FiiO RR11 Portable FM Radio

Retro Radio Revival for your pocket

The FiiO RR11 Portable FM Radio brings a refreshing blend of old-school charm and modern functionality. It is built for those who not only love radio but also appreciate the tactile nostalgia of analog design. The aluminum alloy knob create an experience that feels both retro and contemporary.

After spending a few weeks with the RR11, I feel I have a good sense of what you get. Basically, you get a very high quality retro design with very nice feel in your hand and especially when using the analog tuning dial, taking you back to those older portable radios. And in typical FiiO fashion that retro feel is subtly mixed with some modern features.

While it’s easily the cheapest of FiiO range of retro products (also including the CP13, TT13 and DM13 ), it may not appeal to audiophile in the same way as those other products, as I will explain later.

But let’s get into the details of what you get in the box

Unboxing and Build Quality

The RR11 comes in a now typical FiiO design:

Nothing too exciting on the back:

Opening it up you see a quick start manual first:

Removing the manual reveals the RR11 and in a nice surprise you get some retro earbuds to use
immediately:

The earbuds:

I felt including these earbuds was a nice touch making the RR11 an excellent present for someone. My wife almost immediately when she spotted it started using it with its earbuds while spring-cleaning in the back garden.

But in general the audio quality of earbuds like is poor compared to IEM’s, thankfully while the earbuds do provide added “aerial” for the internal FM tuner, you any IEM’s with the RR11, and it will also act as an external aerial.

Removing the top layer reveals the usb-c cables and some eartip covers for the earbud:

One of those usb-c cables is special though, so don’t lose it as its provides a usb-c dac feature, that I will describe later.

Taking everything out of the box:

• RR11 Unit
• JF11 Retro-style Earbuds
• Warranty Card
• Type-C to Type-C Digital-to-Analog Cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Earbud Sponge Covers

The ultra-thin, robust aluminum alloy construction does match previous retro inspired products from FiiO.

FiiO have a few matching colours for their retro products, the silver of the RR11 blends well with my TT13:

Let’s have a quick tour of the RR11:

Analog volume + 3.5mm connector	Analog tuner, DAC switch + bass boost
FM band switch:

The RR11 looks well with the supplied earbuds:

Features and Performance

The RR11 is more than just a radio but at its heart it has an analog PVR tuner:

Analog Tuning

The tactile feedback of this analog-inspired dials are really the core retro experience FiiO are providing with the RR1:

But while this is great to have that older radio experience, it is also the weak point in the RR11 and one that might be addressed if FiiO decide to release an RR13 or RR15 model:

Two Weak points of the RR11

Unlike the retro feel of touching physical media like a tape, a CD or even some vinyl, a radio was never physical and radio never “went away” to be “rediscovered” as we are still surrounded by generally good radio experiences. For example, in our cars most people still use their radios but those radios have “digital” PLL tuners which effectively lock onto and stabilise weaker FM radio signals.

So, in my experience, with the RR11 it was fine with more powerful local FM stations but would lose the connection very quickly with weaker stations especially when out walking around the neighbourhood.

The other modern convenience that we are all well-used to with our radios is having a set of preset “favourites”, typically that requires some “digital” display of the RDS name of the station and maybe a separate switch where the “analog” dial is merely jumping between saved favourites rather than “tuning in” a different station.

But I guess these type of features will make good enhancements for a RR13 or RR15 should FiiO decide to enhance this retro radio line of products.

DAC Amp

Included with the RR11 is a DAC cable. When paired with an analog headphone amplifier adapter cable, the RR11 transforms into a dongle-style headphone amp system.

Take special care with this cable with the arrows, I initially didn’t notice the arrows on the cable and I had it connected the “wrong way” between my smartphone and the RR11.

When connected to my Macbook you get a good set of options:

Note: I have some measurements later, but in summary it is not the best DAC and something like FiiO’s KA11 is a far better DAC to pair with your smartphone, but it is a nice feature to have in your pocket.

Clear Indicators and Immersive Sound Effects

The thoughtfully designed orange-yellow retro lighting clearly indicates stereo status, tuning mode, and battery level, ensuring your always informed at a glance.

Ultra-Wide FM Band Coverage

As you can see in the photo above there are 3 separate FM ranges.

I believe some of those ranges are more applicable to countries like Japan, but in some countries use some of those extra frequencies can pick up specialized college or campus frequencies or even taxi or police broadcasts. Though I didn’t pick up anything in Ireland outside the normal FM1 band.

Bass Boost feature

And as another extra feature, the RR11 features custom Bass Boost with a “sound effects” options:

So MAGIC BASS 1 (bass boost) or MAGIC BASS 2 (bass boost + 3D surround) certainly change the sound, for me this bass boost was a little too much especially for an already well tuned IEM. But it’s a nice option if you are a “bass head” and you can also use that bass boost when using the RR11 as an usb DAC.

Specifications and Measurements

So while 40mw into 32 Ohms is fine as a basic DAC and similar to an Apple Dongle, the FiiO KA11 in comparison can get
up to 200mw into 32 Ohms.

Measurements

So, as basic measurements, I first measured a FiiO FD15 with an Apple Dongle and then using the RR11 as a comparison:

As you can see there is a little sub-bass roll off which is typical of cheaper USB dongle dacs.

Comparing the distortion shows it has a little bit more distortion than the Apple dongle:

I decided to see the DAC aspect of the RR11 and see what the Bass Boost modes do to the sound: The bass boost mode do make a nice boost to the bass and I think for those who enjoy a little more bass this is a nice simple “EQ” they can apply.

Finally, I measured the frequency response from the FF11 earbuds with different placements in my KB501X pinna:

As you can see the frequency response varies greatly when you place the earbuds in different positions. This is one of those subjective things you noticed with earbuds, you need to “fiddle” with the seating to get a satisfying sound and even then the bass is never good (either too boomy) or with a large roll-off.

Rating

I have given the RR11 a pragmatic score of 4 out of 5. It looks and feels fantastic and for the price is jam packed with extras like the earbuds, the DAC and the bass boost features, but if you want it just for the radio experience I feel the lack of a PLL tuner that “locks” onto a signal might disappoint those in “weaker” FM signal areas. But given the price FiiO are selling the RR11 at it is probably unfair to expect too much in their most basic model.

Conclusion

The FiiO RR11 Portable FM Radio stands out as a beautiful fusion of retro aesthetics and some modern functionality. Its ultra-thin, aluminum alloy design, tactile tuning experience, and retro radio reception would make it a nice present for audio enthusiasts who love radio and value both style and substance. Whether you’re reminiscing about the golden age of FM radio or seeking a versatile device for on-the-go listening, the RR11 delivers that retro radio experience.

FiiO’s dedication to blending the best of retro audio “history” with contemporary tech takes another step forward with the RR11.