[worms]

Oh how come you only had it for a week, did you return it to try other gear?



Trying different dac/amp is kind of like trying different food, you could "upgrade" from your amazing $20 burger that you really like to a $40 pasta, or $120 steak, or $240 super fancy foie gras.

But sometimes you just want burger or maybe you don't like foie gras? But maybe steak is nicer than a burger?

So unless you have patience or disposable income, it could potentially take a while until you find your "upgrade".

For example I think I started from Denon D2000, then bought and sold maybe 4-5 headphones then upgrade to D5200, then bought and sold another 2-3 headphones then bought Lawton TH900.

A lot of the time resolution goes up but tonal balance changes, so you're kind of getting better but also getting sideways.

K11 = neutral sounding
K7 = super neutral sounding
SMSL M500 III = warm sounding
K9 AKM = not sure
JDS Element III = slightly warm sounding
Aune S9C = not sure




So basically if you already like K11 I'd buy K11 first and use it for a while. Until the time comes you find it lacking then you could try other gear while sitting on K11.

Upgrading is not exactly as simple of a process as we think.

I've been doing this for a long time because it's my hobby so I don't mind trying different things for fun (even if it fails). But it does cost a lot of money over time.

Hope this helps lol.

EDIT: Though you could always try all the gears you want to try then circle back to K11 later, that works too lol.

Sometimes you don't know if you'd like something until you have it in your hands.

I only had the K11 for a week, because these are the conditions for renting Audio equipment at the store in my city.
It was a new K11 at my place played +- 70 hours, I did not notice any change in sound. I hope that it had time to burn out.

I accurately returned it to try other DAC/AMPs

The comparison to food gave me a good preview of it all.
I will try different flavors.
My only fear is that I won't be able to combine it all in one device and will be forced to surround myself with hardware.
At least 2 sets that will play quite differently relative to each other.

Being in this store and doing the listening from a laptop, I was convinced that there was no difference between what I was comparing( K7, K9 Pro ESS, JDS Element III) even I was sure that they introduce nothing in comparison connection directly from the Pc motherboard.

Now I know I was wrong and I need to hear it all at home.

 

[Hyde00]

I only had the K11 for a week, because these are the conditions for renting Audio equipment at the store in my city.

Wait what? Your city has audio equipment rental for DAC/amp?

That's a nice way to try things lol.

I will try different flavors.

Yeah keep in mind most linear / neutral gear will probably sound exactly the same as to one another.

But some gear are designed to be warm sounding then those will sound different.

Gotta try them all to find out lol.

Being in this store and doing the listening from a laptop, I was convinced that there was no difference between what I was comparing( K7, K9 Pro ESS, JDS Element III) even I was sure that they introduce nothing in comparison connection directly from the Pc motherboard.

Now I know I was wrong and I need to hear it all at home.

From what I've been told, in a perfect scenario you need to have the gear at home for 2 weeks for your brain to get used to the sound.

That and you should always listen to songs you're familiar with (i.e. don't use the track the store provide you, since you won't know how it's suppose to sound like).

So best to listen to your test track at home.

Let us know how it goes, good luck!

 

[worms]

Stores at least two that I know of give the opportunity to rent equipment, with a deposit for a weekend, sometimes longer. For 2 weeks there is no chance. My brain won't have time to switch. They try to get DEMO versions of the equipment, possibly open a new one and make it available for listening.

The K7s also have something about them, such a casual stately playing, a big stage deep and wide, my IEMs play like open headphones such was my first association.

As much as I can I will try to hear what interests me, if I can't even afford it because of the price I will always have a better understanding of the equipment and maybe someday I will aspire to buy it.

I have my list which I listen to often, if there are changes I catch it very quickly.
As it is now, I knew right away that the K11 was captivating me even though it wasn't as good at other things compared to the K7.
And now there's the question of what after a few days when the brain shifts and the k7 starts to thrill to dance too, which one will be better, haha.

One more thing that caught my ear:
K11 differentiated well between different genres of music, more or less enjoyable to listen to, faster or a little slower. Such a little variation.

K7 for the moment everything plays the same, without emotion, listen to the type House do similar songs I would like them to thrill more, be played faster, do not drag so much, but he takes everything apart, this has its advantages but also disadvantages. Every kind of music sounds the same, unapologetically without emotion.
Although I will admit that the bass thump can sometimes make me shiver, it has incredible power and freedom to play.

 

[Hyde00]

As much as I can I will try to hear what interests me, if I can't even afford it because of the price I will always have a better understanding of the equipment and maybe someday I will aspire to buy it.

Yeah I mean I know some people shoot for the best one and just buy once and done. Which makes sense cost wise, but I find the issue is that how do you know what's the best one without years of experience trying different gear to find out what you like.

It's like saying find the best girl and get married as oppose to wasting time and money dating different people. Yes but how do you know she's the one unless you date around for a bit, then you start to appreciate different things. Audio is kind of the same.

Your preference changes as you progress through the journey and gain experiences.

As it is now, I knew right away that the K11 was captivating me even though it wasn't as good at other things compared to the K7.

K11 differentiated well between different genres of music, more or less enjoyable to listen to, faster or a little slower. Such a little variation.

That's why I suggest you start with K11 first if you enjoy it. Then later when the upgrade urge hits then you can buy another one and sell the K11.

But I never recommend selling first before buying the next gear. I usually own both gear for a while until I'm 100% sure it's an "upgrade".

K7 for the moment everything plays the same, without emotion

LOL yeah not to bash it but I really thought K7 sounded very boring. I think it just presents music as is.

It's like eating water boiled potato, it's exactly as is un-altered.

 

[pintegral]

Just got K11, updated to V122. Observations:

1. when music starts it pops, when music stops it pops, so basically, there are two pops for every bit of silence,
2. while playing, it clips and pops here and there sometimes every a couple seconds sometimes longer,
3. sound is clean,
4. menu is intuitive.

1 and 2 are total deal breakers for today's dacs.

 

[pintegral]

Just got K11, updated to V122. Observations:

1. when music starts it pops, when music stops it pops, so basically, there are two pops for every bit of silence,
2. while playing, it clips and pops here and there sometimes every a couple seconds sometimes longer,
3. sound is clean,
4. menu is intuitive.

1 and 2 are total deal breakers for today's dacs.

This thing has too many problems. Every 10 or 20 seconds at a fixed pattern, it skips a few milliseconds, and you hear a clear discontinuity. My dell laptop don't do any of those.

 

[ubertriad]

This thing has too many problems. Every 10 or 20 seconds at a fixed pattern, it skips a few milliseconds, and you hear a clear discontinuity. My dell laptop don't do any of those.

Try plugging into a different computer to test. Try UAC 1.0 just to see if it's a compatibility problem.

If it still has problems, then it's faulty, send it back for replacement.

 

[FiiO]

Just got K11, updated to V122. Observations:

1. when music starts it pops, when music stops it pops, so basically, there are two pops for every bit of silence,
2. while playing, it clips and pops here and there sometimes every a couple seconds sometimes longer,
3. sound is clean,
4. menu is intuitive.

1 and 2 are total deal breakers for today's dacs.

Dear friend,

1. The fade in and out in K11 in order to avoid impact sound may bring small pop sound. We will report to the engineer to see whether we could improve about that.
2. Which device are you connecting the K11 to? You may check whether the problem happens when connecting the K11 to other devices and via other cables?

Best regards