FIIO K11 Compact Desktop R2R architecture DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

I knew this has had good reviews on several forums so I couldn't resist. But to be honest I am not delighted by the performance. I find the build and operation to be good and everything works seamlessly as it should. But I find the sound to be pedestrian to say the least. It lacks sparkle and also doesn't go as low in the bass as I'd like. I wish I'd sent it back. Edit: I would like to retract the above comments. I had been listening exclusively via the headphone socket on the facia. I read somewhere that better results would be achieved by feeding the output to a dedicated amp. So I altered the output from headphone output to line out and fed that via RCA plugs to an old Pro-Ject standalone headphone amplifier. Now with the extra oomph this gives my headphones (high impedance Sennheiser's) I have excellent sound. Top notch in every department.....detail, presence, imaging, sparkle and bass depth. It's night and day and chalk and cheese all in one go. Brilliant!

This is a fantastic DAC. It sounds clear and punchy with an excellent mid range and good instrument separation. It has a very balanced EQ with no part of the frequency spectrum being over emphasised. There is excellent attack on notes. These qualities make it a pleasure to listen to. My existing CD player (Marantz 6007) is now relegated to a Cd transport as the sound on this DaC is considerably clearer and better. The unit itself is compact and well build with clear printed instructions on how to navigate its settings. I would buy this DAC without hesitation.

I’d been using a cheap USB-C to RCA cable to connect my iPad to my hifi system, but found the sound quality lacking when compared to vinyl or CDs. This DAC was recommended as a good solution for my “warmer sounding” Nad 3020i amplifier and TDL speakers. It made an instantly noticeable difference, especially when playing lossless quality from Apple Music. The audio was clearer, more detailed and with much better separation. I’m really happy with this and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, especially given its very competitive pricing.

Better (louder, cleaner) than the standard output from my laptop.

This is my first R2R dac, after a line of single chip entry dacs through to multi chip ones, I won't use the "night and day" line because it's overused and I just don't like it, what this is though, is a revelation in sound quality from the, many times the price one it has replaced, I only bought it to see what all the fuss was about, after a few weeks listening I now know, will it suit everyone? No will it suit most people? I think its a resounding yes, it's slightly warmer sounding, but that's not to say any music is muffled because it's very clear to listen to, again this is my preference with my equipment and speakers, but it will sound better than most at probably up to £500 in my opinion

Driving hd600 very well. Single control button a little awkward. But 5 mins. Playing. And it’s ok. Smaller than I thought. Which was a plus.

Looks nice, seems well built, made the sound louder, but I couldn't tell any quality difference (loudness excluded) from the wiim internal dac using Acoustic Energy AE'1s. If there was It was absolutely minor, nothing in comparison to just changing the EQ profile. My ears are 40+ though so maybe it was that. Still at least I have some first hand experience In the whole do DAC's improve sound debate. I wanted it to, really. The SMSL SU-1 didn't do anything either. Maybe I'll try a pricey Denafrips or something one day.

Upgraded from a Creative internal sound card (due to lack of pci ports). Was sceptical if it would make any difference, but I was pleasantly surprised. High quality music is noticeably nicer on my DT880 headphones. Item is easy to set up and documentation on functionality fine. The timeout for RGB and LCD can be a bit hit or miss though.

I read about R2R DACs online and felt right away that this is a revolutionary breakthrough by FIIO and their engineers in delivering a DAC this good at this price point. Anything close to this DAC will cost about $ 1,000 or more. I know what a good DAC sounds like since I own two Denon DSD DACs. Wait, the balanced headphone out is an added bonus since its drives my Hifiman Sundara closed back headphones without even breaking a sweat. Wow ! I almost fell off my chair when I listened to the first song on this R2R DAC. It was Diana Krall's Temptation using my Hifiman Sundara closed back headphone bought right here on Amazon. Muddy Waters Album sounds amazing. I kid you not. This DAC is equipped with a 4.4 mm balanced headphone out which drives the Sundara Closed back without breaking a sweat using the balanced headphone output. Obviously you need a balanced 4.4mm cable of which I bought right here at Amazon at a reasonable price. First a few initial house keeping setup chores must be performed prior to using this DAC. I feel that its mandatory to have the initial setup correctly to enjoy this Treasure. Read the instruction manual first, its easy to understand. This is how I set up mine, Gain set to high. Output, switch Output PO: Front Panel headphone out with adjustable volume, SAM or sampling used is NOS, you can also select OS for oversampling for a different sound signature. The NOS gives you a Vinyl sounding unadulterated sound signature. UAC usb working mode for my Mac mini 2024 is UAC 2.0. I honestly don’t use Windows computers but I suspect that it should work fine for Windows. With my Denon DSD DAC I have two separate Headphone AMPs, A Preamp for connecting the two separate headphone AMPS and had to add an EQ to achieve the sound signature that I preferred. Imagine, with the FIIO R2R DAC you just need the DAC only and the biggest bonus is that it has balanced and unbalanced Headphone out both of which which drives the Hifiman headphones without breaking a sweat ! This R2R DAC by FIIO is a game changer. All you need is the DAC with ZERO addons and you are good to go. Don’t be fooled by an Audiophile, you can get Hifi at an unbelievable price in a DAC which punches way above it’s price point. All of this for an insane price of $ 200 Canadian Dollars. Mind you, for very high impedance headphones you will definitely need a separate headphone AMP. Most Audio Enthusiasts don’t usually use very high impedance headphone and this R2R DAC will meet the needs of ninety nine percent of Audio Enthusiasts. Now comes the sound. I am an Audio Enthusiast and prefer not to use the term Audiophile since there is no authorized designation or qualification to address oneself as an Audiophile. I use FLAC or High Res music with Audirvana Music Player and Hifiman Sundara, and a few other really good headphones. I am not loyal to any particular band, I choose headphones which correspond to my preferred sound signature. To my ears, this R2R DAC delivers a warm sound with PERFECT lows, mids and highs with a decent soundstage and excellent instrument separation in the NOS mode. The experience can be described as relaxing. Wait, you don’t have to purchase a Tube AMP. This amp sounds tube like in the NOS mode. If you prefer a different sound signature you can always choose the OS mode and it will still knock your socks off. This DAC is highly recommended and is definitely a Giant Killer. Get yours from Amazon. I am not in any way affiliated with any product mentioned here. This is my honest review and my personal opinion.

Hallo, zunächst zur Einordnung: Ich bin recht neu in diesem Bereich. Musik hab ich bisher hauptsächlich über meine QC35 oder Earbuds gehört. Ich hab mir einen HD660S2 schenken lassen und habe mir dazu den K11 RSR bestellt und zum Vergleich den K7 BT, da dieser auf dem Papier deutlich leistungsstärker erschien. Ich nutze das Gerät im Wesentlichen indem ich mein iPhone per Kabel daran anschließe. Eigentlich dachte ich, dass der K7 mehr Leistung liefern sollte, aber während ich den K7 fast bis zum Anschlag drehen musste, bis es laut wurde, liefert der K11 schon oft ab 50% eine sehr ordentliche Lautstärke (kommt ein wenig auf den Song drauf an). Verglichen mit dem K7 wirkt die Bühne des K11 deutlich enger. Das kann man jetzt mögen oder nicht. Ich persönlich finde aber den Ton des K11 RSR deutlich klarer und präziser als den des K7. Es wirkt für mich alles kristallklar, weniger "matschig" als beim K7. Auch hört man viel weniger Rauschen. Das was man hört, scheint hingegen eher von der Musik zu kommen, als vom Verstärker. Beim K7 war das deutlich ausgeprägter. Der Anschluss an den PC hat wie ans Handy auch einwandfrei geklappt. Nach der Umstellung auf 32 bit und 384 KHz habe ich am PC aber ein Knacken wahrgenommen, das vollständig weg war, nachdem ich auf 24 bit und 192 khz umgestellt habe. Wie mir scheint muss man dafür die Treiber von FIIO installieren, was ich erst hinterher gemacht und seitdem nicht mehr getestet habe. Die Treiber lassen sich einfach über die Website finden und installieren. Sehr gefällt mir auch die Verarbeitung. Man kann blöd finden, dass alles über ein Kontrollrad mit eingebautem Knopf geregelt wird und keine weiteren Knöpfe oder Schalter vorhanden sind, aber es funktioniert. Das Display ist super, was ja beim K7 leider fehlt. Lineout zur Hifianlage funktioniert anstandslos. So, kommen wir zur einzigen Sache, die mir nicht so gut gefällt: Der Klang wirkt wärmer als beim K7, was ich erst einmal weder gut noch schlecht finde, mir gefällt er so wie er ist. Aber scheinbar geht damit einher, dass dieser Verstärker keinen starken, tiefen Bass liefert. Wenn ich meine Kopfhörer an die Hifi-Anlage oder an den K7 anschließe, dann ist bei starkem tiefen Bass richtig zu spüren wie der Kopfhörer vibriert. Beim K11 fehlt dies praktisch vollständig und ich habe es auch nicht geschafft dies mit dem EQ des iPhones zu kompensieren. Das finde ich etwas schade, andere mag es vielleicht weniger stören. Es kommt vielleicht auch etwas darauf an, was man gerne so hört. Ansonsten klingt dieses kleine Gerät wirklich großartig. Der K7 BT geht deshalb trotz Bluetooth und stärken im Bass zurück, der K11 RSR wird behalten. Wenn ich mehr Bass will, gehe ich per Lineout über die Hifi-Anlage, regle den Bass per EQ etwas hoch und schließe dort die Kopfhörer an.

Fiio K11 R2R in non-oversampling mode pairs beautifully with my Hifiman Ananda Stealth. Deep insight and nuance, especially in midrange. Vocals are particularly rich. Ananda's hot treble is tamed but detail remains. Bass is full and resonant but less tight, but maybe that's actually more accurate. Everything just seems more "there". Smooth. By contrast, the oversampling mode (OS) has a more precise and organized presentation, but sounds a bit managed with everything relegated to its separate place, as opposed to NOS where instruments and vocals seem to pleasantly interact and blend, while remaining distinct. Each have their own strengths, though I prefer NOS. Admittedly the treble detail it lessened and the bass is looser, but vocals reveal fascinating depth and personality. Previous dac was KA15 dongle, which was very good and offered a 10 band eq plus filter options to play with. But with the K11 R2R I don't feel the need for any adjustments. Kinda perfect as is. I guess there's a reason that Hifiman's own dacs are all R2R. I also own dt770 pro, Grado 325x and Philips Fidelio 3. All are good with the K11 R2R, but the Anandas really shine. Highly recommended.

Works great, excellent value for the buck. Highly recomended

Excelente unidad K11 R2R, su sonido es muy organico, muy retro, en particular el modo de operacion NOS (musica instrumental, solistas, etc.), cuando desees un soniddo mas moderno el modo OS (EBM, metal, electronica) es el adecuado. Lo he usado solo y en conjunto del amplificador Topping A50III, con audifonos Philips SH9500. Su sonido te engancha, es facil escucharlo por mucho tiempo y preferirlo aun cuando no es el DAC mas exacto y hay DACs tecnicamente superiores en su categoria de precio. Este DAC es especialmente bueno para señales tipo PCM y aunque reproduce muy bien todas las frecuencias destaca en el enfasis que hace de los medios por lo que resalta las voces, la musica relajada, musica instrumental, musica con contrastes dinamicos y silencios. Este DAC por su natureleza perdona menos las malas grabaciones, no las adorna y se escucharan verdaderamente deficientes pero en contraste te enganchara la musica bien grabada. Algunos compradores reportan problemas con la entrada optica. En mi caso el volumen era muy bajo en esa entrada. Despues de actualizar el firmware a la version M69 ya no tuve problemas.