FiiO D3 (D03K) Digital to Analog Audio Converter With Micca 6ft Optical Toslink Cable - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC

I have used Airport Express audio as an input to my audio system occasionally for several years, but I never gave it a serious evaluation for quality, other than noting it seemed "very good". For serious listening, we always tossed in a CD. Arrival of an iPad (with Airplay) in the living room, where the audio system resides, caused me to take a closer look at the potential for good audio with digital input from the Airport Express. I have a large iTunes collection, but never played much of it through Airport into the big audio system. My questions were: How good is Airport Express audio output when mated to my own above-average audio system (~$3000 speakers, $1000 two-channel stereo amp, high-quality cables, excellent CD player, large listening room)? Does using a DAC such as this FiiO improve the audio output from Airport to the above system? The answer I arrived at in my testing is that the Airport Express (using the older rectangular N model for this test) delivers excellent audio output from its integrated DAC, and using the FiiO D3 as an optical DAC between the Airport and audio amplifier does not noticeably improve or worsen the results. Every system will be different; there are huge variables in equipment interfaces, listener taste, and perception of final audio output. My system is very accurate and "neutral". My main test was playing a classic audiophile evaluation CD (Herbie Hancock, "River - The Joni Letters" - a great album, BTW) directly from a high-end CD player into the amplifier, and playing the same audio from a 320kbps mp3 rip of the CD through iTunes to the Airport Express, then either directly from the Airport to the amplifier, or through the FiiO to the amplifier. With this setup, I did blind A/B testing, shifting the amp input back and forth from the CD input to the Airport input. Neither I nor others could tell the difference, or call one source better than the other in audio characteristics. Both sounded great. The audio direct from the Airport seemed to have minutely less definition than the optical out from Airport to FiiO to amp -- but it was so small as to be a questionable perception. No one could reliably distinguish the CD to amp versus the Airport to amp, switching back and forth while playing the same album. I also ran several other CDs, including opera, vocals, classical, and rock. Results were much the same. Ears vary in accuracy; mine are better than average; I am sensitive to distortion and definition - but I make no claim to "audiophile golden ears". Different equipment combinations will offer different results. A "cheaper" or less accurate system may actual display more difference in the perceived quality between the Airport audio direct, and Airport via FiiO DAC audio. My end result: I left the FiiO in the system, running the optical from Airport to FiiO, and audio output from the FiiO to the amp. If the FiiO dies, I will toss it and just plug the audio cable into the Airport - and be satisfied. Of course, most of the mp3 files in my iTunes collection are of lower quality than the "highest quality" mp3 files I used in this test. However, it is clear that on my system and with my ears, a very good mp3 rip (320kbps, Apple lossless, or a FLAC rip) played via iTunes and Airport Express is NOT distinguishable to me from the CD player input. BTW, I also test the same CD, in a FLAC rip, via VLC, running through Airfoil to the Airport Express. Same excellent results. Conclusion: If you using Airport Express to drive a good audio amp, using the FiiO D3 as a DAC between the Airport and amp is unlikely to improve or worsen the final audio output. For less than 30 bucks, you too can spend an evening figuring this out.... Addendum, May 2017. After several years of frequent use, this is still working great. This gets an A+ from me, and I changed the rating to five stars.

This is a very good device, as long as you understand what it does. It is a digital to analog (stereo) audio converter. It is not capable of decoding surround sound. No 5.1/7.1/Dolby/DTS signal, only 2-channel stereo. YOU CANNOT USE THIS TO PLAY DVDS ON AN XBOX. I bought it primarily to play my Xbox 360 slim via a computer monitor that supports no sound, so I have to use a separate audio cable in addition to the HDMI. Unfortunately Microsoft crippled the RCA cable so that it blocks the HDMI connector, so I can't get both audio and video in my setup. One solution is this FiiO box, which converts optical audio into plain RCA. In order to connect a headphone, you still need a cable that is male RCA on one end, and female headphone jack on the other. Such a cable is easy to get anywhere. You also need an optical toslink (fiber optic) cable, which is included in the product. Here's how to use this device with the Xbox 360 slim: - In the Xbox, go to Settings / System / Console Settings / Audio / Digital Output, choose Digital Stereo. - Remove the protective plastic caps from both ends of the fiber optics cable. Plug one end to the Xbox, the other one to the FiiO. - Flip the FiiO switch down (optical mode), connect the power adapter and the headphone. You'll be able to play games, but not DVDs. The problem is that the FiiO box is unable to deal with surround audio, and all you'll get is loud noise. I never play DVDs on my Xbox, so I can live with it, but make sure you understand this limitation before you buy. If all you get is noise while playing games, you haven't set up the Xbox correctly, you need to switch it to Digital Stereo, instead of Dolby. Of course the FiiO D3 also works with the Playstation 3, although you don't necessarily need it, because the Sony RCA cable works just fine. Here's how to configure the PS3 for the FiiO D3: - Settings / Sound Settings / Audio Output Settings / Optical Digital. - Make sure to uncheck Dolby, DTS and everything that is not 2 Ch. Unlike the Xbox, the PS3 can play DVDs and Blu-ray very well via the FiiO D3. You'll get correct audio, as long as your console is configured as I suggested above. If you plan to use other devices, such as Blu-ray player, etc., make sure you can output pure 2-channel stereo signal for the FiiO. No stereo surround, no 5.1 surround, no Dolby, no DTS. Otherwise you'll just get random noise. You might draw the conclusion that the FiiO doesn't work, when in fact it is just a limitation. Sound quality is great for gaming. I haven't used the FiiO to listen to music. If you're serious about movies, get a home theater. But if you want to play console games via a computer monitor and stereo headphones or speakers, this is a relatively inexpensive solution that works well. It is pretty small and seems to be very well made. The power adapter is modern and doesn't get hot. There's no on/off switch or volume control on the device.

I have to say this is a neat little device. Unfortunately, my Vizio tv has a bad audio skip in it. I didn't realize it was the TV til later on but I knew even with the problem I wasn't gonna send it back. Shipping would have been a fortune so I decided to try and bypass the audio by using a DAC (Digital audio converter). I found this little device and tried it...works like a charm. I use a Micca media player and a philips dvd player and both have optical and coaxial digital outputs so I plugged either into my much better PC speakers into this device and I get 100x better sound than the tv. To solve the "skip" issue I have with the Vizio tv playing in unison with my PC speakers was pretty simple. I just turn the volume on my TV down or off and let the PC speakers do all the work. Works perfect. This device doesn't get hot or anything. There is one issue however that I must bring up. The coaxial digital isn't grounded correctly unfortunately. It "hums" when I go with it. I can rotate the cable while it's plugged into this unit and you can hear it through the speakers. I tried the fiber option (cheap cable came with this unit) and no problems. So I've been using that ever since. This device also needs to be a tad cheaper. $30 is a bit too pricey for what you get. To sum it up, If I lost this device or it broke...I'd buy another one.

I wanted a wireless headset to watch our LG Smart TV in silence so my spouse can study, or our daughter can watch after we go to bed… This TV ONLY has one optical digital audio out, and none of the Bluetooth transmitters seem to take anything except the 3.5. I went to BestBuy and was told I was SOL. There is no kind of converter or anything I can get. I didn’t believe them, so I searched and after a lot of reading reviews, bought the following and at this time (2 days in) have the corresponding comments. I am reviewing all three together because they are a GREAT COMBO purchase!! FiiO D3 (D03K) Digital to Analog Audio Converter With Micca 6ft Optical Toslink Cable - 192kHz/24bit Optical and Coaxial DAC: nice compace size. Cable included so a GREAT deal! Works with no issues. Used a USB port on back of the TV for power, unit is kept out of way. Avantree Priva Wireless Bluetooth Audio Transmitter for TV with aptX Low Latency Codec, Connects Two Headphones, White: much smaller than I expected, and the magnet holds it to the back of the TV out of sight! USB power plugged in to power, no worries of battery dying. Transmission works fine, used the included 3.5 to 3.5 audio cable to connect to the converter above. RevJams Xec On Ear HD Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphones with In-line Microphone, Black: These are great! Feel comfortable, fold up to fit in the included pouch, charge pretty fast, and sound fantastic! I got perfect Bluetooth stereo sound, and the delay is relatively unnoticeable. I am very sensitive to this so I am very pleased with the result. The sound is so close and real, like a voice in the room behind me. VERY happy with these so far!

This FiiO D3 simply works, and works beautifully! A great DAC/implementation! The audio output is terrific -- full, rich, dynamic, natural, no sibilance...perfection! Have dealt with several other similar products in the past, and they were abysmal. The FiiO D3 is beyond reproach! I love it and will happily buy it over and over and over, if need be. Finally, an affordable DAC that gets it right!!! Update on 11 Dec 2024: Have since replaced the D3 with a multi-hundred dollar DAC from a highly respected US company. This new DAC truly is, "...terrific -- full, rich, dynamic, natural, no sibilance...perfection..." as stated above in reference to the D3. In comparison to this new DAC, I now see the D3 as sounding warm, blurry, dull, and lacking dynamics. Am not trying to belittle the D3, just report honestly what I hear. However, for its price, the D3 isn't too bad.

I purchased this more expensive one instead of a $10 thing that does the same thing that was suspect for quality. It's definitely quality and works just fine. I set my RCA TV (LED HDTV 1080p 32" w/ DVD) to PCM audio mode and hooked up the digital coaxial audio output cable from the TV to this device, then I connected two red/white analog audio cords to my speaker system and the output was fine. The power cord for this device was a bit short, but worked for me. So just beware the power cord is just 3 feet, but the good news is that it's a standard kind of power cord (like those used for video cameras, more expensive cameras, external drives, etc), so you could order/buy a longer cord just about anywhere (not a regular cell phone cord, but the power cord that looks similar to them). My biggest issue was not with this product, but I'm mentioning it here as a compatibility warning. My TV did not allow for volume adjustment when I use this digital to audio interface. That is, when I used the TV remote to change the volume, it had no affect on the sound output. I had to control the sound from my computer input (HDMI) or from the analog output (my amplifier and speakers). The reason why I'm keeping this device, rather than going back to the 3.5mm stereo analog output to my amp that I was using is that the 3.5mm stereo analog output to my amp had a significant audible buzz in the absence of any input sound (like at the beginning of Back to the Future). This device helped to eliminate that buzz, but at the cost of having remote control. Perhaps the solution is getting a remote control device for my computer. Otherwise, the device does the job intended. Not sure $32 should worth such a small little converter. Maybe the price is really for the Micca optical cord interface which I'm not using. But I'm glad I spent the money, and as a composer who is moving slowly into more electronic music, I may find a use for it. I collect adapters and cords like this, because they always seem to come in handy.

Included is the FiiO D3 Unit, a power brick for it, and a very thin feeling optical TOSLink cable from Micca (that worked fine, just doesn't encourage confidence). You'll need to get your own 3.5mm or RCA connector for the analog part of the connection. Plugged everything in and attached it to an older, 10+ year old JBL stereo system (which didn't have an optical in/out, attached via RCA cables) and a 1 year old Panasonic Viera TV (which did have an optical out, no analog out). No issues, pretty much plug and play and the sound quality is a large leap in quality compared to the TV. Power delivered by the FiiO D3 into the line-in on the JBL was also sufficient, didn't have to crank up the old stereo to an insane volume level to get sufficiently loud sound out. Also had a nice LED (that's not crazy bright, thank god) indicating connection status to the TV to verify that it was functioning and the optical line was engaged. There is a tiny bit of signal delay introduced with this unit (or its from my JBL stereo speakers, didn't test with more devices) that causes a noticeable echoing effect if both the TV volume are up and the speaker volume is up. Probably around a quarter second or so worth of delay. I didn't test different sound formats (DD, 5.1, 7.1, etc); only had it attached directly to the TV and the TV was set to stereo output. But more likely than not, if you're using this, you're only going to be using the audio out from this thing and not the original source. Extremely effective way of getting better sound out of a newer TV if you have some speakers lying around and don't feel like shelling out a lot of money for a new system/sound bar.

First off I bought this for my Panasonic VIERA TC-L42ET5 42 inch 3d smart tv. Panasonic VIERA TC-L42ET5 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz 3D Full HD IPS LED-LCD TV with 4 Pairs of Polarized 3D Glasses I got this DAC because as with most LED TVs the speakers are less than ideal, in this case point out the back and are very tinny, also this TV doesn't have an audio out port that isn't digital. So, I did my research and bought this guy because it had a good DAC chip and came with an Optical cable. I plugged the Optical cable in and the usb into the tv's ports and then into the DAC's ports. with the DAC mounted to the back of the TV by sticky velcro I now have stereo RCA out and 3.5mm headphone jack on my smart tv. The Sound is decent, I have not used it on my nice stereo yet but my RCA 300W stereo system plays it just fine. and I didn't hear any popping from it turning off and on. One thing to note though is that when I ran sound from my laptop to the TV then to the DAC then to the Stereo, there was a small delay (I'm not surprised it's a lot of steps to go through) To summarize: It works with my TV, and it sounds good. So if you are looking to supplement an aging receiver with Digital capability (optical and COAX) then this will do the trick. Also as an extra if your TV puts out clean power on the USB ports you can run it off of those instead, freeing the power adaptor to charge a low power device (Like a kindle paperwhite or something)