I’ve at all times maintained that Fiio is at its greatest when making funds DACs, and its newest product is considered one of its greatest but. The KA11 is a USB-C (or Lightning) to three.5mm dongle that accommodates a decent-quality DAC, however what makes it stand out is the ability — it is ready to ship 245mW at 16Ω, and that is a number of magnitudes greater than what you get with most dongle DACs. To place that into context, the Fiio KA3 that I used final 12 months went as much as 120mW at 16Ω.
Then there’s the associated fee: the KA11 is out there for simply $29, or a 3rd of the worth of the KA3. At that value, there simply is not one other DAC that offers you wherever as a lot energy because the KA11.
The KA11 is on the market in two colour variants — black and silver — and I believe the silver model appears nice. You get the flexibility to decide on between a regular USB-C connector, or go the Lightning route when you have an older iPhone. I used the USB-C variant with the iPhone 15 Professional Max, and it labored with none points.
What stands out with the KA11 is the sheer dimension; this is among the smallest USB dongles I used, and at simply 8.5g, it’s the lightest. This factor is designed for portability, and you may simply take it wherever and never fear about damaging it. The construct high quality is unbelievable for a funds DAC, and it has an aluminum-magnesium alloy chassis that’s designed to resist quite a lot of put on and tear.
Just like different fashions within the moveable KA collection, the KA11 is branded below the Jade Audio label; that is Fiio’s sub-brand that’s catered to a youthful viewers, and its merchandise are normally aimed on the funds phase. That stated, there is not any Jade Audio branding on the product itself — you simply get the Fiio label on the entrance, and that is about it. I truly just like the clear design, and the two-tone end with contrasting colours provides the DAC a little bit of playfulness that appears nice.
The cable connecting the USB port to the DAC is made out of a high-purity oxygen-free palladium-plated copper wire, and it’s sheathed in a silicone braid, giving it added sturdiness. I might have appreciated a removable cable, however truthfully, it is not an enormous subject — the DAC itself is so small that it does not have an effect on usability. There is a tiny LED mild on the DAC that offers you a visible indicator of the sampling price.
Coming to the audio facet of issues, the KA11 has a single-ended 3.5mm port, and it may ship as much as 245mW of energy per channel at 16Ω, and 200mW at 32Ω. It makes use of a Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chip together with an SG-Micro SGM8262 amp and Savitech SA9312L USB controller, and the USB-C model works seamlessly with Home windows and macOS machines along with Android and the most recent iPhones.
As for audio decoding, the KA11 goes as much as 384kHz/32-bit over PCM, and there is DSD256 as effectively. Mainly, you are getting all of the components of a transportable DAC, however in a considerably smaller chassis. The facility on supply means you need to use the KA11 to drive nearly any IEM, and I paired it with just a few merchandise I am testing for the time being — Thieaudio Status LTD, Sennheiser IE200, and Fiio JH5 — and it was faultless. I additionally used it with a few of my favourite IEMs, together with the good Fiio FX15 and Letshuoer Cadenza 12, and it held up extremely effectively.
Exterior of some planar headsets that want quite a lot of energy, you need to use the KA11 to drive absolutely anything, and it does a stellar job on this regard. The low noise ground means there is not any hiss even when utilizing delicate IEMs, and the DAC has Fiio’s typical sound traits; it combines a impartial sound with a bit of heat, providing low-end with quite a lot of dynamism, clear mids, and ethereal highs which have quite a lot of character.
The $79 JH5 is a good pairing with the DAC, and you will get the IEMs and KA11 for simply $100, making it a unbelievable worth. Fiio has rolled out quite a lot of merchandise in current months, they usually’ve all been nice. However as I stated firstly, the model is best-known for its funds DACs, and the KA11 is well top-of-the-line funds USB DACs round. The truth that it prices simply $29 makes it a no brainer — there is not something within the funds class that comes shut.
The KA11 is an entry-level DAC that has all the ability you have to drive your audio gear. It’s effortlessly moveable, you get a impartial sound that is nice, and it really works with Android in addition to iOS.
