Introduction

Today, we round off a short series of FiiO products covered on TechPowerUp. The first was the FiiO FA7s set of all balanced armature driver in-ear monitors, followed by a quick look at the impressive K5 Pro ESS deskop DAC/amp. I had in fact shown off the subject of this review—the FiiO K9 Pro ESS—in some family shots in the coverage of the K5 Pro ESS and mentioned why the former is a quick look article. There is so much to cover here that it simply had to be a full-fledged review, and thanks to FiiO for arranging a review sample for TechPowerUp!


There will be a point soon where most, if not all, of your audio needs can be met by FiiO. The company is working on speakers, TWS earphones, and possibly also full-size headphones, with many different source options to match. We previously took a look at a couple of portable sources: the New K3 wired DAC/amp and wireless BTR5 Bluetooth DAC/amp, with the K5 Pro ESS going a step further by using the same mobile DAC but adding a separate amplifier stage using op amps for that extra power. The K9 Pro ESS is a completely different entity using not one but two separate premium desktop-class DACs, better engineered power circuitry, and wireless connectivity with app-based customization. It is a plausible all-in-one endgame for most people reading this review. We'll cover all these features in detail in this review which begins with a look at the product specifications below. Be sure to click the images twice to fully open both and go through all the details.

Specifications