Fiio X7 Mark II Hi-Res Player Review – The Next Generation Of Portable Audio

The tech makers at Fiio have a new and improved version of the X7 Digital Music Player just in time for the holidays. The X7 Mark II Portable High-Resolution Audio Player is said to be better than ever with more features and better audio quality. I have one of these brand new beauties to test out so I’m going to see what all the hype is about.

In The Box

• Fiio X7 Mark II
• Micro USB Cable
• Coaxial digital adaptor cable
• Tempered glass screen protector (already applied)
• Clear case
• Micro SD Ejector Pin
• Leatherette case
• Warranty card
• Quick Start Guide

Features

The Fiio X7 Mark II Digital Audio Player is packed full with features. Let’s take a look at some of the most noteworthy features and then I’ll give my thoughts on my favorites.

Play order: The Fiio X7 Mark II can play all your music according to the standard hierarchy of Folders including all Genres, Artists, Albums and songs. This applies to playlists too. It also supports gapless playback.

Play modes: sequential, shuffle, loop single, loop all

Library management: supports deleting songs on the X7 Mark II, customizing list of favorite songs and playlists, batch addition and deletion from various lists, deletion of folders, Bluetooth connection and playlist backup

Custom album art images: Customize album art for your entire music library

Visualizations: X7 Mark II supports display of internal / external / folder-based album art, ID3 tag info and VU meters

Equalizer: 10-band equalizer with 9 built-in genre EQ’s, built-in ViPER Effect

Cloud music: The Fiio X7 Mark II supports cloud based music and is DLNA certified

WiFi: The X7 Mark II supports cloud base music and apps via WiFi 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands

Apps: Many music apps are supported including TIDAL, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube Music and more.

Amp Module: The X7 Mark II includes the AM3A amp module with single ended and balanced headphone outputs. This module uses the AD8620 JFET operational amplifier as well as the OPA926 op-amp. The AM3A amp module can be swapped for any of the other compatible Fiio X7 amp modules.

Firmware updates: The Fiio X7 Mark II supports firmware updates via zip files, SD card, or OTA push notification

Expansion Slots: You get 2 Micro SD expansion slots capable of 256GB cards. This will give you a max storage of 576GB of music at a time.

What I Like

Quick User Interface

The first thing I notice about the Fiio X7 Mark II DAP is the speed of the interface. The 2GB of RAM seem to get the X7 running with the kind of quickness I want. There’s no arduous delays as I skim through the touchscreen menu. Perusing tracks on my micro SD card is quick and opening up apps like Spotify or Tidal is easy.

Android Apps

Another thing I really like about the X7 Mark II is the access to WiFi and Android ready applications. Audiophiles these days want access to more than just their personal music catalog. There’s a world of audio online and apps like Soundcloud, YouTube Music, Tidal and Spotify are the way to get there. Being able to access these apps via the X7 DAP interface and listen to cloud based music is a game changer.

Easy Button Access

The Fiio X7 Mark II makes is easy to play, pause, skip tracks and adjust volume directly from the lock screen. The X7 will also respond to inline headphone controls the same way. This is a very handy feature indeed.

Large Storage Capacity

I have a ton of music and it will likely never fit on any smartphone. The Fiio X7 Mark II has 64GB of internal storage as well as 2 micro SD card slots capable of 256GB each. This gives me access to plenty of music for a long trip to work or a longer trip to the other side of the world. And with additional micro SD cards I can travel with an unlimited amount of music.

Interchangeable Amp

The AM3A amp included with the Fiio X7 Mark II is a total audiophile treat. Having a standard 3.5mm plus a balanced 11.5mm headphone jack and micro USB make the AM3A a worthwhile addition to a nice Hi-Res player. And the fact that the amp can be removed and switched out with another amp gives you total audiophile control of your sound.

High Resolution Sound

Anybody can brag about their DAC chip and op-amp but it’s the sound that counts and the Fiio X7 Mark II sounds as good as it looks. Playing lossless or uncompressed files is exquisite. Streaming audio from apps like Soundcloud and Spotify you’ll even notice a marked difference from your smartphone or built-in computer sound card. Overall it’s a nice, clean, balanced sound with no noticeable noise floor.

Transfer Your Playlists

If you’ve got a ton of playlists on your home computer through iTunes or some other software you’ll probably want to transfer them to your Fiio X7 M2. It’s not an instantaneous process but it is fairly easy to do. First you’ll need to export your playlists as m3u files. Then you’ll need to reconfigure the folder hierarchy to reflect the drive and folder names on your microSD card. There’s a handy piece of software called M3U Dropper that makes this task much easier. You can find a link to it here. -> M3U Dropper Playlist Software

Overview

The Fiio X7 Mark II is a true heavy hitter in the world of portable digital audio players. It’s sleek, well designed and jam packed with features that audiophiles want. Priced at just under $650 the X7 Mark II DAP is good enough for the seasoned audiophile or even a beginner. The easy to use interface works just like most smartphones and tablets so the learning curve is minimal. And the controls are intuitive and ergonomic. If you’re looking for a really nice portable Hi-Res audio player with a little something extra, consider the Fiio X7 Mark II High Resolution Music Player.

Get the best price on the Fiio X7 Mark II from these online retailers:
Audio46 Headphone Store: Fiio X7 Mark II High Resolution Music Player
Amazon: Fiio X7 Mark II High Resolution Music Player

Specifications

Color: Titanium
Dimensions / Weight: 128.7mm x 67.2mm x 15.5mm
Display: 3.97″ IPS TFT touchscreen, 480 x 800 pixels
Material: CNC aluminum alloy
Battery Life: Approx 8-hours
Buttons: Left Side (Play/Pause, Prev/Next), (Volume Knob +/-), Top (Power)
DAC: DAC ES9028 PRO
SoC: Powerful quad-core Cortex A9 SoC Rockship RK3188
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 64GB internal
USB: 2.0
Android OS: Customized Android 5.1
Bluetooth: 4.1 (aptX)