FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC Headphone Amp

I got this to power my 250Ohm Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium headphones, and this device does a fantastic job! The bass boost settings are great (as these headphones don’t have good bass by themselves). The audio is crystal clear and allows me to mix and do my music production in FL.The gain switch is also neat, but I haven’t had to use the extra gain yet. This provides plenty of clean sound to my headphones.The volume knob is buttery smooth, and feels well made and secure. USB C is also a nice addition.I can’t comment on the extra ports at the back, but this product is great if you want something to power your headphones.IMPORTANT!- I got this for around £80!!! The price has since gone up to £450, which is absurd! I have no idea why the price has sky rocketed, but Fiio, sort it out

Happy with the sound and great build quality. Volume nob feels really good. The bass boost isn't to my taste compared with If ZenDac v2's truebass. Does not work with Apple mobiles without £30 adapter. Drains Android phone battery pretty quick but they do not recommend it for mobiles. The gain toggle meant it was powerful enough to get a decent volume out of my Hifiman Sundara's

TL/DRThe Fiio K3 is classed as a DAC/headphone amp, though, it is far more than this! With 5 (yes five!) different outputs (two headphone outputs (balanced, single-ended) and a line, a COAX and an optical output) this portable DAC can be used as an audio interface in various setups (speakers, subwoofer, another DAC etc) with a price tag that other DACs yet to match. However, while it is portable, as a headphone Amp does not deliver a lot of power and it does not work well with mobile phones (iPhones will not power it up).Long Read:Positive Points:+ The Fiio K3 is advertised as a DAC/Headphone Amplifier (Amp) but it is much more than this: as a DAC performs very well for its price tag. It can decode up to 32/384 PCM and DSD256, that is pretty impressive for such a small device. There is a very limited selection of DACs on this price tag that can deliver the same level of decoding, as most DACs under £100 will top at 24/192 PCM.+ The best part of the device it's the connectivity. While it is advertised as a DAC it does not limit the output to the L/R RCA plus an headphone jack, as most DACs do. It has 5(five) different output ports: two headphone outputs (2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm standard single-ended), a standard 3.5 line out, a COAX and an optical output. Input is through a standard USB-C port, that is also very positive considering that this one of the few devices that they don't require the awkward USB-B cable.The number of ports is its strongest selling point as it can perform as an audio interface with various applications: it can split the output signal to various devices, such as speakers, subwoofer, another DAC etc while delivering a great performance as a DAC and a headphone amp.It may not be as cheap as a Behringer UCA222, however, it provides more outputs, plus a very decent DAC/AMP component, in a very competitive price for a DAC, while it remains extremely lightweight and portable.Negative points:- While the headphone amp will cover the requirements of most users, does not deliver a lot of power even for low impedance headphones. If you mean to use it with headphones with high sensitivity, that may not be a problem, otherwise it may let you down if you're looking to reach loudness levels over 90Db.- Another issue is that the portability tag seems to be a reference only on the size and weight of the K3. Indeed, is very light and it has a pretty small footprint. That said, it does not pair well with mobile devices; an iPhone will not power it up at all, while it will drain the battery of any android device fairly quickly.- On the other hand, as a desktop accessory is somehow impractical. The lightweight design makes it difficult to sit on a desk securely and any cable movement will displace it. Likewise, if you try to plug/unplug the headphone jack: you may need to hold it down to make sure would not move. If you want to stay in a place you need to pin in there somehow (double-sided velcro tape may be a solution).Same problem with the volume dial. It's very niche, with the RGB led lighting its side, but it seems to have been designed for use on-the-go. While it is large enough, the dial projecting on the edge of the metal case and it makes it awkward to try rotating it while laying on a desk.Finally, there is an RGB led, that colour change indicates the level of decoding that the K3 is performing. That does not seem to update quickly enough to keep up with the tracks playing on different encoding bitrates, leaving you to wonder if there is some issue with the decoding or it just slow response from the led controller.Conclusions:it is somehow unfair to compare this little device with desktop or portable DACs. As a DAC/Headphone Amp does not stand out and you may want to weight other options if this is the only thing you're looking for.However, I can see several reasons why someone will buy the Fiio K3. The multiple outputs truly turn the K3 on a great audio interface that packs also a satisfactory DAC and Headphone Amp. That makes it a very unique piece of gear, with no competition at this price tag. If you need multiple outputs packed with a good DAC at a great price, the Fiio K3 will not disappoint you.

Plug this in via USB 2.0, get yourself an optical cable to hook it up to some Edifier speakers (or something more expensive if you have to). Oh, and find the K3 drivers from the FiiO website.Then... sit back and enjoy an incredible DAC for very little money. The quality of the sound is absolute ecstasy, and I have a complete Linn set-up to compare. I was always very sceptical of anything a PC could produce but this little box of tricks produces some of the purest sounds to come from streaming audio.I did plug it into my laptop and drove it from the Linn set-up via coax optical. The sound staging, dynamics and energy was incredible. It's very neutral but can be adjusted for bass (don't) or the gain can be amped up (which seems distortion free).In short for sub-£100, it's an absolutely steal.

I'd become increasingly unhappy with the sound from my AKG 712 Pro headphones. They were expensive. But I was shopping around for a replacement because they just didn't sound great. And then I realised the problem wasn't the headphones buy the headphone output of my SMSL AD18 amplifier. The AD18 drives speakers well but the headphone output is lacking in low end.So I set about looking for another option. I settled on the Fiio K3 and I'm glad I did. I have it connected to my PC via USB. The audio quality from my AKG headphones is absolutely superb, all the low end is there now. Thanks to the volume control - which is an analogue knob connected to digital controls - there is zero channel imbalance even at the quieter end.The K3's outputs are very useful for me too. There's a 3.5mm output on the rear that is controlled by the K3 volume - so handy as a pre-amp out for owners of powered speakers. But as I retained the AD18 I wanted a fixed volume output on the rear and the K3 has that in the form of an optical output and a coax.So now I have the AKG headphones on the K3, and when I want to use speakers the K3 outputs to the AD18. Because that's a fixed output I can leave the volume on the K3 at zero and the headphones connected when I want to use the speakers.