FiiO K3s USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

Description

FiiO K3s USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

The FiiO K3s USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier employs the flagship portable ESS DAC, the ES9038Q2M. Compared to the AK4452, the signal-to-noise ratio has increased by 14dB and distortion has reduced by 13 dB. The circuit design implementing this DAC has been optimised for a low noise floor and clean sound.

Features

• XMOS Platform
• 384kHz/32 bit PCM and native DSD256
• High-performance ES9038Q2M DAC
• High and low Gain
• ADC volume adjustment
• Overvoltage protection (OVP)
• Many connectors

High-performance, low distortion op-amp
The ES9038Q2M DAC is matched with the mature OPA926 op-amp in a re-optimized LPF circuit for lower distortion and higher resolution.

Not obsolete with brand new tuning
Compared to the last generation K3s, FiiO has noticeably improved on various performance indicators and overall sound quality, so you can get immersed in your music even more easily.

Simply reliable USB power
The K3s adopts the modern USB Type-C input interface for a more reliable and stable connection, including that of power. However, care to ensure an uncompromised power supply doesn’t stop there, the K3s implements overvoltage protection (OVP) and a double-filter circuit to ensure power supply stability, while the digital and analogue audio circuits each get their own power supply to greatly reduce crosstalk.

No more channel imbalances with ADC volume control
The secret to effectively eliminating channel volume imbalances is to use an ADC volume control, which is implemented in the K3s. Plus, an added side benefit is that by reconstructing the ADC
curve, the user is able to smoothly adjust the volume to a more accurate and finer degree, allowing the K3s to be used with headphones of all kinds of sensitivity for a variety of listening needs.

Gain and bass switches to enhance your experience
The switch for high and low gain ensures that you can use the K3s with a wide variety of headphones, and that your listening volume needs are covered. The hardware bass boost switch
enhances the dynamic range of the lower frequencies and gives them some extra punch to really make your songs, games, and movies come to life.

Tiny round goodness in the palm of your hand
The all-aluminium black body has been painstakingly CNC-machined, anodised, and sandblasted to ensure that the K3s feels robust yet perfectly textured for a great feel in your hands. Combined with its small size, you can easily take the K3s wherever you need to.

Two modes for many situations
Sometimes, you may not have access to a device that can connect to the K3s via USB Audio Class 2. In these situations, you can go to USB Audio Class 1 mode with just the flick of a switch.

A distinctly cohesive tactile audio-visual experience
The volume knob, with 45° notches etched onto its surface and perfectly sized to allow easy one-finger operation, is designed to perfectly blend in with the curves of the K3s’ body for a distinctive
touch. Next to the volume knob is an RGB light that indicates what kind of digital audio is being input to the K3s, visually confirming what you are hearing in your music.

Different connection options for different scenarios
Connect it to connect a desktop computer and use the driverless 1.0 mode for business trips. Use the driverless 1.0 mode for business trips. Connect it to a speaker, using the K3s as a DAC.

Dual headphone jacks
Being optimised for indoor desktop use, the K3s is equipped with both 3.5mm single-ended and 2.5mm balanced headphone jacks. Both outputs have audio jack detection, which means that when headphones are inserted into the balanced out, balanced boost automatically kicks in resulting in about a 50% output power increase compared to the single-ended out.

Line out connector
The 3.5mm line out is driven directly by the OPA1612 op-amp, to ensure as little sound quality reduction as possible. The line out output is also adjustable with maximum power output up to 2Vrms, to ensure compatibility with a wide variety of active speakers and external amplifiers.

Coaxial and Optical digital outs
The XMOS USB receiver chip in the K3s directly converts any USB audio input to digital signals output via the coaxial and optical connectors, allowing you to connect to speaker systems, amplifiers, or other external decoders.

Specifications