[dsrk]

Second issue is the charging, as the recent (QC 4.0? I am not sure) chargers cannot charge it.

I have the same problem with NX7, my fast changers don't work with it. I am using my old 2A/3A charger to charge it.

Still I love the G5 and Topping as always did great engineering there. But I would still rate the FiiO devices more mature (not comparing from sound but feature completeness point of view). I also think that FiiO is the most consumer friendly manufacturer of all. They are always here, checking and responding to our messages. They also do great engineering.

So I am quite happy with both.

True, FiiO is really improving. I recently got FD7, it looks beautiful and sounds great too.

 

[BlankName]

I have the same problem with NX7, my fast changers don't work with it. I am using my old 2A/3A charger to charge it.

According to one review it only works with 18W or lower chargers.

 

[dsrk]

According to one review it only works with 18W or lower chargers.

That could be the case. Xduoo XD-05 Plus too had the same limitation.

 

[Ab10]

Looks like it, else what is the function of AC/DC flip switch - If battery was there then comes all the battery longevity problem.

Errr... Correction... Sorry for my comment at the / my previous post no 298, I thought as I commenting about Fiio R7 which is Desktop Audio Streamer...By looking at the picture of post number 291 of R7 back panel.

 

[PROblemdetected]

Anyone have a desktop THX amp like the drop 789 as a point of (subjective) comparison?

Ive got the k9 akm

It makes me sell the matrix i-mini 3 pro

 

[ljnew]

I have both G5 and M17. For M17, actually I think the sound quality difference between battery and DC mode is over exaggerated. Both G5 and M17 are fantastic sounding devices. There are no DAPs in the market that would make me want to replace my M17.

G5 is also a ridiculously good, clean sounding device with lots of power. It is amazing. Two things though: Its battery doesn't last much with demanding HP. 4000 mAh compared to 9200 mAh from Q7 and M17. Second issue is the charging, as the recent (QC 4.0? I am not sure) chargers cannot charge it.

Still I love the G5 and Topping as always did great engineering there. But I would still rate the FiiO devices more mature (not comparing from sound but feature completeness point of view). I also think that FiiO is the most consumer friendly manufacturer of all. They are always here, checking and responding to our messages. They also do great engineering.

So I am quite happy with both.

I can agree with everything you said. But the fact that one is $300 and the other is $2000 where the $300 devices quality is arguably better, is an issue IMHO.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I can agree with everything you said. But the fact that one is $300 and the other is $2000 where the $300 devices quality is arguably better, is an issue IMHO.

A DAP today is lazy audiophiles brick. Otherwise A DAC/amp like G5 or Q7 is more than enough. Hell, if you are an IEM user, even a dongle is good enough. There is unfortunately also the pressure from audiophile community to have the most badass and TOTL DAC in dual form in DAP, otherwise they wouldn't consider it TOTL enough. As we see with G5 with ES9068, this is actually not required. This of course drives the prices up. On top a good display with a quite powerful SoC for which is most probably, it is not cheap to manufacture boards for such a small market. Then you have the price of M17. As we see in Q7 case, as soon as we cut those, the price drops considerably.

Q7 vs G5 -> Q7 is still the more versatile of the two, especially if driving full, inefficient HPs. More I/O, more output power, more battery. Whether the price difference brings any added value, depends on the person and use case.

 

[KaiFi]

I've never been interested in DAPs, because I tend to listen to want "semi-mobile" in terms of portability. In other words, a DAP to me seems like something that is really geared toward "on the go" listening, if that is your primary means of listening to music (maybe why DAPs are so often paired with IEMs). But for me, I like big bulky headphones and sitting down to listen to music, so I'm fine (and prefer) to use my laptop. A laptop is still more portable than a desktop, so I don't want a DAC/amp that needs to plug into the wall. That's what makes something like the Q7 so appealing to me, because though it is big and powerful like a desktop amp (with the exception of the highest gain setting needing wall power to work), it's still portable enough that if I wanted to take my laptop to another room or on vacation, I could take the Q7 with me.

What I want to know is how the G5 holds up against the Gryphon and the Q7. @ljnew said that the G5 sounds better than the Gryphon. I guess I will have to test it out. If I like the G5, there may be no reason to go for the Q7 if I don't need the extra features it has (for me it's mainly going to be about sound quality above anything else).

 

[ljnew]

I've never been interested in DAPs, because I tend to listen to want "semi-mobile" in terms of portability. In other words, a DAP to me seems like something that is really geared toward "on the go" listening, if that is your primary means of listening to music (maybe why DAPs are so often paired with IEMs). But for me, I like big bulky headphones and sitting down to listen to music, so I'm fine (and prefer) to use my laptop. A laptop is still more portable than a desktop, so I don't want a DAC/amp that needs to plug into the wall. That's what makes something like the Q7 so appealing to me, because though it is big and powerful like a desktop amp (with the exception of the highest gain setting needing wall power to work), it's still portable enough that if I wanted to take my laptop to another room or on vacation, I could take the Q7 with me.

What I want to know is how the G5 holds up against the Gryphon and the Q7. @ljnew said that the G5 sounds better than the Gryphon. I guess I will have to test it out. If I like the G5, there may be no reason to go for the Q7 if I don't need the extra features it has (for me it's mainly going to be about sound quality above anything else).

Nah i didn't say it sounds better. I said it's more powerful. I like g5 better than gryphon but of course everyone opinion is different. Gryphon overpriced imho.

G5 is one of those purchases you automatically know it's a winner. But, topping has a reputation for serious QA issues.

 

[ljnew]

I have the same problem with NX7, my fast changers don't work with it. I am using my old 2A/3A charger to charge it.


True, FiiO is really improving. I recently got FD7, it looks beautiful and sounds great too.

My NX7 fast charging doesn't work either but it works on G5. I'm happy with g5 purchase, especially more than the portable tube i purchased which criminally overrated it's power output on battery.

I can't wait for topping to start implementing dual and quad dacs or r2r with 3+ watts of power in a portable!

 

[cleg]

My video about Q7



A great option for those who like M17's sound, but can't afford to pay that much

 

[gto88]

My video about Q7



A great option for those who like M17's sound, but can't afford to pay that much

Or just want the dac/amp parts. Not everyone wants the player function, I am one of them.

 

[DarginMahkum]

My video about Q7



A great option for those who like M17's sound, but can't afford to pay that much

Oh, that is nice! It has EQ possibility. @FiiO , is the EQing done on Q7 or the sending application? If it is on Q7 side, is it only for BT-DAC mode? Thank you.

 

[cleg]

Oh, that is nice! It has EQ possibility. @FiiO , is the EQing done on Q7 or the sending application? If it is on Q7 side, is it only for BT-DAC mode? Thank you.

It's on the device and as far as I've tried, it works for Bluetooth. I suppose EQing is done via Qualcomm BT chip (but I can be wrong)

 

[DarginMahkum]

I've never been interested in DAPs, because I tend to listen to want "semi-mobile" in terms of portability. In other words, a DAP to me seems like something that is really geared toward "on the go" listening, if that is your primary means of listening to music (maybe why DAPs are so often paired with IEMs). But for me, I like big bulky headphones and sitting down to listen to music, so I'm fine (and prefer) to use my laptop. A laptop is still more portable than a desktop, so I don't want a DAC/amp that needs to plug into the wall. That's what makes something like the Q7 so appealing to me, because though it is big and powerful like a desktop amp (with the exception of the highest gain setting needing wall power to work), it's still portable enough that if I wanted to take my laptop to another room or on vacation, I could take the Q7 with me.

What I want to know is how the G5 holds up against the Gryphon and the Q7. @ljnew said that the G5 sounds better than the Gryphon. I guess I will have to test it out. If I like the G5, there may be no reason to go for the Q7 if I don't need the extra features it has (for me it's mainly going to be about sound quality above anything else).

I tried them with Susvara and DCA Stealth. Both M17 and G5 sound great, though M17 has more power headroom. If you can stretch your budget, my recommendation would be Q7, as you are covered for possibly any HP out there from power point of view. Also battery is more than the double so will give you more peace of mind while listening. Plus (at least M17) can be charged with any kind of charger and even with the DC power supply. The application with EQ option can also be very useful. The downside is the size and the weight. But if you get the Q7, you know that you have one of the best (if not the best) transportable options out there with wide range of possible use cases.