FIIO K9 PRO ESS FLAGSHIP BALANCED HI-RES DESKTOP HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DAC

The new flagship FiiO K9 Pro ESS Desktop Headphone Amp/DAC features dual THX AAA 788+ amps, dual ES9038 Pro DACs, balanced XLR Outputs, Bluetooth aptX HD, LDAC, MQA, and support for audio up to 32Bit 384kHz/DSD256.

The K9 Pro ESS is audio specialist FiiO’s flagship balanced Hi-Res desktop headphone amplifier/DAC. ​

MQA SUPPORT

Featuring dual ES9038 Pro DACs, dual THX AAA 788+ amp technology, multiple inputs/outputs, and Bluetooth 5.0 with support for multiple codecs including aptX HD and LDAC. ​ With MQA support; native playback of audio files up to 384kHz 32Bit PCM/DSD256; it is able to drive headphones featuring an impedance of 16 – 600Ω.

FiiO K9 Pro ESS Desktop Headphone Amp/DAC front and back

FIIO K9 PRO ESS

Expanding upon the connections offered by its sibling, the K7, the FiiO K9 Pro ESS features a wide selection of audio input options, including: RCA, Coaxial, Optical, USB-B, USB-C, and balanced 4.4mm. From an audio out perspective — alongside the 6.35mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced, and 4-pin balanced XLR headphone connections — the FiiO K9 Pro ESS also features RCA (L/R) line-out as well as balanced 3-pin XLR (L/R) outputs, ensuring compatibility with a host of external devices.

FiiO K9 Pro ESS Desktop Headphone Amp/DAC on its stand

DUAL AMPLIFIERS

With its dual THX AAA788+ amplification, the K9 Pro ESS is able to effortlessly power headphones with a wide impedance range of 16 – 600Ω. ​ In addition, Low, Medium and High hardware gain levels can be manually selected from the front panel, allowing you to easily adjust the K9 Pro ESS for headphones of various impedances and sensitivities, ensuring a consistent listening experience.

Inside the FiiO K9 Pro ESS

DUAL DACS

The FiiO K9 Pro ESS features dual high-performance ES9038 Pro DACs, one for each channel of audio. Thanks to the dual-clock management of its XMOS XUF208 decoding chip, the K9 Pro ESS ensures accurate handling of all digital audio files, up to 32Bit 384kHz PCM / DSD256.

Back of the FiiO K9 Pro ESS

PARTITIONED LAYOUT

To further ensure the highest quality clean audio output, engineers at FiiO have designed the PCB of the K9 Pro ESS with a partitioned layout. Not only is the power-supply kept separate from any audio signals, but analogue and digital audio is also separated to ensure the integrity of the signals being processed. In addition, throughout its truly balanced six-stage audio circuit, audio signals from the left and right channels are also processed separately by the K9 Pro ESS, thereby reducing crosstalk.

FiiO K9 Pro ESS buttons

BLUETOOTH 5.0

Thanks to its on-board Bluetooth, you can easily pair your smartphone, Digital Audio Player (DAP), PC and more to the K9 Pro ESS. ​ Featuring Qualcomm’s QC5124 Bluetooth processor chip, the K9 Pro ESS not only provides a stable Bluetooth 5.0 connection but, alongside standard resolution AAC, SBC and aptX codecs, also offers support for hi-res wireless codecs, including aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and LDAC.

FiiO K9 Pro ESS

FIIO K9 PRO ESS SPECIFICATION

Amplification: Dual THX AAA788+

DAC: Dual ESS ES9038 Pro

Decoder: XMOS XUF208

Bluetooth Chipset: Qualcomm QCC5124

Bluetooth Version: 5.0

Bluetooth Receiver: AAC/SBC/aptX/aptX LL/aptX HD/aptX Adaptive/LDAC

Audio Format Support: Up to 384kHz/32Bit (PCM) / DSD256

MQA Support: Yes (8 x Unfold)

Headphone Outputs: 1 x 6.35mm Single-Ended 1 x 4.4mm Balanced 1 x 4-pin XLR Balanced

Outputs: 1 x RCA (L/R) 1 x 3-Pin XLR (L/R) (Balanced)

Inputs: 1 x USB-C 1 x USB-B 1 x Coaxial 1 x Optical (TOSLINK) 1 x 4.4mm Balanced 1 x Bluetooth Receiver

Headphone Gain Modes: Low / Medium / High

Recommended Headphone ​ Impedance: 16 – 600Ω

Frequency Response:  20Hz – 50kHz

SNR: >129dB

THD+N: <0.00025%

Weight: 2.75kg

FIIO K9 PRO ESS PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

The FiiO K9 Pro ESS is available now, priced £699 / $849.

HiFi Pig Says: A well-priced and spec’d new flagship desktop headphone amp and DAC from FiiO.