FiiO D3 Digital to Analog Audio Converter

Excellent

Perfect for connecting an Apple TV to an analog receiver.

Bridging the bleeding edge to the classics

I have been using the FiiO D3 to bridge the sound from my Apple TV to my Band & Olufsen Beomaster 3000-2 for the past six months. This is the best choice out there for connecting digital to analog. I could not be more pleased with the sound. It was easy to hook up, simple in design. It works so well I forgot I even had it.

Useful product

Great simple addition to a TV with only a digital output for connection to an analog sound system.

Great converter for Apple TV

I bought this little converter to get the digital audio from my Apple TV connected to my good old stereo amplifier. I installed it and it worked great with a good sound quality. After that I almost forgot about it. It's sitting there behind my amplifier and has worked without any problems ever since. Great little thing, good value for money.

Computer audio

My main rig was a McIntosh MA-6200 with JBL 100s studio monitors for decades. Besides rocking the house, I like the McIntosh loudness compensation controls, which are tuned to the human ear, so I can keep full fidelity at lower volumes.

Recently I had a McIntosh MA-6100 brought up to specs for Computer audio. The main thing that you have to know is that digital controls only work by degrading your sound. So you have to get away from your computer still digital so you don't lose your bits. This is where the FiiO comes in. The FiiO lets you go digitally out of your computer, into your speakers, or pre-amp with the full digital signal intact.

I was looking at Gordon Rankin’s Dac designs which can run a few thousand dollars. Money was not really the object at that point. I thought the Halide Design Dac HD, was just perfect for my application. But later when the Dragonfly came out at half the price I held back on the $500 Halide HD. The refurbished amp had just arrived I wanted to get the sound out, so I ordered the mass produced FiiO D3 at a throw away price, and was blown away by the sound. I guess I just did not get around to ordering the Halide.

These super high-end Dacs might have been necessary if the industry had moved toward 24-bit audio. But this is all way over kill for iTunes, Youtube, Hulu, Netflix, or any streaming source coming down the line.

From the FiiO D3 the signal goes to the pre-amp where the output was split three ways. Two leads to a hidden 200 watt sub woofer, and two to each self bi-amped, HS 50M Yamaha studio monitor, sitting atop lazy Susan’s, on speaker stands on either side of my computer screens.

Does what it says on the tin.

Perfectly adequate for our needs - hooking up an AppleTV to an old DVI only TV (HDMI - DVI converter only does Video, not Audio).

Lots of startup noise is a bit of a let-down, but as long as you wake up the AppleTV before waking up your TV it's not a problem. Occasional sound glitches - but not sure if these are caused by this converter or something else like a dirty audio cable.