NO, There isn't a remote for this. I found two but they are for the K19 and the R9. Sad FiiO K11 R2R in RED ------- amzn.to/4h5GDkV FiiO K11 R2R ------------------- apos.audio/products/fiio-k11-r2r-desktop-dac-amp/?sca_ref=36221.ouwJgZltO5 FiiO K11 R2R ------------------- amzn.to/4f9ieJd
tempting, to get this cause i dont have any dacs currently other than the inbuild in Denon avr ...which headphone output sucks and my sennheiser hd650 have been sleeping it its original box few years
@@johto Have a hunch that wouldn't be a good pairing (similar "sound signatures" that I think would likely exacerbate "Sennheiser veil" that many experience on the 650s).
I was very disappointed with the Black Label. Way too hot treble in PCM causing me fatigue, and then became flat and dull when doing DSD (but that's also been my experience with every R2R DAC I've listened to so I won't be touching this either, although it is appealing for a budget DAC/amp, and doubly so since Schiit stopped the Magni Multibit option).
Why not use only the TA22? It also has an integrated dac, at least the Duo does I think. Sorry I am fairly new to this.😢 Edit: after watching the review, ok the fiio r2r needs to be the dac, got it now 😊
@@mich5528 Good question. I did use it like that, but the ESS dac that's integrated sounds different compared to the R2R dac. It sounds more clinical, even with the tube flavoring that the TA-22 adds, whereas the K11 R2R is rich, full, and smooth all around. I would use something like a TA-26S OTL tube amplifier if I could, but as I use mostly planars and low impedance headphones, it wouldn't be a good option as OTL amplifiers are intended for high impedance headphones. The TA-22 being a hybrid amp handles everything from low to high impedance because of the solid state portion of the amp.
@@informedchoice2249 I have no experience with FOSI audio but a quick glance at their tube amps tells me that it would be a good match for the K11 R2R. I actually got the TA-22 as I wanted to use it as an all in one solution at first, but I paired the K11 R2R out of curiosity and the difference in sound is night and day compared to the stock ESS dac the TA-22 has.
I also absolutely love my k11 r2r unit as well, and it's my first dac from this hobby. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE when you listen to the entirety of the Nier soundtrack
How does this dac compare with iFi ZEN DAC? The latter is often praised for its analogue sound, and it sounds like this Fiio dac might be similar. Cheers for the review btw!
Alright, i just got my Eris in the mail RIGHT NOW as i am typing this, blasting Big Shot Cream Soda by Suicideboys and Animals by Architects on the Topping A70 Pro... 11/10. These are definitely something unique
By far - this is the best audio review I have ever seen. So much passion expressed, and experience - I don't really know what this thing is but i'm buying one! I don't care - and I'm getting the RED one. What cables do I need?
Short answer (I have both): The RAW is the best value AOI. You don't really need anything else. The Fiio R2R K11 sound is different. I'll give it that, but if you want fidelity, it does not compare to the RAW or other similar D/S dac/amps.
This dac is silly gooder. I've had this thing for about a month and it's just flat out ridiculous how it performs for it's price point. I even set this dac up in NOS mode w/ HQPlayer, lol. It's legit AF.
Hi, love your reviews! So passionate about the hobby, and it's nice to listen to your thoughts about them. One question, if the ef499 and this k11 r2r is priced the same, which one would be a better value buy? For context I'm using a Edition XS.
urban legend has it that FIIO themselves only claim it to have about 72dB SINAD ( 1kHz ? what power? how would I know) So what one hears is most likely a good amount of lush noise and distortion and under all of that the R2R design may shine through a bit. Totally fine to like that! Just don't kid yourself that you can get an audibly transparent R2R DAC with that little hardware. Hopefully someone measures one of these soon and totally proves me wrong, because I want one. Especially at that price point, where it also doesn't feel as bad to buy an objectively subpar product compared to state-of-the-art. I just like that thing :-)
It’s a fine combo! I’m running both with iFi Power X and Airplay is clean, tight and with a better soundstage. The SR11 is way better than the WiiM mini.
I still have the og IFI ZEN DAC & CAN, should I replace the DAC part with this? Also, I heard a lot of people complain about the noise floor, can anyone address that?
I ordered one. Of course the Wife doesn't understand. "How could you possibly need anything else?" She'll never understand my "hobby". She's lucky it's under $200. I'm still lucky to have her....though she'll never understand.
@@moclarkoagogo2603It sounds even better than k9pro, which is five times the price of k11 r2r. Lucky FiiO price on basis of how big the thing is rather than how good it is.
I prefer a physical button for power on/off and to change output (headphones/line out) and still looking for the perfect unit after a 7 year long quest lol. I might settle for this unit or the .M.S.L RAW-MDA1 and just give up by now.
yep. its a steal for $160. i prefer the NOS over the oversampling mode for some reason. lots of features, sounds good. i'm running it as a secondary dac to my main rig next to a Geshelli J2S and do A/B comparisons just for fun.
Any differences in imaging between chip based and r2r dacs? I'm looking for a new dac/amp for music/gaming and this might fit the bill. Bought the ifi zen can some time ago and enemy steps in fps games are like one huge single bubble coming from everywhere.
@@artureff3046 I have a fiio e10k that feeds an ifi zen can, but still prefer using the fiio when gaming because of better imaging (plugging headphones into the fiio onstead of zen can) I even think the zen can is clipping because it has issues with low impedance headphonrs bcs of weak power supply but that's a different story. I need that sharp imaging and am interested in how r2r dacs score in that regard. Thanks for your answer tho
I read some reviews that say that the Amp in the K11 R2R is not as good as the Dac and its limiting its potential. and I saw them pairing the K11 R2R to another Headphone Amplifier. So I will need to buy a headphone Amplifier if I want to get the best Audio out of it in Headphone and IEMs ?
I enjoyed the k11 as it was small and packed a punch sounded great too but ended up selling it cause it wasn't amazing now I'm think I'm gonna go buy r2r version kinda excited tbh picking up some dt 900 pro x soon
No, stick with your Topping for gaming, it’s more detailed with a more pin point analytical sound quality and that’s a better quality for gaming. This is a music dac, smoother, warmer, less in your face, a more relaxed sound and not really for gaming. The R2R structure tends to be a little slower than its Delta Sigma counterpart, ESS, AKM, Cirrus Logic etc which tend to be more responsive, faster which is the kind of nature that compliments gaming needs more.
How well does the FiiO K11 r2r handle the Audio technica Apos ath r70x refine? Recently got into the hobby and trying to build me a set up for my pc :D
Come on Z. I got the R2R in July. Pretty late on the review? Just giving you some Sh*t. I just saw the post as I am still subsctibed. No offense as I 'thought' I unsubscribed to all the 'audiophile' reviewers a few months ago as I was exhausted from spending. I got the newest, latest and greatest Chi-Fi to setup my corner desktop and I unsubscribed to all so I wouldn't have buy anymore gear since my desktop is complete. I am unsubscribing now, not because of you, but I'm done with gear...this year anyway. If I move and have more rooms to fill, I will be back. I did find you the most entertaining reviewer. Thanks for the content. You were actually responsible for my JT1 purchase early this year which is what started the spending spree which just recently ended. Then you got my on the Hiby R4 right after I bought the M300. ...and the Micca MB42X G2 (sigh)
I have bought the Eris (still waiting for it to arrive), and I want an affordable dac to match it with for music and movies 50/50. Will this be a good buy, are they matching together well ? or should I go for something with a bass boost too Experience Extreme Bass Levels 🤭 ? What dac is the best for the Eris in the $200 range ?
Have you looked at the HiBy R4? I'm running mine on the R4 x Evangelion it is sounds great low gain at 50%. You can also change it's running mode if you want to run it as a desktop DAC via usb.
@@MrGoldMember I Allready have the iBasso DX170. Want a desktop amp/dac to connect to my computer. + I have HiBy R3 and I will never buy a HiBy product again. Its getting bricked from time to time and the only way to fix it is to install the firmware again.
@@MrGoldMember I love my Hiby R4 Eva too, it sounds much more expensive than it is and the Evangelion theme is perfect. 2nd best 300 dollars I have ever spent.
I'm surprised that more people haven't talked about buying this thing just for the dac. The amp imo is mediocre and too intimate for me (early thx vibes), the dac is killer. Tried with an old E-600 w/ Muses 02 op amp and holy balls was it amazing! Still worth it for the price imo. $90-100 dac only would be perfect. The bottom I think is shaped like that so you can run cables under it. It often goes on sale for $130 (what I paid).
should I get this dac or should I get the schiit magni? the magni is almost double the price but these two are almost at the same price so im interested in the fiio k11 and the schiit magni
I've heard that they aren't good enough for planars, only dynamic headphones. Is it true? I have an Onix Alpha and i'm thinking if i should upgrade to this Fiio for my Hifiman Arya Stealth.
+1 for wifu supervisors, +10 for never doing my ears dirty. every one of your budget reviews have given my office and ears sound that rival my prestige equipment (after 20 years of garbage has technology finally grown up?)
Thanks, i saw a Gustard dac x-10 for 175euro got a review that says it sounds very good . Is the fio stil better because it got R2R?? The Gustard has ESS Technology Sabre Reference 32bit ES9018 DAC chip.
Headphones usually scale with better amps, and nobody knows how long a fiio will last. It is like with cars, I can buy a fast tuned Nissan, but it will never be a Ferrari.
Price has gone up, could not find it cheaper than around 180 euros (close to 200 usd). And if somewhere was 160, there would be around 20+ shipping or long shipping Anyhow, just placed order from German Amazon here to Finland. Seller had 10 left. Free shipping and no customs inside EU and free shipping. Totalling 188 euros. Amazon will deliver inside one week and shipments are accurate vs some weird china shop.
Is this an upgrade over an audio-gd NFB 11 (2015)? My NFB-11 is a bit annoying with its drivers and its switch between headphone and preamp is kinda wonky.
Partially even better because headphone out is fully balanced when line out is not, but the same time worse because there is medium quality amp between.
@@trekkis oooo thanks for detail information. Now to plugging and unplugging headphones to hear difference LoL If I may ask where did you find information about this device on that level ?
there is a lot of reviews (they all are saying the same regarding medium quality amp but better balanced one) and whole internal schematics / architecture is very easy to find
Everything is about a good power. Those small boxes just do NOT have room enough to place a good power source inside. I'm not talking about a main power line. I'm talking about all those +3.3v, +5v (digital(oscillator/logic)/analog), -5v, +15v, -15v, something else... You can imagine how many voltage stabilizers (big correct capacitors, big heatsinks, etc) are in there... This is why 1100 R2R sounds better than 180 R2R. That's it. Because to select a better sounding window function is not big deal. To feed it with a clean and fulfilled voltage IS a big deal.
@@trekkis But this is one for all: digital, analog, negative, positive.. It's not good and is only slightly better than a noisy PS. There must be 3 transformers and bunch of LDOs: one TR for a digital isolated part, one TR for a digital power, and one TR for an analog power. Because for a noise one transformer is like an empty road because of a parasitic capacitance and a leakage inductance.
I was super underwhelmed with this DAC. I tested it side by side with my Denafrips Ares 12-1 into a Luxman P200 headphone amp (class A) and while I know the Denafrips is more expensive, the Fiio isn’t even close in performance. It sounds muddy and very digital by comparison. As usual, overhyped!
Optical out is just a raw PCM signal. No DAC. Optical is a digital signal. A DAC is a digital to analog converter. No conversion to analog is happening so the signal is not being processed by the sabre DAC.
I find the unbalanced headphone out is the week link. For unbalanced heardphones, I use the line out to my Xduoo MT-602 and like it better. For balanced I prefer the k11 4.4 output.
Hey Zeos, If you happen to walk by somewhere or get your hands on a Sansui au-6900 integrated amp, while it sounds amazing for speakers, I tried the headphone amp with some Hifiman planars and it destroys most sub 500$ headphone amps out there
I bought the thing in red!! Are you happy now? ^^ My Hifiman Deva Pro sound nice and the Oppo PM3 will be tested next. Edit: i just paired it with my ifi Zen Can Signature AND OH BOI! That hits the spot!
Shit and i thought this month i would not buy any new electronics. Only DAC i currently have is the inbuild in my Denon x3500h feeding my seperate amps (no headphone outs) etc. I have Sennheiser HD650 resting in the original box (with new pads nevertheless), havent used those in years cause imho Denon AVR headphone output sucks, and have been more of a speaker guy few years. Zeos, how does this drive the HD650's ? 🤓
How does the Fiio K11 R2R compare to the Hifiman EF499 and EF500, both as a DAC with pre out, and as a headphone amp? How is it when paired with Sundara headphones, compared to the Hifimans I mentioned?
Heard them 2 years ago, still remember vividly how the Hifiman r2r sounds terrible, coarse with low density. They just scrape your ears like sandpapers. 😂
@Karto86 I agree. I have a pair of burson v7 vivids laying around with nothing to put them in so I just ordered the q11. Just what I needed.... another dac 😂
NO, There isn't a remote for this. I found two but they are for the K19 and the R9. Sad
FiiO K11 R2R in RED ------- amzn.to/4h5GDkV
FiiO K11 R2R ------------------- apos.audio/products/fiio-k11-r2r-desktop-dac-amp/?sca_ref=36221.ouwJgZltO5
FiiO K11 R2R ------------------- amzn.to/4f9ieJd
Bro this is so cathartic like chilling by a camp fire listening to mates chat sh** for hours on things they're excited about.
I love when equipment is reasonably priced, well done!
tempting, to get this cause i dont have any dacs currently other than the inbuild in Denon avr ...which headphone output sucks and my sennheiser hd650 have been sleeping it its original box few years
@@johto Have a hunch that wouldn't be a good pairing (similar "sound signatures" that I think would likely exacerbate "Sennheiser veil" that many experience on the 650s).
"Don't get into the hobby at all!" Too late!; I'm in a lifetime money pit .....and I love it!
Just upgraded to this from my old iFi Micro iDSD Black Label. For the price this unit is so much better than what I had before.
I was very disappointed with the Black Label. Way too hot treble in PCM causing me fatigue, and then became flat and dull when doing DSD (but that's also been my experience with every R2R DAC I've listened to so I won't be touching this either, although it is appealing for a budget DAC/amp, and doubly so since Schiit stopped the Magni Multibit option).
@@thisisdumbwhatthe Black label was meh, the successor Signature is by far the best ifi product I have heard.
I have mine paired with a TA-22 that was tube rolled with Genalex Gold Lions. It's absolute bliss and blows away any previous dac/amp combo I had.
Why not use only the TA22?
It also has an integrated dac, at least the Duo does I think.
Sorry I am fairly new to this.😢
Edit: after watching the review, ok the fiio r2r needs to be the dac, got it now 😊
If I want a cheap and cheerful option, this seems nice. I guess this with a FOSI Audio or similar? Your tube amp looks nice though.
@@mich5528 Good question. I did use it like that, but the ESS dac that's integrated sounds different compared to the R2R dac. It sounds more clinical, even with the tube flavoring that the TA-22 adds, whereas the K11 R2R is rich, full, and smooth all around. I would use something like a TA-26S OTL tube amplifier if I could, but as I use mostly planars and low impedance headphones, it wouldn't be a good option as OTL amplifiers are intended for high impedance headphones. The TA-22 being a hybrid amp handles everything from low to high impedance because of the solid state portion of the amp.
@@informedchoice2249 I have no experience with FOSI audio but a quick glance at their tube amps tells me that it would be a good match for the K11 R2R. I actually got the TA-22 as I wanted to use it as an all in one solution at first, but I paired the K11 R2R out of curiosity and the difference in sound is night and day compared to the stock ESS dac the TA-22 has.
@@informedchoice2249 The K11 R2R I think would pair well with a FOSI audio tube amp. And thanks! The TA-22 is phenomenal
I've got this running as an external DAC for my WIIM Pro into my Cambridge AXA35 and it is just velvety smooth.
I've ordered it thru your link. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks, Zeos!
I also absolutely love my k11 r2r unit as well, and it's my first dac from this hobby. ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE when you listen to the entirety of the Nier soundtrack
R2R DACs used to be expensive , this sounds like an amazing first DAC. Grats.
Get yourself an iFi Power X for your R2R and enjoy darker background, tighter bass, better soundstage. A treat!
How does this dac compare with iFi ZEN DAC? The latter is often praised for its analogue sound, and it sounds like this Fiio dac might be similar. Cheers for the review btw!
Alright, i just got my Eris in the mail RIGHT NOW as i am typing this, blasting Big Shot Cream Soda by Suicideboys and Animals by Architects on the Topping A70 Pro... 11/10. These are definitely something unique
Dudeeeeee, Animals is such a good song! Love me some Architects.
By far - this is the best audio review I have ever seen. So much passion expressed, and experience - I don't really know what this thing is but i'm buying one! I don't care - and I'm getting the RED one. What cables do I need?
Leaning between this and the Topping DX3Pro+. I use active studio monitors and HiFiMAN HE4XX.
Great review as always! I wonder how it compares to the SMSL RAW-MDA 1 though.
Short answer (I have both): The RAW is the best value AOI. You don't really need anything else. The Fiio R2R K11 sound is different. I'll give it that, but if you want fidelity, it does not compare to the RAW or other similar D/S dac/amps.
This dac is silly gooder. I've had this thing for about a month and it's just flat out ridiculous how it performs for it's price point. I even set this dac up in NOS mode w/ HQPlayer, lol. It's legit AF.
How does this compare to IFI Zen Dac?
Finally got a Magia Cable ordered and a kit of the Hart Audio interconnects. Got my Eris pimped out on a Dekoni stand.
Hi, love your reviews! So passionate about the hobby, and it's nice to listen to your thoughts about them. One question, if the ef499 and this k11 r2r is priced the same, which one would be a better value buy? For context I'm using a Edition XS.
urban legend has it that FIIO themselves only claim it to have about 72dB SINAD ( 1kHz ? what power? how would I know)
So what one hears is most likely a good amount of lush noise and distortion and under all of that the R2R design may shine through a bit. Totally fine to like that! Just don't kid yourself that you can get an audibly transparent R2R DAC with that little hardware. Hopefully someone measures one of these soon and totally proves me wrong, because I want one. Especially at that price point, where it also doesn't feel as bad to buy an objectively subpar product compared to state-of-the-art.
I just like that thing :-)
Zeos, FiiO K7 or K11 R2R? Thanks!
How is it compared to Fiio K5 pro ess ?
Thanks, I got mine today. To my ears it seems your gushing was justified.
I guess only Zeos can rant about being positively surprised. :D
I respect game soundtracks!! Listening to the Metaphor: ReFantazio currently
This with the Fiio SR11 would be an interesting combo....
It’s a fine combo! I’m running both with iFi Power X and Airplay is clean, tight and with a better soundstage. The SR11 is way better than the WiiM mini.
Are those the Aune SR7000’s on your table? How do you like them?
yes.
I still have the og IFI ZEN DAC & CAN, should I replace the DAC part with this?
Also, I heard a lot of people complain about the noise floor, can anyone address that?
Zeos will burst a coronary at some point.
So Say We All
Make a list of the Amps you've heard that can drive the Tungsten properly Z
I ordered one. Of course the Wife doesn't understand. "How could you possibly need anything else?" She'll never understand my "hobby". She's lucky it's under $200. I'm still lucky to have her....though she'll never understand.
It arrived. The detail of voices and instruments is a big step up for under $200. 'Love the overall clarity. Thanks Mr. Z!
@@moclarkoagogo2603It sounds even better than k9pro, which is five times the price of k11 r2r. Lucky FiiO price on basis of how big the thing is rather than how good it is.
😂
Amazing!! Thank you ❤❤
SMSL has already made some red and blue dacs.
Yes, I own them. But they were the entry level. We need to go.. BIGGER
Would you recommend this, or the atom 2 and dac 2 combo?
WHY NOT.. This plus the Atom and you feed this into the atom2.
@@ZReviews mind blown, im doing it
Need a review of that Aune SR7000 you got there. Please!
I prefer a physical button for power on/off and to change output (headphones/line out) and still looking for the perfect unit after a 7 year long quest lol. I might settle for this unit or the .M.S.L RAW-MDA1 and just give up by now.
yep. its a steal for $160. i prefer the NOS over the oversampling mode for some reason. lots of features, sounds good. i'm running it as a secondary dac to my main rig next to a Geshelli J2S and do A/B comparisons just for fun.
How is the A/B vs the J2S?
Yes....I am wondering that too!!!
Atrocious user interface, but it does look really nice. Form over function, rather than form led by function.
Any differences in imaging between chip based and r2r dacs? I'm looking for a new dac/amp for music/gaming and this might fit the bill. Bought the ifi zen can some time ago and enemy steps in fps games are like one huge single bubble coming from everywhere.
You need a zen dac, PC DACs are useless.
@@artureff3046 I have a fiio e10k that feeds an ifi zen can, but still prefer using the fiio when gaming because of better imaging (plugging headphones into the fiio onstead of zen can) I even think the zen can is clipping because it has issues with low impedance headphonrs bcs of weak power supply but that's a different story. I need that sharp imaging and am interested in how r2r dacs score in that regard. Thanks for your answer tho
@@SparK17299the Fiio k11 normal is v good for FPS gaming, wider stage than ifi zen v2, more analytical as well. 😊
I'm a Fiio believer now.
Does this actually have a resistor ladder, or is it "R2R on a chip," like the Hifiman EF499 and EF500?
Film based resistor ladder after chip based FPGA for DSP
I hope fiio makes a higher end r2r dac after this.
With balanced line out
I read some reviews that say that the Amp in the K11 R2R is not as good as the Dac and its limiting its potential. and I saw them pairing the K11 R2R to another Headphone Amplifier.
So I will need to buy a headphone Amplifier if I want to get the best Audio out of it in Headphone and IEMs ?
update with usb? how do we do that? connecting the usb port to a computer?
I enjoyed the k11 as it was small and packed a punch sounded great too but ended up selling it cause it wasn't amazing now I'm think I'm gonna go buy r2r version kinda excited tbh picking up some dt 900 pro x soon
Is it worth upgrading from the K5 Pro to the K11 R2R?
Stick an LPSU on that thing it makes it even better. I got an A35 from AliExpress. Love it.
Or ifi. It's better than many lpsu.
Hello mr. Z, which are the main differences with the Topping MX3S? Whay about the Topping Dx3pro+? Greetings from Perú!
How would you run this from a PC with an audio interface? Would you just use the audio interface for the microphone?
correct
Have Topping DX3 pro+ atm should i buy Fiio K11 R2R? i mostly use it for gaming
No, stick with your Topping for gaming, it’s more detailed with a more pin point analytical sound quality and that’s a better quality for gaming. This is a music dac, smoother, warmer, less in your face, a more relaxed sound and not really for gaming. The R2R structure tends to be a little slower than its Delta Sigma counterpart, ESS, AKM, Cirrus Logic etc which tend to be more responsive, faster which is the kind of nature that compliments gaming needs more.
Can you turn the top LED off?
Yep. Fully adjustable
It sounds great, but a note of caution some units have an optical input issue, some jiggery pokerey may help, but fiio need to address this ..
How well does the FiiO K11 r2r handle the Audio technica Apos ath r70x refine? Recently got into the hobby and trying to build me a set up for my pc :D
Come on Z. I got the R2R in July. Pretty late on the review? Just giving you some Sh*t. I just saw the post as I am still subsctibed. No offense as I 'thought' I unsubscribed to all the 'audiophile' reviewers a few months ago as I was exhausted from spending. I got the newest, latest and greatest Chi-Fi to setup my corner desktop and I unsubscribed to all so I wouldn't have buy anymore gear since my desktop is complete. I am unsubscribing now, not because of you, but I'm done with gear...this year anyway. If I move and have more rooms to fill, I will be back. I did find you the most entertaining reviewer. Thanks for the content. You were actually responsible for my JT1 purchase early this year which is what started the spending spree which just recently ended. Then you got my on the Hiby R4 right after I bought the M300. ...and the Micca MB42X G2 (sigh)
I feel like this needed a remote and it would have been elite
They need to keep you wanting more
Is there a way to make the knob adjust all the output volumes at once? I don't like the idea of clicking through every time I change sources.
This or the ifi Zen Dac v3 or Topping DX3 Pro+?
I have bought the Eris (still waiting for it to arrive), and I want an affordable dac to match it with for music and movies 50/50. Will this be a good buy, are they matching together well ? or should I go for something with a bass boost too Experience Extreme Bass Levels 🤭 ? What dac is the best for the Eris in the $200 range ?
Have you looked at the HiBy R4? I'm running mine on the R4 x Evangelion it is sounds great low gain at 50%. You can also change it's running mode if you want to run it as a desktop DAC via usb.
@@MrGoldMember I Allready have the iBasso DX170. Want a desktop amp/dac to connect to my computer. + I have HiBy R3 and I will never buy a HiBy product again. Its getting bricked from time to time and the only way to fix it is to install the firmware again.
@@MrGoldMember I love my Hiby R4 Eva too, it sounds much more expensive than it is and the Evangelion theme is perfect. 2nd best 300 dollars I have ever spent.
I'm surprised that more people haven't talked about buying this thing just for the dac. The amp imo is mediocre and too intimate for me (early thx vibes), the dac is killer. Tried with an old E-600 w/ Muses 02 op amp and holy balls was it amazing! Still worth it for the price imo. $90-100 dac only would be perfect. The bottom I think is shaped like that so you can run cables under it. It often goes on sale for $130 (what I paid).
should I get this dac or should I get the schiit magni? the magni is almost double the price but these two are almost at the same price so im interested in the fiio k11 and the schiit magni
I've heard that they aren't good enough for planars, only dynamic headphones. Is it true? I have an Onix Alpha and i'm thinking if i should upgrade to this Fiio for my Hifiman Arya Stealth.
Im after an end game head amp dac,I was thinking this, or the k9 or a chord mojo 2. What do you think ?
I'd start with this and if you are unhappy. Then you can move to more pricey stuff.
Looks (sounds) good, though going to wait until they release a straight R2R DAC with balanced out. I don't want a cheap amplifier built in.
I have a sennheiser ie 200, how does this sound card work with ie 200, will it give good performance in the game?
How is he attaching headphones to those outs? Is it just adapters to adapters??
Which outs, which headphones. All adapters exist.
looking for budget iem whats better in your opinion 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Dioko or Fiio FH3
GM☕️🍩
I got off the DAC merry go round 🎪
I’m good ….for now 😎
HOP RIGHT BACK ON, BRUTHA'
@@One-Two_swift-kickbox No thanks …for now 😅
@@carminedesanto6746 Just wait until they release the balanced line out R2R DAC! 🍌
@@One-Two_swift-kickbox I’ll be seeing (hearing) a bunch of great DAC’s and systems at Toronto Audiofest (and yes,I’ll see Pasta 🍝 )
@@One-Two_swift-kickbox Picked up a Denafrips Ares 12-1 DAC …and I’m good 🙂
+1 for wifu supervisors, +10 for never doing my ears dirty. every one of your budget reviews have given my office and ears sound that rival my prestige equipment (after 20 years of garbage has technology finally grown up?)
Does it make sense to plug into an iPad just listen to AAC files eg would it enhance the sound significant enough?
Is the op amps swappable?
When a comparable product is produced almost anywhere besides China I will buy it.
Does this Fiio r2r drive / power the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm? Thanks for sharing!
Should without issue
Will it power Audeze mm100?
Yes
@@jonasamon9091200% ?
A silly question??;; is this better/ different than the smsl su1 dac???? God damned i bought it just now for 174,95 again i fall for your review
Glad you asked. Because yes. So you did good
Thanks, i saw a Gustard dac x-10 for 175euro got a review that says it sounds very good . Is the fio stil better because it got R2R??
The Gustard has ESS Technology Sabre Reference 32bit ES9018 DAC chip.
160 for r2r and it's a headphone amp AND IT POWERS TUNGSTEN?
How the hell does this exist?
Headphones usually scale with better amps, and nobody knows how long a fiio will last. It is like with cars, I can buy a fast tuned Nissan, but it will never be a Ferrari.
Price has gone up, could not find it cheaper than around 180 euros (close to 200 usd). And if somewhere was 160, there would be around 20+ shipping or long shipping Anyhow, just placed order from German Amazon here to Finland. Seller had 10 left. Free shipping and no customs inside EU and free shipping. Totalling 188 euros. Amazon will deliver inside one week and shipments are accurate vs some weird china shop.
Is this an upgrade over an audio-gd NFB 11 (2015)? My NFB-11 is a bit annoying with its drivers and its switch between headphone and preamp is kinda wonky.
Audio-gd is distortion soup, everything is an upgrade over audio-gd.
Hey dude, is there anyway you could upload the newest drivers/firmware for this? Just got mine today and their website will not load whatsoever
If you happen to read this: How does it compare to the Hifiman EF400, given the price?
Is there any upcoming SMSL RAW-MDA 1 review? Because I see it on your desk 😄
There is like 3 months of UPCOMING.. Shame I can't spam TH-cam with videos and live.
How does this compare to ifi zen dac v2? (:
Apparently the Fiio has a wider soundstage other than that they sound similar.
R2R is supported on headphones outputs to? ❤
Partially even better because headphone out is fully balanced when line out is not, but the same time worse because there is medium quality amp between.
@trekkis thanks for information.
What about balance and non balance headphone output's?
Are they both R2R ?
Aka going thrue some amplifier?
@@moxie_ST both are r2r, but both are using medium quality amp and unbalanced is lot worse.
@@trekkis oooo thanks for detail information.
Now to plugging and unplugging headphones to hear difference LoL
If I may ask where did you find information about this device on that level ?
there is a lot of reviews (they all are saying the same regarding medium quality amp but better balanced one) and whole internal schematics / architecture is very easy to find
I too am gushing for the K11 R2R at this price point
If it had balanced preamp output it would be perfect.
Everything is about a good power. Those small boxes just do NOT have room enough to place a good power source inside. I'm not talking about a main power line. I'm talking about all those +3.3v, +5v (digital(oscillator/logic)/analog), -5v, +15v, -15v, something else... You can imagine how many voltage stabilizers (big correct capacitors, big heatsinks, etc) are in there... This is why 1100 R2R sounds better than 180 R2R. That's it. Because to select a better sounding window function is not big deal. To feed it with a clean and fulfilled voltage IS a big deal.
Regarding clean source - you have external zero noise ps for that.
@@trekkis But this is one for all: digital, analog, negative, positive.. It's not good and is only slightly better than a noisy PS. There must be 3 transformers and bunch of LDOs: one TR for a digital isolated part, one TR for a digital power, and one TR for an analog power. Because for a noise one transformer is like an empty road because of a parasitic capacitance and a leakage inductance.
It's a lot better than noisy ps in practice.
Will this drive the sennheiser hd650?
Yes, I was easily able to drive mine on med gain max vol at 75/99.
I was super underwhelmed with this DAC. I tested it side by side with my Denafrips Ares 12-1 into a Luxman P200 headphone amp (class A) and while I know the Denafrips is more expensive, the Fiio isn’t even close in performance. It sounds muddy and very digital by comparison. As usual, overhyped!
something im unsure of is if my computers optical out is a sabre dac then plugged into a r2r am i hearing r2r or sabre? or maybe a mix? lol
Optical out is just a raw PCM signal. No DAC. Optical is a digital signal. A DAC is a digital to analog converter. No conversion to analog is happening so the signal is not being processed by the sabre DAC.
@@yusky03 yeah found out my optical is going through realteks alc-1220-vb codec which imo sux,
I find the unbalanced headphone out is the week link. For unbalanced heardphones, I use the line out to my Xduoo MT-602 and like it better. For balanced I prefer the k11 4.4 output.
Does it have UAC 1.0 mode like the k11 og?
Yes
Hey Zeos, If you happen to walk by somewhere or get your hands on a Sansui au-6900 integrated amp, while it sounds amazing for speakers, I tried the headphone amp with some Hifiman planars and it destroys most sub 500$ headphone amps out there
I bought the thing in red!!
Are you happy now? ^^
My Hifiman Deva Pro sound nice and the Oppo PM3 will be tested next.
Edit: i just paired it with my ifi Zen Can Signature AND OH BOI! That hits the spot!
Sold out everywhere. :(
like every review i've watched this month, sold out everywhere. super depressing.
Black Friday comes for us all
I would to see more with mic inputs
When is the HD660s2 Review!???????????? please
Shit and i thought this month i would not buy any new electronics. Only DAC i currently have is the inbuild in my Denon x3500h feeding my seperate amps (no headphone outs) etc. I have Sennheiser HD650 resting in the original box (with new pads nevertheless), havent used those in years cause imho Denon AVR headphone output sucks, and have been more of a speaker guy few years. Zeos, how does this drive the HD650's ? 🤓
I only have the 600 to test but I can assume just great.
@@ZReviews Great. Have a nice weekend, cheers from Finland 🍺
How does the Fiio K11 R2R compare to the Hifiman EF499 and EF500, both as a DAC with pre out, and as a headphone amp? How is it when paired with Sundara headphones, compared to the Hifimans I mentioned?
Well you won't get balanced like the 499/500. But even if they are only on par with one another the cost savings is wild.
@@ZReviews desktop space savings is wild as well!
Heard them 2 years ago, still remember vividly how the Hifiman r2r sounds terrible, coarse with low density. They just scrape your ears like sandpapers. 😂
@@ZReviews should I toss 30 more bucks to come from the f11 r2r to a used EF499 sir? I'm quite tempted to the apppearance of the EF499 tho
@namvu1956 I'm not going to stop you
Can you review the douk audio q11 dac? Would love to see it brotha! It's got an ess AND akm dac and you can swap the op amps
This, the swappable op amps is their real trick
@Karto86 I agree. I have a pair of burson v7 vivids laying around with nothing to put them in so I just ordered the q11. Just what I needed.... another dac 😂
This vs K5 pro ESS?
This
@ZReviews thankyou sir
Curious if there’s a TH-1100RP review in the pipeline 👀👉👈
Filmed yesterday. So in the pipe
Its funny I ordered a non R2R, it just arrived... I somehow got slipped a R2R. Now watching this to see if I want to exchange lol
From the sounds of it thus far I just got a steal lol. nice. 30 bucks is 30 bucks.
i got the original when it came out and after watching this feel like im missing out