Fiio did a great job filling out its portfolio of late, and one of the best additions is the Q7. The DAC is aimed at the high-end segment, and has an interesting origin story. It essentially features the guts of the M17 digital audio player — which retails for $1,800 — but without the player portion. So the Q7 doesn't have a screen and it misses out on all the bits needed for an audio player: there's no Android interface for starters, and it isn't powered by the Snapdragon 660.
What you get instead is the same audio circuitry as the M17, and that makes the Q7 very enticing. Going this route not only makes the Q7 that much more versatile, but it also brings the price down by a significant amount: $749, or just 42% of the cost of the M17. You're still getting the same incredible DAC and amp modules — it features ESS Sabre's ES9038Pro DAC and the stellar THX AAA 788 amp — all in a portable form factor that's usable with a phone or in a desktop setting.
