I’ve all the time maintained that Fiio is at its greatest when making finances DACs, and its newest product is certainly 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 larger 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 price: the KA11 is out there for simply $29, or a 3rd of the value of the KA3. At that worth, there simply is not one other DAC that provides you wherever as a lot energy because the KA11.
The KA11 is offered in two colour variants — black and silver — and I feel the silver model seems to be nice. You get the power to decide on between an ordinary 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 measurement; this is without doubt one of the smallest USB dongles I used, and at simply 8.5g, it’s the lightest. This factor is designed for portability, and you’ll simply take it wherever and never fear about damaging it. The construct high quality is unbelievable for a finances DAC, and it has an aluminum-magnesium alloy chassis that’s designed to resist numerous put on and tear.
Just like different fashions within the moveable KA collection, the KA11 is branded beneath 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 finances phase. That mentioned, 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 actually, it is not a giant difficulty — the DAC itself is so small that it does not have an effect on usability. There is a tiny LED gentle on the DAC that provides 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 could 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 newest iPhones.
As for audio decoding, the KA11 goes as much as 384kHz/32-bit over PCM, and there is DSD256 as nicely. Principally, you are getting all of the elements of a conveyable DAC, however in a considerably smaller chassis. The facility on supply means you should utilize the KA11 to drive nearly any IEM, and I paired it with a number of 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 nicely.
Outdoors of some planar headsets that want numerous energy, you should utilize 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 an excellent low-end with numerous dynamism, clear mids, and ethereal highs which have numerous character.
The $79 JH5 is a superb pairing with the DAC, and you will get the IEMs and KA11 for simply $100, making it a unbelievable worth. Fiio has rolled out numerous merchandise in latest months, and so they’ve all been nice. However as I mentioned initially, the model is best-known for its finances DACs, and the KA11 is definitely probably the greatest finances USB DACs round. The truth that it prices simply $29 makes it a no brainer — there is not something within the finances class that comes shut.
The KA11 is an entry-level DAC that has all the ability it is advisable 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.
