Home Reviews

Waterfield Sutter Tech Sling Review

REVIEW – Most days, I travel to work and back with just a few items: an iPad, my daily meds, and maybe a charger or keyboard, if I’m planning on spending time writing away from my desk. Occasionally, I have to bring my work laptop home for the night, but it’s not much larger than my 12.9” iPad. I don’t need a bag designed for a three-month trek through the Arctic. I’ve been looking at smaller backpacks, but what I really have been wanting is a well-designed sling bag. So, when the news broke that Waterfield Designs had created a new sling that could fit either size iPad and a little bit more, I was ready to go! We were sent a review unit of the Sutter Tech Sling in brown waxed canvas with a grizzly leather accent piece in the large size. Did it satisfy all my Gadgeteer needs for the perfect sling? Let’s see.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

A two-pocket sling that can be worn across either shoulder by changing the bottom strap location with a clip.

Design and features

The Sutter Tech Sling harkens back to the early days of the California Republic. Sutter’s Mill was the place where gold was discovered in the 19th century, and those who came there seeking it brought only the bare necessities for seeking out their fortune. That’s what the Sutter Tech Sling gives you – just enough to get the job done, easily carried.

The main compartment has a padded Device area toward your back, with microfiber facing from the inner wall. If you are a bare device carrier, this will keep your screen polished and ready to use. The rest of the inner area is covered by Waterfield’s signature gold brocade fabric, which aids finding things in the depths of your bag. There is a small tag on the front wall of the device sleeve that just says Made in San Francisco and the company URL – sfbags.com.

Opposite the device sleeve, there are four pen silos and a single pocket that might hold a laptop power supply. It’s not deep, only about 4”, but it does have a little dimension, rather than being just a slip-in design. You could put a full-sized mint tin in it with room for your keys. Speaking of your keys, there’s also a 4” ribbon with a metal clasp right above this pocket which would let you clip a ring of keys in with ease.

In front of the main pocket is a full-length additional open pocket. It is accessed from two zippers located behind bellows on either side of a central leather accent piece. The leather on the bag I was sent is a medium brown (“Grizzly” is what Waterfield calls it – both for the color and the style of finish.) The body of this model is brown waxed canvas. The other color option is a black more polished leather with a black Cordura body. The only external branding is a small embossed stamp in the center of the leather that says simply:

WATERFIELD
MADE IN SAN FRANCISCO

The pocket itself is spacious. I can get my meds pouch, a couple of different charging cables and my dongle pack in there without trouble.

The back of the sling is fully covered by a padded mesh fabric. There are solid D-rings sewn into each lower corner, so the bag can be changed from left- to right-shoulder in a matter of seconds. At the lower end of the strap (which is a generous 45” at its maximum length) is a one-hand-operation spring-closing clamp that allows you to quickly tighten or loosen the strap. This lets you swing the bag around while keeping one hand on your handlebars, coffee cup, dog lead or child’s hand.

With the bag around front, a single zipper lets you into the entire rear pocket, from whichever side you’ve chosen to have as your carrying side. The top central solid D-ring has an extra bar across the straight side so that the strap won’t slip around. It’s an ingenious design, but it could really use a haul loop/grab handle up there. (The Crossbody bolt and the Tech Folios have this, and it’s sorely missing here.)

Every time I pick it up to sling it on, I’m never sure the best place to grab it. Other slings I’ve used have this and it’s the one negative I have with this bag.

One thing you’ll notice over time while using the sling is the little pieces of hardware that are used. Even the zipper pulls, which are cordage sealed in a metal knurled tip, enhance the experience, and quietly whisper “Quality. Thoughtfulness.” every time they’re used.

Performance

The Sling performs well in rain or shine. (We get a lot of both in the Winter in Central North Carolina.) The main weather-proof zippers and waxed canvas repels even the steadiest of downpours, at least long enough to get to your destination. I don’t know if they would withstand a 4-day blow, but I’ve been through some good showers thus far. The rear pocket doesn’t have weatherproof zippers, but they are folded under the bellows, so protected from all but the most punishing of stormy blasts.
I have the original 12.9” iPad in a Moko hard case which is a good bit wider and taller than the current 2018 model. It fits easily naked, but gets a bit tight in the thick case. I usually just carry it in the main pocket, and put either the keyboard or my 10.5” iPad in the device pocket, depending on where I’m going. The smaller iPad Pro fits with it’s Moko case without any issues. Given the height of the interior, it’s easy to toss in a full-sized keyboard (not an extended one!) and still have room for other items.

What I Like

Quality materials and workmanship
Excellent design – just large enough without having tons of extras
Right- or Left-shoulder use

What needs to be improved

Needs a haul loop/grab handle on the top.

Final thoughts

Our devices (both phones and laptop/tablets) are getting slimmer, yet larger, and more difficult to slip into a pocket. Most of them have battery life listed in partial days, rather than hours, and the chargers are not as large or as bulky as for older generations of gear. The result? For most folks carrying tech, the space requirements have shrunk quite a bit from even just 2-3 years ago. No more do we need a full-sized backpack with adapters, mice, chargers, and cables. All that’s required is a sleeve or pocket or two with a little room for personal items added. A sling design keeps the body of your tech next to your body, rather than held at an angle like with a briefcase, yet, unlike a backpack, is easy to get into for quick access by sliding it around. The Sutter Sling has gained my respect as a well-conceived update to earlier slings, that can accommodate your daily minimum carry, be it a laptop, tablet, or books and papers.

Price: $169 for regular size (4.5 liters), $179 for full size (as reviewed, 6.5 liters)
Where to buy: Waterfield Designs
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Waterfield Designs.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Waterfield Sutter Tech Sling Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 23, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Monowear Contemporary Leather Apple Watch Cuff and Travel Fold Up review

REVIEW – Monowear makes great accessories for the Apple watch and I personally reviewed two of their bands not all that long ago and wear them frequently. Today’s review is for their Contemporary Leather Cuff as well as a travel organizer.

What are they?

The Contemporary Leather Cuff is a clean take on a watch band that minimizes the hardware to focus on the leather. The Travel Fold Up is an organizer that keeps up to four bands and your charging cables protected and at the ready when you travel.

Hardware specs

Contemporary Leather Cuff
Watch sizes: 42/44 or 38/40 to fit the two Apple Watch sizes
Wrist sizes: SM or ML
Watch color: Space Grey Aluminum, Silver Aluminum, Gold Aluminum, or Silver Stainless Steel
Colors: Saddle or Taupe

Travel Fold Up
Dimensions: Pocket Area = 12 x 8″, Folded = 4 x 8 x 1″ (depending on what’s inside)
Material: Soft Polyurethane
Colors: Black w/ grey interior and a choice of Grey, Red or Black nylon ties

What’s in each box?

  • One contemporary leather cuff

  • One travel fold up organizer
    (note: these are sold separately)

Design and features

Let’s look at the watch band first.

I selected the Taupe color with silver aluminum for my daughter to try out on her hand-me-down generation 1 Apple Watch as I personally like darker watch bands. It’s cool that Monowear gives you the option of choosing the watch connector colors in addition to band colors and sizes.

Right out of the package, the leather is nice and soft with a natural looking grain. The sides are edge painted in a perfectly matched color and the back of the band is a smooth, light natural leather color that’s very comfortable against the skin.

The top and bottom layers finished with a through stitch that matches the respective color of each size.

The band is wider overall but tapers towards the middle where the overlap employs the same pin and tuck process as the stock silicone bands that come with Apple Watch. The pin here is a polished silver and sits just below their debossed logo which is not visible when the band is fastened.

The watch connectors match the silver aluminum of the Apple Watch a lot better than this photo shows but it is definitely not a direct match.

As for the Travel Fold Up; it’s pretty self explanatory. There’s a simple nylon tie that when released lets you unfold and discover four watchband pockets along with a wider pocket that’s perfect for the charging cable.

The whole pouch is smooth and well constructed.

Setup

Contemporary Leather Cuff: Press the watch band removal buttons on the back of your watch to slide your current band out and then slide your new Monowear band into place.

Travel Fold Up: Untie, unfold and load in the watchbands and charging cable you want to travel with.

Performance

As mentioned, the cuff is nice and soft. It’s easy to put on and stays put due to the tucked end. Because of the freedom of rotation from the watch connectors and the fact there’s no buckle and tang, the band has a nice round curve as it sits on the wrist making it very comfortable.

During the review period it never caused irritation or accidentally came undone which is what one would hope.

The color is very friendly and a good mix between a pale tan and a pink that looked really good on the wrist.

The travel organizer works as one would expect. I tend to keep both sides of a band attached to each other when not on a watch to make them easier to sort through. They slid right into each pocket easily like that. The larger pocket accepts even the long charge cable with a gentle wrap instead of having to kink it into a narrow pouch. Nice touch.

The double stitch lines between the big and first band pocket, and band pockets 2 and 3 help the pouch fold easily where it should, while that top flap folds down and protects the bands from hitting each other.

The only issue I experienced was that the nylon tie would easily fall out of the grommet when untying. Easily solved with a quick knot.

What I like

  • Contemporary Leather Cuff
  • Soft supple leather band
  • Gentle, comfortable curve on the wrist
  • No bulky hardware
  • Travel Fold Up
  • Soft and flexible
  • Pretty compact overall

What needs to be improved

  • Contemporary Leather Cuff
  • No dark colors
  • Travel Fold Up
  • Nylon tie kept falling out

Final thoughts

Leather watchbands feel great and look distinguished, maybe even more so after time. It’s great to see additional style options besides what Apple makes available and Monowear does a great job of providing new ones to choose from at good prices. The Contemporary Leather Cuff is a great example across the board there. If you need a travel organizer for your watch bands, this is a great option. Personally, my extra band or two is usually in my kitbag, but the Travel Fold up could easily double as a tool,  pen or cable organizer as well depending on what you need to carry.

Price: $52 (Contemporary Leather Cuff), $35 (Travel Fold Up)
Where to buy: Monowear
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Monowear.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Monowear Contemporary Leather Apple Watch Cuff and Travel Fold Up review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 23, 2019 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Douchebags The Backpack review


REVIEW – For many years I have been continuously looking for that gear bag that is just right for me to run around with and carry enough photography gear. Over the years I must have collected 30 gear bags and I still don’t feel like I have the right one. I now have the opportunity to test The Backpack by Douchebags. Let’s see if my search is finally over.

What is it?

The Backpack by Douchebags is a versatile backpack that can accommodate the daily needs of a photographer via the available camera/photography insert, as well as for school, work, exploring the trails or if you are just out and about.

What’s in the box



1 x The Backpack
1 x Camera Gear Insert (This is extra and not included with the Backpack)

Design and features

Specifications
Volume: 21 liters
Laptop pocket fits a 15″ MacBook Pro

Features:
Hook-up system
Top pocket
Tripod Straps
Fully openable compartment
Inside mesh pockets
Compatible with The CIA Camera Insert.

Material:
Main material: Polyester 600D
Lining: Polyester 200D

Dimensions:
Height: 48 cm / 18.8 in
Width: 29 cm / 11.4 in
Depth: 15 cm / 5.9 in
Weight: 1 kg / 2.2 lbs

On the front of the Backpack, there are 2 straps across the width of the bag at the top and bottom that you can use to attach additional supplies like maybe a folded blanket or even to attach the bag to the handles of a suitcase. The front is also padded to provide added protection.

On the back, there are the padded shoulder straps, and the back is also padded to provide comfort and air flow between the backpack and your body. There are clips at the top of the straps that allow you to attach the bag to another via a molle system.



On one side of the backpack, there is an upper strap and a lower pocket that can accommodate a small travel tripod/monopod or even an umbrella. On the opposite side, there are 2 straps for additional gear.


On the top, there is a zippered section that has a mesh pocket on the opening flap for storing small accessories and opens to a pocket that provides a relatively deep storage area.


On one side of the backpack, there is a zippered laptop/tablet pocket.

On the inside, there are 2 zippered mesh pockets on each side for additional accessory storage.


On the front opening cover flap, there are 3 additional mesh pockets for even more accessory/supplies/extra items storage.


The camera insert has a velcro strap on each side allowing you to secure it in various ways. On the inside, there are velcro dividers for customizing the storage space for your camera gear.


The camera insert fits perfectly inside of the backpack. The camera insert is not very deep and can only hold small lenses if they are standing up. It is also quite small, so if the lenses are on their side, it still can only hold 2 or 3 small lenses, with a smaller DSLR. It cannot hold my pro body DSLR with the extended grip attached.


The pictures below show my model wearing the backpack. She indicated that it is very comfortable on her back and that the shoulder straps are also very comfortable.


What I like

  • The build quality
  • The storage options
  • The relative versatility

What can be improved

  • The size and depth of the photography insert to accommodate professional DSLR cameras and lens

Final thoughts

This backpack is a nice size and well made with several options for carrying and attaching various types of gear and/or everyday items. While it will work well for the normal daily supplies, I tested it specifically as a solution for my everyday photography gear needs. If carrying pro gear as I do, it is not the ideal solution. Many of my pro lenses are large as are my camera bodies that all have extended grips attached. I never remove the extended grips, so there is a size requirement to carry such large gear. This backpack is not the answer for me. However, do not let that deter you. If you are looking for a daily backpack or one to take on an adventure, this bag will work. In my opinion, the only other consideration is how you feel about the price.

Price: $231.40 or €179
Where to buy: Douchebags website
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Douchebags

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

Douchebags The Backpack review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 22, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

TOPLEX Action Camera T101 review


REVIEW – I used to use a GoPro camera for some of my video work a few years ago, but I got rid of it a while ago. I wanted to get back to using an inexpensive action camera, so I figured I would give this Toplex Action Camera T101 a try.

What is it?

The Toplex Action Camera T101 is a 4k capable action camera that includes a 2″ display, Panasonic Sensor, WiFi, a 170-degree lens, and image stabilization. It also has the ability to be controlled via a smartphone app.

What’s in the box?

  • Toplex Action Camera T101
  • Two 1200mAh batteries
  • Semi-hard carrying case
  • Micro-USB cable
  • Waterproof case
  • Many mounting accessories
  • User Manual



Hardware specs

  • 170 degree wide angle lens
  • 16mp Panasonic Sensor
  • Video: 4k/30fps, 2.7k/60fps, 1440p/60fps, 1080p/60fps, 1080p/30fps, 720p/120fps
  • Video format: mp4, h.264, h.265
  • Photo: 5, 8, 12, AND 16mp (4608×3456).
  • 1200mAh battery (two included)
  • Electronic image stabilization (EIS)
  • 7 layer glass lens
  • WiFi
  • Modes: Video, video and snap, photo, loop video (driving mode), time-lapse video, time-lapse photo, slow motion.






Design and features

The Toplex Action Camera T101 has a fairly good feature set. There are multiple video and photo modes.

The video modes include the following:

  • Standard video recording at 4k/30fps, 2.7k/60fps, 1440p/60fps, 1080p/60fps, 1080p/30fps.
  • Loop recording in 5, 10, or 25 minute loops
  • Video + Snap records video and captures photos at intervals of 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes.
  • Time Lapse creates a video from frames captured at intervals of .5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, or 60 seconds.
  • Slow motion video recording at 720p/120fps.

The photo modes include the following:

  • Standard photos at 5, 8, 12, AND 16mp (4608×3456).
  • Lapse takes photos at intervals of 1, 3, 5, 10 or 30 seconds.
  • Timer mode captures a photo continuously at a set time interval of .5 seconds, 1 second, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or 5 minutes.
  • Burst mode will take a series of photos at a set time interval. The options include 3 photos in 1 second, 5 photos in 1 second, 10 photos in 1 second, 15 photos in 1 second, 20 photos in 2 seconds, 30 photos in 2 seconds, and 30 photos in 3 seconds.

There are some standard settings like being able to choose the starting mode so that the camera will start in whatever mode you want, like video, loop recording (for use as a dash cam), time lapse, etc.

The camera app allows easy preview and settings access to the camera. I found the app easy to use, in fact a little easier to use than the interface on the camera itself.

The camera app did fail to download a video. The first time it stated “Failed”, the second and third time it seemed to complete without error but I could not locate the video anywhere in the iPhone Photos app.

One thing that is really nice is the size:

Here’s the problem

I was extremely disappointed in the video quality with this device. There are obvious artifacts in the video, in multiple formats. I tried multiple settings such as NTSC/PAL, 50htz/60htz, and various size formats, and they all seem to have the same dots and lines. The dots and lines varied in their positions, so I’m guessing it’s a signal processing flaw.

For example, here’s a screen capture from a 1080p time-lapse I took:

A close up of the image artifacts:

Here’s a screen capture from a 1080p video:

Here’s a partial screen from a 4k video:

There’s also a serious magenta color cast to the video.

1080p Video Time-lapse:

4K Video Sample:

What I like

  • Included two batteries
  • Included many accessories
  • Included waterproof case
  • Included nice semi-hard case
  • Smartphone app

What needs to be improved

  • Video quality
  • Addition of a Touch Screen
  • App did not download videos to my phone

Final thoughts

The video from this camera is so poor that I would not consider it for anything other than using this camera as a dash cam, or a security/body camera – but even then, not at this price. This is not something you would want for creating YouTube videos, or any video where you want some quality to the video. However, if you output the 4k video at 1080p or smaller, the dots and lines are reduced to an almost unnoticeable level. That might be something I could tolerate with a $40 action cam, but not a $100 one.

Price: $99.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Toplex.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

TOPLEX Action Camera T101 review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 22, 2019 at 9:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

FiiO M7 High-Resolution Lossless Audio Player review

REVIEW – I’m not sure anyone has come out with as many different digital audio players (DAP) as FiiO has. In an age where almost everyone (at least here in the US) uses their smartphones for music listening, FiiO has stubbornly stuck to making DAPs in every price range and feature set. What began as me-too iPod wannabes have evolved into sophisticated, Android-based music players that can handle the most demanding high-resolution music files. 

What is it?

The FiiO M7 is a small, portable hi-res Bluetooth digital audio player with a built-in FM radio. It plays high-resolution music files and uses a pared-down version of Android as its operating system.

Specs

  • Formats: DSD64, APE, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, AIF, WMA, ALAC, MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG
  • FM radio
  • DAC: ES9018Q2C
  • Amp: ES9018Q2C
  • Inputs: USB-C (Charging and Data Transfer / USB DAC)
  • Outputs: 3.5mm Headphone Jack
  • Internal Memory: 2GB
  • SD Card Slot: micro SD (512GB max.)
  • Display: 3.2 inch TFT 480×800
  • Battery: 20 hours
  • Bluetooth: 4.2
  • Dimensions (HxWxD): 109 x 52 x 13 mm
  • Weight: 116 grams
  • Warranty: 24 Months

Package Contents

USB Cable, Clear Case, Quick Start Guide, Warranty Card

Design and features

The design of the M7 DAP’s operating system is clever and mostly efficient, due to its use of Android as a base. Previous FiiO DAPs I’ve used had their own OS baked into the hardware and were not the most user-friendly interfaces. Since Android is used worldwide, its acceptance is pretty much guaranteed—even to this diehard Apple iOS user. 

Keep in mind that the M7 uses a bare-bones version of Android. FiiO smartly decided to only use what’s needed and ditch the superfluous stuff that adds useless complexity. Good move. 

It’s a bit slow to boot up, but once you get past the Welcome screen, you’re greeted with six icons: FiiO Music, FM Radio (yes, it has FM), File Management, Gallery, Technical Support and Settings. Navigation is easy and fairly straightforward. Only a couple of times was I unsure of how to maneuver out of a screen and had to shut-down to return to the beginning. It was either my fault or a glitch that FiiO will fix. FiiO has an excellent record of updating firmware on a timely basis. 

The FiiO Music icon deals with—you guessed it—music files. This is not as intuitive as I would like. When you tap the icon, you have to choose a folder called just “Folder” to access the micro SD card that holds your music—and you want a micro SD card. The M7 only holds 2GB of space, so there’s not a lot of room for music. I’m using a 128GB micro SD card which is a good size. Note that the M7 will accept up to a 512GB card. There is only one SD slot and SD cards are not included.

The FiiO Music folder shows a lot of song info. It will tell you the most recent songs played, most played songs and recently added. It has separate Artist, Album and Songs folders, so it’s easy to navigate to what you want to hear. It will also store playlists that you create on the M7. 

The Settings icon lets you turn on/off or customize various settings. The M7 can be set up as a USB digital audio converter (DAC) giving the M7 another use for those instances when you may want a better DAC than what’s in your car or smartphone, for instance. The M7 can also be used as a Bluetooth DAC/amp to wirelessly connect almost any non-Bluetooth device to a Bluetooth source. Bluetooth was easy to pair with my Fugoo Style S speaker and various wireless headphones I tried. The M7 found the devices quickly.

One nice thing about the M7 is the inclusion of FM Radio—if you’re into that. I haven’t listened to music on FM in ages and the M7 isn’t going to change that. But some still listen to the radio, so it’s a nice addition. However, it turns out that FM will not work with Bluetooth or wireless headphones. The headphone’s cable becomes the FM antenna—limiting the FM radio’s appeal. Once I plugged some headphones into the M7, the FM app instantly found all the local radio stations around me and listed them in order—way more convenient than manually dialing or searching. The difference in audio quality between FM and the M7’s native music player is night and day. Music on the radio stations sounded muffled and boomy. It made me realize why I gave up FM years ago. Ugh.

The M7 has a built-in 10-band graphic equalizer—difficult to find and difficult to use. Access seems to only be through the window showing a particular song that’s playing. There are 8 presets plus a user mode that only sometimes would accept my finger attempting to access the EQ sliders trying to customize the settings. After fiddling with it, I just turned off all EQ and lived with it. Besides, no EQ sounded better than any of the pre-determined settings.

As intelligent as the OS can be, it’s the hardware where FiiO shines. The M7 is almost beautiful to look at and a pleasure to hold in your hand. It’s made from a solid piece of aluminum with minimal buttons. The large (for the M7’s size) plastic screen is a 480 X 800 TFT color screen. No, it’s not OLED or glass—it doesn’t need to be. It’s plenty bright and easy to read. Plus, the M7’s screen does not show fingerprints as a glass screen can.

There’s a “chin” above the screen which makes the M7 look upside down. It takes some getting used to since most players have the chin below the screen. It looks off-balance.

The M7 is thicker than most newer smartphones and has sharp edges—there’s nothing rounded about it. Even so, it’s comfortable and secure-feeling when held. FiiO includes a clear soft TPU plastic case for the M7. Some people despise the case, but I leave it on since the aluminum shell can scratch or dent easily if dropped. The M7 comes in four colors: Blue, red, black and gray. I have the red one which is the most striking looking and photographs better.

I had an issue with the side buttons on the M7. Unless you turn the buttons off in Settings, it’s far too easy to accidentally press them which will either fast forward, pause or repeat a song. Fortunately, Fiio allows these buttons to be turned off as long as the screen is off, so the M7 can be left in your pocket without any accidental button pressing. 

So how does the M7 sound? It is certified Hi-Res and can handle any lossless music file resolutions up to 192kHz/24bit. What this means in English is that the M7 will store and play files better than CD quality (44.1KHz/16bit). Knowing that some CDs can sound freaking good, does better than CD matter? Only in some instances. When listening to a high-res file, certain details can be revealed that may be missed in that same music file being played at a lower resolution. Keep in mind that this difference will be much more apparent when you compare a CD to a really low-res MP3 file. The difference between a CD and a 192kHz/24bit file will be minimal to audiophiles and not heard at all by most other people. 

And if that isn’t enough, the vast majority of a recording’s quality is determined in the recording studio—long before the customer gets a version, be it high-res, CD or the lowly streaming format. It’s no wonder most people stick with their smartphones for all their music.

Even with all that griping aside, the M7 sounds great when fed high-quality music files. My hi-res version of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Déjà Vu” album sounds glorious whether listening with wired headphones or even over Bluetooth. The details hidden within each song is stunning. This is a carefully recorded album that can now be heard as I can imagine it sounded in the studio. Stunning.

Amber Rubarth’s binaural album “Sessions from the 17th Ward” is another aural revelation on the M7. The soundstage of this recording places the listener right in the middle of the stage (credit the binaural microphone set-up for that) and the higher res recording adds clarity that is downright spooky. The M7 effortlessly exhibits the best this album has to offer. It’s an audio cliche, but Ms. Rubarth really does sound like she is in the room with you.

It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of music you’re into—the FiiO M7 can make you smile and sometimes even give you goosebumps with what you hear.

What I like

 The M7 hits the sweet spot between features, price and audio quality. It’s well-built, fairly easy to navigate and can sounds as good as the quality of music you feed it.

What needs to be improved

Even though the price is justified, the M7 is not cheap. Note that FiiO makes less expensive excellent players. The M7’s software can be frustrating at times.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t gone into everything the FiiO M7 can do, but if you’re looking to separate your smartphone from your music collection and move it to a dedicated music player, visit fiio.com and check out their line of players—some more and some less expensive. You should be able to find one that gives you what you want in a player—even if it’s not the M7.

Price: $199.99 US
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this product was provided by FiiO.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

FiiO M7 High-Resolution Lossless Audio Player review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 21, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.