FiiOJadeAudio Q11 DAC Headphone Amplifier DSD256 PCM 32bit/384bit for Smartphones/PC 3.5mm 4.4mm Outputs

I would like to say this little amp sounds great. I pretty much use it as a pc dac/amp. I would also like to say the balanced output is amazing. If you can get anything across to you buy a pair of cans or iems that you can run on balanced outputs. Its a whole other world. Unless you have some kinda super stinky single ended output which means you have a nice amp regardless. This thing actually rocks though. I find the price of headphone amps alarming though for the amount of power they put out why are they so expensive, but if you need a niche product i guess you pay the niche price. This thing is dead quiet and has variable gain and again sounds great. 650mw is pretty decent it gets loud enough to damage you hearing and nice stinky bass and super clear highs and mids, vocals are very velvety out of thing. Even the 100+ mw single ended is quite generous. A nice neutral sound signature.

I tried its big brother, the K11, which uses the same DAC. It has a nice screen, a few filter options, and a bit more power, but I couldn't tell the difference with my Focal Elex; this thing sounds big and powerful. I also tried the similarly priced Fosi Sk02, which was also nice. Still, the form factor was terrible, and its infinite volume knob made it impossible to dial in a consistent volume. I had the Hip Dac 3, It probably sounded the best, and I loved the Bass Boost, but it's double the price and not that much better. I haven't tested the battery yet, as its more for desktop use, but the form factor of about a deck of cards, and a nicely weighted metal volume knob feels excellent, along with the status lights for a little flare, cant go wrong with this one.

[UPDATE]Kudos to FiiO team for reading my review and fixing the listing. They have added extra photos, fixed the listing name and updated an FAQ section. Bumping up to 4 stars. I’d even give it 4.5. Now that the matter of expectations is addressed, $89 provides an excellent value for the money!Dear FiiO,Why would you call something a headphone amplifier if it has NO LINE-IN????? At least call this thing a DAC/AMP so buyers are not confused. To add an insult to the injury, there is no photo of the back surface as of 02/03/2023. The back surface only has a USB-C port.The sound quality is fairly good. It think that the Cirrus logic CS43198 DAC chip is a limiting factor. It's a little dated (released in 2017). FiiO Q11 sounds warm and... unoffensive, but lacks detail. I have to note that the same DAC chip sounds more detailed in my Astell & Kern SR25 DAP. The power output is sufficient to drive demanding headphones. It was able to push a somewhat difficult to drive full-size planars - Dan Clark Aeon X Open.I also feel like a very important feature is missing - there is no switch to disable charging, as far as I can tell. If you use an included tiny usb c cable it is not supposed to charge while connected to your phone. However, if you use a longer USB-C cable there is no way to disable charging. Since USB-C is the only input source it could be draining laptop battery.To summarize,This device is going back due to lack of clarity from the seller. Despite the excellent power output, the negatives the positives. With USB-C being the only port, mediocre DAC and no way to disable charging this device is not for me.

The Q11 is amazing! In art, there is a term "less is more" and for the Q11 it's a prime example. I also own a BTR5 which I suppose is technically better. But I actually prefer the Q11. Because all I need to do is just plug it in, and dial in the volume. It doesn't get warm, I don't have to charge it. And for me it's "lack of features" is actually its strongest points.I think it can interface with fiio's app. But I don't really use Bluetooth.And when it comes to sound quality, you can definitely go for more expensive items to get "better" audio. But honestly for me, the Q11 feels like it has a better listening experience. And if you can enjoy your music at a comfortable level, then that's probably enough.I usually get .Flac songs from video game soundtrack disks. So in my case, they are recorded/ edited differently from normal people music. So having a super hi-rez dingle dangle, can make some songs enthesize some instruments too much. But the Q11 has a nice reach for vocals. Which can be difficult for some game soundtracks. Because vocals can get covered up by all the other classical instruments.And when compared to the BTR5 I can actually get a lot more volume out of my headsets. But I also don't use super expensive headphones. Just a Senhizer and $40 Samson

No sé si es solo el mío, pero al subir el volumen del dipositivo, genera un sonido de distorsión en el auricular derecho. Lo he probado con más de 8 audífonos distintos, y en todos pasa lo mismo. Molesta porque el objetivo de usar un DAC es precisamente escuchar mejor.Además, los materiales aunque se sienten de muy buena calidad, se rayan muy fácil.He estado buscando un case para proteger el producto, pero no hay nada, ni de parte de Fiio, ni de vendedores externos.