Features:

  • Digital To Analog Converter
  • Digital Signal Coaxial Input Port
  • Digital Signal Optical Input Port
  • Coaxial/optical Switch For Easy Switching Between Digital Signals
  • 3.5mm Sound Output Dock. Supports PCM only
Nice and quiet - perfect!

I had ordered a cheaper unit that had an annoying buzz, so after returning that one I doubled the price by ordering this one, hoping it wasn't the same unit in a different box. It's not. This one is as quiet as you'd expect from digital, ie, when there's no signal, you can't tell if the electronics are turned on. Works nicely in both coax and optical. And people keep dinging these things because they don't do dolby or dts; I've found most of the descriptions clearly say that somewhere in the verbiage.

Exactly as hoped it would work (which means better than expected).

It performed exactly as I hoped... which was better than I expected for my situation. So, so I setup an outdoor movie theatre for my friends and family and here was my situation: - bluray player connected to a projector via HDMI cable - speakers connected to an amp with only stero inputs and stereo outputs I needed a device to take the digital coax output from the bluray player and preferably convert it into stereo LEFT/RIGHT analog connections or at a minimum just convert it to mono to send to both speakers. I also didn't want to pay for a new amplifier or receiver to do this outside. So, I tried this device. It works great so far. It translated the PCM signal from the bluray to stereo analog signals (RCA) With the location of the player and the speakers to the listening audience, I got lucky and connected the left/right properly as I noticed when vehicles zoomed across the screen. Something I should have double checked before the movie, but it was done correctly, and showed that this little DAC worked exactly as I hoped. ** NOTE: If you're not getting sound, just check 2 things: 1. Change your sound output on the bluray player to PCM 2. Make sure the input selector (located on the bottom of the FiiO D3 is set to coaxial (not optical). I can not attest to it being great with 5.1 or 7.2 surround sound because I used it to feed the digital output from my bluray player and feed into a DAC (digital to analog converter) to make stereo sound for an outdoor movie experience (the HDMI went to the projector so I needed to get the sound out separately). In this capacity, it worked flawlessly. The sound signal appeared to be clean and pure, and I got great sound out of the speakers, which means that the components and cables in all phases went well. I bought this and another cable (a 3' from Monoprice - also has a review) in case 1 had an issue, but both worked beautifully. I expect this cable to last a long time and it works great, but I'd have no problems buying this again should I need another digital audio coax cable.

Nice solution for optical/coaxial requirements

I used the coaxial input of this DAC from a Denon CD player. It was easy to connect, worked right away, and sounded good. The DAC is connected to an Elekit SE tube amp driving Sennheiser HD600's and the sound is definitely better than the CD player's analog output. Wish the power cable on this DAC were longer, it's only about 1m so it's sitting on the floor. But this is not enough to subtract a star - what do you expect for $20?

GREAT DAC

I bought this to use with a new 4k television which only has a digital sound output and wanted to use headphones for nighttime viewing. . There is a switch to select either optical or coaxial digital input and this DAC outputs simultaneously an analog signal via both the RCA and line out jacks. It comes with a USB cable power cord and a wall jack with a USB female port. I was impressed with the quality of the clear, clean sound coming from this DAC. It is a well made sturdy product constructed with metal not cheap plastic. Have ordered another.

Pleasant surprise for the low price!

I'm using this to to convert the optical signal from my TV to analog for my amp. Works well and sounds good. I was worried by the quality of this product because of the price, however I was very pleasantly surprised. It feels solid and well built, and like I said, it does sound good. I compared it to my Audioengine D1, and while I prefer the sound of the D1 this FiiO does sound good. Its a huge step up from the integrated DAC in my TV, you can hear a ton more detail and clarity is greatly improved. I highly recommend it!

Using with Sound Blaster Z for gaming, Satisfied

Bought this to remove computer noise from Sound Blaster Z gaming setup without using an external analog chain device, have been using ART DTI, which does a great job of removing computer noise, though it is still faintly audible and very high volumes, that said I wanted to not have it in chain and also have it available for other applications. The FIIO D3 works perfectly and easily from the sound blaster Z optical connector at 24/96 khz, passing through the Z pro studio effects with no issues (setup the digital out on Z, check pass stereo mix to digital out in the z control panel advanced features, and the default out has to still be Speakers not SPDIF-OUT only trick to it, which i found with a quick google search, if you want the pro studio processing.) It sounds cleaner and perhaps a bit more resolute that the Z on its own, but again the Z suffered from computer noise, and/or the inclusion of the ART DTI in the analog line. I could never have the Z analog by itself in my setup the noise was unlivable, my computer has a lot of stuff and usb devices, etc audio runs to a yamaha mixer and studio monitors. Setup is simple, nothing to do on the D3 except select optical or coaxial little switch on bottom. Computer noise totally eliminated, just do not try to power it from a USB port on your computer or you will get all that noise passed through to the analog outs. Using its included USB power adapter plugged into strip sound is clean, clear, and totally meets or surpasses my hope and expectation. EDIT: I meant to include that it is tiny, elegant, and solidly built. It has the air of a high-end piece of gear, and that is no exaggeration.

Breathtaking improvement over onboard DAC from entry-level digital sources.

I have been revamping our hi-fi and selling old components then replacing them with newer ones. I have been using a Sony DVD player as a CD player until I can find a better transport. I was attracted to the FiiO D3 because of the small size and the various glowing reviews online. Let me say that all of the positive reviews are well deserved. This little DAC can make your digital sources sing! Vocals, cymbals, guitars, pianos, and even synths just sound much better. The soundstage has improved as well as the imaging of musicians between the speakers. For the price this little DAC is a steal. I have owned Audio Alchemy, California Audio Labs, Parasound, Fosgate Audionics, and Emotiva DACs. The FiiO DAC is a "giant-killer" if you consider the price. Will it go head to head with a Mark Levinson? No. Does it provide an amazing improvement over the onboard DAC in most CD and DVD players? Oh yes it does! At this price there's no reason not to at least try one out.

Works just as it should

I got this to connect the optical digital audio output on an AppleTV to my stereo which is still old school and only has analog inputs. I was amazed how small and light this was when I unboxed it. It flops around on the end of the stiff audio cables I’m using. I’d prefer more mass, but that isn’t going to come along with the low price. Weight aside, this has worked perfectly. There is a switch to choose between the optical and coaxial inputs. As soon as the audio signal was active on the AppleTV the DAC synchronized to the signal and it all just worked. Sounds fine, and for the price it’s a great way to add a digital input to an old stereo.

Excellent TV-to-analog-receiver solution

Very few TVs today have analog audio outputs, which makes hooking up a TV to an older AV receiver (or excellent analog-only stereo amps) difficult. I used this FiiO as an in-line solution between a Samsung TV's optical digital audio output and an old Onkyo integrated amp. It sounds great, but most importantly, it's been running for months now--so consistently that I forgot it was even in the chain. It's everything you want in a simple DAC: Sonically transparent with rock-solid reliability.

Great little box for adding some flexibility into your home theater

So I needed this for a very specific purpose: I acquired a Klipsch R20-B soundbar + wireless subwoofer. The problem was the subwoofer was broken and wouldn't power up at all. I had my own Mirage subwoofer, so all I needed was a way to connect the soundbar to the subwoofer. With some soundbars, it's not a big deal because there's a "sub out" (an RCA cable that goes to an external sub). In this case, since it was built for a wireless subwoofer, there was no "sub out". What I used this Fiio D3 for was to take the optical output from the TV and then (using some Y-splitters), send the PCM output to the Klipsch soundbar and to the Mirage subwoofer. At first, I was worried that the output level after splitting the signal would be too low, but it's perfectly loud and clear! I can't even use it at anywhere near the full capacity since it would be too loud and I'd have an angry spouse and neighbors. This is a great little box if you need to do some creative things with your sound setup.

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