FiiOK11 R2R DAC and Headphone Amplifier for Home Audio or PC, 6.35mm and Balanced 4.4mm, RCA, Coaxial, Optical, 1300mW, 384kHz/24Bit DSD256 (Silver)

First the bad. This is not the most user friendly. It can be confusing to cycle through the options. That definitely could use improvement but at this price point that is getting picky considering everything you’re getting here. Personally I could care less about the headphone amp, I’m using it strictly as a DAC with fixed output. Nice option to have though and I’ve read it does fine with hard to drive cans however I have not tried the amp part. I use the headphone jack of my Yamaha Aventage AVR currently but mostly listen to it through speakers both in straight stereo(Pure Direct or 2.1) and also the dts virtual mode which I hadn’t previously been impressed with but with this DAC with these room acoustics it works marvelously. My source is a WiiM mini with an optic cable capable of 24/192. I will eventually connect my Oppo 103 bdp via digital coax. I currently have this surround system set up as a 5.1 in my bedroom. I have this R2R DAC set on NOS, yet to try the over sampling. This is my first non delta-sigma DAC and I’m blown away at the sound quality of this DAC. I definitely prefer R2R(resister ladder DAC) to delta-sigma in general. I was surprised by the clarity, especially the highs. I thought they would roll off more, sacrifice some detail for smoothness yet more than enough is there that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. It is smooth and more authentically analog-like which is what I like best about this style of DAC yet the highs are clear and present without being overdone of course. The mids are prominent, vocals and guitars etc sound real and natural, not subdued, not overwhelming. They can be more forward and prominent on some tracks depending on how they're mixed. The bass is thick and quite full yet not overpowering the mids and highs. Bass is not especially tight yet very pleasing. Maybe it’s just the honeymoon stage but so far this is the sound I was hoping for. I’m thrilled to have a DAC this good for so cheap. Both acoustic and electric instruments play beautifully through this DAC. For the curious I’m not an audio expert. I am an audiophile on a budget. I don’t care about measurements and other technical jargon. I care about usability and sound quality, build quality and price, then looks and size. Build quality is good here, not spectacular. I think it’s good looking. I like the rubber pad underneath but as others have mentioned due to its size and light weight you still must hold it well to attach/remove cables. No biggie for me, to be expected.Obviously your results will depend on your gear and taste. While I’m not claiming to be an expert I do have a clue. I’m a mid-50s music addict from the rock and roll capitol of the world(though other cities may refute this). Been into sound quality since I was old enough to comprehend music and tv. Always tinkering trying to improve sound since I was a kid. I listen to mostly rock and blues, reggae, metal, folk, a little country, some jazz and classical on rare occasion. I own an expansive collection of DVD-Audios, SACD, Blu~ray music, concert DVDs, vinyl, some HDCDs and of course regular CDs. I stream Amazon Unlimited HD from WiiM minis and a Pro, plus my phones and tablets via camera adapter to DAC. I also use a Schiit Modi 3 with Monolith Liquid Spark headphone amp(my Liquid Spark DAC that I loved died), a Monolith Liquid Platinum DAC with its companion Monolith Liquid Platinum headphone amp(duel tube hybrid), and a Geshelli JS2 with Sparkos op-amp(SE) to my late model Sony ES AVR(7.2.2 set-up) and the Alex Cavelli Drop tube hybrid headphone amp(the Sony has no headphone jack). I love all my gear and I use them in different ways in a couple different rooms. For the moment my FIIO K11 R2R DAC is my pound for pound favorite. Too new to know about longevity yet no issues so far other than learning how to operate it. Edit: one issue although I’m not sure if it’s source. On several occasions the music has stopped. I’m not sure if it’s the DAC or my streamer but I don’t recall this issue when I had the streamer wired directly into the Yamaha(via optic). It starts up again after several seconds to a minute or so. Could be internet too but I’m close to the router and I get upper 400s MBPS.Also for the curious my gear for this set-up is Yamaha RX-A730 AVR, WiiM Mini, Oppo 103, Andrew Jones designed Pioneer towers, center, bookshelves and sub. I just received another K11, this time in black, that I’ll swap out my Schiit Modi 3 to my Monolith Liquid Spark headphone amp to try it with my cans. I own the Sennheiser Drop 6XX, Sennheiser 599, Beyerdynamic dt990, HiFiMan 400i, Phillips Fidelio F3, Monolith M1570, Monolith M650, Status Audio OB1 & CB1, and a few others. Eventually I’ll get around to trying the headphone amp part just out of curiosity, not expecting too much.Update: I’ve since purchased a WiiM ultra for my main set up and linked the K11 R2R to my WiiM Pro with an info Silent power supply in my bedroom via digital coax. Sounds better than ever. Having 2 of these FiiO K11 R2R DACs I tried the headphone amp part. Was not impressed. It was ok and was able to drive my cans but it lost the magic I hear using it strictly as a DAC. Whether listening to speakers or through the headphone jack on my 2013 Yamaha Aventage AVR blew the K11’s amp away. I also compared it with my Monolith Liquid Spark amp and the Spark was way better and with more oomph. The K11 wasn’t lousy just no wow factor. Also of note I think my Schiit Modi 3 actually pairs slightly better with the Spark than the K11. It may be that the Spark is a warm amp and benefits from a DAC not quite as smooth as the K11. Or perhaps it was just my mood that day. The K11 wins handedly paired to my Yamaha.No matter what I love this DAC and for my taste I rank it the best in the $200 range(Schiit Modi best under $150). Now I wonder how a legit high end R2R would sound although m well aware of the law of the diminishing returns. No way a $2000 DAC will sound 10x better. I am curious how this stacks up to the Schiit Modi Multibit($300) and Bifrost($800) which are more or less R2R hybrid DACs. I’ve not heard either.

This is simply a phenomenal R2R DAC/Amplifier that you're getting at this price point. It sounds full, lush, and natural with a ever so slightly narrow but deep soundstage with no oversampling. With oversampling enabled, the audio sounds similar to a delta sigma chip based solid state amplifier, with a wider soundstage and a more analytical, neutral sound signature. The latter is beneficial for gaming where those extra details are needed.The Fiio K11 R2R is also powerful enough to drive a very power hungry set of planars, the Moondrop Venus, at high gain at 33 percent volume. It also drove my Moondrop Para, HD 600, and vintage HD 545 all with ease which left me very impressed. You also do not need to worry about the volume pot pentiometer. Its implemented inside to have perfect channel balance and every turn is felt step by step rather than needing fiddling to get it right.Compared to the TA-22 dac/amp pictured beneath it, it doesn't sound as holographic or have as an immense of a soundstage that is wide and deep, but the overall timbre and quality of warm, rich, analog-like sound carries across both. Keep in mind that the TA-22 is a $400-500 piece of kit depending on where you get it, whereas this is only $156. The price to performance is simply unbeatable, and as it's not using a massive transformer inside, it dispenses no excess heat like the TA-22 does.This one is a keeper, and you're getting R2R tech for a fraction of the price compared to something like Hifiman's EF-400. I also love how it sounds compared to my Ifi Zen DAC 2/CAN stack.Tl;dr - Don't walk, run to buy this. You will not regret it. I'm very, very pleased with its sound, impressive build quality, and performance at this price. I give the K-11 R2R my highest recommendation and seal of approval at this price point.Edit: If you have a quality amplfiier (like the TA-22 pictured in this review), please use that in tandem with the K11 R2R acting only as a dac. It is pure audio bliss and sounds so much better than using its built-in headphone SE and balanced outputs.

This is my first entry into the black hole that is audio equipment, alongside my Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Refine.The form factor, menu control, volume control are all super easy.It’s a simple design, mimicking the rounded square aluminum block of Mac Minis (silver), with quality aluminum chassis, knob, and a beautiful little display. The RGB is a funny little touch that I haven’t seen in my research of other DACs, Amps but is welcome since my desk is already littered with RGB equipped devices.Sound output is clear, and my 450+ ohm headphones are easily powered even on low gain of the balanced 4.4mm output.I’d say for me, a novice to the hobby, this little devices greatest strength over your onboard PC motherboard DAC is its oversampling mode. It adds a bit more separation of the layers of music. I notice it adds a bit more texture and pop to some of the drums on “Empire State of Mind” compared to my onboard audio.At $129.99 for the standard version and $159.99 for the R2R, it’s a great little upgrade for PC music and gaming. If you’re like me and you’re wanting a great little bang for buck upgrade into audio equipment without spending the equivalent of a car payment (or greater….) getting a larger combo DAC/Amp or a stack, this is a great way to go.Idk why the vendors here are overcharging for the product. It’s $159.99, not $179.99. If you have the patience to order it from B&H, go to them. They don’t upcharge you. I’ll happily remove this last section of the review once the vendors on Amazon go back to charging fair price (as they did when they first uploaded the listing).