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I should have already bought this before this review. My first 3 entry level headphone amps were Fiio, at a time when it was much more of a niche' market. Their E1 iPod dock to 3.5mm amp which basically looked like an inline volume control, the E11 portable amp which I still think is great, and the original version of the E10K DAC/AMP. Really impressive to see how far this company has come in the last 12 years or so.
Yeah same here still have the Fiio E10 after almost 10 years still running daily and my E11 is still working but the red light stays on and drains the battery so not good. And now doubting to get the Fiio A9 pro or Burson Playmate 2 or the Aune S17 Pro.
I have this thing (K9 Pro) and love it. I rolled the dice and got it before your review and glad i did...they are hard to come by now....at least here in Canada.
I have one also and Im in love with it. Dont forget to email Fiio support they are sending owners a free stand via Allied Express.I just got mine, Fiios customer support and service are brilliant also!!
I've always been a fan of fiio. This looks amazing but fiio has always been good audio quality on a budget. The price of this is pretty expensive but I'm sure it's worth it just out of my price range atm.
Z, can you compare FiiO K9 Pro to iFi NEO iDSD and the Shangling EM5. I know you have said that you love both NEO and EM5, but didn't hear you compare the sound out of the headphone amps. Both might be upstair in the new pad now, but just wanted some of you thoughts. The EM5 is a media player.. which is a +++ but focusing on just the headphone output.
I'm still happy with K5 Pro though. It sounds clean with a little bit of warmth to it, it has a lot of power even on low gain, it has perfect selection of inputs/outputs.
@@ognyankoynashki I own K5 Pro and Topping DX3 Pro+: both are great units but I think Fiio sounds a little bit better in lower frequencies - it's a bit more punchy, warmer and musical than Topping in my opinion so it sounds better at lower volume and it got more power than DX3 Pro+. On the other hand Topping sounds a little bit more clean - so some may prefer this sound signature - and it got bluetooth with LDAC and a remote which is very handy for using it as a tv setup device. But Topping doesn't have RCA input and K5 Pro got RCA in and out. I would say: if you don't need bluetooth and you are going to use it with a pc only then K5 is a better choice from my perspective. Topping DX3 Pro+ is a better choice if you are planning to use bluetooth a lot and it's a great addition to active speakers and watching TV. I never owned ifi Zen dac so I can't compare Fiio to that.
@@silentKeys20 Hey bud I have the Hifiman XS's and the K5 pro and while they could use more dynamic headroom, they sound fantastic together. Everybody I have let listen to them is very impressed. I would suggest using a PC for listening so you can eq your headphones. I personally use Dolby Atmos with eq on the Window's store to add some flavor to your sound.
@@black_n5492 you're right! I was left with such a comprehensive feeling for the unit that I could have sworn I'd seen this one. Also, I saw dms' review after too so... not completely mental yet, but getting there!! haha Cheers
A fun watch even when not in the market for a k9 pro definitely worth noting for future products. Zeos have you heard or played with the Modded 8XX (stickers)? Claims are some of the EQ differences from HD800S proper are done with fabric stickers/glue.
Finally! Been waiting for this. Bought this off Valor and DMS's reviews but I was eagerly waiting to hear what the OG Z had to say too. Digging in on this with the Focal Elex + Fiio K9 Pro!
@@llysender I wouldn't know how they compare to the other HD800s but Zeos has a few 8XX videos that I largely agree with. At least one of those is a comparison between the models.
ESS version will be the same product, but with an ESS dac chip, instead. One difference would be that the ESS version will have ventilation holes on the sides of the box. That concludes the differences.
@@eldeanogrande It's 2 ESS chips, no? Hence why it needs more ventilation. It's also going to be closer to $1k too. For me, this version is the only one in reach.
I am ready to order one! For someone interested only to play digital music files, should I bother looking for big amp hifi systems like Yamaha, Denon etc.? Would they offer anything more to DAC qualities?
What a coincidence. ~36:00 you mentioned the Topping DX7 Pro. I have one on the way... Hoping it does the trick for me. I'll definitely return the RME ADI-2 DAC fs if I'm 100% happy with the DX7 Pro... Heck, I can go get that HD 8XX with the price differenceI 👍
This thing is kind of weird when it come to power output. It can do 2W @ 32ohms balanced and single ended, but it does 278mW SE and 1.1W balanced @ 300ohm.
I dont understand the relationship between power and headphones at all period lol. Soundnews said this powers susvaras...not super well...but still...its 2 watts wtf. Maybe at need to be looking at current stats or something
Looking at the specs before the video I wish I didn't have sp200+m200 already.... Let's watch! And I fcuking wish I didn't have good headphones already and I would buy 8xx at 400 off... It's a bad time to already be geared up...
Dang it Zeos, this video (along with the HD 8XX discount code) should have been posted a month ago! I bought the HD 800S in January! I still went ahead and took advantage of that 401.00/36.45% discount! Thank you! IF my bad ears can perceive a big enough difference and I can do a good job EQing the HD 8XX, the HD 800S will be on eBay soon... Speaking of EQ, I'll have to go check on the return policy for the Topping DX7 Pro I have on the way (landed in LA this morning)... The RME ADI-2 DAC fs' EQ abilities has just become useful to me - I don't normally EQ anything. Sure, I can still do it via SW...
So are you saying that the BTR5 has a significantly different/better sound than say the BTR3K? Not just power, I have the 3k and I do love it, but I’ve been reluctant to upgrade to it mainly because I have a Q3, but I don’t use it portable but I like the way it sounds. Idk, bless me with your opinion oh mastah Z
ZEOS I CHALLENGE YOU: Go back to all the headphones who had terrible stock cables, and see which ones can be fixed with a hair dryer. I fixed my Sundara stock cable with one using a flat attachment.
I'm not that long in audiofile game. I bought FiiO K9 Pro and using it with Abyss Diana V2 (I know not exactly beginners HP, I just wanted good thing right away). Previously I used Parasound's ZDAC V2 and i think i can hear much more distortion. Not sure why. I'm using single ended connector, because well Diana's additional XLR cable is priced same as the AMP xD Do you have similar experience with SE?
The version I see all the reviews talking about seem to be the akm version that cost 700 but that is no longer available, so is the ess that cost $150 more worth it? Not just asking if it is still worth buying but also if it is still as good of a value now that it has the ess chip and higher price tag.
Lmao. xD That is tough, scalpers don't seem to bother with the K9 Pro in Europe, as far as i can tell, got mine retail, extremely fast and easy. :) Just wait until, i think the summer season? The ESS version will release, and that one can be produced indefinitely, meaning Scalpers wont get any benefit from scalping it. :) I'm guessing scalpers are targeting the k9 pro due to the AKM chip factory burning down, so there's going to be a scarcity market for it. Not sure if they're repairing the factory or not, i don't know the details, but, it's the only conceivable reason i'd see ANYONE bothering to scalp a k9 pro. : /
Sorry because Im asking you a question dont relate to your content but I couldnt find any review about Jolida glass fx tube III. Do you have any experience about this Dac/preamp? I intend to use it preamp stack with xduoo mt604 and Lcd 2c. Thank you
I'd just get portable DAC/AMPS for IEMs, but if you'd really 'need' a desktop DAC/AMP for IEM's, you could check the RME ADI-2 DAC FS which has a IEM dedicated output next to the headphone output.
So is this FiiO k9 pro punching above the Schiit modius/magnius stack and Geshelli stacks when looking for a balanced output. The FiiO k9 pro EBS is probably about 2 months away from being available in the uk so is it worth waiting for. I am using sundaras ( trying not to buy the edition XS but loosing he willpower battle) and focal eligias I had a topping E30/L30 but it blew up so it’s a sign I need to drop £700 on new stuff :-)
I get the feeling from reviews that the a90 and this fiio have similar power. And yet the a90D is 10watts and this is 2 watts. Power just must be much more than impedance and watts. I know they make an amp for the 600ohm headphones that doesnt have crazy power. Im just bamboozled
Hey Z, thanks for your thoughts and in-depth reviews on the K9 Pro and the IDsd Gryphon: i was literally browsing online for reviews for those 2 devices specifically (being the micro Signature a bit too expensive here, 800€ on amazon IT), needing from a reputable brand either a powerful portable source or fantastic sounding, great value DAC+ Amp for a newly acquired pair of HD800s (a gift from a friend actually). Keep up the good work maestro, much love from Italy.
8xx for $700 I might pick them up. I was willing to just save another $500 to buy the better 800s but at $900 cheaper than the 800s the 8xx might be a buy.
So I only have the HD58X and they work without a dac/amp but you just know its only like 60% of there true quality. What can I get for $100~ that would make them better, for laptop and mobile usage, I purely use Apple Music Lossless as my source too for those that care. Not 100% capped on the cost so if its a must buy for more please let me know. I have no idea when it comes to pairing headphones with dac/amps. I just know the HD58X sound slightly weak.
I bought one of these and liked it a lot. Unfortunately after a week of light use it started having audio drop-outs (about 1 sec of silence or perhaps almost silence) in the middle of tracks. Even with an optical input - as well as bluetooth. The store said they'd not heard this complaint before but didn't have another to replace it so I got something else.
@@VadimKupriyanov Maybe, but I don't know. Because of this problem, I got the ESS version instead which seems to be working OK, except that it does not work properly with MQA (maybe a firmware update is needed!!) so I just don't use MQA any more.
@@jennaralissima what difference in sound of AKM vs ESS for you? What is better? If fix the AKM version problem, do you want return to AKM or you are happy with ESS version? (I waiting for AKM version from ALI in these days)
@@VadimKupriyanov My (entirely subjective) opinion is that the AKM is slightly warmer with more bass. The ESS is more neutral and therefore might sound more detailed. But, the key point here is that there are differences of opinion out there and the actual sound you hear may depend more on your other equipment, particularly headphones or speakers. But, if the AKM was guaranteed OK then I think I would consider switching as I recall being just the tiniest bit disappointed with the ESS. However, to be sure, I'd want to compare them directly which is not really practical unless I travel to a big hi-fi store.
You were looking for a Willy winks reference at the 4 minute mark. “Strike that, reverse it” but it didn’t work for your purpose. But I know you were about to say it if you could. Tell me I’m wrong.
