What is Reddit's opinion of FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC & Amplifier for PC/MobilePhone?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Just do this nerd

Hi,

Any serious headphones cannot be driven well or at all just based on the small and basic Mac mini M1 mainboard integrated DAC. Personally I don't use it at all, it's just another plug behind my Mac mini M1. So, please acquire an external amp, it is not so expensive, and worth every penny. Basically most of them are external soundboards on USB, but with serious final amplifier and final transistors. I can recommend you FiiO brand, it is enough for medium price headphones with decent results:

FiiO Q1 Mark II

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Q1-Mark-II-Converter-Headphone-Black/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=fiio&qid=1638048668&sr=8-6

Of course is you want to invest more, it will be always room for better performance.

Also I recommend you to use external audio system on AirPlay, for a good experience with music. I am a Yamaha fan and all the music that I listen in my house, I listen through real amplifiers and real speakers. Actually this is one of the reason that I stopped to buy iMacs, because all-in-one means lower experience regarding image, microphone, camera and speakers.

Mac mini, and especially M1, is the best item that you can buy from Apple in this moment.

It annoys me that in 19 hours, nobody has pointed out that they can be shortened: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0757MH46M

I've heard very good things about the Fiio q1 but its 130 cad, and its portable too im pretty sure

https://www.amazon.ca/Q1-Mark-II-Native-iPhone/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=fiio+q1&qid=1612980822&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNVFSUFlGQjgzVUQ3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzY3NzYxMU1JQUFYMEtPQk9LUyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODU0OTk4QTBGS0JYNjNYRVFHJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Ah, the galaxy brained move of spending $549 to listen to audio that has been transcoded to AAC over bluetooth instead of spending £75 on a decent mobile DAC and £100 some very good wired headphones which wont recompress because it uses line out.

The older Q1 should cost way less than that. While it has more power for unbalanced output, the more expensive but capable Q1 Mark II is usually only $99 (and $79 refurbished) on Amazon and is a contender if you want the option to go mobile.

The converter is just a DAC. You may be able to get higher quality audio out of an external DAC. Here's one for example. https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Q1-Mark-II-Amplifier/dp/B0757MH46M

Holy thread revival...

And actually yes it is. It’s this FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC & Amplifier for iPhone, iPod, iPad and Computers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NOF1DbW6ZK5J9

Fiio makes portable DAC/amps: https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Q1-Mark-II-Amplifier/dp/B0757MH46M/

Portable DAC that you can use your own cable with. And if it breaks, just replace the cable https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Q1-Mark-II-Amplifier/dp/B0757MH46M/

Thanks man, your input is really helpful.
So let's the example where I utilize an external DAC, i.e. FiiO Q1 Mark II or Audioengine D1.
I run a USB cable from PC to external DAC, then run an RCA cable to one of the RCA inputs of the receiver.
I then just run cables from AV receiver to speakers & viola! (assuming no tech conflicts...).

As an aside, TIL 3.0 is unsupported by most consumer-grade DACs, and unnecessary bandwidth-wise..

the 558 were my first serious headphones. they got stolen . I replaced them with the 598

​

Now upgraded to the HD 58x Jubilee from massdrop and i CANNOT speak enough wonders about them. If you like sennheiser you will love these. I run them through this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=dp_cr_wdg_tit_nw_mr which is not as nice as the JDS labs atom and they sound great. Total expenditure $270.

I bought a FiiO Q1 Mk2 with a pair of Superlux HD668B with custom pads, it works great for gaming on my Xbox one and listening to music either on my mobile or using a laptop. All in cost me less than £200.00. Note you definitely need the custom pads on the Superluxes, the ones that come with them aren't comfortable.

You're not looking for the e10k for on the go. That wouldn't work with your phone. You're looking for the Fiio Q1 MK2, which is a portable DAC/AMP. If you feel like you don't need the DAC portion, you can go with the A3 or A5

https://www.amazon.com/Q1-Mark-II-Native-Amplifier/dp/B0757MH46M

i would try the fiio q1 mk2

Dude! I got this dac and it fucking blew my mind!!!!

FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC & Amplifier for iPhone, iPod, iPad and Computers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ioBFDb0NH47P1

I can hear the skins of the drums! Its like im in the studio!