Acho Reviews (by SenyorC) - "bits and bobs"

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I’m going to leave this review here as I don’t hink it needs its own thread but it doesn’t really fit in any other thread either. Unless you think we should start a generic dongle thread?

Anyway, for now…

7Hz 71


TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - 7Hz 71

The 7Hz 71 is a dongle DAC that seems to have gone fairly unnoticed, at least I hadn’t heard anything about it until I ended up purchasing it out of pure coincidence. I was actually purchasing something else and to meet the free shipping minimum order, I saw it on sale for around 20€ (if I remember correctly) and added it to the cart.

It has sat unopened for quite some time as I sort of forgot about it. I kept seeing it when I was grabbing something else and it wasn’t until this week, when I was grabbing a couple of dongles for a test, that I decided to finally open it and give it a test.

As this was purchased, I am not going to link to any specific store but it seems to be available on all the usual stores, priced around 30€. Its also available on Amazon in some countries and on Aliexpress (although I did see it was more expensive on AE).

Anyways, here are my impressions of this rather budget friendly dongle DAC from the brand who are better known for their IEMs.


Presentation…

The packaging is a simple cardboard sleeve that shows the dongle on the front and a picture of the internal board on the back. There are no specs shown on the packaging, just the brand and model. There is a small logo in the top corner that says “1st - 2022”, but I am not sure what it was actually first in/at.

Removing the sleeve reveals the dongle covered by a transparent plastic sheet and that is about it. There is actually a card inside the box that does show some specs, which are as follows:

DAC: AK4377

THD+N: -108dB/0.0004% (32 Ohms)

1Vrms (32 Ohms)

70mW @32 Ohms

120dB

20Hz-40kHz

PCM 32bit/384kHz

DSD DoP DSD128,DSD64

There’s really not much more to say, copying the specs was more of a content filler than anything else :wink:


Build and aesthetics…

The dongle isn’t tiny but it is still rather compact, smaller than many other dongles that I have tried out in the past. Completely made of metal, it is not heavy although it does have a little bit of weight to it, giving that sensation of being well built.

Although it is quite simple in it’s build, 7Hz have given it a touch of aesthetics on the face, with a raised center section that features a single, blue, LED (which I have to say is rather bright). The 7Hz logo is shown in white in the center of the raised section, with a sort of robotic shape to the surrounding area.

The cable is fixed, with a 4cm flat section of cable before terminating in a USB-C connector that also shows the 7Hz logo. I am not sure how long the cable will stand up to abuse in a pocket but with it being flat, it allows for it to be bent and attach the dongle to the back of your phone etc.

I honestly have no complaints with the build or aesthetics with this dongle for the price. No, it is not something that stands out as being beautiful but it does have something going on to break up the simple black box.


Functionality…

There really isn’t much I can say here. You plug it into your device and away you go. I have tried it on various systems, Android and Windows, without any issues of it being recognized.

There is no volume control on the dongle, so you will need to be careful when plugging it in to a Windows device, as Windows has the habit of setting these things to full volume (not this dongle but many dongles).

I have to say that the power draw of this device is pretty impressive, being similar to the Apple Dongle in this regard, with the battery of phones not seeming to drop any quicker than if we were using the normal headphone output of the device (for those devices that still have a headphone output).

The dongle does get a little warm after a while but by no means does it get hot. I think if they lost the LED, it would not get warm at all and the battery consumption would be even less.

Just as a note for those of you that care, the 71 does not decode MQA.


Sound…

I have to say that I was expecting less from the 71 when I first plugged it in. I obviously had no idea what it would be like as I had never seen anyone speak about it but I was dubious about a 30€ unbalanced dongle that hadn’t found any fame amongst forums (at least that I have seen).

As I mentioned a moment ago, this dongle uses the AKM AK4377 chip, which has been around for quite some time (info dates back to at least 2018) and has been used in quite a few dongle DAC devices and some compact DAPs (such as the Fiio M5). Some of these devices have received a lot of praise, such as the Lotoo PAW S2, which was released in late 2021 and is still a very popular device today.

I mention this because it is not always about having the latest chip for something to be good, in fact, it’s very rarely about the chip, it’s more about the implementation. This is something that I have found with many devices that use what some would consider “old technology” but prove that, when done right, they are capable of achieving a great outcome. I feel that the 7Hz 71 has proved this once again but at a much lower price point.

Ok, this is not exactly a power dongle, I wouldn’t choose it to run my planar headphones, but as an option for IEMs, or even some of my easier to drive over ears, it does a very satisfactory job.

The sound is very neutral, with a hint of coolness but without ever seeming to be harsh or bright. When starting to listen to the 71, I grabbed the IE600 (just because I had them at the side of me) with the custom tips and the result was great. There was nothing about the sound of the IE600 that sounded “off” or “wrong”, with the bass being fast and punchy, and the details shining through as they should with these IEMs.

I tried quite a few of the IEMs I had on hand and the 71 performed well with all of them. If I had to pick a negative one, it would be with the Hifiman Svanar, but even then it is not really a negative, just not quite as good as I am used to it being. I have been listening to the Svanar mostly paired with the M15 but I fell in love with it paired with the Cayin N7 lately and swapping to the 71 just took away some of the beauty of the sound of these IEMs. Obviously neither comparison is fair, as the M15 is a 200€ dongle and the N7 is a 2000€ DAP, and it is not like the differences are in any way suggestive of the price differences, but it was a noticeable step down in the overall presentation of these IEMs (which we need to remember are 60 Ohm with 100dB sensitivity, so it is asking quite a lot from the not so powerful 71).

A set of headphones that I like to use on dongles to give me an idea of performance are the Koss KPH40. These cheap headphones are something I have found to show quite a bit of difference between sources, especially portable ones. They never sound “bad” (and with the 71 this stays true) but I do find that the clarity of bass and the presence of air can change quite a bit. With the 7Hz dongle, I did find that some of that clean punch was lost, with the highs not being quite as open and clear as with other options. By this I don’t mean that there is a huge difference, they are still good sounding headphones powered by the 71, just not as exciting as they are from some other dongle options.


Conclusion…

The 7Hz 71 dongle is a cheap, ultra portable, dongle DAC that has a surprisingly neutral and present sound. I would not really suggest it for over ear headphones, especially those that are not extremely easy to drive, but with IEMs it is a very good performer for very little money.

I have a bunch of dongles (they seem to be breeding) from different manufacturers and at very different price points, and while I wouldn’t say that the 71 has suddenly beaten them all, I would have absolutely no issue using it, much less recommending it.

If you are looking for a very budget friendly dongle and you don’t need balanced (let’s face it, most of us don’t really need balanced), to pair with a decent set of IEMs, then I think the 71 is a great option.

As always, this review can be found in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

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Nice review, @SenyorC. What are some of the other dongles and donglettes you plan to review? I grabbed a no-name $34 one off Amazon because it looked like the braided wire was sturdier than the Apple Dongle. Never thought to “review” it. Been using the iFi-Go-Link as the base give-away dongle. But at this size (not price) it’s not far from the L&P W4 (no I won’t ship you mine for a review, but if you’re in the area…).

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Apple’s second biggest recent mistake was dropping the iPhone’s internal headphone jack, as it cripples the phone with common legacy non-Bluetooth 3.5mm equipment. (Apple’s biggest recent mistake was the 2015-2020 “butterfly” keyboard.)

As such, charger/headphone dongles interest me for non-audiophile needs. E.g.:

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In the near future, probably the S9 Pro Plus. Maybe, if I get chance, I might try and spend some more time with the VE dongles.

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I have one of those Belkin ones but I have only used it on Android and it was pretty terrible (I think I have an FR graph of it somewhere and it isn’t pretty).

Don’t know about it with Apple.

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I have one of those. It’s Okay for low-fi, but you’re better off with a camera card 3 style one that gives you charging plus a USB for your own DAC.

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And car usage becomes comic humor. Cables and adapters and adapters everywhere. Some cars have a 3.5mm aux input with superior performance to Bluetooth. I like keeping my phone plugged in while using maps navigation so the screen doesn’t turn off. But…plugging in removes the option of using Apple’s audio dongle. So… iPhone → Camera Adapter → (a) USB charger cable and (b) mobile DAC cable → aux input cable. In. a. car. while. moving.

Apple screwed up by dropping the 3.5mm jack. Bring back the jack.

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It’s the end of the year and time for the usual recap of 2023, taking a look at the items that I have enjoyed the most during this year.
To make it a bit different, I have decided to do the first ever Acho Awards, probably the least relevant awards of the year!

Just a reminder that this is just for fun, do not take it too seriously and remember that these are not necessarily the best products on the market, just those that I, a random person on the interwebz, has enjoyed the most out of those I have tried this year.

Usually I would post the full text and then a TLDR video on the Acho Reviews English YouTube channel, however, this time I’m afraid that the full awards are in video format only…

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@SenyorC I enjoyed the “Acho Awards” very much. Just the right blend of seriousness and humor. I also enjoy your regular reviews, you seem to see much of the audio world the same as me. :grinning:

Happy New Year to the good people of Spain!

Mark Gosdin

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As I am not sure that this will gain much traction with it’s own thread and I am also no expert on earbuds, I will leave this review here…

Dunu Alpha 3


TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Dunu Alpha 3

The Dunu Alpha 3 have been sent to me as part of a tour organized by Dunu on HeadFi. Dunu have not requested anything specific and I will do my best to be unbiased in my opinions.

The official page for the Alpha 3 can be found here: https://www.dunu-topsound.com/product-page/alpha-3

As always, this is a non affiliate link.


Intro…

I really haven’t reviewed many buds, or flathead earbuds to be precise, no do I have a very vast experience with them. I do appreciate some of the qualities they bring to the table in comparison to IEMs but I also dislike some of the negatives (to me) that they bring.

There is no doubt that there are some earbuds out there that can provide some excellent sound quality but they usually come at the expense of isolation, lack of bass and discomfort, again, to me personally. This means that, although I am trying to be as unbiased in my evaluation of the Alpha 3 as possible, I do find myself having to make an effort to actually spend time with earbuds. There are many people who are big fans of earbuds and can give much better comparisons than I can, all I can do is give my opinion on what I feel when listening to the Alpha 3.


Presentation…

I recently reviewed the Falcon Ultra, a set of IEMs that were also included in the Dunu tour (great IEMs by the way!), and the packaging of the Alpha 3 is very similar.

A rather simple outer sleeve (although this one does have an image of the buds on it) slides away to reveal a simple black box inside of which we find the same transport/storage case that is included with the Falcon Ultra. As I said in my review of the IEMs, I think this is my favourite Dunu case so far, as it is spacious and rather elegant.

Inside the case we find the buds with their fixed cable ending in a 3.5mm TRS connector, although I understand that there is also a 4.4mm balanced option if you prefer. Personally I would have liked it to have the interchangeable connector like on the Q-Lite cable, with bonus points for detaching from the buds, but the price (around 80€) is obviously lower and I understand them not including it.

Underneath the case we get an accessories box which includes a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, a bag full of foam pads and another full of donut pads (basically foam pads with the center missing. We get a cleaning brush and the usual documentation.

As I said, very similar to the Falcon Ultra which I praised at over 200€, so no complaints here at 80€, even if we do get less contents.


Build and aesthetics…

I don’t know enough about buds to say if the design of the Alpha 3 is unique or not but it is completely made of metal with a rather modern design to it. There is a small silver filter on the top of the stems, which are completely black.

The cable is also similar to that of the Falcon Ultra (although not interchangeable) and the titanium colour scheme works well with the black buds. The splitter and connector, both metal, are more of a silver colour which looks good but I think black would have matched the buds a little better. You can tell I don’t have much to say when I start talking about the colour of the connectors :blush:

I really can’t comment too much on comfort as it has been quite some time since I used buds, so they do feel weird in my ears, but they stay where they are supposed to and they are not as uncomfortable as some other designs I have tried in the past.

In general, I can’t really complain about anything in the build category as they are well built. I can’t really complain about anything in the comfort category as I am not really used to them. And I can’t complain about anything in the aesthetics category because they do look good.


Sound…

I am not going to share a graph of them because the way of measring them is quite different to IEMs (or headphones) and because I don’t have any other sets on hand to compare against and make sure I am measuring correctly, I don’t trust my measurements enough to share them. Therefore, you are going to have to put up with just my subjective opinions.

First the subbass and, as is to be expected, there isn’t a whole lot of it. This isn’t really a fault of the Alpha 3. Subbass is dependent upon either a good seal, which is not something that earbuds offer, or a large displacement of air, which is not possible with such a small driver. Therefore, do not expect these earbuds to rumble your eardrums. I don’t know if there are models of earbuds out there that can manage to do this, if there are, I haven’t heard them. Therefore, the lack of subbass is something I expect and not something I am complaining about.

The midbass is a different story. There is more presence of midbass than there is of subbass, again to be expected, but it is the quality of the midbass that is the positive thing here. Midbass is clean and articulate, while also being very realistic. I found myself preferring the full foam pads rather than the donut style, which do make it a little more rounded in the low end but I found that this worked very well for my enjoyment of these earbuds.

The lower mids are also very clean and articulate, which a good sensation of detail and a very realistic timbre. Instruments such as acoustic guitars sound very life like and there is no additional boomyness to them, staying clean and detailed in their low end.

As we move higher up in the ranges, the upper mids are where these buds place their focus, although I did find that the full foams took some of that focus away. Vocals are again nicely detailed and realistic, although I found once more that the full foams were preferable to my ears, giving a bit more lushness to some of my favourite female vocals. With the donuts, things were still good but a little more brittle in this area.

The extension into the upper ranges does lack a little, especially with the foams, but not enough to feel like you are missing something. It is more a sensation of things not being quite as airy as they should be, although they do maintain detail well, which stops them from becoming dull.

Soundstage is good due to the natural performance of buds in this regard. 99% of the time you will get better soundstage from a set of earbuds than from a set of IEMs, just due to the way they sit in your ears. This is one of the main things I find with earbuds, you trade some of that low end power in exchange for a more open and spacious sound.


Conclusion…

I am going to repeat the fact that I am not an expert on earbuds in any way, shape or form. Therefore, please take my opinions with and even bigger grain of salt than my usual reviews. Saying that, I feel that the Alpha 3 are a very pleasurable set of earbuds.

I find them to sound natural and realistic with a lot of my preffered music (a lot of female vocals and acoustic instruments) and I find them to give a very good sensation of detail and spaciousness. They are lacking a little in the upper treble and they are obviously not a good choice if you are going to listen to EDM with plenty of subbass content, but for more instrumental things and general pop etc. I think they do a pretty good job.

While I would love to say if I recommend them or not, the only thing I can really recommend is that, if you are interested in a set of buds, check some reviews of the Alpha 3 by people who know what they are talking about. In fact, I think I may just do the same and see how different my opinion is to theirs!

As usual, if you want to brush up on your Spanish, this review is also available in Español both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

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Fosi Audio SK02


TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Fosi Audio SK02

The Fosi Audio SK02 is the latest device released by the brand and has been sent to me directly by Fosi Audio for me to try it out and to share my opinions in this review. Fosi have not made any requests except for asking if I could publish my review around the 26th of February, which is when the product will be officially released. It is currently available (at the time of putting this review together) on Kickstarter as a preorder (for around 65€).

Therefore, as always, I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible in my review.

The SK02 is available from various sources that I will leave links to on my blog.

As usual, links that I share are non-affiliate.


Intro…

Fosi Audio are not a new brand, they have been around for a while and produce audio amplifiers and related products at a fairly budget level. They are not the cheapest you can find on places like Amazon or Aliexpress but they are a brand that is serious about what they do and do it at a very reasonable price point.

I previously reviewed the K5 Pro here on the channel and today we have the SK02, which is another DAC/Amp combo but in a different form factor (and with different specs).

This small desktop all in one features and ES9038Q2M DAC chip (I am actually told it uses 2 of them), which has been used in quite a few devices before by many brands. In this case, Fosi have paired it with an SGM8262 OP Amp, which is also something we have seen before in other devices.

The specified power output (according to the Fosi Audio published spec) is 280mW @32Ohm (unbalanced) and 1100mW @32Ohm (balanced). These are quite powerful numbers and are almost double, in the case of the balanced output, to what I have seen specified from other models in the past using the same OP Amps.

But we will talk about power in just a moment, let’s first take a usual look at packaging and presentation.


Presentation…

There is absolutely no doubt that Fosi Audio spend as little as possible on the packaging in order to keep the price down. Well, I guess they could go with just a generic brown box or even just a padded envelope (it wouldn’t be the first time I have received devices packed just in an envelope), so lets say that the go for the cheapest branded packaging they can.

The box is the same a the one used on other Fosi products and shows the Fosi Logo on the front with the model name added by means of a sticker in the top right corner. There are no specs about the product on the box (which is understandable as it is a generic box for multiple products) although it does mention that you have a 30 day return period, 18 month warranty and lifetime technical support. Of course, if you are buying from Amazon here in Europe (or any other European seller), the warranty will be the legal minimum of 2 years or longer, depending on which country you reside/buy it in (Spain is 3 years).

Opening the box reveals a simple foam cutout that contains the DAC/Amp, the user manual and a USB-C to USB-C cable with an attached USB-A adapter.


Build and aesthetics…

The form factor is different to the majority of small all in one DAC/Amp combos as it is focused around having the volume control and information leds on the top of the device. This is a layout that will work better or worse for you depending on how you intend to set up and place the device.

The shell of the device is aluminium in a black finish and while it is not extremely heavy, there is a bit of weight to it to stop it being easily dragged around the desk when in use.

I am a fan of this style of device for places like my work desk as it provides a small form factor that can sit at the side of my keyboard and USB microphone, with easy to access volume control and easy to read status LEDs.

The overall build quality is pretty good, with rubber strips on the bottom to also stop it from sliding easily. The volume knob does have a slight wiggle when rocked side to side but it is not bad and is not really noticeable when using the device, just when actually focusing on rocking the wheel.

The majority of the status LEDs are orange and are bright enough to see but not bright enough to be distracting, something that I am grateful for when having it within eyesight on my desk.

While I wouldn’t say that the SK02 stands out as an incredible build or has eye catchng looks, I do think that it is well built and really can’t fault it for the price range that it sits in.


Functionality…

On the top of the device we have a large volume knob that also serves as a play/pause button and a power switch, at least on Windows 10. The knob is an infinite rotary style, so you can turn it endlessly and the only real feedback in regards to level is the amount of sound coming from your headphones (or speakers). Well, I guess that is not really true, as there is a volume level LED but that is a single LED that works sort of like a clip LED on a console or other device. By this I mean that the LED only really starts to flash as the volume level starts to increase, flashing brighter and longer as the volume increases. It is a nice touch and I appreciate it being included but it really isn’t something that will give you a real idea of the level.

The volume from the SK02 is independent to that of Windows. By this I mean that the setting of the SK02 in the Windows mixer does nothing. No matter the level set, it will allow the full range of the SK02 to be used and turning the volume knob does not adjust volume in the Windows mixer, it is separate amplification on the device itself. This is something very positive in my opinion as you can use exclusive modes in apps like Tidal or Foobar and not have to worry about it blasting sound through your headphones but it also means that you have to reduce volume with the knob and keyboard shortcuts will do nothing (including mute).

The rotary knob is also a push down switch which plays or pauses the music (or Youtube video etc.) when pressed once. A long press of the knob switches the SK02 off, which means you can disconnect the device without having to unplug it. A long press to switch it back on and the device reappears in Windows almost instantly.

Above the knob, the centre of the top panel features 14 mini LEDs. As I said a moment ago, the majority of these are orange, with only the volume status LED being a purple colour and the power LED being green. To be honest, I don’t really see the need for the power LED as there are always other LEDs active when the device is on anyway, but at least it makes the layout symmetrical.

The LEDs are in two columns of 7, with the left column showing (from top to bottom):

High Gain

Low Gain

384 PCM

192 PCM

96 PCM

48 PCM

44.1 PCM

The right hand column, again from top to bottom, shows:

Optical Input

USB Input

256 DSD

128 DSD

64 DSD

Volume level status

Power

These are all identified by small white text which is simple but easily read and nicely laid out.

Above the LEDs, at the top of the panel, there are two push buttons that sit flush with the device. The left button switches the Gain level, while the right button switches between the two input modes.

On the front of the SK02 we find the headphone connectors. These are a 3.5mm unbalanced connection, with a 4.4mm balanced connection below. The 3.5mm connector is slightly off center in comparison to the 4.4mm directly below, I am guessing due to internal space restrictions. This is only really a minor thing to point out and not a complaint as you only really notice it when looking straight at it.

The sides of the device are empty of connections and moving around to the back panel we find a USB-C input, an Optical input and a 3.5mm preamp output. The output is controlled by the volume knob (hence being a “preamp” output) and is muted by inserting headphones into the headphone output.

Something that I discovered while recording the Spanish video review is that the 3,5mm output is also an optical output, allowing the SK02 to feed other systems digitally. This is something that I always find handy and is nice to see on a budget device.

That is about it as far as functionality, plug in your cables, choose your mode and volume level and that’s it, away we go.

The only real comment I have here is that I think a microphone input would have been a good idea for this kind of device, similar to the one on the K5 Pro or maybe even just a TRRS for the 3.5mm to allow the multiconnector to be used. I am not talking about a high end microphone input, just something simple to allow gamers to use their headsets with this device, even if the mic volume would only be controlled in Windows. This is by no means a complaint, just a comment, exactly the same comment I have made with other similar devices in the past.


Sound…

I have not measured the output power of this device and I am still sceptical about the 1100mW claimed for the balanced output but I have to say that it is a very powerful little device. There is no exact volume meter for me to be able to tell you at what volume level I have been using this amplifier but I have certainly not been anywhere near max level with anything I have plugged into it. In fact, as a quick example, if I set the SK02 to full and then raise the volume in Foobar (as the Windows mixer does nothing), with the KPH40 on low gain, my usual listening levels are around -25dB and -15dB starts to be far too loud for me.

As far as sound, I will make my usual disclaimer that differences in sound between sources are usually very minimal, often exaggerated by reviewers to get our point across and most probably more based on our brain’s interpretation than actual differences in sound. Saying that, I find the SK02 to be neutral edging very slightly towards the warm side of neutral. Not warm as in iFi style but certainly not cold and clinical like a THX. I would say it is similar in this style to something like Earmen or maybe Aune, although not quite at that level.

There is no real sensation of it adding anything to the sound, I think it is more that details are ever so slightly rounded, giving it a bit more of a smoother response which means that it is not going to be quite as detailed as some of the other brands and models out there but it is far from being a bad music reproduction.

Testing it with sensitive IEMs I found that, especially as the volume level raises, there is a presence of some background noise. However, I found it difficult to judge if it was the actual noise floor of the amplifier itself or if it was just making the noise of the track more than I am used to. In order to test this further, I used a silent track (basically a recording of silence) and found that I could max the volume with the same IEMs without hearing any of the background hiss, so my conclusion is that, for some reason, it is making the background noise present in recordings a little more noticeable than I am used to.

NOTE: As a safety disclaimer, I strongly recommend that you do not do this test! I was using Foobar with the output via Wasapi to the SK02, which means that “in theory” no other sounds could access the device. However, if something had gone wrong and something that was not silence had managed to play (i.e: another track or a windows notification), then I would probably have damaged both the IEMs and my hearing. Again, please don’t try this at home!

Anyway, back to the sound. As I said, it is neutral edging towards warm and I found that it works pretty well with both IEMs and headphones that are easy to drive, having more power than I would ever need. However, with the KPH40 (60 Ohms & 101dB) and the HD6XX (300 Ohms and 103dB) that, when pushing the volume a little higher, things didn’t seem to be quite as clean, especially when the track had a decent amount of bass. It is not that it sounded terrible, just that they seemed to have a little bit of congestion going on in the upper mids and treble when there is a good amount of bass.

This is something that I did not notice with lower Ohm headphones, even those that have lower sensitivity, nor did I notice it with higher Ohm IEMs, so I am not sure what is going on there. I just get the feeling that things are not quite as clean as they could be in these cases.

I also put some planars to the test with the SK02 and while it did a decent enough job, I did find it struggled to keep up with fast moving bass content on some of them such as the Arya v2. With the Ananda and the Edition X it didn’t suffer as much but I would still say that it lacks enough current to be able to move planar headphones properly, at least those that I have. This is also understandable as it is powered by USB and is a fairly small device.

With IEMs and easier to drive headphones, I found performance to be more than adequate for the vast majority of people who would contemplate having this on their desk.


Conclusion…

Again I find that Fosi Audio offers a device that is going to appeal to a lot of people. I don’t think it is really aimed at the audiophile crowd but more at the general music listener/lover that wants something small and compact for their desktop.

I also think that it is a good option for the gamers out there who use independent headphones and a USB mic. It is plenty powerful and is very easy to adjust on the fly, while taking up about the same amount of real estate as a mouse.

It can also be hooked up to a secondary source via its Optical input, and serve as a preamp to speakers via the aux output, so again, it is something that could serve a lot of people at a very reasonable price.

As always, this review is also available in Spanish, both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

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Are you confusing Fosi and FiiO?

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Nope, it’s about 10 posts up in this same thread :wink:

Ok, I’ll save you the scrolling…

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Omg. It’s like Peugeot naming a car Firebird. With all the letters and numbers available they could called it the QTΠ

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I am reminded of an old Rodriguez cartoon (if anyone remembers those)… four executives at a hi fi speaker company are gathered around a table discussing the brand new model they are about to come out with:
We’ll call it the XB700
No, it should be the Soundmark 2000
How about 27RBa
I know… the Turbo DXR 3700

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Review - FX Audio DR07


TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - FX Audio DR07

The FX Audio DR07 has been sent to me by HifiGo in exchange for the publication of this review. HifiGo have not made any specific comments regarding the review and I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible in my review. One thing that HifiGo do request is that I include purchase links on all platforms that I publish my review on.

The FX Audio DR07 can be found here:

HiFiGo: FX-AUDIO DR07 Dual AK4493 DAC All-in-One Headphone Amplifier — HiFiGo

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1BZB57H/fx+audio+dr07/

Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3256806644435026.html

As always, I do not use affiliate links and the above are no exception.


Intro…

Although I just left links above to the DR07 via HifiGo, the truth is that it will have been added after putting together this review. This is because I have received this device ahead of its release and I am not even sure of when it is going to release. That also means that, while testing and reviewing this device, I have very little information on specifications and I don’t even know the price.

That actually makes reviewing something much more interesting to me, meaning that I can’t use phrases like “in its price range” or “value for money”, even though it does mean that I am not sharing all of the info. But anyway, by the time you read this review, the link will be available above and you can click on it to find out the price and specifications of this device.

So, this review is even more subjective than ever, based solely on my personal use and opinions of the DR07.

As far as FX Audio, I think anyone who checks out audio devices on Amazon will have come across them at some point, they usually make budget friendly devices that are not the cheapest you can get but are reasonably priced for what they offer (again, in this case I don’t know, but I guess it will be the same).

I have used a couple of their amplifiers in the past but haven’t used any of their headphone related products. In the cas of the DR07, it is an all in one device that offers DAC and headphone amplification, with an (unbalanced) analog output that can be used to feed other amplifiers or speakers.


Presentation…

As this is a pre production unit, I can’t really say if the packaging is what you can expect when purchasing the device.

In this case it is a fairly generic white box that does show the FX Audio branding but only shows the model on a sticker that has been added to the side.

Inside the box, there is the device, the bluetooth antenna, the power supply and a remote control. In addition to this, I received a (fairly nice) USB cable packaged separately which is from a different brand.

I am not going to comment on the packaging and presentation as I neither know if it is the retail packaging, nor the price of the device, so the packaging is irrelevant.


Build and aesthetics…

The device is completely made of metal and is fairly generic, all black, except for the front panel.

The front panel feature some white decoration, along with the brand, model and some other text also in white.

The front also features a small LCD screen (blue text on black) that is only really going to be readable from very close. There is a lot of info on such a small screen (which is also pretty bright) and the bottom line is almost impossible to read from more than 50cm away (and I have decent eyesight).

Basically the top line of the screen shows the file format and sample rate in small text, with the bottom line showing the input, volume level and gain level in even smaller text. As this device comes with a remote control, I don’t think that you will be able to see what is on the screen if you are more than an arms length away. It would have been nice if, when changing something from the remote, if the screen changed for the changes to me shown momentarily on the whole screen. It would still be small but much better than how it is now.

On the front we also get the power and input selection button to the left, a small LED idicating MQA when present, 3.5mm and 6.35mm headphone outputs and nice and large (for the size of the device) volume knob that also acts as a push button.

On the back, from left to right, we get a BT antenna, USB input (type B), optical input, digital coax input, optical output, RCA’s for unbalanced analog output and a 12V DC power connection for the included PSU.

The build quality is good but I can’t say I am a fan of the aesthetics. Personally I think that the white accent makes it look cheaper than it would all black (or with a darker highlight colour) but that is just a personal thing. My only real complaint would be with the screen which tries to show too much information on such a small screen. I like having a screen but less info would have been better in my opinion.


Functionality…

As far as connectivity, the bases are covered with digital inputs, with BT, USB, Optical and Coaxial all being present, which is nice. For outputs, the unit is only single ended, which some may not like, but I would much prefer a decent unbalanced output than a mediocre balanced and unbalanced output. One thing I do like is that the DR07 has an optical output, allowing it to be daisy chained to other devices and even used as a digital to digital converter, something that I always like to have available but not many devices include.

On the front of the device we find the power button on the left, which also serves as a select button, allowing us to cycle through the various inputs. At the right of the device we get the volume knob which is also a push button. A quick press of the button will mute or unmute the unit, while a long press will bring up the gain select which is changed between low and high by turning the volume knob. A second long press (while in the gain menu) takes us to the filter selection mode, where there are 6 filters to choose from. A final long push will allow us to choose between both outputs (headphones and preamp) being always active or automatic.

That is about it as far as functionality from the device itself, quite simple.

As far as the remote is concerned, it is a generic remote with the FX Audio logo on it. It offers the same functions as on the device but with dedicated buttons. It is handy to have the remote but I wouldn’t plan on seeing the screen any further away that arms reach.


Sound…

The DR07 implements the AK4493 DAC chip, which is a chip that we have seen around for quite some time. This chip has been common in a lot of decent priced alternatives from quite a few brands over the years and allows the device to decode hi-res PCM and DSD. In this case, FX Audio has also added MQA decoding, something that I am personally not interested in but it is there if you want it.

I am not sure what is being used as far as the amplification stage of the device but it does sound rather clean and offers a sound signature that is going to be considered fairly neutral by most people. I have had it on my desk for a few weeks at the side of the iFi Gryphon and the Fosi SK02 and I have to say it seems noticeably cleaner than the latter and has less warmth than the former. Again, placing it in a fairly neutral spot.

My first plug in were the Koss KPH40, which they usually are, as they live on my desk at work and that is where I usually plug in any device for the first time. My first impressions were that they sounded fairly clean and defined, with more than enough power in low gain for me to listen at levels above my usual listening levels.

I used multiple sets of headphones and IEMs throughout the week and I have to say that the feeling was about the same with all of them. Nothing really seemed to be an issue with the DR07 but nothing really stood out either.

I had no sensation of any of my headphones being exciting on the device, yet I did not feel that anything was wrong either. It provides a neutral sound that just works and doesn’t really add any sort of flavouring of its own.


Conclusion…

I think that the DR07 is a nice simple option for those that just want something that works and covers all the bases. If you are someone who is interested in getting a certain synergy with a certain headphone, then I really haven’t found it to be the case with the headphones and IEMs I have on hand.

However, if you are someone who just wants something that works and not have to worry about it influencing your headphones with anything negative, then the DR07 is a simple device with good connectivity and a very reasonable price.

5 Likes
37

While I am not going to go around linking this on all forums, this forum is basically my home online and I just posted this on my web and YouTube channels, so I feel that at least this forum deserves more than just a link.

A couple of months ago I was diagnosed with Cancer and I have been recently trying to get through the back log of items that I had (have) pending review, before I start the treatment and am unable to continue to do so.

I say unable as it is in my throat and my guess is that it will affect my hearing, not just my voice, at least in the short term, so I have been refusing any recent offers of items to review, other than those that I already had or had already committed to.

My presence on the forum has been in decline lately also, not because I haven’t been visiting (I have still visited at least once per day) but because I am spending more time offline with the family.

Anyhow, I am not going to go any deeper, hopefully the treatment will go well and I will be back to making a nuisance of myself soon! In the mean time, you will have to make do with real reviewers :wink:

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I have always enjoyed reading your reviews. I hope the treatment goes well.

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39

Hi, what is the impendence of the K5 Pro? The acoustic engineer of the HD550 mentioned “please use the HD 550 with low impedance sources since a higher impedance source (higher than 10 Ohm) may introduce some noticeable and unwanted boost to the mid/upper bass region.”.

I wanted to know if the Fosi Audio K5 Pro answer that recommendation as I can find that information.

Thanks.

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A search of FOSI’s web site yields a complete dearth of info. I did find this after an on-line search (I know it doesn’t directly answer your choice): https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/fosi-audio-k5-pro-gaming-dac-amp-review.40047/ . The FOSI might not be the best choice.