FiiO K1 Portable Headphone Amplifier and USB DAC (Titanium)

For Android Users:I've recently decided that my onboard audio just doesn't cut it for my OnePlus 5T and Bose QC 35 II headphones. So I went for this, expecting a nice, entry level step up in terms of power and clarity, which is exactly what I got. I mainly use it with my laptop and my desktop computer, so it's nice that it's so easy to move, even though some will certainly miss the smartphone compatibility. Hence bought a USB type C to Micro USB cable to work with my 5T too.If you're used to more expensive amps, you may not be super impressed. But bear in mind that these employ the same audio chip as FiiO's E17K, which cost about three times as much. So in certain use cases, like mine, these are a killer deal! So, if you're just coming from system audio, you will notice definite improvements. I appreciate the tighter bass and wider soundstage these brought to my headphones.For iPhone users:This thing is so simple. Just plug and play. You don't need drivers unless you are using laptops/smartphonea from stone age! For anyone interested I can confirm this works great with an iPhones as well. Tested on 6/6S, 8 Plus, X and Xs Max. But to work with an iPhone you need to buy a separate cable.Normally this device would require the Camera Connection Kit (CCK) to work properly with an iPhone because most Lightning to USB cables don't have the ability to carry power and this amp is powered by your phone (it does not have it's own internal battery). Also this device uses the micro-USB connector so that would rule out any "normal" Lightning cable anyway.That would be the only Con: that your phone drains faster when using this, and you can't charge your while using it because it's using the Lightning port already.The headphones I'm using is Bose QC 35.This amp drives them wonderfully with a full rich sound and no need for any EQ in my opinion. I tried all the built-in EQ settings in the iPhone and it sounds best with the EQ turned off. However, I can turn this all the way to max volume without hurting my ears. My normal comfortable listening volume is 2 or 3 clicks below full. So this amp is just enough. For less efficient headphones or for those that want it REALLY loud, you may want to get a slightly more powerful DAC/AMP. Maye the FiiO Q1 although I haven't researched how much more powerful it is. The Q1 would also solve the phone battery issue as it does supply it's own power and you can disable it charging from the USB to keep it from draining your phone.This is decent go to USB DAC Sound amplifier. Do not expect your current sound would be amplified to a world class level, or some such powerful rich bass.

I am using it with JBL lsr305/310s set up. And must say there is notable difference in the sounds. Though not a major wow factor but it does what it’s meant for beautifully.With this bass is more punchier and clean, high and mid are separated and reproduced accurately.Some instruments that was not heard earlier with standard laptop DAC is now loud and clear with FIio.Somehow the sound is much smoother and pleasant to the ears. you can listen to for long duration without getting irritated.

I personally dont know much about DACs. Since this is my first one, I am just commenting on this device alone.Its small, portable and cute. Does the magic of giving you studio quality output, on the go. Capable of driving big headphones. Also, retains fair details in the audio. Set to higher sampling settings in PC/Source to best utilize the product. I think I can compare the audio quality to latest iPhone's audio DACs with possibly higher driving potential.Seems like it needs more current (150 mA, but phone USB-OTG is usually limited to 100 mA), hence it might not support all phones. Try to know the compatibility before purchase. When I took a chance for my OnePlus 3T it did not work with stock OxygenOS, but it worked with AOSP Based Builds. Since in 2018, phones are more powerful than ever, I believe they can drive this USB DAC. However this 24bit/96K processing definitely draws a lot of juice from the battery, when used with phones..

Power Hungry yet great product. There is a definite change in the way my HD 598 sounds after plugging this little beast. And quite a pleasant change it is. However, my android doesn't detect it by itself. I installed Hiby player app and it works intermittently. I had to buy USB player PRO app and it works like a charm. On a downside, neither any other audio app, nor VLC and YouTube works. So, only USB audio player pro works with this DAC. It's a hit or miss with Android. So if this works for you, well and good. If it doesn't you may try similar app. A great buy for 2800INR. Very sleek and uses the same DAC PCM5102 as Q1 and E10k. I might be interested in non portable dac later. But this works great for me as of now.

I bought this item as a replacement for my on-board sound card of my laptop which stopped working a while back. Until now, I was using a standard USB to 3.5mm audio converter and there was a lot of loss in audio, especially bass. I was reluctant on buying this product purely for the cost reason. But it never seemed to go down and so I decided to finally buy this.This DAC is amazing, probably better than the on-board sound card. Build quality is great and it comes with the USB to micro USB cable with which we need to connect to our laptop. This can also be used as a solution to your mobile phones, but we will end up with too many cables.

Well a full 5 star for this little gadget.My samsung note edge had its 3.5 mm port broken. I wanted to invest in amplifier anywayIt works great with my phone.And fiio states on its website if you install app like (hiby music) it will work in almost every phone.Edit: sometimes there is problem( while using it with phone,there is no problem with using with laptop ) that phn wont recognise k1 and sound will come out of speakers.But it is ok as it will work with 2-3 times replugging it.Enjoy.

Definitely drives your headphones more than the smartphone. I got this because I listen to a lot of classical music (flac files) and thought it would be cleaner than the soundcard inside of the smartphone / laptop.It does help, but as it is my first DAC, I have nothing with which to compare.

Resolution and bitrate are good but in order to use properly it requires a lot of buffer size in daws like pro tools and Ableton Live 10

For the price this is an excellent dac/amp combo! Does a nice job driving my headphones. Provides better clarity, more details, and a bit more soundstage than my onboard audio. It also increases the volume by quite a bit since it provides more power than most sound cards. It is also really nice since it is very small, plug and play and does not need charging since it does not have a battery like most other portable dac/amps. Just plug it in and your computer will recognise it instantly. There was complaints that it might not work with certain phones, but since it was not designed in the first place to be used with a phone, I do not see that as an issue. Overall great entry-level dac/amp!

Very small, good sound and very well priced. Shipping was very fast also. Perfect for Headphones priced over 100$. Not recommended if you use earbuds unless they are top off the line. USB port only, so can not be used with smartphones. Will give you a flat, clear sound only, so no bass boost or equaliser settings possible. If you don't mind a flat sound, this entry DAC will take your music to a new level of precise listening experience. Also will fix that INCREDIBLY ANNOYING sound volume stabiliser (loudness control) on some computers that just drives me insane! (why does that even exist????)I compared this little guy to dac 3, even 4 times its price to see virtually no difference at lower/normal volume. High volume is where the difference starts, but we are talking almost unbearable volume levels. So unless you are half death, this dac is pretty good.I highly recommend trying this inexpensive option for you computer music listening experience. Digital sound is not and will never be as good as analogue. If you are not satisfied, the return policy is very good on amazon and inexpensive since the package is small. Cheers!

It sounds fine and seems well built, I bought it to work on my phone, 3 stars since it doesn't seem to work on an android phone. Tried on my Note 3 and nada. Check on YouTube and others found it does not work on phone(s). It works fine on my PC so not a total fail.

It's what I expected. The sounds that come out of this DAC is very clear and somewhat neutral. I wish it would connect to my Android phone, but aside from that, it really produces great sound.

I got this device to use with my work computer, as the built-in sound adapter featured just all-around terrible analog design (digital noise, poor frequency response/muddy and dead...). The FiiO K1 was very much plug-and-play on my Win7 work computer—no need to fiddle with installing or getting it to work, or to flag down IT—and drives my Sennheiser HD598s wonderfully and transparently (well, as much as I need while at work).I don't have any harder-to-drive cans at work to test this out on, so no comment there.