CD diehards are punching the air this morning. FiiO just announced the DM15R2R, a portable CD player built for 2025 instead of the late ’90s, and it proves the silver disc is nowhere near retirement age. This isn’t a plastic throwback to the Discman era. The DM15R2R is built like a proper piece of audio gear, with a compact aluminum body, a transparent window and front lens made from tempered glass, and a straightforward 0.96-inch LCD for track and mode information. Connectivity is modern across the board, and the in-house R2R DAC gives CDs the kind of resolution and texture that remind you why the format never really went away.
I say this as someone who took the previous FiiO DM13 across Central Europe and the Balkans last summer and watched people react to it in real time. I’d sit down in a café with a pair of Beyerdynamic or Meze headphones and within minutes someone would lean over and ask what I was listening to. Turns out a portable CD player with serious audio performance still has a certain pull, even in a world drowning in algorithmic playlists.
The DM15 R2R takes that energy and pushes it forward. It runs on a high-voltage lithium battery so you’re never tied to a wall outlet. It offers single-ended and fully balanced outputs, USB DAC mode, Bluetooth transmit mode, and both optical and coaxial outputs for speaker systems and amplifiers. You can use it as a portable CD player, a desktop source, a DAC, or a wireless bridge. It shifts roles easily and never feels like a compromise.
If you’ve been waiting for a modern CD player that respects the format and refuses to treat it like a museum piece, this is the one to watch at only $269 USD.
What’s Inside the FiiO DM15 R2R
Power is supplied by a 4700 mAh battery, rated for at least seven hours of use. Charging is handled through USB-C with support for PD2.0 and PD3.0 fast charging, bringing the battery from empty to full in roughly two hours. Rated input is 5V at 2A.
At the center of the DM15 R2R is FiiO’s own R2R DAC. Instead of relying on a delta-sigma chip, it uses a resistor ladder to convert digital data into an analog signal. The result is a presentation many listeners describe as more natural and less processed, without straying into coloration for the sake of it.
FiiO keeps the noise floor under control as well. THD+N measures below 0.030% at 1kHz, and the signal-to-noise ratio reaches at least 112dB, which means quiet passages remain intact and dynamic swings don’t get buried.
FiiO DM15 R2R Key Specifications
The FiiO DM15 R2R is designed as a true all-in-one disc player and portable source, with a parts selection and feature set that aim to cover both desktop and travel use without cutting corners.
FiiO offers the player in four finishes — white, black, red, and silver — and the housing remains compact at 144 × 137 × 25.5 mm. At just over a pound (471.5 g), it’s light enough to travel with but solid enough to stay put on a desk.
The operating modes are straightforward: standard CD playback, USB DAC mode, Bluetooth transmit mode, and both optical and coaxial digital outputs. Headphone connectivity includes a 3.5 mm single-ended output and a 4.4 mm balanced output, while line-level connections are split between a 3.5 mm multifunction jack (line-out, coax, and optical) and a dedicated 4.4 mm balanced line-out.
Inside, the player uses FiiO’s self-developed R2R DAC along with dual SGM8262 amplifier chips for the headphone stage. Wireless duties are handled by Qualcomm’s QCC3095, and USB communication runs through the SPV5048. A small 0.96-inch display provides basic playback and status information.
Supported CD-R formats include FLAC, WAV, WMA, AAC, and MP3, making it flexible enough for users who keep archived or burned discs in rotation. Digital output support is consistent: USB DAC mode reaches up to 384 kHz/32-bit PCM and native DSD256, coaxial output supports up to 192 kHz/24-bit, and optical output handles 96 kHz/24-bit.
Output performance is straightforward on paper. Single-ended power reaches 315 mW per channel at 32 ohms when the unit is running on desktop power, and 220 mW per channel in portable mode, both with THD+N kept under 1%. The balanced output offers a much larger jump, delivering 1,150 mW per channel on desktop power and 815 mW per channel in portable mode at the same 32-ohm load.
What FiiO hasn’t clarified yet is how the DM15 R2R behaves with harder-to-drive headphones. There are no published figures for planars above 200 ohms or for large dynamic models in the 200-650 ohm range. Until those numbers surface, it’s difficult to say how far this player can stretch beyond typical portable headphone pairings.
Line-out levels follow a similar pattern: 3.3 Vrms single-ended and 6.5 Vrms balanced on desktop power, and 2.8 Vrms single-ended and 5.4 Vrms balanced in portable operation.
Noise and distortion are kept low, with a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 112 dB (A-weighted), background noise measuring under 8.5 µV on the single-ended output and under 15.8 µV balanced, and THD+N landing below 0.030% at 1 kHz into 32 ohms.
Bluetooth When You Want to Go Wireless
If you’d rather leave the cables on the desk, the DM15R2R can transmit Bluetooth to compatible headphones or speakers. It supports SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL, and aptX Adaptive, so you get a range of stable options for everyday listening. What’s missing, at least for now, is LDAC and aptX Lossless support — two codecs many listeners expect on modern gear.
Still, for situations where you want to move around, cook, or wander the living room without dragging a cord behind you, Bluetooth transmission gives you a practical way to keep your discs playing while staying mobile.
ESP Anti-Vibration Support for Steadier Playback
The DM15R2R includes an ESP switch designed to keep playback steady when the player is in motion. It helps reduce the chance of skips if you’re walking, adjusting your setup, or carrying the unit between rooms. Once you’re settled — at a desk, on the couch, or wherever you usually listen — you can leave it enabled or turn it off. The player reads discs reliably either way, and the ESP function simply adds an extra layer of stability when the unit isn’t sitting perfectly still.
Infrared Remote & Included Accessories
The DM15R2R comes with an infrared remote that handles the essentials when the player is sitting across the room. You can skip tracks, pause, stop, or switch output modes without walking over to the unit — handy when you’re running it into speakers or an amplifier. There’s no control app for this model, and frankly that’s a good thing. A portable CD player shouldn’t require yet another app just to do its job.
FiiO includes everything needed to get started: the DM15R2R itself, the infrared remote, a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and data, a 3.5 mm coaxial adapter cable, and a quick start guide. It’s a complete setup right out of the box.
The Bottom Line
The FiiO DM15 R2R lands at $269.99 USD and brings a surprising amount of capability to a very portable form factor. The key specs that actually matter are all here: an R2R DAC designed in-house, a 4700mAh high-voltage battery with roughly seven hours of real use, balanced and single-ended outputs, USB DAC mode up to 384kHz/32-bit and native DSD256, and clean digital outputs via coax and optical. Add Bluetooth transmit mode, ESP anti-vibration support, and a transparent top plate that makes CDs feel tactile again, and you’ve got a player that fits both a desk setup and a travel bag without friction.
There are a few gaps worth noting. FiiO hasn’t provided any power data for more demanding headphones, so its performance with high-impedance planars or big 300–650 ohm dynamics remains an open question. Bluetooth transmission does not include LDAC or aptX Lossless, which some users will miss. And while the infrared remote is a nice touch, there’s no app support — a win for some, a limitation for others.
The DM15 R2R is aimed squarely at listeners who still value disc playback but want it in a modern, flexible package. If you want a portable CD player that doubles as a USB DAC, a digital transport, and a capable headphone source without feeling like a novelty product, this is the one to watch. Pre-orders are live now, with red and silver shipping December 9th and black and white following on January 9th.
Where to buy:
For more information: fiio.com/dm15R2R
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