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Lows have a nice small boost that gives a little fun bump to low end on most headphones. Over ears or iems that sound lean in the low end won’t be fixed by the Q3. The bass boost can indeed help with lean sounding audio gear. The bass creeped into the lower mid range a little too much for my taste so I’d leave it alone if bass is adequate enough. The Q3 in contrast to the Q1 mkii does not feature a dedicated line out that bypasses the amplification stage.
Minimal bias current and highly efficient power management to optimize and extend device battery life The FiiO Q3 is the third iteration of the mighty Q1, the entry-level portable DAC/AMP from the brand. Think of it as a battery-powered K3, as both devices share lots of quirks and features.The Fiio Q3 is a upgrade to the very popular Q1 mkII DAC amplifier, featuring a much more efficient chip set and better support for Higher Resolution files. 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. Lastly, we want to talk about the sound of FiiO Q3 and iFi Hip DAC 2. The former Hip DAC was very well-known for its warm sound signature, and we can still feel it on the Hip DAC 2, but it is more moderate now. There is an improvement in clarity and separation but still mid-forward. On the other hand, Q3 is best if you prefer articulation and a wide soundstage. The frequency response feels more controlled and modest, but the Hip DAC 2 is just as good. FiiO Q3 Vs iFi Hip DAC 2 With the the new FiiO Q11, FiiO’s takes a whole new direction and completely deviates from the Q3 previous design. While the latter displayed a compact and sleek body, made of a rounded, unibody, aluminium chassis, the new FiiO Q11 seems a lot more… techy, even geeky. Regarding the two filter settings they mostly affect higher frequencies with the one sounding more firm and well defined and the other more rounded and soft.
Fortunately, battery life didn’t drop down, even if FiiO uses a new THX circuit. In single-ended mode, connected through the USB port to my iPhone, I could use the Q3 for almost a full week, on a single charge. It is very clear and can portray a naturally structured and spacious stage that can do justice to most headphones and iems used.The FiiO Q3 offers a pretty detailed and natural midrange character, with a good level of airiness and clarity. The midrange is soft but also lively that doesn’t tire your ears. Once again, the dual headphone output is a true blessing, even if the Q3 MQA keeps the crown with THREE different output/inputs. This allowed me to test various headphones, even when I forgot my adapters. Just remember that the FiiO Q11 comes with a 3.5mm port and a 4.4mm Pentaconn, so no 2.5mm TRRS here, unless you use an adapter. Bonus point for the 3.5mm port that doubles as a coaxial output.
Want to upgrade your old DAP? You can with the Fiio Q3. All you’ll need is a USB cable, connected from your player to your DAC, as long as you can use it in USB-out mode. Last but not least there is the long awaited and missing from the Q1 mkii charge on/off switch that is very helpful when we do not want the Q3 to drain the battery of the connected device it's being connected to. With a 2600mAh battery, I expected the Q11 to outperform the old FiiO Q3 by large. But in reality, both DAC/AMP achieves the same real life numbers, with a full day of listening, or 14h in my case. But, if you were to alternate phone and computer with your FiiO Q11, you shall never need to charge it more than once a week. The Q3 is fully compatible with iOS and Android devices plus windows PC and it can also be used with Sony walkman players with an adapter cable that is sold separately.Like the EarMen Eagle we previously reviewed, one of the best combos I heard was Q3 + Meze 99 Classics. Commanding bass and wide soundstage make that duo one of the best, affordable, solution you can get at the moment. Campfire Audio, Chord Electronics, Dan Clark Audio (antes MrSpeakers), EAR Micro, Eleven XIAudio, Enleum, FiiO, FIR Audio, Focal, Focusrite, Fostex, Grado, HarmonicDyne, HeadAmp, Hifiman, JBL, Kefine, Kiwi Ears, Klipsch, LETSHUOER, Mark Levinson, Distortion in high volumes feels lower than with the Q1, but it could be placebo as I don't have the equipment to measure this If you own a Q1 Mark II, this time I can confidently advise you to up your game and get the new Q3. Sound-wise, the difference isn’t massive, but if you take into account all the various ergonomics improvements, the scale really weighs towards the new Q3. That said, I highly recommend the FiiO Q3 for the things it does so very well—technical upsampling/decoding abilities (at price point) and its beautiful, transparent rendering of music across all genres, and its design aesthetic. Bravo!
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