FiiO KA11 Portable DAC/Amp Review

[confucius_zero]

Not sure if this has been addressed here but the CS-Hump thread seems to highlight a lack of test coverage from @amirm

On the Distortion of Cirrus Logic CS431xx-Based Devices: A Comparative Review

Just a little observation as I don't think anyone has commented on this. In the screenshots of @jkim 's tests in the first post of this thread, the JCally JM20 Max has ultrasonic images/reflections of the playback signal (test signal in this case), highlighted in red below: While the JCally...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[RoA]

This KA11 is very good but in no way competes with my desktop setup. The KA11 sounds in comparison slightly brittle and thin with music sounding very close to the ears (I dread using that word 'soundstage').

There are no reasons why a K11 would be in any way audibly inferior to devices costing 10 or 20 times as much if operated within its specifications. Any differences are either because of inferior/old technology (R2R/tubes), wishful thinking/expectation bias or headphones which require more power (not many).

 

[JSmith]

The KA11 sounds in comparison slightly brittle and thin with music sounding very close to the ears

How did you ascertain this?


JSmith

 

[IsaacOscar]

I just checked the KA11 Firmware page on the FiiO website. The last update was in March 2024. Since the Cirrus DRE issue was discovered around August 2025 I think it's pretty safe to assume that this dongle still exhibits such a problem. But not all hope is lost because FiiO has been very receptive to our feedback and has managed to patch the DRE distortions out of other products by giving the user the option to disable the feature.

This means that this dongle has the potential to become the best adapter of this form factor on the market if we make our voices heard and ask FiiO for a Firmware update.

https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202403061706174125325&tid=77

Apparently it doesn't have the issue:

On the Distortion of Cirrus Logic CS431xx-Based Devices: A Comparative Review

That's on a DAC with DRE on though or one that has no option for it. I'm going by the X8's implementation which has DRE turned off from factory in the menu and has no audible click as far as I can hear. Absolutely - if you disable DRE the clicks depart, BUT the overall DAC performance now...

www.audiosciencereview.com

EDIT: it does have the issue, just not as noticeable as other DACS.

It would been very nice though if @amirm tested this for us.

 

[GabrielPhoto]

This KA11 is very good but in no way competes with my desktop setup. The KA11 sounds in comparison slightly brittle and thin with music sounding very close to the ears (I dread using that word 'soundstage').

 

[tccalvin]

Apparently it doesn't have the issue

My guess would be that it probably does, but there are different implementations of the DRE technology. Some devices exhibit far fewer clicks and thus may sound artifact-free (which is good). Still, we can't know for sure until someone records the output of the KA11 playing the relevant tests.

 

[Sebby]

I put on the IE200 and connected the KA11 to my smartphone.
I have to retract what I said earlier in the other thread mentioned a few comments above, because the issue is also audible on the KA11, but in a much milder way and only on a couple of tracks.
I really have to focus hard to hear it and only because I know exactly where it appears and what happens, otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed it.
As disappointed as I am with Cirrus, considering the price and its very clean driving power, aside from those very slight issues, I still wouldn’t have a problem recommending the KA11. Here FiiO used DRE more sparingly, not in a "VW dieselgate" style

 

[confucius_zero]

I really have to focus hard to hear it and only because I know exactly where it appears and what happens, otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed it.

then it's OK for most audiophiles that lean more on the subjective side of the hobby then?

 

[confucius_zero]

It would been very nice though if @amirm tested this for us.

Not sure why there's strong radio silence on this issue (from may 2025!). Perhaps it's marginal enough to bypass it and focus on other aspects?

This KA11 is very good but in no way competes with my desktop setup. The KA11 sounds in comparison slightly brittle and thin with music sounding very close to the ears (I dread using that word 'soundstage').

I do feel that the test bench has gotten old enough to either prove that SINAD is a solved problem (and brands could be "gaming it") and we should be looking for other measurements that lead to differing subjective interpretations of equal SINAD devices.

 

[Sebby]

then it's OK for most audiophiles that lean more on the subjective side of the hobby then?

On the KA11 I can only hear it on one track, and very weakly, and I need a relatively high volume with IE200s, so I wonder if that kind of distortion could even be part of the track.
On other tracks from the same album I can hear something vaguely similar with all the other DACs, and quite consistently among them, so in those cases it’s the track’s fault itself (to prevent people from blaming the DAC when they shouldn’t).
At this point, regarding the KA11, I’d be relaxed even for hardcore audiophiles and I think it’s an excellent dongle.

P.S. If I’m not mistaken, you and I used to chat in the IEM Facebook groups during the Covid period (I haven’t had Facebook since then). I’m glad to see you here and that you’re doing well!

 

[tccalvin]

Not sure why there's strong radio silence on this issue (from may 2025!). Perhaps it's marginal enough to bypass it and focus on other aspects?

Amir has said he doesn't think it's a big enough issue. Fair enough, but I strongly disagree about omitting DRE measurements and presenting products as state-of-the-art when there clearly are some (minor) flaws.

 

[confucius_zero]

Amir has said he doesn't think it's a big enough issue.
...
I strongly disagree about omitting DRE measurements

Perhaps it could be best to keep the CS document up to date on devices that support DRE-off mode. Where did he say it?

At the very least, on the budget realm, the BlackPearl (with walkplay compatibility), the Melody (through FiiO Control and firmware updates) and the Retro Nano (through firmware update and screen menu) have such options. So I'd somehow take the W on that.

P.S. If I’m not mistaken, you and I used to chat in the IEM Facebook groups during the Covid period (I haven’t had Facebook since then). I’m glad to see you here and that you’re doing well!

Yes it's me! I may have been a less pleasant fellow before my break from those groups, but I'm back on "CAR" and trying to be better

 

[Descartes]

How does it compare to Moondrop Dawn Pro

 

[confucius_zero]

compare to Moondrop Dawn Pro

well, there's no 4.4mm out for starters.

 

[PDS]

I bought one recently, and I'm very happy with it. I mainly use it with a Google Pixel 8, either with headphones or into the aux input in a Honda Fit. So far, it works great, especially with my eq'd Sundaras.

 

[Overseas]

Got KA11 about 1 year ago based on non forum recommendations for phone streaming. I do feel Ifi Go Link Max sounds better or at least different.

 

[sheeple]

AliExpress delivered the dongle today. It replaces a cable-broken apple dongle and I have not listened on my Sennheiser HD25-IIs regularly for a long time, apart from the occasional train ride where they plugged into a Lenovo laptop. Thus, I have no vivid memory how they sounded before. But what I can say is that they seem to sound very very spacious now. It's a blast! Everything is so nicely separated and sounds big. Moreover, the dongle drives the headphones confidently and I mean to notice that the bass gained a new punchiness and authority. Certainly, the levels it can drive the headphones to is way too loud, which is good as even at two thirds of the volume bar, battery is draining more quickly than it did.

I do not know how to listen for the DNR hiss, and could not hear it yet.

 

[IsaacOscar]

Thus, I have no vivid memory how they sounded before. But what I can say is that they seem to sound very very spacious now. It's a blast! Everything is so nicely separated and sounds big.

The human brain's long term memory cannot remember these kind of sound details accurately, so unless your basing this on another DAC you hear like a second again, anything you are hearing now is more likely to be your headphones and the mood your in, than the KA11 doing a particularly nice job.

I do not know how to listen for the DNR hiss, and could not hear it yet.

Do you mean DRE clicking? You won't hear it except on specific tracks: try either the Song of the Sisters by Hanz Zimmer, or the "Original_CMaj" file in the first attached zip at the bottom of the first post in this thread.

My advice is to not worry about it. I've had a DAC for years with the problem and never noticed any faint clicking.

 

[sheeple]

The human brain's long term memory cannot remember these kind of sound details accurately, so unless your basing this on another DAC you hear like a second again, anything you are hearing now is more likely to be your headphones and the mood your in, than the KA11 doing a particularly nice job.

As I wrote, I still listen with them on train rides from my Lenovo laptop. I could not find what drives the sound of the X280, I assume it is integrated from the Intel chip. I any case, I listened back and forth between the two and the bass is very articulate with the KA11 and not at all from the laptop. Correct, I would not be able to remember the sound from the Apple dongle, wich is why I excluded this reference from the start.

Do you mean DRE clicking?

Yes, with DNR I meant = DRE. The click that I thought I had heard is in the source (Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Sometimes in Winter), probably overloaded microphone bad rip. In any case, I am happy, the sound is really good.

 

[sheeple]

The dongle really gives me Class D vibes for its bass control. In the same way I became aware of drums when for the first time I heard the punch of bass notes powered from my Hypex Fusion amps. This is very delightful!