All Aboard the FiiO K9 Pro Hype Train

[Deleted member 22141]

Ah I missed a R in the name. For shame

I think it's the "DAC" v "Pro" bit that is the key.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Maybe it will be out by 2022.

 

[Kuma]

Hopefully sometime soon. I have the K5 and it’s a great little dac/amp. Looking forward to see how this one is if/when it arrives on market.

 

[Lupin]

Only 2700mW @32ohm? That is less than the monoprice. I think 3500-4000mw would be a bit better.

2.7W @32ohm 1W @300ohm is still way more then 99.8% of the people will ever need.
There are only a hand full of headphones that need more then 1W of power. So other then marketing and appealing to the people who blindly go for the highest numbers there is no real need to up the cost even more of this unit to up the wattage. I think that the relative small bunch of people who actually have those headphones will use a dedicated AMP with it and not an AIO.

 

[Pennyless Audiophile]

Looks great, but must have a remote control for volume and ideally input selection. Sadly it looks like it might not.

Perhaps the app will be sufficient as a volume and input control.

Surprisingly difficult to find a device or even DAC + Amp combo (as separate devices) that has:
1. USB input (stream from PC)
2. RCA input (stream from streamer)
3. RCA output (to amplifier #1)
4. XLR output (to amplifier #2)
5. Headphone output
6. Remote control that can control volume on 3/4/5

Not so hard to get 5/6 but 6/6 seems impossible at the moment but this looks like it might be able to do all of it.

Gustard X16 ...BUT...it has such a small screen that you need to keep binoculars on the couch beside you

 

[Deleted member 22141]

Gustard X16 ...BUT...it has such a small screen that you need to keep binoculars on the couch beside you

Nope. Doesn't have RCA analog input unfortunately.

Would need an extra amplifier.

However.... Adding the H16 to make a pair would work as the H16 also has a remote.

In fact the H16 looks like a nice little pre-amp unit as well as a good headphone amplifier.

 

[Fenix84]

I've been waiting for this unit to come out for awhile, and now that Topping has their EX5 out i might just grab that instead since it will probably be cheaper. Anyone else pondering between the two?

 

[Lupin]

To me it feels that the K9 pro is the TOTL AIO for Fiio, they try to produce the best AIO they can and see in which price bracket it reasonably lands in

Topping EX5 is by all means good but not TOTL as I feel Topping set a price bracket for the EX5 and then tried to make the best they can within that price bracket. It think Topping can make a better AIO then the EX5 when performance comes before trying to keep the pricing as low as possible in a certain price bracket.

I can be totally wrong of course but that is the feeling I have.

 

[Fenix84]

I have the same feeling, the EX5 at $350 is very much a budget option and who knows what the K9 will cost when its finally released. For me the two options check all my boxes so naturally I'm deciding between the two. I guess there's really no sense in comparing them at this point without knowing the price of the K9.

 

[dtaylo1066]

I am in the same boat. I have about a 60-90 day window before needing a new DAC, so the K9 will need to come out pretty soon. Seems to be on perpetual hold, and I wonder if the AKM fire has caused that.

 

[Kosta]

They are going to have stiff competition on thier hands with the ex5 getting near perfect measurements. Would need to be almost as good but cheaper. Looks like a tempting replacement for my K5 pro though.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Doubt it will match the Topping measurements. And I don't know if it has a remote.

 

[Deleted member 22141]

Unfortunately the EX5 doesn't have RCA input, if you don't need that then there is plenty of competition not just the K9.

 

[Lupin]

They are going to have stiff competition on thier hands with the ex5 getting near perfect measurements. Would need to be almost as good but cheaper. Looks like a tempting replacement for my K5 pro though.

I feel that FiiO unlike Topping, SMSL and such is not participating in the highest SINAD race.
So somehow I would not be very surprised if it turns out that the K9pro doesn't measure >120 SINAD. Which is not a bad thing as nobody can hear any differences between a couple dB SINAD when the values are north of 115 anyway.

Nobody knows for sure except FiiO until it launches but personally I don't feel that the K9pro is going to be priced similarly as the Topping EX5.
From what I remember from FiiO Wilson's posts the K9pro will feature linear power supply, full balanced topology with AK4499 chip and MQA. I know DAC chip doesn't mean anything for the sound quality but it does add up to the cost of the unit as does including MQA support.
From the marketing that I've seen for the K9pro FiiO doesn't seem, to me at least, to be positioning the K9pro as a "price fighter" or "lower end" product. So to me it seems more likely that the K9pro pricing will be much closer to the Topping DX7Pro's 650 dollar then the Topping EX5's 350 dollar.

Of course I hope that I'm totally wrong and the K9pro will be widely available for <300 dollar

 

[dmac6419]

Knowing FiiO it'll be obsolete by the time it comes out.

 

[RHO]

Of course I hope that I'm totally wrong and the K9pro will be widely available for <300 dollar

From the info I could gather, I expect it will be >$700.

 

[dmac6419]

I feel that FiiO unlike Topping, SMSL and such is not participating in the highest SINAD race.
So somehow I would not be very surprised if it turns out that the K9pro doesn't measure >120 SINAD. Which is not a bad thing as nobody can hear any differences between a couple dB SINAD when the values are north of 115 anyway.

Nobody knows for sure except FiiO until it launches but personally I don't feel that the K9pro is going to be priced similarly as the Topping EX5.
From what I remember from FiiO Wilson's posts the K9pro will feature linear power supply, full balanced topology with AK4499 chip and MQA. I know DAC chip doesn't mean anything for the sound quality but it does add up to the cost of the unit as does including MQA support.
From the marketing that I've seen for the K9pro FiiO doesn't seem, to me at least, to be positioning the K9pro as a "price fighter" or "lower end" product. So to me it seems more likely that the K9pro pricing will be much closer to the Topping DX7Pro's 650 dollar then the Topping EX5's 350 dollar.

Of course I hope that I'm totally wrong and the K9pro will be widely available for <300 dollar

<300 note in this lifetime.

 

[Racheski]

I was offered a presale price of 700-800 from FiiO.

 

[Lupin]

I was offered a presale price of 700-800 from FiiO.

About what I expected.

 

[Fenix84]

I was offered a presale price of 700-800 from FiiO.

Yup, heard the same estimate from them. Too much for me.