FiiO Jade Audio Q11 battery powered DAC/AMP: an elegant, great sounding solution
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- čas přidán 18. 04. 2023
- There are lots of dongle and portable DAC/Amps for those who want to stream lossless audio from their phones or tablets. There are even more than a few battery powered ones. The FiiO Jade Audio Q11 is the latest in the Q series, has the largest battery yet, and a superior dac/amp design. What’s not to like?
- Hudba
Great review, this is amazing. You made me order one of them right now. Thanks.
Glad to help. There is a new firmware out for it.
Great review 🫡
thank you
Great video!!
Glad you enjoyed it
Can q11 be used for hd560s?
I'll start by saying; I'm not a fan of Apple products. However, I bypass all of the DAC/AMP options, with their associated phone quirks, and listen to high enough quality music by using SHURE IEMs plugged into my 1st gen iPod. It lasts all day at work and sounds every bit as good as any DAC/AMP I've tried.
Te each his or her own. iems and dac/amps, along with lossless music, lifted me out of “good enough” land where I was perfectly happy for many years, between my hifi days and Covid 19 :) I am still not sure that was a good thing.
Usually, if I'm listening to headphones, I'm at work. So, the above setup, with high quality MP3s are close enough. Everything else, I listen to through my studio monitors. The older I get, the less I'm able to hear the difference between 'good' and 'good enough'.
That one has a very nice DAC built in, this is why it sounds good, it's a bloody Wolfson, they sound fabulous. Unfortunately I need 2tb of memory to keep my collection or I would buy one.
Helpful and detailed review, many thanks for this. What is your advice for volume control settings on both devices given the Q11 doesn’t take control of iOS audio ?
Cheers in advance
Most people on CZcams recommend turning the volume all the way up on your source and controlling volume with the DAC. However, to me that seems like it might use up all the headroom on your source and perhaps cause clipping on louder passages. I would set the source to no more than 75%, and then use the DAC for control. :)
@@StephenIngraham will do 👍.
@@StephenIngraham agrees with 75% volume up!!i do the same with my Q11&s23ultra
Nice video. What’s the filter you chose on q11 that mimics the shanling ? Also did you try ibasso dc04 pro ? I hear it’s better than shanling and it’s also cheaper at $120
If I remember right is was “phase compensating fast roll-off”. :) I had the iBasso DC3Pro, but that only had the single ended output. I was a little dry compared to the dac in the Shanling M0Pro, but I did not get a chance to compare it to the M1s. I have not tried the iBasso DC4Pro, as far as pricing goes, the Shanling M1s is a full featured digital audio player…first and foremost…so you can’t really compare. Maybe to the Shanling U3? which I have not tried either. And we are talking really subtle differences here…and highly subjective. If my primary use was streaming from my phone or tablet only, and I did not need the player, I could be perfectly happy with the FiiO (except for the iOS app being weak) at $79 right now. :)
@@StephenIngraham hi Steve , thx for the response. I agree dc03 pro was a bit dry . But dc04 pro is a bit detailed. I always try to use “ No over sampling” when it comes to filters to hear the true response of the DAC. Yes Fiio q11 is a good buy and I have no issues. It’s really built like a tank and hopefully it lasts a while.
@@itellsri how does dc04pro compared with q11?
Great video! Would this be a great buy for my Hifiman Edition XS? I currently have a topping dx3 pro+ for my desktop setup, I'm looking for a portable dac/amp to drive them on the go. Can you suggest something else at around the same price point or these would work well already? Thanks
I think so! I can’t think of anything in this price range that has more power. Maybe the new Fiio Ka13…but it does not have the battery.
So I can plug in my turtlebeach headphones into it, and it will make it loud as when maxed out?
I am not familiar with the Turtlebeach headphones, but unless they are super hard to drive, the Q11 should handle them.
NICE REVIEW..! Is there a DAP for Spotify that I can use it as desktop headphone amp with my audio interface when I m not around?
If I understand your question correctly, then this is a dac that can be used both on a mobile device for Spotify and as desktop dac/amp at home. But then most dongle dacs will do that too, and many are more portable. The advantage of Q11 is that it has its internal battery so it does not drain your phone’s batter while using it.
Yes I think I didn t write it well..So with few words it has to be portable (battery), android (Spotify) and can be used exclusively as a headphone amplifier when it's connected on the audio interface..since I will be using the DA of the interface..I'm asking too much ?🫣
@@anatol1204 I understand now. I don’t know of any dac/amp that allows you to use it only as an amp.
@@StephenIngraham i saw an amp a while ago here in CZcams but i can't remember the video..Thanks anyway ! ♥️
Apple's closed system does not allow hardware level access that's why. The right question would be why use an iPhone in the first place for listening to music.
Well, for one thing, Apples device integration means that I have one Apple Music account across all my devices…when I create a playlist on my iPad it propagates to my phone and my laptop…when I add new music on my laptop, it is almost instantly available on my tablet and phone. It is that level of integration across all my apps and things like Airdrop between Apple devices that keeps me an Apple user. And Apple lossless and high res lossless is very high quality, and the price of an Apple Music subscription is still very cost effective. That is a few of the reasons. I use my iPad connected to a small desktop dac for streaming, and my Shanling M1s for mobile listening. :)
Hii can i do this on my phone that already have audio jack?
As long as your phone also has a usb-c connection it should work.
Does it really sound good? Is the soundstage big? I am currently using AKG n5005, is it suitable for t5his? Look forward to your reply!
It sounds very good. The soundstage is not quite as expansive as I hear in on a Saber Dac (depending on the filter settings), but very nice. I have not heard the AKG n5005, so I can’t say for sure, but if power is the issue the Q11 has plenty of that!
@@StephenIngraham Ok, I will appreciate that and thank you for your advice!
Is it good for planar headphones?
Should do fine with all the hardest to drive.
is it normal aux size? any earbuds plug into this?
It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, so yes.
@@StephenIngraham So the audio comes out the aux at the top so does the audio go in via the usb-C cable from the phone or PC?
@@Blockah Yes. Exactly. The uSB is also how you charge the battery.
Wait can I only use this if I have USB C ?
You would need a cable from whatever to usb C. USB A (standard) to USB C should work. MicroUSB to USB C probably would not work (and I have never seen such a cable anyway) as the current is not high enough to power the dac. Lightning to USB C works. Charging needs a USB C termination, so you would need a USB A to C cable for that, but it comes with that.
@@StephenIngraham Uhm isn't the whole point of the built in BATTERY to power the damn thing, and not the USB?
I have a set of headphones: audio technica m40x, kinera idun, Ostry kc09, Dunu Titan 6, fiio fh11
and players Hiby R3, Xduoo x3-2
With audio technica m40x does not sound very good and the sound is dark and not detailed unlike players
fiio fh11, kinera idun I didn't like the sound either
sounds good only with Dunu Titan 6 and slightly less good with Ostry kc09
if you don’t have a player it will do, but it’s better to take something more expensive
As long as you come up with something that suits your ears. :)
You forgot the third option connecting it to IOS…Having it connect or not connect to your device…Which sucks!
I am not sure what you mean my this???