FiiO is a Chinese-based audio engineering company whose name and product line might not be that well known to you, but a quick look at Amazon reveals over 256 products listed. FiiO packs a lot of features into their products along with serious attention to their audio design and footprint. It is clear that what matters most to FiiO is the audio quality, but they also aimed to create products that are inherently flexible. The FiiO E17 Alpen is representative of this approach. Not only does it boast a strong DAC component and amplifier base, in addition to the expected USB input, it adds optical and coaxial input, an auxiliary line-level input that can connect to an iOS device dock, a battery powered headphone amp, all at a price similar to other devices running purely off the USB port and with only a USB input. 

From a feature and price-point comparison I can't think of any other devices that come close to this combination of features. The E17 replaces the well-received E7, which had neither the coaxial nor the E17's optical inputs. The E7 was limited to 48k 16 bit decoding versus the E17's 96K 24 bit USB decoding. And if you take advantage of the optical input it will handle native 196K 24-bit decoding. They added a 20 step EQ adjustment, which purists might scoff out, but which I found incredibly useful when listening in less then ideal environments during travel where a bit of boost was helpful for some musical selections. The headphone amp output jumps from 150mWx2@16-ohms, to 277mWx2@16-ohms, which I found allowed it to drive some headphones more effectively. And it does all this at only 12 grams more weight, which at 112 grams total is less than most cell phones. All in all the E17 packs more features and refinement than one has any right to expect at any reasonable price point.

Because this is battery powered, the unit needs to be charged before use, and I found myself charging it on a regular basis. It held a charge during all of my listening sessions, so once charged up, it works great. It does take a while to charge, so it's important to do a full charge the first time you use it. The time to fully charge a battery is 3.5 hours, and in use the battery life is claimed to be 15 hours thanks to a larger 1500Mah battery.

The build quality is excellent, and if Apple made products using brushed black anodized aluminum I think that FiiO would give them a run for the money. The first thing you will notice is the large backlit color LCD display that displays input source, sampling rate and bit-depth, a timer, and the battery level. The colors chosen are a turquoise blue for input source and volume, and an orange stripe at the top with the other info. The display was easy to use, and made it a snap to set preferences, and keep an eye on how things are going with the unit. One confusing aspect is that it can only list a few sampling rates, so for example 44k and 48k are both displayed as 48k. The unit didn't always accurately reflect the true sampling rate and depth of the original file.

For example, the E17 displayed 48k@16 bit when using Decibel from Stephen Booth to play tracks from Gonwards, the newly released album by Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge (available as a 24bit FLAC download from the Society of Sound website founded by Peter Gabriel and Bowers & Wilkins. I tried the same track using Pure Music from Channel D, and got the same results. This lack of reporting accuracy on the E17 was confusing enough that I wrote to the company as well as to the creators of Decibel and Pure Music for their thoughts, thinking that maybe I had a preference set wrong. I'm still not sure what the problem or solution might be but I am closing in on the answer. Pure Music in particular has such a cornucopia of features and options that despite using it for a while I still feel very much like a neophyte. Luckily it comes with excellent tech support that has been very patient with my questions!

The FiiO site has made significant strides forward in recent months, and their literature has rapidly improved. After a short search I did find an answer to my sampling rate question, which was because the E17 displays only three rates, it displays the sampling rate closest to the source rate.

OK, enough background: How does the E17 Alpen sound? It sounds very good indeed, a significant improvement over stock DACs and amplifiers. As noted in our review of the HRT Head Streamer, one of the differences between the E 17 Alpen and that unit was in the bass response of upper midrange. The E17 has a slight "rise" in the midrange, not quite bright, but certainly noticeable and airy. The bass is solid and precise, but not as warm as the HRT device. I wondered if the built-in rechargeable battery in the E17 would drive headphones differently and the answer was yes. I found that some headphones such as the superb Audio Technica ATH-W1000X Limited Edition wood models held up better with the E17, especially at higher volume levels. The more capable amplification limits coupled with the ability to EQ the sound footprint made the E17 very versatile. No matter what earphones or headphones I used, it handled them capably. One small suggestion for FiiO is to include the silicon skin they made for its predecessor; since it was designed for portable use, it would be nice to protect it from bumps and scratches. I'd also like for FiiO to find a way for users to update the unit's firmware. At the present time it displays the firmware version, but that is the limit of what you can do with that information.

Dynamics were exemplary, and the dynamic range with the right earphones, such as our highly recommended Etymotic ER-4 MicroPro earphones really kicked into gear with the E17 driving them. Listening to HD Tracks recent high-bit release of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" revealed the strengths of the E17 with a warm rich sound, and an open airy midrange that allowed the instruments to float in the air. Another recent release from HD Tracks, "Paul Simon Live in New York City," starts a bit on the understated side but like many live recording it took a bit of a higher amplification setting to come alive, but come alive it did with a solid bass on the performances from "Graceland," "Rhythm of the Saints," and newer releases. Both selections are excellent download choices.

We also used the new Audiofly AF78 earphones, which combine a Balanced Armature Driver along with a Dynamic driver. This unique design hails from Australia, created by a group of musicians who sought an earphone that matched the musicality they experienced creating music. With the E17, the AF78 produced a solid tight bass that didn't get muddy or thumpy, and the higher ranges were open and airy without any sibilance that poorly designed earphones so frequently exhibit. Great work guys! If you are looking for a nice set of newly designed earphones with coherent musicality, the Audiofly AF78's deserve a listen.

I compared the audio to the stock audio out of my MacBook Pro and Mac Pro, with iTunes, Decibel, and Pure Music and in every comparison the E17 proved its worth, with discernable improvements in audio performance. I didn't think that I would use the equalization controls, but a bit of bass boost was welcome on some tracks, especially with more accurate and linear headphones. It also seemed to warm up the bottom end a bit. I didn't find I needed it with more contemporary rock tracks, many of which hammer on the bass, but the nice thing about the powered amplifier in the E17 is the ability to drive headphones without clipping at high sound levels. I've requested the FiiO E09K, their newly revised matching dedicated desktop headphone amplifier to really put the unit to the test, and will compare how that unit stacks up when combined with the E17 once I've had a chance to get to know it.

A couple of weeks ago, Society of Sound released a 24-bit remastered FLAC version of Peter Gabriel's "So," and I wondered how much of an improvement there would be over the earlier remastered release from 2002, and if I could hear a difference between this high-bit FLAC through the E17. The earlier 2002 remastered release was very good, and although limited to 16 bits, I always found it a solid improvement over the original CD release. How good is the new release? In a word, great. There is a noticeable warmth to the new version in parts, a bit less heavy in the bottom end, but it also reinforces just how good the earlier remastering job was. This is a subtle difference to be sure, and much of the album has heavily processed audio, but in the drums, guitars, and voices there is an expansiveness that makes it all come together. With the E17 I found I didn't need to boost the bass at all, the warmth of the mix came through just fine, and the high end didn't seem overly bright, although that album always had a fairly jangly high-end. A worthwhile download and good match for the E17.

We found the FiiO E17 Alpen a solid unit, with an impressive feature set at a hard-to-beat price. The ability to decode high sample rates natively, with a choice of USB or Optical inputs, and a clear and concise display make it easy to use, set preferences, and adjust the volume and equalization. The audio reproduction is excellent with an open and airy sound, and an amplifier that can drive a wide-range of headphones and earphones. The FiiO E17 is highly recommended for the audio lover in your life!

Harris Fogel, Posted 12/3/2012

For more information on the FiiO E17 Alpen visit: www.fiio.com.cn 

For more information on B&W Society of Sound visit: www.bowers-wilkins.com 

For more information on HD Tracks visit: www.hdtracks.com 

For more information on Etymotic visit: www.etymotic.com 

For more information on Audiofly visit: www.audiofly.com 

For more information on the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000X please visit: www.audio-technica.com 

For more information on Pure Music visit: www.channld.com 

For more information on Decibel visit: www.sbooth.org