Fiio E11K: The New Budget King

Disclaimer. Fiio is a site advertiser and they sent the E11K sample free of charge.

Where to start

Everyone loves Fiio. Just look at their Facebook or check Head-Fi. The Chinese company is known for its budget friendly setups and they are genuinely nice people who really listen to the community. Lately they have even been targeting the high resolution market with their X5 DAP. Today however we take a look at the updated version of their successful E11 amp.

I don’t think there are a lot of people who never heard of the good old Fiio E11. It has been around for as long as I can remember actually. Now it has been discontinued. A said day? No, not for me. Mike always liked the E11 but I never was a big fan. I bought it back in the days to use with my Fischer Audio Eterna Rev. 1 IEMs, but there was no love shared between us. The sound didn’t satisfy me and so I bought an iBasso T3. Again, we didn’t hit it off and I sold that one too.

I have to be honest. I never sold the E11 but I never used it again either. I got it out of storage just for this review and I have to say I might have been a bit harsh for it in the past. Do I love it now? Not really, but it wasn’t that bad either.

A New Generation

The first E11 was quite normal if you looked at it. It had a gain switch and offered two EQ settings. It looked quite cheap as it was made out of plastic. On the positive side it had a replaceable battery and it had a logic lay-out but I’ll get back to that last point. It was light, weighing only 65g and it put out 180mW@32Ohm and you could travel for 10 hours before it stopped working.

The new Fiio E11K aka Kilimanjaro2 has followed the market trends and now comes in a black aluminum case with a bit of plastic on the volume button side. It weighs 92gr and measures 91.2 x 56 x 13.0 mm. It does look a lot better than the E11. The build quality has gone up a level too, making it as good as any other recent Fiio product. It features a gain switch (-3.8db to +11.7db) and Fiio’s famous Bass Boost (+4dB). It does look quite a lot better than the first generation E11.

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The E11K uses a 1400mAH battery that takes about 4 hours to charge and it gives you around 16h of musical pleasure in return. It doesn’t come with a self-replaceable battery however. There is a tiny blue LED that goes on when the E11K is in use and it starts blinking slowly when your device is being charged.

I do like how it looks but it do is quite particular. Two things come to mind. First, there is the curved form. Quite annoying if you want to stack it up with your iPhone or DAP like me. I had to put removable little rubber feet on my E11K just to make sure it stays in place and to make sure it didn’t scratch the other gear, the AK120ii in my case. But OK, problem solved. Not the most elegant looking though. Second, the special lay-out. The volume dial is on the other side of the connectors. The E11 did the lay-out right but with the new E11K, Fiio decided to put the volume control on the other side of the device. Now that’s not a huge problem but it will annoy the hell out of a lot of portable stack users.

The E11K uses a dead quiet ALPS volume pot, and I didn’t expect it to be as quiet as it is. One big thing however is the channel imbalance up to 2 on the volume dial. For low volume listeners like me that can get somehow problematic, especially with IEMS. And wasn’t the E11K made especially for that?

The Not So Secret Inside Stuff

Fiio opted for the OPA1642 voltage amp and as current amp they chose the AD8397. Fiio recommends using the E11K with headphones from 16 to 150Ohm, but it has enough power to drive a 300Ohm Senn as well (with lesser results though). Output power of the new E11K is 270mW@32Ω and 450@16Ω, while the output impedance always stays under 0.2.

Didn’t I just say in the Piccolo review that a lot of portable amps get too loud too quick? Well,we have found another one. Volume setting two, in Low Gain, already is way above my comfortable listening level with IEMs. This E11K plays loud!

I started listening with my favorite custom inears from Cosmic Ears, the six driver 6ECE (Impedance: 26 Ohms at 1kHz, Sensitivity: 121dB SPL @ 1mW) and I immediately noticed bad background noise (hiss) immediately after plugging them in and unfortunately it even gets worse when charging the E11K at the same time. At the same time volume never is at 0% with most IEMs, you always hear the music playing softly in the back ground. Like I said before there’s also the channel imbalance issue that is most noticeable with IEMs.

Also, don’t turn on/off your E11K when your IEMS are inside your ears. Pop alert! With full sized cans it is doable but I would not recommend it for your headphone drivers or your ears. Could the E11K really be that bad for IEMs?

When I tried my good old Eternas Rev 1, I couldn’t hear any hiss at all. Alright, that’s good news. RHA 600 and 750, same story: no hiss. Back to a custom 4 driver: small hiss. Custom 1 driver dynamic: No hiss. The new Brainwavz S5 with the horrible cable: no hiss. Others have reported not to hear any hiss at all with the E11K and so I’d dare say the general consensus is the E11K does not hiss, except for with some specific Custom IEMs. I can live with that!

On to the bigger headphones! Click to go to the next page

3.6/5 - (61 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

115 Comments

  • Reply August 28, 2014

    Florian GERARD

    hello L. !
    thanks for this great review….the only missing parts is the VS amps reviews….i did like the way Mike was reviewing amp and comparing them.

    It would be great to get an idea of the e11K VS JDSL C5 VS CMOY VS E12…

    I’m interesting in buying an new portable amp for my HD650…and i do not know where to go ?
    DAP +amp (X1, X3….+ amp) or my NOTE3+DAC+AMP

    I’m currently on home setup lafigaro339+HD650 and little dot MKIII+HD650, for portable use firstly the E10+portableUSBPACK+NOTE3 working great but not that much considering soundstage. I finally bought an aluminium case and put inside a JDSL cmoyBB and a small PCM2706+sabre DAC. Wow… quite good setup.

    So what do you think of the note3+FIIO E18 ? note3+FIIOE17 ? or X1+E12DIY ? or NOTE3+JDSL_C5D ?

    thanks

    • Reply August 28, 2014

      L.

      Hi FLorian,

      I didn’t compare it to anything else but the old E11 for several reasons. First of all it’s the logic thing to do and second every single other amplifier is in another price range. Another price range also means other level of sound. The C5 is a better amp, for everything. It has no channel imbalance and is more detailed, bigger sound stage, everything. I certainly can’t compare it to the Duet, RXMK3 or Picollo, cause they are miles ahead. In this price range there isn’t much on the market except for the cmoys and unfortunately I do not own any of those.

      I really like the HD650 on the Picollo amplifer and the Duet. The E11K and the new E10K aren’t recommended for that headphone. basically because you can’t get out of it what the 339 can.

      Of the units you suggest I like your X1 and X12 setup. THe X1 is very nice but has a warmer sound. the E12 has more than enough power. Your other setup with the C5D however I think would be best for the HD650, especially with the BB on.

      Hope this helps. (nice pics of the setups!)

      • Reply August 28, 2014

        Florian GERARD

        yes

        your are right ! no challenger in the same price range….fiio are very low priced.

        ok i’ll try to get a X1 and a X12DIY because i have 20 amps at home with the cmoyBB….;-) and i think it could be used on the E12DIY.

        Do you know any thrust seller in europe for X1 and X12DIY ?

        also did you tested the E18 ?

        • Reply August 28, 2014

          L.

          AudioGarden.fr sells Fiio and he’s a great guy. No I have not, sorry

          • Reply August 28, 2014

            Florian GERARD

            ok thanks Lieven

            • Reply September 5, 2014

              Patrick

              thank you florian for your setup, looks nice and puristic and shows the audiophile in guys like us :). Btw. 20amps… do you even? (srsly that is ridiculous and enivous at the same time) P.

              • Reply September 5, 2014

                Florian GERARD

                OH no i was refering to OPamp…;-) i did bought 20 chips for the CMOYBB 😉 so i could try some of them in the E12DIY
                I don’t have too much amp….;-) no money for that 😉 Lafigaro339+HD650 or the small BRAVO V2 modded and for portable use the home made amp+DAC 😉 or the E10+POWER tank but i don’t like the E10 with HD650….soundstage not big enough and poor bass switch too boomyyy
                i’ll wait the X1 and buy the E12DIY and i let you know guys the testing and pairing with hd650. Also did you get the E17K for testing ?

                • Reply September 5, 2014

                  Patrick

                  yes I have the e17 “alpen” for portable use (currently in use with se425 shure – thanks nathan ;).

                  It is a great looking dac, has many inputs (optical, coxial and usb) refering to inputs i use it as a laptop soundcard, as ps3/ps4 optical output passer and on ipod, nexus 5 as coxial way passers. It is a multifunctional dac which it’s definitely worth of his money.

                  To sound comparision check headfonias fiio e17 review. But for me it has a warm setup and gives the bass quality and punch, mids are great and in addition with a great soundstage nice to have! Highs aren’t annoying – important for long sessions. Also accuracy is worth mention, loving it.

                  Yes hope great things of fiios X1 after lievens praise in recent posts. Hope to see your review too 🙂 P.

  • Reply August 28, 2014

    George Lai

    As I use IEMs more, (previously I didn’t), I get worried when I see easily accessible gain switches. Is the gain switch stiff or easy to move? Because if it is the latter, it is dangerous for IEM use. Fiio did it right with the E12 where you need a pen knife or paper clip to move the gain switch which is recessed.

    • Reply August 28, 2014

      L.

      It’s very easy to switch, same as the bass boost.

      • Reply August 28, 2014

        George Lai

        Thanks, Lieven. The shape with convex sides is a weird design feature unless one has a DAP with a concave-shaped bottom.

        • Reply August 28, 2014

          L.

          yes, that’s very true but I don’t know any of those. My rubber feet also keep coming of because they are curved and can’t take the band pressure

  • Reply August 28, 2014

    Patrick

    Great article, never heard the original fiio e11 on any device. But I got to say that looks great for a quick solution. Have at the moment the lovely fiio e17 alpen as a laptop soundcard and iphone gadget, but for android I have to look around and I’m not sure, what to get (fiio e18 would be an alternative, but 200$ – not yet).

  • Reply August 29, 2014

    ohm image

    What I’m loving is the new look, but I think the convex sides may make it harder to use with other gear.

  • Reply August 30, 2014

    AlexL

    I’ve been using the E11K for a week now with AKG450, and it sounds better than the same phones plugged into my full size Pioneer VSX-819. I also use it to amp my PS3 multi-av out signal, really phenomenal. However, it doesnt do much for my Sony Z2 tablet, which on the same AKG450s sound 95% the same. I have to say yes it probably isn’t the best sound on earth, but it does really really well for my uses. Now I’m just wondering if I should spend any more money going from 95% to audio heaven. I wonder if the E17 is any better too.

  • Reply August 31, 2014

    Tim Schutte

    Looks and built quality is better then E11,better sound quality…i don’t hear it.Volume goes louder….nope.Bass is better….nope.E11 is so much better in my opinion using the WS99……

    • Reply August 31, 2014

      L.

      Have you tried other head/earphones?

  • Reply September 1, 2014

    Carl A

    Nice review L, thanks.
    Quick question: how much, if any, of a hit would one take sound quality-wise connecting this to an iPod Touch just with the supplied 3.5 to 3.5 cable using the headphone socket on the Touch, versus using a line-out cable and adapter?
    Read about double amping etc, but when looking at photos of portable rigs at headphone meets, most of the time folks seem to be connecting devices together using just this method – cable to headphone socket, albeit with expensive cables, such as the groovy little things that ALO sell.
    Thanks for any thoughts.
    Be well.

    • Reply September 1, 2014

      dalethorn

      According to Apple, no difference. But connecting to the headphone jack means you have 2 volume controls inline, so you need to resolve that to minimize clipping and other distortions.

    • Reply September 1, 2014

      L.

      I would not recommend it. you can buy a cheap LOD on ebay for just a few bucks

      • Reply September 2, 2014

        Carl A

        But to connect to the lightning connector, that will need the Apple Lightning-to-30 pin adaptor which has a tiny DAC inside which I’ve read in various places is so lacking in sound quality that one may as well just connect to the headphone socket and double amp?
        I’m not trying to be argumentative in saying that! Rightly or wrongly that does quite often seem to be the prevailing opinion in some forums.
        Would I be correct in assuming that you disagree and think using a LOD attached to the Apple lightning-to-30pin adaptor is still best?
        FiiO E11K only cost me £45. Apple Lightning adaptor costs £35!

        • Reply September 2, 2014

          dalethorn

          Yes, get the adaptor. The DAC in the adaptor is the same as the DAC in the player, so the net difference is to eliminate the volume control in the player. It’s possible that eliminating the player volume control will do more than just take it out of the circuit, since multiple volume controls affect the sound at different settings, and who knows what else is in the headphone out (Apple won’t say, and google doesn’t help either).

          Edit: When you use the adaptor, you still are passing the signal through only one DAC – the DAC in the adaptor instead of the DAC in the player.

          • Reply September 2, 2014

            L.

            Yes, like Dale says, get the adapter. Check out DealExtreme and other sites. Only costs a few $

  • Reply September 9, 2014

    Yuri Sirotin

    L, I’ve recently ordered HE-500, and have read all the comments section after HE-500 review.
    It seems that good 3 years passed since somebody was interested about proper amplification for these. So here I am interested if during these 3 years something good came out, which may be a good pairing for them HE-500. At a time Mike was mostly recommending Graham Slee Solo and maybe Soloist or Burson HA160. All Head-fi community is pretty locked on on Lyr to pair good with HiFiman, but Mike was adamant in opposite opinion.
    Can you recommend something not too expensive (looking for around $500 second hand)?

    • Reply September 9, 2014

      L.

      Well the best solid state I have heard the he500 with was the Violectric v200. Especially compared with the v800 dac in balanced mode. But That’s a little above your budget I fear.

      Try the Duet or cypherlabs theorem, they also sound great with the he500 and surely can be found on the second hand market for your budget

      • Reply September 10, 2014

        Yuri Sirotin

        TY for an answer. I’ve been looking also on other amps recommended in comments: La Figaro 339, Solo SRG II and Burson HA160DS. What bothers me is all of them have output power well under 1W, what I believe (or made to believe) is the minimum required to drive HE-500. Where am I mistaken – are these amps more powerful (I didn’t find power specification for all resistances, only general number), or the HE-500 needs less power?

        • Reply September 10, 2014

          L.

          Numbers aren’t everything. Do not get the O2 for the HE500. THe 339 with the right tubes is awesome with the HE500, especially if you wan the romatic warm tube sound. The Burson makes is faster and more aggressive

          • Reply September 10, 2014

            Yuri Sirotin

            Do you think that Duet or Theorem would be better than Lyr or EF-5 (with OP627 mod), despite the huge gap in power at the comparable price? What about the highly praised Geek Out 1000?
            I listem mostly to EDM, pop and rock music. So I prefer a little punchier than flat bass (not a bass head though), thus aggressiveness of Burson may come in handy.

  • Reply September 14, 2014

    Sam

    L, I was wondering if have heard the Topping NX1. I have read that it beats the E11 in terms of transparency. I was wondering if you had compared it to this. Any thoughts?

  • Reply September 22, 2014

    Netroxic

    For you which is superior?

    the E10K or E11K?

    Which one you recommend me?

    greetings

    • Reply September 22, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      They’re not the same thing, how could I recommend one over the other?

      • Reply September 22, 2014

        Netroxic

        Sorry I am not very knowledgeable in sound, but you say you are not the same?
        I just want to pass the sound from my computer to my sound system

        • Reply September 22, 2014

          Headfonia_L.

          E10K is a Dac + Amp. E11 is a portable Amp. So if you want to bypass your pc soundcard you need the E10K

          • Reply September 22, 2014

            Netroxic

            Thanks for everything 😀

          • Reply October 8, 2014

            Fakeer

            Oops. I was under the impression that E11K is just an upgrade of E10K.

  • Reply October 6, 2014

    Nickjan Glas

    hey guys, like these lower budget reviews. I just found a fiio e12 for about 100 euros and was wondering with these updates if that still is a step higher up than the e11k. It is only intended for my iPod touch with B&O H6, with an around 100 euro budget, as I want to save the rest of my budget for a desktop setup with higher end specifications.
    thanks

    • Reply October 6, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      Yes it still is quite alot better. I would go for it

      • Reply October 6, 2014

        Nickjan Glas

        thanks, then I ll go do that.

        • Reply October 6, 2014

          Headfonia_L.

          Don’t forget to use the Line out!

          • Reply October 6, 2014

            Nickjan Glas

            You means from the iPod? There is only one line/ headphone out on the iPod.

            • Reply October 6, 2014

              Headfonia_L.

              I mean you should use the 30 pin to 3.5mm connector. Or 5 pin to 3.5. Dont use the headphone out of the ipod

              • Reply October 6, 2014

                Nickjan Glas

                ok thanks, didn’t know the lightning to 3,5 existed.I ll go look for it.

                • Reply October 6, 2014

                  dalethorn

                  You’re right, the Lightning to 30-pin isn’t just an adapter – it turns the Lightning digital-only output to analog. And then the FiiO adapter reroutes that to the 3.5 mm jack. Choosing the X1 instead of iPod Touch is an interesting option, if you don’t need the iTouch features. The Lightning-to-30 pin plug only (without the short cable) is $30 USD and the FiiO cable (I use the L3) is about $10, so $40 USD total, which should be in the €30-35 range.

                  • Reply October 7, 2014

                    Nickjan Glas

                    it is a little out of the box brainstorming, because I think the adaptors might get too bulky and fragile. Also based on the review I assume the sound quality of the X1 through the line out will be better than this make up DAC feature with adaptors. Am I correct in assuming so?
                    Another option could also be a good apple compatible portable DAC of about 80 euro’s I imagine. (if there is any that is as good as the fabove mentioned options in that price range)
                    the features are nice of the iPod, but music is most important.

                    • October 8, 2014

                      dalethorn

                      The X1 is a good start for an all-in-one player, but don’t forget you need a 128 gb card, and that card can fill up pretty quick depending on the resolution of your files. I use the iPodTouch and DAC (soon switching to the 128 gb iPhone 6-plus), but it’s less convenient and heavy. If I were going to use the dedicated player, I’d get the X5. Better sound, and 256 gb capacity.

                    • October 9, 2014

                      Nickjan Glas

                      For me I wont be using 128 gb, because I ll use it occassionally and I ll be swapping out the music (pbly only 32 or 64 gb). My main listening is at various fixed locations. I use a laptop and portable dac/amp (Meridian explorer) for the various locations and I want to get a high end system for at home.

                      The portable rig will be an extra so I want a good sound for as low a price as possible, to save up for the high end (dac) amplifier. The e12 serves dual purpose as a boost for watching movies with my pc and amping the portable unit.

                      the x5 or even x3 will be too expensive for the purpose and, since I already have the e12, a little overdone perhaps. the main concern for me now is what will buy me better quality up unitl 100 euros.

                      the iPod adaptors to the e12 or the x1 with line out to the e12 or even a sub 100 euro battery powered iPod dac to the e12? (with the last option being least preferable, because of weight and convenience as you said)

                  • Reply October 9, 2014

                    Nickjan Glas

                    just picked up a second hand lightning to 30 pin for 10 euros. I ll get the L3 for about 20 euros and maybe later buy the x1 to compare.

  • Reply October 7, 2014

    SebC

    Hi, I’m looking to improve on my current MP3 player a Zune mk1 which I listen to through M audio IE40’s ( I can’t afford to replace the IE’s). I am quite interested in the Fiio option they seem to get decent enough reviews and are not too expensive to buy. But should I be considering other options and what is the best way to get the best sound to go for just the player or player with a separate amp. I do want the player to able to play hi res files as I have fair chunk of my music in studio master or dsd64.

    • Reply October 8, 2014

      dalethorn

      With the kind of quality hi-res music you already have, you shouldn’t cut yourself out of that quality with a cheap player. The FiiO X5 with a 128 gb card (or 2 cards) might be the best bet.

      • Reply October 8, 2014

        SebC

        Thanks for the reply. The only area I’m concerned about is the user interface which seems to get a bit of stick, would the Ibasso DX90 be a good alternative. If I went for the X5 is the E12 amp an essential add on.

        • Reply October 8, 2014

          dalethorn

          If I were going to get an external amp then I’d skip the X5 probably. If the headphone is reasonable efficient, then that’s the whole point of the X5 – all-in-one player with hi-res sound. I haven’t used the iBasso, but I did have the FiiO X3, and the X5 and X1 fixed its limitations. With your particular earphone, which is probably very efficient, background sounds and noise and low-volume channel balance could be issues with different players, so that would be a priority for me.

          • Reply October 10, 2014

            SebC

            Hi Dale, I’m going to take the plunge and go for the X5 and live with the interface issues. The general views are that the X5 sound is very good and at the end of the day that’s what important. Thanks again for the advise.

  • Reply October 8, 2014

    Fakeer

    I am new to your portal and also to this field. I’ve a Grado 60e and I love the sound on my Air w/o any amp. So let’s say I decide to go for a good quality budget portable amp like this sth similar, what kind of headphones I should be looking at? Sth like Grado 60e and HD 201 (they are in different grades I guess) would suffice or I’ll have to buy better/different audiophile headphones?

    As of now I want an amp just for my mobile phone and laptop use.

    • Reply October 8, 2014

      dalethorn

      The Grado 60e should be good. If I wanted to upgrade from the 60e I might get the 325, or some other brand. But if you like the 60e sound and its balance you have to choose carefully, since portables sound much different with each different brand/model.

      • Reply October 8, 2014

        Fakeer

        Thanks. Will keep that in mind.

    • Reply October 8, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      you would be good

  • Reply October 18, 2014

    BGZ

    iam about to buy this! because it is just enough for my budget, best to its price. Thanks for the good work there!! One question; will i hear great difference with my 25 sennheiser addidas? Iam excited.

    • Reply October 18, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      Difference yes. Great difference. Not really. Bass and body probably. Depends what you are using now as well

      • Reply October 18, 2014

        BGZ

        So i would imagine a DAC would offer some more value. Because amplifiers is for giving more oomph to the headphone, so it can play loader and clearer, correct?, i think mine has 65 ohm sennheiser hd 25 . Normally i listen it via my mac.
        Edit1: So what DAC would you recommend if iam correct about this. Sennhieser has a bit boring sound, flat soundstage, and not so much deep dark sound as i would like it to be. If this makes any sense to you!

  • Reply October 21, 2014

    Rodrigo

    Would it enhace the sound on my Master and Dynamics MH40? I use them with an Iphone Spotify combination.

    • Reply October 25, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      You will get more body, volume and bass. But enhance, not really

  • Reply October 25, 2014

    Alfred Tolentino

    Will the e11k handle and output quality Hi-res audio?

    • Reply October 25, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      it’s an amp so it amplifies what you put in. It is Hifi? no not for me. this is beginner gear if I may be so frankly. But good price/quality.

      • Reply October 25, 2014

        Alfred Tolentino

        ok thanks. So if my analog signal coming in is a FLAC file it will output the same “resolution” but just at a higher volume?

        • Reply October 25, 2014

          Headfonia_L.

          and with the typical sound from the amp, yes

          • Reply October 25, 2014

            Alfred Tolentino

            Perfect. Thanks so much 🙂

  • Reply October 30, 2014

    Alfred Tolentino

    Hi Headfonia, wanted to ask how the e11K would compare to the

    Little bear P2 HiFi 6J1 I’ve seen on Ebay for $60. I’m sure you won’t have a chance to demo all the chinese headphone amps flooding the market, but wanted your thoughts, just in case you stumbled across one.

  • Reply December 1, 2014

    Barry Cai

    Hi Headfonia, I have a question. I m looking for a portable amp for my Senn HD 650, I know E11K isn’t be the best choice, can you recommend some amps for me please? I m using iPhone 6 as music player.

  • Reply December 11, 2014

    Joey

    Hi headfonia, would this e11k handle/play my shure 750dj good?

    • Reply December 11, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      It would be ok yes, a little bit more power and extra bass

      • Reply December 11, 2014

        Joey

        Ok thanks…by chance is there any amp better to play the srh750dj for around the same price or a little higher?

        • Reply December 11, 2014

          Headfonia_L.

          not at this kind of budget, no. Maybe a CMOY

          • Reply December 11, 2014

            Joey

            OK thanks so much you were helpful alot!!

  • Reply December 12, 2014

    Manic Munky

    Hey Headfonia……E11K vs JDS Labs cMoyBB – who gives a better soundstage? who gives a punchier bass boost?

    • Reply December 12, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      E11K: Soundstage
      CmayBB: Bass

      That didn’t help did it 🙂

      • Reply December 12, 2014

        Manic Munky

        Haha.. Can i bi-amp? 😛 …. Looks like i have to add cMoy to my kili2… Yikes!!

  • Reply December 12, 2014

    Guest

    Hahaha.. Damn.. Can i bi-amp? 😛 or have both is the ultimatum! Yikes

  • Reply December 13, 2014

    Marshall Matthew

    Should i buy this for my v moda’s m100?

  • Reply December 16, 2014

    Feno Triadi

    What kind of material for its m2m cable? If I replace with DIY cable such as amtrans or vermouth, does the sq audio will be up or nothing difference?

    • Reply December 18, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      Sorry?

      • Reply December 18, 2014

        Feno Triadi

        This amp package include mini to mini cable. What does material cable made of? Is it pure copper, copper with gold plated, pure silver or what?
        If I replace it with amtrans cable (copper with gold plated), does the sound quality (sound stage, detail, bass, or anything) will be improved?

  • Reply December 18, 2014

    cletus

    Why did it say “with lesser results” in driving the HD 600? I don’t have this amp, but from the specs it looks like it has enough power to drive the HD 600 to make you deaf!

    • Reply December 18, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      It’s not all about volume, it’s how good it can make your HD600 work

  • Reply December 26, 2014

    Juan Luis Quiroz Guevara

    And how good couple makes a fiio x1? To be used with Momentum On Ear.

    • Reply December 26, 2014

      dalethorn

      The X1 would be great with the Momentum On Ear (MOE), and even though supposedly the X1 sound is not as good as the X3, I don’t think it will make any difference with the MOE. To hear a difference you would want to pay more for the DAP, you could do that with a more expensive headphone like the original Momentum.

      • Reply December 27, 2014

        Headfonia_L.

        It is possible indeed the noisy headphone out isnt audible with these headphones. I however would not recommend the x1 without external amp on the Line Out

        • Reply December 27, 2014

          dalethorn

          I know what you mean, and in a noisy place you would want more power. But instead of adding an amp to the X1 I would encourage the user to get a better DAP.

  • Reply December 27, 2014

    Joey

    Hi headfonia ….sorry if this is the wrong forum but I’d like to know if there are any headphone amps that has the ability to carry flash drive or memory card to play the music instead of hooking it up to a mp3 player ???

    • Reply December 27, 2014

      dalethorn

      So you want to plug in the card and then the amp plays whatever is on the card in sequence with no controls at all? The best thing I can think of is an iPod Shuffle – just velcro it to the amp.

      • Reply December 27, 2014

        Joey

        thanks dalethorn …..something like that …..but instead of having and ipod shuffle and an amp just an amp with controls or sum like that .

        • Reply December 27, 2014

          dalethorn

          Actually, my first MP3 player was like that – an electronic amp with a simple forward-reverse wheel and volume control, and a slot for Compact Flash cards, and a headphone jack. Today if you took most premium DAPs and removed the screen and other unnecessary controls, that’s what you would have.

    • Reply December 27, 2014

      Headfonia_L.

      It wouldn’t be an AMP then would it? You’re looking for a DAP with extra storage room like the Fiio playes or the Ibasso or …

      • Reply December 27, 2014

        Joey

        oh….but would the fiio player like the fiio x3 be able to play my headphones(shure 750dj) loud enough without amp?

        • Reply December 27, 2014

          dalethorn

          It will play loudly, but the right amp would make it better. I have several favorite portable amps, and some of them have good solid bass (actually all of them do), and where some of them have greater treble detail, which is nice for classical music, some of the amps have a smoother sound that’s better for rock or EDM etc. You can plug a good amp into the X3 and listen and say “Hmmm – that’s good, but not much different”, but when you play with the amp for awhile then try the X3 without it, you might say “Hmmm – it sounds like something went away”, and it’s all that other stuff in the background, like dynamics etc.

          • Reply December 27, 2014

            Joey

            okay thanks alot ..ill buy the fiio e11k and try it out !

  • Reply February 3, 2015

    Michael

    Thanks for reviewing! Do you think E11K may add something to iBasso DX50, and how is it in comparison with the built-in amp? My headphones are ATH-ESW9 and Sony XBA-H1

  • Reply April 22, 2015

    Foufoutos

    Hi Lieven. How good(?) does this pair with the X1? I remember that you didn’t favour the inbuilt amp of the X1, so I’m wondering if those 2 would make an upgrade and a good synergy in general?

    • Reply April 23, 2015

      Headfonia_L.

      The E11K is fairly small in sound stage, I wouldn’t really recommend it. THe headphone out has a good Sound quality, it’s just noisy. But if you don’t notice that you should just use the headphone out. The E12a from Fiio would be better in sound

      • Reply April 24, 2015

        Foufoutos

        Good one. Thank you very much for the input. So I’d better go for E12 (cheaper) or E12a. Any other recommendations?

  • Reply May 22, 2015

    Gino Paolo Cruz

    Hi headfonia! I have an ipod classic 7th gen and a ATH CKM500 iem. Just wanna ask if this amp can improve my listening experience with my set of gears. Can it make my music more sparkly? I’m a bit budget constraint so upgrading my player or iem wont be an option. Thanks in advance!

    • Reply May 22, 2015

      Headfonia_L.

      The E11K won’t make it more sparkling no

      • Reply May 24, 2015

        Gino Paolo Cruz

        Noted! Thanks for the response..

  • Reply May 23, 2015

    Bogdan Popa

    Should i buy an e11k to connect to fiio x3 for Beyers dt880 250 ohm? Would a e12 make a huge difference? And how can i connect a e11k/e12 to a desktop dac?

  • Reply July 25, 2015

    Kai Jie

    Currently using the Fiio x1 with ath-m50x. To get a better sound, would you recommend parrying my fiiio x1 with E11k or get a better DAP? (:

    • Reply July 26, 2015

      Headfonia_L.

      The E11K won’t improve your sound too much.
      Read our reviews of all those DAPS. DX90 and X5SG are higly recommended

  • Reply August 13, 2015

    Francis Ryan Avellana

    planning to buy a sennheiser momentum over ear because i love how it looks but i’ve read that it lacks on bass. will the fiiO e11k help? or should i buy a better music player instead like the fiio x1.

  • Reply October 2, 2015

    Olegario Martin

    Hi headfonia!

    I play music with my HTC one M8 and is using a Momentum Over-ear, would this E11k improve my overall experience specially with some of the bassier songs I have in my playlist? TIA!

  • Reply February 9, 2019

    TechnoVolume

    I believe that the Fiio A3 is an excellent performer for its price range and comes with a limited, but well thought out set of accessories.
    I have personally tried the Fiio A5 which comes in at a significantly higher price at $199 at the point of writing this review but I could not hear any significant improvements in sound over the A3 despite it’s better specifications. The iFi iCan Nano is another amplifier that I had the chance to audition, and yes, they definitely trump the Fiio A3 slightly in terms of audio clarity, but do bear in mind that the iCan Nano comes in at S$259, which is nearly three times the cost of the A3! I love the iCan Nano’s performance but I personally and most certainly cannot justify the price. It is without doubt good. But not like three times as good. I always keep this mentality before I make a purchase, that is “specs are just specs. In practice things are different. And that is what is most important.” For the average user or even the audio enthusiast, the A3 is very user friendly, extremely compact and very well built and it sounds awesome! The power output is adequate for most headphones up to 200 ohms to get to a decent listening level.

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