Disclaimer: This review is written from my perspective as someone with a mid-fi DAP looking to upgrade. Your mileage may vary.
Over the years, my DAPs grown in size and capability from the Sansa Clip, to the original Fiio X3 and now the iBasso DX90. I found that I enjoy the signature of Sabre chips very much, in particular the speed and detail oriented nature of the sound. Some may find the Sabre to sound ‘cold’ but I find it enough for me. I pair the DX90 with JH5 pros and occasionally the Sony CD900STs. I also have the Dragonfly V1.0 which the CD900STs hooked up to most of the time.
When the X7 was announced, I was very excited considering Fiio reputation for offering great value for money. As an aside, I still own the X3 and various small amps (E3, E5 and E6). With the X7 packing the full 9018 chip with 8 cores as opposed to the two 9018k2m chips in the DX90 with 4 cores, the X7 should in theory offer some gains over the DX90. I was lucky enough to obtain a X7 for review and here are some of my thoughts.
The Good. The things that I loved about the Sabre sound, such as attack and details, are all present in the X7. In addition, the sense of space and sound staging was also a noticeable step up from the DX90. Not 100% better, but enough to be noticeable. The sound was deeper and wider to my ears than the DX90, and the mids are not so in your face but deeper into the sonic scape. The findings are consistent across formats from mp3s to uncompressed (ALAC and FLAC) up to DSD. The blacks sound just abit blacker, the mids sweeter and the highs are clearer. The X7 takes the Sabre sound to an altogether more refined level compared to the DX90. However, I have not heard the DX100 before (which packs the same Sabre chip as the X7) and therefore could not offer any comparison.
The Bad. The default amp module for the X7 is designed for IEMs. As the sensitivity of IEMs vary, it is understandable that the design team may have taken a conservative approach to limit the power output of the module (reduce hiss?). For sure, my IEMs are dead quiet when there are no music being played. However, the sound of the JH5s through the module sounds too polite on low gain. I ended up using the X7 on higher gain (through software settings) most of the time.
The conclusion. The X7 offers a meaningful upgrade over mid-fi DAPs such as the X5 and DX90. Having briefly heard DAPs such as AKs, Calyx and Cayin, the X7 appears to be competitive. However, technical abilities come at a price. While the X7 is great value for money compared to other TOTL players, it is still a considerable sum. In the same price range are other spectacular offerings such as the Chord Mojo. What you end up with is ultimately the result of your priorities. If you treasure small size and convenience of a one box solution, the X7 is a good upgrade and great first serious DAP. If you can live with bulk and multi-box solutions, the choice may not be so straightforward.
I ended up with the Mojo, but that’s another story.
Over the years, my DAPs grown in size and capability from the Sansa Clip, to the original Fiio X3 and now the iBasso DX90. I found that I enjoy the signature of Sabre chips very much, in particular the speed and detail oriented nature of the sound. Some may find the Sabre to sound ‘cold’ but I find it enough for me. I pair the DX90 with JH5 pros and occasionally the Sony CD900STs. I also have the Dragonfly V1.0 which the CD900STs hooked up to most of the time.
When the X7 was announced, I was very excited considering Fiio reputation for offering great value for money. As an aside, I still own the X3 and various small amps (E3, E5 and E6). With the X7 packing the full 9018 chip with 8 cores as opposed to the two 9018k2m chips in the DX90 with 4 cores, the X7 should in theory offer some gains over the DX90. I was lucky enough to obtain a X7 for review and here are some of my thoughts.
The Good. The things that I loved about the Sabre sound, such as attack and details, are all present in the X7. In addition, the sense of space and sound staging was also a noticeable step up from the DX90. Not 100% better, but enough to be noticeable. The sound was deeper and wider to my ears than the DX90, and the mids are not so in your face but deeper into the sonic scape. The findings are consistent across formats from mp3s to uncompressed (ALAC and FLAC) up to DSD. The blacks sound just abit blacker, the mids sweeter and the highs are clearer. The X7 takes the Sabre sound to an altogether more refined level compared to the DX90. However, I have not heard the DX100 before (which packs the same Sabre chip as the X7) and therefore could not offer any comparison.
The Bad. The default amp module for the X7 is designed for IEMs. As the sensitivity of IEMs vary, it is understandable that the design team may have taken a conservative approach to limit the power output of the module (reduce hiss?). For sure, my IEMs are dead quiet when there are no music being played. However, the sound of the JH5s through the module sounds too polite on low gain. I ended up using the X7 on higher gain (through software settings) most of the time.
The conclusion. The X7 offers a meaningful upgrade over mid-fi DAPs such as the X5 and DX90. Having briefly heard DAPs such as AKs, Calyx and Cayin, the X7 appears to be competitive. However, technical abilities come at a price. While the X7 is great value for money compared to other TOTL players, it is still a considerable sum. In the same price range are other spectacular offerings such as the Chord Mojo. What you end up with is ultimately the result of your priorities. If you treasure small size and convenience of a one box solution, the X7 is a good upgrade and great first serious DAP. If you can live with bulk and multi-box solutions, the choice may not be so straightforward.
I ended up with the Mojo, but that’s another story.
