Fiio’s K17 is the apparent improve to the K9 Professional

I used to be excited once I began utilizing the K9 Professional three years in the past; the high-end DAC had all the things I wanted, and it did an amazing job driving my Audeze LCD-X and Focal Elex. With the flagship K19, Fiio proved that it might ship one thing that held its personal towards one of the best on this class.

Now we now have the K17. That is billed because the improve to the K9 Professional, and it comes with AKM’s newest AK4191EX and AK4499EQ DACs, together with a customized amp that delivers 4000mW of energy, and all of the analog and digital connectors you want. The K17 prices $899, however due to the tariffs, the worth has elevated to $949 on Amazon.

Whereas it is good to see the internals get a refresh, what I like probably the most concerning the K17 is the design; Fiio went with retro styling, and the DAC seems to be completely gorgeous. It has a white coloration scheme with chunky dials and knobs, and a 3.93-inch coloration LCD panel with a 240×1020 decision, and LED lights on the knobs.

Fiio rolled out utilitarian designs previously, and whereas the K9 Professional had lots to supply, it would not maintain a candle to the K17 by way of the design aesthetic. Fiio did a improbable job on this regard, and I just like the K17’s design higher than the K19. There are vents on the sides in addition to the highest, and also you get higher cooling — this was a problem on the K9 Professional.

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The dials on the entrance allow you to change modes and regulate achieve simply, and the menu system is considerably simpler to navigate this time round. You get the same old 6.35mm, 4.4mm, and XLR connectors, and there is a USB-C in up entrance that lets you simply connect with supply units.

There’s one thing concerning the tactility that you just get with utilizing massive buttons and dials that is simply lacking digitally; this can be a clear level of differentiation with the K17, and a giant cause why I just like the DAC a lot. Identical to the K19, you get a distant management that makes it simpler to vary modes, regulate quantity, tweak EQ, and mute the machine. The distant itself is similar, with the one distinction being that the Bluetooth button is lacking despite the unit having the identical Bluetooth 5.1 modem.

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Around the again, there’s USB-C in, USB-A, Gigabit Ethernet, line in and line out, balanced XLR out, coaxial out and in together with optical in/out. There actually is not something lacking with regards to connectivity, and Fiio deserves credit score on this space. Much like the K9 Professional, you get a voltage toggle on the again that permits you to change between 110V and 230V (I used the latter as I am in India).

Fiio is as soon as once more providing the 31-band PEQ characteristic that debuted on the K19, and it’s simply as efficient. It makes use of an M21586Q DSP and ES9821Q ADC, and also you get granular management with regards to tweaking the sound. It has the identical QCC5125 Bluetooth modem, and this time, Fiio went with a discrete amp resolution that is pushed by the Onsemi MJE243G and MJE253G.

Clearly, loads of thought went into the design and internals of the K17, and the ultimate result’s a DAC that is significantly better than the K9 Professional. A cool characteristic is the power to play music if you join a USB drive or HDD to the DAC — no different supply wanted. The DAC handles PCM as much as 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512 natively, and 384kHz/32-bit and DSD256 when utilizing a neighborhood supply. Oh, and it’s Roon prepared, making it an amazing selection should you use the platform.

With the power to ship 4000mW of energy at 32Ω over the balanced 4.4mm connector and 1850mW at 32Ω through the single-ended 6.35mm port, the K17 is ready to drive any headset with relative ease. I did not see any points with the Audeze LCD-X, Audeze MM-500, Fiio FT5, Fiio FA19 IEMs, and the Focal Elex.

Just like the K19, the K17 has a impartial soundstage that does not add any dynamics to the sound, permitting headsets and IEMs to shine. It was pleasant to make use of the DAC with the FT5 and the latest FT1 Professional, with each delivering an brisk bass, clearly-defined mids, and a clean treble. The K17 nails the technicalities, and also you get correct imaging and nice decision.

After testing over a dozen Fiio DACs, I can safely say that the K17 is its greatest but. I just like the design higher than the K19, and if something, the K17 sounds higher when utilizing the identical headsets. General, this is a superb improve to the K9 Professional, and should you want a DAC that appears nearly as good because it sounds, that is positively the one to get.