FiiO M17 vs KANN SP2000

$1,000+ seems like a lot to spend on a portable audio player until you realize how many pieces of equipment they make redundant. They’re decoders, amplifiers, storage systems, streamers, controllers, and pre-amplifiers–an entire ecosystem of audio equipment that can fit in your pocket. You could easily spend $1,000 on any one of those pieces of equipment. And when seen in that light, a DAP makes a lot of financial and logistical (i.e. wayyy fewer wires) sense.

Spend any amount of time researching DAPs, and you’ll probably run across the FiiO M17 and Astell & Kern SP2000, major players in the high-end DAP market. These represent the high, high end of DAPs, with the M17 coming in at $1,799, and the SP2000 coming in at $3,499. Quite a price difference, which begs the question: is the M17 a better value or does the SP2000 earn its keep with specs and features? Let’s find out. 

Putting it all on the table

Let’s put it all on the table (literally). Below is a comparison chart between the DAPs. We’ve highlighted the instances where one DAP has clearly bested the other.

Judging by number of categories won, it’s pretty close. The M17 wins in seven categories, while the SP2000 wins in eight. Let’s break down which is better for you.

With Bluetooth, a higher battery capacity, and 2TB of expansion storage, the M17 is the better portable DAP. The battery is nearly triple the size of the SP2000’s, meaning you’ll be listening for much longer on a single charge. The 2TB of expansion storage gives you more than 500GB total storage space than the SP2000. And Bluetooth allows you to listen to your favorite pair of TWS headphones. Additionally, the M17’s slightly larger screen (0.99” over the SP2000) keeps things roomy.

With Roon, the SP2000 is the better at-home DAP. Roon Readiness allows you to connect the SP2000 to your existing Roon ecosystem, using it as a streamer, storage system, DAC/Amp, and more. The one caveat here is that the M17 has an RCA coax in/out, allowing you to use it as a pre-amp. The SP2000 does not.

At the end of the day, it comes down to how much you value Roon. If Roon is a must-have, the SP2000 is for you. If not, you’ll be happier with the M17 (and save about $,1700 in the process).