FiiO SR11

FiiO SR11

Prelude:
FiiO, striving for constant development, does not slow down, this interesting company from the Asian continent releases more and more interesting projects. So for a year they have been working on their latest work, which is their first stand-alone digital streamer. Is it an innovative and noteworthy device? I will try to answer these questions in my review.
Unboxing and user experience:
FiiO SR11 is received in the same packaging as K11, it is a glossy cardboard box and inside we will find the device itself and a remote control, a wall charger, a USB C-USB cable. This is more than enough, considering the price at which FiiO priced SR11. It is only 99USD, which makes FiiO SR11 one of the cheapest streamers on the market. When it comes to the appearance of FiiO SR11, it is an identical body as in the case of K11, the quality of workmanship is also exemplary. Here we have an aluminum body, a clear display and a perfect fit of elements. On the front we find a switch, a knob for changing settings and the aforementioned display. On the back we have a USB C socket for powering the device, USB C for connecting devices, a USB socket, a coaxial and optical output. That’s quite a lot for this budget. Many of you are probably wondering where the analog outputs are, but the FiiO SR11 is a digital streamer and does not have a DAC. In my opinion, this is a huge advantage because popular competitive streamers do not always have a basic USB output.


Functionality and sound:
As for the software itself, the FiiO SR11 is a device that is constantly being developed and updated. In the future, FiiO promises to add numerous functions such as Bluetooth, FiiOlink, or DLNA. By default, we get AirPlay, Roon support and we can upload beta software with DLNA support. By default, FiiO does not install DLNA due to slight stability issues. The streamer itself is intuitively simple and guarantees clean and impeccably good sound. Regardless of the DAC I connected to my FiiO SR11, I received a much higher quality sound than other conventional solutions. It is worth noting here that FiiO included a dedicated power supply that offers a completely clean and noise-free signal.
In terms of sound, the FiiO SR11, in my opinion, significantly increased the purity of the signal and made the sound even more transparent and clear, which in my opinion was audible.


Comparisons:

FiiO SR11 (99 USD) VS WIMM PRO (199 USD)
The FiiO SR11 is much cheaper and much smaller. In my opinion, the compact form offered by the FiiO SR11 makes it a much more versatile and discreet device. While the WIMM PRO offers analog functions, even taking into account the cost of buying a DAC for $100, the FiiO SR11 with xDuoo MU601, for example, will offer us a much higher level of sound and greater functionality than the WIMM PRO.

FiiO SR11 (99USD) VS Phone as a streamer.
Leaving aside the convenience of using a phone instead of a dedicated streamer, this solution won’t even come close to the purity and quality of sound offered by the FiiO SR11. The SR11 simply offers a purer and more complete sound. Thanks to the use of power in the form of a USB C port in the SR11, we don’t have to install a heavy and ugly power supply for our device.

Functionalities:
Roon– FiiO SR11 fully supports Roon server support and while this is a great feature, it requires additional financial outlays, and for obvious reasons someone who reaches for a streamer for USD 99 does not want to invest in an expensive Roon subscription. However, if you already have such a subscription, FiiO SR11 will allow you to fully use the potential and possibilities of this solution.
AirPlay- Although FiiO SR11 only supports the first generation of this protocol, if you have any Apple device you will be able to use FiiO SR11 without any problems on a plug and play basis. Everything works very intuitively and efficiently, providing excellent sound quality.
DLNA- This is a function that is still in the testing phase, but after its launch we can simply use any application with DLNA support to stream our favorite music from both Windows and Android.

Summary:
FiiO SR11 is an excellent entry-level streamer. At its price of 99USD, it has virtually no competition. This is a device that only acts as a transport without a built-in DAC section, which I personally consider an advantage. Although the software is still in the development phase, we can currently use basic solutions such as AirPlay, DLNA (beta software) and Roon. With the promise of future functionalities and the addition of many good solutions including Bluetooth, we get excellent quality at a very good price. FiiO SR11 is a great companion to the recently released DAC/AMP with a standalone DAC function, which is the FiiO K11R2r. The FiiO SR11 streamer itself works flawlessly with every device I tested. At the same time, it takes up little space and, in my opinion, provides a much cleaner and more transparent sound than classic solutions in the form of streaming from a phone. The full operation of the FiiO SR11 using the remote control is also very convenient. Importantly, despite the low price, the remote control is included in the set and we do not have to buy it separately. Although there are many solutions at a price similar to the FiiO SR11, in my opinion, none of them are currently as intuitive. The device itself is also one of the smallest and most compact on the market, and the ease of use and build quality make the FiiO SR11 one of the most beneficial and cost-effective devices on the market in my opinion. I recommend the FiiO SR11 not only to those who want to start their streaming adventure, but also to those for whom sound quality is the most important. Because thanks to the fact that the FiiO SR11 is only a transport, we can use any high-class DAC device and make our mobile set even more functional. The disadvantages of the FiiO SR11 include the lack of a detachable antenna, which is less convenient than adding the option to replace this element. At the same time, the built-in antenna is of very good quality, so this can be completely forgiven. If only FiiO quickly updates the SR11’s functions, it may turn out that the streamer market is in for a real revolution. In my opinion, the FiiO SR11 has all the basics and great potential to quickly become one of the best streaming devices on the market. I personally love my FiiO SR11 and recommend it to every music lover to test it.

A ’no-brainer’ for Roon users​

The SR11 is an interesting new product in FiiO’s ever expanding catalog of audio products. Basically it is a budget-friendly streamer that caters specifically to Roon and Airplay users (at least for now), priced attractively at $109.99. For a Roon Ready End-Point this is an incredible price.

The SR11 shares the same FiiO design as K11 (and the new K11-R2R) and as you will see, I think these make a perfect pairing.


But, let’s dive into the details to see what you get with the SR11.

Unboxing​

The FiiO SR11 comes packaged in a sleek and compact box, reminiscent of the packaging for the FiiO K11.

Opening the outer box you get a cute cover on the contents:

Taking this off reveals the SR11:

Removing the contents, you get the SR11 a power supply, some documentation and a remote:


More on the remote in the next section.

Design​

As I mentioned earlier the SR11 shares the same design language as the K11 ( and the K11-R2R ) which is a good thing as they are fantastic looking compact headphone DAC amplifiers.


With my K11 very neatly under the TV - I do like how well these look together and how small they are:


The main competitor of the SR11 is the also Roon Ready WiiM Pro (and WiiM Pro Plus) - the WiiM Mini (which is slightly cheaper than the SR11 is not Roon Ready), so here is a comparison with my WiiM Pro:

Connections​

The 2 crucial features of any streamer is how you select music to play (which we will get to in the next section) and what you can connect the streamer too. Here is my typical connections with the optical output going into the K11:


Here is a comparison of the connections between the SR11 and the WiiM Pro

The differences are really that the WiiM Pro has both input and outputs for optical and analog RCA while the SR11 focuses on optical, coaxial and USB outputs with all inputs and outputs being digital.

Features and Setup​

The SR11 shares a similar menu configuration system as the K11 using the same mechanism to navigate the menus.

Here is a brief video of the menu options and navigation:



The initial crucial bit of setup is that Network setup (especially if you are planning on using Wifi like I was). At the end of that video clip you will see I picked “Network” and then “Connect” this sets up SR11 in Wifi setup mode, where it is now listening like a Wireless router in your house.

Here is my iPhone with the SR11 as my ‘wifi’ network device:




Then on your phone within a browser you should see the following list of Wireless networks to select for your SR11 to join:



Note: If it does not popup immediately - browse to http://192.168.1.1

Simple pick your home Wifi network from this list, enter the password and the SR11 will switch over to that wifi network from then on.

At that point it will be available for Roon or Airplay or both.

So the key option is really the toggle between Roon, Airplay or Mix (which means it will wait for both).

But let’s briefly get into the 2 key integration options:

Roon Integration​

As a Roon endpoint, the FiiO SR11 excels, especially at this price point. Roon is known for its powerful music management capabilities, offering a rich, interactive experience with detailed metadata, high-resolution playback, and multiroom audio support. I won’t get into the details of Roon in this review, but it is the key feature of the SR11.

Setting up Roon is super easy with the SR11, once Roon is enabled on the SR11 menu, it should appear inside Roon’s app in the ‘Audio’ section as a Roon Ready device (though confusing it appears as FiiO M17):


I imagine this name is a temporary name whíle FiiO work with Roon to certify the SR11 independently.

Though you can immediately rename it to an appropriate name.


Once the SR11 is added it appears as an output device when playing music both on the PC / Mac:


And on the Roon iOS and Android devices:



Note: When I took this screenshot I had ‘Mix’ enabled on the SR11 so that it was available both as a Roon device but also availalbe via Airplay.

The crucial thing with the SR11 with Roon is you have complete control over the audio Signal Path (for EQ and other ’effects’ and that it fully lossless):



At its price point I think the SR11 is without competition as a Roon Ready endpoint (unless you are a hobbyist and have set up Roon on a Raspberry PI connected to a DAC).

USB DAC mode​

As an alternative to SPDIF (optical or coaxial) output, if you have a USB DAC in your setup you can also connect to a usb output selected:

Airplay Support​

Airplay support is another highlight of the FiiO SR11. Airplay allows you to stream audio from all Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, Macbooks etc) and from iTunes on a computer. Airplay has also steadily been added to many other third party devices over the passed for years, so for example Sonos has excellent support for Airplay as do most soundbars.



Because the SR11 supports Airplay 2 you can also group the SR11 with other airplay devices (or even have multiple SR11’s setup with Airplay enabled) and have them syncronised for multi-room playback.

Remote Control​

The remote control, while functional, does have a slight learning curve due to the presence of three power buttons.



While the multiple power buttons were confusing initially, but once accustomed, the remote itself is a handy tool for navigating through the streamer’s features without needing to interact with the device directly.

Though mainly I used this to control the volume and play / pause music when using the SR11 as a Roon Endpoint.

Competition​

The FiiO SR11 faces stiff competition from some of the WiiM products, specifically the WiiM Pro or Wiim Pro plus which are also Roon certified but cost a little more than the SR11. However, the cheaper WiiM Mini lacks Roon certification.

But all the WiiM streamers do have an excellent mobile App for browsing and control playback and have lots of other capabilties that the SR11 lacks including Alexa integration, Spotify and Tidal Connect support, so you are not limited to using Roon or Airplay.

So the question is: Is Roon (or Airplay) the only way you want to stream? If so then the SR11 is a very competitive device.

Performance​

Since this is a streamer with bit perfect digital output options, it is designed to hear the music as it was mastered and leave any colouration onto other audio equipment in your chain. So if I was to summarise, the sound you get from the SR11 it would be a neural-balanced sound signature with no bass or treble roll offs.

The device supports various high-resolution audio formats up to 768kHz-32bit/DSD256 (DoP), ensuring that users get the best possible sound quality from their music library. With Airplay output, PCM/DSD/MQA will be converted to 44.1kHz-16bit before output which is pretty typical of Airplay.

The aerial for Wifi and the dedicated ethernet port help provide connection stability, whether using Roon or Airplay, I had no problems with buffering or dropouts when using the SR11.

Rating​

I have given this SR11 a pragmatic rating of 4-stars but in reality it this rating is very dependent on whether you use Roon or not. It lacks the ‘full streamer’ support you get with the WiiM products (or other more expensive streamers like the Eversolo DMP-A6) but if you just want a Roon endpoint this might be the perfect device for you.

Similarly, if you plan to use it just for Airplay, while it has more competition at this price point, it is a good option.

If you have a Roon account this is the cheapest and one of the best devices you can get to act as an end point. It price of $109.99 is incredible for a Roon Ready enabled streaming endpoint but given it currently also only has Airplay (but it may get some other endpoints like DLNA in future updates) it is a less compelling a device if you are not going to use Roon.

Conclusion​

For Roon users, the FiiO SR11 is a five-star device. Its seamless integration with Roon, combined with its budget-friendly price and solid performance, makes it a standout choice.

For those who are not Roon users, the device still offers great value, particularly if you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem with Airplay. However, if you’re not using Roon, it would be worth taking a 2-week trial of Roon to check out how well Roon works with the SR11.

The FiiO SR11 is a fantastic device that offers tremendous value for Roon enthusiasts, and it stands as a strong competitor in the budget streamer market. Whether you’re a dedicated Roon user or looking to enhance your FiiO K11 setup with Airplay capabilities, the SR11 is a device that will serve you well.