Portable sources are increasingly common now, and we are seeing offerings from brands that never had any history with them even a year ago. Indeed, there are even new brands coming out of nowhere with their logo on a fairly generic slab using a cookie cutter formula of either ES9039 or CS43198 DACs and some equally ubiquitous op-amps. You'll see some offer Bluetooth connectivity too, although these are far fewer in number and end up costing more too. Bluetooth sources in 2024/25 are generally in three segments, with the first group being priced in the ~$150-250 range and being the smallest, the second group in the $500-1000 price range and using more desktop-class hardware while also being significantly larger, and finally true desktop sources which are generally without an internal battery and thus not portable. DAPs are a subset of the first two groups in not needing any client for the source signals, and generally run more expensive for the equivalent feature set as a result. Amidst all this competition, the ones losing out seem to be DAPs in the more budget price range and Bluetooth DAC/amps in the $500-1000 price range. The FiiO BTR17 is a very good example of a source that is explaining why both of these product segments are likely to see fewer entries going forward, and does so by also distinguishing itself from the overly similar sources aforementioned.

We've seen EQ/DSP being used with TWS IEMs and headphones for a while now, and wired IEMs have been going this route to get that extra bit of tuning satisfaction—the MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK is a popular example, with the likes of INTUAURA going for DSP adapters offering a similar approach. EQ is easier on Windows thanks to several freely available programs, much harder on macOS, and only just getting feasible on mobile products. Having it be offered on a source is a very useful feature for many thus. I'd actually credit Qudelix for breaking PEQ into the personal audio space with the Qudelix-5K, although the Korean company seems content to not put out a successor with more modern features anytime soon. FiiO has been around for even longer, and has had wired-only and Bluetooth DAC/amps for years now. Its BTR line has arguably been quite successful too, else we would not see continuous updates and multiple entries per generation—there is currently a BTR11, BTR13, BTR15, and a BTR17 at various price points, with the BTR17 being the most expensive at $200. A lot of these share the same app support too, although of course it is the flagship BTR17 which gets everything FiiO has to offer in this realm. The standout feature to me is obviously PEQ, available with nearly 20 profiles saved on board, all of which can be customized via the app or an even newer browser-based configurator. You can now easily have the headphones and IEMs sound closer to your preference with just some initial time spent thus.

Obviously PEQ alone would not make or break a product, and the BTR17 is legitimately impressive in most regards. It is powerful enough to compete directly even with some desktop sources, let alone the larger portable ones that are increasingly under threat. In fact, with FiiO no longer having plans to update its Q-series of larger portable DAC/amps, the BTR17 is now its de facto flagship portable DAC/amp too. With various operating modes and a handy desktop mode too, the BTR17 also manages to provide a good balance of convenience, sound, and connectivity. It's not perfect by any means, yet I struggle to think of a competing product at this price range which does the same, let alone better. The FiiO BTR17 gets a rare Editor's Choice award from me as a result.