Fiio Q11 Review

Sound performances

For this review, I chose to pair the FiiO Q11 mostly with the HiFiman Svanar, the FiiO FA7S, and the lovely Beyerdynamic’s DT 900 Pro X – the same in-ear/ headphones I used for my KA5 review. If the Hifiman is a bit too high-end for this DAC, the FiiO is more than adequate and paired quite nicely with the KA5, so no reason it shall not work with the Q11, and regarding the Beyerdynamic, I don’t have much to say: it’s amazing for the price.

As for the source, I kept my MacBook and iPhone, combined with the ddHiFi TC28i and FiiO’s default cables, For the files, I mainly used Apple Music Hi-Res stream and Spotify, as I ended up using the Q11 almost exclusively on the train, or at the office.

Overall signature

So, how does FiiO’s new battery powered DAC/Amp compare to its bigger brother, the Q3. Good, and worse at the same time, the Q11 falling short in some area, but overpassing its bigger brother in others.

First, let’s talk about the power-wise. If definitely more powerful than the KA5, the FiiO Q11 also surpassed the Q3 on hungry headphones, or even IEM. With models like the FA7S or my DT 900 Pro X, the Q11 clearly took the edge over its predecessor, outputting tighter lows and deeper bass, at the same exact volume. Same goes if you were to match a classic headphone like the Meze 99 Classics, who paired surprisingly well with the new DAC/AMP.

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But, with the Hifiman Svanar, both the Q11 and Q3 struggled, and even going high-gain gave mixed results, where the Q3 succeeded slightly better in my opinion. Ofering a little more refinement on the upper mids, where the Q11 completely fall flat here. Sure, it’s nowhere near of what I got with the HiFiman EF400, but if you intend to drive this kind of low-sensitivity/low-gain headphone/IEM, maybe should you stick to the old version.

Thankfully, apart from the insensitive Hifiman Svanar – which needs a LOT of current to be correctly driven – almost all of the IEMs I paired with the FiiO Q11 scaled quite nicely. In fact, even if you were to stick with the single-ended port, you’d be surprised by how much juice the FiiO was able to deliver. Clearly, FiiO intended to prove a point here, the point being: “pooooowwer”.

Head to head with the Q3 though, the new model feels less refined, and the old model gives me better texture and cleaner lows whilst listening at high volume. In fact, on A beautiful mine from RJD2, the drums were a more impactful, and that may be due to the THX-AAAA chips, but I preferred the Q3 presentation, every time.

Surprisingly powerful despite the official number, the small DAC was able to drive my Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X more than comfortably, giving me more headroom than before, through the 3.5mm headphone output. Once again, paired with this headphone, the result was simply stunning with deep lows, crisp highs, and a wide(r) soundstage, definitely outperforming the FiiO KA2 and KA3 this time.

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That said, the FiiO Q11 isn’t bad by any means. Like the KA5, it’s precise and dynamic, with a good amount of air on well recorded track, and thunderous lows with the right headphones (namely Meze this time). I found the KA5 to be more resolving, especially for mids and vocals, but quite honestly, for the price, it’s hard to be picky and the Q11 matches the KA2 and KA3 transparency, with heaps more of power.

Again, if the previous model already surprised me with its output power, the FiiO Q11 raises the bar even higher, driving almost all my headphones almost effortlessly, even the good old Audeze, thanks to the 4.4mm Pentaconn output. But, obviously, you don’t get the Q11 to drive big planars like the Audeze LCD-X, or power-hungry IEMs like the Svanar; but a Sennheiser HD660S2 could be a pretty good match, or even a Meze 109 Pro.

Paired with a FiiO JD7 , the end result was excellent and the match gave me toe-tapping bass, with the right amount of highs, for less than 200 bucks a set. For a small on-the-go combo, it’s utterly impressive. And, fed with high-resolution files, the FiiO Q11 scales up easily, too: low distortion and a linear signature – even if highs tends can appear slightly more distorted if you raise the volume, on high-gain. Thankfully, on low-gain, nothing ever appeared, even when I pushed the AMP to the max.

Most of the time though, treble never get hissy and sound softer compared to the AKM chips found in the Q3. The lows are deep and fast, attaining the lowest notes and sub-rumble fitted so you can reach that good old toe-tapping Oomph. Truth be told, that might also be thanks to the Meze 99 Classic which remains one of the best headphone ever made to this date.

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A real upgrade and an excellent DAC/AMP in every regards sonically. Even more for the asked price!

On top of that, and as promised in the product sheet, the Q11 completely nails it in terms of dynamic. On my usual techno track list, the DAC/AMP never sounded overwhelmed or lost, carefully pushing each envelope, or reproducing every effect, the way it was designed. It’s not at Q7 levels, but the price/performance ratio is excellent!

Tonality

Highs: just on the spot, most of the time. The Q11 shows an ever so slight upper-mid boost, as all Cirrus-Logic DAC usually display. If that gives a sensation of precision, it can also lead to some sibilance on sensible headphones, but fortunately that’s very, very rare, and only appeared when I pushed the volume up to unsafe levels. On a daily basis, it should be more than adequate.

Good test track : Anthler – Polynation

Mids: open and linear, as usual. Vocals and acoustic tracks were an easy job for the 11, even more once paired with a good IEM. FiiO has always nailed this part and the DAC/AMP makes no exception. The sound stage is wide and voices glided easily into my ears, especially paired with the FiiO FD7, as the two devices seemed to pair really, really, well. Of course, you could also pair the KA5 with the JD7, but if you can grab a set of FD7, go for it.

Good test track: Between a smile and a tear

Bass: powerful lows. FiiO has nailed the low end on their last models and the Q11 really beats its predecessor in that regard. Even in single-ended mode, the FiiO Q11 never lost composure and always offered a tight, fast bass – but going through its 4.4mm Pentaconn output really pushes thing on a superior level. There is no shallow echo nor dragging sensation, and with Dolby Atmos tracks on Apple Music, the whole new 3D effect gave a completely different experience, for the best.

Good test track: Orbit – Rezz

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Conclusion

The FiiO Q11 is an interesting update to the old-but-lovely Q1. Sound-wise, it’s better on every level, polishing the previous formula with various enhancements like tougher lows, or a wider but sharper soundstage.

That said, the Q3 offers a little more finesse and sharper mids, at the expense of a lower output power, so if you still own the Q3, I don’t think the Q11 will give you any advantage.

On the other hand, if you don’t own any DAC/AMP now, and really need more power than what you get with your default dongle, this new device can make a earthly difference in your setup. And if the sound prowess were not enough already, you can top that with praise-worthy build quality, very good battery life, a complete bundle, and a conception design that makes it the perfect companion for any of your digital source – with the battery, you never need to power it with your phone.

Then the real question would be : this or the FiiO KA5, another great DAC/AMP, a little more expensive but carrying the same DAC chips? In my opinion, both excel in their own manner, and if the Q11 outmatches the KA5 in terms of raw power, the KA5 offers more control and a better sound quality overall – and it’s supremely small. So if you need power, or are on a budget, go for the Q11; if you can go slightly higher and intend to use IEMs primally, get the KA5.

Pros:

  • sleek design and geeky case
  • no USB drain thanks to the battery + excellent power reserve
  • very good sound overall and wide dynamic range

Cons:

  • not as refined as the KA5 of Q3
  • high mids can be a bit too pronounced
  • form-factor that will be hard to pair with every source
4.3/5 - (15 votes)
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A nerdy guy with a passion for audio and gadgets, he likes to combine his DAC and his swiss knife. Even after more than 10 years of experience, Nanotechnos still collects all gear he gets, even his first MPMAN MP3 player. He likes spreadsheets, technical specs and all this amazing(ly boring) numbers. But most of all, he loves music: electro, classical, dubstep, Debussy : the daily playlist.

11 Comments

  • Reply March 28, 2023

    Fahri

    I think Q11 uses single CS43198 chip, at least I couldn’t find any info on their website that’s saying otherwise.

  • Reply March 28, 2023

    Sean

    Bonus point for the 3.5mm port that doubles as a SPDIF port (mini-toslink) Coaxial.

    Did you verify this? Fiio support is telling me they only accept coaxial.

    • Reply March 28, 2023

      Lieven

      Coaxial, it doubles as coaxial. Cheers

  • Reply March 29, 2023

    Pascal

    Why does the Q3 MQA performance less and cost almost twice as much? I bought the Q3 2 months ago but it hasn’t got enough power for some of my headphones. Now I had to buy the Q11 because of the higher output. I feel like I wasted my money buying the Q3.
    Is there a reason why I should keep/not sell the Q3?

  • Reply March 29, 2023

    Pascal

    Ok. I bought the Q11. It arrived today. It sounds less loud than the Q3 MQA!!! I tested with a Denon ah-d5200 and Meze 99 Neo both with a 4.4 mm balanced cable. I used a iPad pro 12.9 2021 with usb-c and a iPhone 12 Pro Max wit lightning and I can confirm the Q11 goes less loud. 360mW for the Q3 and 650mW for the Q11. What is going on?

  • Reply June 1, 2023

    CurlyHairedBaboon

    Loving my Q11 so far. My only gripe with it is the lack of 3.5mm input.

  • Reply July 2, 2023

    okto

    can i stack this dac with another amp? just in case when i need >1watt power

    • Reply July 12, 2023

      Lieven

      double amping is never a good idea

  • Reply September 20, 2023

    James

    Hi Pascal… I just bought Q11 couple days ago. I should have listened to you. I also feel my Q11 is underpowered. Using my earphone (JVC HFX750 in 3.5mm jack) should put volume to the max (in low gain) or less-max (in hi gain). Almost the same whole using my LCD2. The seller told me to fully-charge my Q11 first. I did, but result still the same.

  • Reply September 20, 2023

    James

    Oh sorry, want to remark, I heard my LCD2 with 4.4mm jack

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