Fiio’s K17 is the obvious upgrade to the K9 Pro

I was excited when I started using the K9 Pro three years ago; the high-end DAC had everything I needed, and it did a great job driving my Audeze LCD-X and Focal Elex. With the flagship K19, Fiio proved that it could deliver something that held its own against the best in this category.

Now we have the K17. This is billed as the upgrade to the K9 Pro, and it comes with AKM’s latest AK4191EX and AK4499EQ DACs, along with a custom amp that delivers 4000mW of power, and all the analog and digital connectors you need. The K17 costs $899, but because of the tariffs, the price has increased to $949 on Amazon.

While it’s good to see the internals get a refresh, what I like the most about the K17 is the design; Fiio went with retro styling, and the DAC looks absolutely stunning. It has a white color scheme with chunky dials and knobs, and a 3.93-inch color LCD panel with a 240×1020 resolution, and LED lights on the knobs.

Fiio rolled out utilitarian designs in the past, and while the K9 Pro had plenty to offer, it doesn’t hold a candle to the K17 in terms of the design aesthetic. Fiio did a fantastic job in this regard, and I like the K17’s design better than the K19. There are vents at the sides as well as the top, and you get better cooling — this was an issue on the K9 Pro.

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The dials at the front let you change modes and adjust gain easily, and the menu system is significantly easier to navigate this time around. You get the usual 6.35mm, 4.4mm, and XLR connectors, and there’s a USB-C in up front that allows you to easily connect to source devices.

There’s something about the tactility that you get with using large buttons and dials that’s just missing digitally; this is a clear point of differentiation with the K17, and a big reason why I like the DAC so much. Just like the K19, you get a remote control that makes it easier to change modes, adjust volume, tweak EQ, and mute the device. The remote itself is identical, with the only difference being that the Bluetooth button is missing in spite of the unit having the same Bluetooth 5.1 modem.

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Round the back, there’s USB-C in, USB-A, Gigabit Ethernet, line in and line out, balanced XLR out, coaxial in and out along with optical in/out. There really isn’t anything missing when it comes to connectivity, and Fiio deserves credit in this area. Similar to the K9 Pro, you get a voltage toggle at the back that lets you switch between 110V and 230V (I used the latter as I’m in India).

Fiio is once again offering the 31-band PEQ feature that debuted on the K19, and it is just as effective. It uses an M21586Q DSP and ES9821Q ADC, and you get granular control when it comes to tweaking the sound. It has the same QCC5125 Bluetooth modem, and this time, Fiio went with a discrete amp solution that’s driven by the Onsemi MJE243G and MJE253G.

Clearly, a lot of thought went into the design and internals of the K17, and the final result is a DAC that’s much better than the K9 Pro. A cool feature is the ability to play music when you connect a USB drive or HDD to the DAC — no other source needed. The DAC handles PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512 natively, and 384kHz/32-bit and DSD256 when using a local source. Oh, and it is Roon ready, making it a great choice if you use the platform.

With the ability to deliver 4000mW of power at 32Ω over the balanced 4.4mm connector and 1850mW at 32Ω via the single-ended 6.35mm port, the K17 is able to drive any headset with relative ease. I didn’t see any issues with the Audeze LCD-X, Audeze MM-500, Fiio FT5, Fiio FA19 IEMs, and the Focal Elex.

Like the K19, the K17 has a neutral soundstage that doesn’t add any dynamics to the sound, allowing headsets and IEMs to shine. It was delightful to use the DAC with the FT5 and the recent FT1 Pro, with both delivering an energetic bass, clearly-defined mids, and a smooth treble. The K17 nails the technicalities, and you get accurate imaging and great resolution.

After testing over a dozen Fiio DACs, I can safely say that the K17 is its best yet. I like the design better than the K19, and if anything, the K17 sounds better when using the same headsets. Overall, this is an excellent upgrade to the K9 Pro, and if you need a DAC that looks as good as it sounds, this is definitely the one to get.