FiiO Q5, Flagship DAC/Amp, an Dual DAC, USB/Optical/Coaxial/Line in, share the same amp module with X7.

[fe-lixx]

4. Punch myself in the face and get with the program.

The sound quality of that cheep in your ears after getting punched in the face by yourself will never be equaled by any headphone or DAC or any part of your highest fidelity chain.

But seriously... The Q5 quite clearly isn't positioned as a "source device" of any kind, meaning it's never meant to be the first part of a chain. It's not playing your vinyls, your CDs, MP3s. It's meant to convert a digital signal coming from such a source into an analog signal, so it accepts various PCM and DSD formats via USB/coax/optical and as a wireless bonus also BT.

While it would technically be possible to also include BT transmitter functionality (and don't get me wrong, Sonic Defender, I totally understand your question and I doubt it would technically be a high effort to use that CSR chip as a receiver and transmitter in the same device), it wouldn't really make sense from a product placement point of view: For USB you can buy 10 USD transmitters for your PC, if it doesn't already have BT built in, which supports aptX. And for an analog source -> BT transmitter at high quality, you'd need all the necessary and expensive hardware for a proper ADC - which is the opposite of what the Q5's main focus is.

So while I agree that it would be a nice feature, and might not even be hard (= not expensive) to add, I also think that it's not a feature many people would look for in such a device, which might also be the manufacturer's perspective.

All that said, and even with FiiO's confirming statement regarding the Q5, FiiO have surprised us from time to time with new products in the past, which haven't been available in that form before (at least not at their usual price ranges). Thinking about the BTR3 as first to support practically any current high quality BT audio codec, their "portable DAC/amp with desktop dock" products, or their current lineup with the changeable amp modules. So it might not be totally out of the question or just wishful thinking that we could see a device that combines BT transmitter and receiver in one unit with a multitude of high quality analog and digital inputs and outputs. "Wireless bridges" are a thing already, and while they're already available in variants not using lossy BT codecs but lossless formats instead, these products are built for this one bridge-mode purpose only, while FiiO's products often combine multiple options in one device. So if anyone was going to build such a thing, I wouldn't be surprised, if it was them. Maybe I'm wrong, I'm not an oracle, but we'll see...

 

[BobSmith8901]

Deleted

 

[Sonic Defender]

@FiiO hopefully you can shed some light on this situation for me. My Q5 can only connect to my LG G6 through AAC. By contrast, my iFi iOne connects via aptX to the G6. What could be happening here? I use Android, but my Q5 had been used by others so I am wondering, if an iOS person made an AAC connection to my Q5, would that remain as the default connection and I need to use a friends iPhone via the FiiO music app to change this? Up to now I go through the Developer Options on my Oreo OS on the G6 and select aptX as the default codec, but immediately upon connecting to the Q5 is connects as AAC. Is there any chance there is something wrong with my Q5? Your thoughts are appreciated and if it is something needing to be done through the IOS app, what must be done and where. Cheers.

 

[FiiO]

@FiiO hopefully you can shed some light on this situation for me. My Q5 can only connect to my LG G6 through AAC. By contrast, my iFi iOne connects via aptX to the G6. What could be happening here? I use Android, but my Q5 had been used by others so I am wondering, if an iOS person made an AAC connection to my Q5, would that remain as the default connection and I need to use a friends iPhone via the FiiO music app to change this? Up to now I go through the Developer Options on my Oreo OS on the G6 and select aptX as the default codec, but immediately upon connecting to the Q5 is connects as AAC. Is there any chance there is something wrong with my Q5? Your thoughts are appreciated and if it is something needing to be done through the IOS app, what must be done and where. Cheers.

Dear friend,

What about connecting to the Q5 first, then switch the codec to APTX after successful connection?
The FiiO Music doesn't have the option for switching the codec to APTX. And the Q5 could support APTX but not APTX-LL.
Do you have another players or moblie phones support APTX for checking?

Best regards

 

[FiiO]

Not that I want you to add this to the Q5, I have Bluetooth headphones, but I use my phone with them, but could you elaborate as to why FiiO wouldn't add this functionality? Is there a technical reason, or is it simply because as you say FiiO has positioned the M7 to handle that type of thing?

Dear friend,

That function was not planned for the Q5 originally. Also, the practical applicability is not high. So we will not add the Bluetooth transmission function for the Q5.

Best regards

 

[Sonic Defender]

Dear friend,

What about connecting to the Q5 first, then switch the codec to APTX after successful connection?
The FiiO Music doesn't have the option for switching the codec to APTX. And the Q5 could support APTX but not APTX-LL.
Do you have another players or moblie phones support APTX for checking?

Best regards

Thank you, yes you can make a connection see it is AAC and switch it in developer options to aptX, but that doesn't mean the connection is going to be aptX. I think that the AAC connection once made remains until you actually disconnect so just switching to aptX will likely do nothing but make me think that the connection is aptX. I think there is something with the two chips that fail to negotiate an aptX connection so they instead establish AAC, why I'm not sure. The G6 has aptX HD, but as you know that is supposed to be backwards compatible and still establish aptX connections. There was at least one other member here in this thread having the exact same issue with his LG G6 and the Q5. Is there anyway FiiO can at least see what the chipset used by LG for the North American G6 version is? Perhaps there is an incompatibility that nobody has discovered?

 

[KopaneDePooj]

Thank you, yes you can make a connection see it is AAC and switch it in developer options to aptX, but that doesn't mean the connection is going to be aptX. I think that the AAC connection once made remains until you actually disconnect so just switching to aptX will likely do nothing but make me think that the connection is aptX. I think there is something with the two chips that fail to negotiate an aptX connection so they instead establish AAC, why I'm not sure. The G6 has aptX HD, but as you know that is supposed to be backwards compatible and still establish aptX connections. There was at least one other member here in this thread having the exact same issue with his LG G6 and the Q5. Is there anyway FiiO can at least see what the chipset used by LG for the North American G6 version is? Perhaps there is an incompatibility that nobody has discovered?

On my HTC 10, when I switch the codec in "Developer options", the Q5 always reconnects - the sound stops and the blue light blinks for two seconds - so I suppose it uses the newly selected codec.
Also you can check in Q5 Bluetooth settings on your phone if "Use high quality audio: aptX" is checked. See here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fii...-module-with-x7.772186/page-136#post-14243981
You can also try to unpair and re-pair the Q5 with your phone.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

I just bought the FiiO CL06 cable and made some more comparisons between aptX and USB modes, and to me the sound quality in USB mode is significantly better in terms of resolution, dynamics and separation.
So as much as I like the convenience of Bluetooth, now I'm tempted to use it stacked whenever I can. For sure during colder months when I'll have bigger pockets
For stacking I use the FiiO leather case and the velcro strips provided, and another TPU phone case specially for this. No rubber bands. I just pop the phone in and out.
If you want to use this method be sure to attach the soft velcro parts to the leather case so you can use it with the phone case detached also, without it sticking to clothes or so.

 

[Sonic Defender]

On my HTC 10, when I switch the codec in "Developer options", the Q5 always reconnects - the sound stops and the blue light blinks for two seconds - so I suppose it uses the newly selected codec.
Also you can check in Q5 Bluetooth settings on your phone if "Use high quality audio: aptX" is checked. See here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fii...-module-with-x7.772186/page-136#post-14243981
You can also try to unpair and re-pair the Q5 with your phone.

I've done all of this. I don't think my LG Oreo version exposes the use high quality aptX, but I'll look more carefully next time. I'm away from home so sadly can't check now. I'll report back once I get a chance. Cheers.

 

[gefellmics]

I'm a proud owner of the FIIO Q5 for about 3 days now....
I enjoyed the sound so far but I'm really frustrated with the bluetooth connection. In many reviews it was written about a stabile bluetooth connection (compared with the Ifi xDSD for example)....so especially this was the most important fact to buy this device.
However....in portable use I cannot get a stabile bluetooth connection. The Q5 is situated inside of my jacket and I paired it with different DAC's (Shanling M0, Hibizs AP60II or Fiio X5III) which I hold in the Hand or carrying in my Jeans-pocket. So the distance is about 20-50cm, but my body is between the two devices.

I still can not imagine that this use is so uncommon and makes the Q5 in Bluetooth mode unusable....very frustrating. If it is required to hold the two devices side by side to get a secure connection, then I can connect the same devices with a cable....so I still hope that there is another reason for it.

The Q5 got the newest Firmware and newest Bluetooth upgrade from the both upgrade tools from the website. The Shanling, Hibisz and Fiio also have the current firmware.

Any suggestions or similar experiences??

It would be sad to return the Q5 because of this issue, because otherwise I really enjoy the sound.

 

[KopaneDePooj]

I'm a proud owner of the FIIO Q5 for about 3 days now....
I enjoyed the sound so far but I'm really frustrated with the bluetooth connection. In many reviews it was written about a stabile bluetooth connection (compared with the Ifi xDSD for example)....so especially this was the most important fact to buy this device.
However....in portable use I cannot get a stabile bluetooth connection. The Q5 is situated inside of my jacket and I paired it with different DAC's (Shanling M0, Hibizs AP60II or Fiio X5III) which I hold in the Hand or carrying in my Jeans-pocket. So the distance is about 20-50cm, but my body is between the two devices.

I still can not imagine that this use is so uncommon and makes the Q5 in Bluetooth mode unusable....very frustrating. If it is required to hold the two devices side by side to get a secure connection, then I can connect the same devices with a cable....so I still hope that there is another reason for it.

The Q5 got the newest Firmware and newest Bluetooth upgrade from the both upgrade tools from the website. The Shanling, Hibisz and Fiio also have the current firmware.

Any suggestions or similar experiences??

It would be sad to return the Q5 because of this issue, because otherwise I really enjoy the sound.

Yes, the human body can block Bluetooth signal, I've read about it. High percentage of water, and BT waves don't go through water.
Try to wear the two devices on the same side of the body. I wear my Q5 and phone in my two front jeans pockets and generally I have no drops but I notice that if bend down (for example to tie my shoe) and the antennas get more covered by my body, the signal drops instantly.
Here, 1st answer by Mike Foley, Consultant and Former Executive Director of Bluetooth SIG:
https://www.quora.com/Bluetooth-sig...-Is-this-normal-or-is-something-wrong-with-me

 

[tim0chan]

I'm a proud owner of the FIIO Q5 for about 3 days now....
I enjoyed the sound so far but I'm really frustrated with the bluetooth connection. In many reviews it was written about a stabile bluetooth connection (compared with the Ifi xDSD for example)....so especially this was the most important fact to buy this device.
However....in portable use I cannot get a stabile bluetooth connection. The Q5 is situated inside of my jacket and I paired it with different DAC's (Shanling M0, Hibizs AP60II or Fiio X5III) which I hold in the Hand or carrying in my Jeans-pocket. So the distance is about 20-50cm, but my body is between the two devices.

I still can not imagine that this use is so uncommon and makes the Q5 in Bluetooth mode unusable....very frustrating. If it is required to hold the two devices side by side to get a secure connection, then I can connect the same devices with a cable....so I still hope that there is another reason for it.

The Q5 got the newest Firmware and newest Bluetooth upgrade from the both upgrade tools from the website. The Shanling, Hibisz and Fiio also have the current firmware.

Any suggestions or similar experiences??

It would be sad to return the Q5 because of this issue, because otherwise I really enjoy the sound.

i had no issues with the range. try to keep thee q5 and the transmitting device on the same side of your body ie: front jeans pocket and front jacket pocket. Also, the device transmitting bt doesnt really matter so it would be best to use a phone as phones usually have the best ranges. From your selection of sources, i think the M0 has the best range but make sure the screen is not facing your body as the signal comes out of the screen side

 

[FiiO]

I'm a proud owner of the FIIO Q5 for about 3 days now....
I enjoyed the sound so far but I'm really frustrated with the bluetooth connection. In many reviews it was written about a stabile bluetooth connection (compared with the Ifi xDSD for example)....so especially this was the most important fact to buy this device.
However....in portable use I cannot get a stabile bluetooth connection. The Q5 is situated inside of my jacket and I paired it with different DAC's (Shanling M0, Hibizs AP60II or Fiio X5III) which I hold in the Hand or carrying in my Jeans-pocket. So the distance is about 20-50cm, but my body is between the two devices.

I still can not imagine that this use is so uncommon and makes the Q5 in Bluetooth mode unusable....very frustrating. If it is required to hold the two devices side by side to get a secure connection, then I can connect the same devices with a cable....so I still hope that there is another reason for it.

The Q5 got the newest Firmware and newest Bluetooth upgrade from the both upgrade tools from the website. The Shanling, Hibisz and Fiio also have the current firmware.

Any suggestions or similar experiences??

It would be sad to return the Q5 because of this issue, because otherwise I really enjoy the sound.

Dear friend,

Yes, human body would absorb Bluetooth signal. Since the human body absorbs the 2G-3G high frequency signal most strongly, it is necessary to prevent the body from blocking the Bluetooth signal during use. For example, putting your Bluetooth transmitter in your back pocket and put your Bluetooth receiver on your chest will seriously affect the Bluetooth transmission. Therefore, please try to putthe Bluetooth receiver and transmitter on the same side of your body to avoid signal blocked by your body.

If there are local store in your city, you could try the demo in the store and compare as well.

Best regards

 

[Dodeca]

The difference in sound between USB cables exist, and is totally comparable to the difference in sound between coaxial digital cables

I'm a total creeper around here and have been for years, but this statement made me laugh out loud enough to prompt a reply.

USB is passing a digital signal to the DAC. There is no appreciable sonic difference between USB cables. Any difference heard is placebo.

 

[Alex Kitic]

I'm a total creeper around here and have been for years, but this statement made me laugh out loud enough to prompt a reply.

USB is passing a digital signal to the DAC. There is no appreciable sonic difference between USB cables. Any difference heard is placebo.

I envy people like you, who can’t hear the difference between cables.

The asynchronous USB connection carries a digital signal similar to what the coaxial digital cable carries, plus 5V and power ground - if you cannot hear differences between USB cables, you cannot hear differences between coaxial digital cables. Probably you can’t hear differences between interconnects or speaker cables?
This either means you don’t have the hearing ability, or your equipment does not allow you to hear the differences.

There’s also differences between various brands, even batches of the same vacuum tube in the same circuit, not to mention the differences between capacitors...

If you cannot hear those differences, you are blessed with simplicity, and don’t need to spend good money on all these unimportant items. Not to mention the MoFi 45rpm special editions and all the other things out there just waiting for you to throw away money buying stuff that is only placebo...

On the other hand, if I reconsider, I prefer to continue to be able to hear all that stuff: even if it’s placebo, it’s immensely enjoyable. But not being able to hear that, you don’t know what you’re missing... thus I am not sure whether to envy you or to feel sorry for you.

Either way, try to enjoy life, there’s so much out there that you’re probably missing.