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On a Windows computer, no problem too, my Desktop computer automatically recognized the Eagle, running Windows 10, the same for my laptop. But, for previous generation users, (Windows 7, Vista) you may have to install the FiiO USB Driver. The FiiO Q3 has a pretty large stage for a precise and clear placement and separation of instrument and vocals. The neutral tonality and the wideness of the stage do help to make a quite spacious and airy atmosphere. The soundstage shows a good level of wideness, while the depth is on an average level.
Build quality is solid and it looks and feels premium. The box contains and pouch for traveling, three cables 3.5 dual ended , USB-C dual ended and a C-to lightning for Apple products also some protective silicone pads and rubber bands. Want to upgrade your old DAP? You can with the Fiio Q3. All you’ll need is a USB cable, connected from your player to your DAC, as long as you can use it in USB-out mode.Alongside that, there are two gain modes, two digital filter modes (which, for me, did audibly nothing) and a 6dB bass boost, which turned out to be too much even for the fairly flat/neutral-sounding Campfire Ara IEMs. Maybe if you're one of those people who listen to hip-hop and rap, or possibly very old pop tunes, quite a bit of which is recorded with a surprisingly low amount of bass, this overkill bass boost will suit. Also, the switch to toggle charging on/ off is very welcome, as you can control if the host device will charge the Q3, so you can avoid draining a phone's battery, for example A green light goes on for high gain but there is no visible indication to distinguish between the two filters. The bass gain was stupid in the Q1 mk2, not in a matter of being an exaggerated gain, but it feels like the low-shelf starts at 500Hz, because a lot of frequencies are amplified instead of just the bass. With the Q3, I feel it's a little bit more refined but still exaggerated to my taste. If I had to guess, I'd say the low-shelf now begins at 400Hz... It might sound good with certain IEMs and it's definitely good with the 4XX, but it screws up with the FH3's amazing region between ~500Hz down to the mid bass (mid bass is where the low-shelf was supposed to begin IMHO) Soundstage: was naturally open but average and perhaps a little more intimate than other THX amplifiers I have. The imaging is better than average with detail and accuracy to spare.
The instrument tonality of the Q3 is neither bold nor too dry or thin and can be in general described as pretty natural, while the timbre of instruments is clear and distinct. Instruments like guitars are slightly bright and do have good extension, while the violin performance of the Q3 in terms of emphasis, extension and detail retrieval is very successful. If the FiiO Q3 is not being charged or working, it will enter standby mode automatically after 5 minutes to help to save more power with all indicator lights off. To wake up the Q3, you need to turn it off, turn it on, or connect it to a USB device. The Fiio Q3 is a upgrade to the very popular Q1 mkII DAC amplifier, featuring a much more efficient chip set and better support for Higher Resolution files.Where they mostly differ is in the way the sound is presented from an amping point of view due to the totally different amplifier circuits. I tried a few options and all of Shanling/FiiO/ iBasso players that I received, worked like a charm. Sure, it doesn’t sound as good as the classic output if you use an M15, but it’s a nice option to have. DAC Connection
Fortunately, battery life didn’t drop down, even if FiiO uses a new THX circuit. In single-ended mode, connected through the USB port to my iPhone, I could use the Q3 for almost a full week, on a single charge.One of the best features of FiiO's Q line is the use of an analogue potentiometer volume knob that is very much to our liking.
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