FiiO’s new desktop DAC is a seriously powerful headphone amp for an affordable price

Takes the tech from the impressive K17 DAC/amp and makes it more affordable

Product shot of the FiiO K15 desktop DAC against a neutral background. The K15 is shown from the front with its display active
(Image credit: FiiO)
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Quick Summary

The FiiO K15 is a desktop DAC with a 3,000mW per channel balanced headphone amp and dual AKM AK4497S DAC chips. It's considerably more affordable than the K17.

It'll be available from 1 August for £499 / $549 / €599.

FiiO has launched a brand new desktop DAC that includes tech from its impressive K17 DAC for considerably less cash.

The FiiO K15 is a DAC, headphone amp and streamer, and while it's aimed at audiophiles it's priced very competitively – under £500.

The K15 is based around dual AKM AK4497S DAC chips, which are part of AKM’s new "velvet sound" series. It is one of the first audio products in the world to implement these chips in a dual-DAC configuration, and FiiO says that they deliver an "organic, immersive sound signature".

I like the styling of this desktop DAC: it's a nice mix of old and new. It's not wallowing in nostalgia, but definitely takes some design cues from classic Hi-Fi kit – its controls are strongly reminiscent of some of the hardware I loved in the 1980s, for example.

On the front there's a 3.93-inch colour touchscreen and some nice, tactile rotary knobs, and the obligatory app provides additional features, including a 10-band parametric EQ.

Product shot of the FiiO K15 desktop DAC against a neutral background. The K15 is shot from behind to show its connectors.

(Image credit: FiiO)

FiiO K15: key features and pricing

The FiiO K15 comes with a powerful Class AB headphone amp that can put out up to 3,000mW per channel via its balanced output, which is more than enough to drive even the most demanding headphones.

The K15's USB input supports 768kHz/32bit, DSD512 and MQA, and its Bluetooth module supports LDAC, aptX HD and AAC.

The K15 is both AirPlay compatible and Roon Ready, and it also supports local playback via USB storage. It has both single-ended and balanced analogue inputs, while Wi-Fi is dual-band and there's also gigabit Ethernet.

The internal power supply is a 30W AC unit, and the K15 also supports 12V DC input for external hardware. It has independent digital and analog power rails with a multi-stage analogue supply utilising multiple dropout regulators. This, FiiO says, guarantees a constant supply of ultra-clean current to each audio stage.

The FiiO K15 will be demoed at CanJam London on 19 of July and will go on sale on 1 August 2025. The price is £499 / $549 / €599 (about AU$1,035).

Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).

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