CONCLUSION

   The sole thing that went through my mind when I first saw the R7 during its initial unveiling early this year was just how unique it looked compared to models from the competition and just how similar it looked to all the music players released by FiiO. So basically, if looks matter to you then you can’t do better than the R7 (other than perhaps the R9 which is due to be released in a few days). Build quality is also very high although I have to admit that I was a bit puzzled by how uneven the rear optical S/PDIF ports were (doesn’t affect the player in any way but looks do matter and that did look strange to me). In regards to audio quality the R7 produces clear and crisp mids and highs and as for bass levels even though they could feel “warmer” they are very strong. Worth pointing out that its audio performance comes very close to the M11S (on the upper side) but as expected not so much to that of the M15, especially not in terms of soundstage (not quite as wide and deep). Also, worth pointing out is that the R7 is primarily a music focused solution and so when compared to the Sound Blaster AE9 which i use daily there are some differences, not just in regards to spatial awareness but also emphasis in highly detailed effects like bullets flying around and even explosions. The touch screen behaves the same exact way as every other touch screen used on a music player by FiiO so nothing new here (just remember, the angled base works best with the display).

   Currently retailing for USD719.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 728.36Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the R7 All-In-One Desktop Android HiFi Music Player by FiiO is priced as expected. At the end of the day i really have nothing bad to say about the R7, quite the contrary. Audio performance is very good, it looks like nothing else in the market today, comes with a plethora or outputs and features and well, it’s even available in black and white colors. Yes, it’s not perfect and the release of its higher-end brother the R9 might overshadow it but overall, it delivers as advertised and for that it deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Impressive Audio Performance
- Supported Bluetooth Codecs (SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC/LHDC)
- 4.97” Touchscreen
- Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
- 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
- Available Outputs
- Bluetooth 5.0 & WiFi 2.4G/5G
- SD Card Slot (Up To 2TB)
- 64GB Onboard Storage (46GB Available)
- Supported Audio Formats (DSD/ISO/DSF/DFF/DST/DXD/APE/Apple Lossless/AIFF/FLAC/WAV/WMA/MP3/OGG/AAC)
- Customized Android v10.0 OS
- ARGB LED Rings
- Flat & Angled Rubber Bases
- Available In Black And White Colors
- Product Support

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Optical S/PDIF Ports (Uneven)
- Remote Control (Not Bundled)