Tech
FiiO’s $170 DP11 CD Player Is for Everyone Who Never Stopped Buying CDs
CD players are back. Back again. Tell a friend — preferably the one who dumped an entire collection at Goodwill because Spotify was supposedly the future forever.
The timing of FiiO’s new DP11 could hardly be better. Our recent look at RIAA data found U.S. CD unit volume up 45.7% to 17.5 million during the first half of 2026, while wholesale revenue jumped 58.6% to $171.1 million. Streaming still dominates music consumption, but the little silver disc is behaving rather poorly for a format that was pronounced dead years ago.
FiiO has already leaned hard into the revival with portable models including the DM13 and DM15 R2R. The DP11 takes a different approach: it is a compact desktop CD transport and player designed to sit in a proper hi-fi system.
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What Makes the DP11 Different?
Currently listed at $169.99 through HiFiGo, the DP11 is unusually well equipped for the money. FiiO uses a custom desktop CD mechanism with optimized servo control and a support structure designed to reduce mechanical noise during playback.
The rear panel is the real story. AES, coaxial and optical digital outputs let the DP11 feed an external DAC, while an internal Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC and stereo RCA output mean you do not actually need one. USB can also turn the DP11 into a digital interface for a computer, phone or tablet, while CDs can be ripped directly to USB storage in lossless WAV format.
Power can come from the internal AC supply or an external 12V DC supply, giving tweakers an obvious path toward an aftermarket linear power supply. Nobody required FiiO to make a $170 CD player this flexible, but here we are.
FiiO DP11 Specifications
- Type: Desktop CD player / digital transport
- Mechanism: Custom tray-loading CD drive
- DAC: Cirrus Logic CS43198
- Digital Outputs: AES, coaxial, optical
- Analog Output: Stereo RCA
- USB: Digital interface and CD ripping
- CD Ripping: Lossless WAV to USB storage
- Display: 3.71-inch LCD
- Power: Internal AC or 12V/2A DC
- Remote Control: Included
- Dimensions: 213 x 230 x 67 mm
- Weight: 1.8 kg / 4 lbs
- Finishes: Black or silver
The Bottom Line
The DP11 is not an everything box. There is no headphone output, SACD playback, Bluetooth or network streaming, so anyone wanting a Discman, streamer and headphone amplifier rolled into one should keep walking.
That focus is also part of the appeal. The $299 Shanling CR60 also rips CDs and functions as a compact transport, but requires an external DAC. The $199 Shanling EC Play adds Bluetooth 6.0, LDAC and headphone outputs, but is designed primarily as a portable player.
For listeners with shelves full of CDs and an existing amplifier or DAC, the DP11 offers an unusually complete set of connections for very little money. Considering what has happened to CD sales in 2026, FiiO may have arrived at exactly the right moment.
The CD player is back. Again. Please try to act surprised.
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