Hi. I`m torn between these 2 dac/amps. I don`t really have anywhere to test them (from the local shops in my country if you buy you don`t have return option). I had a little bit of an issue with the treble of the Edition XS using the Oratory EQ, but i managed to tame it. Currently I am using the ifi zen air dac v1 and I want to upgrade and get more power. From what I`ve read the Fiio K11 R2R is a bit warmer DAC/AMP which should mean it has a little bit of bass(punch) to it, while the Fiio K7 is brighter which means it has treble that might be a of an issue. Has anyone had expirience with these specific combinations? I would like to add a little bit of punch (bass) to the Edition XS that doesn`t make the songs sound muddy( like my zen dac xbass option). Can anyone give me his thoughts on this matter?
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Fiio K11 R2R vs Fiio K7 for Hifiman edition XS
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oleg87
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The K11's NOS mode will roll off treble (though this will depend on the sample rate of the material), but if you've already got PEQ setup, that would be the better, more flexible tool for frequency response tweaks.
The K11 R2R produces a lot of distortion. It's SINAD is terrible at only 72 dB. See here for measurements. Use EQ to tune the sound of the headphones not distortion of DACs and amps. How do you know the K11 R2R sounds warm and the K7 is bright? How was any of that determined? Unless the levels where matched and devices where unknown to the listeners, there is no way of knowing what really is the sound of either inasmuch as they have any.
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Thats what people say in their reviews - one is warm the other is bright. At the end this is what people hear. So with so many distortions you wouldn`t recommend it? I`m not a pro with EQ so I would prefer to just buy the heapdhones, buy dac/amp and just plug them in. But in this hobby that is almost impossible. It took me a lot of time to EQ the Edition XS to my ifi zen air dac and I`m left with the impression that i could do more but i dont.
unpluggged
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You EQ your headphones to your ears (using a target response as a reference), not to your DAC.
Why would anyone recommend something with "so many distortions"?
There are plenty of reviews of well-performing gear on this site. Just take your time to read through them.
Why lend any credence to it?
No, I would not recommend it.
There should be no change in EQ required between different DACs and amps if their distortion is low and frequency responses are flat to 20 kHz.
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- #7
Okay. Thank you guys. I`m gonna go and buy when K7 sometime soon. Thank you for the help. And you are right - i shouldn`t listen to people on the internet that much. Everyone has his preferences and hears different things.
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