FiiO was founded in 2007 in Guangzhou, China, by a team of experienced audio engineers who set out to build genuinely capable hi-fi products at prices far more people could afford. The name blends "Fi," for fidelity, with "iO," a nod to the ones and zeroes of digital audio — a fitting identity for a brand built at the intersection of accessible pricing and serious engineering.

FiiO's early portable headphone amplifiers and USB DAC/amps, including the E7 and E17, built a loyal following among head-fi enthusiasts looking for genuine performance without a high-end price tag. The company expanded into digital audio players in 2013 with the X3, followed by increasingly ambitious models like the Android-based X7, and moved into in-ear monitors and desktop amplifiers from 2015 onward. Today FiiO operates from a purpose-built 15,000 square metre facility in Guangzhou, complete with its own EMC testing and anechoic chambers, and produces up to two million units a year.