FiiO JadeAudio KA3 Tiny USB DAC Amplifier

Sounds great to me using both the balanced connection and the 3.5 as well with various iems on my phone. The ‘rgb’ color scheme thing is a little gimmicky but it does the job quick if you need to know the sample rate. The lights can be turned off in the app – FiiO Control for Android. For me using Tidal it shows as yellow. The app will go into a little more detail for sample rate.

The app is where things go kinda… Meh. After connecting to the dac/amp, noticed in the app it’s automatically set for high gain. Mine was anyway. This could be potentially really bad for some users ears. Especially if you’re just trying to use standard low impedance headphones. Volume control is also only from within the app along with a few other options.

None of this is an inconvenience for me, but I could see this as a negative for some people.

Personally, I use Android and for me this little guy is great. I can bring a balanced cable iem set with me on the go and to my ears everything sounds amazing. If you’re on Android make sure to get the app and set it up. Can probably do this within Windows too, but I didn’t buy this to use on the PC and haven’t tried.

I’m guessing this is all more difficult for Apple users since you’ll need to buy another cable to connect.

I would recommend, especially for Android users. Well built and everything I’ve played thru it sounds great.

This is my fourth portable DAC/Amp. I previously owned/used Audioquest Dragonfly Black ($100) and Red ($200) and the THX Onyx ($200). The Dragonfly Black did not have enough amplification. The Red died after a couple of years. That scared me off from buying the Dragonfly Cobalt ($300). Decided to try the THX Onyx. It used a very good ESS chip and the word on the THX AAA amplifier was excellent. It was a great highly portable DAC/amp for about eight months before it died (simply stopped working). Still under warranty but no response from THX after at least half a dozen attempts – no exaggeration – really surprised by that.

Which brings me to the KA3. I decided that I was not going to spend $200 or $300 on another DAC/amp if they are going to stop working after a short while. At under $100, and with outstanding specs, I decided to try the KA3. My daily IEMs are the Fiio FH7 (with custom ear tips). These are outstanding IEMs and a great value. I was happy with the build and sound quality of the FH7 so felt pretty good about going with another Fiio product.

I will compare the KA3 to the Onyx. Both use high-end ESS DAC chips. The KA3 implementation results in overall greater flexibility, accommodating up to 32bit/784khz and DSD 512. The difference probably doesn’t matter to most users but I have a lot of DSD files and I like that the KA3 can accommodate DSD 512 natively. On PCM files, I will go higher bit rate if it was originally mixed/mastered (or remastered) there. Both support MQA natively, which I do not use.

The Onyx amplifier produces noticeably higher output. I imagine it will drive a greater range of power-hungry IEMs and headphones. It easily drove my FH7s. The KA3 produces adequate clean power for my IEMs but I notice that I have to set the volume a few clicks higher to achieve the same output. Both sound very clean and distortion-free to my ears. The primary benefit of the greater output is that the Onyx will drive a wider variety of devices compared to the KA3. With my FH7s, there is no material benefit to the higher output.

I prefer the looks of the Onyx but I prefer the KA3 form factor. The Onyx is lighter than the KA3 but it is much longer with its USB-C cable that cannot be removed. I was slightly concerned about the USC-C cable becoming damaged and then having to replace the entire unit, even though the DAC/amp was still fine. Of course, the DAC/amp died first and my concern was misplaced. The USB-C cable for the KA3 is detachable. Yes, I can lose it, but its easily replaceable.

I would have preferred that the KA3 did not come with the unbalanced port and that the balanced port was centered. The two uncentered ports violates my need for symmetry. I’m dealing with it.

If I were to choose between the two now, knowing what I know now, I would choose the KA3. I like that the KA3 can handle more file formats and I like the detachable USB-C cable. Amplification is more than adequate for my FH7s and the sound is just as clean to my ears as the sound of the Onyx. All of this doesn’t even take into account that the KA3 is less than half the price. Finally, as my experience suggests, THX (shockingly) provides very poor customer service. The fact that my Onyx failed after less than a year of use is not necessarily indicative of a problem – it could be the only one out of thousands. However, THX’s response is indicative of a problem. I can’t say how Fiio would respond. I don’t know if they have any sort of domestic operations. So, obviously, there is some risk in dealing with a foreign company.

With respect to amplifier power, if I did not know how efficient or inefficient my headphones/IEMs were or if I knew they were inefficient, I might lean toward the Onyx. Amplification is why I started using DAC/amps in the first place. I had several tracks that were mixed very low and I had to turn the volume way up to hear them properly. My phone (from years ago) lacked the power. That’s why I switched from the Dragonfly Black to the Red because the Black amplification wasn’t enough and the Red was. The point is, amplifier output is a valid concern and could cause some to lean toward DAC/amps with more power. I don’t know if there are other DAC/amps that match the Onyx’s AAA. For me, and probably for the vast majority of headphone/IEM users, the power provided by the KA3 is more than adequate.

I use this for listening before bed to music or movies with my Audio Technica M50 headphones through my Windows 10 laptop (or using my Android phone). Since I’m not moving around in that setting, I don’t need wireless headphones, and I prefer the SQ of good wired headphones. Compared to running the M50s through the headphone jack on the laptop (which is probably about $1 worth of electronics), this USB amp really improves the sound of the M50s. I took one listen and said “wow, that sounds nice!” The sound is deep, clear, and powerful. Granted, the M50s are known as an easy headphone to drive, but all in all a huge improvement, if you’re willing to spend $200 on headphones then the extra money for this is a no brainer, you will definitely notice the difference.

It also sounds nice through the USB C port on the Android phone if I want a minimalist but high quality audio experience with headphones, and it doesn’t seem to drain the phone battery too badly (though I didn’t try to get hours of audio out of it).

Setup was zero effort with both devices, I just plugged it in and it worked instantly, couldn’t have been easier. The provided USB-A to USB-C adapter feels really solid and high quality, as does the short cable provided (it’s only a few inches long which is perfect, you already have a headphone cable right?) There are no controls on the unit, it just uses the volume control on your device. The unit looks nice and seems sturdy. I have a Fiio E10 as well and that thing has been going for years with no problems so I’m optimistic this one will last too. What’s not to like?

Riktigt bra!