You will find into a poweramp a "slight detail robbing cloud/muffling" over the sound with low, med or high mode using the TPA6120 head phone output in balanced mode into a poweramp, (tube lovers may like it).

In comparison to just using the OPA1642 in balanced mode into the same poweramp "if it can go loud enough for you" which mine can, I'm up around 90 out of 100 volume with the quieter recordings . The other stereo amp I have wasn't loud enough but I increased the gain of it (via the FB) to suit perfect also.

Cheers George

Edited February 12Feb 12 by georgehifi

On 10/02/2026 at 7:54 PM, Jeff65 said:

@xlinknz I'm cobbling together a method that can reliably check for some of these issues. It involves use of the Linux command line and may involve installing some sound utilities packages available in the Ubuntu repository. Let me know if you are comfortable doing that and I will post it publicly in another thread - probably over on Audio Science Review rather than here, though I will include a link to the post from here.

@Jeff65

I found using Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (using Rhythmbox and VLC) no issues with audio from my K13 i.e no clicks, pops or other noise starting a track or during playback including when the K13 is powered on and off when connected via USB.

2 hours ago, xlinknz said:

@Jeff65

I found using Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (using Rhythmbox and VLC) no issues with audio from my K13 i.e no clicks, pops or other noise starting a track or during playback including when the K13 is powered on and off when connected via USB.

@xlinknz

Thanks for making the effort to check that out. This information isn't enough to be sure it will perform in my use case. Rather than go into details here, the preface of this post I made today on ASR tries to explain why that is.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dac-track-handling-test-under-linux.69506/

EDIT: Fixed the link

Thanks again.

Edited February 14Feb 14 by Jeff65
fixed link

5 hours ago, Jeff65 said:

@xlinknz

Thanks for making the effort to check that out. This information isn't enough to be sure it will perform in my use case. Rather than go into details here, the preface of this post I made today on ASR tries to explain why that is.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dac-track-handling-test-under-linux.69506

EDIT: Not sure why I can't get the above link to actually link when clicked. Must be a skill issue.

Thanks again.

Good luck with ASR, its a site I have mixed views on as there are a small number of long term members there that see R2R (and other topics) as a 'heresy' and exhibit unwelcoming and unfriendly behaviour. That said there are those there that can provide excellent technical information and advise

Edited February 13Feb 13 by xlinknz

8 minutes ago, xlinknz said:

Good luck with ASR, its a site I have mixed views on as there are a small number of long term members there that see R2R (and other topics) as a 'heresy' and exhibit unwelcoming and unfriendly behaviour

Haha - yes. I don't plan on discussing that aspect of the DAC there.

45 minutes ago, xlinknz said:

That said there are those there that can provide excellent technical information and advise

Yes they are good to get the tech measurement from which I love, as that's how all equipment is designed and made, and you can instantly see if there are any real problems with it from the measurements..

But don't talk about subjective listening experiences there or you'll get time out real quick.

Cheers George

Edited February 13Feb 13 by georgehifi

If anyone is using this DAC with Volumio, Moode Audio, Daphile or mpd using ALSA direct mode (selecting an output setting with this designation "hw: x,y" where x and y are single digits like 0,1 or 1,0 which is the card and device number of the DAC) please download the reference track I have attached to this post I made at ASR:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dac-track-handling-test-under-linux.69506/

I would ask for help over there but the moderators have locked the thread for the K13 R2R due to too much subjective discussion. 🙄

I would attach the file here but I can't attach wav or zip files to posts here.

The track contains 5 bursts of pink noise that are loudest when the burst begins but trail off and then there is a gap before the next burst begins.

Start the track from the player in a stopped state (nothing already playing.) You should hear five bursts that all sound the same. If the first one sounds different or you hear less than five, then there is a wake up delay affecting this DAC.

Thanks.

Edited February 14Feb 14 by Jeff65

41 minutes ago, Jeff65 said:

If anyone is using this DAC with Volumio

Doing Lossless Uncompressed Flac, tried and paid for it used it when I first got it, preferred free VLC, then preferred Foobar after that and still using Foobar.

here's what AI thinks

https://www.google.com/search?q=For+lossless+uncompressed+flac+Volumio+vs+VLC+vs+Foobar&sca_esv=45a1a07102033a0f&ei=8tePaYrtKuWR4-EPqICjyAw&biw=1137&bih=629&ved=0ahUKEwiKruyG8teSAxXlyDgGHSjACMkQ4dUDCBM&oq=For+lossless+uncompressed+flac+Volumio+vs+VLC+vs+Foobar&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiN0ZvciBsb3NzbGVzcyB1bmNvbXByZXNzZWQgZmxhYyBWb2x1bWlvIHZzIFZMQyB2cyBGb29iYXIyCBAAGIAEGKIEMgUQABjvBTIIEAAYgAQYogQyBRAAGO8FMgUQABjvBUiFEVAAWABwAHgBkAEAmAGtAaABrQGqAQMwLjG4AQzIAQD4AQGYAgGgArYBmAMAkgcDMC4xoAfDA7IHAzAuMbgHtgHCBwMyLTHIBweACAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

Cheers George

Edited February 14Feb 14 by georgehifi

16 minutes ago, georgehifi said:

Doing Lossless Uncompressed Flac, tried and paid for it used it when I first got it, preferred free VLC, then preferred Foobar after that and still using Foobar.

Cheers George

Foobar only works with Windows, which I only use on my work laptop.

Although it's been a while since I used Windows for audio, at the time everyone who wanted to stop Windows from messing with the output used ASIO drivers.

Linux is the same, if you don't want pulseaudio messing with the output you use ALSA direct hardware mode.

57 minutes ago, georgehifi said:

here's what AI thinks

George, I've been streaming from PCs since 2004. Been doing Linux streaming since 2009. This is my first post on this forum:
https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/12856-cheap-silent-linux-music-server/#findComment-236356

I don't need the opinions of the AI on the streamers. If I did, I could ask the AI myself.
I just want to know if this DAC suits my needs. That is something the AI can't answer.

1 hour ago, Jeff65 said:

I don't need the opinions of the AI on the streamers. If I did, I could ask the AI myself.

You asked "If anyone is using this DAC with Volumio" I said I did and didn't think much of it even though I paid for it, I added AI response just to get your goat up😉 lighten up!

Cheers George

Edited February 14Feb 14 by georgehifi

On 13/02/2026 at 11:08 AM, xlinknz said:

I found using Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (using Rhythmbox and VLC) no issues with audio from my K13 i.e no clicks, pops or other noise starting a track or during playback including when the K13 is powered on and off when connected via USB.

@xlinknz I found you can make a test that will help with VLC if you change some of its settings.

If you are willing to try it you can find instructions in this post:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dac-track-handling-test-under-linux.69506/#post-2520368

The test wav track is attached to the first post in that thread inside a zip archive.

Still having mixed success with getting hyperlinking to work. Is ASR blocked from hyperlinks? The one link to another post here seems to work.

Edited February 14Feb 14 by Jeff65

On 14/02/2026 at 8:24 PM, Jeff65 said:

Is ASR blocked from hyperlinks?

Use "URL shortener" https://www.shorturl.at/ and post that it will work.

Cheers George

I just picked up a K13 on Aliexpress a week ago for $375 delivered. I bought it as a stop gap whilst my Gungnir Multibit (Gen1) gets repaired.

The Fiio does not sound like a cheap stop gap. I will be keeping it.

25 minutes ago, Ugly said:

The Fiio does not sound like a cheap stop gap. I will be keeping it.

Great price

Glad you like it, said it was good, and your Gungnir is around $3k aud

Maybe your Mk1 Gungnir Mk1 could be Delta Sigma version that used the AKM4399 DS dac chips?, that would explain it

(watch me get roasted for that little outburst by the DS lovers)

https://theaudiophileman.com/gungnir-ho-schiit-gungnir-dac/

Cheers George

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by georgehifi

Definitely the multibit Gungnir. I havent used it in a year so couldn't give you any useful comparison with the Fiio other than I could, and will happily live with the K11