Fiio R2R Warmer DAC - A Solid R2R DAC that won't break the Bank

 

General/Packaging/Build

Fiio is a brand that needs no introduction to fellow audiophiles, they are well established and they have positioned themselves among the top few famous chi-fi brands. I reviewed the K13 R2R few weeks ago and they proved to be highly competitive in terms of price performance ratio. Fast forward today, I have the brand’s first R2R DAC only with me, called Warmer. So what is this R2R Warmer you asked? It is essentially a R2R DAC + Tube Buffer that you can pair with any of your amps as the R2R Warmer has quite a few output options.

The packaging itself is very good, minimal but with an extra layer for protection. What is inside the box is the unit itself as well as USB cable and power supply cable.

The VU meter itself blend in with the unit’s design very well giving the whole retro vibe. The backlight of the VU meter is also just nice without being overly bright.

Specifications

• You may refer to this link from Fiio’s official website for the detailed specifications

Gears used for this review

• Macbook Air M2 -> Foobar/Tidal

• Fiio R2R Warmer -> Aune N7

• Fiio R2R Warmer -> Fosi Audio GR70

• Fiio R2R Warmer -> Earmen CH-AMP

• Spirit Torino Twin Pulse IEM
  Letshuoer Ember

• Fiio JT7
  Fosi Audio i5

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Features

• Front panel input knob allows switching between USB, COAX, and also Opt in

• VU Meter that moves along when your music is playing

• Switchable between OS and NOS mode

Sound Impression (NOS and OS)

The tuning of the R2R Warmer is as the name suggests, warmish sounding and analog-ish with the dac/amp running on NOS sampling mode based on my listening experience. The mids are quite intimate sounding but at the same time, they are not overly forward. The note weight is quite good and it is certainly not thin sounding. Soundstage is not that big or grand in NOS mode, imaging is acceptable and good enough for the asking price, but of course, do not expect it to have pinpoint accuracy compared to higher priced dac/amp.

OS on the other hand boast a slightly better resolution and technicalities compared to NOS mode, everything sounded a little bit more crisp compared to NOS mode, and it isn’t as laid back. Depending on your preferences, I personally prefer NOS over OS, but I do switch between the two from time to time depending on my mood.

Listening Impression with the following Amps (with the IEMs/Headphones stated above)

Aune’s N7

• Aune’s house sound generally is leaning towards the warmer side of the spectrum, while the sound signature is warm, it is not dark sounding, with good note weight and very natural timbre reproduction

• Bass is not overly emphasised, sub bass has relatively good extension and mid bass is punchy, while remains tight and controlled, not once where it sounded muddy or bloated

• The good thing about R2R is that i always find the mids rich and lush sounding, this pairing is no exception as well, vocal is not too forward nor recessed, both male and female’s vocal has very good weight and texture to it, certainly not thin sounding

• Treble has good details and not dark sounding, as this is a warm pairing, do not expect very airy and fast transients in the treble response

Fosi Audio GR70

• The GR70 is a tube headphone amp and pre-amp, i don’t think this needs a lot of explanation, this pairing is meant to be rich and warm, but before diving into the sound impression of this pairing, let me give a brief idea of what the GR70 is, the GR70 consist of two replaceable 5654W and two 6Ж4/6Ж8 vacuum tubes and it offers tone control (adjustable bass and treble) 

• This pairing in comparison with N7, is richer and warmer, note weight is thicker and the treble is slightly smoother compared to the pairing with N7

• The overall listening experience for this pairing, i would describe it as laid back, i personally enjoyed this pairing whenever i want to just chill out and not care much about the details, i just immerse myself into the music rather than trying to analyse every single thing

Earmen CH-Amp

• CH-Amp is clean and very neutral sounding amp, it does not add any additional colorisation into the signal based on my listening experience

• Pairing the CH-Amp with Warmer R2R fully reveals the characteristics of the DAC

• With the NOS mode on, despite still being warm sounding, the treble is somehow more crisp compared to the previous two pairings, the perceived soundstage has very good depth, width and height perception, very spacious sounding

• Switching to OS mode, the characteristics of R2R is still there, details and nuances are a step up compared to NOS, it works very well with Spirit Torino’s Twin Pulse IEM

• For the purist who wants uncolored signal from Warmer R2R DAC, this works very well for them, you don’t specifically need CH-Amp, but a neutral ones will do just fine

Comparison (Fiio’s K13 R2R)

• In terms of sound, The K13’s sound signature is leaning towards the clean sounding kind of tonality, less warmth and slightly thinner note weight compared to the Warmer R2R’s DAC (I am comparing it based on the above pairing that i mentioned, K13 R2R being a all in one device, the sonic performance could be affected by the internal’s amping or circuit design

• Power output figure is 2400mw which is quite high and definitely has plenty of oomph to drive headphones, for Warmer R2R, it depends on the amp that it is being paired with

• Depending on your preference in terms of sound signature, the K13 R2R offers simplicity being an all in one device, clean/technical sounding overall, whereas the Warmer R2R offers a more complete R2R experience, where you can pair with different amp to get different sound signature

• I would say both offers a very good sonic performance but both are targeted towards different audience, if you prefer simplicity, K13 R2R is the way to go, if you like to have a complete R2R experience and you like to fiddle with things, Warmer R2R is the one for you

Final Thoughts

Having tested the Warmer R2R for several weeks, it’s safe to say the Warmer R2R definitely earned a spot on my desk, i’ve been using it whenever i want to listen to music or even watch some series, as a R2R DAC, it certainly has quite high price performance ratio when compared to the likes or Holo Audio, i know that is not a fair comparison in terms of pricing as well as sonic performance, but what Fiio has done here is providing the market with a more accessible price point for R2R DAC. I personally think that this model is paving way for their mid or higher end models, which if it does happen, i am definitely anticipating it. In terms of sound, It sounds musical and analog-ish as I have mentioned, and I personally like how it sounds whereby you’re able to connect with the song emotionally. The Warmer R2R definitely ticks many of the boxes in terms of features as well as sonic performance. Recommended!

*A big thanks to Fiio for sending this over for the purpose of this review. I thank them for their support and opportunity

Head over to their official store if you are interested in getting one:

Fiio’s Official AliExpress Store Link - Non Affiliated

Fiio Warmer R2R's Product Page