FIIO K11 Compact Desktop R2R architecture DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black)

Had been using an SMSL Sanskrit II for over 2 years with my Edifier active speakers. Switched only because I wanted to use my 7hz timeless IEMs as well on my desk. First of all build is good (ie not high end) and excellent for the price. The functions are good and volume knob has a nice clicky feel to it (again not high end but good). Sound wise using my speakers, I've noticed more clarity, preciseness and crispness to the sound compared to the SMSL. In comparison, the SMSL is more laid back and full. I'm good with either so for me it's just different and happy with it. For the IEMs, I can only compare to my FIIO BTR15 connected by wire to my PC. I feel like they are quite similar and hear no discernable difference with the music. Additionally I tried the r2r version of this and could not hear and discernable difference either. Your mileage will vary based on your other gear of course. Music I used to listen to was all kinds of genre (rock, jazz, edm, classical) BUT everything was played through my pc. All files were flac at 16bit or better using windows 11 native music player (which of course may not be the best🙄). I would definitely recommended this as a good affordable starter DAC and amp.

To be honest with you, I can't really tell a difference between a lot of these DAC/AMPs unless you compare them to super low-end stuff. What I can say, however, is that the FiiO K11 is able to drive my HD 660S2s with ease, and they sound fantastic through the K11, but they also sound fantastic through a lot of other Mid-Fi DAC/AMP options. I mainly chose this one because I liked how it looked. The menu is a little finicky to work, but you'll get used to it. The entire thing is controlled by a single push-knob. Overall, you can't really go too wrong at this price point, and there's a lot of options. The K11 fits very nicely in this budget, and will perform as advertised with great reliability and ample sound quality/ volume. Note: Coming from an SMSL C200 with a Balanced Out jack that broke within months of ownership, and SMSL refused to replace it unless I shipped it at personal cost to China. AVOID SMSL!

I’ve been seriously impressed with the FiiO K11 R2R — it feels incredibly solid and substantial, with a premium aluminium build that belies its mid-price point. My first listens revealed a sound quality that’s both refined and musical — a pleasing mid-range warmth and generous soundstage that hold their own against other R2R ladder DACs I’ve tried. It matches perfectly with my HD650, giving them a lively but natural presentation without losing that classic Sennheiser character. One of the best aspects is how effortlessly it pairs with my MacBook — plug-and-play simplicity. The display and front-panel knob are intuitive, with clear contrast that makes switching inputs or adjusting gain quick and easy. It also offers both NOS (Non-Oversampling) and OS (Oversampling) modes: NOS delivers a smooth, relaxed mid-range, while OS brings more snap and definition, so you can adapt the sound to the music or your mood. All in all, the K11 R2R is compact enough to move around but commanding enough to hold its own on my desk. It delivers exceptional value and genuinely competes with pricier R2R units — especially when you factor in the build quality, flexibility, and its engaging, musical sound.

I wanted to try a new DAC with my WiiM ultra and also intrigued by an R2R DAC. The FIIO is a well made but simple device (you get what you pay for). The output is via usb from the Ultra. Once you figure out the setup (no app small screen on the device) it has great features included. The important part is answering the question does it produce good sound. The answer is yes, from a listening perspective the overall sound is clearer, better separation between vocals and instructions and a more natural sound. Is this a consumer friendly device? No it’s not but for the sound produced and the price it is worth the money. I did not try headphones but that is its other Trump card. Overall I am very happy with this and the sound to me is much better.

The FiiO K11 R2R delivers a sound that’s just addictive. It has that rich, full-bodied tone that makes everything feel alive — powerful bass, amazing mids, and clear, detailed highs that never get harsh. There’s a warmth and smoothness to the R2R that’s instantly noticeable, especially compared to the regular K11. The build quality is premium — solid metal, clean design, and the volume knob feels beautifully precise. It looks and feels like a proper piece of hi-fi gear, not just another DAC/amp. I actually own both the K11 and the K11 R2R, and each has its own flavour. The standard K11 is crisp and punchy, while the R2R adds a richer, more natural depth. I’m keeping and using both — they complement each other perfectly. For the price, this is a serious upgrade that feels and sounds far above its class.

This is a fantastic DAC. It sounds clear and punchy with an excellent mid range and good instrument separation. It has a very balanced EQ with no part of the frequency spectrum being over emphasised. There is excellent attack on notes. These qualities make it a pleasure to listen to. My existing CD player (Marantz 6007) is now relegated to a Cd transport as the sound on this DaC is considerably clearer and better. The unit itself is compact and well build with clear printed instructions on how to navigate its settings. I would buy this DAC without hesitation.

The unit seems nicely made and is very pleasant to listen to. No doubt you can buy better, but it is good for the price I use it with Grado headphones and powered monitors. Annoyingly, Fiio do not provide Apple native support for firmware upgrade… it is a major annoyance and I docked my review 2 stars for Fiio being too cheap or lazy to bother supporting Apple products properly. Nobody wants to have to install a virtual machine or persuade a friend to download some junkware from Fiio to help them upgrade firmware…

I’m pretty sold on this. I’ve tried a few different DACs over the years and had a topping e30 before this one. Which itself is a very nice sounding dac, quite clinical but detailed with a good thump to the bass. I’m still not wholly convinced dacs sound hugely different to each other, that being said, you can quite easily hear a bad one. And this fiio isn’t that. I’ve got it paired with a musical fidelity a1 and Lintons so my whole system is pretty rolled off and “warm”; the fiio fits right in. I’ve been playing music for hours, and doing a lot more streaming than I’ve ever done before, I’ve not put a record on in a few days now. It’s smooth and has enough detail, but really, it’s just musical. I think a great sign of a decent system is when you just find yourself and others, tapping your feet, and I do this a lot when using the k11. I was curious to see if there were a difference between chip and resistor based dacs and I think there is. I don’t think it’s “night and day”, but I don’t see anyone saying they wouldn’t find this dac to be enjoyable. Not tried with headphones yet as have been using exclusively in line out with my 2 channel setup. But I’ll give it a go at some point. Right now, I’m just enjoying putting music on and sitting there with a glass of wine. Build quality is good, I like the knurled dial, feels solid. Only complaint I have is that I had issues pairing with the wiim pro as the fiio doesn’t seem to like playing at 192/24 with a coaxial cable. I tried few different ones and some were better than others, but all gave me brief dropouts. Playing at any other bitrate or using a toslink was trouble free, so that’s what I’m using. I don’t think it’s a fault of the k11 specifically, but perhaps something to do with r2r dacs in general.

I read about R2R DACs online and felt right away that this is a revolutionary breakthrough by FIIO and their engineers in delivering a DAC this good at this price point. Anything close to this DAC will cost about $ 1,000 or more. I know what a good DAC sounds like since I own two Denon DSD DACs. Wait, the balanced headphone out is an added bonus since its drives my Hifiman Sundara closed back headphones without even breaking a sweat. Wow ! I almost fell off my chair when I listened to the first song on this R2R DAC. It was Diana Krall's Temptation using my Hifiman Sundara closed back headphone bought right here on Amazon. Muddy Waters Album sounds amazing. I kid you not. This DAC is equipped with a 4.4 mm balanced headphone out which drives the Sundara Closed back without breaking a sweat using the balanced headphone output. Obviously you need a balanced 4.4mm cable of which I bought right here at Amazon at a reasonable price. First a few initial house keeping setup chores must be performed prior to using this DAC. I feel that its mandatory to have the initial setup correctly to enjoy this Treasure. Read the instruction manual first, its easy to understand. This is how I set up mine, Gain set to high. Output, switch Output PO: Front Panel headphone out with adjustable volume, SAM or sampling used is NOS, you can also select OS for oversampling for a different sound signature. The NOS gives you a Vinyl sounding unadulterated sound signature. UAC usb working mode for my Mac mini 2024 is UAC 2.0. I honestly don’t use Windows computers but I suspect that it should work fine for Windows. With my Denon DSD DAC I have two separate Headphone AMPs, A Preamp for connecting the two separate headphone AMPS and had to add an EQ to achieve the sound signature that I preferred. Imagine, with the FIIO R2R DAC you just need the DAC only and the biggest bonus is that it has balanced and unbalanced Headphone out both of which which drives the Hifiman headphones without breaking a sweat ! This R2R DAC by FIIO is a game changer. All you need is the DAC with ZERO addons and you are good to go. Don’t be fooled by an Audiophile, you can get Hifi at an unbelievable price in a DAC which punches way above it’s price point. All of this for an insane price of $ 200 Canadian Dollars. Mind you, for very high impedance headphones you will definitely need a separate headphone AMP. Most Audio Enthusiasts don’t usually use very high impedance headphone and this R2R DAC will meet the needs of ninety nine percent of Audio Enthusiasts. Now comes the sound. I am an Audio Enthusiast and prefer not to use the term Audiophile since there is no authorized designation or qualification to address oneself as an Audiophile. I use FLAC or High Res music with Audirvana Music Player and Hifiman Sundara, and a few other really good headphones. I am not loyal to any particular band, I choose headphones which correspond to my preferred sound signature. To my ears, this R2R DAC delivers a warm sound with PERFECT lows, mids and highs with a decent soundstage and excellent instrument separation in the NOS mode. The experience can be described as relaxing. Wait, you don’t have to purchase a Tube AMP. This amp sounds tube like in the NOS mode. If you prefer a different sound signature you can always choose the OS mode and it will still knock your socks off. This DAC is highly recommended and is definitely a Giant Killer. Get yours from Amazon. I am not in any way affiliated with any product mentioned here. This is my honest review and my personal opinion.

This FiiO K11 works great .after a little time setting it up ( which is easy ) I have it connected directly to a Sony 5 disc cd changer via optical cables . I plugged in my Beyerdynamic dt 770 pro X headphones and WOW everything is crystal clear , getting everything my cds have to offer ! And if your into lighting you can make it change colors and it can be set to rotate through all the colors as you listen to you music . And if your like me you can shut all the light show off and leave one color on or black the lights out and the front screen can be turn of as well ! It also comes with a electrical 3 prong connection thats not shown it the pictures !

Ik had een voordelige DAC nodig dus bestelde als eerste een fio su-1 ,deze klingt erg goed, beetje analytisch maar gaf idd een verbetering ten opzichte van mijn eerder gebruikte wiim mini met zijn eigen ingebouwde DAC, IN EERSTE INSTANTIE DUS EEN PRIMA UPGRADE,MAAR DE DERDE DAG V LUISTEREN STOPTE HIJ ACCUUT MET WERKEN! BUMMER CONTACT OPGENOMEN MET AMAZON. VOOR EEN RETOUR& REFUND. PASR DAGEN LATER DEZE FIO K11 R2R besteld, waar ik nu een paar weken lang naar luister . De Fio k11 R2r is ( behalve dat deze wel blijft werken) echt een totaal ander beestje, het geluid uit deze dac is inderdaad veel meer ANALOOG klinkend dat wil zeggen WARMER, MINDER ANALYTICS,MUZIKALER EN DAARDOOR OOK TOTAAL NIET Vermoeiend BIJ LANG LUISTEREN KORTOM EEN SMSL SU-1 ZAL BEST EEN GOEDE DAC ZIJN ( EN VOOR EEN LEUKE PRIJS) MAAR DEZE FIO K 11 R2R VERSLAAT HEM ZEKER ALS U WAT MINDER HIFI MAAR MEER ANALOGE SOUND PREFEREERT.

Hallo, zunächst zur Einordnung: Ich bin recht neu in diesem Bereich. Musik hab ich bisher hauptsächlich über meine QC35 oder Earbuds gehört. Ich hab mir einen HD660S2 schenken lassen und habe mir dazu den K11 RSR bestellt und zum Vergleich den K7 BT, da dieser auf dem Papier deutlich leistungsstärker erschien. Ich nutze das Gerät im Wesentlichen indem ich mein iPhone per Kabel daran anschließe. Eigentlich dachte ich, dass der K7 mehr Leistung liefern sollte, aber während ich den K7 fast bis zum Anschlag drehen musste, bis es laut wurde, liefert der K11 schon oft ab 50% eine sehr ordentliche Lautstärke (kommt ein wenig auf den Song drauf an). Verglichen mit dem K7 wirkt die Bühne des K11 deutlich enger. Das kann man jetzt mögen oder nicht. Ich persönlich finde aber den Ton des K11 RSR deutlich klarer und präziser als den des K7. Es wirkt für mich alles kristallklar, weniger "matschig" als beim K7. Auch hört man viel weniger Rauschen. Das was man hört, scheint hingegen eher von der Musik zu kommen, als vom Verstärker. Beim K7 war das deutlich ausgeprägter. Der Anschluss an den PC hat wie ans Handy auch einwandfrei geklappt. Nach der Umstellung auf 32 bit und 384 KHz habe ich am PC aber ein Knacken wahrgenommen, das vollständig weg war, nachdem ich auf 24 bit und 192 khz umgestellt habe. Wie mir scheint muss man dafür die Treiber von FIIO installieren, was ich erst hinterher gemacht und seitdem nicht mehr getestet habe. Die Treiber lassen sich einfach über die Website finden und installieren. Sehr gefällt mir auch die Verarbeitung. Man kann blöd finden, dass alles über ein Kontrollrad mit eingebautem Knopf geregelt wird und keine weiteren Knöpfe oder Schalter vorhanden sind, aber es funktioniert. Das Display ist super, was ja beim K7 leider fehlt. Lineout zur Hifianlage funktioniert anstandslos. So, kommen wir zur einzigen Sache, die mir nicht so gut gefällt: Der Klang wirkt wärmer als beim K7, was ich erst einmal weder gut noch schlecht finde, mir gefällt er so wie er ist. Aber scheinbar geht damit einher, dass dieser Verstärker keinen starken, tiefen Bass liefert. Wenn ich meine Kopfhörer an die Hifi-Anlage oder an den K7 anschließe, dann ist bei starkem tiefen Bass richtig zu spüren wie der Kopfhörer vibriert. Beim K11 fehlt dies praktisch vollständig und ich habe es auch nicht geschafft dies mit dem EQ des iPhones zu kompensieren. Das finde ich etwas schade, andere mag es vielleicht weniger stören. Es kommt vielleicht auch etwas darauf an, was man gerne so hört. Ansonsten klingt dieses kleine Gerät wirklich großartig. Der K7 BT geht deshalb trotz Bluetooth und stärken im Bass zurück, der K11 RSR wird behalten. Wenn ich mehr Bass will, gehe ich per Lineout über die Hifi-Anlage, regle den Bass per EQ etwas hoch und schließe dort die Kopfhörer an.

I use this on my computer for a near-field scenario. It replaced a Topping L30 and E30. The amp is unchanged. I knew I wanted an R2R ladder dac, but most of the options were > AUD 1000. I made the right choice, and now I have sound-stage and placement in abundance and an accuracy to the sound that reveals yet more of the music I have in my collection.