Outboard DACs

FiiO (Fi representing Fidelity, iO for a binary 1 and 0) was founded in 2007 in Guangzhou, China by a team of ex-Oppo engineers, and its debut product, an MP3-compatible mini active speaker, followed a year later. It has maintained a focus on affordable hardware ever since, under both the FiiO name and the Jade Audio and Snowsky sub-brands. In 2010 FiiO launched a portable USB DAC/headphone amp, the E7, and updated the concept in 2012 with the E17 – both selling in the UK for under £100. A year on it launched the X3, a 192kHz/24-bit-capable portable music player. In 2015 FiiO entered the headphone arena with its EX1 in-ear monitors, and launched the K5 desktop headphone amp.

The next decade witnessed the brand’s rapid expansion, including the development of a purpose-built R&D facility with both EMC testing and anechoic chambers, and a manufacturing plant with an ‘an annual production capacity of up to 2 million units’. FiiO’s MP11 portable audio player won an EISA Award in 2020-2021, and the company now sells more than 30 headphones, 20 portable DACs/amps and eight DAPs, alongside a ‘retro line’ including cassette and CD portables, and a Bluetooth turntable. Meanwhile, the new K17, on test here, is one of 13 models in its premium desktop hi-fi lineup.