The FiiO K11 is a desktop DAC/amp at $143. It delivers 520 mW into 32Ω and 60 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 106 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 558 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 8 and only marginal on 1. Power is published at 16Ω, 32Ω, 300Ω; the rest of the table is derived from those figures.
The manufacturer publishes 720 mW into 16Ω, 520 mW into 32Ω, 60 mW into 300Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
The balanced output is rated separately: 1.4 W into 32Ω through the 4.4mm jack.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 720 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 520 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 115 mW | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 60 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 30 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.
| Headphone | Impedance | Sensitivity | Needs | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 114.0 dB/mW | 0.04 mW | +40 dB | Comfortable audible hiss, damping |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +36 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +35 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +34 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +31 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +31 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +30 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +29 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +27 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable faint hiss, damping |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +26 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +25 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +10 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
At 2.8 µV of output noise, here is where that noise lands in the five most revealing in-ears in the database.
This one hisses. With the most sensitive in-ears in the database its own noise lands around 30 dB SPL, which you will hear between tracks and in quiet passages.
| In-ear | Impedance | Sensitivity | Hiss level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simgot EA500 | 16 Ω | 141.0 dB/V | 30 dB SPL |
| Tanchjim EA FORCE | 17 Ω | 137.7 dB/V | 27 dB SPL |
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 134.5 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
| Campfire Audio Clara | 13.3 Ω | 134.1 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio Fourte | 10 Ω | 134.0 dB/V | 23 dB SPL |
At 1.2Ω output impedance, the one-eighth rule says this source suits headphones of 9.6Ω and above. 38 of the 567 models here fall below that. Most of them are multi-driver in-ears, and the mismatch tilts the frequency response audibly rather than subtly.
| As published | FiiO K11 |
|---|---|
| DAC | CS43198 |
| Outputs | 6.35 mm SE, 4.4 mm balanced, RCA line out, coaxial out (RCA, USB mode only) |
| Inputs | USB-C, optical, coaxial (RCA) |
| Formats | USB: PCM 384 kHz/32-bit, DSD256 native |
| Power supply | External 12 V / 2 A adapter |
| Gain | Low / Medium / High |
| Weight | 407 g |
| Dimensions | 147 × 133 × 32.3 mm (including feet) |
Copied from the makers’ own pages: fiio.com/k11_parameters, fiio.com/k11. Battery life is the maker’s own test figure.
| Source | Type | Price | Into 300 Ω | Output impedance | Output noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schiit Magni Unity | desktop amplifier | $119 | 415 mW | 0.1 Ω | 1.59 µV |
| JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 | desktop amplifier | $129 | 284 mW | 0.7 Ω | 1.33 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 2 do everything the FiiO K11 does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches, stay inside the one-eighth rule wherever it does and stay under the audible-hiss threshold wherever it does. The cheapest of them is the Schiit Magni Unity at $119, against this one’s $143 — $24 less, and a desktop amplifier rather than a desktop DAC/amp.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$170 · 100 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$176 · 460 mW into 32Ω · 1.0 Ω out
Compare →$100 · 45 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$199 · 1.2 W into 32Ω · 1.0 Ω out
Compare →$199 · 600 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$75 · 150 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs Creative Sound Blaster X3 · vs FiiO K11 R2R · vs FiiO K17 · vs FiiO K19 · vs FiiO K7 · vs FiiO K9 Pro · vs Loxjie A30.