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JEFFREY WILLIAMS
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2025
Love this headphone amp. It is my favorite product bought in 35 years.
ronwoody
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2024
I bought this reluctantly because the Linn Selekt just purchased doesn’t have a headphone out.I am using it with my Focal clear and Celestee as well as various Bluetooth buds.I am very impressed with the sound and excellent value for money.The FiiO app is abysmal, unable to control the volume from it.I have reinstalled the app and now it doesn’t recognise the amp, an awful app.
J. G. Osborn
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2024
I bought the FiiO K9 AKM to light up a pair of Denon D9200 headphones that were frankly unimpressed with the best efforts of a rather wheezy but portable iFi Hip-dac3. Delivering up to 2W at 32 ohms and 780mW at 300 ohms via the balanced outputs, it’s five times more powerful than the Hip3, which is more than enough for those with suitable cables. However, I prefer to use the ones supplied with my headphones because I’m happier with the flexibility and aesthetic. But even unbalanced, the volume is more than enough given the D9200 has a 24 ohm impedance.There are three levels of gain to choose from and I settled on medium because the sound in my ears seemed slightly more natural and relaxed. But frankly, although the jump in volume is noticeable between gains, it’s small enough to make little difference given the headroom available in my setup.Currently, my music source is an iPhone 13, so the USB-C on the side of the AKM version of the K9 was a large factor in my choice of model. I couldn’t find a lightning to USB-C OTG cable anywhere near long enough for my needs so I fitted an OTG adapter to the end of a standard charge-only cable (iFi OTG shown in pic) and it works fine.I did try the Bluetooth input option but the K9 doesn’t offer ALAC so I was limited to using Apple’s lossy AAC codec. Unfortunately, this didn’t showcase the K9’s capabilities very well compared to the wired connection and I soon gave up on that approach. However, this might be different if you use an android phone and can take advantage of the high res aptX codecs available.The product description claims the realistic, detailed, and natural sound transmission makes it feel as if you’re there with the performing artists. It doesn’t - unless you’re in the recording studio wearing headphones like them. But I do accept what I hear seems very clean and unaltered by processing. Exactly how much is down to the K9 or my headphones, I can’t say but I’m happy with the net result.If you want to experiment with tone and balance then you need to download the FiiO Control App. For me, this is where the compromise on quality can be found. There’s EQ, filters, and balance options but after quickly cycling through everything, I struggled to notice any difference except to balance, which didn’t improve my listening experience, but at least confirmed the App was working. I was also surprised there isn’t a volume control on the App but I guess this is where you get what you pay for.Still, don’t let poor implementation of the App put you off. Even without being able to fine tune my music to any noticeable degree, the default settings are good enough and I find it hard to imagine there’s a more neutral DAC/amp for low impedance headphones at this price point.
Chris Kalicharan
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024
My Sennheiser HD660S2 never sounded this good on the K7.I was quite impressed by how it was delivered to me. It came in a cardboard box with a plastic handle. Inside it was lined by some very thick foam protecting the actual product box. Great job on the shipping FiiO.I’ll list my thoughts on this beast of a unit below;1. Volume: The first thing I noticed was the volume knob actually working the way it supposed to and not that janky volume knob of the K7 which was useless before the 12 o’clock position after which it sought to deafen you with the slightest movement of the knob after 12. The K9 AKM knob evenly increases and decreases the volume along the range of its movement and it’s pleasing to the touch.2. Gain settings: This amp is loud AF. Mid gain on the K9 AKM is louder than the high gain on the K7. I seriously cannot tolerate high gain using my 660S2 because it’s too loud for me and I love blasting music on my headphones. Tracks I’ve listened to never gets distorted no matter how high I raise the volume on mid gain.3. Sound: Much more impactful and detailed than the K7. The treble seems to be more detailed but never harsh or fatiguing. I am picking up minor background sounds in some tracks I never noticed before on the K7. Vocals seem to be pushed forward a bit more and the bass hits harder. Now it’s not a day and night difference but it is a noticeable one.4. Build: Built like a tank. I read this was a heavy unit but I was not expecting it to be this heavy. I have to use both hands to move this beast of a DAC/Amp around. The aluminum housing, in typical FiiO fashion, is a clean and pristine finish that’s beautiful yet elegant. Kinda wish they used the OG FiiO logo though.I am greatly impressed by the FiiO K9 AKM and I think I’ve reached my end game DAC/Amp with this mammoth of a unit. This combined with my HD 660S2 is a match made in music heaven that gets me so engrossed in any track I play. If you have the budget and are contemplating between the K7 and K9 AKM go for the K9 AKM. You won’t regret it.
Robert D
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024
After a considerable amount of time spent watching YouTube videos, I decided to purchase this DAC. Several knowledgeable fellows indicated that this device closely resembles DACs with much higher price tags, some even reaching thousands of dollars. Initially, my intention was to use this DAC for watching 4K movies, as I prefer using wired headphones for movies. Additionally, maybe I could use it for PC gaming and YouTube videos. However, I stumbled onto some music in a YouTube video and I knew that I had to redownload my FLAC library to investigate further.My current headphones are the Sennheiser HD 599 SE, which are not considered exceptional headphones. Despite this, the combination of these headphones with this DAC is an audio experience that surpasses anything I have ever heard in my 44 years of being alive. I have spent the past four hours captivated by my old FLAC library. It's like transitioning from cassette tapes to CDs. The difference is so profound that I'm sitting here snapping my head around hard enough to be a little bit embarrassed. It's something that everyone should get to experience.I also ordered a pair of open-back Sundara headphones, and those are much better headphones than what I'm using right now. Apparently, the DAC requires about 50 hours of usage (break-in) before reaching its optimal performance level. But everything that I have just described is the out of box experience. I genuinely do not know how much better it could possibly become. I have not enjoyed music this much since I was a teenager. By the way, movies and YouTube also sound next level. Ten or fifteen years ago, this level of sound would've cost many thousands of dollars. This is end game sound.
Cam S.
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
I've been searching for an all-in-one (AIO) to replace my Topping A30 Pro and Schiit Modi+. I was looking for an AIO to free up desk space, but I also wanted Bluetooth to stream music from my iPhone without turning on my computer. The FIIO K9 fit the bill.I started with the FIIO K9 ESS version (non-pro), and while it was a great device, the audio signal would briefly drop when connected to my LG C2 via an optical TOSLINK connection. After some research online, I learned that this is either due to the implementation of the ESS chip or with the LG output. After getting the FIIO K9 AKM (non-pro) version, I'm comfortable saying it wasn't the television since I have no troubles with the K9 AKM.Aside from that, the K9 AKM seems to provide the same user experience and high-quality sound I came to expect from the FIIO K9 ESS.One benefit of the K9 AKM over the ESS version is the inclusion of the USB-C port on the side of the device. Similar to why I wanted Bluetooth, this port allows me to connect my iPhone to the device via a Lightning to USB-C cable so I can play music without needing to power on my PC. I've learned that a benefit of using the USB-C connection instead of Bluetooth is that I can stream Hi-Fi Lossless music via Apple Music without any compromise in fidelity.While I won't go into too much detail on other devices I've tried, I prefer the K9 AKM over my old Topping+Schiit stack, as well as the SMSL AO400, Topping E70+L70 stack, the SMSL su-9n DAC, and other devices/stacks I've tried over the years. It has good power, great sound, and nice-to-have features that elevate it above the others.
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