Last year, I brought you my FiiO K17 review, and at the time, it became my all-time favorite FiiO unit. Since then, however, FiiO has released a ton of new products, so many that I can barely find the time to play with them, let alone deliver proper in-depth evaluations. Even so, after testing some of its latest releases, such as the K13 R2R and Warmer DACs, it became clear to me that I was no longer dealing with the same FiiO I had known for so many years. It felt like a different FiiO, one that cared much more about the music and the overall enjoyment it could provide. This year, at High End Vienna, I was able to spot several new products and, to tell you the truth, the K17 R2R was the one that immediately caught my attention. While most of its circuitry remains similar to that of the regular K17, we finally get the full R2R ladder DAC treatment. More importantly, this is not the same R2R circuitry I had already encountered inside the K13 R2R and Warmer DACs, but an entirely new R2R PRO architecture that promises much better performance across the board, and more about that in a jiffy. Now that it has finally been released, I decided to give it a try and film this video for you guys. Interestingly, the price has remained unchanged, as it still retails for $989 / €989. So, let’s find out whether the K17 R2R is a better fit for you than the regular K17.
