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DAC and Headphone Amplifier · Streaming Media Receiver · Local Playback All in One Unit, FIIO K17 Is Officially Released!
- Thread starter FiiO
- Start date
It has arrived!That sounds good, butThe sound is hard at first.I'll let it mature for now.In my experience, it takes about 2-3 months.
RME ADI2DAC → Topping L50
k17→Topping L50
ADI2DAC is slightly smoother
Of course, I'm still just getting used to it, so this review is meaningless.
I will wait for the K17's DAC section and headphone amplifier section to age.
By the way, it still sounds great ^^
oh yeah
The included 3-pin power cable is short, so many people may need a longer power cable!
Gain issue, I also tried.
From pre to po, it will be about L gain to H gain.
The monitor display remains at L.
RME ADI2DAC → Topping L50
k17→Topping L50
ADI2DAC is slightly smoother
Of course, I'm still just getting used to it, so this review is meaningless.
I will wait for the K17's DAC section and headphone amplifier section to age.
By the way, it still sounds great ^^
oh yeah
The included 3-pin power cable is short, so many people may need a longer power cable!
Gain issue, I also tried.
From pre to po, it will be about L gain to H gain.
The monitor display remains at L.
Last edited:
Gilly1978
New Head-Fier
PRE is controlling RCA out to powered speakers. PO out to 6.35mm and 4.4mm balanced headphones and IEMs, both have the issue of being on high gain when I switch the knob from PRE to PO despite the gain knob being set to L.
It is the same issue shown in GadgetryTech's review at 4:30.
Just received mine. First impressions:
- Sounds is fab, great synergy with my Zahl HM-1. Sound signature reminds me of the RME FS-R Black Edition, though I don't have it anymore to compare side by side. Maybe a little more organic, yet detailed. Havent tried the headphone amp yet, this was pre-out to the Zahl.
- Works seemlessly with roon (recognized as a Fiio M17, a nice trick until the lengthy wait for roon to add it to roon ready, probably fixed later in fw update)
- Was able to start airplaying to it while roon was playing, it paused roon and worked flawlessly.
The UI is simple and just works. I much prefer it to my old eversolo A6 and A8, which were jacks of all trades and masters of none.
The pre mode is really good at balance at low volume.
- Sounds is fab, great synergy with my Zahl HM-1. Sound signature reminds me of the RME FS-R Black Edition, though I don't have it anymore to compare side by side. Maybe a little more organic, yet detailed. Havent tried the headphone amp yet, this was pre-out to the Zahl.
- Works seemlessly with roon (recognized as a Fiio M17, a nice trick until the lengthy wait for roon to add it to roon ready, probably fixed later in fw update)
- Was able to start airplaying to it while roon was playing, it paused roon and worked flawlessly.
The UI is simple and just works. I much prefer it to my old eversolo A6 and A8, which were jacks of all trades and masters of none.
The pre mode is really good at balance at low volume.
All in one showdown
Narrowed my options to these 2.

The Serenade Wireless was a match made in heaven when used with the Arya Organic. Simply smooth, organic and rich sounding tonality. Was about to bite the bulllet but had to stop, gave it a good nights' rest and tried them again.
This time I tried the Hadenys and Noire X with both. The Serenade Wireless was a tad warm to my taste. The K17's tonality is right up my alley. It's noticeably more musical.
I still had my reservations on that bug though.
In the end
, had to give in...

But @FiiO - I really hope you work on your firmware/software side...it really needs consistency. You have a whole forum giving you feedback, yet we don't see any results. (Here's to my M15S wishing you'll also update its Android version). I really had to think if I should purchase this because at the back of my mind, your software support is questionable. You'll really be a force to recon with in the hobby once you improve on your firmware/software game.
EDIT-----
@FiiO
Bugs bugs bugs!!!
1. I'm checking all the functionality of my unit when it froze - it was stuck at PO+PRO and UH gain. "Reset all", nothing - still frozen. Reset using the hole at the back, still frozen. Did this multiple times to no avail. Tried a hard reset process (Unplug the unit, press and hold on the reset hole for 30 secs) - that worked. My goodness @FiiO - it's a brand new unit!


2. Bluetooth is a pain to put into pairing mode! 1st time I selected BT, nothing happened (no flashing blue/red light). "Reset BT", still no pairing. "Reset all", go back to BT, still no flashing blue/red light. Used the reset hole, go back to BT, nothing. Did this multiple times. I then discovered that - you have to be on BT, turn off the unit, unplug the unit, press the reset at the back, plug the unit and turn on - viola! You're now in pairing mode! What!!!!


3. Screen time - once the screen has turned off - tapping the screen, turning any button won't turn the screen on - nothing at all, you're in the blind! You need to totally turn off the unit and turn it back on to gain access to your screen again.
4. Wifi - My unit doesn't connect to secured networks. It doesn't connect to my router that's on WPA2 encryption. To confirm, I enabled my hotspot on my phone and set encryption to WPA2 as well - same, it doesn't connect. When I remove the encryption - that's the only time my unit connects to Wifi.
We can't return units here in SG, if we can, this unit would have gone back to the store 1st thing tomorrow.
Narrowed my options to these 2.

The Serenade Wireless was a match made in heaven when used with the Arya Organic. Simply smooth, organic and rich sounding tonality. Was about to bite the bulllet but had to stop, gave it a good nights' rest and tried them again.
This time I tried the Hadenys and Noire X with both. The Serenade Wireless was a tad warm to my taste. The K17's tonality is right up my alley. It's noticeably more musical.
I still had my reservations on that bug though.
In the end


But @FiiO - I really hope you work on your firmware/software side...it really needs consistency. You have a whole forum giving you feedback, yet we don't see any results. (Here's to my M15S wishing you'll also update its Android version). I really had to think if I should purchase this because at the back of my mind, your software support is questionable. You'll really be a force to recon with in the hobby once you improve on your firmware/software game.
EDIT-----
@FiiO
Bugs bugs bugs!!!
1. I'm checking all the functionality of my unit when it froze - it was stuck at PO+PRO and UH gain. "Reset all", nothing - still frozen. Reset using the hole at the back, still frozen. Did this multiple times to no avail. Tried a hard reset process (Unplug the unit, press and hold on the reset hole for 30 secs) - that worked. My goodness @FiiO - it's a brand new unit!


2. Bluetooth is a pain to put into pairing mode! 1st time I selected BT, nothing happened (no flashing blue/red light). "Reset BT", still no pairing. "Reset all", go back to BT, still no flashing blue/red light. Used the reset hole, go back to BT, nothing. Did this multiple times. I then discovered that - you have to be on BT, turn off the unit, unplug the unit, press the reset at the back, plug the unit and turn on - viola! You're now in pairing mode! What!!!!


3. Screen time - once the screen has turned off - tapping the screen, turning any button won't turn the screen on - nothing at all, you're in the blind! You need to totally turn off the unit and turn it back on to gain access to your screen again.

4. Wifi - My unit doesn't connect to secured networks. It doesn't connect to my router that's on WPA2 encryption. To confirm, I enabled my hotspot on my phone and set encryption to WPA2 as well - same, it doesn't connect. When I remove the encryption - that's the only time my unit connects to Wifi.

We can't return units here in SG, if we can, this unit would have gone back to the store 1st thing tomorrow.
Last edited:
audionewbi
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
- Posts
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K17 looks really good!
If you look only at the sound, I think it will eventually become a replacement for ADI2DAC.
I'm trying out different options to see which is better: the built-in headphone amp or the Topping L30.
The biggest difference is
Fiio K17's bass range
I'm trying out different options to see which is better: the built-in headphone amp or the Topping L30.
The biggest difference is
Fiio K17's bass range
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2008
- Posts
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- 602
Will Local Playback be able to be gapless in future FW updates?
Dear friend,Will Local Playback be able to be gapless in future FW updates?
Hi, we have the plan of adding gapless function for local playback. But currently, we could not promise the estimated time. Stay tuned!
Best regards
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Dear friend,
Hi, this is the answer I got from the engineer:
1. When the device froze, it is recommended to disconnect the K17 from the power supply first. Then connect it to the power supply and restart. If the K17 froze and can not be recovered via the power knob or reset/when system response is slow, the reset will take longer time.
2. As for the Bluetooth failing to pair problem, the engineer provide a beta firmware for improving this. We will PM you. If you don't mind, please have a try.
3. Does the screen off problem happen only one time? If yes, it may because the K17 was froze after screen off. Please check whether the issue happens again.
4. If the Wifi could not be connected, please check whether your Wifi name/password contain special character? For example,+, '. If yes, please charge this character to number or alphabet to see whether the issue remains.
Best regards
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Stay updated on FiiO at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
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PRE is controlling RCA out to powered speakers. PO out to 6.35mm and 4.4mm balanced headphones and IEMs, both have the issue of being on high gain when I switch the knob from PRE to PO despite the gain knob being set to L.
It is the same issue shown in GadgetryTech's review at 4:30.
Dear friend,In a way I'm glad you have the same issue, as that aligns with my suspicion of a firmware bug and not some odd defect with internal components. Did you need Low gain for your gear? My work around has been to just use medium gain and rely on the wide number of volume steps, even for my IEMs.
Hi, I have reported your feedback to the project manager and he has reproduced the problem now. We will try to fix it soon.
Best regards
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Dear friend,
Hi, this is the answer I got from the engineer:
1. When the device froze, it is recommended to disconnect the K17 from the power supply first. Then connect it to the power supply and restart. If the K17 froze and can not be recovered via the power knob or reset/when system response is slow, the reset will take longer time.
2. As for the Bluetooth failing to pair problem, the engineer provide a beta firmware for improving this. We will PM you. If you don't mind, please have a try.
3. Does the screen off problem happen only one time? If yes, it may because the K17 was froze after screen off. Please check whether the issue happens again.
4. If the Wifi could not be connected, please check whether your Wifi name/password contain special character? For example,+, '. If yes, please charge this character to number or alphabet to see whether the issue remains.
Best regards
1. Yep, this one I already figured out.
2. I prefer to install stable, official released firmware on my unit. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to test beta firmwares.
3. Nope, screen time off I tested 3 times just to make sure. Once the screen is turned off due to screen time out, you won't be able to turn the screen back on. Tapping on the screen, turning knobs - nothing, screen is still off. Only way to get your screen back is to totally turn your unit off and back on again.
4. I have 20+ devices connected my network. I won't be changing the password just for 1 device. Yes, my password has special characters. But to answer your query, I will try via wifi hotspot later once I'm home.
Dear friend,1. Yep, this one I already figured out.
2. I prefer to install stable, official released firmware on my unit. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to test beta firmwares.
3. Nope, screen time off I tested 3 times just to make sure. Once the screen is turned off due to screen time out, you won't be able to turn the screen back on. Tapping on the screen, turning knobs - nothing, screen is still off. Only way to get your screen back is to totally turn your unit off and back on again.
4. I have 20+ devices connected my network. I won't be changing the password just for 1 device. Yes, my password has special characters. But to answer your query, I will try via wifi hotspot later once I'm home.
Hi, if everything goes well, the new firmware will be available in the end of this month.
Best regards
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@FiiO thanks for the swift responses. When is the update going to be available for the mobile apps to be able to control the K17?