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INTRODUCTION
I'm not going to go through a lot of preamble with this review – mainly because for this device, you don't need to know about my known bias or musical preferences.Sunny from FiiO approached me a few months ago to discuss putting the DK1 through its paces, and when I saw it, my initial thought was that it was an ideal accessory for their DAP and DAC/amp range. And the thing that really appealed was having something on my desktop that I could use both as access to the storage/library (via USB), and also as a means of charging the device.
I've now had the device with me for almost 3 months, and in that time it has become a regularly used accessory. Here's my thoughts on the DK1.
ABOUT FIIO
By now, most Head-Fi members should know about the FiiO Electronics Company. If you don’t, here’s a very short summary. FiiO was first founded in 2007. Their first offerings were some extremely low cost portable amplifiers – which were sometimes critiqued by some seasoned Head-Fiers as being low budget “toys”. But FiiO has spent a lot of time with the community here, and continued to listen to their potential buyers, adopt our ideas, and grow their product range. They debuted their first DAP (the X3) in 2013, and despite some early hiccups with developing the UI, have worked with their customer base to continually develop the firmware for a better user experience. The X3 was followed by the X5, X1, X3 2nd Gen (X3ii), X5 2nd Gen (X5ii), M3 and X7. They also have a full range of amplifiers, DAC/amps, cables and are starting to develop earphones.
FiiO’s products have followed a very simple formula since 2007 – affordable, stylish, well built, functional, measuring well, and most importantly sounding good.
DISCLAIMER
The DK1 was provided to me gratis as a review sample. I used to make it clear to FiiO in the past that I did regard any product they sent me as their sole property and available for return any time at their request (but often bought review samples which I really liked). They have insisted I keep any and all samples they send now, so I acknowledge now that the DK1 I have is supplied and gifted completely free of any charge or obligation. I thank FiiO for their generosity. I actually won a prize in a Head-Fi give-away of a 2nd DK1, and as much as I would have liked to keep it, returned it so someone else could get the pleasure.
SOME PRODUCT MENTIONED IN THIS REVIEW
This review is essentially about the DK1 FiiO dock – however I have tested it with many different FiiO products. For ease of use in looking up any of the components, I suggest following any of the following links to my other reviews:
This is a purely subjective review of the DJ1 dock – my preference, and my experience. Please take it all with a grain of salt - especially if it does not match your own views.
THE REVIEW
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIESThe DK1 arrived in a retail box and lid measuring approximately 138 x 125 x 107mm. The lid or outer cover is white with red and black print. On the front of the box is a picture of the DK1, and on the rear are QR codes which will take you to FiiO’s website or Facebook page.
The inner (or bottom half of the box) is FiiO red with a black cardboard inner frame which securely holds the DK1 in place, and also the accessories. The accessories consist of a USB cord as well as warranty card and instruction manual (in English and Chinese).
There no need for anything further IMO as this is all that is required to have a functional dock. If FiiO did want to include anything at a later date as an optional accessory – a simple 3.5mm stereo to RCA (pair) cable would be a nice touch (for attaching to an amplifier) – but at the DK1's price point (USD 20.00) I have no problem with supplying my own.
BUILD / DESIGN
Before we continue – just a quick note on my unit. On the rear is a switch designated for balanced output. This has been removed from the final retail version. I tested it briefly and appears to work on this unit – but for the purposes of this review (and because it is not offered in this configuration) I will from this point imagine it is not there.
The DK1 is a pretty simple but elegant set-up. The base is a 115mm circle of silver coloured aluminium alloy which stands approximately 15mm high. Underneath is a non-slip rubber ring which helps to prevent any scratching of the surface you have it resting on, and also making sure it doesn't slide around.
The FiiO logo is printed in front with a subtle white print. Behind this approximately 40mm from the front edge is a swivel USB connector for the docking mechanism of selected FiiO devices. This dock allows a swivel backward of 25 degrees so that once docked, the back of any docked device rests on the curved back piece. The USB micro B (11 pin) connector is also spring loaded – so that when not plugged it always sits upright (essentially making it easier to plug something). It is quite well thought out.
Rear connection ports (balanced switch doesn't appear on the retail units) | Connector and curved back rest |
At the rear top of the base is 75mm section of curved plastic which acts as a back rest for any docked device (and therefore takes pressure off the connector). The whole set-up is pretty simple, but also very effective. And although the dock connector is spring loaded to sit upright – the natural weight of any docked device is enough for it so sit back comfortably on the rest. Again – a cleverly designed feature.
At the rear side of the circular base are two ports – one mini-USB for USB input, and the other a 3.5mm jack for line-out. The included USB cable is 1m in length, but is a little thick and can tend to limit flexibility with positioning the DK1, so I've opted to use a more flexible and thinner (and slightly longer) generic USB cable for my desktop use.
MY SET-UP
Before we get into use and connectivity, it's probably best to describe my set-up for testing, and indeed my usual everyday set-up for audio. My PC is a home built system running an i5-4690K processor, 16 Gb RAM, with an SSD for the OS (running Linux Mint KDE), and a couple of hard drives for data. I use very quiet low speed Noctua fans, and the whole system is set-up so I can get the most out of it for my audio needs (measuring and listening). Most of the time I use my iFi Micro iDSD – both as a headphone amp, and also feeding either my desktop monitors (JBL LSR305s) or a secondary tube amp (mine is a LD MKIV, but lately it has been a review unit – VE's Enterprise). I also have the FiiO K5 dock and amplifier which I use as a secondary option for testing and playback when necessary. For software, I use a paid copy of JRiver's Media Center for Linux – which allows me to choose resolution or up-sample on the fly to whichever DAC I choose.
For most of this testing I simply used the DK1, and fed the line-out into either the FiiO K5 or VE Enterprise.
WHAT DO I LOOK FOR IN A DOCK
Well lets look first at what FiiO described as the real world use of the DK1. They claim quite simply:
- Its a docking station that is plug and play for their compatible USB devices (E17K, X1, X3ii, X5ii and X7) – allowing synchronous transmission of data.
- It allows convenient charging of the above products when docked
- It has line-out ability to an amplifier or set of powered speakers
So what would I be looking for primarily?
- My first requirement is as a simple charging station
- My second is an easy way to transfer songs to and from the libraries on the respective devices
- My third would be a small and elegant and simple footprint (not taking too much space)
- My fourth would be as a simple USB dock to allow access to the DAC section on my devices – but personally I am less interested in this than most of you may be. All the same, it would be something I would definitely check.
- And lastly – it should be easy to set-up, if I ever wanted to use it transportably.
CONNECTIVITY (DOCK)
Fortunately I have all the devices FiiO listed at my disposal. So what worked and what didn't?
E17K
The easiest to dock – just sit it in and tip it back. Line-out worked perfectly (input set to USB), and the best thing was that because of the location, the headphone-out is also accessible. So it is easy to also simply use the amp section of the E17K which also allows you to use the tone controls. A great option and elegant solution for a desktop system on a budget. Charging was also simple – plug it, forget it, and take it off the next day when you need it (portably).
X1
Easy to dock and access both the micro-sdxc storage, and charge the unit. Plugging it and disengaging the access to USB storage allows playing direct from the X1 via the line-out (or the headphone out). The nice thing about this is that it makes the X1 a really nice options simply as a docked player. When disengaged the X1 will automatically power off too – which is quite nice.
X3ii / X5ii
Both worked well when I switched to Windows but for some strange reason neither DAC is recognised by my Linux system (this is a kernel issue with my system rather than a FiiO issue. I could fix it with a simple kernel recompile). This is peculiar to my system so I wouldn't worry too much about it (as I don't use them for their DACs anyway). Other than that glitch with Linux, both are easy to dock and like the X1 you have access to the internal library of the devices (storage plus as a player), they both charge, and also access to their headphone out ports. They also give the option of automatically powering of once undocked. A small note to those with the original rubber/latex cases – you will need to remove them to access the dock properly. But if you are using a stacking unit (I use the HS12 with the E17K)
X7
Worked perfectly – easy access to DAC, storage, and charging. The best part – you can leave the case on if you have one. You can also directly play from the X7 too. The only thing you don't have is access to the X7's headphone-out, as this is at the bottom of the unit.
Other devices
I also tried docking the FiiO K1, A3, Q1, X5 (original), the Cozoy Aegis, IMS HVA, and Luxury& Precision LP5, L5 Pro and L3. The K1 wouldn't fit at all – but most of the others actually docked OK. Sadly none of these devices worked – DAC, charging or data access (not that it was expected). The DK1 is definitely a FiiO only device.
DK1 SUMMARY / FINAL THOUGHTS
So after a couple of months, what are my thoughts? Well firstly – its still sitting on my desktop and I use it often.What I love about it -
- Sleek looks and relatively minimal foot-print
- Ease of docking X7, X1, X3ii, X5ii and E17K – for both charging and access to the storage/library
- If I need to, it is simple to set-up for DAC use, and I've used it a few times with the E17K so far.
The DK1 does what it says, and for the ridiculously low price of USD 20.00. In fact there is a high change I'll but another one at some stage – simply because it would be handy to have a second one at work. For those who are invested in the FiiO ecosystem I can thoroughly recommend this little dock. Even if you just use it as a changing station, you'll find it is simply far handier than going searching for a cable.
And for those who ask the obvious question - "I already have the K5, is it worth getting a DK1 as well?". This will depend solely on the number of devices you have. With me regularly using 3-4 FiiO devices at a time, having two units I can use as charging stations or data access points is simply brilliant. However - if you are using the FiiO device as your main amp in a desktop situation, and need the additional amplification - definitely stick with the K5. For anyone else - especially if you are going to a secondary amp and using your FiiO device as DAC only - the DK1 is an almost perfect solution IMO.
FINAL THANKS
Once again thanks to Sunny at FiiO for giving me a chance to try the DK1.