Got one (for myself) for xmas. I was listening to an old Jerry Goldsmith score and I was hearing orchestra noise I'd never heard before. Sheet music shuffling, the click of valves on brass and EVEN a faint sneeze. :D
@peekabbu83
2 жыл бұрын
I have this same combo the HD800s and the k9 PRO have had them for about 4 months now as I had some splash money from a recent job promotion. I noticed the sound have got me listening to songs in different ways some singers trigger a Misophonia reaction in me lol as i could hear the lip smacking. The gaming on this combo... playing a game that has sound buckled down, red dead redemption comes to mind, is one of the best experiences I have to invite people to experience they think im trying to sell them something... So happy to see this combo getting out and about
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
Yes I was blown away at this pairing also. Tried at least 4 pair but nothing sounded as good as these two together.
@Mad.Maxx.77
2 жыл бұрын
Got mine from Apos about 2 weeks ago. It's a beast. I use it in dac-only mode for my PC audio system with a pair of LS50 Metas and a March Audio P262. Love it! Great video, mate! Subscribed!
@kirbykrause7866
10 ай бұрын
These are sooo good, I have 3. They are 8 pounds with a huge power supply, amazing. Fiio went all out to make a top level unit, just wow.
@HiFiGOAudio
2 жыл бұрын
Such an informative video! We think it can be a good alternative for desktop setups.
@tylersimpson5541
Жыл бұрын
i had scrambled eggs on my fiio k9 pro ess last night. i got it open box and it still cooked them just fine.
@ousi00
2 жыл бұрын
I bought the exact setup a day before I watched your video. Glad that it's gonna be amazing :) I also have the HPA4 but that is being used as the Preamp for my main hifi setup
@eriphoor
5 ай бұрын
I find this interesting. I have the exact RME Dac and Drop THX amp he has on his desk. Sweet pair!
@trubadyr99
5 ай бұрын
You intrigued me. My HD 800 (no S) needs more power than I am currently giving it.
@black_n5492
Жыл бұрын
Am I the only one who doesn't mind the faintly legible text? I think it makes the unit look clean visually. I also find that muscle memory kicks in pretty quickly to where I don't even need to read the text anymore
@jaroslavfricek7772
2 жыл бұрын
BTW I just received Tri tk2 dac amp it's about $300 and was also blown away by it's quality...using also ES chips and some great amplification..so sweet, full and musical...great times for music lovers 🙋♂️😁
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the info, I may try that little amp.
@MaZEEZaM
8 ай бұрын
Ideally they would modify those currently in production to reflect whichever sticker design is most popular. In the meantime, the stickers are great inclusion though they would have been better if they matched the colour of the front plate. Still, its much better than no stickers.
@Tonycaveman
Жыл бұрын
At around 6:48 I think you're mistaken: It's XLR, 6.3mm and 4.4mm (not 4.4 and 3.5).
@JTB--
2 жыл бұрын
Excellent review. Subscribed 👍
@saax3816
2 жыл бұрын
I have it paired with HD800s. The most impressive is the Bluetooth with appletv4. It sounds amazingly good especially with the eq on the app. It isn’t dolby atmos like on airpod max but sounds just as good. For some reason the usb c port on the side of the device isn’t working. But the rear usb b oort does work.
@eikefess5025
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you - that was a lot of helpful information for people thinking about buying this :-) If I may ask: All the Internet is constantly talking about the Dac/Amp-Combination - did you ever try it as a pure Amp, I mean through the RCA-connection?
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
No not yet, but I plan on doing that and providing an update. Maye be a couple of weeks though.
@razvanneacsu49
2 жыл бұрын
Great video! I have the same setup but with the AKM 4499 version. I can say that you are missing only one thing , the Dekoni hybrid earpads for HD800S.
@jaroslavfricek7772
2 жыл бұрын
It would be great to see side by side comparison of these two versions of K9 pro...✌️ 🙋♂️
@Anuxr
2 жыл бұрын
I'm gonna buy a K9... should I buy the AKM 4499 or the ESS version? There's just one AKM 4499 left by the way...
@spgp273
Жыл бұрын
I think Topping E70/L70 was ever so slightly better. But not by much. I wanted a combo solution and am happy with this one.
@winstonthecuttlefish5352
Жыл бұрын
How do you even tell that it's "ever so slightly better"?
@spgp273
Жыл бұрын
better clarity, less haze, better imaging, but it wasn't a huge gap; i just listen with my good ears, the same way michael phelps swims and bezos mints money@@winstonthecuttlefish5352
@kristaps2010
2 жыл бұрын
Talking hand, well explained, thank you.
@llysender
2 жыл бұрын
Nice, personally I have the akm version and it was a buy after first listen. It's basically everything you said with a slightly smoother top end if I understand correctly. Still have to listen to the ess version myself before I can shill but based off your review I'm really hyped for when my dealer brings it in. M17 is alot warmer generally less controled in a bad way, honestly unless you need the power on the go its hard to rec, then again I like transparent highly textured sound, if you want a more traditional full warm sound the M17 beats the K9 Pro in that espect. And even so I would search out of a M15 or ibasso DX300mk1 as those still retain alot of the microdetail and midrange/bass texturing. Also thanks for introing miles davis, man his work is really hypnotic and immersive.
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the comment, and info I. The M17. And yes Miles is hypnotic for sure
@RobWaller72
2 жыл бұрын
So i’m new to owning or spending big money on headphones and amps, i got this Fiio amp dac from Apos also but for my first headphones i chose ZMF, so i have this amp and no headphones for 6 to 12 weeks while the ZMF’s are being made to order lmao, but thank you for reassuring me i made a good choice with the K9 pro. The only headphones i own are the Astro A40’s for my xbox so i assume my ears and brain are in for a treat once i get my headphones and can finally listen to my K9 pro, subbed and much appreciated and much respect 🤘🏼
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I have not heard the ZMF’s but have been told by others that there amazing. I’m sure it will be a good paring. FYI I ran all my test on “low gain” and had way more volume than I needed.
@MaZEEZaM
8 ай бұрын
"Sorry" Uhrm... I quite like the bird song.
@beepover
10 ай бұрын
Bought it demo it for 5 days and returned k9 pro ess. Setup..Jriver and foobar asio and waspi full wav file songs via optical and coxial from asus stx. Used only 4.4 balanced connection output. iems og clairvoyance, og monarch, og oracle, og Olina, mele, tfz live 3 and a few other chifi iems. Pros depth, layering, resolution and runs lean for iems. Con note weight and ability of bass to reach lowest of depths. Main issue is note weight, heard about 80% of each note. You just don't get a fully played note. Believe this is the Fiio sound signature. No real synergy with any of my iems. Was not for me.
@electromod6369
10 ай бұрын
Interesting, its what makes this hobby great, so many different experiences from the same equip. But I do agree that IEM's do not fair as well as headphones with this DAC/AMP
@mikeg2491
9 ай бұрын
I don’t have the ESS version I got the AKM one off headfi recently & really does well with my Grados or other harsher sounding headphones with reduced note weight. Very smooth and pleasing sound but some of that may be due to the different DAC
@jaroslavfricek7772
2 жыл бұрын
Great review...❗️✌️
@FishHunter5
6 ай бұрын
So, if you were to buy a new dac today and use with the HD800s. Which would you choose, RME or K9? The price difference where I live between the two is basically 10eur.
@epicmike3915
2 жыл бұрын
stickers?! wtf fiio just make the letters more visible.
@alexascensao8024
Жыл бұрын
Hi there, when using the HD800S, do you listen to music using High, mid or low gain? and do you do the same for media (movies, series?)
@electromod6369
10 ай бұрын
I use only for music from a few sources, Roon, Ipad, Shanling M6 Pro mostly.
@mariod818
3 ай бұрын
Mine broke after 4 years, sound passes through but only static replaced fuses and no go
@Justin-bm7zn
4 ай бұрын
I have both the k9 akm and the topping dx3pro+ with ess. Would you say the topping will cover the more detailed clinical sound the ess offers or is there a big difference in sound. Between akm and ess there is a difference and I like both transparent sounds for different applications. Sounds like we need a dac that has both ess and akm to switch between
@devranayaz4349
2 жыл бұрын
I have hd820 . Can't decide between fiio K9 pro and hdv820 ? Which one better? Any suggestion
@iceangel5432
6 ай бұрын
hi, I'm thinking to get one dac/amp but I don't know which one is giving bigger soundstage and better imaging do you know which one is better for these? K9 AKM( NOT OLD PRO VERSION) or K9 Pro ESS?
@black_n5492
Жыл бұрын
Interesting. I wonder if that's a difference between the OG AKM chip version and the ESS version. My unit never gets hot at all. I leave it on almost constantly and have it running at least 5 hours when I'm at my desk listening to music while working. Maybe that's why the ESS units come with the vents on the side which are absent on the OG version
@EntrepreneursonBikes
2 жыл бұрын
Mine doesn't even turn on...
@devranayaz4349
2 жыл бұрын
Would you recommend this or sennheiser hdv820 for hd820 headphone ?
@SujitJadhavIN
2 жыл бұрын
For Hd 800s too?
@MW-ii5nb
2 жыл бұрын
subscribed because of no BS and everything you said I agree with form my own experience.
@tobiasthunberg1469
2 жыл бұрын
Good stuff 👍 just one question, which of the RME and the K9 would you recommend for the DT1990? Greetings from Sweden
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
The RME has a ton of features and adjustment/DSP. The K9 is a set it and forget it amp. If you like to "tinker with sound go for the RME. But for pure listening pleasure I would choose the K9
@korypuderbaugh4896
2 жыл бұрын
I’m thinking of getting this and the Abyss 1266 headphones. What are peoples thoughts on this and if the amp is strong enough? Thank you!:)
@sergz8241
Жыл бұрын
Hey! Does the channel balance works on amp output or Bluetooth only?
@gges1605
Жыл бұрын
Have you heard focal arche amp and if so how does it compare to this in your opinion I have clear mgs and the arche and am thinking of getting another amp for bedroom by the sounds of things this seems to be a great amp
@amormagister
Жыл бұрын
Most important question: does this device have a DAC only mode? For examle Fliko k5pro dont have it, autputs are only from preamp.
@electromod6369
10 ай бұрын
Yes, you can use as a pre-amp
@captainbackfire2403
Жыл бұрын
I plan to get this with the klipsch the fives and dt 1990 pro. I just want a clean and minimalist setup. Is it compatible with everything or do I have to buy anything more?
@electromod6369
Жыл бұрын
I don't know about Klipsch but the DT 1990 is great. You need an amp that can drive them though.
@yangarzon8994
2 жыл бұрын
Have both, k9 and rme. But rhe rme make a better dac than headphone section compare to k9, but k9 overall is bit better in all area, a swiss knife dac/amp thx make the detail part layered
@69leehammond
Жыл бұрын
Does this have variable line out ?
@Scrufboy
2 жыл бұрын
Does it have USB C input on the side there? And did I hear correctly... There is no unbalanced headphone jack?
@yavormoskov
2 жыл бұрын
There is a USB C input on the side. And yes, there is one unbalanced and two balanced headphone jacks.
@SujitJadhavIN
2 жыл бұрын
Can you please confirm the FiiO K9 PRO's DAC chip, is that ES9038PRO or AK4499 ?
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
The one I have is ES9038PRO
@CsTruth
2 жыл бұрын
Is there a big difference between the ESS and non-ESS version? It's $200 more :(
@yavormoskov
2 жыл бұрын
Yes, the difference is dramatic. The ESS version is so much more detailed. But the sound is not clinical, it is very musical. Also, they use 2 of the best ESS chips. One for each channel. The stereo separation is better compared to the AKM version.
@waldoyew4247
Жыл бұрын
So the fiio k9 pro run warm when using headphones or also when using as dedicated dac running active monitors?
@electromod6369
Жыл бұрын
Yes warms up for sure but not too much
@Overlordick
Жыл бұрын
Please tell what is difference between rca and xlr outputs when using as a dac? My amplifier has no balanced inputs, just regular 2xrca
@RadekPilich
Жыл бұрын
not that important unless you use cables longer than 3-5 meters
@Overlordick
Жыл бұрын
@@RadekPilich But If I'm using balanced output for headphones - there is more power - FIIO uses double amp. And what about rear XLR? is it the same voltage as RCA?
@RadekPilich
Жыл бұрын
@@Overlordick XLR can run much hotter signals. Up to 10V, while RCA is only 2V. Or something like that. In any case, the connectors do actually get warm, which doesn't really happen with RCAs 🙂 With louder signal, the gap between signal and noise picked up by the cable gets bigger.
@kristaps2010
2 жыл бұрын
Strangest abnormality I found with my fiio k9 pro ess is sound problem on TV each HD channel. There is no normal sound, it’s only noise kind of flickering. Normal channels run fine. I connected my TV via optical. Turned fiio off/onn, problem still persists. Any similar experience?
@Nyootimus
2 жыл бұрын
I know this commment is three months old and no longer applicable most likely, but in case you didn't figure it out - oddly, the optical and coaxial are fairly limited. I think they only go up to 92khz, this is clearly designed with usb taking priority. So what might've happened, it might've been putting out higher quality audio that the k9 just couldn't take? Just a guess.. lol
@kristaps2010
2 жыл бұрын
@@Nyootimus Thanks for comment, you might be right. Fiio team said “ Is it the LG TV? Does your TV support other output? If yes, please try other output. And please check whether the output sampling rate could be switch in the TV? If yes, you could try 44.1k PCM.”. I don’t have LG and no option to change output sampling on Panasonic Viera. I’ll have to figure out other option to attach TV to Fiio.
@JtwasLuck
Жыл бұрын
I am sorry to say but your testing methodology is very flawed. You are comparing DAC/amp combos 1:1 when you should be comparing the differences in the AMPs first. The reason why you are hearing this organic sound is mainly due to the limitations of the 789 and the excellent amp (in the K9 PRO ESS). For a better comparison, you should be using the RME as a DAC and then compare the amp differences between the two and the differences will be clear. As a DAC, the RME is still the best. But to be sure, I recommend comparing the DACs between the two units by using the same standalone amp. This would be the only way to do a fair comparison. At the moment you are just lumping the RME with the 789 amp for no particular reason.
@EmamW
2 жыл бұрын
What level gain do you need to put it on for the HD 800 S ?
@electromod6369
2 жыл бұрын
It sounded great on Medium gain, high gain was fine too. I like the more granular control for volume at medium gain though.
@torukmahtomahto409
Жыл бұрын
Doesn't worth 150 price difference from AKM to ESS version
@shirakawamaseru
Жыл бұрын
I tested the HD800S with several amps, but no matter what amp i used, female vocals always were just insanely painfull to listen to. I gave it so many tries, but i was never able to enjoy listening to it and so never bought it.
@electromod6369
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing!
@TinoBurkhalter
9 ай бұрын
Using a copper cable instead of the standard silver cable makes quite a difference.... I own the hd800s since couple of years and remember first time listening that they are kind of spicy in the upper mids - replacing the cable is all the magic they needed for my likings. I also own Audeze LCD-3, HD660S, HD600, Grado GS1000, Beyerdynamics 1990 pro and 1770 pro - But for accoustic or live music, I catch myself returning to hd800s all the time - one of my all time Fav Cans (not for every genre though, i listen to all sort of music). For my PC setup I don't really want to use a "stack", even if i already could or did.... Was using the RME standalone for some time, but due to different headphones (some of them power hungry) the amp section is a bit lacking.... So i paired it with an SMSL SP400 THX Amp - plenty of juice.... However as i wanted a DAC/AMP combo and not a stack for the desk I later on went with a Hifiman EF-400 (R2R DAC). Weeeell... and now i'm awaiting the K9 Pro ESS - Will be interesting to compare these :-)
@shirakawamaseru
9 ай бұрын
@@TinoBurkhalter I tested 4 cables, two copper, silver and gold/copper/silver mix. They all sounded 100% identical, there was not even the slightest change and ReoNa always sounded painful with all of them, and the level of pain was always the same.
@TinoBurkhalter
9 ай бұрын
@@shirakawamaseru interesting, like said for me it made a difference, what amps you had hooked up to them?
@shirakawamaseru
9 ай бұрын
@@TinoBurkhalter I tested it mostly with the TA-ZH1ES (Together with the HD820) but I also tried other amps and portable players. But that was the main amp
@LyuboA
2 жыл бұрын
and sounds exactly the same as K5 Pro you are better buying K5 Pro + Topping L30 or L50 hell even A30 Pro you get same sound quality More Power for alot less Money if anyone says these dacs sound different they are lying K9 Pro is a great device but is Heavily Overpriced if it was priced properly for $300-350 then ya but $850 you can buy "Better Dac and Better Amp" for Much Less plus ppl have some issues with K9 Pro quality
@RadekPilich
Жыл бұрын
great value, not possible to get the same amount of features and I/O for better price.
@a2raya772
9 ай бұрын
Hifiman Arya > H800s
@michaelwhitaker1972
Жыл бұрын
The sticker is a noooo for me.
@RadekPilich
Жыл бұрын
the current models don't have the issue / stickers anymore
Пікірлер: 92