FiiO M17: Zeos Says It Can Replace Entire Desktop Setups

Note: This article is based upon the video "🟥The FiiO M17 Minimalists Dream |💎| _(Z Reviews)_" made by Z Reviews on his YouTube channel and is printed here in partnership with Z Reviews. The review was originally posted on March 25th, 2022. Edits have been made for clarity and length. You can purchase the FiiO M17 on Apos Audio. 

Zeos’ Takeaway 

This is as good as a desktop amp. In fact, it sounds like the K9. It’s an ESS K9. It sounds great. However, on the T60 Argons I found them a little sibilant than other amplifiers. Everything else I plug into it gives me an orgasm. The T60 Argons, not so much. Everything else plugged into this sounds like it does on the FiiO K9.

So the question is…do you want a FiiO K9 that you can…well, I’d say “put it in your pocket” but it’s a little big for your pocket. This is so big. It’s comical. It’s literally hilarious. I don’t believe that anyone is taking this on a bus or a plane or a train. It’s too big. If I commuted to an office, I would just leave it in the office.

You could replace entire desktop setups with this. The music swoons. Is that how I should say it? I give the full amount of praise to the sound of this unit. On this channel, I either recommend a product, recommend it highly, say meh, or say it sucks. Those are the four categories of sound quality. I would recommend this product highly. That’s the highest level.

But what matters to someone who’s going to spend this sort of money is all of the other things involved: the weight, the battery life, the charging. This is absolutely a recommended audio product. But can you live with it? Can you put it in your pocket?

I’ll put it like this, if you are an audiophile and a minimalist, then this is your thing. For the cost of a desktop computer or a decent laptop, you can get this, if your priority is music. This is a great player for a minimalist. It legitimately brings all the performance of a full-sized desktop DAC/Amp. All of it. You lose nothing. If you want all the performance and much less space, get this.