Hi Josh, I've just got this beauty 5 days ago, by the recommendation of a friend who selling audio equipment and I can say it is a marvel . Exactly as you say , liquid and warm, but spacious . Also gives vocals a better ,,taste" and made me change my mind about selling my Focal Elear with Clear pads, which now , by magic, sound incredible. It does an even better job with purifier 3 and DC Blocker + GND Defender, from IfI Audio. I have connected my iPhone 13 mini with an OTG camera short cable + usb to usb C cable. For me , this sounds better for my taste, than my Topping D70 + A90 combo, plus Schiit Lokius . People who love vocals will love this one . Great review as always ! Keep up !
"liquid" and warm.......hmmm.... so it means the opposite would be "dry" and the middle "wet", right???, i wonder where my headamp stands here; liquid, wet or dry,? what the h.. liquid sound mean anyway!? 🤨
Interesting you talked about wanting to sell your Focal Elear. I felt the same way about my Elex. Paired with the SMSL SH-9 and SU-8 it always seemed a bit harsh and tiring with some songs. Now, I'm definitely keeping them. More space, more details with better positioning. It's been a revelation. I also love the bluetooth connectivity option too. Super happy to have got it.
Well yeah except this costs more than a lot of pretty nice stacks from schiit or topping. I do see what you’re saying though I don’t really think of them as more than value amps.
@@jeremywilliam79 nah but even if this costs more than some "pretty nice stacks from schiit or topping" it's still a great value when you consider that the topping D90SE dac is roughly the same price as this for just the dac.
Holy cow you just shared an amplifier I am excited about. Great Job Fiio. I am not really worried about USB switching to Bluetooth and back. Par for the course. Would love to try this with my new Sundara. I am glad I have been patient. Awesome review.
Not to go off topic but I upgraded to the XDuoo TA-30. It's awesome and a HUGE upgrade over the K5 Pro. It sounds incredible with all my of headphones (HD800S, HD660S, HD6XX, DT1990 Pro, Shure SR1540 and a variety of KOSS) Same price as this new Fiio K9 but a totally different tech being tubed. I'm wondering if I should add the new Fiio K9 to my collection. Not sure if there would be any improvement in sound. Plus it's a little less powerful than the TA-30 with 3 watts vs 2 watts for the Fiio.
The K9 pro also features Bluetooth, so you can stream Apple Music , Tidal from your phone/ tablet whatever to the K9 pro and use the AMP or DAC -> output to an external AMP. Great function.
i bought K9 pro ESS version after DMS and your reviews , and i'm very impressed and happy how it sound, paired with my HD660S and shure srh1540 . i confirm the clarity and smoothness of the sound with a lot of dinamics and details. my HD660s same's to be reborn, and sound very well in every type of song i' going to listen. thanks joshua and DMS for your review and recommendation!
It is rumored that Fiio only made a few thousand units of the K9 Pro because of the AKM fire and they only had a limited chips. I saw a variant of the K9 Pro on sale in China with ES9038Pro chips instead of AK4499. The AKM version has silver detail on the volume ring, and the ESS version has golden detail on the volume ring.
To get this to work with an iPhone over Lightning, you’d need Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter - I’ve experienced the same issue with my dac/amp. Or just use Bluetooth 😜
i just got them and they sound good. better than my 660s. will get this fiio k9 soon. using a $300 amp/dac at the moment but the hifiman xs sounds good. i am happy .
Nice to see a review pop up for this one, I went through two disappointing DAC/AMP’s before being super happy with this one, even though it was a gamble at the time with no RU-vid reviews! Hope more people pick it up and pick it apart :)
@@EverythingisFire 6XX. I’m still a beginner, and I’m pretty sure I just got unlucky with the other two as they’re well regarded (Xduoo TA-10R, Monolith THX AAA 887). There are some definite QOL improvements with the K9pro though, and it just has a premium feel to it. Switching outputs/inputs is breezy and there’s a nice soft transition which I appreciate. The only issue I have with it is the lettering is unreadable but it takes like 1 day to get the muscle memory down like this video said so it’s not a big deal. Wish I could control the volume with the app
@@KVVPAYY Right on! I'm running Sundara's. I have the JDS Atom stack (non +). I'm thinking of upgrading to this as potential 'End Game'. I almost got a THX 789 a while back but this sounds like more my thing.
@@EverythingisFire I have a hard time imagining needing anything better than this one. All the outputs/inputs, Bluetooth, app controls, it’s very nice. Sundaras are on my shortlist for next “step up”, how are they?
@@KVVPAYY I think they're good! DMS mentioned they're really good paired with your DAC/Amp so I'm really curious to try it. Maybe I just have bad ears or different preference but I was expecting to be blown away by these & wasn't. I previously had the 58x & the upgrade to the Atom stack was fantastic for those. These Sundara's could be held back by my setup. I could just be more into other types of headphones? Unsure.
The app and Bluetooth features seem subpar if you ask me. Also the RGB ring only able to be blue as a static option is a pretty disappointing oversite. Putting those things aside this product sounds amazing, although at that price range I question if it is what I would personally choose. But as always, incredible video quality Josh, and keep killing it.
Hey Josh, based on your recommendations I'm running the k9 pro with the Edition XS. I'm extremely happy with this combo. I'm kind of considering getting a second, sonically different headphone to switch things up and supplement this setup. What would you recommend? I'm thinking hd650. Thanks for great reviews!
Nice video There seems to be a weird stereo image thing happening with your dialogue in the video. I found that on my phone (rotated on its side), laying on the table, the sound had a really weird phasing issue that was enough to mess up my sense of balance a little bit, depending on how far to the side my phone was laying on the table. Not sure if it's something weird on my end, or if it's something you'd be able to replicate and resolve Anyways, very interesting video. I love your review videos
Thanks for the review! I just got this amp for myself. It is my first amp and I am loving it. My two iPhones cannot connect to the amp either, but my iPad Pro. I hope they issue a firmware update to address that problem. It sounds great on my Sony Z7.
Probably you'll need to have OTG usb cable for your iPhone (not the usual one), check the head-fi forum where Fiio explained this issue and provided own suitable lightning cables.
I got mine yesterday, and in one word it's SPECTACULAR! Very clean and spacious sound, warm and entusiastic, enjoyable all time! Great imaging and soundstage, a magical AIO box guys. Source: Fiio K9 Pro AKM version - tested with HIFIMAN Sundara and XS.
@@LilBrujoFH18 IMO HD 660s headphone has a bit dark sound, it's a different sound signature and frecuency response if you compare with XS. I think Fiio K9 pro has a good sinergy with Sundara and XS, giving them more life in the sound
Stumbled onto a magnificent amp/dac combo using a MacBook Pro and a 1 year subscription to Boom 2 (old version) equalizer, its really unbelievable! how it TAMES all sibilance, and peak highs in the treble, all female, chorus etc. highs! no matter how high/loud the MacBook Pro/Boom 2 equalizer, is played. Boom 2 equalizer is truly amazing! it also makes your music sound ultra high defined, ultra clean, and crystal clear. I also for $2.99 for a final total of a measly $20 per year purchased Boom 2s, high fidelity feature. I’m sure Boom 2 also/probably works with Windows. Let’s go!
For its price, it's unbeat. I still decided for a used TA-ZH1ES in the end because there were several songs that just performed so much better, especially with the MDR-Z1R. But still, used, the TA-ZH1ES was 1300€. For 800€ (New!) the K9 Pro is pretty much the best you can get for that money
I have the same dilemma here. Thinking of getting an amp for the z1r as I needed a close back at the office. Its the only close back I have besides the noise canceling Sony. Since u tested both, is the TA much better?
Hi, sorry to spoil the party, just my few cents of opinion. Didn't like K5 pro, just didn't play music , more sounds without realism. For the same money, you can get ifi combo, zen One dac+zen can Signature, connect them with short 4.4mm balanced cable and enjoy.
All good, afterall we have all have different tastes and experences with instruments. Personally I just cant get into Zen DAC+Can Signature because of the way they romantise the sound by boosting the upper bass and upper mids as well as smoothing out the upper mids to make a very lush and relexing listen that just sounds wrong with brasswinds.
Good video. One nit is that the lighting on your right eye (or the left side of the screen) makes it look like your eye has a sty or a wart. Found it distracting.
I wonder how this DAC/Amp would compare to the RME ADI-2 DAC fs... I mean, if it delivers 80% of the result for 50% of the price, I'd gladly return the ADI-2 I picked up last week... I can always use 600.00 towards the HD 800S I've been wanting to buy...
Many users told its kind of same sound but fiio dont give that much flexibility like RME does. But I dont trust most people on Head fi as they tends to act like a salesman more than give subjective comparision. I dont have any desktop class dac/amp to compare with. I had zen combo, mojo, tramp to compare with k9 sound better in all departments than them. If you ever get to compare these with RME let us know as well.
@@theduke4214 well I can only compare with them so bear with me: Compared with chord mojo: on line out k9 pro amp section i was hard pressed to find any difference other than chord sounded bit narrow and in front of me. Mid were more clear and luss in k9 as while. With chord amp section k9 pro was more punch and rumbling and adequate amout of space and depth. Sound quality wise both were very similar but I enjoyed k9 more. Compared with tramp: tramp on itself sound very v shaped and had more presense in highs which was periecing at times. Tramp on line out to k9 amp was less detailed and bit v-shaped but was more enjoyable on k9 amp than tramp its self. Over all I have decided to sell tramp as it kind of obsolete for me in term of use case. With zen v1 combo: well ifi combo was less detailed and had no to none depth compared to k9,mojo or even tramp. Zen was laid back but never felt like audiophile equipment to me as I was only using them for movies and animes. I never got to test zen dac on k9 as I already sold them to save up for k9 pro. Overall k9 pro is good upgrade for me over chord mojo with similar sound signature and functions. However I do crave for some very detailed musics so am planning to get some amp which is not as warm as k9 pro. It gave a new life to my sundara 2020 which I thought was very analytical and periecing at times on tramp, zen can or mojo. Sundara on these sound like perfect not there is enough details as per my liking and no fatigue with periecing mids. Used fiio fd5 and blessings 2 in k9 pro directly in low gain and was amazed how well and refreshing they sounded. However i do prefer my hd 560s on tramp at time for its v shaped sound signature.
Bro I just watched a old video from three years ago. How the heck did you get your hairline to stop receding and look so good now?? I’m 27 years old and my hair is completely falling off my head driving me absolutely batt poo. It’s degrading and super bothersim and if I could just ask for a moment of your time to reply when you can, you have no idea how much I would appreciate it! Thank you again if you read this!
Hi Josh. Dumb question. Regarding the voltage switch at the bottom, the selection is based on the value that's VISIBLE on the bottom, correct (e.g. If I'm using in USA, I want the 115 value to be visible on the bottom, like the way you have it at the 1:23 mark)?
Hey Joshua, been watching your videos for quite some time now, but have yet to see one specific topic I've been hoping to see. Well I, for one love wearing headphones much more than using airpods/earbuds/iems/etc, but I've been looking for a workout worthy "audiophile" grade headphone for a while that I could use at the gym for good bass heavy sessions. Any recommendations even just in a comment form *don't need to make a whole video unless you want to, haha*... but I'd love some personal recommendations if you have any. I use a pair of 6XX's daily so I definately am leaning more towards closed back and heavy bass reproduction. If that helps you make a decision.
sure wish fiio would up their game on output wattage.... for people who use more than one headphone and some being harder to drive we need more power...
Took them too long to come out with this. They announced it before you could even get your hands on the Topping a30/d30 pro stack and I couldn't wait any longer. Oh well.
hey josh, dunno if you'll ever see this, and isk if I'm even allowed to ask in the comments, but do you think you could make a guide on setting up an audio setup with mic monitoring for an xlr microphone that is fit for audiophile gear?
Joshua when you talks about interaction with PC and mobile could you include normal, widely used, operating systems as well? You do know that on desktop Windows have 73% market share world wide and on mobile Android have 70% ?
I have the Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire and I have to choose between the K9 Pro, the Matrix Audio Mini-I Pro 3 or a Topping stack of D30 Pro and A90. Which would you prefer for the Noire?
Hey Man, i absolutely can no decide which device i should get........ Topping DX3 Pro+ FIIO K5 Pro ESS Ifi ZEN Dac or the "Gaming" Creative Sound BlasterX G6. My research told me that G6 is bad in comparison to the real audio-devices... For Ifi-Zen-Dac i found some things about "ofen not enough power" - just "40mW at 300 Ohm" .... As Headphones im in choice between HD58X // HE4XX // DT990 Edition 600 Ohm Regards, Benny
Hey, off topic, but I was hoping someone could clue me in. How well or poorly would the Xduoo Link2 be paired with the Hifiman HE-400SE planar headphones? Worth it or invest in better up front? I only do portable since I only have a phone.
