadily increasing, so much so that right now we have FiiO QX13 delivering a whopping 900 mW of power per channel in desktop mode, far more than even large, over 10KG Headphone amplifiers can deliver, and QX13 has the space and tech for a high-end DAC too. This is the first DAC AMP that combines the Q series of portable DAC AMPs with magnetic attachment features, creating a high-end fully integrated ecosystem for an audio dongle.
Starting with the body, FiiO QX13 uses a full carbon fiber body, pushing the boundaries, made from 21 layers of stacked carbon fiber, and a lightweight yet durable build. This carbon fiber is resistant to interference and heat, and offers QX13 a unique texture and premium feel. Although not visible in my photos, QX 13 has an extra large color display, protected by Corning Third Gen gorilla glass, a rarity for audio dongles.
At the heart, FiiO QX13 sports a Sabre PRO DAC, with the Flagship ES9027PRO being the choice for QCX13, a DAC that has not appeared in any product to date, and which is not featured in anything else. This highlights that FiiO is a door opener and research facility too as they have the courage to explore and implement a new DAC. We can see the diagram for the DAC configuration on the FiiO Official Web page, exploring how 4 channels feed the Left side and 8 feed the right side of the QC13.
Delivering this insane power is quite hard, so QX13 uses four wafer-level precision integrated INA1620 OP-AMPs, with a special design to power crosstalk, and two low-noise, low-distortion OPA1692 chips. We’ve seen Opa 1692 just once before, implemented in JDS Labs Atom DAC 2, but it was implemented in 3 per channel configuration, while INA1620 is a first, just like the DAC. FiiO QX13 uses a Patented Desktop Mode, which allows it to deliver a power similar to FiiO K15 and K17 rather than one similar to most portable dongle DAC AMPs. FiiO QX13 has a power delivery of 46% more in Desktop Mode and 101% more in Non-Desktop Mode.
We can see inside the QX13 that the digital board is separate from the Analog board by a shielding cover and insulation sheet, with an electronic magnetic defence sheet at the bottom. We see the Xmos 16-Core XU316 USB Interface, likely the most common interface, allowing for a 10-Band Lossless parametric EQ control, with no software install, and via Web Page access. I believe that everyone should have as much courage and output as the page of FiiO QX13 has, it is darn impressive compared to the marketing and hearing it will most definitely be an interesting experience.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
It is quite important to note that there is no battery inside of the FiiO QX13 so it draws all power from the Smartphone / Source it is connected to. It uses power from your phone. There is an e-Stick available for purchase from FiiO which can provide it with external power, but you can use it the way it is. You can actually engage the Desktop Mode which ultra powers it without the need of adding a 2nd USB input. This being said, it drains quite a bit of power and it is not adequate for smartphone and portable use, hence the name “Desktop Mode”.
FiiO QX13 has instant response and it is fully in sync, but to reserve power it stops feeding the circuit as soon as the sound stops playing, which causes a very specific sound when sound comes back after silence. It does not need drivers and I experienced no failures. In fact, even with USB ports that I know are noisy, and bad connections, QX13 is more silent and has fewer issues, basically no noise and no issue, which makes me think it has good internal signal stabilization to avoid noise with bad USB ports.
I am surprised that QX 13 stays fairly cool even after hours of usage, and especially in low gain or when Desktop Mode is not engaged, it is a cool potato to run.
Sound Quality
Pairings and Match-up – To check out the performance of FiiO QX13, we have paired it with both full-sized headphones and IEMs, the list including Astrotec Archimedes, UM Unique Melody MEST Jet Black, ZiiGaat Luna, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, NF Acous NA20, Nf Acous NE4, Rose Technicz QT-X, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Erzetich Mania V2024, Sendy Audio AIVA 2, Fosi Audio i5, Soundz Flame, Moritz Dragon and Audeze MM-100. It is a brilliant DAC Headphone Amplifier, power is plenty, and it has a high headroom. In fact, it has enough power to drive HIFIMAN Isvarna, HE1000 Unveiled and Arya unveiled really well using the balanced output, high gain and Desktop Mode. In fact, it can do just fine without Desktop Mode too, for all those headphones. The loudness saturation gradient and specific voltage / power curve doesn’t allow it to drive Susvara OG regardless of desktop Mode.
Overall Signature – FiiO QX13 is a natural sounding dongle DAC AMP with a fairly punchy sound, highly dynamic presentation, and a mostly neutral tuning. It relies on transparency and resolution to create a highly detailed sound, has a wide sound with good instrument separation.
Bass – Starting from the low-end, FiiO QX13 is a bit warm in the mid bass, but has a neutral upper bass and sub-bass, creating a warm and romantic type of sound. This bass is a bit on the slow side, emphasizing the romantic and smoother presentation that QX13 has. I am happy to report that QX13 can handle bass at both lower and higher volumes, it has a consistent bass presentation, with the same warmer tone.
Midrange – It feels like FiiO QX 13 gives the midrange a central spot in its presentation, but it is not particularly midrange forward, it is mostly balanced, vivid and lively. Male voices have the same level of energy and presence as female voices, guitar solos are vivid and detailed, with QX13 having a highly transparent sound, no tonality it imposes on the mids. There’s a very slight bias towards the top part of the upper midrange, but this is more evident in the lower treble, where QX13 has a bit of extra bite. For a sound that is more colored, QX13 has on-board EQ, and it has a high headroom, so you can safely engage a bit of EQ and fine tune the sound QX13 produces.
Treble – At the top end of things, FiiO QX13 is a bit more bitey, has a bit of extra presence and impact, and sounds detailed, crisp and vivid. It has a strong extension up to 20 kHz, but treble feels a bit more bitey in the lower and mid treble, with a smooth roll-off effect towards the upper treble. QX13 is very good for rock, metal and even acoustic music, having a realistic texture and impact for the treble.
Dynamic Range And Textures – The way QX13 handles dynamics is the first thing you notice about its sound, it is highly dynamic, has a strong contrast between instruments and it results in a bold, highly detailed sound. Texture is faster in the midrange and treble, and a bit slower, romantic in the bass. This creates a highly engaging sound that is addictive and renders rock, metal, EDM and commercial music as vivid and lively. Even harsh and very aggressive textures will still be enjoyable, QX13 has an anti-dry anti-harsh sound.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – This is where QX13 lacks a bit of control, it has a very loud sound very early, which limits how granular the volume control is. It makes it much better for driving needy headphones than very sensitive IEMs, as it allows for more volume control when the headphones are hard to drive. This being said, you have access to 4 theoretical volume levels, Low gain, Normal Mode, High Gain Normal Mode, Low Gain Desktop Mode, and High Gain Desktop Mode. The power voltage saturation curve changes for each, and you have to experiment to find which suits your headphones or IEMs best, but for most I found that high gain in normal mode produces the most natural sound, highest saturation and most impactful sound.
Soundstage And Instrument Separation – FiiO QX13 sounds quite wide, holographic even, but has a more limited depth. As it has a more romantic bass presentation, which is slower, it has less focus on depth and Z-Plane separation than it has on the lateral plane. This creates a highly addictive sound for rock, edm and commercial new music, but works less for classical and music where you want depth separation. Imaging is very good, and you hear each bit of information nicely in its own space, with very low splatter and smear.
Value and Conclusion
With a price tag of 219 USD, FiiO QX13 is mad impressive, it has an extreme driving power, can stay below 30% and will be loud enough for really hard to drive headphones and still have an almost zero background noise level for IEMs, and all with a nice display, and granular volume control. In fact, I feel like the kind of driving power and sound it delivers would be enough to cannibalize other DAC AMPs from Fiio like BTR17, unless you really need the bluetooth functionality.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a small dongle DAC AMP with a highly dynamic sound, strong punch, and a high driving power too, FiiO QX13 is an excellent choice, small, ergonomic and fun, balanced and can be a reliable tiny desktop machine, or an efficient portable Dongle DAC AMP and a fully recommended purchase.
PROs
- One of the smallest, but most efficient dongle DAC AMPS available on the market today
- No noise even with bad USB ports that are known to be noisy
- High driving power and a dynamic, punchy sound
- EQ and Gain controls embedded with no need for an app
- Works without drivers with any device
- Fun and small
- Balanced headphone output
Cons
- Volume control has a unique saturation gradient that makes it very loud at loud volumes, not a lot of control for IEMs
- High voltage saturation for power, vastly different voltage power curves between low and high gain, low gain is recommended for all headphones and IEMs
- Somewhat high power consumption in desktop mode
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Il5W5V
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEHO7nN
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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