Fiio KA17 Portable USB DAC and Headphone Amp

The FiiO KA17 brings flagship DAC chips and THX amplification to the dongle format. Plugged into a phone it is an efficient high resolution DAC; feed its dedicated power input from a battery bank or charger and it transforms into a 650mW desktop class amplifier that embarrasses devices many times its size.

Type and Technology

The KA17 is a portable USB DAC and headphone amplifier with dual ES9069Q DAC chips, dual OPA1662 op amps and a fully balanced THX AAA 78+ headphone stage. Its XMOS XU316 controller decodes PCM up to 768kHz/32bit, DSD512 and full MQA. The orange Power In USB-C port accepts external power to unlock desktop mode.

Sound Character

Clean, fast and transparent with the THX stage keeping distortion vanishingly low, the KA17 sounds noticeably more spacious and controlled than typical dongles. In desktop mode, bass tightens and dynamics open up, giving planar IEMs and moderate full size headphones real drive.

Build and Features

A 0.91 inch display shows sample rate, volume and gain, with side buttons for control. Outputs cover 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced, and FiiO's 10 band parametric EQ is configurable through the FiiO Control app or a web interface. At 33.5g it stays pocket friendly despite the power on tap.

Best For

Listeners who want one dongle for phone duty and desk duty, especially with harder to drive IEMs and headphones. See more options in our portable DAC/Amps collection, or step up to the Q15 for battery power. Browse everything in the FiiO collection.

What's in the Box

• FiiO KA17
• Leatherette case
• Dual USB-C OTG short data cable
• USB-A to USB-C adapter
• USB dustproof plug covers (2)
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card

Specifications