Building on the performance and portability of the fiio e10k, the fiio k3 lands with a few new nifty upgrades. The fiio k3 is a usb dac/amp combo with a usb type-c connection, capable of decoding up to 384khz/32bit pcm audio and now dsd256. With 2.5mm balanced as well as 3.5mm unbalanced outputs, the k3 proves itself to be extremely versatile for use with over-ear headphones and iems alike. The coaxial output, optical output, and line out is perfect for connecting your laptop to a hi-fi system. Powering the fiio k3 is the ak4452 dac chip alongside two opa926 driver op amps and a ti opa1612 low pass filter, all controlled by the xmos xuf208 microcontroller. The end result of this thoughtful component selection is a clean 220mw (@ 16 ohms) output through the 3.5mm jack, and a 320mw (@ 16 ohms) output through the balanced 2.5mm jack. This is several times more power than available with most daps, and more than enough to power somewhat demanding portable headphones like the oppo pm3. The sound through the k3 can be described as detailed and fast, with a wide soundstage and balanced sound signature. please note that while the k3 works well with laptops, it does not have a battery and will require more power than some portable devices can supply via usb. For instance, the k3 needs the apple lightning to usb 3 adapter to connect to many apple devices. for a smaller dac/amp combo consider the audioquest dragonfly black.