# FiiO K11 vs iFi Zen DAC 3: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the FiiO K11 (FiiO) and iFi Zen DAC 3 (iFi Audio) among dac amps. FiiO K11 is the cheaper of the two at $142.99.

## Side by side

| Spec | FiiO K11 | iFi Zen DAC 3 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $142.99 | $229 |
| Brand | FiiO | iFi Audio |
| Form factor | desktop | desktop |
| Dac chip | CS43198 | Burr-Brown True Native |
| Max pcm (kHz) | 384 | 768 |
| Max dsd | DSD256 | DSD512 |
| Max power mw | 1400 | 300 |
| Snr (dB) | 123 | 113 |
| Thdn percent | 0.00035 | 0.005 |
| Balanced output | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jacks | 6.35mm/4.4mm | 6.35mm/4.4mm |
| Digital inputs | USB-C/optical/coaxial | USB-C |
| Weight grams | 407 | 456 |

## Key differences

- Dac chip: FiiO K11 CS43198 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 Burr-Brown True Native
- Max pcm (kHz): FiiO K11 384 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 768
- Max dsd: FiiO K11 DSD256 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 DSD512
- Max power mw: FiiO K11 1400 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 300
- Snr (dB): FiiO K11 123 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 113
- Thdn percent: FiiO K11 0.00035 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 0.005
- Digital inputs: FiiO K11 USB-C/optical/coaxial vs iFi Zen DAC 3 USB-C
- Weight grams: FiiO K11 407 vs iFi Zen DAC 3 456

## What reviewers say

**FiiO K11** — Positive but single-sourced: among whitelisted testers, only SoundGuys published a hands-on review of the exact standard K11 (What Hi-Fi and TechRadar covered only the R2R variant or other FiiO DACs). SoundGuys praised the clean, detailed output, plentiful I/O and compact size, but flagged a clunky menu, over-bright default LED and too-light chassis. No lab measurements taken. (1 sourced review.)

**iFi Zen DAC 3** — Two whitelisted testers (TechRadar, What Hi-Fi) reviewed the exact iFi Zen DAC 3. Both praise its refined, detailed and spacious sound, flexible connectivity and the USB-B to USB-C upgrade. TechRadar is enthusiastic and rates it near-flawless value; What Hi-Fi is noticeably cooler, finding the sound smooth but lacking verve and punch and not a clear step up over the V2. Neither outlet published lab measurements. (2 sourced reviews.)

## Sources

- FiiO K11: https://www.fiio.com/k11_parameters (fiio.com, verified 2026-07-11)
- iFi Zen DAC 3: https://ifi-audio.com/products/zen-dac-3/ (ifi-audio.com, verified 2026-07-11)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/fiio-k11-vs-ifi-zen-dac-3/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, FiiO K11 ($142.99) vs iFi Zen DAC 3 ($229) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/fiio-k11-vs-ifi-zen-dac-3/
License: CC BY 4.0.