FiiO Q3: THX AAA balanced portable amplifier
FiiO continues to use THX AAA amplifiers in its designs, which we got acquainted with thanks to the FiiO M11 Pro player, which we tested: now the Q3 portable amplifier on the same chips has appeared in the FiiO portfolio.
The architecture of the DAC / amplifier is balanced. The AK4462 chips are responsible for processing the incoming digital signal, supporting PCM at 32 bit / 768 kHz and native DSD up to 512, decoding is handled by XMOS XUF208. According to the manufacturer, THX AAA amplifiers feature extremely low distortion, high power and no coloration.
The LED indication near the volume control will tell you what signal the amplifier is currently working with. By the way, the regulator itself is analog, on a potentiometer. There are many outputs: in addition to 3.5 mm, there are both balanced options – 4.4 and 2.5 mm. At the end of the case there are buttons and switches that allow you to select the gain, bass level and the mode of operation of the USB port – data transfer or charging. A 1 800 mAh battery will power the amplifier for 10 hours of continuous operation.
The description says that the amplifier is prepared to fully work with Apple devices with USB-C sources, uses the Thesycon USB driver, and also received Hi-Res Audio certification. The kit includes a carrying pouch, a double Type C cable with angled plugs, a Lightning cable with straight plugs, a Type C charging cable, a large and small rubber bands to secure the amplifier to the source, and a non-slip gasket.
FiiO Q3 in Europe will cost 139 euro.
