FIIO S15 streamer/dac/preamplifier

Traded in and now available: a comprehensively equipped FiiO S15 high-resolution network player, DAC and digital preamplifier, finished in black.

The S15 is FiiO's first full-size streamer, designed as a complete digital music hub for a serious hi-fi system. Its standard 43 cm width fits neatly alongside conventional high-end components, while its circuitry brings an unusually wide range of capabilities together in one unit.

At its heart is the high-quality AKM AK4191 + AK4499EX DAC combination, with physically separate digital and analogue signal processing. The fully balanced analogue output stage uses precision OPA1612 op-amps and provides both fixed line outputs and variable preamplifier outputs via RCA and balanced XLR.

Digital processing uses components including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, XMOS XU316 and two Accusilicon AS318-B femtosecond clocks. FiiO's DAPS system bypasses the usual Android resampling, allowing music to be processed at its original sample rate wherever possible.

The S15 runs a customised version of Android 12 and has a large 7.84-inch colour display, so streaming apps can run directly on the unit. It also supports Roon Ready, AirPlay, DLNA, UPnP, SMB, WebDAV and Bluetooth. Local playback is available from USB, microSD or an internally installed M.2 NVMe SSD of up to 2 TB.

Connection flexibility is a particular strength. Alongside USB, coaxial and optical connections, the S15 offers AES/EBU, I²S via HDMI, an HDMI input and HDMI ARC. It can therefore serve as a complete streamer/DAC or as a purely digital streaming transport for an external DAC.

The power supply is also substantial for this price range. FiiO uses a 35-watt low-noise linear supply with a custom transformer and four 4,700 µF ELNA capacitors. Digital, analogue and power supply sections are physically separated inside the unit to minimise interaction.

A highly versatile digital source combining a streamer, DAC and digital preamplifier in one enclosure. Its extensive digital outputs also make it an effective high-quality streaming bridge in an existing high-end system.

Technical specifications

Specification	FiiO S15
Type	Network streamer / DAC / preamp
DAC	AKM AK4191 + AK4499EX
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
USB-interface	XMOS XU316
Clocks	2 × Accusilicon AS318-B Femto
Operating system	Android 12, Custom FiiO Interface
Display	7.84-inch color display, 400 × 1280
Internal memory	64 GB
RAM	4 GB
internal SSD	M.2 NVMe, to 2 TB
microSD	up to 2 TB
Native playback	PCM 32/384, DSD256
USB DAC	PCM 32/768, DSD512 Native
Network	Ethernet + 2,4/5 GHz WiFi
Streaming	Roon Ready, AirPlay, DLNA and others
Bluetooth	Send + Receive
Analog outputs	RCA + balanced XLR
digital inputs/outputs	AES/EBU, coaxial, optical, USB
I²S	HDMI
HDMI	HDMI IN + HDMI OUT/ARC
Power supply	35 W low-noise linear power supply
Dimensions	430 × 274,5 × 89,5 mm
Weight	approx. 5,65 kg
Remote control	Yes