FiiO K9 Pro Flagship Desktop DAC Amplifier

No comments for the item due to purchasing made based on good reviews on website and youtube. Sounds is arts then nobody can say which better than others. Only science can say the difference but not arts of sound. Even the as low as 100 in price tag has a distinctive arts of sound. So who's care the brand and price if somebody can feel the arts of sound. I'm starts from low price and this as big one. Hope will impress me for the price paid (u get what u pay). Hope so... Seller packaging is superb. Thank u..

A great VFM flagship DAC/AMP

It is built like a tank! The vertical orientation is a welcome feature which saves a ton of space. This one can drive! Paired with a good HP (I have paired it with Audeze LCD-X), you will transcend into a different plane without having the push the dial to 11. It can easily drive the X without breaking a sweat. There is absolutely zero loss in fedility across a wide range of audio sources (Tidal, Apple Music, Spotify) and is pretty neutral across the spectrum which offers total control over EQ based of your preference. The sound stage with the X is clean and sounds true to source. With a wide gamut of input options available; you will not be limited in connectivity and pairing it up with your equipment. This one is 100% a zero regrets buy.

Amazing Sound!

Just received my Fiio K9 Pro. Shipping was fast, and arrived in perfect condition. Box in a box. I have the K9 hooked up to my Apple Mac M1 Mini, and going to a pair of KRK Rokit 8 G4's right now. The sound is so clean and pure. Its hard to describe, but my ears are having orgasms after orgasms right now. Can't wait for this thing to break-in a bit. Over all I'm very impressed with the level of quality of this product. Fiio did an amazing job on this. You definitely can't go wrong adding this to your system. And the whole ordering experience with APOS was flawless.

Checks all my boxes

I bought (and returned) two other DAC/AMP combos before trying and settling with this one. The FiiO K9Pro is built solid, sounds amazing, and has everything I need to connect audio from my TV and PC. I’ve even used the Bluetooth feature and didn’t expect myself to. The volume knob is silky smooth and the controls are easy once you get the muscle memory down (button and switch labels on the device are difficult to read). App control is nice but would be better with volume control.

Endgame With Many Options

Sound, it has a very slight warmish tint, yet also the upper frequencies seem to be just slightly elevated as well giving it a smooth yet detailed experience. Build quality is exceptional, features that it has is awesome. It pushes my Edifier S880DB speakers with ease, and it's super simple to switch from speakers to headphones with a simple switch. I do have two problems with it, one is the inscriptions next to the buttons, I can barely read them which is a pain, the other is the power. It will power mostly everything I have, but if you have a higher Ohm headphone you might want to connect an amp to it for those occasions, I ended up attaching an iFi Zen Can to solved this problem without sacrificing the sound somewhat. Overall I'm pretty much happy with this ... MoreSound, it has a very slight warmish tint, yet also the upper frequencies seem to be just slightly elevated as well giving it a smooth yet detailed experience. Build quality is exceptional, features that it has is awesome. It pushes my Edifier S880DB speakers with ease, and it's super simple to switch from speakers to headphones with a simple switch. I do have two problems with it, one is the inscriptions next to the buttons, I can barely read them which is a pain, the other is the power. It will power mostly everything I have, but if you have a higher Ohm headphone you might want to connect an amp to it for those occasions, I ended up attaching an iFi Zen Can to solved this problem without sacrificing the sound somewhat. Overall I'm pretty much happy with this setup, cleared all the other amps/dacs off my desk and this is my main setup.

Loving the FiiO K9 Pro (AKM model)

Having lived with the K9 Pro for almost a month now, I can confidently say that it's the best DAC/Amp I've owned. Solid low end without any bloat, mid-range placed right where it should be, not too forward and not too recessed. The highs are sweet, not piercing. Somehow, FiiO have created a unified whole with the famed AKM 4499 DAC chip and the THX AAA 788+ amp module, without any of the glare or harshness that the THX modules seem to be prone to.More than ample power for my planar headphones, but can be used with iems, by selecting the lower gain setting. A variety of digital and analog inputs and analog output makes connecting to devices a snap. MQA Rendering is provided (though I do not use this). Bluetooth connectivity seems robust.The unit is heavy and ... MoreHaving lived with the K9 Pro for almost a month now, I can confidently say that it's the best DAC/Amp I've owned. Solid low end without any bloat, mid-range placed right where it should be, not too forward and not too recessed. The highs are sweet, not piercing. Somehow, FiiO have created a unified whole with the famed AKM 4499 DAC chip and the THX AAA 788+ amp module, without any of the glare or harshness that the THX modules seem to be prone to.More than ample power for my planar headphones, but can be used with iems, by selecting the lower gain setting. A variety of digital and analog inputs and analog output makes connecting to devices a snap. MQA Rendering is provided (though I do not use this). Bluetooth connectivity seems robust.The unit is heavy and built like a tank. My single gripe is with the lettering on the front panel. Dark gray on black, small print, and almost impossible to read at any angle except head on and up close. Otherwise, a stellar effort from FiiO.

My 3rd and best purchase from Apos!!

I'm a multiple purchase customer from Apos and I've never been disappointed with their products or customer service. I bought a Topping D90 (AKM4499) a few years ago and was very pleased with it. Apos was quick and courteous when I had to return jt for service when it just kinda died after nearly a year. I then tried the D90 with ESS9038 Pro, but returned it when I really found no real differences from my first D90. I gave my D90 to my nephew when he went off to college, so it was time to find a new dac.This K9 Pro ESS is a different story from anything I've heard before. I'm so impressed with the sound it produces. I use it as part of my PC audio system (KEF LS50 Metas, Crown XTi 2002, SVS 3000 Micro). I'm not a headphones guy, so can't comment on that function. ... MoreI'm a multiple purchase customer from Apos and I've never been disappointed with their products or customer service. I bought a Topping D90 (AKM4499) a few years ago and was very pleased with it. Apos was quick and courteous when I had to return jt for service when it just kinda died after nearly a year. I then tried the D90 with ESS9038 Pro, but returned it when I really found no real differences from my first D90. I gave my D90 to my nephew when he went off to college, so it was time to find a new dac.This K9 Pro ESS is a different story from anything I've heard before. I'm so impressed with the sound it produces. I use it as part of my PC audio system (KEF LS50 Metas, Crown XTi 2002, SVS 3000 Micro). I'm not a headphones guy, so can't comment on that function. This K9 does a superb job with games, music, and streaming video. The sharpness typically associated with ESS dacs isn't there at all, at least not to my ears. My neighbors probably ain't too pleased when I blast Nine Inch Nails for hours, but that's their problem. As far as I'm concerned, my endgame dac is sitting on my desk now.Big shout out and thanks to Shiela and all the gang at Apos. They were great keeping me posted on my order's progress. Shiela always answered my questions quickly, too. I can't recommend Apos and this amazing dac highly enough!

Stopping the hype train

The FiiO K9 Pro is a decent product capitalizing on the THX technology from the company that burned down (literally) and Chinese manufacturing is unfortunately coming alive in the K9 Pro.The output power is enough to drive the Abyss Diana V2, but there is no much headroom available, since the output power is not very big.I liked the sound that I got when pairing it with my HD800s, it cut some of the edges on high frequencies and it made it very pleasant to listen to (the HD800s peaks are still there but it was more enjoyable than when using my AAA THX Decamp) - (HD800s sounded nice with the knob at 12 o'clock)I returned it because of this specific reasons:1. The volume knob. It felt great! It is BIG! BUT....in less than a day of use, it started to make a squeaky ... MoreThe FiiO K9 Pro is a decent product capitalizing on the THX technology from the company that burned down (literally) and Chinese manufacturing is unfortunately coming alive in the K9 Pro.The output power is enough to drive the Abyss Diana V2, but there is no much headroom available, since the output power is not very big.I liked the sound that I got when pairing it with my HD800s, it cut some of the edges on high frequencies and it made it very pleasant to listen to (the HD800s peaks are still there but it was more enjoyable than when using my AAA THX Decamp) - (HD800s sounded nice with the knob at 12 o'clock)I returned it because of this specific reasons:1. The volume knob. It felt great! It is BIG! BUT....in less than a day of use, it started to make a squeaky sound. I always treat my gear with care, and I was surprised that the K9 was doing this already within a day. So, I wanted to say the build quality is great for the price, but I can't say that when the knob is behaving this way. Also, the adjacent buttons are flimsy like on the THX Decamp from Monoprice.Also, I had this thoughts:1. Many headphone reviewers don't mention the fact that THX company that used to make those awesome AK4499 burned down in 2020 and all the remaining stock are now "collectors" items. Therefore, if your AK4499 turns out to be defective... it might be virtually impossible to replace since the company won't be making more AK4499.2. I wanted to replace my THX Decamp that is now a discontinued product for the K9 Pro, due to the better sound quality. However, it could not feed my Diana V2 with enough headroom available.If you don't mind any of those issues, the K9 Pro sounds sweet and powers most headphones wellApos was excellent at working with me on the return of the item.

Substantial

I've been using the K9 Pro for about 10 days or so now. I've used other THX amps and amp/dac combos. Perhaps it's the combo with my Focal Radiance, but this THX has a smoother presentation than other offerings I've tried. The noise floor, of course, is one of the reasons to acquire a THX, and it is dead silent. Mine has the AK chip, and I just couldn't be happier with the combo. The build is substantial and feels like a higher end product. It is weighty enough that no pull of the cable causes movement on the desk. I have not used the BT module, so cannot speak to that. Mine is a pretty straightforward setup (Radiance / Balanced Cable / Mid-level gain)...just right.

Very Good.

Great all in one system.Only thing i have noticed is that occasionally the Dac will drop connection from the computer at times. Which will require you to turn it off and back on again. Does not happen when listening to music which is the primary reason i bought it for, but tends to happen if you are playing games. But this may be a side effect of the system overheating possibly.Overall though I am enjoying it. Bluetooth functionality could also be a bit better with the Fiio phone app, but overall it does the job as well.Happy with my purchase for the price.