[FiiO]

From the R&D engineer:
DAC and headphone amplifiers used to be the leading products in the FiiO line. At the peak period, there were 2 complete product lines. However, we did not release any new ones because of influences from portable music players, USB audio adapters and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. And due to chip shortage, old models, including the Q1MKII, Q3 and Q5s, are all out of production currently.
The Q3 MQA coming this time is literally not a new product, but only a product with small changes due to chip shortage. It is for meeting the needs of users, providing them with another option other than music players and USB dongles.


A new start with classics, here are the main characteristics of the Q3 MQA:
1. Potent decoding capacity, all-new XMOS XU316
The chip shortage caused supply shortage of products. Therefore, the Q3 MQA edition applies the all-new highly-processed XMOS XU316, which is also XMOS' strategic chip to enter the AI market. Including 16 cores, it is accurately calculated yet with lower power consumption.

2. MQA support for high-quality sound
With the help of the strong XMOS XU316, the MQA function is added. When using the Q3 MQA with a music app that supports MQA, we can totally dive into a master-quality music experience.

3. Higher performance, lower power consumption
Knowing that the production of the AK4462 will not be resumed, our R&D team decided to use the similar AK4552 after doing corresponding research and assessments. Our engineers worked hard on improving the audio performance and indicators to the same level as the previous model. The distortion performance is even more stable among all frequencies and the headphone amp power output has been improved by 10%.

4. Upgrade using experience, all-new strapping kit
The all-new strapping kit designed to bundle together the Q3 MQA Edition to your phone greatly improves upon the experience from before. The high-transparency straps no longer block the display of your phone. Meanwhile, there are innovative X-shaped straps included, which can expose more display of the phone and further increase the operating area.

Keep features of the Q3 MQA include:
--All-new XMOS XU316 chip
--Efficient AK4452 DAC
--THX AAA-28x2 amps
--Fully supports MQA decoding
--Dual power supply design
--All-new strapping kit
--ADC volume adjustment
--RGB indicator
--Two gain levels
--BASS boost
--2.5/3.5/4.4mm outputs

*The Q3 MQA Edition is available on our AliExpress Official Store. Click the link below to take it home right away. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004433444465.html

Best regards,
Guangzhou FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.

 

[dsrk]

Bluetooth would have helped a lot than MQA. I think the market is too crowded with portable DAC/AMPs and dongles.
That ouput power is not enough to beat your own BTR5 IMO.

 

[darmanastartes]

Will you make the strap available for purchase separately?

 

[LordBorg]

Another missed opportunity: this would have been a perfect product for MagSafe compatibility.

 

[XERO1]

Output Power: Up to 160mW(32Ω, SE), up to 370mW(32Ω, Bal)

MSRP - $149.99

 

[ljnew]

From the R&D engineer:
DAC and headphone amplifiers used to be the leading products in the FiiO line. At the peak period, there were 2 complete product lines. However, we did not release any new ones because of influences from portable music players, USB audio adapters and Bluetooth DAC/Amps. And due to chip shortage, old models, including the Q1MKII, Q3 and Q5s, are all out of production currently.
The Q3 MQA coming this time is literally not a new product, but only a product with small changes due to chip shortage. It is for meeting the needs of users, providing them with another option other than music players and USB dongles.


A new start with classics, here are the main characteristics of the Q3 MQA:
1. Potent decoding capacity, all-new XMOS XU316
The chip shortage caused supply shortage of products. Therefore, the Q3 MQA edition applies the all-new highly-processed XMOS XU316, which is also XMOS' strategic chip to enter the AI market. Including 16 cores, it is accurately calculated yet with lower power consumption.

2. MQA support for high-quality sound
With the help of the strong XMOS XU316, the MQA function is added. When using the Q3 MQA with a music app that supports MQA, we can totally dive into a master-quality music experience.

3. Higher performance, lower power consumption
Knowing that the production of the AK4462 will not be resumed, our R&D team decided to use the similar AK4552 after doing corresponding research and assessments. Our engineers worked hard on improving the audio performance and indicators to the same level as the previous model. The distortion performance is even more stable among all frequencies and the headphone amp power output has been improved by 10%.

4. Upgrade using experience, all-new strapping kit
The all-new strapping kit designed to bundle together the Q3 MQA Edition to your phone greatly improves upon the experience from before. The high-transparency straps no longer block the display of your phone. Meanwhile, there are innovative X-shaped straps included, which can expose more display of the phone and further increase the operating area.

Keep features of the Q3 MQA include:
--All-new XMOS XU316 chip
--Efficient AK4452 DAC
--THX AAA-28x2 amps
--Fully supports MQA decoding
--Dual power supply design
--All-new strapping kit
--ADC volume adjustment
--RGB indicator
--Two gain levels
--BASS boost
--2.5/3.5/4.4mm outputs

*The Q3 MQA Edition is available on our AliExpress Official Store. Click the link below to take it home right away. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004433444465.html

Best regards,
Guangzhou FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.

No mention of output power usually means it's pretty low

 

[Physis]

I think the q3 is a pretty old device. Simple mqa support and slight performance improvements do not seem to be a big benefit.

 

[warrenpchi]

It's a product revision, largely to account for component supply, and not a generational update per se. It offers lower power consumption, higher output power, and MQA support (for those who value that). And as @XERO1 pointed out, it's only $149 USD. If I were in the market for a portable DAC/amp, I'd consider this a steal, or at least a really good deal.

 

[rush1]

Will you make the strap available for purchase separately?

I second this...

 

[FiiO]

Bluetooth would have helped a lot than MQA. I think the market is too crowded with portable DAC/AMPs and dongles.
That ouput power is not enough to beat your own BTR5 IMO.

Dear dsrk,

Thanks for the kind feedback. The Q3 MQA coming this time is literally not a new product, but only a product with small changes due to chip shortage. It is for meeting the needs of users, providing them with another option other than music players and USB dongles.

Best regards

 

[FiiO]

Will you make the strap available for purchase separately?

Dear darmanastartes,

You could contact us via support@fiio.com if you would like to get one.

Best regards

 

[FiiO]

No mention of output power usually means it's pretty low

Dear ljnew,

You could check this form for help:

Headset Output Part Performance Parameters (3.5mm)output power

175mW(16Ω,THD+N<1%)

160mW(32Ω,THD+N<1%)

18mW(300Ω,THD+N<1%)

balanced output part (4.4mm/2.5mm,UAC IN) output power

280mW(16Ω,THD+N<1%)

330mW(32Ω,THD+N<1%)

40mW(300Ω,THD+N<1%)

Best regards

 

[whitedragem]

As someone holding a mk2 of this product in my hand, right now,.. I cannot begin to say how useful these parts are for boosting a game controller (or Nintendo portable console etc) to having 'much better sound' for 'bigger headphones'.
For the budget price point paid I have always thought this a great part, and whilst I have quite a few 'much bigger' DAC/amp units, for lightweight 'in your lap' gaming, these are the goto and the boost in bass quality/quantity that a wee little unit like this can bring to the table means I generally wouldn't want to game without one..

Glad that the part got a refresh given how difficult it can be keeping product lines in retail in the present retail market.
FiiO have been missing in quite a few of their tiers for 'too long'.
Glad ye are back!!

 

[o0genesis0o]

That ouput power is not enough to beat your own BTR5 IMO.

It’s just the single ended output of this amp is nearly as strong as the balanced output of BTR5?

 

[r31ya]

80mw vs 160 mw
220mw vs 330 mw
Fairly more powerful than btr5

Do the charge off mode is battery bypass? so the power used is supplied by the laptop/desktop usbc in and not from the battery?