This $160 R2R DAC is BLOWING MINDS in 2024! (Fiio K11 R2R Review)

[@sean_heisler]

Couldn't agree more with the review, nice job. I picked one up about a month ago and find it superb as a DAC, headphone amp and preamp - and i use it all three ways. I also found it compared well to my Pontus II in the same way it did to your Ares. Really relaxed and spacious R2R sound. One thing reviewers haven't pointed out that's an excellent aspect of this unit is it's volume control which is not a cheap analog volume pot nor is it a digital volume that throws away bits to achieve attenuation, rather it's an R2R volume that is not dissimilar to a stepped attenuator by way of resistor relays which we are seeing in many newer preamps these days.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Excellent point on the volume knob! Thank you for sharing!

[@toai2]

Have you heard reviews on the Cyan2 DAC? it costs 10x more, but lots of praise I've heard

[@sean_heisler]

@@toai2 I've seen reviews and all the praise, yeah! It definitely has my interest for sure. I do wonder if it's any "better" than my Pontus II though, probably just different.

[@toai2]

@@sean_heisler no need to get the Cyan if you already owned the Pontus

[@jawadtaheri4989]

Mostly reviews on this is regarding the headphone setup,,,,glad you mentioned the dac is good,,,,looking for this with my fiio btr13 Bluetooth receiver and Yamaha 2 channel amp ,,,,,is this analog sounding dac,,,,, ???

[@johnreeves4526]

I picked up the K11 R2R a few weeks back. It's terrific. My full range speakers have a metallic coating (MarkAudio Pluvia HD2 7), which felt a bit fatiguing with my previous DAC . . . My nearfiled/home offfice setup for the DAC: MacMini (recently set to 24/192 - a must!) with AppleMusic>K11 R2R @UAC2 setting and NOS>Schiit Saga 2 > Modified DIY ACA Mini with power supply filter> DIY Frugal-File bipole microTowers with MarkAudio Pluvia HD2 7 drivers.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Awesome, thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Good to see selectable UAC1 and UAC2 USB compliance ... More DACs need that feature.

[@CinnabonMcTasty]

Man, sometimes you realize just how small of a world this really is. I'm over in YT land looking at reviews for little amps and DACs, to realize you are the dude my GF and I bought some albums from in Huntsville last weekend, Sublime and Radiohead albums. See you at Records and Retro.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Love it! Maybe I’ll add a sign to my booth that says “as seen on KZbin” lol 😂. Hope you enjoy the records and see you on Sunday!

[@stevezeidman7224]

Nice job, Aaron. I’ve had an Ares II. Now, I have a Ladder Schumann r2r. I agree with you about r2r not being tube like. They can achieve wider sound stages so they get that rep.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks, Steve! It's always a challenge to describe DAC sound signatures knowing the differences are often rather subtle. But it's always fun to see companies push the envelope and offer technology at an affordable price like the K11!

[@stephenross4333]

Nice Dinosaur Jr shout-out! I'd bet J Mascis did a better show than Ween, but just my opinion. I got the K11, but on second view of this, realized I didn't get the R2R version. The non R2R is arriving today, and instantly getting returned. Thanks for the review and thanks for pointing out the 2 versions of this DAC.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for watching! Glad it helped you out!

[@deepcuttabeats356]

Thanks for your contrast with the Ares! Great review.

[@ForeverAnalog]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching!

[@RocketKitten1]

Oh man, I thought I had a faulty unit because OUT LO was stuck at 99. Thank you for this info!!!

[@ForeverAnalog]

Yeah I really had to study the manual on this unit lol. Thanks for watching!

[@RocketKitten1]

​@@ForeverAnalog Yeah, I accidently switched to that mode with 100% volume on the computer and almost blew my studio monitors to pieces. It says in the online manual that LO mode is adjustable, but it clearly is not. Hence my confusion.

[@jefffeith4201]

Thanks for the review. I am thinking about this DAC and the new FiiO SR11 streamer. Many thanks for your assessment on the sound.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Awesome. Thanks for watching! I haven't had a chance to get my hands on the streamer but I really enjoyed the K11 as you can probably tell. I'm really sad to send it back to them, lol.

[@jefffeith4201]

@@ForeverAnalog I bought the Denafrips DAC instead. In the future I will get a streamer. Many thanks!

[@sunlightnsk]

Thank you for the review! I guess I will stay with my Schiit Modi + Magni + Loki, where the Loki equalizer makes a huge difference.

[@ForeverAnalog]

I’m a big fan of Schiit!

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

The new Fosi dac is pretty much showing everyone that this DAC game is over!!! If anyone can pass a blind test between this dac, the Fosi and more expensive DACs I'd really love to see the video footage of that. Im challenging anyone out there who thinks they have Golden ears, so far nobody has taken up the challenge. How surprising 😂

[@ForeverAnalog]

You should make a video making that point! I think there more folks posting videos the merrier!

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@ForeverAnalog I'm not a video making man.

[@mscott570]

What model Fosi are you referring to?

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@mscott570 ZD3

[@Eron55555]

Why? What's so good about the ZD3?

[@PhillioDoede]

Have you had any Schiit Multibit DACs pass though? Specifically the Modi Multibit, would be an interesting comparison to entry level R2R I think

[@ForeverAnalog]

I haven’t been able to get any Schiit gear in for review, I always have to purchase. I’m always keeping an eye out for sales or second hand Schiit gear though so hopefully I can pick up on their higher end DACs soon!

[@Droogs_OTR]

I have a portable Fiio that I love(d) so much, then my buddy's black lab pissed on it - no shit, she squatted on it while looking right at me, and pissed a river - and now it doesn't work anymore. I guess she was pissed (no pun intended) that I was listening to music and not paying attention to her when I was supposed to be dog sitting her.

[@vladionescudimancea2069]

Has anyone compared it to the Ifi Zen One Signature - I have an audiolab 6000a and using the Zen as a stereo system DAC. Would really like to know the sound signature differences between the two before deciding to purchase the Fiio.

[@RosemarySoriano-n6v]

A big help, thank you so much.😊

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thank you!!!

[@rabit818]

It would be nice to compare newer DAC w older DACs from 90s

[@ForeverAnalog]

That would be fun, but a rather large task! Thanks for watching!

[@meaninthemirror]

Best review of the K11 R2R.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thank you so much!

[@Thechosendawg]

Would i be able to connect this to my record player via RCA cables? using it as a headphone amp *new to the game

[@hificonspiracy]

Nice. A "Blue Bell Knoll" fan. ~Neeechs a Norrrish Norrish nechisha norsha ut cha ah ah. lol! I know it sounds crazy but try a real glass fiber ( Not plastic!) toslink cable with the Fiio. I've found it sounds better then usb or coax. Great video!

[@ForeverAnalog]

Haha yea! I was excited to grab that CD! Thanks for the tip on the cable and for watching!

[@trekkis]

Worth to be aware that in fact r2r dacs have much more detail (micro detail) than sigma dacs. Higher freq only needs some peq enforcement, but effect is Incomparably better than false sigma details which are effect of interpolation and oversampling. Nos dacs have about 20 times better impulse raising time, so clarity (separation) of micro details. Sigma should have 1Mhz resolution to compare. Also there are no digital filters applied in Nos dacs so there are no filters artefacts present. In overall, Incomparable better base for further peq.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Great points. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

[@curious-mxm]

It is a personal preferences. The same applies to DF. NOS raising time have nothing to do with a real signal because it is filtered (LPF) before ADC recording and signal spectrum is limited. It is a common myth from Multibit lovers. NOS dacs has terrible resolution and THD and it is audible.

[@trekkis]

@@curious-mxm Details and real resolution are not personal preferences, they are pure fact, directly audible and always confirmed by many very experienced listeners also in blind abx tests. And nothing is filtered - as can be directly checked on oscilloscope image on output. Difference is huge. Only this is real signal, nothing else is, and can not be denied. LPF filter has nothing to do with this, you simply messed topics. Interpolation with all errors and artefacts is directly observable on output voltage image, also instant Nos response is also directly observable - it's about 20 times better (40us vs 2us - human hearing is very sensitive in case of time domain errors). Exactly opposite - thd is impossible to be heard, itd way below audible threshold - also can be observe. So post is entairly false.

[@curious-mxm]

@@trekkis when you are telling about the audible difference it is note a pure fact, it is a personal preferences. I did many Multibit DACs before, and we did a funny blind tests with custom digital filters and top industrial filters like pmd100 and sm5847. Those pure multibit lovers was confused). All NOS 16/44 will huge distortion and human hearing is very sensitive.. this is why many people like vinyl and tape/reels with w&f ~ 0.01% in a best case. Is this a sensitive domailn of the human hearing? So I know the topic very well and your arguments are pretty typical for those who never did any measurements by himself and have no understanding of the "theory", Dirac function and sinx/x interpolation in particular aspect. This is why all DAcs with DF will have a ringing on the delta function, who cares that you will never find it in a real music signal. Good argument, isn't it?)))))

[@trekkis]

@@curious-mxm You didn't understood. I perform many, basically all kinds measurements, so you are totally, extremally wrong even on this level - lack of reading with understanding. And ringing is not anything what can be audible (this is very bad argument actually), there are many other far more important aspects. But what can be measured is not what is important. Practice is important, nothing else. There is no any meaning what one person is thinking. Blind, practice comparison on groups of tens experienced and inexperienced listeners with statistically significant result leaves no any doubt. Noting more is important - any measurments or theory. Only confirmed many times without any methodology errors, practice. And I simply performed such tests (using RME, EverSolo, Chord, Ares, Laiv and many more like toppings with different akm and ess). There was no any confusion. Conclusion was very clear. Of course, still everyone has right to deny such facts and choose to stay in his own cognitive bias. But facts, are facts. Any sentence that something like chord, ares, Gustard, Laiv, pontus, venus or terminator have huge distorsion in negative sense (sentence that all distortions are bad is error itself) is simply extremally ignorant, nothing more.

[@Eron55555]

Hmm, I wonder how the k11 R2R would pair with the Linton's which are already relaxed. hmmmm.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Great question - I wish I had a pair of Lintons to find out! Thanks for watching!

[@Eron55555]

@@ForeverAnalog I ended up getting it. I really like the result.

[@willlodge5386]

Hi there, would this be an improvement on the DAC in the WiiM ultra? Thanks

[@ForeverAnalog]

I haven't had a chance to hear the Ultra's DAC, so I can't say 100%, however there is a general opinion that the WiiM DACs can be improved by an external DAC.

[@taho88]

I have a Wiim Pro Plus which is of course not the same but it might be of interest to you. I did an A/B comparison last night in my two channel setup.IMO it was significantly better. I was concerned there might be a lack of detail when compared but it was the opposite. There was much more detail. I was able to easily follow and pick out things in the mix like rhythm guitars and bass lines where as before it was not as clearly defined. Vocals seem more natural.Details like when a singer takes a breathe seem to stand out more. Sound stage seems wider and with better separation. I do feel like vocals are slightly more forward. You would likely hear improvements over the built in DAC with most external DACS in the $200 and up range but I do think this one is special at this price and even beyond.

[@willlodge5386]

@@taho88 Thanks!

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for sharing!

[@trekkis]

Have both, fiio is much better.

[@kiinybas]

I returned mine . Found when connected to Fiio M11S, it disconnnects the M11s frequently. 😢

[@ForeverAnalog]

Oh no, sorry to hear that. I haven't gone down the DAP rabbit hole yet, lol. I have modded a few iPods this year just for fun!

[@kiinybas]

@@ForeverAnalog it's amazing when works on the BD Tesla T5

[@gpunique]

So if you have this connected to an amp for tour stereo, but want to listen to headphone, you have to go into the menu EVERY time to change it? You cant just plug in your headphones?

Hello, my friend, greetings from Brazil. When you compare this equipment to the SMSL, am I right in thinking you are referring subjectively to the DS100 you recently tested? Speaking of SMSL, do you believe the comparison you made between the DS100 and the SU1 would also apply to the Fiio K11? To be more specific, would a SU1+DA1 system provide greater detail? Here in Brazil, a SU1+DA1 system has the same price as a DS100 and a Fiio K11, and I'm building my first speaker system. Thank you very much for your attention and for your time.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Hi there! Yes, my reviews are subjective as I don't have the equipment on hand to test gear. And yes, as I mentioned, SMSL is going to be more analytical or neutral sounding. If you need an amp to power speakers and not just a DAC (like the DS100 and K11), then I think you'll be happy with the set up you suggested!

[@DirtyMikeAndTheBoys74]

I got one two days ago. So far its pretty awesome. Would it be beneficial to get a balanced cable for this amp/dac? I have some sennheiser hd 660s headphones. Im using the 6.35 mm jack now on high gain. What setting should i use in the headphone advanced properties? I currently set it to 384k studio quality. Im new to amp/dacs.

[@ForeverAnalog]

I always use the gain setting that sounds best! Probably more scientific way but that's worked fine for me right now lol

[@SolidTwoPointO]

As someone who just ordered the Ath-r70x (only because I can’t find the refine version anywhere) I got a couple questions for you. I’m new to this stuff and am looking between either this or the Schiit Unity with built in DAC. I’m just curious as to if the k11 r2r can fully drive these headphones, and secondly I’m mainly looking for which of the two would be better for competitive gaming (hearing footsteps, gunshots, etc) Thanks and appreciate a lot of the video content you put out!

[@ForeverAnalog]

I'm not a gamer so I can't answer that question but the Fiio drove my Refines well as it has a few different gain settings.

[@briansanchez6065]

Great video. Is there a budget dac for a turntable that you would recommend?

[@ForeverAnalog]

Hi! A DAC isn't used with a turntable, do you mean a phono preamp?

[@briansanchez6065]

@@ForeverAnalog Hi, yes I meant pre amp, any recommendations would be appreciated?

[@gu1111]

Does it have auto off/standby?

[@amanieux]

for iem exclusively does this $150ish desktop dac offer an improvement in sound over a dongle dac ?

[@ForeverAnalog]

I think this DAC sounds different than using a regular dongle DAC, but whether or not it's an improvement is really something only you can decide based on the gear and your listening preferences.

[@prodigy_xd]

I think a short info what R2R is and why we should want it would have made for a better intro

[@ForeverAnalog]

Check out my friend Ed from Old Hifi Guy as he covered all that perfectly 😊

[@keithjohnson2863]

I like your review style. You have a new subscriber. What do you think of using the Fiio K11 R2R as a DAC source for the xDuoo MH, with headphones and in a nearfield 2 channel system? Which would you use for volume control in that stack? Thanks.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoyed the MH-02 so this is a tough question! Keep in mind that neither of these can power speakers in a nearfield system unless you have active speakers. I no longer have the MH-02 to A/B it with the K11 but if you are just asking about volume control, I think both will work fine in either configuration.

[@keithjohnson2863]

... the xDuoo MH-02...

[@keithjohnson2863]

@@ForeverAnalog Thanks for your reply. I'm currently in a temporary setup where I'm using active speakers. My permanent setup has a good integrated amp (feeding passive speakers), so I'll probably control volume with that. I plan to get the K11 R2R primarily for the DAC. I'm considering getting the MH-02 as a secondary headphone amplifier downstream from the K11.

[@willmac5642]

modi multibit or this?

[@frankplissken143]

Curious about that too, they've both been described similarly. I might lean toward schiit, I like all the products that I have and use them often dont really need all the bells and whistles. id love to see a head to head comparison on the sound.

[@YzorYzor]

How does this compare to Wiim Pro Plus?

[@ForeverAnalog]

I haven't used the WiiM Pro Plus so I can't say unfortunately.

[@kangarulzx]

hi i recently bought fiio jt1 the same headphone as yours, and music is loud enough (source Mac mini and desktop PC). Do i need K11 R2R to further improve the sound quality? if so by how much? i play games and listen through spotify premium most of the time so i don't know know how much of an improvement this dac amp would provide.

[@ForeverAnalog]

It would probably improve some but you might be surprised how big of an improvement you’d get by using a higher res streaming service like Apple Music or Tidal over Spotify before investing in a DAC amp!

[@NaveedKhan-bs1sc]

Did you connect the dac to the cd transport or to the amplifier?

[@ForeverAnalog]

Transport!

[@NaveedKhan-bs1sc]

@ForeverAnalog Thanks

[@brunonjezic6208]

How do you like it with HD 560s? from other video i saw you have a pair. Im looking for a amp for my pair and this is in close race with XDuoo MH02

[@ForeverAnalog]

It was great with the HD 560s!

[@brunonjezic6208]

@@ForeverAnalog would you recommend better xDuoo MH02 over this as a pairing with HD 560s?

[@astandupcooks]

Is this also more 4/20 than 4/19 compared to the SMSL Su1 lol ?

[@ForeverAnalog]

I’d say so 😂

[@kiinybas]

It was lovely to hear when connected to BD tesla 5 and fiio m11s. But the seller back in India Headphone Zone sold me a defective piece. Seller didnt replace it as well. Feel so sad to have been through Fiio using a unethical business wity headphone zone. Wasted money on this.

[@bacarandii]

Wait, I'm confused. If you're running URD CD transport into the Fiio K11 R2R as a pre-amp, what are you using as your amp? And where does the Denafrips fit it? I currently use a very simple setup: CD transport via coax into an external Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus (with multiple switchable source inputs) and then RCA cables into the AUX inputs of various vintage integrated amps/receivers. So, what's the chain here again? I think I'm missing a step...

[@ForeverAnalog]

It’s all plugged into an amp lol. The Denafrips is just another DAC I have one hand to compare.

[@felipehartwig]

Do you recommend the K11 or the K5 Pro?

[@ForeverAnalog]

I haven’t used the K5 Pro so I can’t say unfortunately.

[@felipehartwig]

@ForeverAnalog OK, thanks for the reply! 👍🏽

[@maxrider2887]

Is it better than Fosi ZD3?

[@ForeverAnalog]

Better is subjective, but it has more laid back sound than the ZD3 if that's something you're interested in.

[@maxrider2887]

@ using 300b mono tube amp, which one will be best match , fosi Zd3 or Fiil k11 R2R?

[@TheBeardedLibertarian]

Sold out

[@ForeverAnalog]

Dang! Check Amazon!

[@baycchief3785]

Try to have a tube amp injected into this DAC and it's heaven.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Ooooooh yes. I bet so! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@rvndotcom]

I prefer the non R2R version

[@ForeverAnalog]

Awesome, thanks for watching and sharing!

[@hansruediglaser]

Can you tell why? Im looking for a dac and really dont know what model. Thanks

[@msprash24]

2:35 Those who are not here for RGB but Mlmore interested to know how it works with consoles hearing those footsteps in the game? RGB should be covered at the very end. As it's a useless part for an audio amplifier. Watched many videos of this product and not 1 single person talks through the different frequencies available and how to use them. Every single person, every single person talks about RGB.....$|=it man!!!!! Every video I watched was useless including this

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for watching. I don’t have a gaming Console and my channel is more for two channel home stereo so I’m sorry that it didn’t meet your expectations.

[@smyrnianlink]

You can even advertise a slow car by saying "you are less likely to have an accident in this". Not much different from advertising a high distortion gear by saying "high notes are less fatiguing" . The whole audiophile industry is based on misleading the people into an imaginary world. Lets get this straight : In the Hi Hi paradigm Only microphones and speakers (and of course studios/rooms) are allowed to have "sound signature".. It is because these things are inherently imperfect and you must chose from various kinds of imperfections, according to your needs and preferences to settle for the most bearable imperfection. DACs, Amplifiers just need to have fidelity. They need perfection .. not style. And it is attainable. Microphone or speaker is a piece of art, just like a painting .. A DAC or an amplifier is (should be) like a chronometer. There is no such thing as a "relaxed chronometer" or "analytical chronometer" .. Precision itself is measurable. Digital sound is digitized from an analog original The only duty of the DAC is to reproduce that original as close as possible. This "sound signature" nonsense should come to an end. Especially if your wires, connectors, op-amps, power sources have a "sound signature" it means they are flawed. You should get them fixed

[@ifeanyidede2106]

You just said it all. All this cock and bull stories reviewers keeping saying just to market gadgets holds no water.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for the comment!

[@ForeverAnalog]

Thanks for the comment!

[@trekkis]

False statement.

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Absolutely. There is only one design goal in electronics: Accuracy. It is the same for a piece of audio gear or a computer or a SpaceX rocket. Whatever these circuits do the only real goal is to do it accurately and repeatably. In electronics, this goal was reached decades ago. Flat frequency response is common place, as is low distortion and high damping factors due to impedance bridging. When you get to that state, it all sounds pretty much alike.

[@OldGuyHifi]

An hour! Sorry. I will never mention it again. I agree with you on how it sounds. Fun video. Thx.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Lol! Yeah, I confidently moved it from my desktop headphone listening to the main stereo set up, connected the cables, hit play and nothing happened. It had been one of those looooong days so I just walked away and then noticed my mistake while reading the manual later on. I was so excited to hear this one after all the other reviews that I skipped the most important step, lol.

[@justanobody4983]

Anyone interested in this, fair warning. The noise floor on these are horrendous. If you can try it out first or buy with great return policy, go try it. Otherwise, dont get it.

[@tamayaytam]

Great feedback. Thanks

[@jonathanmoore8886]

Reading the manual? Pfft, this guy amirite. Just kidding, nice review

[@ForeverAnalog]

Lol! Thank you!

[@pedrofernandez8729]

Sold out, you recommend a product and poof! It's gone.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Whoa that’s crazy!!!

[@pedrofernandez8729]

@@ForeverAnalog Amazon still has them, the place you linked at the bottom does not

[@goodsound4756]

Mentioning Denafrips as a brand with expensive R2R DAC's gave me a good laugh. That's nothing compared to MSB where the price range is equivalent from a car to a house for their stuff.

[@ForeverAnalog]

Great point! Thanks for sharing and watching!

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

Price is not such a good indicator of quality anymore. With newer technologies the prices are coming down as the quality is going up.

[@curious-mxm]

​@@Douglas_Blake_579not exactly. It's all about the market demands. In the 2000s there was enough technology but MP3 and Volume wars killed digital audio (stereo).

[@Douglas_Blake_579]

@@curious-mxm I agree that the loudness wars made a real mess out of the source music available. However; I doubt this alone did much to affect digital audio. It is now ubiquitous, found everywhere from your smart phone to very high end stereo systems. It's not dead by any stretch of the imagination.

[@ESL-Plus]

Didn't blow my mind at all. Tried it on all the bla bla. Very disappointing.

[@PINKFL0YD-s2h]

Sounds like an infomercial. Bye

[@ForeverAnalog]

Wish You Were Here

[@willlodge5386]

You are only coming through in waves. Bye 👋