FiiO DM15 R2R could be the CD player to help us ditch streaming for good
FiiiO's latest CD player can do it all. The DM15 R2R offers hi-res playback, a DAC and enough connectivity options to cover all your needs
CDs are having a vinyl moment and we’re seeing a growing number of attractive and highly functional CD players to put the compact in compact disc.
The latest player to tempt us to return to the 1990s’ favourite playback medium is the FiiO DM15 R2R. The stationary and portable device is the successor to the popular DM13 model and offers Bluetooth connectivity, as well as both 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs.
But that’s only the beginning of its talents. Naturally, it supports the 16-bit/44.1kHz native resolution for high resolution audio, but it also includes a USB DAC (the R2R made by FiiO) as a conduit for boosting the sound of your digital music. That’ll offer playback at 32-bit/384kHz PCM.
If you’re using it as a Hi-Fi component, there’s also a coaxial output promising 24-bit/192kHz audio and an optical output providing 24-bit/96kHz sound. Beyond standard CDs it’ll also play CD-Rs containing the FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC and MP3 audio formats.
If you’re connecting with Bluetooth headphones, the DM15 R2R offers Bluetooth 5.4 to support aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and aptX Low Latency. Unfortunately, you won’t get the higher-end aptX Lossless. Furthermore, for wired headphones, the DM15 offers an amplifier chip hitting 315mW per channel at 32 ohms. If you want to use it in portable mode, you’ll get 220mW and seven hours of playback time from the rechargeable battery.
It’s not the cheapest CD player we’ve seen but there is an aluminium chassis with a transparent lid and a smart-looking front panel with a 1-inch LCD display. It’s available to pre-order now for $269 in the United States and it’s available in black, silver, red and white. European sale announcements have yet to be made.
Chris Smith
