# [FiiO KA3] FiiO x Jade Audio's first USB audio adapter, 32Bit/768kHz DSD512,3.5+4.4



## FiiO

After the cancellation of the 3.5mm headphone output on mobile phones, many USB dongles appeared on the market. As a professional manufacturer of portable amplifiers, FiiO has already started the research and development of USB dongles. Following the step of optimization of mobile phones on soft and hardware and the increasingly standard USB Audio Class, FiiO's first USB audio adapter, the KA3, is going to meet you tonight.


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## FiiO

Compared to the original DAC inside the mobile phone, a higher-performance and more professional external DAC/Amp is able to greatly improve sound quality and magnify output power. The #Portable DAC/AMP KA3# releases robust performance with its appropriate thin and compact body. When coupled with the ES9038Q2M DAC which supports a sampling rate up to 32bit/768kHz and Native DSD512, and a multi-chip audio circuit, the KA3 is going to rejuvenate your HiFi headphones.


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## FiiO

Two independent HiFi op-amps used in the #Portable DAC/AMP KA3# for the final analog amplification circuit help to easily drive ordinary earphones and over-ear headphones with extremely low noise floor and distortion. Under 32Ω loaded, the single-ended output has an output voltage surpassing 2V, and an output power surpassing 130mW, while the balanced output has an output power going up to 240mW. To fit more HiFi headphones, the KA3 is equipped with both single-ended and balanced headphone outputs yet with more stable connections.


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## FiiO

The KA3 not only supports connections to mobile phones including Android and iOS systems, but also to computers including Windows and Mac systems. No matter when you are watching movies on a desktop computer, listening to music when commuting, or connecting it to a laptop at the office, the KA3 can work perfectly. Through the FiiO Music app or FiiO Control app, you can control the KA3 with more settings available. Besides, the RGB indicator light can intuitively indicate the sampling rate of the currently-playing music file.


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## FiiO

Thanks to the highly-capable HiFi circuit, high-performance ES9038Q2M DAC, 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, and support for connections to Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, the #Portable DAC/AMP KA3# only sells 89.99 USD (US market). For more introductions and information, please follow us to check.


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## FiiO

As the pace of life accelerates, we will need a handy audio companion. Here it comes. The HiFi USB audio adapter jointly released by FiiO and Jade Audio that kept us waiting for such a long time has finally come to us. "Jade Audio", whose Chinese name is "翡声", is a subsidiary brand of FiiO Electronics Technology Co., LTD. It is a stylish, technological and youth-oriented brand aiming to provide high-quality yet cost-effective audio products with an excellent listening experience for the younger generation all around the world.



Now, let's see how this new member KA3 will hold an audio feast for us.










In terms of the process of audio signals, the tiny body of the KA3 features an independent high-performance flagship ES9038Q2M DAC chip, which supports a sampling rate of up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD512 with dual headphone outputs. The circuit structure designed by senior engineers has distinctly high SNR, low distortion and almost 0 noise floor under super power mode. All come for high-fidelity sounds.



The KA3 also performs outstandingly in configurations- supports 3.5mm single-ended/4.4mm balanced outputs, is compatible with Android/iOS/Windows/Mac systems. The cool and visible RGB indicator lights are not only attractive but also can indicate the sampling rate of the currently playing songs, helping to tell audio formats conveniently. In addition, it can be controlled by the FiiO Control app where you can enable more functions, such as 7 filters, low and high gains and channel balance. Oh, just can't wait to take it home right now.









Keep features of the FiiO KA3 include:

--Portable and slim body

--Optimized HiFi audio architecture

--Independent flagship DAC

--Dual headphone outputs

--Refined for lower noise floor

--Dual SE and balanced outputs

--Desktop and portable use cases

--Practical RGB indicator lights

--APP controls


Best regards,

Guangzhou FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.


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## Cadmium

Wow that is a smasher start!


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## rocketron

This looks good.
Hope it sounds good?


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## Atek2019

when will fiio ka3 be available exactly ?


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## musicday

I wish it had an OLED screen like W2/S1/S2 etc


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## Ronnie McCrea

Unboxing


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## powergeek

No MQA support?


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## duyu

Is there a line-out option from the SE?


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## FiiO

powergeek said:


> No MQA support?


No, but it supports up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD512.

Best regards


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## Jade Audio

duyu said:


> Is there a line-out option from the SE?


Dear friend, 

No, it does not support line out. It has the 3.5mm headphone out and 4.4mm balanced headphone out.

Best regards


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## Jade Audio

The FiiO X JadeAudio KA3 is now avialble in our Aliexpress store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...m=5261.ProductManageOnline.0.0.121b4edf2SwIfn

To celebrate its release, it also has discount now! Let's get one and have a try first!


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## InvisibleInk

powergeek said:


> No MQA support?


Thank the gods


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## Atek2019

Jade Audio said:


> The FiiO X JadeAudio KA3 is now avialble in our Aliexpress store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...m=5261.ProductManageOnline.0.0.121b4edf2SwIfn
> 
> To celebrate its release, it also has discount now! Let's get one and have a try first!


just placed my order... how about power comsumption on smartphone ?


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## Atek2019

powergeek said:


> No MQA support?


Hiby just launched FC5 with MQA, but the price is very high.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-16620528


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## Ab10

Atek2019 said:


> Hiby just launched FC5 with MQA, but the price is very high.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/post-16620528


Only 4.4 mm !


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## Jade Audio

Atek2019 said:


> just placed my order... how about power comsumption on smartphone ?


The KA3 does not have battery so it will consumpt the power from the device. Please make reasonable plans for power consumption when connecting the KA3 to mobile phones or other devices. 

Best regards


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## Jade Audio




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## ClieOS

Ordered.


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## amanieux (Nov 24, 2021)

Atek2019 said:


> just placed my order... how about power comsumption on smartphone ?


i know it is tempting but you are always better off if you wait for measurements and bugs to pop out, otherwise you are a paying beta tester instead of being paid to do the job


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## Garreth83

Where does the dac chip rank vs the BTR5? The Ess in the btr works quite well the btr has usb functionality.

How and why would this new device be a better USB dac than the btr5?


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## ClieOS (Oct 21, 2021)

Garreth83 said:


> Where does the dac chip rank vs the BTR5? The Ess in the btr works quite well the btr has usb functionality.
> 
> How and why would this new device be a better USB dac than the btr5?



It likely won't be better. Don't forget this is priced at about 60% of BTR5.


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## jmwant

Impressive power output. And excellent pricing!


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## srkbear

FiiO said:


> As the pace of life accelerates, we will need a handy audio companion. Here it comes. The HiFi USB audio adapter jointly released by FiiO and Jade Audio that kept us waiting for such a long time has finally come to us. "Jade Audio", whose Chinese name is "翡声", is a subsidiary brand of FiiO Electronics Technology Co., LTD. It is a stylish, technological and youth-oriented brand aiming to provide high-quality yet cost-effective audio products with an excellent listening experience for the younger generation all around the world.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How does this differ from the Q3, which I already own? This new device is listed as “flagship”, but it seems like the Q3 is a higher tier in terms of specs…


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## Fg RAMP

srkbear said:


> How does this differ from the Q3, which I already own? This new device is listed as “flagship”, but it seems like the Q3 is a higher tier in terms of specs…


KA3 is USB-powered and doesn’t need to be charged.


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## jmwant

srkbear said:


> How does this differ from the Q3, which I already own? This new device is listed as “flagship”, but it seems like the Q3 is a higher tier in terms of specs…


The Q3 has THX AAA amp module and an AKM DAC.


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## PhonoPhi

FiiO said:


> As the pace of life accelerates, we will need a handy audio companion. Here it comes. The HiFi USB audio adapter jointly released by FiiO and Jade Audio that kept us waiting for such a long time has finally come to us. "Jade Audio", whose Chinese name is "翡声", is a subsidiary brand of FiiO Electronics Technology Co., LTD. It is a stylish, technological and youth-oriented brand aiming to provide high-quality yet cost-effective audio products with an excellent listening experience for the younger generation all around the world.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


"Lower noise floor" sounds a bit ambigous.
Is it as low (or better) as in BTR5 and BTR3K or as "low" as in Q1-II with the same (right?) amp?

I really like BTR5 (and BTR3K for its cuteness and capabilities).

Do you plan to make BTR7 based on KA3 technology?
Possibly a dual 9038 chip, a larger battery for a longer playing time (crucial for me) and a better BT range.


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## ClieOS

PhonoPhi said:


> "Lower noise floor" sounds a bit ambigous.
> Is it as low (or better) as in BTR5 and BTR3K or as "low" as in Q1-II with the same (right?) amp?
> 
> I really like BTR5 (and BTR3K for its cuteness and capabilities).
> ...



Don't forget FiiO is one of very few companies that actually publish Audio Precision audio analyzer measurement of all their products.

KA3: https://fiio.com/ka3_parameters
BTR5: https://fiio.com/btr52021_parameters
BTR3K: https://fiio.com/btr3k_parameters
Q1 MK2: https://fiio.com/q1mkii_parameters


Also, I don't see a point of making a BTR7 based on KA3 topology, since KA3 topology is already technically simpler than that of BTR5. A dual 9038 setup will be closer to BTR5 top[ology than KA3.


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## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> Don't forget FiiO is one of very few companies that actually publish Audio Precision audio analyzer measurement of all their products.
> 
> KA3: https://fiio.com/ka3_parameters
> BTR5: https://fiio.com/btr52021_parameters
> ...


Fiio KA3's parameter is wrong.. It is K9 Pro parameters


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## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> Fiio KA3's parameter is wrong.. It is K9 Pro parameters



Oh? K9 Pro parameters look quite different. Regardless, KA3 noise floor was posted on the first page (<1.7uV) so you can still compare it to other devices.


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## FiiO

PhonoPhi said:


> "Lower noise floor" sounds a bit ambigous.
> Is it as low (or better) as in BTR5 and BTR3K or as "low" as in Q1-II with the same (right?) amp?
> 
> I really like BTR5 (and BTR3K for its cuteness and capabilities).
> ...


Here is the related parameters of the KA3: 
THD+N：-0.0008%
Noise：<1.7uV
SNR：122dB

Best regards


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## PlantsmanTX

Jade Audio said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> No, it does not support line out. It has the 3.5mm headphone out and 4.4mm balanced headphone out.
> 
> Best regards


I assumed that with the use of a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable, the KA3 could serve as a dac for an external amplifier. Can it be used that way?


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## ClieOS

PlantsmanTX said:


> I assumed that with the use of a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable, the KA3 could serve as a dac for an external amplifier. Can it be used that way?



While it is double amping, it will work.


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## PlantsmanTX

ClieOS said:


> While it is double amping, it will work.


What effect does double amping have? I'm currently using a dongle as a dac, but it uses the power output by the dac chip.


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## ClieOS

PlantsmanTX said:


> What effect does double amping have? I'm currently using a dongle as a dac, but it uses the power output by the dac chip.


General rule of thumb is that double amping could degrade SQ by worsening SNR. But if the output of the DAC/amp is clean and loud enough, then any negative side effect should be minimum.


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## Zeka

It is interesting that FiiO says that such a connection is not possible.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fii...3-is-officially-released.960238/post-16620389


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## ClieOS (Oct 23, 2021)

Zeka said:


> It is interesting that FiiO says that such a connection is not possible.
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fii...3-is-officially-released.960238/post-16620389



You have misunderstood the difference between a line-out (*what FiiO was pointing out) and double-amping (*what I was pointing out).

If KA3 had line-out then it won't be double amping - as line-out in itself shouldn't have an internal amp stage in the first place, thus you will only have an external amp and thus won't be *double* amping. FiiO only pointed out that KA3 doesn't has line-out, he doesn't say that you can't physically connect a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable from KA3 to an external amp to double amp the setup, potentially at the expense of SQ. You can almost always double amp any setup as long as it has a headphone-out, but we prefer line-out because double amping often result in degraded SQ.


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## Isaac Rebolledo (Oct 23, 2021)

De acuerdo con la ganancia baja y alta, solo puede tener la ganancia alta en la aplicación fiio. Puede aprovechar al máximo otros reproductores de audio como el reproductor USB pro


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## PlantsmanTX

ClieOS said:


> General rule of thumb is that double amping could degrade SQ by worsening SNR. But if the output of the DAC/amp is clean and loud enough, then any negative side effect should be minimum.


Understood (finally). Thanks.


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## JackLuvMusic

looks awesome. would defintely give this a try


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## Jade Audio

JackLuvMusic said:


> looks awesome. would defintely give this a try


Hope it could meet your need!

Best regards


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## deafdoorknob

@FiiO @Jade Audio Are the power ratings listed per channel? thx


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## srkbear

jmwant said:


> The Q3 has THX AAA amp module and an AKM DAC.


Thank you, so I assume the Q3 is at least a step or two up over this? I find the Q3 to be quite impressive for its price point—not in the same league as my iFi-Audio Zen stack but astonishingly powerful, versatile and precise for its size. I guess if I didn’t want to mess with charging this KA3 would be enticing but I can’t imagine it’s as powerful?


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## ClieOS

Received my KA3 this afternoon. The first impression is very positive.


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## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> Received my KA3 this afternoon. The first impression is very positive.


wow.. very fast.. mine maybe 2 weeks more.. please share your impression


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## powergeek

Atek2019 said:


> wow.. very fast.. mine maybe 2 weeks more.. please share your impression


Order placed yesterday 🤞🏼


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## discord

ClieOS said:


> Received my KA3 this afternoon. The first impression is very positive.


Any issues with very sensitive IEMs?


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## jmwant

The build quality looks pretty good. I also like where the led indicator is placed.


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## ClieOS

discord said:


> Any issues with very sensitive IEMs?



Don't really own any IEM that I would classify as very sensitive.


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## Jade Audio

deafdoorknob said:


> @FiiO @Jade Audio Are the power ratings listed per channel? thx


Yes.

Best regards


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## SanSanych

Hello all. I ordered this.  Hope this sounds great.  Will there be any new firmware releases for this device?


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## BenF

FiiO said:


> Compared to the original DAC inside the mobile phone, a higher-performance and more professional external DAC/Amp is able to greatly improve sound quality and magnify output power. The #Portable DAC/AMP KA3# releases robust performance with its appropriate thin and compact body. When coupled with the ES9038Q2M DAC which supports a sampling rate up to 32bit/768kHz and Native DSD512, and a multi-chip audio circuit, the KA3 is going to rejuvenate your HiFi headphones.


Can someone please explain this:






Why are there 3 DACs?
ES9038Q2M converts digital signal into an analog one (hence the name DAC) - how can an analog signal be fed into the other 2 DACs? 
If the other 2 DACs are real, does it mean the they are the ones doing the conversion, and not ESD9038Q2M?


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## ClieOS

BenF said:


> Can someone please explain this:
> 
> Why are there 3 DACs?



Typo.

The Chinese version of that picture has the correct labeling as 'Build In amp 1' and 'Build-in amp 2' in Chinese.


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## ClieOS (Oct 27, 2021)

Just did a quick comparison between KA3, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2 as all three come with 3.5mm and 4,4mm output. KA3 is not quite as good as W2 but it is not that far behind either. Definitely prefer it over S1 which is kind of incredible considered S1 costed almost double of KA3. The only upside for S1 is perhaps its EQ system, though I prefer vanilla myself and so it doesn't really applied.


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## Atek2019 (Oct 27, 2021)

ClieOS said:


> Just did a quick comparison between KA3, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2 as all three come with 3.5mm and 4,4mm output. KA3 is not quite as good as W2 but it is not that far behind either. Definitely prefer it over S1 which is kind of incredible considered S1 costed almost double of KA3. The only upside for S1 is perhaps its EQ system, though I prefer vanilla myself and so it doesn't really applied.


I think it's realy good for me considering the price of L&P W2.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

You can be a little more specific friend, I'm curious as I bought it blind


ClieOS said:


> Just did a quick comparison between KA3, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2 as all three come with 3.5mm and 4,4mm output. KA3 is not quite as good as W2 but it is not that far behind either. Definitely prefer it over S1 which is kind of incredible considered S1 costed almost double of KA3. The only upside for S1 is perhaps its EQ system, though I prefer vanilla myself and so it doesn't really applied.


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## complete

ClieOS said:


> Just did a quick comparison between KA3, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2 as all three come with 3.5mm and 4,4mm output. KA3 is not quite as good as W2 but it is not that far behind either. Definitely prefer it over S1 which is kind of incredible considered S1 costed almost double of KA3. The only upside for S1 is perhaps its EQ system, though I prefer vanilla myself and so it doesn't really applied.



Hello, how would you describe the sound character in terms of scenery, depth? thanks


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## H T T

ClieOS said:


> Just did a quick comparison between KA3, Lotoo PAW S1 and L&P W2 as all three come with 3.5mm and 4,4mm output. KA3 is not quite as good as W2 but it is not that far behind either. Definitely prefer it over S1 which is kind of incredible considered S1 costed almost double of KA3. The only upside for S1 is perhaps its EQ system, though I prefer vanilla myself and so it doesn't really applied.


Just what I needed to hear.

@Jade Audio the Aliexpress link no longer shows the discount. Did I miss the window? If so, can Head-fiers get a second chance?


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## ClieOS

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> You can be a little more specific friend, I'm curious as I bought it blind





complete said:


> Hello, how would you describe the sound character in terms of scenery, depth? thanks



Overall sound signature is on the clean and neutral side of things, with a well placed soundstage no less. Pretty good power output and control as well. The included Type-C cable is decent but a bit slippery on the metal finishing. The Type-C port on KA3 itself is a bit tight, though that might actually be a good thing for USB dongle in the long run.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> La firma de sonido general está en el lado limpio y neutral de las cosas, con un escenario de sonido bien ubicado nada menos. Muy buena potencia de salida y control también. El cable tipo C incluido es decente pero un poco resbaladizo en el acabado metálico. El puerto Type-C en KA3 en sí es un poco estrecho, aunque eso podría ser algo bueno para el dongle USB a largo plazo ok very interesting I bought it having faith in it but apparently it was worth it hey friend and which of the three dongles mentioned above has better technical capabilities


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## ClieOS

> ...ok very interesting I bought it having faith in it but apparently it was worth it hey friend and which of the three dongles mentioned above has better technical capabilities


W2 will be technically the best of the three, but also the most expensive. KA3 will be a decent 2nd, followed by S1.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> W2 será técnicamente el mejor de los tres, pero también el más caro. KA3 será un segundo decente, seguido de S1.


ook thank you very much for answering my questions. one last please is the balanced output really good?


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## ClieOS

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> ook thank you very much for answering my questions. one last please is the balanced output really good?


On KA3? Both single ended and balanced output are pretty good.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> ¿En KA3? Tanto la salida balanceada como la de un solo extremo son bastante buen if the ka3. that good that they are good, now after making a blind purchase I am glad that apparently it is a good dap dongle.


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## discord

@FiiO

Something not mentioned in the original posts but instead on your website is that we can't adjust any settings on the KA3 except if we're on an Android device. So, the KA3 is basically useless for PC and iOS users.


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## ClieOS

discord said:


> @FiiO
> 
> Something not mentioned in the original posts but instead on your website is that we can't adjust any settings on the KA3 except if we're on an Android device. So, the KA3 is basically useless for PC and iOS users.



Saying it is useless for PC / iOS is probably a bit exaggerated. Many USB DAC dongles do not allow for any fine tuning either and people use them on PC / iOS just fine.


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## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> Saying it is useless for PC / iOS is probably a bit exaggerated. Many USB DAC dongles do not allow for any fine tuning either and people use them on PC / iOS just fine.


yes, i have iBasso DC04, also can't do any EQ adjustment in PC


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## Jade Audio

H T T said:


> Just what I needed to hear.
> 
> @Jade Audio the Aliexpress link no longer shows the discount. Did I miss the window? If so, can Head-fiers get a second chance?


It will have discount again in 11.11: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003434691030.html

Best regards


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## Jade Audio

*KA3 is on the way to our worldwide sales agents!*






Dear respected customers,

Thank you for your kind patience and constant attention for our KA3. Delivery of the KA3 has started from 28th, October. Please kindly check this post for a daily updated list of countries / regions and agents we have sent goods to.



Thailand: Holysai

HongKong: Carve Link Company

TaiWan: Taiwan distributor

Australia: Addicted To Audio

Switzerland: Portacomp AG

New Zealand: Sound Essentials

Czekh : GOTHIC

Vietnam: Audio Choice

Ukraine: TOV “ELTO

(* The shipping to other regions will also follow soon, and we will keep updating this post)

In order to get prompt pre-sales and after-sales service, we strongly suggest you to buy FiiO products from our authorized sales agents (Where to buy).

By our estimate, it would take 8 to 12 working days for the parcels to reach our agents abroad, which means all of you can try contacting the local sales agents on about 6th November.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us or directly contact our local agents.

Happy listening!

Best regards,
FiiO Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.


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## PlantsmanTX

discord said:


> @FiiO
> 
> Something not mentioned in the original posts but instead on your website is that we can't adjust any settings on the KA3 except if we're on an Android device. So, the KA3 is basically useless for PC and iOS users.


The channel balance of a device can be adjusted in the Windows or iOS sound settings. As for the filters, I assume the settings are persistent, so they can be set in Android, and used with Windows/iOS.


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## discord

PlantsmanTX said:


> The channel balance of a device can be adjusted in the Windows or iOS sound settings. As for the filters, I assume the settings are persistent, so they can be set in Android, and used with Windows/iOS.



How about selecting high or low gain though?


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## PlantsmanTX

discord said:


> How about selecting high or low gain though?


We should get the info on that and all the rest from the Jade Audio rep, but again, I assume the gain can be selected in Android and carry over to Windows and iOS. Admittedly, it's inconvenient for those settings to be accessible through Android only.


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## ClieOS

discord said:


> How about selecting high or low gain though?



Currently, KA3 comes in these default setting: (1) Indicator LED on, (2) Low Impedance, (3) High gain, (4) Hardware volume 120 (max). (5) Channel balance 0 (center), (6) Sharp roll-off filter.

(1) LED setting doesn't really needed to be changed, 

(2) + (3) Low impedance setting is only recommended  by FiiO to change to high if headphone is over 120ohm. Even on default (low impedance and high gain) setting, KA3 can get exceedingly loud if wanted (and I am using a 100ohm IEM to test it), so I assume these setting will be plenty enough for most to work with. Perhaps those with very sensitive super low impedance IEM will need to change to low gain.

(4) Smartphone's volume control is still usable.

(5) Not every one need to change channel balance permanently, and there are still other way to do the same thing.

(6) I don't think many will want to keep changing the filter setting. It is mostly an one time thing.


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## discord

ClieOS said:


> Currently, KA3 comes in these default setting: (1) Indicator LED on, (2) Low Impedance, (3) High gain, (4) Hardware volume 120 (max). (5) Channel balance 0 (center), (6) Sharp roll-off filter.
> 
> (1) LED setting doesn't really needed to be changed,
> 
> ...



Lots of information there, thank you!


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## ClieOS

Just did some RMAA measurement and the result seems pretty clean. Output impedance are calculated to be 0.3 ohm for single-ended and 0.4 ohm for balanced output.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> Just did some RMAA measurement and the result seems pretty clean. Output impedance are calculated to be 0.3 ohm for single-ended and 0.4 ohm for balanced output.


friend how does it compare to your w2 in sound and battery drainage of your mobile


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## ClieOS

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> friend how does it compare to your w2 in sound and battery drainage of your mobile


Sound has been discussed in my previous post. As for battery drainage, I think they are right in the same ballpark.


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## Isaac Rebolledo

paraca


ClieOS said:


> El sonido se ha discutido en mi publicación anterior. En cuanto al drenaje de la batería, creo que están en el mismo estadio.


wow


ClieOS said:


> El sonido se ha discutido en mi publicación anterior. En cuanto al drenaje de la batería, creo que están en el mismo estadio.


Ok so it drains a lot of battery and doesn't get too hot?


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## ClieOS

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> Ok so it drains a lot of battery and doesn't get too hot?



Hot? More like lukewarm.


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## Tachikoma

@ClieOS how does it compare to the BTR5? (in USB DAC mode for a more apples-to-apples comparison)


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## ClieOS

Tachikoma said:


> @ClieOS how does it compare to the BTR5? (in USB DAC mode for a more apples-to-apples comparison)



I almost never use any of my BT adapter as USB DAC. With that being said, I'll say the two are pretty comparable as USB DAC. I don't find one to be noticeably better than the other in a quick comparison.


----------



## Tachikoma

So... since KA3 > Lotoo Paw S1, the, BTR5 is also better than the Lotoo Paw S1?


----------



## ClieOS

Tachikoma said:


> So... since KA3 > Lotoo Paw S1, the, BTR5 is also better than the Lotoo Paw S1?



PAW S1, though fairly powerful, is not nearly as powerful as KA3 or BTR5. As USB DAC, the latter two just drive my IEM better than S1 could.


----------



## SanSanych

Will this device be detected by the computer automatically or do you need to install drivers?


----------



## ClieOS

SanSanych said:


> Will this device be detected by the computer automatically or do you need to install drivers?


https://fiio.com/newsinfo/563066.html


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 3, 2021)

I just got mine...
I really impressed with the sound its produced... congrats to fiio and Jadeaudio by making good DAC dongle.
With right setting/tunning via "Fiio Control" app in android, Fiio KA3 is easily become a beast. vocal sound become very clear, no harsh of sibilance
The seeting will be remained inside this dongle. No need any app from fiio (for windows or any device) to proceduce same characteristic of sound.
app from fiio "Fiio Control" is a must.
this is my setting at Fiio Control app:


----------



## Narayan23

Atek2019 said:


> I just got mine...
> I really impressed with the sound its produced... congrats to fiio and Jadeaudio by making good DAC dongle.
> With right setting/tunning via "Fiio Control" app in android, Fiio KA3 is easily become a beast. vocal sound become very clear, no harsh of sibilance
> The seeting will be remained inside this dongle. *No need any app from fiio (for windows or any device)* to proceduce same characteristic of sound.
> ...


I´m a bit confused, you say there´s no need for any app from FiiO but then you state the app from FiiO "FiiO Control" is a must? Thanks for showing your settings.


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 3, 2021)

Narayan23 said:


> I´m a bit confused, you say there´s no need for any app from FiiO but then you state the app from FiiO "FiiO Control" is a must? Thanks for showing your settings.


No need any app in windows after setting up in Android, because the setting is stored inside the dac dongle... Sorry


----------



## MaxxaMMM

Hi
Why I should use only usb c to usb c cable for PC? If I use iphone I certainly will use lightning to usb c cable. Strange requirement.


----------



## H T T

Yeah, the KA3, as described, is not Apple-friendly at all. Business is busines. Companies have to make choices. Consumers make choices also. I will need to look elsewhere for a DAC/amp,


----------



## Atek2019

H T T said:


> Yeah, the KA3, as described, is not Apple-friendly at all. Business is busines. Companies have to make choices. Consumers make choices also. I will need to look elsewhere for a DAC/amp,


at site hifigo , you can with or without lightning to C cable, if I am not wrong


----------



## Atek2019

I think there is something wrong with the ring light color.. not corect color display as described in the quick start guide book. the color is always yellow when i played DSD or mp3 format.


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> I think there is something wrong with the ring light color.. not corect color display as described in the quick start guide book. the color is always yellow when i played DSD or mp3 format.


Tell us what app you are using and what settings it has?


----------



## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> Tell us what app you are using and what settings it has?


i am currently using default app player from huawei smartphone and hibyMusic (android), and ROON player in windows, all have the same problem


----------



## Fawzay

hmm whether should get this? since I got the questyle m12 and Ibasso dc04~


----------



## Atek2019

Fawzay said:


> hmm whether should get this? since I got the questyle m12 and Ibasso dc04~


Yes, you should.. I had iBasso Dc04 and I already sold it... this is step up from iBasso DC04. in Dc04, you ponly can control hardware volume with the android app from iBasso.
In sound quality wise, this is really better than DC04


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> i am currently using default app player from huawei smartphone and hibyMusic (android), and ROON player in windows, all have the same problem


I'll check my KA3 this evening and see it behaves the same or not.


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> i am currently using default app player from huawei smartphone and hibyMusic (android), and ROON player in windows, all have the same problem


No problem getting KA3 to recognize the DSD file, as you can see on picture below. I am using Xperia 5 with UAPP.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> No hay problema para que KA3 reconozca el archivo DSD, como puede ver en la imagen a continuación. Estoy usando Xperia 5 con UAPP.


oHey friend, do you think the app is the best application to get the most out of the Ka3?


----------



## ClieOS

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> oHey friend, do you think the app is the best application to get the most out of the Ka3?



USB Audio Player Pro? I think it is a must for any audiophiles with an Android phone and USB DAC. I paid for it on its first release and never regret a single bit.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> Reproductor de audio USB Pro? Creo que es imprescindible para cualquier audiófilo con un teléfono Android y USB DAC. Lo pagué en su primer lanzamiento y nunca me arrepiento de nada.


yI also bought it a 2 years ago and I do not regret it, it is the best talking to dap dongles and tell me after the time you have been with the ka3 what you are looking for


----------



## Jade Audio

Atek2019 said:


> i am currently using default app player from huawei smartphone and hibyMusic (android), and ROON player in windows, all have the same problem


Please check whether the setting in the APP lead to the issue? You could try to enable the'Exclusive HQ USB audio access' in Hiby Music app to check again?












Best regards


----------



## Atek2019

Jade Audio said:


> Please check whether the setting in the APP lead to the issue? You could try to enable the'Exclusive HQ USB audio access' in Hiby Music app to check again?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


wow... it works, thanks for your help... the KA3 now is really shine


----------



## laleeee

The KA3 is 'better' than the e1da 9038s ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> The KA3 is 'better' than the e1da 9038s ?


Pure performance wide, I think E1DA still edges out. KA3 on the other hand is more versatile and doesn't feel completely outclassed by E1DA.


----------



## Amber Rain

Hi

I'm considering the KA3 for use with an iPhone - I have a windows computer, so presumably I can use that the change the settings -  or do I need an android phone to do so?

How many levels of volume would I have with the iPhone and the KA3 - just the usual 16 (or 15? - can't remember), that it currently has - or more via the KA3?

Thanks


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> Pure performance wide, I think E1DA still edges out. KA3 on the other hand is more versatile and doesn't feel completely outclassed by E1DA.


What do you mean 'more versatile' ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> What do you mean 'more versatile' ?


For one, you will get both single-ended and balanced output on KA3.


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> For one, you will get both single-ended and balanced output on KA3.


Do you own the e1da 9038s ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> Do you own the e1da 9038s ?


Of course I do, the G3 no less.


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> Of course I do, the G3 no less.


I have the g3 too. Which one has better sound , the e1da or the KA3 balanced out ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> I have the g3 too. Which one has better sound , the e1da or the KA3 balanced out ?


As said, performance wise, I think E1DA is still better. E1DA has more of a super clean sound signature, where KA3 is slightly tilting toward a richer, warmish presentation.


----------



## Nas Volokin

Hello I'm considering this or BTR5, which one is better to go with FD5? I really need a portable dac but I'm not sure if I need a battery operated one because I rarely use my phone but still, I'll consider one if it should be better sound wise. How's the sound on this compared to BTR5 or they're both neutral sounding?


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> As said, performance wise, I think E1DA is still better. E1DA has more of a super clean sound signature, where KA3 is slightly tilting toward a richer, warmish presentation.


Thank you. Do you have the ibasso dc04 too ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> Thank you. Do you have the ibasso dc04 too ?


No, only DC03.


----------



## trek8500

Which dong is more musical fiio ka3 vs tempotec sonata e44?


----------



## laleeee

How much vrms the fiio ka3's balanced output power ?


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 7, 2021)

I just realized... now, I my KA3 cannot display yellow color when playing 24bit-192k, only blue color
why ??


----------



## Atek2019

Atek2019 said:


> I just realized... now, I my KA3 cannot display yellow color when playing 24bit-192k, only blue color
> why ??


@Jade Audio, please help! 
Thanks


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> @Jade Audio, please help!
> Thanks


How about restart your smartphone and reset the setting in Hiby? This sort of thing is more likely an software issue.


----------



## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> How about restart your smartphone and reset the setting in Hiby? This sort of thing is more likely an software issue.


I know the problem is from the player.. I just want to know the correct setup or configuration of hibymusic from @Jade Audio. They showed me they also have this player. 
Thanks in advance


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> I know the problem is from the player.. I just want to know the correct setup or configuration of hibymusic from @Jade Audio. They showed me they also have this player.
> Thanks in advance


Why not list down your USB setting in HibyMusic first?


----------



## Atek2019

Here are my configurations. Thanks


----------



## ClieOS

@Atek2019 Try changing USB Audio Sample Bit to Automatic. Also make sure Fixed Output Sampling Rate is turned off.


----------



## Jade Audio (Nov 8, 2021)

A Questionnaire About Use Cases of FiiO X JadeAudio KA3:

Distinguished FiiO users,
To optimize our products and service, we are making a questionnaire about the KA3, and would like to invite you to fill it in. Thank you so much for your support.

Link: https://forms.gle/KH9xgaRRXDNSTNLZ9


----------



## Nas Volokin

ClieOS said:


> As said, performance wise, I think E1DA is still better. E1DA has more of a super clean sound signature, where KA3 is slightly tilting toward a richer, warmish presentation.


I think that's the answer to my previous question, sorry about posting it! Well I guess sound wise the KA3 is just enough for me and since I rarely will use BTR5s functions this will perfectly fit my needs, thank you


----------



## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> @Atek2019 Try changing USB Audio Sample Bit to Automatic. Also make sure Fixed Output Sampling Rate is turned off.


Sorry for late replay.. 
The result is still the same, no yellow color for 24bit-192k


----------



## Nas Volokin

Atek2019 said:


> Sorry for late replay..
> The result is still the same, no yellow color for 24bit-192k


Well that doesn't seem right


----------



## Atek2019

Nas Volokin said:


> Well that doesn't seem right


it is only music player software... because before it just can only display yellow color... now it can  display blue and green, but no yellow


----------



## Nas Volokin

I guess its a player issue then, did you try it on a computer and see if it's running the correct color


----------



## Atek2019

I uninstalled the hibymusic abd reinstall with newest version. It worked... KA3 can display every color correctly... But the only problem is the Hibymusic can't control di hardware volume. 
Now i am using FIIO Music app.. It works perfectly with KA3.


----------



## Nas Volokin

That's good then! Why would you use Hiby music app in the first place


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 9, 2021)

Nas Volokin said:


> That's good then! Why would you use Hiby music app in the first place


Hopefully every music player can use this usb dongle not only to output the sound, but also to control it properly


----------



## laleeee

Atek2019 said:


> Hopefully every music player can use this usb dongle not only to output the sound, but also to control it properly


Try UAPP, it cost approximately 13 dollars, but worth every penny


----------



## AsuR

If we compare the _Shanling UA1 whit FiiO KA3. 

Which is better?_


----------



## Amber Rain

Can anyone confirm how the KA3 works with an iPhone?

Thanks


----------



## senorx12562

Amber Rain said:


> Can anyone confirm how the KA3 works with an iPhone?
> 
> Thanks


Given the potential power output and concomitant current draw, above certain volume levels there may be a problem with an iPhone's limitation on current draw by an external device. I know it has been an issue with other higher powered  dac/amps that rely on the source device for power, like the L&P W2. Whether the Ka3 has this issue or not remains to be seen I suppose. I have heard no reports on that yet.


----------



## Amber Rain

senorx12562 said:


> Given the potential power output and concomitant current draw, above certain volume levels there may be a problem with an iPhone's limitation on current draw by an external device. I know it has been an issue with other higher powered  dac/amps that rely on the source device for power, like the L&P W2. Whether the Ka3 has this issue or not remains to be seen I suppose. I have heard no reports on that yet.


Thanks for the reply and information.


----------



## Fawzay (Nov 11, 2021)

Any chance a comparison between Hiby FC5 and Ka3 or maybe Ibasso DC05?


----------



## FiiO

Amber Rain said:


> Can anyone confirm how the KA3 works with an iPhone?
> 
> Thanks


 
Yes. 

But please buy an extra Lightning-TypeC OTG adapter to connect the KA3 to an iPhone/iPad/iPod. So you can directly enjoy high-quality music by playing songs.
Notes:
1.Only supports iOS10.0.2 and above. Apple devices below this version cannot be supported because of the iOS itself.
2.Since there are limitations for iPhone to power the external USB device, the KA3 with high output power may have stuttering or no sound problems at extreme volume.

Best regards


----------



## Amber Rain

FiiO said:


> Yes.
> 
> But please buy an extra Lightning-TypeC OTG adapter to connect the KA3 to an iPhone/iPad/iPod. So you can directly enjoy high-quality music by playing songs.
> Notes:
> ...




Thank you for the reply, I have the FiiO Lightning to USB c cable on order...

With regard to point 2, does this only occur at very high volume? So if I listen at 'normal' volume, it should not be a problem?

Can you confirm how I control the volume with an iPhone and the KA3 - is this only by the iPhone's volume buttons, or is there a setting /app / way of changing the KA3 volume independently of the IpHone like with BTR5 etc? How many discrete levels of volume are there?

Thanks


----------



## SanSanych

Got my dongle today. But the joy was not long. After unpacking, when connecting Windows 10 to the PC, the drivers were installed, it does not work. Connected to android smartphone, does not work. The LED is on. No sound. The phone does not see. I connected it to the PC through another cable. I have no other cable to the phone. Sadly. Powered by PC only. Need another cable.


----------



## laleeee

SanSanych said:


> Got my dongle today. But the joy was not long. After unpacking, when connecting Windows 10 to the PC, the drivers were installed, it does not work. Connected to android smartphone, does not work. The LED is on. No sound. The phone does not see. I connected it to the PC through another cable. I have no other cable to the phone. Sadly. Powered by PC only. Need another cable.


I'm sorry to hear that  the sound is good anyway ?


----------



## Atek2019

SanSanych said:


> Got my dongle today. But the joy was not long. After unpacking, when connecting Windows 10 to the PC, the drivers were installed, it does not work. Connected to android smartphone, does not work. The LED is on. No sound. The phone does not see. I connected it to the PC through another cable. I have no other cable to the phone. Sadly. Powered by PC only. Need another cable.


I don't have any issue until now... still working perfectly and sound great


----------



## laleeee

I recommend this adapter for the ka3, i use it with my e1da dac too and its very comfortable 
https://m.nl.aliexpress.com/item/10...&terminal_id=e97dccbbeacd4713954fa66da544281f


----------



## SanSanych

laleeee said:


> I'm sorry to hear that  the sound is good anyway ?


I'm still listening to the sound and testing


----------



## ClieOS

SanSanych said:


> I'm still listening to the sound and testing


You should contact FiiO and have that cable replaced.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

SanSanych said:


> Sigo escuchando el sonido y probando


yy wuAnd that such a friend in a matter of sound as mine behaves comes tomorrow I will do a review after a few weeks.


----------



## FiiO

Amber Rain said:


> Thank you for the reply, I have the FiiO Lightning to USB c cable on order...
> 
> With regard to point 2, does this only occur at very high volume? So if I listen at 'normal' volume, it should not be a problem?
> 
> ...


Yes, and the volume could be adjusted by the buttons in iPhone. The Android version APP could adjust the volume for KA3 but not the iOS version.

Best regards


----------



## FiiO (Nov 14, 2021)

SanSanych said:


> Got my dongle today. But the joy was not long. After unpacking, when connecting Windows 10 to the PC, the drivers were installed, it does not work. Connected to android smartphone, does not work. The LED is on. No sound. The phone does not see. I connected it to the PC through another cable. I have no other cable to the phone. Sadly. Powered by PC only. Need another cable.


Sorry about that. Do you have another C to C cable to check whether the issue is located in the C to C adapter comes with the KA3? If the issue is related to the adapter, we could send a correct cable to you again. 

Best regards


----------



## Amber Rain

FiiO said:


> Yes, and the volume could be adjusted by the buttons in iPhone. The Android version APP could adjust the volume for KA3 but not the iOS version.
> 
> Best regards


Thanks, but the independent volume buttons would work with an iPhone and a BTR3K as a DAC?


----------



## ClieOS

Amber Rain said:


> Thanks, but the independent volume buttons would work with an iPhone *and a BTR3K as a DAC*?


Why would BTR3K has anything to do with KA3?


----------



## Amber Rain

ClieOS said:


> Why would BTR3K has anything to do with KA3?


Just asking because itit would appear the KA3 won't be a good fit for use with an iPhone but the BTR3K might be...


----------



## senorx12562

Amber Rain said:


> Just asking because itit would appear the KA3 won't be a good fit for use with an iPhone but the BTR3K might be...


It depends so much on the volume you listen at, transducers' impedance characteristics and sensitivity, and even type of music, that to make this call without having tried it, or at least seen a report from a source you trust w/  comparable variables, seems to be jumping the gun a bit. If you don't need bt, it makes no sense to get a btr3 to use as a usb dac only. While the battery obviates the power draw problem, using a bt adapter as a usb dac/amp only means you are investing in a capability you don't need, which is generally going to come at the expense of some other parameter (most importantly sq and longevity) that you do need. And batteries come with their own problems and complications.

Bottom line; if you won't use bt, you are better served getting a dongle dac/amp, whether it is the ka3 or something else. I bought a btr5 for bt and occasionally wireless dac/amp use, and a w2 for use wired. Very happy with both. Many people report no problems with the iPhone current-draw problems even with relatively high-powered dongles due to some combination of their volume needs, music taste, and intended transducer pairings. Btw, the iPhone current draw limitation with a non-powered dongle tends to be exacerbated if you use very low impedance transducers as they tend to require more current, i.e. Campfire Andromedas. Hope this helps clarify. Wait until the performance of the ka3 in this context is sussed out before leaping. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Amber Rain

senorx12562 said:


> It depends so much on the volume you listen at, transducers' impedance characteristics and sensitivity, and even type of music, that to make this call without having tried it, or at least seen a report from a source you trust w/  comparable variables, seems to be jumping the gun a bit. If you don't need bt, it makes no sense to get a btr3 to use as a usb dac only. While the battery obviates the power draw problem, using a bt adapter as a usb dac/amp only means you are investing in a capability you don't need, which is generally going to come at the expense of some other parameter (most importantly sq and longevity) that you do need. And batteries come with their own problems and complications.
> 
> Bottom line; if you won't use bt, you are better served getting a dongle dac/amp, whether it is the ka3 or something else. I bought a btr5 for bt and occasionally wireless dac/amp use, and a w2 for use wired. Very happy with both. Many people report no problems with the iPhone current-draw problems even with relatively high-powered dongles due to some combination of their volume needs, music taste, and intended transducer pairings. Btw, the iPhone current draw limitation with a non-powered dongle tends to be exacerbated if you use very low impedance transducers as they tend to require more current, i.e. Campfire Andromedas. Hope this helps clarify. Wait until the performance of the ka3 in this context is sussed out before leaping. Just my 2 cents.


Thank you, that's very helpful. I'll wait for some reviews, I'm in no hurry, but whatever I get (if anything at all) would need to offer more discrete  levels of volume than the iPhone does. I'm still WFH at the moment, and it would only be for occasional use anyway...


----------



## Zeka

Something weird is going on here ...
https://www-l7audiolab-com.translat...auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui


----------



## ClieOS

Zeka said:


> Something weird is going on here ...
> https://www-l7audiolab-com.translat...auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui


If I am reading it right, it says there is some significant imbalance of distortion when KA3 is overdrived with 16 ohm load. However, distortion is still under the normal 1% standard. Certainly not ideal, but I doubt it will affect normal use since the chance of needing 1.4V+ into a 16 ohm load is slim to none.


----------



## laleeee

Bad "piercing treble"  it's true ??
https://majorhifi.com/fiio-ka3-usb-audio-adapter-review/


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> Bad "piercing treble"  it's true ??
> https://majorhifi.com/fiio-ka3-usb-audio-adapter-review/


I recalled you said you have 9038SG3? I don't think you will find KA3 any brighter than 9038SG3.


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> I recalled you said you have 9038SG3? I don't think you will find KA3 any brighter than 9038SG3.


R you use the ka3 in high gain mode ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> R you use the ka3 in high gain mode ?


Yes.


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> Yes.


And no harsh highs ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> And no harsh highs ?


None that I can detect.


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> None that I can detect.


when it is recommended to use the high gain mode ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> when it is recommended to use the high gain mode ?


IIRC, KA3 is set to high gain by default and I just don't have any reason to change it.


----------



## wild_wilds

Hi, does anyone ever compare Fiio KA3 with Hidizs S9 pro or Shanling UA2? I think they have same DAC. I was torn between them. Thanks in advance


----------



## Jade Audio

*One picture to understand KA3   



*


----------



## MaxxaMMM

Hi
I recieved my KA3 week ago and it work pretty good with PC, but it dont recognized by all my apple devices like iphone or ipad. I tried different cables but still not working - no led light, no response from KA3. What should I do about it?


----------



## laleeee

MaxxaMMM said:


> Hi
> I recieved my KA3 week ago and it work pretty good with PC, but it dont recognized by all my apple devices like iphone or ipad. I tried different cables but still not working - no led light, no response from KA3. What should I do about it?


Can you compare it with other dongles sound quality wise ?


----------



## ClieOS

MaxxaMMM said:


> Hi
> I recieved my KA3 week ago and it work pretty good with PC, but it dont recognized by all my apple devices like iphone or ipad. I tried different cables but still not working - no led light, no response from KA3. What should I do about it?



Could be the Lightning connector. USB DAC dongle needs specially built cable in order to work with iOS devices with Lightning connector. FiiO sells them, so are a few different brands.


----------



## complete

hello, I am using it with asus zenfone 5, the sound is cut off at intervals of 10-15 minutes, then I have to remove the usb cable and plug it in again.


----------



## ClieOS

complete said:


> hello, I am using it with asus zenfone 5, the sound is cut off at intervals of 10-15 minutes, then I have to remove the usb cable and plug it in again.


Play music, then leave the whole setup on the table and don't touch them for 30 minutes, see if it cuts off again.


----------



## complete

ClieOS said:


> Play music, then leave the whole setup on the table and don't touch them for 30 minutes, see if it cuts off again.


ok, i will try, thank you


----------



## happytorch

I got my ka3, but the device disappointed. FIIO, as usual, hurried and threw the raw product on the market.
When connected to an Android smartphone, the DAC crackles and clicks when changing tracks, changing the volume level, and even when the screen is unlocked. All this happens in fiio music, in usb audio player pro. And no dancing with a tambourine helps.
    When connected to win 10 with drivers installed, it's even worse, stuttering is added.
Jriver helps when listening to music, but the win 10 shell itself does not work correctly with ka3.
As for the sound, you should not wait for revelations

FIIO, when you start bringing to the market completely ready-made devices that do not require any dancing with a tambourine!


----------



## ClieOS

happytorch said:


> I got my ka3, but the device disappointed. FIIO, as usual, hurried and threw the raw product on the market.
> When connected to an Android smartphone, the DAC crackles and clicks when changing tracks, changing the volume level, and even when the screen is unlocked. All this happens in fiio music, in usb audio player pro. And no dancing with a tambourine helps.
> When connected to win 10 with drivers installed, it's even worse, stuttering is added.
> Jriver helps when listening to music, but the win 10 shell itself does not work correctly with ka3.
> As for the sound, you should not wait for revelations


That didn't happen to my KA3?


----------



## digititus

happytorch said:


> FIIO, when you start bringing to the market completely ready-made devices that do not require any dancing with a tambourine!


No problems for me with Android 11 UAPP / Linux. Maybe a defective device.


----------



## Atek2019

happytorch said:


> I got my ka3, but the device disappointed. FIIO, as usual, hurried and threw the raw product on the market.
> When connected to an Android smartphone, the DAC crackles and clicks when changing tracks, changing the volume level, and even when the screen is unlocked. All this happens in fiio music, in usb audio player pro. And no dancing with a tambourine helps.
> When connected to win 10 with drivers installed, it's even worse, stuttering is added.
> Jriver helps when listening to music, but the win 10 shell itself does not work correctly with ka3.
> ...


same here, i have pop up sound (click or crackles) when playing song with higher volume, usually DSD format. hopefully fiio can help to solve this problem.
But for sound quality... is incredible


----------



## senorx12562

Atek2019 said:


> same here, i have pop up sound (click or crackles) when playing song with higher volume, usually DSD format. hopefully fiio can help to solve this problem.
> But for sound quality... is incredible


Are you using an iPhone as your source? I ask because this is similar to the descriptions I've seen of the iPhone limitation on current draw in action, especially given that it happens at higher volumes. Just a WAG though.


----------



## Atek2019

senorx12562 said:


> Are you using an iPhone as your source? I ask because this is similar to the descriptions I've seen of the iPhone limitation on current draw in action, especially given that it happens at higher volumes. Just a WAG though.


i am using android smartphone


----------



## senorx12562

Atek2019 said:


> i am using android smartphone


You should probably contact the retailer from whom you purchased the ka3.


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> i am using android smartphone


Just to eliminate all possibility, try to lower gain and impedance setting of KA3 using FiiO app and see if that makes any difference.


----------



## Atek2019

ClieOS said:


> Just to eliminate all possibility, try to lower gain and impedance setting of KA3 using FiiO app and see if that makes any difference.


I did all ... lower the gain and lower the impedance.. still the same problem


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> I did all ... lower the gain and lower the impedance.. still the same problem


Better contact the seller and arrange for an exchange.


----------



## Enmor39

PlantsmanTX said:


> Understood (finally). Thanks.


I got mine yesterday and out of curiosity gave this a go (3.5mm to RCA into amp using ipad air 4 as source). Sound quality excellent IMO, no obvious audible noise or distortion. Suggest keeping amp off whilst making connection and starting with volumes (source, ka3 and amp) set low


----------



## FiiO (Nov 23, 2021)

Atek2019 said:


> same here, i have pop up sound (click or crackles) when playing song with higher volume, usually DSD format. hopefully fiio can help to solve this problem.
> But for sound quality... is incredible





happytorch said:


> I got my ka3, but the device disappointed. FIIO, as usual, hurried and threw the raw product on the market.
> When connected to an Android smartphone, the DAC crackles and clicks when changing tracks, changing the volume level, and even when the screen is unlocked. All this happens in fiio music, in usb audio player pro. And no dancing with a tambourine helps.
> When connected to win 10 with drivers installed, it's even worse, stuttering is added.
> Jriver helps when listening to music, but the win 10 shell itself does not work correctly with ka3.
> ...



Does the issue happen when using other mobile phones or computers? Would you mind informing us  the module name of the mobile phone and computer? 
And please check via another headphones as well.
Does the issue remain after turning off the lock screen sound?
Swithcing tracks with different sampling rates will cause relatively obvious impulsing sound which is a normal phenomenon. It is recommended classify music files well.
We apologize for any inconvenience in the meantime!

Best regards


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 23, 2021)

FiiO said:


> Does the issue happen when using other mobile phones or computers? Would you mind informing us  the module name of the mobile phone and computer?
> And please check via another headphones as well.
> Does the issue remain after turning off the lock screen sound?
> Swithcing tracks with different sampling rates will cause relatively obvious impulsing sound which is a normal phenomenon. It is recommended classify music files well.
> ...


Android Phone
Smartphone : Huawei MATE 40 Pro
Player : Fiio Music
Setup :
  USB Output : NATIVE
  USB Volume Control Mode : Adaptable
Pop Sound : Clicks and Crackles, when change the volume or change the songs
but..
with Huawei Default music player, I don't have any pop up sound

Desktop
Windows 10
Player : ROON player
Pop Sound : NONE

I don't know what's going on with the smartphone


----------



## Enmor39

Atek2019 said:


> I uninstalled the hibymusic abd reinstall with newest version. It worked... KA3 can display every color correctly... But the only problem is the Hibymusic can't control di hardware volume.
> Now i am using FIIO Music app.. It works perfectly with KA3.


I'm using KA3 with the FiiO Music app on an Android Nokia using Android 10. I'm finding the colour of display locks if USB connection not correct. I have found a way to be  able to ensure correct connection and change the colour by selecting different files using FiiO Music (48 and below-blue, above 48-yellow, DSD-green). This depends on order of operations - I need to open Fiio Music before attaching USB, Connect the USB and accept prompt to allow FiiO Music to access Fiio KA3. I then get a message "USB devices connected". Then select file to play. Colour then changes as different files selected. 

If i do this out of order the sound is significantly impacted(less clarity, quieter, less sense of space, less low range weight) and the colour is locked indicating USB connection is not correct. (not sure where this problem resides App, Android or KA3)

I'm finding this approach reliable and easy to use as opposed to Hiby app which needs settings adjusted... e.g. the exclusive USB mode selected and if using DSD it locks the volume to max(dangerous) by default and can only be adjusted after enabling volume control in the Hiby setting or via the FiiO Control app.


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> Android Phone
> Smartphone : Huawei MATE 40 Pro
> Player : Fiio Music
> Setup :
> ...



Might want to try Hiby or UAPP in USB exclusive mode and see if there's any difference.


----------



## Dsnuts

Been using the KA3 on my new Samsung Galaxy for the past 2 weeks or so. Sound quality is surprisingly excellent using the KA3 not to mention the ease of use. Haven't had any real issues with the KA3 knock on wood. I did a review for Fiios K3 2021 dac amp recently that uses the same dac chip ES9038Q2M. Sound quality is surprisingly very similar. The only thing I wish the KA3 had was the bass boost from the K3 otherwise. The sound quality is neutral yet dynamic at the same time with a clean noise floor very good for on the go listening sessions. So far so good.


----------



## laleeee

Dsnuts said:


> Been using the KA3 on my new Samsung Galaxy for the past 2 weeks or so. Sound quality is surprisingly excellent using the KA3 not to mention the ease of use. Haven't had any real issues with the KA3 knock on wood. I did a review for Fiios K3 2021 dac amp recently that uses the same dac chip ES9038Q2M. Sound quality is surprisingly very similar. The only thing I wish the KA3 had was the bass boost from the K3 otherwise. The sound quality is neutral yet dynamic at the same time with a clean noise floor very good for on the go listening sessions. So far so good.


The ka3 is bass-weak ? Any treble harshness ?


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> Might want to try Hiby or UAPP in USB exclusive mode and see if there's any difference.


I don't find in the UAPP the USB exclusive mode 🤔


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> I don't find in the UAPP the USB exclusive mode 🤔


UAPP comes with USB exclusive mode enable by default. It should ask you whether to allow it to handle USB audio the first time you use the app with an USB DAC. You can disable it by going into USB Audio Tweaks setting and untick the 'Use USB DAC'


----------



## laleeee

ClieOS said:


> UAPP comes with USB exclusive mode enable by default. It should ask you whether to allow it to handle USB audio the first time you use the app with an USB DAC. You can disable it by going into USB Audio Tweaks setting and untick the 'Use USB DAC'


The ka3's working with windows8 ?


----------



## ClieOS

laleeee said:


> The ka3's working with windows8 ?


Didn't have Windows 8 to try. It works perfectly fine under Windows 10.


----------



## Perepep

laleeee said:


> The ka3's working with windows8 ?


I already know that it is not what you ask, mine arrives delivered this afternoon, I will be able to confirm its operation in win7 / 32 and 64 bits.


----------



## laleeee

Perepep said:


> I already know that it is not what you ask, mine arrives delivered this afternoon, I will be able to confirm its operation in win7 / 32 and 64 bits.


Maybe it will help, thank you


----------



## Perepep

laleeee said:


> Maybe it will help, thank you


I'm sorry to tell you that I have been unable to install the drivers for the KA3 in windows 7. It is strange since on that computer, with the generic usb driver, I have no problems using the Q5 tc. In win10 everything perfect, I can alter the KA3 and the Q5 tc without any problem. Another strange thing is that on Android I have more power output using Uapp than when I use Fiio Music.


----------



## laleeee

Perepep said:


> I'm sorry to tell you that I have been unable to install the drivers for the KA3 in windows 7. It is strange since on that computer, with the generic usb driver, I have no problems using the Q5 tc. In win10 everything perfect, I can alter the KA3 and the Q5 tc without any problem. Another strange thing is that on Android I have more power output using Uapp than when I use Fiio Music.


Thank you. Early sound impressions ?


----------



## Perepep

I've only been doing tests for a few hours, but I can say that they deliver more detail than the Q5 tc, both for SE and for the balanced output. Move the Verum One perfectly, I have to lower the volume to 60% to be comfortable. The only downside is with Room, I'm fighting with the asio drivers, instead with wasapi, everything is ok.


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 25, 2021)

ClieOS said:


> Might want to try Hiby or UAPP in USB exclusive mode and see if there's any difference.


sorry for late freply..
HibyMusic cannot controol hardware volume of KA3 when playing DSD format


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 25, 2021)

laleeee said:


> The ka3 is bass-weak ? Any treble harshness ?


no bass-weak .. the bass is excellent
No treble harshness also


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> sorry for late freply..
> HibyMusic cannot controol hardware volume of KA3 when playing DSD format


That's somewhat to be expected. DSD, when natively decoded, doesn't support any form of digital volume control. It is the 1 bit nature of the format. You will have to do PCM conversion in order to have digital volume control. 

Anyway, I thought the issue you have is with cracking sound? Does it happen with Hiby or UAPP?


----------



## Atek2019 (Nov 25, 2021)

ClieOS said:


> That's somewhat to be expected. DSD, when natively decoded, doesn't support any form of digital volume control. It is the 1 bit nature of the format. You will have to do PCM conversion in order to have digital volume control.
> 
> Anyway, I thought the issue you have is with cracking sound? Does it happen with Hiby or UAPP?


in Hiby, there is no cracking sound when changing song manually (DSD format), I have this problem in fiio music app.
in fiio music, even change the volume of song (DSD Format) i experienced pop up sound (less cracking sound compare to song changing manually).
I cannot change the hardware volume in HibyMusic, so  i don't know there is cracking sound or not.
all happen when playing with DSD format with higher volume


----------



## laleeee

Perepep said:


> I'm sorry to tell you that I have been unable to install the drivers for the KA3 in windows 7. It is strange since on that computer, with the generic usb driver, I have no problems using the Q5 tc. In win10 everything perfect, I can alter the KA3 and the Q5 tc without any problem. Another strange thing is that on Android I have more power output using Uapp than when I use Fiio Music.


The fiio support said :
Thank you for reaching out to FiiO!
Yes, the KA3 is compatible with the Win8. You would need to install the DAC driver first:  https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201505087366118&tid=77 
Do you tried this driver ?


----------



## ClieOS

Atek2019 said:


> in Hiby, there is no cracking sound when changing song manually (DSD format), I have this problem in fiio music app.
> in fiio music, even change the volume of song (DSD Format) i experienced pop up sound (less cracking sound compare to song changing manually).
> I cannot change the hardware volume in HibyMusic, so  i don't know there is cracking sound or not.
> all happen when playing with DSD format with higher volume



If cracking sound only happens on certain app but not other, then it is likely a software issue on your smartphone, mainly the USB Audio driver. If it is a hardware issue on KA3, all sound will be cracking, regardless of app. Also, Huawei has been known to have finicky USB audio driver in the past, so that could be the same issue regarding your smartphone. The only solution is to uses app with its own USB driver, such as Hiby and UAPP.

To enable volume control when playing back DSD in Hiby, go to Settings > DSD mode > select PCM


----------



## Narayan23

I received my KA3 a couple of days ago together with a balanced 4.4mm cable for my Sennheiser HD 58X and everyhing worked fine out of the box, both on my LG V30+ (Neutron Music Player) and my laptop (Foobar, although it wouldn´t play DSD 512 in native mode, it showed the sample rate but that was it, it did play 256, 128 and 64 no problem and when set to Wasapi push, DSD 512 played fine although the KA3´s green light would not turn on, this must be a Foobar problem since DSD 512 played perfectly on my phone). My first impression was that the KA3 sounded slightly brighter than I liked, that went away with further listening which revealed a clear and punchy sound that to me was engaging and what I was looking for. Strangely, my Jcally JM20 sounded louder out of my phone than the KA3 through its 3.5mm output, louder and also worse, since the Jcally was thinner sounding and more grainy, the KA3 being more "analog" for lack of a better word and just better sounding in comparison. When I put the balanced cable on the HD 58X and listened through the 4.4mm output it was as if the headphone had been given a vitality injection, yes it sounded louder but more alive at the same time and the bass gained a lovely impact that wasn´t there out of the 3.5mm socket. It really feels like I have also bought a new better sounding headphone from the improvement the 58X gets with more power, or at least fed by the balanced out of the Fiio. I´m really happy with the KA3 and would recommend it to anyone looking for this type of product.


----------



## Zigg08

I get the pop sound when I play , pause or skip tracks


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo (Dec 3, 2021)

.


----------



## Dtagonkiva

Is battery drain really bad?? Is the 3.5 output also draining battery?


----------



## ClieOS

Dtagonkiva said:


> Is battery drain really bad?? Is the 3.5 output also draining battery?


Battery drain is comparable to any high output USB DAC dongle. You can't ask for high output without power coming from some where. Of course, it is also relative to how loud you listen and the impedance of your headphone.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

ClieOS said:


> El consumo de la batería es comparable a cualquier dongle USB DAC de alto rendimiento. No se puede pedir un alto rendimiento sin que la energía provenga de algún lugar. Por supuesto, también es relativo a qué tan alto escuchas y la impedancia de tus auriculares.


sIf so, you are absolutely right, that's why I put (relatively high battery consumption)


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

Dtagonkiva said:


> ¿La descarga de la batería es realmente mala? ¿La salida 3.5 también está agotando la batería?


norteIt is not bad, only that it is high when the balanced output is used in the 3.5, the consumption is little


----------



## crabdog




----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

crabdog said:


> [MEDIA = youtube] qtW-QIjVvkY [/ MEDIA]


wwow we agree is many things if I am not mistaken in the majority not bad for my first review


----------



## Perepep

laleeee said:


> The fiio support said :
> Thank you for reaching out to FiiO!
> Yes, the KA3 is compatible with the Win8. You would need to install the DAC driver first:  https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201505087366118&tid=77
> Do you tried this driver ?


sorry for the delay, until now I didn't have access to the old computer. Indeed, the driver you indicate is the same one that I could not install. I will send an email to the technical service to see if it can be solved.


----------



## Narayan23

Isaac Rebolledo said:


> wwow we agree is many things if I am not mistaken in the majority not bad for my first review


If that was your first review it was pretty good Isaac, as a side note, you don´t need to agree with anyone regarding what you hear and the only validation you need is your own, thanks for writing it.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

Narayan23 said:


> Si esa fue tu primera reseña fue bastante buena Isaac, como nota al margen, no necesitas estar de acuerdo con nadie con respecto a lo que escuchas y la única validación que necesitas es la tuya, gracias por eescribirn Thank you very much friend, it was a fairly simple review, I need to mention many things, I will see if it updated when I have time, and you are right, the review is from each person, it does not have to be all the same


----------



## Amber Rain

Hi, has anyone tried the KA3 on a Mac? Are there any issues with it?  How do you control the volume levels - just the normal buttons on the Mac..? I could n't find a Fiio app for a Mac.


----------



## ClieOS

Amber Rain said:


> Hi, has anyone tried the KA3 on a Mac? Are there any issues with it?  How do you control the volume levels - just the normal buttons on the Mac..? I could n't find a Fiio app for a Mac.


Yes, use the volume control on Mac to control the overall volume.


----------



## Amber Rain

ClieOS said:


> Yes, use the volume control on Mac to control the overall volume.


Thanks, so only the 16 discrete levels of volume then?


----------



## ClieOS

Amber Rain said:


> Thanks, so only the 16 discrete levels of volume then?


Maybe this will help: https://www.howtogeek.com/265487/how-to-adjust-your-macs-volume-in-smaller-increments/


----------



## Dsnuts

My take on the KA3. Excellent little device. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-jade-audio-ka3-dac-amp.25575/ Somehow, I have a feeling there will be more of these things to come in the future.  Only real cons I have is I wished there was a bass boost feature on this. Would be slick and a volume wheel on the devise itself even more slick. But for what it does. These get a thumbs up from me. Easy recommend to upgrade the onboard sound of your smartphones to match that nice screen it has.


----------



## Joey B.

The above reviewer was kind enough to respond to my question and proposed that I ask it here. Hopefully someone or even Fiio themselves will respond.

Does the settings of the Android app regarding impedance, gain, and filters save to the device itself? Basically, if I set the KA3 to low gain and then plug it into my laptop, will that setting remain if I install the Fiio driver for Windows?

Thanks to anyone who might help. I have tried using a preamp program to give me more volume control with my current unit to give me more volume range thanks to some help on a different forum, but the sound quality is noticeably worse when I do not use Tidal in exclusive mode.


----------



## Isaac Rebolledo

Joey B. said:


> El revisor anterior tuvo la amabilidad de responder a mi pregunta y propuso que lo hiciera aquí. Con suerte, alguien o incluso los propios Fiio responderán.
> 
> ¿La configuración de la aplicación de Android con respecto a la impedancia, la ganancia y los filtros se guarda en el dispositivo? Básicamente, si configuro el KA3 en baja ganancia y luego lo conecto a mi computadora portátil, ¿permanecerá esa configuración si instalo el controlador Fiio para Windows?
> 
> Gracias a todos los que puedan ayudar. He intentado usar un programa de preamplificador para darme más control de volumen con mi unidad actual para darme más rango de volumen gracias a alguna ayuda en un foro diferente, pero la calidad del sonido es notablemente peor cuando no uso Tidal en modo exclusivo.


sif friend the settings are saved on the device.


----------



## Amber Rain

ClieOS said:


> Maybe this will help: https://www.howtogeek.com/265487/how-to-adjust-your-macs-volume-in-smaller-increments/


My earlier reply disappeared!

Thanks for the information, this is a deal sealer for me - got one on pre-order now.


----------



## Perepep (Dec 1, 2021)

I would like to know if anyone uses their KA 3 with windows7.  I can't finish the driver installation process.  Thanks

Edit.  At last I have managed to finish the driver installation process under windows 7. I use the Ka3 connected to an old pc with win7 and Roon Bridge and no problem.


----------



## crabdog

Fk me, Win 7? Dude, you're either really hardcore against MS or your hardware sux big time. Get on board bro...


----------



## laleeee

crabdog said:


> Fk me, Win 7? Dude, you're either really hardcore against MS or your hardware sux big time. Get on board bro...


What's wrong with the win7 ?


----------



## Perepep

This old pc with win7 solves the problem of having the roon server with win10 on the living room pc and being able to transmit the music via wifi, thanks to roon bridge, to another room.


----------



## crabdog

laleeee said:


> What's wrong with the win7 ?


I didn't mean to sound that harsh. It just seems to me that a more modern version of Windows 'should' be more optimized for streaming/Roon etc. I understand if people don't feel the need to upgrade if their current solution is working for them. I just hope the old system is not connected to the internet since support for W7 officially ended in January 2020.


----------



## cleg

My video about KA3


----------



## shimigg

Would this be good to drive the Sundara ?


----------



## senorx12562

shimigg said:


> Would this be good to drive the Sundara ?


Neither device is at its best, but it works. Not really enough current for the Sundara.


----------



## Narayan23 (Dec 4, 2021)

senorx12562 said:


> Neither device is at its best, but it works. Not really enough current for the Sundara.


That is surprising to read, the Sundara has a 37 Ohm impedance and 97db sensitivity and the KA3 moves my Sennheiser HD58X (150 Ohm) really well out of the balanced 4.4mm socket and the 3.5mm one.


----------



## Dsnuts

KA3 pushes my Amiron Home and DT1990 Pros 240 ohm cans at 40%-60% volume. No way would I attempt maxing out the volume on the KA3 on them cans.


----------



## suman134

Hi guys, here is my comparisons review of the Fiio KA3, its one of the most compete sounding DAC/Amp. It definitely cant replace a mid rage DAP but is a perfect companion for those who want to stream their music right out of their mobile phone. Here I have compared it with another very capable Dongle, Earmen Sparrow.
I hope this is helpful.


----------



## senorx12562

Narayan23 said:


> That is surprising to read, the Sundara has a 37 Ohm impedance and 97db sensitivity and the KA3 moves my Sennheiser HD58X (150 Ohm) really well out of the balanced 4.4mm socket and the 3.5mm one.


Well, don't believe me then. By all means, buy one for your Susvara too.


----------



## Amber Rain

@FiiO 

Does anyone know, for sure, the release date for the KA3 in the UK? I've seen one website say 15 December, but Amazon UK seems  to have it in stock already. 

I pre-ordered from Advanced MP3... and getting impatient 😁


----------



## Narayan23

senorx12562 said:


> Well, don't believe me then. By all means, buy one for your Susvara too.


I haven´t got a Susvara nor do I want one, and no I don´t believe you, unless you have a faulty KA3.


----------



## senorx12562 (Dec 5, 2021)

Narayan23 said:


> I haven´t got a Susvara nor do I want one, and no I don´t believe you, unless you have a


You're right. You caught me. It's all a big lie. I drive speakers with my ka3. Just didn't want anyone else to know.


----------



## Ynot1 (Dec 6, 2021)

Would E1DA 9038D Y cable work?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001559736630.html?pdp_ext_f={"sku_id":"12000016593817787","ship_from":"CN"}&gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=470b6329-65ea-4a09-bcc2-8b6f08de552a&spm=a2g0o.store_pc_home.smartJustForYou_4000001581336.1

Cable is expensive though because it has strings attached.


----------



## peterinvan

If I set the EQ using the Fiio Music app, will the settings be applied when I switch to the Tidal streaming app?


----------



## FiiO

peterinvan said:


> If I set the EQ using the Fiio Music app, will the settings be applied when I switch to the Tidal streaming app?


The KA3 does not support EQ selection. But it has lowpass filter selection. You could switch the lowpass filter and it could be saved when using other app.

Best regards


----------



## Perepep

If you have a MiBox S at home, connect the KA3 and send your music through chromecast, incredible how good it sounds.  Right now I have the Ka3 connected to the MiBox (it is next to the TV) with a 3m usb cable and I am sitting in my chair enjoying the Verum that have come to life.
It is also a set that can be easily transported to another room.  Or even for cost, have a set in each room.


----------



## Nellie75 (Dec 13, 2021)

Ka3 just arrived an hour ago.  I am an iPhone user and am using the lightning camera adapter>USB-C(included)>Jade DAC>Fiio FD5.  Immediately I felt the sound very thin, no fullness, slam, and a general lack of bass.  The yellow light is on as I’m playing Apple Music lossless.  Just for a lark I hooked back up my lightning dongle $9.  Immediately the sound is full, slams and is just as loud if not louder at the same volume? I tested the 4.4 balanced as well on the Jade and it didn’t make much difference.  What gives?


----------



## PhonoPhi

Nellie75 said:


> Ka3 just arrived an hour ago.  I am an iPhone user and am using the lightning camera adapter>USB-C(included)>Jade DAC>Fiio FD5.  Immediately I felt the sound very thin, no fullness, slam, and a general lack of bass.  The yellow light is on as I’m playing Apple Music lossless.  Just for a lark I hooked back up my lightning dongle $9.  Immediately the sound is full, slams and is just as loud if not louder at the same volume? I tested the 4.4 balanced as well on the Jade and it didn’t make much difference.  What gives?


The Apple dongle may be better engineered. The "unbiased" reviewers of free samples should consider comparison with the Apple dongle.


----------



## Amber Rain

Nellie75 said:


> Ka3 just arrived an hour ago.  I am an iPhone user and am using the lightning camera adapter>USB-C(included)>Jade DAC>Fiio FD5.  Immediately I felt the sound very thin, no fullness, slam, and a general lack of bass.  The yellow light is on as I’m playing Apple Music lossless.  Just for a lark I hooked back up my lightning dongle $9.  Immediately the sound is full, slams and is just as loud if not louder at the same volume? I tested the 4.4 balanced as well on the Jade and it didn’t make much difference.  What gives?


Have you tried a lightning to USB C cable? 

This is quite disheartening to hear as I have the KA3 on order and I intend to use it with my iPhone & Mac Book...


----------



## Nellie75 (Dec 13, 2021)

I’m having a hard time telling a difference between the apple dongle and the KA3.  I’ve done A/B tests for the past hour on Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”.

3.5 tip comparison:
*Apple*:  more low end, fuller, less bright, maybe less resolution/clarity but in a blind test I’m not sure Id notice.

*KA3:* Dryer, less low end, thinner sounding, possibly tighter bass, more treble and/or clarity.

ZERO VOLUME DIFFERENCE between this dac and the apple dongle.  I have Fiio FD5s (32ohm) and have volume set at 75-80% on my iPhone.  Yellow light is lit.  It is loud but a good loud.  From what I’ve read on here, 80% should be blowing my ears out with the Fiio KA3.


----------



## Nellie75 (Dec 13, 2021)

Amber Rain said:


> Have you tried a lightning to USB C cable?
> 
> This is quite disheartening to hear as I have the KA3 on order and I intend to use it with my iPhone & Mac Book...


I’m using Apple Camera adapter to USB-C.  I have a Lightning to USB is on its way.  It is a OTG cable.   If the one you ordered is not, it will not work for audio, just charging. 

 USB DAC OTG Cable for iPhone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WQ1LY5D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XFZ55CNYG93XVDF90FRD

Or

USB-C Female to iOS 14 OTG Adapter, Type C Digital Headphones DAC Converter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KW5TLCW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_E5HCQF30B6K1RRVV45YM

4.4 Balanced out of the DAC is good at about 50% volume but I am getting some digital chirps and glitches.  Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn’t.  

So do I have a bad unit or is this just they way they are with an iPhone?  I’m glad I bought it off Amazon.


----------



## Amber Rain

Nellie75 said:


> I’m using Apple Camera adapter to USB-C.  I have a Lightning to USB is on its way.  It is a OTG cable.   If the one you ordered is not, it will not work for audio, just charging.
> 
> USB DAC OTG Cable for iPhone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WQ1LY5D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_XFZ55CNYG93XVDF90FRD
> 
> ...



Thanks, I've already got the Fiio LT1 cable, this _should_ work...


----------



## Nellie75 (Dec 13, 2021)

Yeah, Im getting some really weird crap going on with the 4.4 balanced.  It can sound great and then the next time I play the same track Im getting some strange vibrato-phaser-tremolo like effects going on and then a few glitchy cracks, stutters and pops on my iPhone 12.   Apple Music streaming over Wi-Fi.  I’ve never experienced this on my iPhone or Apple TV ever.

Update:  This happening on 3.5 as well. I decided to try my VModa Crossfade headphones (wired).  Same issue.  Then I tried my wife’s iPhone (older model) and it was going crazy.  The song on Apple Music started playing twice as fast and sounded like the chipmunks. 

I think I got a bad unit!


----------



## Nellie75 (Dec 13, 2021)

Amber Rain said:


> Can anyone confirm how the KA3 works with an iPhone?
> 
> Thanks



I can confirm that it sometimes works.  After first plugging the KA3 dac in I was not impressed with the thin sound.  However, somehow the dac started getting fuller and more robust as the evening went on.  Is there such a thing as burn in time on a DAC?

Now, I’ve got an iPhone 12 and I connected my iOS camera adapter cable > USB-A to C adapter (was supplied with the DAC) and finally the  Type C cable (also supplied).  I figured if they supplied it, use it.  I don’t know if this combination of cables and adapters was the cause but the moment after swapping out the supplied cable/adapter and using my own USB-A to C cable, the sounds appear to be gone.

My wife’s old iPhone was a short experiment and ended up being a mistake as I think it’s not supported according to Fiio (iPhone 6).  This caused some crazy chipmunk sounds in Apple Music.

However, there does seem to be a correlation to pushing the volume up and it causing problems with the iPhone 12.  This was with 30ohm FD5 IEMs.

Another experiment was trying my HD650s (300ohm) to the 3.5 unbalanced output.  They sounded great and pretty loud at 80% volume but pushing it up to 100% which was a little louder than I personally like, it was too much current draw for the iPhone as it just stopped the song and started playing out the iPhone speaker instead.  I didn’t have an unbalanced cable for my 650s for that experiment.  But I dont expect this DAC to push 300ohms.

  I’m going to be giving this dac some more time but it isn’t some massive revelation in SQ over a iPhone dongle.  Like all things in this hobby, it is a marginal improvement.  Something my wife would never notice.


----------



## laleeee (Dec 15, 2021)

Strong motherf*cker 💪 
Works fine on Android with UAPP and on win8 with Foobar


----------



## Nellie75

*Update:*  No issues on iPhone after swapping out the USB cable.

However, the 3.5 output on the KA3 is much quieter than my *Kbear lightning Dongle ($16).*  Now, is this because the KA3 is weak or is it because this Kbear dongle is just freakin’ amazing?  Apparently it has a 53a4 amplifier chip. I don’t know, but there is an obvious difference compared the KA3.  In fact this   dongle nearly matches the 4.4 balanced output on the KA3.  The KA3 just edges the dongle in clarity and snappiness.  in fact (with 32ohm IEMs) that it took me about 25 A/B tests to notice it.  Volume wise it is hard to tell.  Now, when I hook up 300ohm sennheisers, then I can tell a noticeable difference. 

I’m undecided on this little dac.  I want to like it but for $75 more, it’s a tough purchase, at least with 32ohm IEMs.

Kbear Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter [Apple MFi Certified] Copper Silver Wire Lightning to Audio Jack Converter Compatible with iPhone 13/13pro/13 Mini/12 Pro/11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M9M6RW...abc_7SZK38FKSWSQR9WR084Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Atek2019

laleeee said:


> Strong motherf*cker 💪
> Works fine on Android with UAPP and on win8 with Foobar


glad you have it


----------



## Perepep

laleeee said:


> Strong motherf*cker 💪
> Works fine on Android with UAPP and on win8 with Foobar


Also with win7


----------



## FiiO

Nellie75 said:


> Yeah, Im getting some really weird crap going on with the 4.4 balanced.  It can sound great and then the next time I play the same track Im getting some strange vibrato-phaser-tremolo like effects going on and then a few glitchy cracks, stutters and pops on my iPhone 12.   Apple Music streaming over Wi-Fi.  I’ve never experienced this on my iPhone or Apple TV ever.
> 
> Update:  This happening on 3.5 as well. I decided to try my VModa Crossfade headphones (wired).  Same issue.  Then I tried my wife’s iPhone (older model) and it was going crazy.  The song on Apple Music started playing twice as fast and sounded like the chipmunks.
> 
> I think I got a bad unit!


Sorry to hear about that. Does the issue happen in certain music file? If yes, would you mind sharing the file to us for check?

Best regards


----------



## Perepep

Trouble. When I connect the KA3 to my mobile (Redmi 8T) I can only play music for 40 - 50 minutes, after that time the device stops working and a "usb failure" message appears. On the other hand, when I use the KA3 connected to the pc in windows7 I can be listening to music for several hours without problem, so I suppose that the problem is in the mobile and not in the device, do you know what it may be due to? Thank you.


----------



## complete

the device gets a little too hot, I use it with my asus zenfone 5 phone, I have frequent power cuts, the phone detects the device as a charger, so it tries to charge..


----------



## Mr.HiAudio (Dec 21, 2021)

I've also been testing mine KA3 for two weeks already. The sound turned out to be pop and mass-oriented. The sound is bass-heavy but has an unpleasant brightness in the middle(screaming female voise "sssssshhsssssss"). In general, the main disadvantage in the sound is the middle frequencies. They are very weak. Compared to the E1DA3098s, the ka3 has a simpler sound and a lot of MIDbass. Plus: excellent cable and very strong connection usb-C (nothing dangles).
For a lot iems i prefer 3.5 singe, for planar - 4.4. Power really big, thats super 

And one more minus *Fiio* - their *support is silent*. This is the second time this happens when you write something to them, and in response there is only silence. There is no desire to buy their products in the future.


----------



## Narayan23

Mr.HiAudio said:


> I've also been testing mine KA3 for two weeks already. The sound turned out to be pop and mass-oriented. The sound is bass-heavy but has an unpleasant brightness in the middle(screaming female voise "sssssshhsssssss"). In general, the main disadvantage in the sound is the middle frequencies. They are very weak. Compared to the E1DA3098s, the ka3 has a simpler sound and a lot of MIDbass. Plus: excellent cable and very strong connection usb-C (nothing dangles).
> For a lot iems i prefer 3.5 singe, for planar - 4.4. Power really big, thats super
> 
> And one more minus *Fiio* - their *support is silent*. This is the second time this happens when you write something to them, and in response there is only silence. There is no desire to buy their products in the future.


I also thought it sounded bright right out of the box but that went away with further use / listening, I haven´t experienced your issues with female voices, I was listening to Roxette some days ago with my K´s LBBs earbuds and thought to myself how great Marie Fredriksson´s voice sounded, most likely the work of the LBBs but no sibilance detected. Did you try changing the impedance / gain in the FiiO app to match your IEM´s and headphones?


----------



## Mr.HiAudio

Narayan23 said:


> I also thought it sounded bright right out of the box but that went away with further use / listening, I haven´t experienced your issues with female voices, I was listening to Roxette some days ago with my K´s LBBs earbuds and thought to myself how great Marie Fredriksson´s voice sounded, most likely the work of the LBBs but no sibilance detected. Did you try changing the impedance / gain in the FiiO app to match your IEM´s and headphones?


there was no difference between switching impedance(se and balance). I also note that the application does not always expose the DAC filter (you click on it, you go out / go in, but it has not been applied). Used iems: 7Hz Timeless, mx500 earbuds, BQEYZ AUTUMN, Shozy Black Hole Mini Steel.


----------



## senorx12562

I can confirm that the ka3 puts out insufficient current (using my crappy Android 8 phone as source) to drive my Sundaras to a satisfying volume level, at least with some of my music. I have music from every decade from the 50s to date, some of which (especially the older stuff) is recorded at a pretty low level compared to newer recordings, and with these tracks, even balanced and on high gain, this set just doesn't get loud enough. What is weird is that I also have an L&P w2, which is rated at 10 mw lower maximum output power balanced (230mw), and while the Sundara is not at its best, the w2 at least gets them loud enough. Don't know if this is a function of a lack of current (vs.voltage) or what, but it sounds good and is plenty powerful for my Elex or any of my iems, the latter being my typical use case for a dongle. Of course the w2 is 3.5x the price, so...you pays yer money and you takes yer chances.


----------



## ClieOS

senorx12562 said:


> I can confirm that the ka3 puts out insufficient current (using my crappy Android 8 phone as source) to drive my Sundaras to a satisfying volume level, at least with some of my music. I have music from every decade from the 50s to date, some of which (especially the older stuff) is recorded at a pretty low level compared to newer recordings, and with these tracks, even balanced and on high gain, this set just doesn't get loud enough. What is weird is that I also have an L&P w2, which is rated at 10 mw lower maximum output power balanced (230mw), and while the Sundara is not at its best, the w2 at least gets them loud enough. Don't know if this is a function of a lack of current (vs.voltage) or what, but it sounds good and is plenty powerful for my Elex or any of my iems, the latter being my typical use case for a dongle. Of course the w2 is 3.5x the price, so...you pays yer money and you takes yer chances.



Rated power is the result of voltage x current. Not enough loudness is a direct result of not enough voltage, but not necessary not enough current.  The same headphone under the same loudness (because of the same voltage) can receive different current from the source and therefore under different power. Therefore you can't judge power by volume alone.

Also, rated power is typically tested with a PC that has fully powered USB port, and there result could be different coming from a smartphone partially powered USB port.


----------



## senorx12562

ClieOS said:


> Rated power is the result of voltage x current. Not enough loudness is a direct result of not enough voltage, but not necessary not enough current.  The same headphone under the same loudness (because of the same voltage) can receive different current from the source and therefore under different power. Therefore you can't judge power by volume alone.
> 
> Also, rated power is typically tested with a PC that has fully powered USB port, and there result could be different coming from a smartphone partially powered USB port.


Yeah, I understand the math. That's why I specified the source. But the difference in volume from a pc is marginal, but useful. Still not really sufficient though for music recorded at a low level or music with a broad dynamic range like a lot of classical. I tend to listen at pretty high volumes (according to anyone sitting across the room from my bobbing head), so it may not be an issue for most people. Especially since I believe most will be using dongles otg with iems, for which the ka3 is more than sufficient.


----------



## Narayan23

senorx12562 said:


> Yeah, I understand the math. That's why I specified the source. But the difference in volume from a pc is marginal, but useful. Still not really sufficient though for music recorded at a low level or music with a broad dynamic range like a lot of classical. I tend to listen at pretty high volumes (according to anyone sitting across the room from my bobbing head), so it may not be an issue for most people. Especially since I believe most will be using dongles otg with iems, for which the ka3 is more than sufficient.


When you first posted about your Sundara´s not being driven adequately I found it hard to believe, and reading you post about it again made me rethink so I went to the Sundara thread, and there are people in it saying  a THX Onyx drives them well, whilst others say they need power (one or two watts minimum) and others are driving them out of their amplifiers´ speaker terminals which honestly felt like "Susvara Reloaded" and made me stop reading. I won´t doubt what you´re experiencing but if a €349 headphone needs that much power to sound properly something ain´t right over at Hifiman.


----------



## senorx12562

Narayan23 said:


> When you first posted about your Sundara´s not being driven adequately I found it hard to believe, and reading you post about it again made me rethink so I went to the Sundara thread, and there are people in it saying  a THX Onyx drives them well, whilst others say they need power (one or two watts minimum) and others are driving them out of their amplifiers´ speaker terminals which honestly felt like "Susvara Reloaded" and made me stop reading. I won´t doubt what you´re experiencing but if a €349 headphone needs that much power to sound properly something ain´t right over at Hifiman.


Here's the thing. While high impedance (like 250-300 ohms) make a set of cans harder to drive to a particular volume, they also present an easier load to the amplifier. Planar magnetic drivers in general tend to be low impedance/low sensitivity, (iirc, Sundara are like 37 ohm, 94db sensitivity, while my hd6xx are 300 ohm, and like 103db sensitivity and are a much easier load for an amp. With most amps, the higher impedance means the cans are seeing much less power at a given volume level. They end up at similar volumes at similar volume settings, but because of the lower impedance the Sundaras are seeing way more power (wattage). If the hd6xx was seeing the same amount of power it would be unbearably loud. I'm sure this is an oversimplification, and my understanding could be totally wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. When I was looking at the Sundaras, I knew hfm was full of schiit when they said they were suitable for use with a phone, so I wasn't surprised. I never use them away from home, so it isn't a big deal that they aren't great with a dongle. I think many planar cans are much worse though.


----------



## Alex Ulrik (Dec 23, 2021)

My KA3 makes a pop sound before and after playing anything on Windows and Android, on Mac is a double pop. Already tried changing cable and low gain. The pop is louder on higher sensitivity iems, should be very faint on anything with more than 32 ohms and 100 dB/mW. It keeps the same intensity on any volume leves. I saw the "POP sound elimination system" in the Fiio site showing the KA3 architecture, I wonder if that have anything to do with this issue. Am I missing something or my device has a hardware problem?


----------



## senorx12562

Alex Ulrik said:


> My KA3 makes a pop sound before and after playing anything on Windows and Android, on Mac is a double pop. Already tried changing cable and low gain. The pop is louder on higher sensitivity iems, should be very faint on anything with more than 32 ohms and 100 dB/mW. It keeps the same intensity on any volume leves. I saw the "POP sound elimination system" in the Fiio site showing the KA3 architecture, I wonder if that have anything to do with this issue. Am I missing something or my device has a hardware problem?


I cannot answer your question, but mine doesn't do this at all, w10 or Android. Is this before and after each song, or before playback begins, then after it ends but not between songs? Or does it only happen when the sample rate changes?


----------



## Dsnuts

Alex Ulrik said:


> My KA3 makes a pop sound before and after playing anything on Windows and Android, on Mac is a double pop. Already tried changing cable and low gain. The pop is louder on higher sensitivity iems, should be very faint on anything with more than 32 ohms and 100 dB/mW. It keeps the same intensity on any volume leves. I saw the "POP sound elimination system" in the Fiio site showing the KA3 architecture, I wonder if that have anything to do with this issue. Am I missing something or my device has a hardware problem?


Does your phone make a sound when you launch apps and change volume and such? Could be amplifying those sounds. You can turn off them sounds and see if that does the same thing. I had to turn off my sound notifications when using KA3 due a similar issue. Basically if your getting a notification via sounds on your hardware the KA3 will amplify that sound.


----------



## Nellie75

Anyone have succes using this dac with planars?  It can’t power the Hifiman Deva Pro I just got.  I’m using the 3.5” output and once I turn it up to 100% on my iPhone, I hear a loud click and then the song stops.  Then the DAC doesn’t work until I unplug it and reconnect again.


----------



## senorx12562

Nellie75 said:


> Anyone have succes using this dac with planars?  It can’t power the Hifiman Deva Pro I just got.  I’m using the 3.5” output and once I turn it up to 100% on my iPhone, I hear a loud click and then the song stops.  Then the DAC doesn’t work until I unplug it and reconnect again.


Sounds like you might be having an issue with the iPhone's current draw limitation, which iirc is 100ma. At least with some models. Not an Apple guy, but many dongle users have reported running into problems with this, with different results, sometimes it is obvious distortion, sometimes as you report. My only suggestion would be to play with your gain level and volume setting and see if some combo of settings will allow it to play. See above for a discussion re: Sundara/planars and dongles. Tldr; yes, planars can be a problem with dongles that rely on the source's battery.


----------



## Alex Ulrik

> senorx12562 said:
> 
> 
> > I cannot answer your question, but mine doesn't do this at all, w10 or Android. Is this before and after each song, or before playback begins, then after it ends but not between songs? Or does it only happen when the sample rate changes?


It happens with any audio, including system sounds and notifications, not just when playing music or videos. It doesn't happen between songs or videos if played immediately in sequence. The pop happens a few seconds later on YouTube for example, or when closing the window. I can hear it just by changing the system volume, so not affected by sample rate. Did you check with a very sensitive iem?


----------



## Alex Ulrik

Dsnuts said:


> Does your phone make a sound when you launch apps and change volume and such? Could be amplifying those sounds. You can turn off them sounds and see if that does the same thing. I had to turn off my sound notifications when using KA3 due a similar issue. Basically if your getting a notification via sounds on your hardware the KA3 will amplify that sound.


It pops on the phone whenever is supposed to make any sound, including system sounds, notifications and even unlocking. When there's no sound to make it won't pop. I have to say that on Android the pop is very faint, being more noticeable on Windows and specially on Mac. I wonder if its the USB source being more powerful making the pop louder.


----------



## Nellie75

senorx12562 said:


> Sounds like you might be having an issue with the iPhone's current draw limitation, which iirc is 100ma. At least with some models. Not an Apple guy, but many dongle users have reported running into problems with this, with different results, sometimes it is obvious distortion, sometimes as you report. *My only suggestion would be to play with your gain level and volume setting and see if some combo of settings will allow it to play.* See above for a discussion re: Sundara/planars and dongles. Tldr; yes, planars can be a problem with dongles that rely on the source's battery.


If only I could!  As an iPhone user I have no access to the settings in thr app.  From what I’ve heard, I’m at high gain by default.  

Maybe I need to find a better dac option for my iPhone.  I’m still in the return window.


----------



## senorx12562

Alex Ulrik said:


> It happens with any audio, including system sounds and notifications, not just when playing music or videos. It doesn't happen between songs or videos if played immediately in sequence. The pop happens a few seconds later on YouTube for example, or when closing the window. I can hear it just by changing the system volume, so not affected by sample rate. Did you check with a very sensitive iem?


Sorry, my most sensitive iem (dk3001 pro) is not really particularly so. But I definitely heard nothing with them, from my pc or phone/tablet. I do get some dropouts of the sound in toto once in a while from my laptops, but that happens with every dongle I have, and sometimes it is hours between occurrences. Happens once in a while even using the pc's internal sound. I presume it is unrelated to your issue.


----------



## Nellie75

Just wanted to confirm that the KA3 has no problem driving HD6XX (300ohm) on the balanced  output.  They actually sound great with even a little headroom.  It was too loud to want to go to 100%.  This is using an iPhone with a OTG cable.  

However the HifiMan Sundara or Deva (I tried the Deva Pro) do not work with an iPhone.


----------



## Nellie75

Would planars such as the Hifiman Sundara benefit at all from thr 4.4 balanced?  It provides more power but does that solve the issue with the Sundaras drawing to much from the iphone?


----------



## RuFrost (Jan 6, 2022)

Just received this amazing piece of gear!

1) Any advice on how to maximize it's sound quality from the laptop?
 win7, laptop, few different type-c cables, foobar. (currently use dsd KA3 output). 3.5 is better than 4.4 in those conditions.

using only earbuds. Currently: Toneking Viridis+Dunu DUW-03 (cable).

2) Is there any way to control KA3 identical to app fiio control on the Andr.? I want to use the same functions of the app on the laptop.


----------



## Dtagonkiva (Jan 6, 2022)

Dear @FiiO

Is i need to install KA3 PC driver from your website, if my laptop have knowing and installed the driver for KA3 Automatically??





My laptop is running windows 11
i Have trying using your PC Driver and find some issues:

1. Difference in loudness/volume, with your driver my ideal volume is 30 but with Automatic driver im just need 4 or 5

2. popping sound everytime anything produce sound like song and system notification tone its happen very often. with automatic driver its just happen when i start playing song

3.   Stuttering, with your PC Driver this is really happen often in the middle of song played. im using apple music web streaming. This is never happen with automatic driver

Hope any solution for this problem


----------



## FiiO

Dtagonkiva said:


> Dear @FiiO
> 
> Is i need to install KA3 PC driver from your website, if my laptop have knowing and installed the driver for KA3 Automatically??
> 
> ...


It may be a conflict of the PC driver and the KA3 driver. If the PC driver works better, please try to uninstall the KA3 driver for better compaibility. We will also report to the engineer for check.

Best regards


----------



## FiiO

RuFrost said:


> Just received this amazing piece of gear!
> 
> 1) Any advice on how to maximize it's sound quality from the laptop?
> win7, laptop, few different type-c cables, foobar. (currently use dsd KA3 output). 3.5 is better than 4.4 in those conditions.
> ...


Sorry that the KA3 could only be controlled via the FiiO Control Android version currently. 

Best regards


----------



## Alex Ulrik (Jan 7, 2022)

Dtagonkiva said:


> Dear @FiiO
> 
> Is i need to install KA3 PC driver from your website, if my laptop have knowing and installed the driver for KA3 Automatically??
> 
> ...


Thank you. I had the same issues with lower power/volume and popping all the time, uninstalled the Fiio driver and now everything works as supposed to.
It seems the driver is broken on Windows 11, suddenly it become a much superior dac. @FiiO needs to be aware of that and give proper instructions to consumers like me trying to get some support, Jade Audio Official Store couldn't offer any advice in the last 2 weeks since I asked.
The popping still happens on Mac and Android though.


----------



## Nas Volokin (Jan 7, 2022)

Alex Ulrik said:


> Thank you. I had the same issues with lower power/volume and popping all the time, uninstalled the driver and now everything works as supposed to.
> It seems the driver is broken on Windows 11, suddenly it become a much superior dac. @FiiO needs to be aware of that and give proper instructions to consumers like me trying to get some support, Jade Audio Official Store couldn't offer any advice in the last 2 weeks since I asked.
> The popping still happens on Mac and Android though.



Anyone faced the same issue on Win10? Actually I don't own the KA3 (just the BTR5) but I'm planning on getting it cause of the 4.4 mm jack
Does this popping sound occurs on Win10 after updating or is it just for Win11
So I'm torn between this and the Ibasso dc04 basicly cause that's the options for 4.4 from our local retailer. Which one would you recommend?


----------



## PhonoPhi

Nas Volokin said:


> Anyone faced the same issue on Win10? Actually I don't own the KA3 (just the BTR5) but I'm planning on getting it cause of the 4.4 mm jack
> Does this popping sound occurs on Win10 after updating or is it just for Win11
> So I'm torn between this and the Ibasso dc04 basicly cause that's the options for 4.4 from our local retailer. Which one would you recommend?


If 2.5 to 4.4 adapter (~$10) is not a right option, I would suggest Tempotec E44. DC04 is mired by compatibility issues and my unit had/has loose cables on both ends.


----------



## Nas Volokin

PhonoPhi said:


> If 2.5 to 4.4 adapter (~$10) is not a right option, I would suggest Tempotec E44. DC04 is mired by compatibility issues and my unit had/has loose cables on both ends.


Actually I did ordered Tempotec E44 and also had very bad experience with it lol. I did receive a brick, didn't work on any device I have and by experience I don't wanna go there again! I have BTR5 which is flawless on both Android and PC but since I have a 4.4 adapter on my FD5 I really wanted to try it! But since KA3 uses same ESS chip or similar I wanted to check the DC04 instead cause it houses the CS dac. I don't know if that makes a huge difference. About the loose cables it's probably a defective unit you received (like me with E44) I'll probably go with the DC04 and if something's wrong I'll just return it and have the KA3 then


----------



## PhonoPhi (Jan 7, 2022)

Nas Volokin said:


> Actually I did ordered Tempotec E44 and also had very bad experience with it lol. I did receive a brick, didn't work on any device I have and by experience I don't wanna go there again! I have BTR5 which is flawless on both Android and PC but since I have a 4.4 adapter on my FD5 I really wanted to try it! But since KA3 uses same ESS chip or similar I wanted to check the DC04 instead cause it houses the CS dac. I don't know if that makes a huge difference. About the loose cables it's probably a defective unit you received (like me with E44) I'll probably go with the DC04 and if something's wrong I'll just return it and have the KA3 then


So far, I had the best experience with Tempotec (HD pro, BHD, E44, V1A), but anything can happen,  true
Before getting E44, I thought that DC04 can be  a smarter cheaper option. The sound is indeed close to E44, and is nice and euphonic on DC04. A loose unit inside is systemic for DC04, I would think, but it is not overly crucial; making it work with Samsung phones is much more annoying. After my experience with dongles, I won't buy any iBasso, Shanling and Hiby products - makes it simpler


----------



## Nas Volokin

Well after all I changed my mind and placed an order for KA3 instead lol! Some comments and videos on the internet made me think Fiio is what I need and it is a fantastic company with great products. I already have 3 Fiio products and I have been so happy with them so far. So I think this KA3 will be a great addition to my collection


----------



## BoomBap08

@FiiO please, please, please, fix & update both the Fiio Control app & the Fiio Music app. Both have their own frustrating bugs.

Fiio Control - the digital filters doesn't always reflect your desired option even if you push it multiple times (for example. I choose sharp roll off then exit the app. next time I open the app, the filter reverts back to apodizing.) Using this control app & choosing the filter I want is like playing a russian roulette. You'll never know when you'll get it right or wrong. You have to go back & forth--opening & exiting the app--& head straight to the filter section to rightfully choose the option I want.

Fiio Music - every track I play, whether I literally choose the file randomly or just automatically, sequentially let the files play itself, there's always a couple of seconds (2-4 seconds I think) that skips at the start of each & every song.

The device is already good. Durably made. Soundwise & tonal presentation? Fkn fantastic. But your companion apps? Mygoodnes. Infuriatingly BAD.

Again, for the love of good music, @FiiO , get your sht straight & fix these two apps.

Calmly & respectfully requesting.
Good day. 🙂


----------



## Ultrainferno

Today we check out he KA3 on Headfonia, an article by @nanotechnos 

https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-ka3-review/


----------



## FiiO Kang

BoomBap08 said:


> @FiiO please, please, please, fix & update both the Fiio Control app & the Fiio Music app. Both have their own frustrating bugs.
> 
> Fiio Control - the digital filters doesn't always reflect your desired option even if you push it multiple times (for example. I choose sharp roll off then exit the app. next time I open the app, the filter reverts back to apodizing.) Using this control app & choosing the filter I want is like playing a russian roulette. You'll never know when you'll get it right or wrong. You have to go back & forth--opening & exiting the app--& head straight to the filter section to rightfully choose the option I want.
> 
> ...


Is there a problem when connecting to KA3?


----------



## BoomBap08

FiiO Kang said:


> Is there a problem when connecting to KA3?


Nope, plug & play as it should be on my phone. @FiiO only bombed on their two companion apps.


----------



## Nas Volokin (Jan 11, 2022)

Hey guys I received my Fiio KA3 today, so far happy with it using its 4.4 connector.
Just a question though at what volumes do you listen on Windows pc, cause I have installed the driver update from Fiio's site and the volumes on my pc are 50+
Still the sound is somehow not very high
I use FD5 at 32ohms with 4.4 and the volumes goes between 50-60, with 3.5 goes a little above 
Another closed headphones rated again 32ohms with 3.5 and I'm listening now at 80 volume and its not that high!
Is this a common problem or is it driver related?


----------



## Nas Volokin (Jan 11, 2022)

Okay I think I figure it out myself: had to put in on High Gain through Fiio App although is still not quite that high at volumes compared to my BTR5!
Comparing it to the later I think KA3 has a touch cleaner sound, holographic and spacious! The bass doesn't sound particularly different just clean and accurate!
The mids are on par and the highs well presentented. I just wished it had more loudness as BTR5 but I do find it a bit improved over it.
The cons: The Fiio app doesn't seem to remember any changes regarding lowpass filter (hope that can be improved over update). Switching from low to high gain seems to have some effect over the loudness but not as in BTR5. Unexpectedly heating of the device in High gain is less than in Low (which was stated somewhere in Fiio's own website)
Nevertheless, this device is great overall and it does what it's intended. Highly recommended


----------



## Dtagonkiva

Nas Volokin said:


> Okay I think I figure it out myself: had to put in on High Impendence through Fiio App although is still not quite that high at volumes compared to my BTR5!
> Comparing it to the later I think KA3 has a touch cleaner sound, holographic and spacious! The bass doesn't sound particularly different just clean and accurate!
> The mids are on par and the highs well presentented. I just wished it had more loudness as BTR5 but I do find it a bit improved over it.
> The cons: The Fiio app doesn't seem to remember any changes regarding lowpass filter (hope that can be improved over update). Switching from low to high gain seems to have some effect over the loudness but not as in BTR5. Unexpectedly heating of the device in High gain is less than in Low (which was stated somewhere in Fiio's own website)
> Nevertheless, this device is great overall and it does what it's intended. Highly recommended


Try uninstall FIIO driver from your Windows laptop


----------



## Alex Ulrik (Jan 11, 2022)

Nas Volokin said:


> Hey guys I received my Fiio KA3 today, so far happy with it using its 4.4 connector.
> Just a question though at what volumes do you listen on Windows pc, cause I have installed the driver update from Fiio's site and the volumes on my pc are 50+
> Still the sound is somehow not very high
> I use FD5 at 32ohms with 4.4 and the volumes goes between 50-60, with 3.5 goes a little above
> ...


I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
@FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


----------



## Nellie75

Alex Ulrik said:


> I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
> I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
> @FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


What is the driver version?  Mine says "driver up to date" but my Kbear Lightning dongle is louder than the KA3's 3.5mm at the same volume on my iPhone.


----------



## Nas Volokin

Alex Ulrik said:


> I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
> I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
> @FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


I'll try that but I don't have that popping sound you just described


----------



## Nas Volokin

Nellie75 said:


> What is the driver version?  Mine says "driver up to date" but my Kbear Lightning dongle is louder than the KA3's 3.5mm at the same volume on my iPhone.


That driver is for windows and it's their latest posted in the website https://www.fiio.com/driver_download
I don't think Iphone or Android phone issue in that matter can be resolved by the update. I also noticed it slightly quiet than my BTR5 on Xiaomi mi 10


----------



## senorx12562 (Jan 11, 2022)

Alex Ulrik said:


> I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
> I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
> @FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


What driver did you use on windows after uninstalling it? Btw, I have not experienced the popping thing at all.


Nas Volokin said:


> That driver is for windows and it's their latest posted in the website https://www.fiio.com/driver_download
> I don't think Iphone or Android phone issue in that matter can be resolved by the update. I also noticed it slightly quiet than my BTR5 on Xiaomi mi 10


Not sure it is helpful to compare a dongle like the ka3, or any other dongle w/o it's own power source like a battery, to a bt dongle especially when the source is a portable device with the inherent limits they impose on current available for external devices. That's not to say that there isn't a problem with the fiio windows driver as well, though I haven't experienced a problem myself.


----------



## Alex Ulrik (Jan 11, 2022)

senorx12562 said:


> What driver did you use on windows after uninstalling it? Btw, I have not experienced the popping thing at all.
> 
> Not sure it is helpful to compare a dongle like the ka3, or any other dongle w/o it's own power source like a battery) to a bt dongle especially when the source is a portable device with the inherent limits they impose on current available for external devices. That's not to say that there isn't a problem with the fiio windows driver as well, though I haven't experienced a problem myself.


Windows 11 automatically installed the Microsoft USB Audio 2.0 driver.
The popping sound is very faint with less sensitive devices, and maybe a hardware issue with my particular unit unfortunately. Can't know for sure if @FiiO won't even talk to me properly.
I held them to a higher standard than other chi-fi companies, I guess I was wrong.


----------



## Nellie75

Nas Volokin said:


> That driver is for windows and it's their latest posted in the website https://www.fiio.com/driver_download
> I don't think Iphone or Android phone issue in that matter can be resolved by the update. I also noticed it slightly quiet than my BTR5 on Xiaomi mi 10


I assumed the windows driver would update the KA3 and that it would then use that new driver for other sources as well, like android or ios.  I guess not.

I can change settings in the Fiio Control App when the KA3 is connected to android.  I assumed those settings (like hi-gain or lo-gain) would also be used when using the KA3 with an iPhone.


----------



## senorx12562

Nellie75 said:


> I assumed the windows driver would update the KA3 and that it would then use that new driver for other sources as well, like android or ios.  I guess not.
> 
> I can change settings in the Fiio Control App when the KA3 is connected to android.  I assumed those settings (like hi-gain or lo-gain) would also be used when using the KA3 with an iPhone.


My understanding was that the gain setting should stay at whichever setting was chosen in the android app even across different source devices, until and unless the setting is changed in the Android app. I honestly don't think I would get the ka3 (or maybe a dongle of any kind w/o a battery) if I was an apple guy.  The lack of an app for ios would just be the final straw.


----------



## Nas Volokin (Jan 11, 2022)

senorx12562 said:


> Not sure it is helpful to compare a dongle like the ka3, or any other dongle w/o it's own power source like a battery) to a bt dongle especially when the source is a portable device with the inherent limits they impose on current available for external devices. That's not to say that there isn't a problem with the fiio windows driver as well, though I haven't experienced a problem myself.


OK but I use my BTR5 almost non stop wired so it's getting it's power from the source and what this has to do with dongle's loudness?
Dude, uninstalling the Fiio driver actually made the loudness not 2 but 5 times bigger with me lol. It's like before I listened to 55-60 volume on Windows and now 10!!! Huge change


----------



## Amber Rain

@FiiO 
+ anyone else...

Hi, new KA3 owner here!

I am having difficulty in installing Fiio Control App on my Fiio M9 (it is the only android device I have at the moment - I have a Windows 10 PC, but from what I understand you cannot change the settings using this). The Fiio Control app file won't load / stage, is there something I can do to make it work?

I bought the device mainly for use with my iPhone and Mac and I would like to alter the gain / impedance settings on the KA3. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


----------



## senorx12562

Nas Volokin said:


> OK but I use my BTR5 almost non stop wired so it's getting it's power from the source and what this has to do with dongle's loudness?


Happy for you. Like mine too. As for your question, whether the dongle has to pull current from the source device's battery has everything to do with how loud it will get, not to mention various kinds of artifacts or distortion due to a limit on the amount of current available from a mobile source, especially iPhone. This has been discussed ad nauseum here and in other threads about this class of device.


----------



## senorx12562

Amber Rain said:


> @FiiO
> + anyone else...
> 
> Hi, new KA3 owner here!
> ...


My guess is that the version of Android the m9 runs is not supported by the app, but fiio certainly should know.


----------



## Alex Ulrik

Nas Volokin said:


> Dude, uninstalling the Fiio driver actually made the loudness not 2 but 5 times bigger with me lol. It's like before I listened to 55-60 volume on Windows and now 10!!! Huge change


I might have understated lol
It's several times louder, I had to change to low gain and set volume limit.


----------



## Nas Volokin

senorx12562 said:


> Happy for you. Like mine too. As for your question, whether the dongle has to pull current from the source device's battery has everything to do with how loud it will get, not to mention various kinds of artifacts or distortion due to a limit on the amount of current available from a mobile source, especially iPhone. This has been discussed ad nauseum here and in other threads about this class of device.


OK I might agree to your logic although I never read anything about it so let's assume it's correct!
The thing is I'm happy that I removed the Fiio driver and revert it to Windows one so now it plays even louder than BTR5 so thats a good thing in my book
As for Android I'm pleased with how it is


----------



## senorx12562 (Jan 11, 2022)

Nas Volokin said:


> OK I might agree to your logic although I never read anything about it so let's assume it's correct!
> The thing is I'm happy that I removed the Fiio driver and revert it to Windows one so now it plays even louder than BTR5 so thats a good thing in my book
> As for Android I'm pleased with how it is


I'm sure someone at fiio will know, but I believe the only time the btr5 draws current from the source device is when it is set to charge. If it is not set to charge, I believe the power to amplify the signal is from the btr5's battery, even if wired. I tried using the generic windows driver instead of the fiio driver for windows (jrmc allows one to choose which driver to use) and noticed no difference in volume (at 80%). But the change in volume in that last 20% is huge, at least with a high-sensitivity/low impedance on-ear set of cans (senn Momentum on-ear). But no matter which driver I use, a song recorded at a low level combined with my Sundaras is not loud enough at 100%. But this is also true with the W2 and the btr5, so I don't see it as a bug, but rather an attempt to pair devices that are only marginally compatible. Actually, the m11pro isn't much better driving the Sundaras. But if one listens mostly to music recorded in the last 15-20 years, one might not even notice a problem.


----------



## Nas Volokin

OK I'm not using that high sensitive earphones , mines are 32Ohms but difference with windows driver is huge. I currently reverted to version 10.0.19041.1 (06/12/2019) and it sound louder than anything I threw at it before


----------



## FiiO

Amber Rain said:


> @FiiO
> + anyone else...
> 
> Hi, new KA3 owner here!
> ...


Dear friend,

Please check whether you have remove the whitelist limitation in the M9 first:
You can go to "Settings -> General > About device" and tap 7 times on 'Kernel version' to remove the limitation,and then reboot the player. After that you will be able to install any third-party apps
FiiO Control 2.6 version download link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EAMRMRhLbNAung5n8xDCfvYNaapPX0mI/view

How to install the app:
You can copy the apk file of the qualified app to the M9, then open the File Management app, locate and click on the apk file to install it.






Best regards


----------



## Enmor39

Amber Rain said:


> @FiiO
> + anyone else...
> 
> Hi, new KA3 owner here!
> ...


Hi I've successfully installed on my M9. Installed version 2.6 apk from https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17 Transfer apk to internal storage of M9 and then click on the apk file in the M9's File Management app which will then stage the app. This version works with the ka3 on the M9


----------



## FiiO

Alex Ulrik said:


> I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
> I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
> @FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


Dear friend,

Thanks for the kind feedback. 
Currently, we have got to learn that some computer is having conflict with the USB DAC driver with KA3 and we are trying to improve. 
As for the volume, the DAC driver of the computer has different volume levels comparing with the KA3's. Our driver has more detailed volume level in low volume. But acutally, the total output power is same. 
 The popping sound issue has been reported to the enigineers and now the beta firmware is being tested still. We will releasded the new firmware when it is stable. 

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

Alex Ulrik said:


> I had the same problem and it was definitely driver related. Uninstalled the Fiio driver and suddenly had more than double the power/volume.
> I wonder how many people buying the KA3 are thinking it's a weak dongle because of that.
> @FiiO needs to address that issue. They still haven't proposed a solution to me about the popping sound after one month. Pretty disappointing customer support.


After installing the KA3 driver, when you hear the sound decrease, it's not because the driver reduces the total power output. Just the volume adjustment curve is different.


----------



## FiiO Kang

After installing the driver, the volume adjustment curve is more in line with the listening sensation. For example, the Default Windowns volume adjustment curve can be very loud after only a few steps, which is not friendly to some highly sensitive earphones.


----------



## Amber Rain

Enmor39 said:


> Hi I've successfully installed on my M9. Installed version 2.6 apk from https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17 Transfer apk to internal storage of M9 and then click on the apk file in the M9's File Management app which will then stage the app. This version works with the ka3 on the M9





FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Please check whether you have remove the whitelist limitation in the M9 first:
> You can go to "Settings -> General > About device" and tap 7 times on 'Kernel version' to remove the limitation,and then reboot the player. After that you will be able to install any third-party apps
> ...


Thanks, it works now and I've made the adjustments👍


----------



## HiFiRobot

Andromeda (2019 version) balanced 4.4mm from the Fiio KA3. Gets loud very quickly even on low gain from the Fiio. The 2019 Andromedas are 112.8 dB / 12.8ohm so KA3 on high sens low z earphones not optimal volume-wise. But I like how they sound together. The newer Andromedas are 94db/12.8ohm, probably better for the quite powerful KA3. Cable is TRI Trough 4-core 5N SPC.


----------



## BoomBap08

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Thanks for the kind feedback.
> Currently, we have got to learn that some computer is having conflict with the USB DAC driver with KA3 and we are trying to improve.
> ...


@FiiO My guy, how about your Fiio Control & Fiio Music apps? Any plans on fixing that stuff?

🙃


----------



## Nas Volokin

FiiO Kang said:


> After installing the driver, the volume adjustment curve is more in line with the listening sensation. For example, the Default Windowns volume adjustment curve can be very loud after only a few steps, which is not friendly to some highly sensitive earphones.


Actually that makes sense! I decided to go back to Fiio driver cause I don't want accidental volume increase that could make my eardrums explode lol


----------



## Alex Ulrik

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Thanks for the kind feedback.
> Currently, we have got to learn that some computer is having conflict with the USB DAC driver with KA3 and we are trying to improve.
> ...


Thank you @FiiO for clarifying the volume issue. I understand the usability improvement in this case, although it makes the KA3 seems underpowered when comparing to other devices.
I hope the firmware update fixes the popping sound, I was almost convinced it was a hardware issue. I don't know if it's related to some power saving configuration, but it goes away when sound is always on. Perhaps just an option to turn off power saving on the Fiio app would be enough if this is the case.


----------



## senorx12562

Alex Ulrik said:


> Thank you @FiiO for clarifying the volume issue. I understand the usability improvement in this case, although it makes the KA3 seems underpowered when comparing to other devices.
> I hope the firmware update fixes the popping sound, I was almost convinced it was a hardware issue. I don't know if it's related to some power saving configuration, but it goes away when sound is always on. Perhaps just an option to turn off power saving on the Fiio app would be enough if this is the case.


That would potentially explain why my experience is different. Perhaps my pc does not have the feature that is causing the reduced volume when used with Fiio's Windows driver. Or maybe JRMC defeats it?


----------



## FiiO Kang

Alex Ulrik said:


> Thank you @FiiO for clarifying the volume issue. I understand the usability improvement in this case, although it makes the KA3 seems underpowered when comparing to other devices.
> I hope the firmware update fixes the popping sound, I was almost convinced it was a hardware issue. I don't know if it's related to some power saving configuration, but it goes away when sound is always on. Perhaps just an option to turn off power saving on the Fiio app would be enough if this is the case.


I was wondering if you'd like to help me with the internal beta. Private message if you can.


----------



## FiiO Kang

senorx12562 said:


> That would potentially explain why my experience is different. Perhaps my pc does not have the feature that is causing the reduced volume when used with Fiio's Windows driver. Or maybe JRMC defeats it?


The reduction in volume has nothing to do with power consumption.


----------



## senorx12562

FiiO Kang said:


> The reduction in volume has nothing to do with power consumption.


OK. I actually haven't noticed a difference in volume between your Windows driver and the w10 audio driver, at least with JRMC. That was the whole point of the post.


----------



## FiiO

FiiO Kang said:


> Is there a problem when connecting to KA3?





BoomBap08 said:


> Nope, plug & play as it should be on my phone. @FiiO only bombed on their two companion apps.





BoomBap08 said:


> @FiiO My guy, how about your Fiio Control & Fiio Music apps? Any plans on fixing that stuff?
> 
> 🙃


Dear friend,

So which product are you having problem when using with our apps?

Best regards


----------



## BoomBap08

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> So which product are you having problem when using with our apps?
> 
> Best regards


Yoooo, finally! Thank you for responding @FiiO ! Much love, my guy! ✊😂

Only the KA3.

Just to reiterate, these are the problems with FIIO CONTROL & FIIO MUSIC apps:

Fiio Control - the digital filters doesn't always reflect your desired option even if you push it multiple times (for example. I choose sharp roll off then exit the app. next time I open the app, the filter reverts back to apodizing.) Using this control app & choosing the filter I want is like playing a russian roulette. You'll never know when you'll get it right or wrong. You have to go back & forth--opening & exiting the app--& head straight to the filter section to rightfully choose the option I want.

Fiio Music - every track I play, whether I literally choose the file randomly or just automatically, sequentially let the files play itself, there's always a couple of seconds (2-4 seconds I think) that skips at the start of each & every song.


----------



## FiiO Kang

BoomBap08 said:


> Yoooo, finally! Thank you for responding @FiiO ! Much love, my guy! ✊😂
> 
> Only the KA3.
> 
> ...


What version of FiiO Control do you use?


----------



## BoomBap08

FiiO Kang said:


> What version of FiiO Control do you use?


I have the latest versions for both apps.

Fiio Control - 2.6
Fiio Music - 3.0.8


----------



## BoomBap08 (Jan 19, 2022)

Okay, okaaay, @FiiO @FiiO Kang 
I see y'all! Big ups on the fast response, my guys! Y'all stayed true to your words. Mad props! Thank you! ✊😘

(PS. My incessant nagging really worked 😂😅. Click on the attachments to see the update on Fiio Control. The filters & every option finally reflects the correct user-defined settings.)


----------



## Ichos

My new reference USB DAC dongle.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-jade-audio-ka3-dac-amp.25575/review/27748/

Amazing performance, the price is a steal.


----------



## adriansticoid

BoomBap08 said:


> Okay, okaaay, @FiiO @FiiO Kang
> I see y'all! Big ups on the fast response, my guys! Y'all stayed true to your words. Mad props! Thank you! ✊😘
> 
> (PS. My incessant nagging really worked 😂😅. Click on the attachments to see the update on Fiio Control. The filters & every option finally reflects the correct user-defined settings.)


How did you get this update? I only got 2.6


----------



## BoomBap08

adriansticoid said:


> How did you get this update? I only got 2.6


I just updated it through the Chinese app store. But upon checking it rn, the 2.8 is also released in the playstore.


----------



## FiiO

adriansticoid said:


> How did you get this update? I only got 2.6


Dear friend,

You could find 2.8 FiiO Control from the app store or from our forum: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17

*Android version 2.8 download link:* Click here

Changes and improvements about new FiiO Control APP are as follows :

1. A new FiiO Control with a big overall upgrade on visual design and UI interactions;

2. Added app controlling of FiiO K9 Pro ESS;

3. Miscellaneous improvements.

Best regards


----------



## senorx12562

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> You could find 2.8 FiiO Control from the app store or from our forum: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17
> 
> ...



2.8 will not install on my Android 11 tablet (Tab S6 Lite) from the link above or Play store, so I guess 2.6 it is.


----------



## Narayan23

senorx12562 said:


> 2.8 will not install on my Android 11 tablet (Tab S6 Lite) from the link above or Play store, so I guess 2.6 it is.


I have the same problem, the Play Store shows version 2.6 so no solution there either, these updates should be available on Google Play just like every other app is and not just the Fiio forums.


----------



## Ichos (Jan 21, 2022)

Same here.
Google play is 2.60.

The link above is 2.80.



In order to successfully install, you have to uninstall the previous version.


----------



## BoomBap08

senorx12562 said:


> 2.8 will not install on my Android 11 tablet (Tab S6 Lite) from the link above or Play store, so I guess 2.6 it is.





Narayan23 said:


> I have the same problem, the Play Store shows version 2.6 so no solution there either, these updates should be available on Google Play just like every other app is and not just the Fiio forums.


If you have a way to access the chinese app store or maybe the "getapps" app, the 2.8 ver. is available there.


----------



## adriansticoid

FiiO seemed to have changed the app signature of 2.8 so it won't install on top of 2.6, uninstalling 2.6 first is the way to go.


----------



## Narayan23

adriansticoid said:


> FiiO seemed to have changed the app signature of 2.8 so it won't install on top of 2.6, uninstalling 2.6 first is the way to go.


Just did that and version 2.8 from the link above installed OK, thank you.


----------



## Nas Volokin

Narayan23 said:


> Just did that and version 2.8 from the link above installed OK, thank you.


Yeap me too but apart from relatively new interface I don't see much of improvement regarding KA3! 
At least before the app didn't recognize any changes made to filters, gain, etc. hope they fix it now!
Also, those filters don't make any changes to the sound at least to my years (definitely not like in BTR5, which is noticeable)


----------



## Ichos

Nas Volokin said:


> Yeap me too but apart from relatively new interface I don't see much of improvement regarding KA3!
> At least before the app didn't recognize any changes made to filters, gain, etc. hope they fix it now!
> Also, those filters don't make any changes to the sound at least to my years (definitely not like in BTR5, which is noticeable)


Low pass filters make barely noticeable changes if any.
They are applied to the time domain and you have to listen very carefully to tell them apart.


----------



## stylus75

Anyone have success connecting to an iOS device with Fiio lt-tc1? Only my BTR5 2021 works with the IOS device running 12.5.5. I hear no sound from connected IEM on the KA3.

Obviously no problems on Android etc.


----------



## Amber Rain

stylus75 said:


> Anyone have success connecting to an iOS device with Fiio lt-tc1? Only my BTR5 2021 works with the IOS device running 12.5.5. I hear no sound from connected IEM on the KA3.
> 
> Obviously no problems on Android etc.


Yes, no problem with my iPhone with my KA3 and LT TC1.


----------



## RezLyfe80

stylus75 said:


> Anyone have success connecting to an iOS device with Fiio lt-tc1? Only my BTR5 2021 works with the IOS device running 12.5.5. I hear no sound from connected IEM on the KA3.
> 
> Obviously no problems on Android etc.


Couldn't get mine to work on my 12 mini, but works just fine on my M1 iPad Pro


----------



## chinaman8

Amber Rain said:


> Yes, no problem with my iPhone with my KA3 and LT TC1.


Which lightning cable
Does not connect to my iphone 12 pro


----------



## Amber Rain (Jan 22, 2022)

This one, USB C to Lightning. 

I'm using it with an iPhone XR.


----------



## Nellie75

chinaman8 said:


> Which lightning cable
> Does not connect to my iphone 12 pro


I use this.  If there are others of better quality, please provide the link.

USB C DAC OTG Cable 0.5ft/15cm for iPhone/iPad/iPod Oxygen-free Copper Core, iOS15 to Type C Male Adaptor for Amplifier, Fiio BTR 5 Q3S BTR3K, qudelix 5k, xd-05 Plus, HIDIZS S9 PRO, Shanling UA2 13Pro https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KLXYQD...t_i_1EWPAAT7HZ88QWCP82E2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## FiiO (Jan 24, 2022)

The new firmware V2.0 for FiiO KA3 is now available!








*Updated on 2022-01-24

Changes and improvements about new firmware are as follows :*

1.Added memory function for turning indicator light off; (You could switch indicator light option between Turn off(until device restart) and Turn off(always) via Android version FiiO Control APP. Turn off(until device restart):Turn off the indicator light for now and turn it on again after the device restarts; Turn off(always): Keep turning off the indicator light until the setting changes.)

2.Added dynamic power policy adjustment function; (With this enabled,the system will dynamically adjust the power policy according to the playback sampling rates,so when playing tracks with lower sampling rates, the power consumption and heat generation will be effectively reduced.

3.Added hardware mute switch function; (The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.)

Note: Please update the APP to latest version in order to use this new functions in KA3(FiiO Control APP V2.8/FiiO Music APP V3.0.9)


Firmware download link: click here

How to upgrade the KA3: Click here


----------



## spv82

Is there a way to upgrade firmware without Windows?


----------



## Amber Rain

spv82 said:


> Is there a way to upgrade firmware without Windows?


If you have a FiiO / Android music player you could use that (I used my FiiO M9), otherwise no...


----------



## Atek2019 (Jan 24, 2022)

Sorry my bad... Please ignore or delete this post, thks


----------



## adriansticoid

Amber Rain said:


> If you have a FiiO / Android music player you could use that (I used my FiiO M9), otherwise no...


How?


----------



## FiiO Kang

spv82 said:


> Is there a way to upgrade firmware without Windows?


Sorry, only on Windows


----------



## FiiO Kang

FiiO said:


> The new firmware V2.0 for FiiO KA3 is now available!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Please disconnect other USB devices connected to your computer before upgrading. Do not power off during the process.


----------



## Dtagonkiva

FiiO said:


> The new firmware V2.0 for FiiO KA3 is now available!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cant access the link for downloading the firmware


Spoiler: Screenshot


----------



## adriansticoid

Anyone have the firmware file? Can't seem to download from FiiO's link.


----------



## FiiO Kang

adriansticoid said:


> Anyone have the firmware file? Can't seem to download from FiiO's link.


Just a moment, please. Disconnect other devices before upgrading.


----------



## adriansticoid

FiiO Kang said:


> Just a moment, please. Disconnect other devices before upgrading.


Still can't access.


----------



## FiiO Kang

adriansticoid said:


> Still can't access.


I'll send it to you first.


----------



## threegr

Same thing happening to me. Can you set Google Drive folder to public sharing?


----------



## FiiO

threegr said:


> Same thing happening to me. Can you set Google Drive folder to public sharing?


Dear friend,

Now the link is working. You could download the firmware file. 
How to upgrade the firmware for KA3?​*Please disconnect other players or USB DAC from the computer before updating the firmware!*
1.Download the KA3 firmware files and upgrade tool: click here





2.Install the USB DAC driver for KA3(Click here) in the Windows computer




3.Connect the KA3 to Windows computer, and run 'Fiio_Tool_V1.01'. 
After 'Find Device FiiO KA3' shows, click 'start' and the firmware will update automatically;




4.When 'Firmware update success!' shows, the upgrade is finished;





5.You could connect the KA3 to your Android mobile phone and adjust the options for KA3 via the FiiO Control APP now. (How to control the KA3 via the FiiO Control APP in Android mobile phone: Click here)

Best regards


----------



## Foogley (Jan 29, 2022)

@FiiO hello! I read in comments on your website that FiiO Control App has impedance settings mixed up. The person there is saying that Low is actually High, and High is Low. Can you check it?

https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201505087366118&tid=77


Also If I don't listen to anything for a while it just stops working when I try to play music, so I have to re-plug it into my PC.


----------



## Foogley (Jan 28, 2022)

When I do the sound test in windows sometimes the first sound fades in and the second sound is played normally. There has to be an option to have constant streaming. Some notification sounds are so short they don't even turn on KA3 (or whatever happens to it that it doesn't play short sounds after complete silence). 

Removed driver from Windows 11, now KA3 became MUCH MUCH louder. (with driver 60% was getting loud, now it's pretty loud at 10% windows volume).


----------



## FiiO

Foogley said:


> @FiiO hello! I read in comments on your website that FiiO Control App has impedance settings mixed up. The person there is saying that Low is actually High, and High is Low. Can you check it?
> 
> https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201505087366118&tid=77
> 
> ...


Dear friend,

We will report to the engineer for checking about that again when we are back to work after Chines New year holiday.

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

Foogley said:


> When I do the sound test in windows sometimes the first sound fades in and the second sound is played normally. There has to be an option to have constant streaming. Some notification sounds are so short they don't even turn on KA3 (or whatever happens to it that it doesn't play short sounds after complete silence).
> 
> Removed driver from Windows 11, now KA3 became MUCH MUCH louder. (with driver 60% was getting loud, now it's pretty loud at 10% windows volume).


1, You can upgrade the V2.0 firmware. Turn off the mute.

2, This is just the volume curve is different, after installing the driver curve can be adjusted more appropriately.


----------



## Foogley

FiiO Kang said:


> 1, You can upgrade the V2.0 firmware. Turn off the mute.
> 
> 2, This is just the volume curve is different, after installing the driver curve can be adjusted more appropriately.


1. I did upgrade and turned the mute off right away. Now I turned the mute switch on and the sounds stopped fading in but the clicking/popping sound returned. I think the ON is OFF and OFF is ON? What. 

2. Ok that's understandable.


----------



## FiiO Kang

Foogley said:


> 1. I did upgrade and turned the mute off right away. Now I turned the mute switch on and the sounds stopped fading in but the clicking/popping sound returned. I think the ON is OFF and OFF is ON? What.
> 
> 2. Ok that's understandable.


Hardware mute switch=OFF. The sound will go directly to the earphones. There will be no delay time to suppress POP. So " the sounds stopped fading "


----------



## Foogley

FiiO Kang said:


> Hardware mute switch=OFF. The sound will go directly to the earphones. There will be no delay time to suppress POP. So " the sounds stopped fading "


Yes, but in my case it's the other way around. ON = OFF and OFF = ON. I have no idea why.


----------



## agobe

Similar to reports from other users here (and a number on Amazon), I've been experiencing *loud* props and crackles, as well as connection losses, intermittently when using the KA3 with my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Android 11)... I returned the unit last week and received a replacement yesterday, but today I am experiencing exactly the same popping and clicking. The problem so far has only occurred when the DAC is connected to my phone (laptop seems fine)... However, I previously thought the issue was completely random, but then I noticed the crackles/pops occurred consistently at very specific places, for example a certain corner of a shop near me, part of a bridge I walk over every day, and a corridor in my office. Could it be interference that the KA3 is poor at handling?. The pops and cracks are very loud and uncomfortable, and don't cease until I walk a good distance from where they originated... N.B. I use Qobuz and haven't tried local files yet, but I only listen to downloaded/offline Qobuz albums/playlists due to my commute, so that shouldn't be a problem, should it?... I also own a Topping NX4DSD which I've used solidly for a year, in the all the same places, and I've never had a single issue with that at all... I really hope this is resolvable, otherwise it'll have to go back. It really is an unpleasant sound.


----------



## andjayik

Would'nt the built in dac on let's say a S10 be sufficient enough? Just trying to figure out adding another dac to a phone?


----------



## FiiO Kang

agobe said:


> Similar to reports from other users here (and a number on Amazon), I've been experiencing *loud* props and crackles, as well as connection losses, intermittently when using the KA3 with my Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Android 11)... I returned the unit last week and received a replacement yesterday, but today I am experiencing exactly the same popping and clicking. The problem so far has only occurred when the DAC is connected to my phone (laptop seems fine)... However, I previously thought the issue was completely random, but then I noticed the crackles/pops occurred consistently at very specific places, for example a certain corner of a shop near me, part of a bridge I walk over every day, and a corridor in my office. Could it be interference that the KA3 is poor at handling?. The pops and cracks are very loud and uncomfortable, and don't cease until I walk a good distance from where they originated... N.B. I use Qobuz and haven't tried local files yet, but I only listen to downloaded/offline Qobuz albums/playlists due to my commute, so that shouldn't be a problem, should it?... I also own a Topping NX4DSD which I've used solidly for a year, in the all the same places, and I've never had a single issue with that at all... I really hope this is resolvable, otherwise it'll have to go back. It really is an unpleasant sound.


Is your KA3 working in Exclusive USB Audio Access Mode？ If so, try it out in normal mode. And tell me what happened.


----------



## agobe

FiiO Kang said:


> Is your KA3 working in Exclusive USB Audio Access Mode？ If so, try it out in normal mode. And tell me what happened.


Thanks for the reply. I'm using the Qobuz app, which (I'm pretty sure) doesn't have exclusive USB access.


----------



## alialex

hello everyone, first post here (apologize for my english and mistakes).
I have just own a fiio ka3. I use Qobuz with hi-res streaming. My goal is to send the music in past-through mode as most as possible to the dac. I use a windows 10 laptop (dell latitude 5400) and android phone (fairphone 3). 
I have upgrade the ka3 firmware and use the fiio usb driver.
My questions/problems now 
 * in windows, in the qobuz application, I use the wasapi (exclusive mode). I have some scratch and sometimes blank (1sec) in the music => very annoying, the qobuz team has check things and will come back to me with informations.
 * in android, the ka3 light is always yellow, even if the music is 16bits 44,1khz => that means there is a modification in the stream.
Do you have any idea with this 2 cases ?


----------



## Foogley

alialex said:


> * in windows, in the qobuz application, I use the wasapi (exclusive mode). I have some scratch and sometimes blank (1sec) in the music => very annoying, the qobuz team has check things and will come back to me with informations.


My KA3 does this too, the sound just turns off for a second during games/music


----------



## overcom3

in windows 11, max format just show 32 bit, 384 khz. it is normal?


----------



## FiiO Kang

alialex said:


> hello everyone, first post here (apologize for my english and mistakes).
> I have just own a fiio ka3. I use Qobuz with hi-res streaming. My goal is to send the music in past-through mode as most as possible to the dac. I use a windows 10 laptop (dell latitude 5400) and android phone (fairphone 3).
> I have upgrade the ka3 firmware and use the fiio usb driver.
> My questions/problems now
> ...


 in android, the ka3 light is always yellow, even if the music is 16bits 44,1khz => that means there is a modification in the stream.
--Is your KA3 working in Exclusive USB Audio Access Mode or normal mode? If work in normal mode，Maybe your phone will SRC.


----------



## FiiO Kang

alialex said:


> hello everyone, first post here (apologize for my english and mistakes).
> I have just own a fiio ka3. I use Qobuz with hi-res streaming. My goal is to send the music in past-through mode as most as possible to the dac. I use a windows 10 laptop (dell latitude 5400) and android phone (fairphone 3).
> I have upgrade the ka3 firmware and use the fiio usb driver.
> My questions/problems now
> ...


* in windows, in the qobuz application, I use the wasapi (exclusive mode). I have some scratch and sometimes blank (1sec) in the music => very annoying, the qobuz team has check things and will come back to me with informations.
--other  application have this problems?


----------



## Foogley (Feb 10, 2022)

FiiO Kang said:


> * in windows, in the qobuz application, I use the wasapi (exclusive mode). I have some scratch and sometimes blank (1sec) in the music => very annoying, the qobuz team has check things and will come back to me with informations.
> --other  application have this problems?


For me at least on Windows 11 sound just disappears for maybe less than a second a few times every hour. This was never happening before I started using KA3. Doesn't matter what settings i put in Fiio Control app.


----------



## alialex

Yop Fiio Kang,
For android, do not know, I'm using the qobuz application. I download uapp (bying it in fact !), and it works like expected... But it just works with this application, we should have something like a driver to make the ka3 working with every application.
For windows, I do not to make a try with other application, I test it and give you the feedback.
For agobe, I have put my ka3 very close to my phone on my desk, and receiving a message, I get the bip bip bip (not the sound for the message, but the sound of interference) in my headphone.


----------



## alialex

Yop, 
idem with the spotify application, some blanks ... but for me it every 1-2 minutes !


----------



## Foogley

alialex said:


> Yop,
> idem with the spotify application, some blanks ... but for me it every 1-2 minutes !


I'm thinking it's Windows trying to turn off USB devices to save power, i disabled this feature for every USB i could find in device manager. Now listening to some music to see if it fixed the sound blanks.


----------



## alialex

@Foogley, I make a try, and still the same : scratch and blanks


----------



## Foogley (Feb 11, 2022)

I really need a constant streaming option for Windows. If windows always sends out the same sample rate you set in audio settings why does the sound pop and what's the point of hardware mute switch and why does KA3 sometimes just stop working. I'm at a point of trying to run a silent mp3 file to force "constant streaming". It's very annoying.

I made a 10 hour mp3 file that plays complete silence and popping/fading in is gone. This is not how a ~$100 device should function.


----------



## Alex Ulrik

Foogley said:


> I really need a constant streaming option for Windows. If windows always sends out the same sample rate you set in audio settings why does the sound pop and what's the point of hardware mute switch and why does KA3 sometimes just stop working. I'm at a point of trying to run a silent mp3 file to force "constant streaming". It's very annoying.
> 
> I made a 10 hour mp3 file that plays complete silence and popping/fading in is gone. This is not how a ~$100 device should function.


Turning off "Hardware mute switch" fixed the popping sound issue completely for me.


----------



## Foogley

Alex Ulrik said:


> Turning off "Hardware mute switch" fixed the popping sound issue completely for me.


Yes, but when you get a notification sound in Discord for example it doesn't play or it plays like half of it in the process of fading in.


----------



## Foogley

OK i finally heard half of the USB disconnection sound in WIndows when KA3 decided to turn off again


----------



## Foogley (Feb 12, 2022)

I was streaming a game, for me the sound disappeared again for ~1 second. My friend told me that it was fine on stream. I checked the video recording and there was no sound issue. Headphones are new and it didn't happen before while plugging directly into motherboard. So it's 100% the Fiio KA3 issue.


----------



## RuFrost

I have the same issue - sound disappearing (less than a second), does not matter what settings I have tried, different cables. Win7 and win10, also on andr 5.1 pop noises appears a lot with UAPP - sams j320-f. It is annoying, but on the other side you get used to it and no so much. But still, I expect it to be fixed.

really like this device) amazing quality for the price.


----------



## FiiO

Foogley said:


> I was streaming a game, for me the sound disappeared again for ~1 second. My friend told me that it was fine on stream. I checked the video recording and there was no sound issue. Headphones are new and it didn't happen before while plugging directly into motherboard. So it's 100% the Fiio KA3 issue.


Dear friend,

Does the issue happen under any certain operation?
Thanks in advanced!

Best regards


----------



## Foogley

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Does the issue happen under any certain operation?
> Thanks in advanced!
> ...


I sadly can't reproduce it, it seems to be random. Can be twice during one song, or once every hour, or just stops happening altogether until the next day.


----------



## FiiO Kang

Foogley said:


> Yes, but when you get a notification sound in Discord for example it doesn't play or it plays like half of it in the process of fading in.


Turning off "Hardware mute switch"Notification Sound should not be in Discord. Turning ON "Hardware mute switch" will.


----------



## Foogley

FiiO Kang said:


> Turning off "Hardware mute switch"Notification Sound should not be in Discord. Turning ON "Hardware mute switch" will.


I told you already those settings are mixed up for me in FiiO Control app...


----------



## Foogley

RuFrost said:


> I have the same issue - sound disappearing (less than a second), does not matter what settings I have tried, different cables. Win7 and win10


Do you have anything else plugged in? Like a USB-hub or charging something?


----------



## RuFrost

Foogley said:


> Do you have anything else plugged in? Like a USB-hub or charging something?


yes, there is adapter for wireless mouse in the second usb-hub near the one which is occupied by KA3. But interference in KA3 is not related to it. On the other side of laptop there is usb-3 in which wired keyboard.


----------



## BenF

When will Fiio Control v2.8 be available in the Play Store? It's still on v2.6.


----------



## Foogley

I tried unplugging KA3 from my PC while recording a video and the sound disappeared when I did that, so I guess it doesn't lose connection to PC when the sound cuts off on its own. Something is wrong inside? Overheating maybe? Idk.


----------



## Foogley

RuFrost said:


> yes, there is adapter for wireless mouse in the second usb-hub near the one which is occupied by KA3. But interference in KA3 is not related to it. On the other side of laptop there is usb-3 in which wired keyboard.


Do you have a 3000 series nvidia gpu? I know, weird question :'D


----------



## andjayik

how do we know what firmware this unit has? Just got one.


----------



## andjayik (Feb 14, 2022)

i think i updated it, but with my S10 phone it's not very loud. Very loud with the samsung tablet. In the app i turn on rgb and light shuts off. turn it off and the light comes on like it's backwards? not happy. Don't see any of these new updates in the app?


----------



## Foogley

andjayik said:


> i think i updated it, but with my S10 phone it's not very loud. Very loud with the samsung tablet. In the app i turn on rgb and light shuts off. turn it off and the light comes on like it's backwards? not happy. Don't see any of these new updates in the app?


You're the third person I know that has settings backwards. My hardware mute switch setting is like that, another guy has impedance backwards.


----------



## agobe

BenF said:


> When will Fiio Control v2.8 be available in the Play Store? It's still on v2.6.


The 2.8 apk can be downloaded here: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17


----------



## agobe

I returned my KA3 due to what I now know is interference/EMI (loud pops and cracks) when using with my phone and got a replacement, but nothing changed. The unit seems to handle interference very poorly (I imagine 2g signal particularly). I also own a Topping NX4DSD which doesn't suffer from this at all (perhaps because it isn't powered by the USB). When using the phone in Airplane mode (which isn't ideal) there are no cracks/pops, but this isn't a long term solution, especially if you stream audio. Some Android 12 users with certain carriers can now disable 2g signal in the Android settings, but I'm unable to confirm if this will work. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ with Android 12 on Three, but don't have access to that option unfortunately. Another potential solution is a cable ferrite. I haven't experienced interference to this extent on any other USB DAC, it really is that bad... Furthermore, the haphazard rollout of firmware and app updates (with apparent jumbled settings) just makes everything feel rushed, and if reflected in Fiio's hardware production, leaves me with little confidence in that too. Yes it sounds good when it works, but 'when it works' isn't often enough.


----------



## Ichos

I haven't experienced any kind of interference with Redmi note 9 pro 4g , not the slightest audible hiss.


----------



## FiiO Kang

agobe said:


> I returned my KA3 due to what I now know is interference/EMI (loud pops and cracks) when using with my phone and got a replacement, but nothing changed. The unit seems to handle interference very poorly (I imagine 2g signal particularly). I also own a Topping NX4DSD which doesn't suffer from this at all (perhaps because it isn't powered by the USB). When using the phone in Airplane mode (which isn't ideal) there are no cracks/pops, but this isn't a long term solution, especially if you stream audio. Some Android 12 users with certain carriers can now disable 2g signal in the Android settings, but I'm unable to confirm if this will work. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ with Android 12 on Three, but don't have access to that option unfortunately. Another potential solution is a cable ferrite. I haven't experienced interference to this extent on any other USB DAC, it really is that bad... Furthermore, the haphazard rollout of firmware and app updates (with apparent jumbled settings) just makes everything feel rushed, and if reflected in Fiio's hardware production, leaves me with little confidence in that too. Yes it sounds good when it works, but 'when it works' isn't often enough.


In our test, there is no obvious RF interference problem,  Did anyone else have a similar problem?


----------



## RuFrost

Foogley said:


> Do you have a 3000 series nvidia gpu? I know, weird question :'D


GeForce GT540m. Another one do not remember


----------



## agobe

FiiO Kang said:


> In our test, there is no obvious RF interference problem,  Did anyone else have a similar problem?


Have a look on Amazon. A number of reviews report identical sounds - though they probably haven't identified the source. I seem to only get this when the signal drops to 2g, as alluded to above.


----------



## andjayik

i had a couple of pops as well. Returning mine.  i have a dongle CX31993 and between the two i do not hear a great differance for a unit that cost $100 more.


----------



## BenF

agobe said:


> The 2.8 apk can be downloaded here: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105071628040377809&tid=17


@FiiO  and @FiiO Kang  -  most FIIO buyers do not read Head-Fi - why isn't FIIO updating the Play Store anymore?


----------



## FiiO Kang (Feb 15, 2022)

BenF said:


> @FiiO  and @FiiO Kang  -  most FIIO buyers do not read Head-Fi - why isn't FIIO updating the Play Store anymore?


I'm sorry! We have arranged to release it on Play store. But it's still under review. It should be soon.


----------



## VishnuKare (Feb 15, 2022)

FiiO Kang said:


> I'm sorry! We have arranged to release it on Play store. But it's still under review. It should be soon.


@FiiO and @FiiO Kang, I am having issues with FiiO KA3 on my windows 10 PC not playing DSD files with foobar, I tried the steps mentioned here https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/130090.html for K3, but the same are not working for KA3. Do you have any guide with the latest instructions?

And one more issue is with the sound being chopped of every few seconds on windows. This issue is not there on Android phone, so I'm guessing the issue is with the KA3 drivers on windows. Eventhough KA3 seems to be good on paper, the software is a big let down as the Fiio control app on android is messed up and the drivers on windows PC are messed up.


----------



## FiiO

VishnuKare said:


> @FiiO and @FiiO Kang, I am having issues with FiiO KA3 on my windows 10 PC not playing DSD files with foobar, I tried the steps mentioned here https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/130090.html for K3, but the same are not working for KA3. Do you have any guide with the latest instructions?
> 
> And one more issue is with the sound being chopped of every few seconds on windows. This issue is not there on Android phone, so I'm guessing the issue is with the KA3 drivers on windows. Eventhough KA3 seems to be good on paper, the software is a big let down as the Fiio control app on android is messed up and the drivers on windows PC are messed up.


Dear friend,
1. Are you using the same foobar version in the link you mentioned as well? If not, please use the same version and follow the instruction to check again. This instruction have the pictures for you as well: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105281106126083841
2. Please try to turn off the hardware mute switch function via the FiiO Control app; (The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.)
Does the issue still remain?


----------



## VishnuKare

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 1. Are you using the same foobar version in the link you mentioned as well? If not, please use the same version and follow the instruction to check again. This instruction have the pictures for you as well: https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202105281106126083841
> 2. Please try to turn off the hardware mute switch function via the FiiO Control app; (The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.)
> Does the issue still remain?


The issue still persists. 
I followed the instructions mentioned as is and when I play a file in foobar 1.3.8, I am getting the Playback error "Unreocoverable playback error: The process receiving data or sending data has terminated". 
Hardware mute switch function is turned off.


----------



## FiiO

VishnuKare said:


> The issue still persists.
> I followed the instructions mentioned as is and when I play a file in foobar 1.3.8, I am getting the Playback error "Unreocoverable playback error: The process receiving data or sending data has terminated".
> Hardware mute switch function is turned off.


Sorry I forgot to remind you about this step. In step 5-2, you would need to select the ASIO driver to FiiO KA3 USB Audio Device. 





If all the other setting is correct, please try to switch this option and check again.
Best regards


----------



## VishnuKare

FiiO said:


> Sorry I forgot to remind you about this step. In step 5-2, you would need to select the ASIO driver to FiiO KA3 USB Audio Device.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I maintained all the settings as instructed. The DSD plays for few seconds and stops with the playback error popup - “Unrecoverable playback error: The process receiving or sending data has terminated”


----------



## civciv (Feb 16, 2022)

agobe said:


> I returned my KA3 due to what I now know is interference/EMI (loud pops and cracks) when using with my phone and got a replacement, but nothing changed. The unit seems to handle interference very poorly (I imagine 2g signal particularly). I also own a Topping NX4DSD which doesn't suffer from this at all (perhaps because it isn't powered by the USB). When using the phone in Airplane mode (which isn't ideal) there are no cracks/pops, but this isn't a long term solution, especially if you stream audio. Some Android 12 users with certain carriers can now disable 2g signal in the Android settings, but I'm unable to confirm if this will work. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ with Android 12 on Three, but don't have access to that option unfortunately. Another potential solution is a cable ferrite. I haven't experienced interference to this extent on any other USB DAC, it really is that bad... Furthermore, the haphazard rollout of firmware and app updates (with apparent jumbled settings) just makes everything feel rushed, and if reflected in Fiio's hardware production, leaves me with little confidence in that too. Yes it sounds good when it works, but 'when it works' isn't often enough.


It's the phone. I have got S10+ and when I use the phone with my KA3 or Hidizs S9 Pro, I hear pops and cracks randomly with both of them. When l connect them to my Tab S7, all the noises disappear.


----------



## FiiO

VishnuKare said:


> I maintained all the settings as instructed. The DSD plays for few seconds and stops with the playback error popup - “Unrecoverable playback error: The process receiving or sending data has terminated”


Dear friend, 

I attached the Foobar 2000 app I am using for you, please try whether it works?

Best regards


----------



## Fritz and the music

FiiO Kang said:


> I'm sorry! We have arranged to release it on Play store. But it's still under review. It should be soon.


Hi, will there be a newer version of the FiiO Control app for iOS (>1.1.4) that supports the KA3? I'm thinking about buying this DAC, but as an iPhone user I feel a bit left out. An additional Android phone is not an acceptable option to be able to control a mobile dongle DAC. 
Thank you very much for your reply.


----------



## HAL9XXX

@FiiO I'm getting a lot of popping and interference noises when using the KA3 (Firmware V2.0) with my android phone (Poco X3), both UAPP (V6.0.3.2) and Fiio Music App (V3.0.8) have this problem. Other users on here and Amazon reviews has reported same problem as well. 

The other guy in this thread pointed out that he is unable recreate the problem, well in my case I have zero issues of doing that because it happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. But it did get a lot better when used with my laptop via Musicbee, though I did get some pop sounds still.

So please, investigate this issue further, I'm returning this unit for a refund until you ameliorate this issue.


----------



## andjayik

mine already went back


----------



## BenF

FiiO Kang said:


> I'm sorry! We have arranged to release it on Play store. But it's still under review. It should be soon.


Was able to update today through the Play Store, thanks!


----------



## FiiO Kang

Fritz and the music said:


> Hi, will there be a newer version of the FiiO Control app for iOS (>1.1.4) that supports the KA3? I'm thinking about buying this DAC, but as an iPhone user I feel a bit left out. An additional Android phone is not an acceptable option to be able to control a mobile dongle DAC.
> Thank you very much for your reply.


I'm sorry! Because of the IOS system permissions. The FiiO Control app cannot Control KA3 on IOS. 
However, the function Settings of KA3 can be saved. So in general, you don't need to set it up very often.


----------



## FiiO

HAL9XXX said:


> @FiiO I'm getting a lot of popping and interference noises when using the KA3 (Firmware V2.0) with my android phone (Poco X3), both UAPP (V6.0.3.2) and Fiio Music App (V3.0.8) have this problem. Other users on here and Amazon reviews has reported same problem as well.
> 
> The other guy in this thread pointed out that he is unable recreate the problem, well in my case I have zero issues of doing that because it happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. But it did get a lot better when used with my laptop via Musicbee, though I did get some pop sounds still.
> 
> So please, investigate this issue further, I'm returning this unit for a refund until you ameliorate this issue.


Dear friend,

Did you try to turn off the hardware mute switch option via the FiiO Control app for the KA3 after updating the firmware but the pop sound issue still remains?
 (The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.)

Best regards


----------



## andjayik

see all problems several posts before


----------



## Fritz and the music

FiiO Kang said:


> I'm sorry! Because of the IOS system permissions. The FiiO Control app cannot Control KA3 on IOS.
> However, the function Settings of KA3 can be saved. So in general, you don't need to set it up very often.


Thanks, even if it does not really convince me. As I already had written, this can not be a solution to borrow an Android phone. 
Especially if you want to install the firmwareupdate. Other manufacturers get that done on the iphone as well, so it's hard for me to see the fault with Apple or iOS. 
Would I at least be able to adjust the volume via the iPhone buttons on the left side or would the DAC just ignore them? 
Might the workaround then be that I (via android) regulate the KA3 to 100% high and then later adjust the volume on the iPhone via the buttons to my own taste?


----------



## Foogley

Wanted to apologize to @FiiO and @FiiO Kang 
I found out why the sound cuts out for ~1 second on Windows, it's because there's something wrong with VCCIO/VCCSA/PCH voltages on the motherboard. If it's too high or too low the system will be unstable and this sound cutting out thing is one of the symptoms related to USB power/stability, that's why plugging stuff directly into motherboards 3.5mm input wasn't having issues. Usually motherboards have  VCCIO/VCCSA voltages setting on "Auto" and they are higher than needed which causes stability issues. Anyone having this problem can go into BIOS and lower VCCIO/VCC System Agent voltage and increase PCH voltage until the problem goes away. I downloaded LatencyMon and let it run until I heard the sound cut out again and it showed a spike in latency. Again sorry for blaming KA3 for this particular issue. I'll keep testing my new voltage settings. Currently it's VCCIO 0.900, VCC SA 1.05 and PCH 1.15.


----------



## digititus

Fritz and the music said:


> Thanks, even if it does not really convince me. As I already had written, this can not be a solution to borrow an Android phone.
> Especially if you want to install the firmwareupdate. Other manufacturers get that done on the iphone as well, so it's hard for me to see the fault with Apple or iOS.


To do a firmware update you will need a Windows PC, so maybe you have bought a product that isn't suitable for your setup.


----------



## Fritz and the music

Thanks, but as I wrote before, I'm just considering buying the KA3 so that I don't purchase anything later that doesn't fit my setup. 
Fortunately, I do not only own Apple devices, but also a PC with Windows. 
But that does little to change my previous question about whether the user is able to adjust louder and quieter on the iPhone buttons on the side.
Does the latest firmware help with high volumes even on an iPhone that it doesn't stutter or interrupt etc. ?


----------



## FiiO Kang

Fritz and the music said:


> Thanks, even if it does not really convince me. As I already had written, this can not be a solution to borrow an Android phone.
> Especially if you want to install the firmwareupdate. Other manufacturers get that done on the iphone as well, so it's hard for me to see the fault with Apple or iOS.
> Would I at least be able to adjust the volume via the iPhone buttons on the left side or would the DAC just ignore them?
> Might the workaround then be that I (via android) regulate the KA3 to 100% high and then later adjust the volume on the iPhone via the buttons to my own taste?


First，you can adjust the volume via the iPhone buttons.
Second，you can via android regulate the KA3 to 100% high and then later adjust the volume on the iPhone via the buttons to my own taste.
Finally, Control APP con't on IOS control KA3 because MFI. Not only FiiO. This is true of all products except those using the LAM module.


----------



## FiiO Kang

Foogley said:


> Wanted to apologize to @FiiO and @FiiO Kang
> I found out why the sound cuts out for ~1 second on Windows, it's because there's something wrong with VCCIO/VCCSA/PCH voltages on the motherboard. If it's too high or too low the system will be unstable and this sound cutting out thing is one of the symptoms related to USB power/stability, that's why plugging stuff directly into motherboards 3.5mm input wasn't having issues. Usually motherboards have  VCCIO/VCCSA voltages setting on "Auto" and they are higher than needed which causes stability issues. Anyone having this problem can go into BIOS and lower VCCIO/VCC System Agent voltage and increase PCH voltage until the problem goes away. I downloaded LatencyMon and let it run until I heard the sound cut out again and it showed a spike in latency. Again sorry for blaming KA3 for this particular issue. I'll keep testing my new voltage settings. Currently it's VCCIO 0.900, VCC SA 1.05 and PCH 1.15.


You don't have to apologize to us. Actually, we owe you an apology. Because we couldn't help you, even though the problem may not be KA3 itself!

By the way. The computer energy saving management mode of many computers is different. Especially laptops with batteries. 
When connecting to KA3 sound cuts out for ~1 second on Windows Set Power Plan to high performance mode.


----------



## stylus75

BenF said:


> Was able to update today through the Play Store, thanks!


I got mine updated too. The option for dynamic power policy is a great feature.


----------



## alialex

@Foogley , do you think a powered usb hub can help ? I do not have access to the bios (working pc).
Does someone know a usb.c powered hub that can work with windows and android, and can manage a good power supply for the ka3 ?
The idea is not to charge the pc with the hub (charging the phone can be a good point) but to give a good power supply to the ka3. 
When talking about hifi, the power supply was something very important ; today, no one talk about it...

For hiRes with android, does someone try to modify lineageos to make the passthrough available natively in android for all the application ?

Many subjects in this thread, It could be a good idea to make a thread for each subject:
 * stability of the usb power supply in windows and impact on the ka3
 * hires with android natively : We know it works with uapp, but we need it for all android applications
 * interference noises with some smartphone with 2G (?) : I bought a 1m usb-c cable in order to put the ka3 far from the phone, it's seems better

I'm not an apple users, so I do not list what's going wrong with apple, I let you add it to the list.


----------



## Foogley

@alialex i have no idea, it's a latency issue that just stutters the whole system, i haven't really noticed it until i got usb to play sounds.


----------



## HAL9XXX

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Did you try to turn off the hardware mute switch option via the FiiO Control app for the KA3 after updating the firmware but the pop sound issue still remains?
> (The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.)
> ...


Yes I did turned them off when I saw a review that mentioned about some minor pops every time it works. The problem still persists with or without it.


----------



## Foogley

Any updates? If I don't play any sounds KA3 turns off, I have to change output to something else then back to turn it on.


----------



## FiiO

Foogley said:


> Any updates? If I don't play any sounds KA3 turns off, I have to change output to something else then back to turn it on.


Dear friend,

Does this issue happen in any certain condition? When connecting computer? Or the computer has entered sleep mode?

Best regards


----------



## Foogley (Mar 2, 2022)

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> Does this issue happen in any certain condition? When connecting computer? Or the computer has entered sleep mode?
> 
> Best regards


I tried going to sleep mode and back and it didn't turn off. It turns off because it doesn't play sounds for a long time. (I already disabled USB power suspension, it's connected to my powered USB hub in my monitor that also has fast charge, it did the same thing when I plugged it in directly into my PC)

Edit: 
I think it stopped turning off after I disabled dynamic power management in Fiio App.

Edit 2:
Aaand it turned off while I was clicking through videos.


----------



## VishnuKare

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> I attached the Foobar 2000 app I am using for you, please try whether it works?
> 
> Best regards


Yes, it works. Thanks!


----------



## FiiO

VishnuKare said:


> Yes, it works. Thanks!


Thanks for the feedback. Glad to hear about that.

Best regards


----------



## FiiO

Foogley said:


> I tried going to sleep mode and back and it didn't turn off. It turns off because it doesn't play sounds for a long time. (I already disabled USB power suspension, it's connected to my powered USB hub in my monitor that also has fast charge, it did the same thing when I plugged it in directly into my PC)
> 
> Edit:
> I think it stopped turning off after I disabled dynamic power management in Fiio App.
> ...


I failed to reproduce this issue still, sorry. 

Best regards


----------



## threegr

USB cable recommendation for KA3: link
Shortest one (25 cm) is the perfect length. I feel much more confident when having KA3 in my pocket because of the angled connectors.


----------



## Perepep

I use this 2 meter one to connect it to a xiaomi mibox and watch concerts on youtube and have good audio while lying on the couch.
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B089GFWZG4/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_EF6B8F9MGPMCZEVJAM2Z


----------



## HiFiRobot

Sunday clubbing with Ikko and Fiio 🙂. Nice synergy with these two. Ikko Audio OH10 and Fiio KA3.


----------



## HiFiRobot

Sennheiser HD6XX and Fiio KA3 on balanced out. Pretty ok and considering the KA3 price maybe even a great budget solution. But I prefer HD6XX more on tubes or some bigger amps.


----------



## FiiO

Thanks for sharing! 

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

We've updated a new version of the Windows USB driver. It can solve the problem of sound jam when some laptops play. If you have encountered similar problems. Please chat me privately and I will send you the new driver file for your trial. Thank you.


----------



## felidaey (Apr 1, 2022)

I'm a new FiiO Fan, currently owning M11 LTD, NewK3, FD7 and FH5s. Now I got also the KA3 to go with my Smartphone (Oppo Find X3) and it's the first FiiO product I'm not satisfied with. I upgraded to Firmware 2.0 but still having problems with noise and crackles during the music. It's only with the smartphone, on my PC everything's perfectly fine. Also replaced the cable and tried different apps (Qobuz, Spotify, Youtube, Audible). Seems to be a general problem when using the KA3 with Smartphones? Same issue also with the OnePlus Nord of my wife. Any ideas?

Edit: just tested: NewK3 doesn't have the issues with my smartphone. But surely it's no replacement for portable use.


----------



## FiiO

felidaey said:


> I'm a new FiiO Fan, currently owning M11 LTD, NewK3, FD7 and FH5s. Now I got also the KA3 to go with my Smartphone (Oppo Find X3) and it's the first FiiO product I'm not satisfied with. I upgraded to Firmware 2.0 but still having problems with noise and crackles during the music. It's only with the smartphone, on my PC everything's perfectly fine. Also replaced the cable and tried different apps (Qobuz, Spotify, Youtube, Audible). Seems to be a general problem when using the KA3 with Smartphones? Same issue also with the OnePlus Nord of my wife. Any ideas?
> 
> Edit: just tested: NewK3 doesn't have the issues with my smartphone. But surely it's no replacement for portable use.


Please try to enable Hardware mute switch via the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps? 


The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.





Best regards


----------



## felidaey (Apr 1, 2022)

FiiO said:


> Please try to enable Hardware mute switch via the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps?
> 
> 
> The device is embedded with a hardware mute switch, which can mute the impulsive sound that occurs when switching between tracks of different sampling rates. However, when the mute switch functions,it will also make a slight pop sound. You may choose to enable or disable it according to your preference.
> ...



Thanks for your reply, but there's no problem between the tracks. It's when the tracks are playing. The background noise (hissing) is constant. And randomly (maybe 1-2 times per minute) there are short crackling sounds. Less when I'm not browsing with the phone, more when I'm browsing. Probably something with the wireless/mobile connection?

I played around with the settings in the FiiO Control App, but nothing helped.

Edit: I could reduce the background noise/hissing by setting a lower Max-Volume in the FiiO Control App. Instead I raised the system volume in Android. But problem with the crackles remains


----------



## Atek2019

felidaey said:


> Thanks for your reply, but there's no problem between the tracks. It's when the tracks are playing. The background noise (hissing) is constant. And randomly (maybe 1-2 times per minute) there are short crackling sounds. Less when I'm not browsing with the phone, more when I'm browsing. Probably something with the wireless/mobile connection?
> 
> I played around with the settings in the FiiO Control App, but nothing helped.
> 
> Edit: I could reduce the background noise/hissing by setting a lower Max-Volume in the FiiO Control App. Instead I raised the system volume in Android. But problem with the crackles remains


I never heard any hissing sound when playing with my smartphone. The crackles si gone after updating the new firmware with the setting


----------



## FiiO

felidaey said:


> Thanks for your reply, but there's no problem between the tracks. It's when the tracks are playing. The background noise (hissing) is constant. And randomly (maybe 1-2 times per minute) there are short crackling sounds. Less when I'm not browsing with the phone, more when I'm browsing. Probably something with the wireless/mobile connection?
> 
> I played around with the settings in the FiiO Control App, but nothing helped.
> 
> Edit: I could reduce the background noise/hissing by setting a lower Max-Volume in the FiiO Control App. Instead I raised the system volume in Android. But problem with the crackles remains


Is the sensitivity of your headphone in high level? Or you may try to turn off the Wifi, keep the KA3 away from the antenna to see whether it helps? 

Best regards


----------



## felidaey

FiiO said:


> Is the sensitivity of your headphone in high level? Or you may try to turn off the Wifi, keep the KA3 away from the antenna to see whether it helps?
> 
> Best regards


After the update to Android 12 it's working like a charm 💜


----------



## pierse (Apr 9, 2022)

Atek2019 said:


> I never heard any hissing sound when playing with my smartphone. The crackles si gone after updating the new firmware with the setting


----------



## pierse

FiiO said:


> Is the sensitivity of your headphone in high level? Or you may try to turn off the Wifi, keep the KA3 away from the antenna to see whether it helps?
> 
> Best regards


After updating to 2.0, the ka3 no longer works on any device.

Device manager is now showing 'comtrue-inc firmware update device'

Cant re install firmware as the installer doesnt detect the device as the ka3.

Anyone else having this issue? any help appreciated


----------



## pierse

https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202201241545236683326&tid=4

if anyone has same problem here the solution


pierse said:


> After updating to 2.0, the ka3 no longer works on any device.
> 
> Device manager is now showing 'comtrue-inc firmware update device'
> 
> ...


----------



## FiiO

pierse said:


> https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202201241545236683326&tid=4
> 
> if anyone has same problem here the solution


Yes, does the issue with your KA3 be solved now?

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

pierse said:


> After updating to 2.0, the ka3 no longer works on any device.
> 
> Device manager is now showing 'comtrue-inc firmware update device'
> 
> ...


Please don't worry. If your problem is still unresolved. Please send us a private message.


----------



## HiFiRobot

Tuesday work setup. Fiio KA3, Ikko OH10, Xinhs 8 core silver/copper hybrid 4.4mm balanced cable.


----------



## FiiO

Distinguished FiiO users,

In order to better know the usage scenarios and further improve our products, we are making a questionnaire about Portable DAC/Amps and would like to invite you to participate in it. Thank you so much for your time and support.

Link: https://forms.gle/MszZKV8fKDLdeQ2C9


----------



## Ynot1 (May 1, 2022)

I just noticed that when I use an amp with a usb dongle or external dac running off smartphone otg, I can get severe ground noise. I could not figure out what it was until I started using multiple powerbanks to drive the amp and the dac off of separate power source. Creative G5 and E5 are pretty ground noise sensitive. With that said when using highly sensitive headphone, the ground noise was still detectable. And with all of that said I think if you can power the external dac with a separate power supply so that you don't run off the noisy smartphone power supply, then you have better chance of lowering the ground noise. Hence dac/amp is better than dongles, unless a special cable can be used to power the dongle separately. 

Edit: I almost bought the KA3 when it went on sale. So thought counts for something.


----------



## FiiO

Ynot1 said:


> I just noticed that when I use an amp with a usb dongle or external dac running off smartphone otg, I can get severe ground noise. I could not figure out what it was until I started using multiple powerbanks to drive the amp and the dac off of separate power source. Creative G5 and E5 are pretty ground noise sensitive. With that said when using highly sensitive headphone, the ground noise was still detectable. And with all of that said I think if you can power the external dac with a separate power supply so that you don't run off the noisy smartphone power supply, then you have better chance of lowering the ground noise. Hence dac/amp is better than dongles, unless a special cable can be used to power the dongle separately.
> 
> Edit: I almost bought the KA3 when it went on sale. So thought counts for something.


Dear friend, 

Thanks for the kind feedback. We will also report to the product manager about that. 💐

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

KA3 and KA1 are together


----------



## senorx12562

FiiO Kang said:


> KA3 and KA1 are together


Before seeing this, I assumed they were the same size. Lol.


----------



## FiiO Kang

senorx12562 said:


> Before seeing this, I assumed they were the same size. Lol.


KA1 has a smaller size and lower power consumption.KA3 has higher output power


----------



## Ichos




----------



## Kenexed (May 18, 2022)

Hello everyone!
I purchased and received this product last week and the sound was great especially in bal. mode.

The only thing that I experienced was that it feels hot when I used balanced mode to drive my moondrop aria is there any tips or methods to lower the heat generated by the device. I don't know why it heats like this since I was using a less power hungry iem.

Audirvana> Macbook Air> Fiio KA3> Moondrop Aria bal. out
Upgraded with the latest firmware available ( V2.0)
My fiio app settings:
Low impedance
High Gain
dynamic power policy enabled
hardware mute switch enabled
memory function enabled

Sorry for my bad English
English is not my main dialect


----------



## FiiO

Kenexed said:


> Hello everyone!
> I purchased and received this product last week and the sound was great especially in bal. mode.
> 
> The only thing that I experienced was that it feels hot when I used balanced mode to drive my moondrop aria is there any tips or methods to lower the heat generated by the device. I don't know why it heats like this since I was using a less power hungry iem.
> ...


Dear friend,

Please check whether this FAQ answer your question:

1.The KA3 does not have battery so it will consumpt the power from the device. Please make reasonable plans for power consumption when connecting the KA3 to mobile phones or other devices. 
2. The KA3 with tiny body and high output power has the temperature rising for about 15℃ while working. Getting a bit hot is normal phenomenon. 

Best regards


----------



## jdan1457 (Jun 17, 2022)

I'm having issues with my KA3, if I had it connected to my phone and I would walk around it would crackle so I tried to update it and now my PC and my phone won't recognize it. I followed the instructions and it said update was a success. I unplugged it from the PC and plugged into my phone and it won't recognize it. So I plugged back in to my PC and windows is telling me the device malfunctioned and does not recognize it.

I bought it off aliexpress, of course the seller there DGAF. I read an earlier post about someone else having issues and that's what FIIO support keeps referring me back to, but that doesn't help me solve the issue. I followed those steps and nothing changed.

Do you guys know if FIIO ever refunds money in a situation like this? Or what is their warranty/service record like? Will they cover shipping?


----------



## FiiO

jdan1457 said:


> I'm having issues with my KA3, if I had it connected to my phone and I would walk around it would crackle so I tried to update it and now my PC and my phone won't recognize it. I followed the instructions and it said update was a success. I unplugged it from the PC and plugged into my phone and it won't recognize it. So I plugged back in to my PC and windows is telling me the device malfunctioned and does not recognize it.
> 
> I bought it off aliexpress, of course the seller there DGAF. I read an earlier post about someone else having issues and that's what FIIO support keeps referring me back to, but that doesn't help me solve the issue. I followed those steps and nothing changed.
> 
> Do you guys know if FIIO ever refunds money in a situation like this? Or what is their warranty/service record like? Will they cover shipping?


Dear jdan1457,

Please contact support@fiio.com with the receipt attached. Can the KA3 show up in the device manager of the computer? If yes, please show some screenshoot as well.
Thanks in advanced!

Best regards


----------



## Elvandarfist

Hi all,
Has anyone tried the Fiio KA3 with the Samsung Tab S7? Can't make it work with my Ibasso DC06, so wondering if it's going to be similar with the Fiio dongle...
Thank you


----------



## civciv

Elvandarfist said:


> Hi all,
> Has anyone tried the Fiio KA3 with the Samsung Tab S7? Can't make it work with my Ibasso DC06, so wondering if it's going to be similar with the Fiio dongle...
> Thank you


Hi,

No ptoblem at all with my Tab S7+


----------



## Elvandarfist

Awesome! The KA3 is soon to be mine then 😁
Thanks a lot for your feedback civciv!


----------



## senorx12562

Elvandarfist said:


> Awesome! The KA3 is soon to be mine then 😁
> Thanks a lot for your feedback civciv!


Ditto on my Tab 6s lite.


----------



## lelinhtinh (Jul 8, 2022)

pierse said:


> After updating to 2.0, the ka3 no longer works on any device.
> 
> Device manager is now showing 'comtrue-inc firmware update device'
> 
> ...


I have the same problem right now, did you solve it?

*Update*: Sorry I didn't see this comment before.


pierse said:


> https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202201241545236683326&tid=4
> 
> if anyone has same problem here the solution


Problem solved, thank you for sharing.


----------



## DynamicEars (Jul 25, 2022)

I have problem connecting my KA3 to my samsung galaxy S20 plus / S22 ultra. The bluelight on the dongle wasn't lit on at all.
When using my LG v40 or other phone, they just as easy as plug and play. Successfully connected to my PC as well without any hassle.
Anyone have same problem with samsung phone? Any solutions to these?
Please do help and share since currently I use samsung as my primary phone.
The phone seems didn't detect the KA3 at all.
@FiiO 
@FiiO Kang


----------



## civciv

DynamicEars said:


> I have problem connecting my KA3 to my samsung galaxy S20 plus / S22 ultra. The bluelight on the dongle wasn't lit on at all.
> When using my LG v40 or other phone, they just as easy as plug and play. Successfully connected to my PC as well without any hassle.
> Anyone have same problem with samsung phone? Any solutions to these?
> Please do help and share since currently I use samsung as my primary phone.



I use it with my S22 Ultra and Tab S7+ without a problem.


----------



## DynamicEars

civciv said:


> I use it with my S22 Ultra and Tab S7+ without a problem.


Is there any specific options for this? Thats weird. I read someone also have same problem with me using s21 if im not wrong.


----------



## civciv

DynamicEars said:


> Is there any specific options for this? Thats weird. I read someone also have same problem with me using s21 if im not wrong.


No there isn't. I just plug in it with the provided type C cable. It also works with other cables though. My previous phone was S10+ and  there was no problem with it too.


----------



## DynamicEars (Jul 25, 2022)

civciv said:


> No there isn't. I just plug in it with the provided type C cable. It also works with other cables though. My previous phone was S10+ and  there was no problem with it too.



Weird. I just tried and still facing the same issue. Both S20+ and S22 ultra didnt work. Let me try with my tab later.
similar with this guy problem here : https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201533246325961&tid=121

*edit : Tried with samsung tab S7 FE, worked flawlessly.

Anyone know? Fiio representative?


----------



## FiiO

DynamicEars said:


> I have problem connecting my KA3 to my samsung galaxy S20 plus / S22 ultra. The bluelight on the dongle wasn't lit on at all.
> When using my LG v40 or other phone, they just as easy as plug and play. Successfully connected to my PC as well without any hassle.
> Anyone have same problem with samsung phone? Any solutions to these?
> Please do help and share since currently I use samsung as my primary phone.
> ...


Dear friend,

Another user in China using S22 ultra also did not meet this issue. But a user using S21 got same issue like you. When he uses S8, S9, the KA3 work fine. 
We could not locate this issue since we could not reproduce the issue now. But it seems the issue is located in some Samsung mobile phone.

Best regards


----------



## RuFrost (Aug 11, 2022)

1) My Fiio KA3 looses connection sometimes on windows 7 64bit (fiio drivers installed). For instance, I'm using youtube and come through different tabs playing and stopping each. On some tab KA3 just stops producing sound, even though the light (yellow or blue) is still on. It also happens in foobar.  I have the same issue with Moonriver 2, but all other dongles do not have such issues - connection is stable and there are no losses.

Any solution? Has anybody had such issue?
2) I want to try different gain options on my laptop, without using fiio control app on the smartphone in order to switch different settings. Does such program already exist or planned, or we just left with such disaster?

P.s: KA3 is truly amazing dongle - rivals with much more expansive (twice, triple and more) dac\amps and dongles easily.


----------



## FiiO

RuFrost said:


> 1) My Fiio KA3 looses connection sometimes on windows 7 64bit (fiio drivers installed). For instance, I'm using youtube and come through different tabs playing and stopping each. On some tab KA3 just stops producing sound, even though the light (yellow or blue) is still on. It also happens in foobar.  I have the same issue with Moonriver 2, but all other dongles do not have such issues - connection is stable and there are no losses.
> 
> Any solution? Has anybody had such issue?
> 2) I want to try different gain options on my laptop, without using fiio control app on the smartphone in order to switch different settings. Does such program already exist or planned, or we just left with such disaster?
> ...


Dear friend,

You could try to burn the firmware to see whether the issue remains? Firmware download link: 
And are you using the latest driver: * FiiO USB Audio Driver (For KA2 or KA3)* Click here

Best regards


----------



## DynamicEars

DynamicEars said:


> Weird. I just tried and still facing the same issue. Both S20+ and S22 ultra didnt work. Let me try with my tab later.
> similar with this guy problem here : https://forum.fiio.com/note/showNoteContent.do?id=202110201533246325961&tid=121
> 
> *edit : Tried with samsung tab S7 FE, worked flawlessly.
> ...



I found my own solution for this..
If the blue light cant turn on when KA3 plugged in to certain samsung devices, try this method :

*1. detach the usb c cable from the KA3 dongle first
2. plug in the USB c cable to the samsung smartphone without the KA3 dongle connected
3. after the cable is connected to samsung phone, plug the other end of usb c to the KA3 dongle.*

little bit hassle but solve the problem. Just sharing with others that have similar problem with me. Cheers!


----------



## FiiO

DynamicEars said:


> I found my own solution for this..
> If the blue light cant turn on when KA3 plugged in to certain samsung devices, try this method :
> 
> *1. detach the usb c cable from the KA3 dongle first
> ...


Dear friend,

Thanks for sharing. We will share this experience to other user when they meet same issue with Samsung S21.

Best regards


----------



## RuFrost

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> You could try to burn the firmware to see whether the issue remains? Firmware download link:
> And are you using the latest driver: * FiiO USB Audio Driver (For KA2 or KA3)* Click here
> ...


now, it seems like the issue is fixed. Thank you so much!


----------



## FiiO

RuFrost said:


> now, it seems like the issue is fixed. Thank you so much!


Dear friend,

Thanks for the kind feedback.

Best regards


----------



## FiiO Kang

Nice


----------



## rafaelo

I also believe this is an underestimated device that does not get a lot of attention it deserves maybe because is reasonably priced. For the money I like it a lot. It has tons of power and drives my 58X and 6XX really well. 

My only problem is that I find it aggressive and a bit bright sometimes. But if it were not then it would be a giant killer instantly. Of course this aggressiveness suits some genres and sometimes is even positive. I have limited time to listen to music so half an hour of intense listening is not a problem to me. 

Another problem I have is that the volume steps with phone are not fine enough for the power of the device. This should be corrected/addressed  with a future software release because some of this aggressiveness can be eliminated with this simple trick. It is a shame to not be able to enjoy this dongle because you fighting with the volume buttons all the time. 

The cable should have been better but all in all I can't complain given the price and the size of this device, this can easily changed. 

The opamps probably do a lot of good work and give amazing dynamics especially to some genres. 

The biggest plus is the price of this device which is super reasonable.  

An improved version of this can be, as already said, a giant killer providing phenomenal value for money.


----------



## digititus

rafaelo said:


> Another problem I have is that the volume steps with phone are not fine enough for the power of the device.


This is a problem of software control on your phone. Try using UAPP / Poweramp / Neutron / Hiby Music which allows much finer volume adjustments


----------



## rafaelo

digititus said:


> This is a problem of software control on your phone. Try using UAPP / Poweramp / Neutron / Hiby Music which allows much finer volume adjustments


I am using Apple music.  How I am doing this with these apps ? If I had tidal I understand. I used it in the past with UAPP although is not the same using the app.


----------



## digititus

rafaelo said:


> I am using Apple music.  How I am doing this with these apps ? If I had tidal I understand. I used it in the past with UAPP although is not the same using the app.


You can set the number of volume steps in the app. Let's say android system defaults to approximately 20 volume steps, within UAPP you can set it to 100 so you have much finer volume control. Apps which rely on system volume obviously can't do this.


----------



## logboy

purchased this, not opened. went looking for reviews and opinions, only to stumble into mentions it's problematic with IOS? something about not being able to access the features because there's only an app for these on android devices? also, views around here seem patchy and give the impression it's an item or field of numerous niggles.


----------



## rafaelo

My opinion is that for this price is a no brainer. 

I have an iPhone and two Samsung phones but I use it mainly with my Samsung phone. 

Is working with the apple adapter and sounds amazing but is a bit inconvenient.

I have two usb c to lightning cables one of them the fiio  lt1 which I had only time to test for 30 seconds. Basically that is working and I have it for 3 months!+

The other one from amazon USA is totally crap.  

So yeah for iphone you need to find the right cable as well. Once you do the settings though and listen with only one headphone then the rest is not a big issue unless you want to change filters all time.


----------



## logboy

rafaelo said:


> Once you do the settings though and listen with only one headphone then the rest is not a big issue unless you want to change filters all time.



do the settings with an IOS device ... or on an android device, as the FiiO website suggests?

https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/581700.html


----------



## rafaelo

logboy said:


> do the settings with an IOS device ... or on an android device, as the FiiO website suggests?
> 
> https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/581700.html


Android


----------



## logboy

rafaelo said:


> Android


exactly. so if this is always certainly the case, this isn't entirely compatible with IOS. it's shown on the website with an iPhone too. and nothing has been issued since release to correct this. surely this isn't a wise approach to device production, to make it reliable on software and not make it or not necessarily be able to always guarantee it will remain reliable? to me, seems very daft.


----------



## rafaelo

OK I just discovered that there is a Ka2 as well with a cirrus logic dac!!! Maybe that is the answer in my comments regarding the sound signature above. 

My only concern is that it has a fixed cable which I do not like but for the price I have Just ordered one because I am so curious to see how it compares.


----------



## Ichos

rafaelo said:


> OK I just discovered that there is a Ka2 as well with a cirrus logic dac!!! Maybe that is the answer in my comments regarding the sound signature above.
> 
> My only concern is that it has a fixed cable which I do not like but for the price I have Just ordered one because I am so curious to see how it compares.


It is good, I have a review ready for uploading.
You can also read how it compares to the Moondrop Dawn here

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-dawn.25970/review/29206/


----------



## rafaelo

Ichos said:


> It is good, I have a review ready for uploading.
> You can also read how it compares to the Moondrop Dawn here
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-dawn.25970/review/29206/


Looking forward to your review. As I have read on your Moondrop review probably I did the right choice because they are very close and I like the shape of ka2 much better. Also they are different enough sound signature wise from ess and that is what i wanted to hear. Let's see mine is coming today. 

As Always, I am grateful to you because of your suggestion I bought the KA3 and I don't regret it at all.


----------



## Ichos

rafaelo said:


> Looking forward to your review. As I have read on your Moondrop review probably I did the right choice because they are very close and I like the shape of ka2 much better. Also they are different enough sound signature wise from ess and that is what i wanted to hear. Let's see mine is coming today.
> 
> As Always, I am grateful to you because of your suggestion I bought the KA3 and I don't regret it at all.


The KA3 still ranks among my best preferred USB DAC dongles, especially when considering the price.


----------



## FiiO

logboy said:


> exactly. so if this is always certainly the case, this isn't entirely compatible with IOS. it's shown on the website with an iPhone too. and nothing has been issued since release to correct this. surely this isn't a wise approach to device production, to make it reliable on software and not make it or not necessarily be able to always guarantee it will remain reliable? to me, seems very daft.


Dear friend,

The KA3 could not be controled via the iOS version FiiO Control APP. *But after setting the KA3 in Android device,the settings will be saved to use it in other devices still.*
The KA3 could work with the ios device when using the suitable C to lightning adapter.

Best regards


----------



## Pradeep A

So ,would I be able to ise this with Tidal to play mqa files since it does not have mqa support ?


----------



## FiiO

Pradeep A said:


> So ,would I be able to ise this with Tidal to play mqa files since it does not have mqa support ?


Dear friend,

There will be sound when playing MQA in Tidal with the KA3. But there is no MQA unfolding.

Best regards


----------



## sebek

Ichos said:


> It is good, I have a review ready for uploading.
> You can also read how it compares to the Moondrop Dawn here
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-dawn.25970/review/29206/


Hi Ichos! What would you choose as a pairing for the Sennheiser HD660s, between FiiO KA3 and THX Onyx?

The main criticism I find about FiiO KA3 is that many find it too bright.


----------



## Ichos

sebek said:


> Hi Ichos! What would you choose as a pairing for the Sennheiser HD660s, between FiiO KA3 and THX Onyx?
> 
> The main criticism I find about FiiO KA3 is that many find it too bright.


Hi, I think that you are going to find the Onyx more bright than the KA3.
The KA3 is not bright, it is luminous and sparkling but not bright, harsh or edgy.
Anyway if you are uncertain, I would suggest something like the Shanling UA3.


----------



## JimmyK

sebek said:


> Hi Ichos! What would you choose as a pairing for the Sennheiser HD660s, between FiiO KA3 and THX Onyx?
> 
> The main criticism I find about FiiO KA3 is that many find it too bright.


I just posted my review on KA3 https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/fiio-jade-audio-ka3-dac-amp.25575/reviews#review-29338

On my neutral headphones, I don't find KA3 bright at all.  Even HD560S, which is neutral to slightly bright, KA3 was not bright at all.  However, on Audio Technica ATH-A700, which is a very old headphone with v-shape profile, it sounded awful with KA3. A700 by itself is not bright, and mid is recessed.  But combined with KA3, the vocals sound piercing and thin.  Trebles sound bright, harsh, and metallic.  I don't know why.

I believe 660S has muted trebles.  So it shouldn't be bright combined with KA3.  But you never know until you try it.  Or if someone has tried it.


----------



## mcnaugha

rafaelo said:


> OK I just discovered that there is a Ka2 as well with a cirrus logic dac!!! Maybe that is the answer in my comments regarding the sound signature above.
> 
> My only concern is that it has a fixed cable which I do not like but for the price I have Just ordered one because I am so curious to see how it compares.


I bought the KA2 first and now only changed to the KA3 for the cable flexibility. I want to be able to use both USB-C and Lightning without further adapters.

I think I agree with you on the sound signature. It is definitely different between these two dongles. I thought KA2 was really good after changing away from the default filter. With the KA3, changing filters seems not to have any impact and the treble is much more intense. Thought this depends on the track. Some tracks sound ok. Then others have high treble, not apparent on the KA2, which can be a little irritant. I prefer not to use EQ but I may have to.

I used a pair of FH9’s on the balanced out on both of these dongles.


----------



## peterinvan

*iPhone 6* > KA3 > 4.4m out > Meze Rai Solo (Spinfit tips)
Very nice pairing.


----------



## peterinvan

logboy said:


> purchased this, not opened. went looking for reviews and opinions, only to stumble into mentions it's problematic with IOS? something about not being able to access the features because there's only an app for these on android devices? also, views around here seem patchy and give the impression it's an item or field of numerous niggles.


*iPhone 6* > KA3 > 4.4m out > Meze Rai Solo (Spinfit tips).
Very nice pairing.

I close all background apps except FlacPlayer.  The KA3 does not exceed iPhone current limit.


----------



## FiiO Kang

Do you have any expectations or requirements for the second generation of KA3? Welcome everyone to give us suggestions!


----------



## Ichos

FiiO Kang said:


> Do you have any expectations or requirements for the second generation of KA3? Welcome everyone to give us suggestions!


Maybe add a tiny battery?
And switch to another brand than ESS?


----------



## FiiO Kang

Ichos said:


> Maybe add a tiny battery?
> And switch to another brand than ESS?


Change to CS？


----------



## Ichos

FiiO Kang said:


> Change to CS？


Yes or maybe better to the new products of AKM.
Just for variation, you know, too many ESS products lately!


----------



## RuFrost (Oct 19, 2022)

FiiO Kang said:


> Do you have any expectations or requirements for the second generation of KA3? Welcome everyone to give us suggestions!


1) Many users are fed up with battery hustle (on may devices...) - degradation, indication, repairing, changing...Dongles are amazing for that very reason that they provide mature sound without implementation of the battery. If somebody needs additional power with dongles, they can use type-c+2 usb cable to stick another end to the powerbank (as E1da suggests).

2) Sincerely saying, KA3 is the best dongle price\performance. It rivals side to side with much more expensive dongles and usb\dacs, in some aspects being even more comfortable than its competitors (i.e light indicator in the night time is pleasant for eyes; metal body is durable; usb driver available for windows lower than 10 etc...).

3) What would be amazing to add are:
a) buttons for volume regulation and to switch track back\forward. Gain switcher L\M\H (3 levels instead 2 current).
b) adding 2 DACs from CS instead 1 from ESS would be better decision for sound signature and sound quality. ESS chips just do not provide natural sound(
c) unfortunately, stock cable of KA3 is really bad both - in term of sound quality and durability (many users experience issues with its working condition after few time switching on\off). Jacks must be gold plated for sure (thin structure does not serve for a good soundstage). After changing digital cable, KA3 finally reveals its true potential of sound in all aspects. Many users still refuse to experiment with type-c cables, so opinion on KA3 are not really fair - stock cable to blame. ALSO 1: stock adapter type-c to usb is too small - it is very hard to pull it out from device and sometimes it even corrupt the cable. All other brands include larger, much more comfortable one. ALSO 2: please, add some colorless silicone case to it - defense of such device is important still.
d) To make jack inputs (3.5\4.4) more distant from each other and include ability to play the music from both jacks simultaneously. Sometimes you just need to listen songs or watch the video with a friend or person near you, but so far no dongles which allows it...


----------



## rafaelo (Oct 20, 2022)

No battery please, adjustable volume steps even better maybe (and cost efficient) with a software update through the app...

Not sure what brand dac should be used but a bit more organic and natural sound signature without loosing the bite (which comes more from the op-amps anyway I believe) 

Take the best attributes from KA3 and go bar and combine them together if possible. Maybe experiment with different opamps instead.

And most importantly keep the super reasonable price.

KA3 is so good that I almost regret buying KA2. For 25£ is so much better. I forgot how good my 58x sound I until I plugged back again the KA3. Only the battery consumption is so much better for KA2.

Keep up the good work. 👍


----------



## JimmyK

I encountered weird issue with Fiio KA3 on Samsung S20 FE.

I was on a walk.  I had the phone and KA3 in my pocket.  Every 1 to 2 songs, audio will cut out; just static and buzzing in the earphones.  So I held on to the phone in my hands while I walked, and everything seems fine.  Once I put the phone into my pocket, issue occurs.  Couple times, issue occurred immediately within seconds after placing devices in my pocket.  Other times, it happens in 5-10 minutes.  I rebooted my phone, but issue continued.

The only thing I can think of is static electricity.  Previously when I use KA3 while walking, I'm wore t-shirt and shorts (typically cotton).  Now the weather is getting colder.  So I had on a fleece sweatshirt, which can generic static electricity as I'm walking.

Since then, I have used the KA3 in 2 different environment, at home and at work.  In both cases, I'm not walking and I just lay the phone and KA3 on the desk.  No issues.

I will have to check when I go on walk next time with fleece or polyester clothing.


----------



## oystercatcher

I've a couple of questions having owned a KA3 for a week, sounds good to me and no pops or crackling or anything else.

I'm using Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's, 80ohm version and did have an LG v30 with built in DAC, they sounded great through the V30 but have recently upgraded the phone to a POCO F3 with no headphone out. Hence the purchase of a portable device because the supplied dongle was abysmal. Now sounds great again but...

Q1 - The DT770's only have a 3.5mm jack, is it possible to get an adaptor to use in the 4.4 port? Is there a reason I should?

Q2 - On streaming tidal hi-fi, I only get the blue light on, I thought Tidal should show up the yellow? am I missing something? Is there a setting in the phone, or is the phone not capable of sending? I've also tried playing HD sounds downloaded, I have no FLAC/DSD files etc as I moved from CD's to streaming in one go and don't download anything!

Thanks.


----------



## Ichos

oystercatcher said:


> I've a couple of questions having owned a KA3 for a week, sounds good to me and no pops or crackling or anything else.
> 
> I'm using Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's, 80ohm version and did have an LG v30 with built in DAC, they sounded great through the V30 but have recently upgraded the phone to a POCO F3 with no headphone out. Hence the purchase of a portable device because the supplied dongle was abysmal. Now sounds great again but...
> 
> ...


Q1 - Nooo, you are going to short it.
Just use the 3.5mm output.

Q2 - KA3 is not an MQA decoder so with tidal you are essentially limited to 16/44.1


----------



## oystercatcher

Ichos said:


> Q1 - Nooo, you are going to short it.
> Just use the 3.5mm output.
> 
> Q2 - KA3 is not an MQA decoder so with tidal you are essentially limited to 16/44.1


Ah, I see, so why don't I get >44.1 with some HQ samples I have downloaded? the stock MIUI music interface doesn't decode them right?


----------



## JimmyK

oystercatcher said:


> Ah, I see, so why don't I get >44.1 with some HQ samples I have downloaded? the stock MIUI music interface doesn't decode them right?


I use Hiby music player on Android phone.  It allows higher sampling frequency, up to 192kHz.  It works on KA3.

One downside is remembering to turn this on.  Whenever I use Apple dongle or cheap generic dongle, I need to reduce the rate to 44.1Hz.  Then later when I switch back to KA3, I forget to turn it back to 192kHz.  The LED light on KA3 is very hard to distinguish between blue vs yellow in bright outdoor daylight.


----------



## Ichos

oystercatcher said:


> Ah, I see, so why don't I get >44.1 with some HQ samples I have downloaded? the stock MIUI music interface doesn't decode them right?


What phone are using?
The KA3 will not bypass Android SRC.


----------



## oystercatcher

Ichos said:


> What phone are using?
> The KA3 will not bypass Android SRC.



POCO F3. Running Android 12.


----------



## Ichos

oystercatcher said:


> POCO F3. Running Android 12.


The chance is that it passes everything as 16/44.1.
You should try a player that bypasses SRC for bit perfect sound like the Neutron.


----------



## FiiO

JimmyK said:


> I encountered weird issue with Fiio KA3 on Samsung S20 FE.
> 
> I was on a walk.  I had the phone and KA3 in my pocket.  Every 1 to 2 songs, audio will cut out; just static and buzzing in the earphones.  So I held on to the phone in my hands while I walked, and everything seems fine.  Once I put the phone into my pocket, issue occurs.  Couple times, issue occurred immediately within seconds after placing devices in my pocket.  Other times, it happens in 5-10 minutes.  I rebooted my phone, but issue continued.
> 
> ...


Dear friend,

You may check via another cable or turn on the hardward mute switch in the FiiO Control for check as well.
If the issue remains, it seems the reason for the issue is as you said. 

Best regards


----------



## dadarodos (Dec 17, 2022)

Foogley said:


> When I do the sound test in windows sometimes the first sound fades in and the second sound is played normally. There has to be an option to have constant streaming. Some notification sounds are so short they don't even turn on KA3 (or whatever happens to it that it doesn't play short sounds after complete silence).
> 
> Removed driver from Windows 11, now KA3 became MUCH MUCH louder. (with driver 60% was getting loud, now it's pretty loud at 10% windows volume).


hello. i had the same exact issue (sound fading) with installed KA3 drivers on windows 10. then i installed the firmware 2.0 thinking it would help to resolve the problem. but instead it got worse: now i hear pops (when switching the tracks or youtube videos) AND sound fading is still the same. what should i do?

also people here are talking about control panel on windows but i don't see one at all...

upd: ok, found and installed the control panel but it says "no devices connected"... i have drivers and fw already installed. 
upd2: also found a super annoying bug: sometimes (not often) something is blocking sound completely! i can't even run youtube videos (they just buffering at 00:00). unplugging KA3 resolves the problem.


----------



## FiiO

dadarodos said:


> hello. i had the same exact issue (sound fading) with installed KA3 drivers on windows 10. then i installed the firmware 2.0 thinking it would help to resolve the problem. but instead it got worse: now i hear pops (when switching the tracks or youtube videos) AND sound fading is still the same. what should i do?
> 
> also people here are talking about control panel on windows but i don't see one at all...
> 
> ...


Dear friend,

You could try to turn on the 'hardware mute switch' for the KA3 in the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps?
The FiiO Control panel is for FiiO USB DAC driver. So the KA3 using FiiO USB Audio driver is not compatible with it.

Best regards


----------



## CephDigital

Hi there! Does anyone know if this works with a PS5 or if it supports UAC 1.0?


----------



## FiiO

CephDigital said:


> Hi there! Does anyone know if this works with a PS5 or if it supports UAC 1.0?


Dear friend,

No, the KA3 is not compatible with PS5.

Best regards


----------



## dadarodos (Dec 21, 2022)

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> You could try to turn on the 'hardware mute switch' for the KA3 in the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps?
> The FiiO Control panel is for FiiO USB DAC driver. So the KA3 using FiiO USB Audio driver is not compatible with it.
> ...


I don't understand. Whats the difference between fiio control app and fiio control panel? I'm on windows 10. I'm using KA3 as a usb dac...
Should I delete fiio control panel and instead install fiio control app on windows?


----------



## Ichos

dadarodos said:


> I don't understand. Whats the difference between fiio control app and fiio control panel? I'm on windows 10. I'm using KA3 as a usb dac...
> Should I delete fiio control panel and instead install fiio control app on windows?


The FiiO control app is only available for iOS and Android and allows for configuring the KA3 parameters something that cannot be done with the control panel.


----------



## dadarodos

I've installed noxplayer (bluestacks alternative) on pc. I've downloaded the app. Now i see this screen: https://i.imgur.com/nl1L0yg.jpg I can't get through it!
Is it really the way? To install the android emulator on pc? really? It's awfull


----------



## Ichos

dadarodos said:


> I've installed noxplayer (bluestacks alternative) on pc. I've downloaded the app. Now i see this screen: https://i.imgur.com/nl1L0yg.jpg I can't get through it!
> Is it really the way? To install the android emulator on pc? really? It's awfull


I don't if you can use it with an emulator.
Don't you have an Android smartphone?
You can connect the KA3 to the phone, make all the configuration you want and then the changes are permanently stored in the KA3 memory.


----------



## dadarodos

Ichos said:


> I don't if you can use it with an emulator.
> Don't you have an Android smartphone?
> You can connect the KA3 to the phone, make all the configuration you want and then the changes are permanently stored in the KA3 memory.


Thanks, I'm dumb). I'll try it


----------



## FiiO

dadarodos said:


> I don't understand. Whats the difference between fiio control app and fiio control panel? I'm on windows 10. I'm using KA3 as a usb dac...
> Should I delete fiio control panel and instead install fiio control app on windows?


Dear friend, 

Ichos has helped explaining the difference between the FiiO control app and panel for you.
And for more information about the adjustment for KA3 in FiiO Control app, you could also check this FAQ: https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/581700.html

Best regards


----------



## dadarodos

FiiO said:


> Dear friend,
> 
> You could try to turn on the 'hardware mute switch' for the KA3 in the FiiO Control app to see whether it helps?
> The FiiO Control panel is for FiiO USB DAC driver. So the KA3 using FiiO USB Audio driver is not compatible with it.
> ...


Well, i turned hardware mute switch OFF and now its a bit better (no pops) and overall a bit more "stable". But fade in didnt go away AND sometimes the sound become muted. for example, I watch a stream on twitch, everything seems to be fine. but suddenly - silence. the video continues without sound. I reload the page -- everything is fine again. it happens rarely, but it really pisses me off


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## FiiO

dadarodos said:


> Well, i turned hardware mute switch OFF and now its a bit better (no pops) and overall a bit more "stable". But fade in didnt go away AND sometimes the sound become muted. for example, I watch a stream on twitch, everything seems to be fine. but suddenly - silence. the video continues without sound. I reload the page -- everything is fine again. it happens rarely, but it really pisses me off


Dear friend,

The 'fade in' is designed for KA3. Please check whether you have switched the output device to KA3 in the Windows sound panel page? And if you are using Win10, you may try to uninstall the USB Audio driver to check again. 
We will also report to the engineer and check whether we could report this issue first.

Best regards


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## Gymboy

Anyone tried KA3 with Camfire Cascade? Mine KA3 coming tomorrow, sometimes I dont feel like to take M17 and have it on a table in front of laptop, much more convenient to use KA3.


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## madams5000

Running this for a few days and when the audio is clear it is quite nice. Balanced out still not quite enough power to get the deep end going properly on he-400s, but bought this primarily for phone and iem use. On Andromeda single ended output need too much volume to get full low end, but found it almost perfect with these on balanced out. The problem I have is random rf interference. It's horrible when it kicks in, at times turning into a straight up audible seizure. Messing with mute toggle helps, but doesn't fix. Confirmed this is rfi while it was in full seizure by 1st killing my music app (Amazon)....seizure continued....popped into airplane mode and it stopped immediately. 

So, my 2 cents.... primary use for this device is with phones, rfi should be a primary design consideration addressed by hardware design, not applying software filters to buffer/correct. I don't like this at all and will be returning unit for something else.


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## senorx12562

madams5000 said:


> Running this for a few days and when the audio is clear it is quite nice. Balanced out still not quite enough power to get the deep end going properly on he-400s, but bought this primarily for phone and iem use. On Andromeda single ended output need too much volume to get full low end, but found it almost perfect with these on balanced out. The problem I have is random rf interference. It's horrible when it kicks in, at times turning into a straight up audible seizure. Messing with mute toggle helps, but doesn't fix. Confirmed this is rfi while it was in full seizure by 1st killing my music app (Amazon)....seizure continued....popped into airplane mode and it stopped immediately.
> 
> So, my 2 cents.... primary use for this device is with phones, rfi should be a primary design consideration addressed by hardware design, not applying software filters to buffer/correct. I don't like this at all and will be returning unit for something else.


I guess I have been lucky, because I have not had a single instance of this in maybe 100 hours of usage. And now that I've doomed that propitious run of good fortune to eventual failure, I will have to do some research because I am pretty ignorant on how this whole issue works. Did you contact Fiio? I'm curious about their response, if any.


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## madams5000

senorx12562 said:


> I guess I have been lucky, because I have not had a single instance of this in maybe 100 hours of usage. And now that I've doomed that propitious run of good fortune to eventual failure, I will have to do some research because I am pretty ignorant on how this whole issue works. Did you contact Fiio? I'm curious about their response, if any.


Heh, I hope you haven't jinxed your good fortune.  It really does sound great to me when clean, keep enjoying!

I haven't reached out to support at all. Its an intermittent issue that I'd seen other reports of that I just don't have the patience for. We could troubleshoot for a while, and then maybe try a new unit and maybe resolve maybe not. In the meantime there are so many good options out there I could also just return to vendor and have another well regarded brand in my hands as quickly as anything else.


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## FiiO

madams5000 said:


> Running this for a few days and when the audio is clear it is quite nice. Balanced out still not quite enough power to get the deep end going properly on he-400s, but bought this primarily for phone and iem use. On Andromeda single ended output need too much volume to get full low end, but found it almost perfect with these on balanced out. The problem I have is random rf interference. It's horrible when it kicks in, at times turning into a straight up audible seizure. Messing with mute toggle helps, but doesn't fix. Confirmed this is rfi while it was in full seizure by 1st killing my music app (Amazon)....seizure continued....popped into airplane mode and it stopped immediately.
> 
> So, my 2 cents.... primary use for this device is with phones, rfi should be a primary design consideration addressed by hardware design, not applying software filters to buffer/correct. I don't like this at all and will be returning unit for something else.


Dear friend,

Interference problem could not be avoided completely but we will go on improving about that in our product.

Best regards


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## Guy Fawkes

FiiO said:


> Caro amico,
> 
> Il problema dell'interferenza non può essere evitato completamente, ma continueremo a migliorarlo nel nostro prodotto.
> 
> Distinti saluti


@FiiO Oh yes? and why products like BTR5, THX Onyx and Qudelix 5K have no interference problem?


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## FiiO

Guy Fawkes said:


> @FiiO Oh yes? and why products like BTR5, THX Onyx and Qudelix 5K have no interference problem?


Dear friend,

Do you mean when using as USB DAC as well? There may be interference problem when there are a lot of Wifi devices or Bluetooth devices nearby. 

Best regards


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