2023-07-17 15:00:00
From the left “Q7”, “M15S”
It’s been about three years since I came to the AV Watch editorial department, and as a result of coming into contact with various earphones and headphones, I’ve become completely addicted to the charm of “balanced connection” and “open type” headphones. Then suddenly she thought, “I want a headphone amplifier.”
Originally, when I listened to music at home, I mainly listened to speakers and didn’t use earphones or headphones much, so I borrowed a DAP with a USB DAC function from the editorial department for listening to balanced connections. , just the other day, the battery of the DAP swelled (I sent it in for repair and got it without problems).
Originally, I was a speaker person at home, but since the corona crisis has started, voice chats with friends have increased, and the opportunities to use open headphones that are light and sound like speakers have increased. I wanted to use a balanced connection anyway, but using the repaired DAP all the time at home would put a heavy load on the battery… so I ended up with “I want a headphone amp”.
In addition, there are more opportunities to listen to wired earphones at recitals and events. I thought, “I want to bring the environment I usually use at home to the interviewee.”
The reason why I paid attention to FiiO “Q7”
What caught my attention was the FiiO “Q7”.
To put it simply, FiiO’s dreadnought DAP “M17” (actual sales about 270,000 yen) has the DAP function removed, and the price is reduced to less than half the price, around 134,750 yen by using only the DAC and amplifier. It’s a headphone amp.
Like the DAP, this potaan also has a built-in battery, but its appeal lies in the “DC power supply mode”.
In addition to the drive mode with the built-in lithium-ion battery, the Q7 becomes DC power supply mode when the included AC adapter for DC drive is connected. In this mode, the power becomes higher and not only can you drive the headphones powerfully, but also the built-in battery is insulated to prevent deterioration of the battery and can be used as a stationary amplifier. This will not put a load on the battery, and you can use it at home with peace of mind.
Q7 and supplied DC cable
However, considering taking it outside, I also want a DAP function. In the case of the Q7, you have to connect it to your smartphone with a cable and stack it in two layers. I want an M17 with a DAP function, but the price is top-notch, so I can’t afford it…
If you think about it, there is a DAP that can be used as a stationary DAC amplifier while protecting the battery in the same price range as the Q7. Its name is “M15S” (around 152,900 yen).
I borrowed these two and used them for two weeks. In conclusion, I had to face the conflict between the “Q7”, which has superior sound quality, and the “M15S”, which has a good size and ease of use.
In addition, I tried limited functions such as USB DAC connection with PC at home and editorial department, Q7 and smartphone outside, M15S as normal DAP. See the separate article for a review that covers the features of each model.
“M15S” that can be satisfied even with battery drive, “Q7” that jumps over it
Listening with a balanced connection to the MDR-MV1
The headphones used for the audition are Sony “MDR-MV1”. Although it is not recommended by Sony, I mainly used this combination because it can be balanced with Sony’s 4.4mm balance cable “MUC-S12NB1”.
First, try using both by connecting them to a PC via USB. In my environment, there is no PC that can supply PD power, and when the M15S is connected to the PC, the battery is used, so I put the Q7 in battery drive mode and compared the listening conditions under the same conditions.
Flip the switch on the bottom of Q7 to “BAT” to align the conditions
The audition song is “GHOST / Hoshimachi Suisei”. I’m playing in exclusive mode using the Amazon Music PC app.
First listen to the M15S. The MDR-MV1 is easy to play, and if you set the gain to Super High, you can get a volume that feels powerful enough even at about 35 (MAX120). However, with Super High, if you touch the knob and change the volume by 1, the volume will rise sharply.
The output terminals are 3.5mm stereo mini, 4.4mm balanced, and 2.5mm balanced, and in addition to earphone/headphone output, each can be switched to line out, but this time only headphone output is used.
Earphone jack part of M15S.Earphones placed for audition at events often have 4.4mm plugs, so it would be helpful to have them all.
From the sound of the bass at the beginning of the song, you can see the trembling of the bass strings, and the volume of the low range. So, the sound spreads with GHOST’s MV and image donpisha.
GHOST / Suisei Hoshimachi (official)
It fully demonstrates the goodness of the MV1, and I think, “I might be satisfied if I buy the M15S.” But when she heard the sound of the Q7, she was really scratching her head.
The output of the Q7 is 3.5mm stereo mini, 4.4mm balanced, 2.5mm balanced, and even 6.3mm stereo standard, making me wonder if this is really a portable amplifier?
Earphone jack part of Q7. 6.3mm stands out
When you play it back, the amount of information in the sound is clearly different. Q7 has a thicker vocal voice, making it easier to hear the atmosphere like a real voice. The low range is more powerful, but the voice is also thick enough that it doesn’t get buried, and the high range spreads out as if it’s going through the open MV1 housing, so it’s better than headphones. It’s almost like listening through speakers.
If you listen to the lower female vocal “Gib Me/Rin Ryugasaki”, the difference is even easier to understand. It’s a song with a strong bass and kick drum sound, so if you listen to it with TWS, etc., the low range must be very light and the mid-range to low-mid range must be solid. It tends to be buried in the area.
Give Me / Rin Ryugasaki: Official MV
Even at the time of M15S + MV1, I could see scenes with especially low voices without losing, but in Q7, the outline of the voice became even clearer, and it reached my ears with a greater presence. While maintaining the coolness of the entire song with its low bass, you can fully enjoy the goodness of Gasaki’s voice when singing.
The scary thing is that both of these are battery powered modes. It sounds like it’s flying far above the DAP I’ve been using privately, even though I haven’t put it all together yet. I had a strong feeling that I had taken a step that I shouldn’t have taken, and that I couldn’t go back to where I was before.
DC power supply mode that was amazing as expected
Next, although the conditions are slightly different, I will listen to both in the serious DC power supply mode that does not involve the battery. Connect the M15S to a USB PD compatible power supply, put it in Android mode and use the Amazon Music app. A window will appear asking if you want to open the gain Ultra High and stop battery power supply (desktop mode).
Hidden functions “Ultra High Mode” and “Desktop Mode” appear
When I listened to it immediately, even when playing from the Android app, the sound was thicker than the battery drive + USB DAC mode, and the amount of information was rich. It would have been a quick decision here if I had thought of it as “replacement of DAP”.
At home, I wanted to use it as a headphone amplifier for my PC. If the USB terminal on the PC side does not support USB PD, the USB DAC function and DC power supply mode cannot be used at the same time.
Next, listen to Q7. This is connected to an outlet with the included adapter, and the switch on the bottom is changed from BAT to DC. “The unit will not be charged in DC mode.” appears on the screen, and the gain automatically switches to “Ultra High.” This gain switching can be selected automatically or manually from the setting.
When the switch on the bottom is set to “DC” and power is supplied from the included adapter, “The unit will not be charged in DC mode.” is displayed and “Ultra High” is displayed in the Gain item.
This is connected to the PC as before and played in exclusive mode of Amazon Music. Similarly, when you play “GHOST / Hoshimachi Suisei”, it’s already different from the first subduction of bass. While you can see the swaying bass strings, you can also feel the volume of the low range that is lifted from the bottom of the earth.
The MDR-MV1 is a class that is easy to play, and although it is an open type headphone, you can feel the volume of the low range firmly.
I felt it when it was battery-powered, but the rawness of the vocals has increased further, and it makes me shudder in a good way. It’s good to enjoy the music, but when I listen to the recommended distribution in Q7, I can’t go back to this anymore.
I open multiple video distributions and watch them at the same time, and I sometimes have voice chats with friends as they are, but in the case of the Q7, if you adjust the volume balance of each, you can naturally distinguish all voices. The resolution of the part of the voice is so high that it will be lost.
To be frank, I was confused when I came across a device full of functions and performance that I had never imagined until I listened to it. I feel a little faint when I think that there must be someone who will go ahead of her.
By the way, when used with DC power supply, both the main bodies generate heat, but since a pedestal with a cooling fan is included, it does not matter so much when using this. Both have a hole on the bottom side for USB connection. This pedestal also needs a USB power supply to turn the fan, but it seems that just standing it upright will prevent the main unit from becoming hot.
Pedestal of Q7 Pedestal of M15S that allows various cables to be inserted
The sound is by far “Q7”. Convenience is overwhelmingly “M15S”
Try taking it outside. Both the Q7 and M15S come standard with a cover, so I installed it. Both are designed to prevent erroneous operation of the dial part. The M15S has a metal plate with a slit on the back, which seems to prevent heat from accumulating inside the cover.
Q7 with cover
M15S normally checks the feeling of use as a DAP. The MDR-MV1 actively emits sound outside, so I used wired headphones “ATH-MSR7b”. In Android mode, I went to the editorial department while playing a playlist that was pre-downloaded on the Amazon Music app with a balanced connection.
Heat sink on the back side of M15S with the cover attached
It takes about an hour to start playing from the nearest station and arrive at the editorial department. The slightly thick smartphone-sized M15S fits in my trouser pocket, so I tried walking with it in, but I didn’t mind the weight that much.
Q7, M15S, iPhone 14 Pro from the left. In fact, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the M15S are not much different from the iPhone 14 Pro. Surprisingly, the M15S has a better balance than the iPhone 14 Pro, which has a heavy camera part, so it feels about the same when you hold it in your hand.It’s actually about 100g heavy, so it’s heavy when you put it in your pocket
The only thing that bothered me was the fever, partly because of this season. Combined with the specifications of the cover, it is warm when you put it in your pocket. It doesn’t go to “hot”, but it has a pleasant fever in winter.
The Q7, on the other hand, doesn’t fit in your pocket at all. It is necessary to devise ways to use it when moving, such as putting it in a bag or the like and creating a gap for the earphone / headphone cable to come out.
In the case of the author, I gave up using it when moving in the first place. When connecting with a smartphone by wire, you need to take out the Q7 from the bag or keep the smartphone in the bag. And the Q7 has a function to receive Bluetooth from a smartphone and use wired earphones / headphones, but honestly, if it’s about an hour’s travel time, I think that smartphone + TWS will be fine.
So, it seems better to treat it as a “headphone amplifier that can be taken out in case of emergency”, such as putting it in the bag on the day when you think “OK, I’m going to listen to headphones today”.
I took it out to actually listen to the headphones, but the small DAC amplifier I thought was “not good”, but when I played it with the Q7, there were some that sounded pleasant with a crisp sound. Moreover, since the listening environment at home is brought out almost as it is, it becomes easier to select candidates. As a result, the number of headphones I want has increased.
When listening outside, connect to your smartphone.Since it will be held repeatedly due to the length of the cable, it will come quite heavily on the wrist
“Q7” cannot be parted. The biggest decisive factors are “battery” and “video editing”
After using it for about two weeks, I came to the conclusion that Q7 is suitable for my usage environment. After all, the main usage is to connect to a PC at home and use it.
The finish of the M15S is also very good, and I have no complaints about its performance as a DAP, but in my environment, the fact that it uses the battery when connected to a PC has become a major concern. Of course, it has a function to prevent overcharging, but I would like to use it in the insulation mode. If the PC had the ability to connect while supplying USB PD power, I think I would have chosen the M15S for ease of use.
However, the winner was still in Q7. In fact, there is another “decisive factor” besides the battery problem. That is the ease of video editing.
As I mentioned in my impressions of the listening comparison, when I play back with Q7, the voice becomes thicker and the words become easier to hear. I was also doing video editing during the period I rented it, and this feature was really useful.
Until now, I had to re-listen to parts that were difficult to hear and correct the subtitles. went up
When the words in the video are difficult to hear, even Premiere Pro’s transcription function will transcribe mysterious sentences, so in such cases you have to rely on your ears. Of course, it is also important to improve the shooting technique and be able to record sound reliably, but it is quite difficult.
And while writing articles and filming/editing videos, this interview is the most troublesome work. I had no idea that a headphone amp would change that.
As mentioned above, it is not a size that you would want to take out casually. I think it’s a big advantage to be able to put it in and take it out.
In fact, I purchased the Q7 immediately after returning it. It’s become one of my must-have devices. Once you experience it, you won’t be able to go back, and you will feel like you have opened a new door, and you will realize the horror of this world’s swamp.
Also, when I work in the editorial department, there are other employees around me, so I can’t use open headphones, so I want wired earphones that are easy to use for video editing outside the home. Forget the fear of the swamp that I felt, I’m going to take out the Q7 and go find something that might fit.
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