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FIIO KA11 DAC dongle

I also just received a KA11 after waiting about a month for delivery.

Thanks to @trungdtmc, @johny_2000, @HissingFree and @pioterd for the measurements.

Anecdotally, it can drive my Senn 565 Ovations (classic model; 150 Ohms and not great sensitivity) with actual bass response where most other dongles struggle.

Very much hoping it doesn't die after a month or two like it has for others! It does run hot, and FIIO know it because it says running hot is 'normal' in the Quick Start Guide....

Anyway here's a photo of it in action to add some interest to my post:

KA11.jpg
 
FiiO KA17

I only have a 30 Ohm dummy load, so my measurements show that the best THD+N is -109 dB (0.00034%) at -12 dBFS, which is about 45 mW of output power.
This is also equivalent to 0 dBFS and a volume of 36 (out of 60) on the device itself.

View attachment 392366View attachment 392367
Was that in dongle or "desktop" mode? i'm extremely sceptical about Fiio's claims for the power output of the KA17 (which i bought about 2 months ago). it doesn't noticeably drive my range of headphones any louder than my LG V30 phone.
 
Did you get to measure max power, or arbitrarily power at 1% THD? Interested in SE not balanced as that's what I usually use.
I did not measure SE output as I only use it in balanced mode. Generally, SE power = 1/4 BAL power. This will give you a close estimate. Based on my balanced measurements, it is about 580 mW @ 1% THD @ 30 ohms.
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Also check this information from the manufacturer.
 
I did not measure SE output as I only use it in balanced mode. Generally, SE power = 1/4 BAL power. This will give you a close estimate. Based on my balanced measurements, it is about 580 mW @ 1% THD @ 30 ohms.
View attachment 413730

Also check this information from the manufacturer.
I asked because I'm sceptical of the Fiio numbers. Thanks for the info.
 
Has anyone tested or tried this one? It's supposed to be 200mW per channel at 32 ohms and costs about $30 which makes it the most powerful DACC dongle at its price.
I went through two FiiO KA11 dongles, and both crapped out on me pretty quickly. The devices would get recognized, but there was no sound output at all. Luckily, Amazon refunded me for both without any hassle.
 
I went through two FiiO KA11 dongles, and both crapped out on me pretty quickly. The devices would get recognized, but there was no sound output at all. Luckily, Amazon refunded me for both without any hassle.
Good to know. Have you used them with a heavy load (<32 Ohms) at maximum volume for a long time?
 
I found that FiiO's specifications are very close to the real data I measured myself.
I mean it works fine. It's not much different from my LGV30 phone. In non desktop / normal power it's pretty average. I like it but the extra cables and carrying a power bank on the move is becoming a faff.
 
I like it but the extra cables and carrying a power bank on the move is becoming a faff.
Desktop mode also works without a separate power source connected to a dedicated port. In this case, it uses more power from the connected USB device. This is how I use it with my laptop. I don’t know if smartphones will provide enough power in this case.
 
Good to know. Have you used them with a heavy load (<32 Ohms) at maximum volume for a long time?
Not really. My IEMs are 16 to 32 Ohms, but I keep the volume low for health reasons. After going to way too many live concerts, I’m trying to hang on to what hearing I’ve got left. From what I understand, the issue comes down to quality control, plus those SGM buffer chip amps are known to be pretty unreliable and rather temperamental.
 
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Desktop mode also works without a separate power source connected to a dedicated port. In this case, it uses more power from the connected USB device. This is how I use it with my laptop. I don’t know if smartphones will provide enough power in this case.
It will but it will drain the battery quickly. You can't fight physics. I bought it for it's desktop power mode and portability. It's sort of meets that spec.
 
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I went through two FiiO KA11 dongles, and both crapped out on me pretty quickly. The devices would get recognized, but there was no sound output at all. Luckily, Amazon refunded me for both without any hassle.

The exact same issue I had, it's disappointing that this happens, when this dongle is like the perfect combination of price, power and form factor.
 
The exact same issue I had, it's disappointing that this happens, when this dongle is like the perfect combination of price, power and form factor.
If this happens due to overheating as some reported, clearly the combination of power and form factor is not so perfect ;)
 
If this happens due to overheating as some reported, clearly the combination of power and form factor is not so perfect ;)

Yeah, but we don't really know if the issue is due to overheating or not.
For instance, external overheating is a good thing because we want to remove the heat from the inside components, sometimes manufacturers design dacs with an enclosure in a certain way so that the consumer thinks the device runs very cool, when in reality all that is happening is that it's cold to the touch because there is less heat being removed from the internal components, still within spec tolerance but running much hotter inside.
Honestly, I find it very hard to believe Fiio would sell something like this if it breaks after a month or two so easily just because of running hot, more so when we used this with low volume most of the time.
 
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Yeah, but we don't really know if the issue is due to overheating or not.
For instance, external overheating is a good thing because we want to remove the heat from the inside components, sometimes manufacturers design dacs with an enclosure in a certain way so that the consumer thinks the device runs very cool, when in reality all that is happening is that it's cold to the touch because there is less heat being removed from the internal components, still within spec tolerance but running much hotter inside.
Honestly, I find it very hard to believe Fiio would sell something like this if it breaks after a month or two so easily just because of running hot, more so when we used this with low volume most of the time.
Clearly without certain evidences of the cause we can just speculate on it, it would be interesting to know if other dongles with similar form factor and same SGM opamp like the Jcally JM20 Max have similar issues.
 
Clearly without certain evidences of the cause we can just speculate on it, it would be interesting to know if other dongles with similar form factor and same SGM opamp like the Jcally JM20 Max have similar issues.
Overheating is one possible cause of failures, alongside repeated 3.5mm connect/disconnect creating these brief, but inevitable, shortcuts. And as you said, it could also be a completely unrelated root cause.

The KA11 is much more complex than, say a JM20: there is the SGM opamp, but also additional LDOs and a charge pump (the ‘-‘ rail) for the SGM, and a “depop” chip downstream of the SGM. More chips packed in a small shell > more opportunities for failures…

I haven’t experienced an issue with my KA11, but I don’t use it much… :p
I just received a JM20-Max: I assume it is very similar to the KA11… and it’s even more compact—may not be good if overheating is the issue!
Will see if I run into any trouble…
 
The KA11 is much more complex than, say a JM20: there is the SGM opamp, but also additional LDOs and a charge pump (the ‘-‘ rail) for the SGM, and a “depop” chip downstream of the SGM. More chips packed in a small shell > more opportunities for failures…
Indeed I mentioned the MAX version.
I haven’t experienced an issue with my KA11, but I don’t use it much… :p
I just received a JM20-Max: I assume it is very similar to the KA11… and it’s even more compact—may not be good if overheating is the issue!
Will see if I run into any trouble…
As expected, is there even a single dongle type you didn't get? :p
Nice, let us know if it shows any issue, hopefully not.
 
As expected, is there even a single dongle type you didn't get? :p
Must be some type of addiction…:rolleyes:
I try to rationalize it by convincing myself it’s a lot cheaper than… say buying dozen pairs of desktop DAC/Amps & Speakers!
My biggest problem: where did I leave that damn dongle? I know it’s there… somewhere… :D:D:D
One day, I hope I’ll find the time & energy to do (amateur!) measurements…
 
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