Q3 is also Apple MFi (Made For iDevices) certified meaning that it will work exceptional with any of their portable or desktop units. It is USB-C certified too, meeting standard specifications to ensure a wider compatibility with Android smart devices. The various DAC/Amps were partnered to a MacBook Pro, or an iPAD, or a Samsung S10, all were ROON enabled, with the Meze 99 Classics, the FiiO FH5, and the VISION EARS EVE2020 as selected headphones / IEMs. The FiiO Q3 was partner to the iOs brothers—iPhone and iPad—and output through the following IEMs and headphones—iBasso IT00, FiiO FH5, Meze 99 Classics, and the VISION EARS EVE2020. FiiO Q3 uses the highly reputed THX AAA Amplifier Technology. Previously used for the replaceable amplification module for the Q5s, FiiO this time they used it at the heart of their Q3. The fully balanced THX amp module has a patented feed-forward error correction topology paired with rigorous OP-Amp components. It helps the Q3 to achieve a powerful output capability. The Q3 also shows low distortion, rich bass, and an overall outstanding music experience.

In terms of power the Hip-DAC's balanced headphone output (400mW) has an edge over the Q3 at 32Ω (300mW) and an edge at 600Ω with 66.15mW to the Q3's 35mW, prior to "Gain" boost. The Gain boost, however, increases the Q3's power to 100mW. The FiiO Q3 decodes to DSD512 and samples to 768kHz/32-bit, while the Hip-DAC decodes to DSD256 and samples to 384kHz/32-bit. Suffice to say, that either will play 100% of the Qobuz catalog. However, only the Hip-DAC will decode Tidal's MQA files, while the FiiO Q3 will not and for some this may well be the differentiating factor. This is one of the tightest calls that I have yet to make on two pieces of equipment from the perspective of sound and technology and cost. The XMOS XU208 is a 32-bit multicore microcontroller that brings the low latency and timing determinism of the xCORE architecture to mainstream embedded applications. While just finishing my Hip-Dac review before taking the Q3 into testing but the Fiio didn't disappoint with most things in fact it worked much cleaner with IEMs even my Higher impedance headphones worked to a decent point but don't expect miracles its a portable after all and they all don't have the XP5's amazing power. The Q3 seems well suited to low Ohm cans and IEMs even sensitive ones. The Q3’s bottom face from left to right (oriented for reading) features 1) a Bass Boost toggle-button (Off/On) 2) a Gain/Filter pushbutton 3) a USB-C port for both charging and data transfer and 4) a Charge toggle-button (Off/On). A short press of the Gain/Filter pushbutton switches between low/high gain (light on), while a double-tap allows one to cycle between sharp and slow roll-off filters.Last but least, the FiiO Q3 is provided with a line input, where you can connect your own DAC or DAP. This way, you can bypass the DAC and just use the embedded amp, to pump up the power. Shoutout to Sunny Wong from FiiO for sending me the Q3 to test and review. While I always appreciate the chance to test and review products sent in from manufacturers, it never affects my review. The lower treble region is slightly more emphasized and detailed compared to the upper treble area, which sound otherwise pretty good in this regarding. The general treble presentation is controlled and well adjusted, so that it doesn’t tire your ears even after longer listening periods. Instruments like hi-hats pronounced and do shows a good level of extension, while crash and ride cymbals are fast and detailed. Treble range has a very good speed in metal and jazz music and shows a good amount of intensity and brightness in genres such as EDM or Pop without to disturb your ears.

While FiiO touts the Q3 as having a THX AAA amplifier, known for their low distortion, I don’t consider balanced amplification to provide anything superior to a good single-ended design, and in and of itself wont necessarily make a cheaper product perform better than a more expensive single-ended design. It would make more sense that portable equipment all be single-ended, but as enthusiasts have gotten themselves all excited over “going balanced” for years, the manufacturers have had to follow suit. Mids gave me no issues and everything came through super clear and detailed. Vocals were a pleasure to listen to as well. I never ran into sibilance with female vocals on brighter mid focused headphones.Treble: Honestly seems neutral and very detailed without added boost or harshness, it mirrored the source well. Once more, this new product fits in the brands Jade Audio sub-category. A sub-brand advertised as a new quality/price queen. But I’ll let the brand’s marketing team explain that for me: Top end is on the clinical side. Nowhere near as bright or cold as the M11 but details were very good coming through without ever becoming harsh. I really liked the way drums came through as well as other high frequency instruments. There is still a nice sparkle up top but it holds well on not crossing into a splashy treble territory. The bass response is very fast, from percussion instruments like drums up to the guitars in metal music. Electro- and Bass guitars do have a good level of rumble, speed and depth, while the bow pulls of the contrabass that can produce a high level of rumble/vibrations are pretty audible. The sides of the device do have a curved shape that makes it comfortable to hold in your hand. On the top of the device are the FiiO and the Hi-Res Audio logos in white color.

One more note, the Q3 does support MQA, but I do not use Tidal or a similar service that delivers MQA; I use Apple Music which does support Lossless but not MQA. So I did not test this feature. Battery Life All in all, a very solid piece of work that inspires confidence and really gives a good impression. Comfort and Specifications Daily use The FiiO Q3 has a pretty large stage for a precise and clear placement and separation of instrument and vocals. The neutral tonality and the wideness of the stage do help to make a quite spacious and airy atmosphere. The soundstage shows a good level of wideness, while the depth is on an average level. Las siguientes marcas NO están disponibles para envío internacional: Abyss, AKG, ALO Audio, Astell & Kern, Audeze, Audio-Technica, Blon, Bluesound, Bowers & Wilkins, As for the pairing, the FiiO Q3 and iFi Hip DAC 2 should work well for most people but also depends on your listening device. The DAC 2 is not ideal for sensitive headphones or monitors. Its balanced output is 400Mw@32Ohm; 6.3V@600Ohm, and if you have a headphone that is more on the sensitive side and prefers to listen to the music in a quiet tone, the DAC will be too loud. But, on the other hand, it is better if your can is very demanding. FiiO Q3 and iFi Hip DAC 2 ConnectivityFiiO offers with the Q3 a very compact and affordable DAC/Amplifier with great specs like the THX AAA28 Amplifier Module or the XMOS208 Chip for Native DSD up to 512x and lots of output options that has been crowned with a sound capability that performs wide above its price tag. A headphone DAC and amp are not a requirement to enjoy the sound from your various devices, but sometimes they can help. Many mobile devices have a DAC (digital audio converter) built into their included dongles, which work reasonably well. But for serious audio listeners, with serious headphones, a DAC/amp like the FiiO Q3 is going to enhance the audio experience further. 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. Overall sound profile is natural and pleasant with an even tonal balance and good extension just rolling off at the extremities of both ends. Mids: The Midrange presents very clear and detailed , vocals had a good presentation with no sibilance even on boarder line IEMs.

At the other end of the device there is the data/charging usb type C port plus three extra buttons. If you think about it, every musical instrument has its birth, grows its shape, as it chooses its skin—metal, wood, glass, reeds—and develops its own unique tone / timbre. Though there are various families—woodwinds, brass, strings, keyboard, idiophones, friction instruments, and percussion—that share, within families, similar to overlapping voices. And there are literally hundreds of different instruments with unique voices. Perhaps, the various HiFi and headgear companies in world are much like musical instrument makers, in that they attempt to give a voice—warm, neutral, bright, detailed, Class A, transparent, a combination thereof—and a form—tubed, solid-state, reflex loaded, planar, etc.—to their various creations, recreations. Think of a company. Now think of its voice and its form. They all have voices, they all have forms. This brings us to a relatively new voice and form for me—FiiO. The dac chip used is AKM's new efficient AK4462 with decoding support up to 768kHz/32bit PCM and DSD512. Not surprisingly, while the drive of the IEMs was excellent, the level of detail retrieval from music with which I had a lot of experience, such as Jazz in the New Harmonic by David Chesky, which has the most incredibly nuanced percussion, from the Q3 was not as good as with either FiiO’s higher offerings, such as the M11 Pro, or other more expensive DAC/amps, such as the iFi xDSD or Chord Mojo. It has digital volume control, just like the Q1 mk2, which is a must have for me. In this case, there's a potentiometer but the analog audio signal doesn't pass through it, it's encoded to digital and then the digital value is used to control the output volume. This ensures there's no channel unbalance, which is a common thing when the signal passes through a potentiometer, specially with low volumes

As far as portable DACs go, FiiO's Q3 is one of the better ones I've tried. Especially at this price range, this thing is a serious contender. The way it simply yet elegantly enhances the sound was a great surprise for me. If you're looking for Hifi listening on the go without destroying your bank account, then the FiiO Q3 is definitely for you. I'm very excited about how FiiO will improve in the future. I used the Sennheiser HD 58X headphones to test the Q3. I also used the AirPods Max and the Bowers & Wilkins Px8, but both of those are less than 40ohm headphones. While the sound quality was better with the Q3 on those headphones, it was significantly more noticeable on the 150ohm HD 58X. Soundstage: was naturally open but average and perhaps a little more intimate than other THX amplifiers I have. The imaging is better than average with detail and accuracy to spare. Perhaps these two beautifully designed pieces of FiiO equipment were voiced together, as they scaled exceptionally well, provided tight, prodigious bass, a beautiful midrange, increased transparency, and a smooth, sibilance free treble. There is nothing to complain about given the level of musical engagement and the technicalities that this combination provides. One of the best features of FiiO's Q line is the use of an analogue potentiometer volume knob that is very much to our liking.