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

This is my first real audiophile grade DAC and on day 1, I remember hearing the K11 R2R for the first time. The difference a dedicated DAC makes versus my phone DAC Dongles or previously, my Astro A40TR DAC I used for music & gaming was completely a night and day difference. I heard no static, no hiss, simply organic lossless music for the first time ever. It was beautiful like moon on a clear night sky. It was fun going through all my genres of music and favorite songs, like I was listening to them all over again for the first time. I have the DAC Set to 24-Bit 48.1Khz / DSD: 1-Bit (Which can only be achieved on the latest firmware that you have to manually install yourself.) Everything feels smooth, with a touch of warmness and clarity. Currently listening these IEM's: The AFUL Performer 5+2 & SIMGOT Supermix 4 / while using Low Gain Mode at ~45-55% Volume which is my personal sweet spot for listening on these IEMs. CONS: -My only cons with this is turning off the DAC requires you to hold the control knob down for (5) Seconds every time you want to power it off. It's not a big deal, but something to note. -No onboard EQ Functions. Not a deal breaker (software adjustments are just fine). Other FiiO Models like the K13 R2R have those more premium settings, but would have been nice to have at least on the R2R Version of the K11. -Stock Rubber Feet aren't very strong. DAC slides around a lot when pressing the 1-Button Knob. You have to order replacement rubber feet. THE VERDICT: In conclusion, for the price, you get a very nice small and compact Desktop DAC that looks elegant and from what I've heard competes with some much higher end DACs / R2R's at a fraction of the price. This is the budget king of DACs.

I’ve been running the FiiO K11 R2R for a while now, and it’s an incredible way to step into ladder DACs without spending a fortune. Build quality is solid, the display is clear, and it’s truly plug-and-play. Unlike the standard K11, which uses a delta-sigma DAC chip, this version employs a true R-2R resistor ladder to convert digital to analog (No DAC chip). The R2R architecture gives music an organic, textured feel, and makes its OS/NOS switch worth exploring. Here’s how the two modes behave: •Oversampling (OS) is my default. It keeps rock, classical, and movie scores lively and punchy, with tight bass and precise imaging. •Non-Oversampling (NOS) softens edges and smooths the top end — great for older masters like Silver Springs from Fleetwood Mac, bright recordings, or late-night listening sessions. Switching is instant, so you can tailor playback to the recording. My listening chain is: Bluesound Node (coax out) → K11 R2R DAC → Denon AVR-X4500H (analog in) → Emotiva BasX amp → ELAC Debut 2.0 F5.2 towers + dual REL T/1003 10″ sealed subs. I run the AVR in Stereo mode while bypassing Audyssey EQ on the mains — this gives me the transparency of Pure Direct while keeping my subs engaged. Using the Audyssey MultEQ-X PC app, I let it measure the F5.2s’ natural roll-off and it automatically set their crossovers around 40 Hz. I also keep the AVR’s bass management set to LFE + Main, which blends the RELs smoothly with the towers instead of letting the subs “bloom” separately. The result is bass that feels integrated rather than overblown. Price-wise, the K11 R2R is unbeatable. Many R-2R DACs run for about $1,000 or more, but this one is roughly $175. The high-end models may squeeze out another 30–50 % of refinement, yet they’re not 5–6× better — for most setups, that premium price tag just isn’t justified. If you’re curious about R-2R sound and want a DAC that punches way above its price, the K11 R2R is an easy recommendation. In addition, this DAC has made my Sennheiser HD650XX headphones come alive for the first time ever! This DAC is a no-brainer upgrade IMHO, however, based on the reviews you may want to buy the additional extended warranty as this product only comes with a one year warranty. Thank you for reading this and I hope it was helpful!!

I purchased this unit as an introduction to the "R2R sound" and yes, it delivers! I was previously using a Schiit Modi+ DAC, and while good as an entry-level DAC, I wanted something different, so I went for this, after seeing and reading several positive reviews. It's an entry-level DAC but it's a very nice unit, well built, feels solid although very lightweight (not ideal for desktop setup if you want it not to move while using the dial or swaping cables); very intuitive to use, no need to read the manual. I'd say it's a very different flavor that my previous Schiit DAC; this one sounds a bit fuller and livelier. Nowadays that I'm using a pricier R2R DAC which has a more refined sound, this one sounds a bit "overproduced"; the sound is truly engaging but it sounds a bit too much "enhanced" specially in the high registers. Don't have too much to say about the headphone output; I didn't use it really. I was using it as a desktop DAC with my home audio system which has a nice headphone amp for late night sessions. I tested back and forth the OS and NOS modes and, while not a night and day difference, the NOS mode makes this DAC a true delight to listen your music through. If you're on a limited budget and want a nice DAC with great sound and that's easy to use, this one is a NO BRAINER!!

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.

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.

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.

Todo correcto.