The FiiO QX13 is an innovative portable DAC and headphone amplifier tailored for both professional and everyday applications, prioritizing high performance and user-friendliness. This device marks a significant advancement in the development of FiiO’s portable audio offerings, integrating over ten years of the company’s engineering knowledge into a sleek and thoughtfully designed unit.
The QX13 case is made of carbon fiber with a multi-layer structure (up to 21 layers), which makes it lightweight and durable. Carbon provides protection from electromagnetic interference and gives the device an expressive texture, and completely covers the case on five planes for better insulation. Users are also offered a version made of aluminum alloy in titanium gold color.
The front panel has a large 1.99-inch IPS color screen with third-generation Corning protective glass. The screen has a high area-to-case ratio and supports several user interface themes, which, together with a 32-bit processor, ensures fast operation and wide functionality. The
DAC is built on the ESS ES9027SPRO, an eight-channel chip of the SABRE PRO series, known for high-end stationary solutions. This architecture provides full differential signal processing with low noise, improved channel synchronization and minimal jitter thanks to ES9312 regulators and a pair of femtosecond oscillators with low phase noise.
The amplifier section is equipped with six high-precision operational amplifiers from Texas Instruments: two OPA1692 for pre-amplification and four INA1620 for the output stage. Special internal wiring reduces crosstalk and ensures a stable response even under complex loads.
The XMOS XU316 processor supports native decoding of PCM up to 768 kHz/32 bit and DSD512, with the ability to fine-tune via 10-band PEQ. EQ settings are available via the web interface or the FiiO Control app for Android.
The QX13 is equipped with two USB-C ports: the front one is used for data transfer and power from the connected device, and the side one is for independent external power, which makes it easy to organize a compact stationary setup. In the “desktop” power mode, the device produces up to 900 mW per channel at 32 ohms, while power consumption is reduced by about 23% compared to the previous model KA17.
For stable operation and purity of sound, an architecture with separation of digital and analog boards, additional shielding layers and heat-conducting pads for effective cooling is used.
The kit includes a magnetic leather case that is attached to the back of the phone (iPhone – directly, Android – via a magnetic disk), providing convenient joint use. The device is also compatible with an external battery E-Stick, allowing you to assemble a portable or desktop audio kit with independent power supply.
FiiO QX13 Specifications :
- Colors: Black (Carbon Fiber) / Titanium Gold (Aluminum Alloy)
- Weight: approx. 33g (carbon) / approx. 39g (aluminium)
- Dimensions: approx. 64.2×30.7×13 mm
- USB processor: XMOS XU316
- DAC: ESS ES9027SPRO
- Operational amplifiers: 2x OPA1692 / 4x INA1620
- Screen: IPS, 1.99 inches, third generation Corning glass
- Supported formats: PCM up to 768 kHz/32 bit / DSD512 (native) / MQA full decoding
- Driverless USB DAC mode: supported
- Headphone outputs: 3.5 mm (single-ended) / 4.4 mm (balanced)
- Output power (32 Ohm):
- L+R ≧ 310 mW + 310 mW (single-ended / desktop mode)
- L+R ≧ 900 mW + 900 mW (balanced / desktop mode)
- L+R ≧ 250 mW + 250 mW (single-ended / non-desktop mode)
- L+R ≧ 570 mW + 570 mW (balanced / non-desktop mode)
- Output power (300 Ohm):
- L+R ≧ 35 mW + 35 mW (single-ended / desktop mode)
- L+R ≧ 115 mW + 115 mW (balanced / desktop mode)
- Signal to noise ratio: ≥124 dB (A-weighted)
- Background noise: PO < 2 µV (A-weighted) / BAL < 3.4 µV (A-weighted)
- THD+N: < 0.0004% (1 kHz, -2 dB@32Ω)
- Interfaces: Front USB-C for data and power / Side USB-C for independent power supply
- Features: Separation of digital and analog boards / Shielding / Thermal protection / Magnetic leather case included
