[roncruiser]

Finally got some time to listen.
Here are some random thoughts of mine:

Basic Setup: Tidal (PC/Phone) --->Q7--->Sennheiser HD 650

• This is my very first "portable" headphone amp.
• It's not as beefy as I thought it was going to be based on what I read on this thread. It's heavy but it is very portable. Definitely not pocketable.
• I don't hear a difference in the filters. Not even a slight difference. I've had others in my family try to detect a difference. They cannot hear a difference either. Anyone else?
• Is the 6.35 jack port Single Ended or Balanced? I think it's Balance, but I am not 100% sure.
• I don't know which to run: LO or PO for my 650's. 650's are 300 ohms. I've been using PO.

I enjoy it so far. I have to put more time into it.

 

[Marlowe]

Finally got some time to listen.
Here are some random thoughts of mine:

Basic Setup: Tidal (PC/Phone) --->Q7--->Sennheiser HD 650

• This is my very first "portable" headphone amp.
• It's not as beefy as I thought it was going to be based on what I read on this thread. It's heavy but it is very portable. Definitely not pocketable.
• I don't hear a difference in the filters. Not even a slight difference. I've had others in my family try to detect a difference. They cannot hear a difference either. Anyone else?
• Is the 6.35 jack port Single Ended or Balanced? I think it's Balance, but I am not 100% sure.
• I don't know which to run: LO or PO for my 650's. 650's are 300 ohms. I've been using PO.

I enjoy it so far. I have to put more time into it.

As always, the 6.35 output is single ended only. And while I can't speak to the sound, LO (Line Out) is intended for connection to another device as a preamp, not for connection to headphones; PO (Phones Out) is the correct setting to connect to headphones.

 

[EdgeDC]

Finally got some time to listen.
Here are some random thoughts of mine:

Basic Setup: Tidal (PC/Phone) --->Q7--->Sennheiser HD 650

• This is my very first "portable" headphone amp.
• It's not as beefy as I thought it was going to be based on what I read on this thread. It's heavy but it is very portable. Definitely not pocketable.
• I don't hear a difference in the filters. Not even a slight difference. I've had others in my family try to detect a difference. They cannot hear a difference either. Anyone else?
• Is the 6.35 jack port Single Ended or Balanced? I think it's Balance, but I am not 100% sure.
• I don't know which to run: LO or PO for my 650's. 650's are 300 ohms. I've been using PO.

I enjoy it so far. I have to put more time into it.

Regarding the power - have you tried changing gain levels? Changing to High gain will give your headphones more power. Low gain is important though for more sensitive headphones (and especially IEMs) that don’t need as much power. Also, an ultra-high gain mode is available on the Q7 too, but only when plugged into the DC power (bypassing the battery).

Regarding the filters - most people can’t, either. Don’t worry too much about it.

Regarding the different headphone jack types (on various devices, including the Q7), expanding on what @Marlowe said above:

PO = Phones Out. This is for using headphones or IEMs. It uses the amplifier(s) inside the device, and you adjust the volume on the device itself.

LO = Line Out. This is a fixed-level output which does not (or should not) use the built-in amplifiers. The idea is for when you want to output to an external amplifier instead - such as a home stereo, or a car stereo, or other dedicated amplifier device. You would mostly use this jack/mode when you just want to use the DAC portion by itself - as it effectively turns the device from a DAC/AMP into a DAC only. The signal should be cleaner using this instead of PO when connecting to an external amplifier.

Headphone/IEM jack sizes - there are effectively 5:

Unbalanced (aka “regular” or traditional, that most people know) - there are generally 2 sizes:

3.5mm - this is the smaller one that is most common. Even mobile phones used to have one until they started removing it.

6.35mm / 1/4” - this is the largest “stick” design one. It is more robust than the 3.5mm one, but works exactly the same way. It is electrically identical, and there are many adapters available to convert between this and 3.5mm.


Balanced (these should only be used with equipment specifically designed for it, as it can damage unbalanced equipment):

2.5mm - this is the teeny tiny connector - it is good for saving space in small portable devices, but due to it being more delicate, it has largely fallen out of favor, in favor of…

4.4mm - also known as “Sony Pentaconn”, this is the larger balanced connector that is notably more robust than 2.5mm.

4-pin XLR - this is the “professional”-grade balanced connector. It is large, and is a round tube connector with individual pins that stick out from the middle of it. This is considered the “best” balanced connector as it better separates the individual electrical signals between jack and socket. Due to its very large size though, it is generally only seen in high-end desktop devices, not portable ones.

I hope the above clears things up a bit for you.

 

[DarginMahkum]

I don't hear a difference in the filters. Not even a slight difference. I've had others in my family try to detect a difference. They cannot hear a difference either. Anyone else?

It is normal that you don't. >18 kHz it is normally beyond human hearing. Here on HeadFi you will read lots of miracles. I recommend believing in biology and physics, otherwise you will lose money. Here are the ES9038PRO filters.

 

[roncruiser]

As always, the 6.35 output is single ended only. And while I can't speak to the sound, LO (Line Out) is intended for connection to another device as a preamp, not for connection to headphones; PO (Phones Out) is the correct setting to connect to headphones.

I have it on PO. I got that right... and LO is for using the Q7 as preamp. Thanks!

Regarding the power - have you tried changing gain levels? Changing to High gain will give your headphones more power. Low gain is important though for more sensitive headphones (and especially IEMs) that don’t need as much power. Also, an ultra-high gain mode is available on the Q7 too, but only when plugged into the DC power (bypassing the battery).

Regarding the filters - most people can’t, either. Don’t worry too much about it.

Regarding the different headphone jack types (on various devices, including the Q7), expanding on what @Marlowe said above:

PO = Phones Out. This is for using headphones or IEMs. It uses the amplifier(s) inside the device, and you adjust the volume on the device itself.

LO = Line Out. This is a fixed-level output which does not (or should not) use the built-in amplifiers. The idea is for when you want to output to an external amplifier instead - such as a home stereo, or a car stereo, or other dedicated amplifier device. You would mostly use this jack/mode when you just want to use the DAC portion by itself - as it effectively turns the device from a DAC/AMP into a DAC only. The signal should be cleaner using this instead of PO when connecting to an external amplifier.

Headphone/IEM jack sizes - there are effectively 5:

Unbalanced (aka “regular” or traditional, that most people know) - there are generally 2 sizes:

3.5mm - this is the smaller one that is most common. Even mobile phones used to have one until they started removing it.

6.35mm / 1/4” - this is the largest “stick” design one. It is more robust than the 3.5mm one, but works exactly the same way. It is electrically identical, and there are many adapters available to convert between this and 3.5mm.


Balanced (these should only be used with equipment specifically designed for it, as it can damage unbalanced equipment):

2.5mm - this is the teeny tiny connector - it is good for saving space in small portable devices, but due to it being more delicate, it has largely fallen out of favor, in favor of…

4.4mm - also known as “Sony Pentaconn”, this is the larger balanced connector that is notably more robust than 2.5mm.

4-pin XLR - this is the “professional”-grade balanced connector. It is large, and is a round tube connector with individual pins that stick out from the middle of it. This is considered the “best” balanced connector as it better separates the individual electrical signals between jack and socket. Due to its very large size though, it is generally only seen in high-end desktop devices, not portable ones.

I hope the above clears things up a bit for you.

Yes! This clears up many things for me! Thank You.
As for Balanced: Isn't the benefit common mode noise cancellation/rejection? Will my Sennheiser 650's get damaged in anyway? Just curious.
I ordered a set of adapters I don't need immediately then.

It is normal that you don't. Past 18 kHz it is normally beyond human hearing. Here on HeadFi you will read lots of miracles. I recommend believing in biology and physics, otherwise you will lose money. Here are the ES9038PRO filters.

So, the higher level question concerning filters: What is the practical real world purpose for them?
Especially, if the everyday "normal" person cannot discern a difference?


Side note for @FiiO
I like the blue case lights during the day and most of times at night.
I can foresee sometimes at night during bedtime listening wanting them off. Can there be an option to switch them off in some future FW upgrade?
If there's an option to dim the screen, and have the screen timeout to blank, there could be an option to switch off the blue case lights too.

 

[EdgeDC]

Yes! This clears up many things for me! Thank You.
As for Balanced: Isn't the benefit common mode noise cancellation/rejection? Will my Sennheiser 650's get damaged in anyway? Just curious.
I ordered a set of adapters I don't need immediately then.

Don't use "adapters" for the balanced connection. Buy a balanced cable. As long as you use a balanced cable with your 650, you won't damage them. Yes, noise cancellation and rejection is one of the benefits of a balanced connection. Another is getting to use the full power of the device, as almost every device that has both unbalanced and balanced jacks is able to put out substantially more power over the balanced connection instead.

The one bummer though is when a set of headphones come with a fixed/attached unbalanced cable, so you can't easily swap it out. To get a proper balanced connection on those, that usually means custom modifying it (soldering iron, etc.).

Fortunately, more and more manufacturers these days are using detachable cables, so you can switch between unbalanced and balanced cables as needed.

 

[karloil]

Can there be an option to switch them off in some future FW upgrade?
If there's an option to dim the screen, and have the screen timeout to blank, there could be an option to switch off the blue case lights too.

Chimming in...there's an option in the FiiO Control App to disable all the lights.

 

[roncruiser]

Don't use "adapters" for the balanced connection. Buy a balanced cable. As long as you use a balanced cable with your 650, you won't damage them. Yes, noise cancellation and rejection is one of the benefits of a balanced connection. Another is getting to use the full power of the device, as almost every device that has both unbalanced and balanced jacks is able to put out substantially more power over the balanced connection instead.

The one bummer though is when a set of headphones come with a fixed/attached unbalanced cable, so you can't easily swap it out. To get a proper balanced connection on those, that usually means custom modifying it (soldering iron, etc.).

Fortunately, more and more manufacturers these days are using detachable cables, so you can switch between unbalanced and balanced cables as needed.

Awesome. I cancelled the adapters order. Maybe when I add the Schiit Lyr 3 later next year, I'll invest in a balanced cable for the 650.
Maybe using the Q7 as a preamp will allow the filters to be discernably different. Maybe. The filtering options are a mystery.

Chimming in...there's an option in the FiiO Control App to disable all the lights.

Totally forgot about the app until I read your comment.
It would still be very nice to have on the Q7 itself. Rather than fumbling through another device to enable or disable the lights.

More random thoughts:

• The Q7 is hefty. It feels hefty and solid, but I hope to never drop it or bump it on to the floor over the coming years. That would be painful.
• I back the people wanting rotatable screen orientation. With the function on the Q7 itself and not the FiiO phone app.
• @FiiO Willson: At the moment the FiiO android phone app is having a hard time recognizing the Q7 as a device.
  FiiO App (android) -->Settings-->FiiO Control-->+Add a new device--> No selection available for the Q7. (Red circle spinning endlessly)
  
  
  
  

 

[FiiO]

Side note for @FiiO
I like the blue case lights during the day and most of times at night.
I can foresee sometimes at night during bedtime listening wanting them off. Can there be an option to switch them off in some future FW upgrade?
If there's an option to dim the screen, and have the screen timeout to blank, there could be an option to switch off the blue case lights too.

Dear friend,

You could try to adjust the status indicator pattern via the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps?

Best regards

 

[FiiO Willson]

• @FiiO Willson: At the moment the FiiO android phone app is having a hard time recognizing the Q7 as a device.
  FiiO App (android) -->Settings-->FiiO Control-->+Add a new device--> No selection available for the Q7. (Red circle spinning endlessly)
  
  
  

Try to turn on the phone positioning, and then kill the FiiO Control APP.
Finally you can Open FiiO Control App again, and then you should be able to connect

 

[DarginMahkum]

So, the higher level question concerning filters: What is the practical real world purpose for them?
Especially, if the everyday "normal" person cannot discern a difference?

Nothing really, if your main concern is what you hear. They might have measurable differences but that does not mean that differences are audible. If you search, you will find discussions / more information on the subject.

I would also recommend "keeping an open mind" while approaching any reviews or reviewers with suspicion that claim otherwise. Especially any reviewer over the age of 20.

 

[roncruiser]

Anyone can help me here please....

So I'd like to use the DAC on the Q7 to the inputs of a tubed preamp.

The preamp has single ended RCA inputs and balanced XLR inputs.

To connect the Q7 to the preamp, is it just a matter of setting the Q7 to LO?

Then getting the appropriate adapter for the following:

Q7 3.5mm--> preamp RCA adapter for single ended inputs,

or

Q7 4.4mm--> preamp XLR adapter for balanced inputs.

Is it typically done this way? Are there high quality adapters made for TRS to RCA, and TRS to XLR? I don't trust the quality of the adapters I see on Amazon.

Your recommendations, options and opinions appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Anyone can help me here please....

So I'd like to use the DAC on the Q7 to the inputs of a tubed preamp.

The preamp has single ended RCA inputs and balanced XLR inputs.

To connect the Q7 to the preamp, is it just a matter of setting the Q7 to LO?

Then getting the appropriate adapter for the following:

Q7 3.5mm--> preamp RCA adapter for single ended inputs,

or

Q7 4.4mm--> preamp XLR adapter for balanced inputs.

Is it typically done this way? Are there high quality adapters made for TRS to RCA, and TRS to XLR? I don't trust the quality of the adapters I see on Amazon.

Your recommendations, options and opinions appreciated!

Thanks.

You need something like this:
https://ifi-audio.com/products/4-4mm-to-xlr-cable/

 

[roncruiser]

You need something like this:
https://ifi-audio.com/products/4-4mm-to-xlr-cable/

Thanks!

https://audio46.com/products/ifi-4-4-to-xlr-cable
I'm sure the materials are quality based on the price alone.

I found this one...
https://a.co/d/0o9CyBj

 

[gto88]

Thanks!

https://audio46.com/products/ifi-4-4-to-xlr-cable
I'm sure the materials are quality based on the price alone.

I found this one...
https://a.co/d/0o9CyBj

i have those from Amazon, they do the job just fine, no issue.