The cleanest sounding DAC/AMP at $500 | FiiO K9 Desktop Headphone DAC & Amplifier | Review

[@Rob-Davidson]

Excellent video

[@inscythe]

Nice review! I've listened to this during Canjam, and I think it's a very nice combo unit.

[@cimen9793]

which one giving bigger soundstage and better imaging K9 AKM(using AK4191EQ+ AK4499EX) or K9 PRO ESS(9038pro chip using) ? My headphone is hifiman edition xs.

[@krenkson]

Great info, everything i was looking for.. getting it soon. Thanks mate

[@ianfann]

No problem mate, glad my video helped!

[@AQUPAS]

Is there any slightest audio delay /latency while using it over USB? For shooter games / gaming in general. Thx.

[@sunwalker2438]

i have the FiiO K7, is the K9 worth the upgrade?

[@xray111xxx]

Interestingly you cannot send line in to line output. Either Pre or Lo output signal, but digitally you can run pre out. If anyone knows a way to change that would love to know. I love the K9 I bought otherwise.

[@marco_evertus]

Hey bro I’m also from Singapore. Love this amp the power is also pretty good for the balanced. Would you recommend for the HiFiMAN Arya organic?

[@Tuyu67]

すごく参考になりました。ありがとう!

[@MarsChan07]

Hi Ian , Thanks for the review , You said that this is the most transparent at the price of 500 dollars , So is there a dac that is more expensive than this and is more transparent than this?

[@MarsChan07]

I mean , What dac that is more expensive but more transparent than the K9, Just curious, thanks

[@ianfann]

Topping D90SE or RMR-ADI-2

[@MarsChan07]

@@ianfann Thanks

[@KopiOkaya]

@Mars Chan Let me add one more... Questyle CMA Fifteen. I was about to tell Ian but he had already posted a reply.

[@MarsChan07]

@@KopiOkaya Thanks

[@beepover]

Any noise floor with iems? Been looking for a great sounding desktop amp for iems.

[@ianfann]

So far no noise floor, not bad.

[@MaZEEZaM]

I wish it had a normal USB type, not the printer type connection. Otherwise it seems great. Thanks for the review.

[@Rob-Davidson]

The other end of the cable is regular usb. Only the side that plugs into the DAC is like that.

[@Manupassero]

apparently higher specs than the K9 Pro ESS but much lower price.. how comes? interesting devices both

[@mysteriousstranger332]

I wanted to ask the same question. Just bought the k7 bt because I didnt even knew the k9 exists without ess

[@Manupassero]

@@mysteriousstranger332 I actually have the possibility to buy either the K9 or the K9 Pro ESS for the same price... Which one is better overall?

[@JeradBenge]

The topology of the 6 stage circuit has been optimized to only need 3 filters, instead of 7. There's no MQA, or USB-C, but you're getting a cleaner signal path. Dropping MQA immediately saves on licensing costs, and implementation requirements, as well as allows for reconfiguring of the trace pathways on the PCB. The cherry on top is using 2 of the ES9068AS chips, adding better handling of high sampling rates as well. The cost of the chipset swap is slightly lower output power, and SNR. The amplification circuit is exactly the same. IMO, the benefits greatly outweigh the costs, and this is where we get our value proposition. It's not going to win an objective testing suite showdown due to the lower SNR rating, but your ears will love it.

[@peterscrace3530]

Its not higher spec than the K9 Pro, the K9 uses ESS ES9068AS DAC's which are top of the range 2 channel ESS DAC. K9 Pro uses ESS ES 9038 Pro which are top of the range ESS 8 channel DAC's, other than that pretty much the same, K9 Pro has more power. Coming from a FiiO K7 the K9 is not as smooth but it is cleaner sounding which I personally prefer, better value than the K9 Pro and not all that different sounding to be honest.

[@ianfann]

Well said 👍

[@VainGloryZieg]

Great review, is it worth the update and the price coming from an iFi zen dac (v1) ?

[@ianfann]

I would say that they sound different, one is warm the other is neutral sounding. So it depends on what type of timbre you’re looking for.

[@VainGloryZieg]

@@ianfann Id like a cleaner sound, more detailed, I dont care that much if it's warmer or neutral as long as it sounds "better". Would you say that K9 does that better than the iFi Zen? I want to upgrade my combo dac/amp, is there any other dac/amp better for that price (500usd max) ? btw, thk u for answer me :D

[@ianfann]

Yup it sounds cleaner than the ifi zen dac in my opinion.

[@VainGloryZieg]

@@ianfann thks

[@user-vf7rq5gh1m]

Hello! I've already ordered one. But now i found a question. I own an Austrian audio hi-x65 headphones with 25om impedance. The question is can i use this headphones with k9? Cuz i found there's in some sources that k9 has minimum 32om impedance with headphones. At the same time i found that almost amps have output impedance around

[@Yeastextract]

The FiiO product page states the recommended range for headphones is 16-600 ohms, you should be fine. I have used, among others, a pair of Denon AH-D7200s which are 25ohm, worked perfectly well with the K9, no damage.

[@user-vf7rq5gh1m]

@@Yeastextract thank you for reply

[@argonaut__]

Hello, can you please describe how you connect it to the pc? Thank you

[@ianfann]

You can use the usb cable to connect to your pc

[@argonaut__]

@@ianfann from the front or back panel?)

[@ianfann]

It’s at the back panel

[@argonaut__]

@@ianfann thank you very much

[@sYnDaEx]

Also from the side with USB-c. // Nevermind, this the old version. This don’t have the USB-C on the side.

[@amormagister]

What mean "LO" on output button?

[@brucena5696]

Line Out i.e. fixed line out, so max power out and you cannot control the lineout with the volume controller from the k9.

[@amormagister]

@@brucena5696 So, that means "pure DAC" output without preamplification?

[@peterscrace3530]

@@amormagister No it means fixed volume output suitable for powered speakers for example.

[@amormagister]

​@@peterscrace3530 On the very similar model K9pro, on the same button, in the same position, it says "DAC", which means pure DAC 200 mv. I hope it means the same thing. Such an expensive device must have a "clean" output from the DAC, without preamplifier! there is no such thing on K5plus pro where the DAC preamp can't be turned off.

[@Viewer13128]

is it cleaner than the topping dx7 pro or the topping A90 discrete?