FiiO KA11 USB Dongle DAC and Amp (USB-C, Black)

Cheap, good sound and nicely built. Paired with Softears Volume S = Very impressive. Will drain battery of phone a little quicker but much less than imagined on a 2 year old iPhone 15 pro max.

After spending A LOT of time comparing different DAC's for my IEM's, I settled on the KA11 as it stood out above the rest. Definitely NOT disappointed. It sounds fantastic! Tested both on my PC and my Samsung smartphone, audio is crisp and clear, no distortion, and with a well-tuned EQ it really cannot be beaten. Excellent clarity and depth. I also find it doesn't have a dramatic effect on Smartphone battery life either, which was a concern, though I'm sure that will vary depending on which earbuds/headphones you use. The DAC does get a little warm after a little bit of use, but rest-assured that's totally normal.I will say however, this is a very powerful DAC. It is capable of driving larger headsets without an issue. With that being said, exercise caution if you are using sensitive IEM's (like me). I unfortunately accidentally blasted my ears briefly at 100% volume when I clicked an incorrect button on the PC FiiO app. Worth noting, even with very sensitive IEM's, the noise floor is incredibly low... I hear absolutely zero hiss or artifacts when no music is playing. Incredible. All in all, highly recommended. It blows a lot of the other DAC's at double the price-point out of the water.

Sent my unit backAfter upgrading the fw to 0.08 stopped working.Openned a ticket and the support sent me a new one for free with 0.08 pre installed and never works on my phone, fiddled with a lot of power/usb options in settings and it doesn't work.Any other dac Inuse in my phone works perfectly.Reddit is full of users wirh this issues too.Seems that fiio is more interested in creating eWaste than actually correct their products and guarantee support for them, or just uave them to work.This was my last fiio product, very disappointed.Not recommended

Purchased to use wired headphones with Tidal streaming to avoid compression. Audio quality is a leap up from Bluetooth. The device is small and unobtrusive. Usage is a simple as plugging it in. I like the LED light colour which tells you the audio quality. My only criticism is that it gets quite hot. For the price, I think this is good value for money.

Sounds great, not too big, looks nice, just works.

I initially bought the Jade Audio JA1 which is a cheaper version (by Fiio's sub-brand Jade) for using my DT770 Pro 32ohm cans with my phone.That drove them "ok" but i had to have volume close to max.Bought this Fiio KA11 instead as this has a much more powerful op amp inside. These now drive my headphones much harder and i can listen at good volume with still a good 30-40% left -- which means quieter stuff can be boostedGreat build quality. Gets a little warm but that's pretty normal when pushing this much power so nothing to be alarmed about -- it's warm not hot.For the price -- great bit of kit

EDITED REVIEW:After using this with my iPhone (review below) I decided to try it with three different DAPs. I ended up returning the KA11 as soon as I realised just how flaky this is. It either won't work at all, or it will only work with certain music players, or it will work and then disconnect and not reconnect... I've installed the Fiio app to see if that helps, but no. Yes, it works with my iPhone, but what if I decide to switch to Android when it's time for a change? And why shouldn't I be able to use it with my DAP as well?It seems like I am not the only person to have these problems.ORIGINAL REVIEW:I used this with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Letshuoer IEMs. Compared to the regular dongle I've been using the volume is increased, and the music sounds "fuller". Without the Fiio it's flat and lifeless (XTCs The Mayor Of Simpleton for instance) and it comes to life when the Fiio is substituted. That's not very scientific, I know, but it's accurate.

So far i've had a 8 hour music session with my Beyerdynamic 770 pro X and it drives them well, past safe listening volumes. You will find a lot of people on reddit and reviews saying it heats up a lot, but after 8 hours the hottest it's gotten is on par with a fast charging USB C cable. Have yet to try it on my phone or with their app/software but it's pretty much plug and play on windows 10. Worth every penny if it holds up over time. Oh it also works fine plugged into a USB C female to USB A male adapter, no audible "noise". It's amazing how they've gotten such performance out of a dongle that is almost the same size as an apple adapter.