FiiO - New K3

Solid built and compact form factor. Works well as a Laptop/PC seamlessly, I had some issues connecting with my android phone. But HPZ team was very helpful in making it work, turned out the USB-C to USB-C cable was the fault. Only thing required was to turn on the OTG. The best part was HPZ were ready to even make a return and check the connection with Phone and if the unit is faulty they also committed to replace it with a new one. Very happy with the business ethics of HPZ, there aren't much online retailers out there who are this much committed to customer's requirements. Great job in setting up the team and the business eithcs, Keep it up!!!

Coming back to Fiio K3, overall quite satisfied with the performance. The main reason for buying this was to decode the Hi-Res lossless/Lossless format from Apple since the phone DAC specially in android phones does not do any justice to Hi res audio formats. So this is a must accessory for audiophiles.
My main use case is to connect my phone with my Marantz AVR and listen to Hi-Res music over my stereo setup comprising of Sonodyne 3165 tower and a Sonodyne 1010 Sub.
The initial impressions with my Audio Technica M50x I felt the bass to be on the lower side (This could be a personal preference) with bass gain set to off, with bass gain enabled the output is rather artificial, it makes almost all the frequencies little lower thus increasing the bass response. But with my AVR setup it was rather more impressive. Main reason for that is FiiO has 2 digital S/PDIF output (Coaxial and Optical) port which sends out a digital signal as it is from the USB input source. So the actual digital to analogue conversion was happening in my AVR. All the frequencies were more pronounced with Apple HiRes lossless format compared to Amazon music when streamed via DSD with 256 kpbs AAC format.
Best for people who want a Laptop/PC DAC who want to enjoy music/movies. But with mobile phone although it works perfectly well but it drains too much of the phone battery which is not very practical for heavy use case. For phone usage better to use battery powered DACs or external power DAC. What makes FiiO K3 unique are its output ports, it not only has 2 digital out ports but also a headphone AMP with one balanced and an unbalanced headphone output.

Solid built and compact form factor. Works well as a Laptop/PC seamlessly, I had some issues connecting with my android phone. But HPZ team was very helpful in making it work, turned out the USB-C to USB-C cable was the fault. Only thing required was to turn on the OTG. The best part was HPZ were ready to even make a return and check the connection with Phone and if the unit is faulty they also committed to replace it with a new one. Very happy with the business ethics of HPZ, there aren't much online retailers out there who are this much committed to customer's requirements. Great job in setting up the team and the business eithcs, Keep it up!!!



Coming back to Fiio K3, overall quite satisfied with the performance. The main reason for buying this was to decode the Hi-Res lossless/Lossless format from Apple since the phone DAC specially in android phones does not do any justice to Hi res audio formats. So this is a must accessory for audiophiles.

My main use case is to connect my phone with my Marantz AVR and listen to Hi-Res music over my stereo setup comprising of Sonodyne 3165 tower and a Sonodyne 1010 Sub.

The initial impressions with my Audio Technica M50x I felt the bass to be on the lower side (This could be a personal preference) with bass gain set to off, with bass gain enabled the output is rather artificial, it makes almost all the frequencies little lower thus increasing the bass response. But with my AVR setup it was rather more impressive. Main reason for that is FiiO has 2 digital S/PDIF output (Coaxial and Optical) port which sends out a digital signal as it is from the USB input source. So the actual digital to analogue conversion was happening in my AVR. All the frequencies were more pronounced with Apple HiRes lossless format compared to Amazon music when streamed via DSD with 256 kpbs AAC format.

Best for people who want a Laptop/PC DAC who want to enjoy music/movies. But with mobile phone although it works perfectly well but it drains too much of the phone battery which is not very practical for heavy use case. For phone usage better to use battery powered DACs or external power DAC. What makes FiiO K3 unique are its output ports, it not only has 2 digital out ports but also a headphone AMP with one balanced and an unbalanced headphone output.

Missing -
1. Unable to output more than 32/48 via optical out. So there is no support for 24/96 on optical. I don't even see 24 bit while selecting. Up sampling a audio for reason to 32 bit. On windows 11 its a different story.
2. My LG G8x is beating its power to drive headphones. As mentioned by others as well.

I bought it to play Hi-Res lossless from apple music and it does that job perfectly fine. Waiting for Mediabridge ultra series coaxial cable to check if its supports 32/192 and DSD64 as advertised.

My setup I tried on -
1. Denon X3700H with Elac B6.2 x 5 and SVS PB-2000 PRO with optical and RCA - works perfectly.
2. Sennheiser HD599 with LG G8X thinq - not even noticeable.
3. Mac mini m2 pro 2023 with edifier bookshelf's R1855DB with optical and RCA - works perfectly as mac sucks on analog output through 3.5mm to y-split RCA.

I have been using FiiO E10K for the last of couple of years and I felt very satisfied with the experience. I’m a diehard fan of FiiO, indeed. I read somewhere that FiiO K3 is an upgraded version of older E10Ks and I decided to have a try. I was too eager and excited to receive it. Barely 24 hours have passed and I’m totally disappointed. The power output of the 3.5mm port is pathetic.

I tested the 3.5mm SE output on four devices, on Sennheiser HD598, Logitech Z625 Computer Speakers and an a sub-1k INR Edifier IEM, and the 2.5 mm Balanced output on my FiiO F5 IEM.

As you are aware, the HD598 is a fairly easy to drive Head Phone with an impedance of 50 Ohms. I had to adjust the volume wheel of the K3 to 3 o’clock position to get a fairly decent volume. That’s way above 50%! That too with the Gain switched on.

Secondly, I connected the K3 to the Logitech speakers. Z625 is a very good computer speaker with clear output and could be driven easily without an Amp. The problem with Z625 is that you cannot adjust its volume beyond 30-40% level without distortions creeping in. I had to adjust the K3’s volume to 100% to get a decent volume on the Logitech with its volume on 30-40% level!

Thirdly, I connected an Edifier IEM (ED-P180 Plus) with an impedance of 32 Ohms. Still the same result. Volume dial adjusted to 3 o’clock position.

Finally, I connected the FiiO F5s to 2.5 balanced output. The result was very good this time.

This is not an upgrade of the mighty FiiO E10K. My advice is to look elsewhere and avoid this model altogether. There are other excellent FiiO models.

I use the K3 as a USB to toslink adapter to feed a car DSP from an iphone. Works flawlessly and the sound quality is great. I have not tested the headphone output yet, so cant comment about the quality of the amp inside, but I wouldn't doubt it.