S15 HiFi Audio Streamer & Desktop DAC, AK4191+AK4499EX, Snapdragon 660, HDMI ARC, 7.84-Inch Touchscreen Music Player (Black)

This is an awesome unit that has a beautiful, pure high-grade sound. The background is clean while the bass is both crisp and full. The treble is well separated from the lows. I did have to set the equalizer master gain slider to its lowest setting to get the output to produce that clean, heavenly sound I was looking for. Before I figured that out, the output was muddy and the bass crapped out even at low volume, but it's all good now! The UI works great and does what you want it to if you are willing to dig through the settings and also learn how Android works. I even got it to add a fire breathing dragon to the boot up cycle (see video). I installed an SSD drive in the backside for storage it works great. The large screen is excellent, and I love being able to see the album cover, track info and stats all on one page. The build quality of this device is top notch! Overall, this is a great piece of hi-fi pre-amp equipment in the $1000 price range for those who already have a dedicated amplifier to plug it into (I am using my FiiO K9 AKM for the amp and XLR/balanced cables between the two devices). I am currently using this setup to run my SONY MDR-Z7M2 Headphones, 1MORE Quad Driver Earbuds and powered Edifier bedroom speakers. All sound high-grade! Excellent addition to my Chi-Fi Tower of Power!

After a week of use, I’m updating my review and deducting a point. I wanted to love the FiiO S15—it holds so much promise—but the execution is disappointing. Sound Quality: The Saving Grace Let’s start with what FiiO got right: the sound quality. It’s fantastic and is against my Topping D70 Pro, which is impressive for an all-in-one unit. The S15 also supports visual audio effects like VU meters, which I love—but only when using native apps. If you’re using USB or optical input, forget about it. This is unacceptable for a device at this level, especially when competitors like Eversolo got it right from the start. FiiO needs to fix this. Usability: A Series of Missteps Remote Setup The remote isn’t pre-paired, so you need to dig through settings to get it working. That’s a one-time hassle, but it adds unnecessary complexity. Even after pairing, the remote is not intuitive to use from a distance, defeating its entire purpose. FIIO App does not connect and produces a persistent error. UI Design The UI feels entirely out of place for a device of this size. The S15 is massive and belongs in an entertainment center, yet its fonts and menus seem (android OS) designed for a handheld device. Navigating the interface feels clunky and unintuitive, making everyday use frustrating, particularly from a distance. Cable Management & NVMe Support FiiO’s cable placement is baffling. The USB DAC input—my primary use case is front-facing, making cable management sub-optimal. Meanwhile, the device includes two USB host ports (front and back) and NVMe support (kind of). It only works via a USB-to-NVMe dongle, meaning if you bought an expensive high-speed NVMe drive expecting the fast NVME performance you paid for, you’re out of luck—it’s throttled down to USB speeds via a USB-to-NVME enclosure. Poor design choices like this hurt the overall experience. Final Verdict The FiiO S15 is packed with features, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not just a firmware update away from greatness—the design choices don’t make sense. Some of the issues I’ve mentioned are fixable, given how flexible the OS is, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. I’m unwilling to pay for something and cross my fingers that it will get fixed later. As it stands, this unit may need to go back to the sender.

Man this thing really sounds good! I have owned almost every Fiio DAP, so the functionality of the Fiio app in the S15 is the same. I can see how it may take a little time to figure it out if this is your first exposure to Fiio, because the owners manual is a little sparse. Once up and running, I’ve had no issues. Love it!

Does a lot of things well: sounds great, good build quality (99% of it), nice screen. However a few small things such as issues running Tidal from the device screen and cheap knobs on the front are frustrating. Plus I do worry about software support, as this doesn't seem to be a big seller. Overall, I would say it is good but only as a second streamer. If you can only get one in this price range, I would get an Eversolo A6, it is much more polished.

My experience with the FiiO S15 has been largely positive, especially regarding its outstanding audio capabilities. The unit's high-resolution sound quality has made my music-listening sessions truly enjoyable. However, I've noticed issues with the streaming screen interface. While streaming the screen doesn't fit all the video or picture content within the screen size, making the content too big for the screen. I tried to adjust the screen size in the system settings but still have the same issue. Additionally, I was disappointed to find that the VU meter is not available for use while streaming or coaxial connections, which limits its functionality for visual monitoring. However, when using my cell phone Fiio control, I changed to the "Independent control" and the S15 screen gave the option for the VU meter and equalizer for all of the device inputs. Hope that Fiio can provide another firmware update to fix these minor yet crucial issues. Despite these hiccups, the FiiO S15 remains a strong contender in the high-end audio market and is a fantastic addition to my audio setup. Its impressive sound quality and versatile connectivity options enhance the overall listening experience, making it a worthwhile investment for any audiophile.

For what is worth I returned the S-15. The display and software are minimal at best. I was hoping for more and received less.

I’m not sure why this had mixed reviews. Take the time and hook it up properly and you’ll see what it’s capable of. It’s way more configurable compared to my Eversolo dmp-a6 gen2, and the dac in this blows that out of the water. No comparison. Seriously, the sound is unreal. Whatever problems I read about their app must have been resolved because it’s working fine with no bugs or issues. I thought I was going to buy it and expect to have some glitches or issues, knowing it was at least a great dac… not only was I happy about the dac, I had absolutely zero issues. I would 100 percent recommend this product. Great job FiiO. Take the time, hook it up properly, and enjoy the result.

When you tap the volume button up or down it jumps as much as 22 points. Not pleasant when you increase volume. After that it goes one step at a time as it should. Listen to music for 5 seconds and tap the volume and it does the same big jump in volume. My wife uses Pandora and it's unusable. There are 6 horizontal stripes with information when you're on the main screen for it and the one you need to scroll through channels with is about 5/8" high. Hard to scroll with the led screen and the remote doesn't work for that. The remote seems to only work for volume, forward of a song, or left-right for some screens. You have to get up and do most everything on the touch screen that always has small letters on it even after changing fonts and screen size to as large as it will go. Almost nothing for a manual either. They have an App you can load on your phone which would probably get the job done. Unfortunately it has a 2 out of 5 rating and you have to defeat 3 continuous virus warnings to download it so I didn't go there. It did have really good detail but seemed like it had just a little too much reverb to it. Everybody has there own preferences. I bought a Wiim Pro Plus that also has the AKM dac in it, although an older one, and am really happy with it.