The
Fiio K11 desktop Dac/Amp was purchased at a discounted price from Aliexpress.
Retails at
$129.99 USD, with a
CS43198 DAC chip, and it supports up to 384 kHz/32 bit PCM, DSD 256
Dimensions:
It weighs just 400g, and measures 147 x 133 x 32 mm. Quite small and light. It can be put flat as a stack, or can also be stood upright, if there is not enough space at the desk.
It comes
accessorized with:
- Power plug (DC 12V 2A)
- USB A to C cable
- 6.35 mm to 3.5 mm jack
Inputs:
USB, optical, coaxial
Output:
Single-ended 6.35 mm (or 3.5 mm with adapter), balanced 4.4 mm, RCA, coaxial out
In the
settings menu, one can play with options such as gain settings, DAC filters (I think there are 6 available), lighting etc. There is no BT available. The volume knob also serves as the settings button, and the volume steps are quite finely tuned. I like that even when inserting gear into the K11, there is no "pop" sound which is seen in some other sources.
Power:
Single-ended can hit up to 520 mW @ 32 ohm or 60 mW @ 300 ohm
Balanced can go up to 1400 mW @ 32 ohm, or 250 mW @ 300 ohm
This Dac/Amp definitely has enough power for most gear out there, especially on balanced. It has
3 gain settings too.
The K11 easily handled the three hardest to drive gear in my inventory:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)
I like that this device
doesn't get hot even with extended usage, which is a big plus in my book.
Sound:
The K11 is very
neutral with a slightly thinner note weight. In fact, it lies on the analytical side. It doesn't colour the music much, and lets the connected transducer do the talking.
For the price, it has solid technicalities. Soundstage is above average in all 3 dimensions, with good micro-detailing. Imaging and instrument separation are a highlight.
However, the
output impedance of 1.2 ohm (@ 32 ohm) single ended and 2.4 ohm (@ 32 ohm) for balanced is a bit on the high side, especially for the balanced port. Thus, based on the rules of eights, the balanced port might not be the best option for low impedance fussy IEMs, as the frequency response of the IEM might be skewed.
Will do some more testing and comparisons and report back, but the K11 is a really nice desktop Dac/Amp in a small profile, yet packing big power, with multiple inputs and outputs. Sound is neutralish without colouration, with good technical chops.
So far, just one small nitpick is the highish output impedance on balanced, but I guess it is no biggie just keeping to the single-ended port if you need to drive low impedance gear. Very promising otherwise, and it might be a good option for folks wanting a multi-purpose source for low $100ish USD.