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

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 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.

Works great, excellent value for the buck. Highly recomended

Good choice to recommend. Don't take up much space and the sound was good

Great sound