# FiiO K11 vs JDS Labs Element IV: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the FiiO K11 (FiiO) and JDS Labs Element IV (JDS Labs) among dac amps. FiiO K11 is the cheaper of the two at $142.99.

## Side by side

| Spec | FiiO K11 | JDS Labs Element IV |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $142.99 | $549 |
| Brand | FiiO | JDS Labs |
| Form factor | desktop | desktop |
| Dac chip | CS43198 | ES9018K2M |
| Max pcm (kHz) | 384 | 384 |
| Max dsd | DSD256 | DSD128 |
| Max power mw | 1400 | 3200 |
| Snr (dB) | 123 | 120 |
| Thdn percent | 0.00035 | 0.00025 |
| Balanced output | Yes | No |
| Headphone jacks | 6.35mm/4.4mm | 6.35mm |
| Digital inputs | USB-C/optical/coaxial | USB-C/optical |
| Weight grams | 407 | 570 |

## Key differences

- Dac chip: FiiO K11 CS43198 vs JDS Labs Element IV ES9018K2M
- Max dsd: FiiO K11 DSD256 vs JDS Labs Element IV DSD128
- Max power mw: FiiO K11 1400 vs JDS Labs Element IV 3200
- Snr (dB): FiiO K11 123 vs JDS Labs Element IV 120
- Thdn percent: FiiO K11 0.00035 vs JDS Labs Element IV 0.00025
- Balanced output: FiiO K11 Yes vs JDS Labs Element IV No
- Headphone jacks: FiiO K11 6.35mm/4.4mm vs JDS Labs Element IV 6.35mm
- Digital inputs: FiiO K11 USB-C/optical/coaxial vs JDS Labs Element IV USB-C/optical

## 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.)

## Sources

- FiiO K11: https://www.fiio.com/k11_parameters (fiio.com, verified 2026-07-11)
- JDS Labs Element IV: https://jdslabs.com/product/element-iv/ (jdslabs.com, verified 2026-07-11)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/fiio-k11-vs-jds-labs-element-iv/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, FiiO K11 ($142.99) vs JDS Labs Element IV ($549) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/fiio-k11-vs-jds-labs-element-iv/
License: CC BY 4.0.