Fiio K11 R2R vs. SMSL DO100 Pro?

[olds1959special]

I currently use an SMSL DO100 Pro as my DAC and am thinking of adding a Fiio K11 R2R specifically for music. I recently tried a turntable in my system and enjoyed the sound of vinyl. I'm hoping an R2R DAC will get me closer to that presentation. I'm having a little trouble with my DAC sounding bright, although the "linear phase slow filter" seems to be helping with that. I love the DO100 Pro because it has a remote. The K11 R2R does not, but also has a volume control. So I thought having to get up to turn down the music is a compromise I'm willing to make if it improves the sound quality or offers a warmer sound alternative. (My pre-amp has dual mono volume controls which are not convenient to use.) I think I can also daisy chain the two DAC's via the coaxial output/input and use them that way if needed. OTOH, I think maybe I don't need this. I am listening to the SMSL DO100 Pro now and found the FL6 setting "linear phase slow filter" to be significantly less fatiguing than FL4, "linear phase fast filter". Maybe this is all I need? Or will the R2R Dac offer something special that I want? I listen to a lot of vintage music, also acoustic, vocal music, and jazz.

 

[staticV3]

Check out Archimago's measurements and demo recordings of the Cayin RU6 R2R thumb drive DAC:

REVIEW & MEASUREMENTS: Cayin RU6 R-2R USB Dongle DAC/Headphone Amp. Considering "Intentional Imperfections". (Topping D90SE -60dBFS input graphs.)

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

DEMO: Listening to the Cayin RU6 R-2R noise and distortions with headphone load. Confirming subjective impressions. And Jim Austin / Stereophile's "Thoughts On Reviewing".

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the K11 R2R.

Despite the very different form factors, both have a similarly performing R2R implementation with around 60-70dB SINAD.

The only way to daisy chain the two is to do USB/Toslink->K11->Coax->DO100 Pro.

This would bypass the K11's R2R DAC and use the DO100 Pro's DAC for conversion to Analog.

 

[olds1959special]

Check out Archimago's measurements and demo recordings of the Cayin RU6 R2R thumb drive DAC:

REVIEW & MEASUREMENTS: Cayin RU6 R-2R USB Dongle DAC/Headphone Amp. Considering "Intentional Imperfections". (Topping D90SE -60dBFS input graphs.)

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

DEMO: Listening to the Cayin RU6 R-2R noise and distortions with headphone load. Confirming subjective impressions. And Jim Austin / Stereophile's "Thoughts On Reviewing".

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

That should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the K11 R2R.

Despite the very different form factors, both have a similarly performing R2R implementation with around 60-70dB SINAD.

The only way to daisy chain the two is to do USB/Toslink->K11->Coax->DO100 Pro.

This would bypass the K11's R2R DAC and use the DO100 Pro's DAC for conversion to Analog.

I listened to the sound clips and liked the sound of the NOS, so I ordered the K11 R2R to try out. I will share my results when I am listening to it. I’m going to send the digital coaxial out to my DO100 Pro, so I can use both without unplugging anything. Hopefully it will display the sample rate on both units.

 

[RoA]

got the K11 (non R2R) and very pleased with it. I see there is still no review on ASR

 

[olds1959special]

I got the Fiio K11 R2R Dac and am listening to it now. I'm playing a Diana Krall record in NOS mode, and immediately noticing the change of sound coming from my SMSL DO100 Pro. There's a little more weight to the sound in the midrange and bass, a little more texture. The sound is not as strong and clear but rather slightly diffused and muted, but not in a bad way. It seems relaxed, dry with a more natural tonality, slightly more compact in soundstage, unlike the DO100 Pro which has a kind of a hollow/big/open quality that sometimes feels artificial, or too "wet". I know subjective descriptions don’t mean much but I tried to describe what I’m hearing. I wish it had a remote control for the volume. It seems only some very expensive R2R dacs have a remote with volume control. (Halo Spring 3 looks like) I thought of adding a Schiit Saga in passive mode (it has a remote) in between the DAC and pre-amp but I imagine this would not help the sound.

I also have daisy chained the DAC's and they match sample rates on the display. I am able to go back and forth between inputs and compare the sound coming from the same USB source (going into coax in the DO100 Pro). The DO100 Pro seems a bit hotter as when its at 55 or so it sounds like 70 on the Fiio, which is strange because I thought the K11 R2R actually had a slightly higher output of 2.7v vs 2.5v. More tests soon to come and I will post my comments on the sound differences when I can listen louder (early in the morning now.)

 

[olds1959special]

I am starting to wonder if there is any value to the Fiio R2R dac in my system. It has no remote, making it a pain to adjust volume. It also clearly does not sound as good overall as my DO100 Pro, maybe it's the SINAD level I'm noticing, it feels smaller, compressed. It definitely adds a warm flavor and a unique tonality, but in the end I wonder if I'm really paying attention to or needing this. I seem to have found a good filter option for the DO 100 Pro for music, minimum phase fast, which seems to keep it from sounding bright (linear phase fast sounds brighter I think?). Additionally, my vintage pre-amp has a little crosstalk between inputs, so when I daisy chain the DAC's and use them together without turning one down, I get unneeded noise.

I'm going to move the R2R dac to my other system that doesn't need a remote.

 

[olds1959special]

After using both the Fiio K11 R2R and SMSL DL200 (similar to D0100 Pro) in my Elac bookshelf speaker system, I would like to write down some thoughts. The Fiio K11 R2R is really fun to listen to at first but seems to be a bit dead in terms of harmonics in the sound. I am using it with my MG Head OTL tube headphone amp and Beyer Dynamic DT990 - 600 ohm headphones, because the headphones are so bright, it balances things out. But for anything else, I prefer the SMSL DL200 (or D0100 Pro) for its more natural treble and presentation of harmonics in the sound. They are more smooth while the Fiio K11 R2R is more punchy. I have owned (and returned) a Fiio K7 which seemed similar, warm in tone quality but a bit dead, so I'm wondering if this is a Fiio house sound thing.

 

[olds1959special]

OS mode on the Fiio K11 R2R is better, not as dull. It's no wonder that's the default setting.

 

[RoA]

Why not try the K11 OG? Nothing dull, warm or soupy about it

 

[olds1959special]

Right now I'm using the SMSL DL200 instead of the K11 R2R in my system. I gave up on the K11 R2R and am returning it. It doesn't sound natural, especially in the high frequencies, and it's even worse in NOS mode.