Anyone could make a comparison between Fiio Fh7 (499€), Fiio Fh7s(449€) and Fiio Fh9 (599€)?
I dont know which one buy.
I dont know which one buy.
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Imo fh7 has not aged well. The newer open back designs eliminate a lot of distortion. Fh7s midrange and treble is really open and airy; fantastic imaging. I found the bass cohesive from the rest but imo the weakest part of the iem for tracking or novelties. Fh9 is more upper midrange forward. Very articulate treble thumpier bass. Fh7s is lighter and smaller than fh9. I think treble on fh9 sounds thinner than Fh7s. Hope that helps.
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PROblemdetected
Previously known as sakt1moko
Have been made some post ago.
Right now I have at home FH7s and FH9. But I could try 3 of them some month ago.
FH9 - Less bassy of the three. More vocal-focused with a beautiful technical performance. Timbre is perfection, also build is sublime.
FH7s - Bassy as hell. Overextended bass, best for gaming/movies, wich suffer a little bit on music, maybe too much body on voices. Treble is a little bit (just a little) aggressive Upper-mids are nice.
FH7 - Best dynamic driver on the price segment. For 299 (usually on sales) is an incredible iem. I could say its an endgame, just need to eq the treble, because could be hot. Anyways, it has a spectacular airy presentation.
I would go for the FH7 > FH9 > FH7s. But you are not going to regret any purchase.
Last edited:
- Joined
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Hi, and Thanks for tagging!
I can confirm that this a recent and "final" version of this unit. It was released as a special deal in conjunction with Adorama, and it is the only place it is available.
So please take assurances that it is indeed our product and a new one at that, not just some clearing out of older product.
Cheers!!
Bubba
Have been testing the Fiio KA13 dongle for the past few hours.
Here are some initial impressions before burn in and detailed A/B comparisons:
- This dongle retails at $76 USD, housing dual CS43131 DAC chips.
- Accessories are pretty generous, it includes a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and even a lightning to USB-C cable for our Apple users.
- I like that it has an independent volume controller, something that even higher end dongles like the Questyle M15 do not have.
- The chassis of the dongle has a glass panel on the front, where you can see the internals, and the sides are made of metal. It weighs 18.5g, and is very light and portable. Build is solid, no complaints here.
- Sound wise, this dongle is quite neutralish, it doesn't overly colour the frequency response. Timbre is quite natural without being overly sterile.
- The KA13 is quite technical for a sub $100 dongle, good micro-detailing, imaging and superb instrument separation greets the listener. However, soundstage is on the intimate side.
- It has 3.5 mm and 3.5 mm coaxial out, with a 4.4 mm balanced port. Get this, this dongle can be toggled between a "desktop mode" and a regular IEM mode. The former mode on balanced can output a whopping 550mW!! That's more than some DAPs can provide!
- I tested this dongle with 3 of my hardest to drive gear:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)
- I'm glad to report that on "desktop mode", the KA13 drives these 3 behemoths very well, even at lower volumes. When underpowered, these transducers will sound bloated and one-noted in the bass, with a lack of dynamics. The KA13 powers these tough customers quite well, almost equivalent to some desktop amps. It has to be said that most portable sources cannot drive the Yinman 600 ohm decently, so I'm quite surprised with the KA13 being able to.
- With big power, there is likely gonna be battery drain. I haven't tested extensively on power drain yet, but the regular mode can probably be used on-the-go or with a phone (with less battery usage), and you can reserve the "desktop mode" for PCs/laptops where there is a power supply and you need to drive demanding transducers.
- This dongle doesn't hiss even with fussy high sensitivity IEMs, but it has an output impedance of 1.7 ohms on 3.5mm and 1.8 ohm on 4.4mm. Hence, it may not be be the best pairing with fastidious low impedance IEMs such as the infamous Andromeda (based on the rule of eights).
- During usage, especially on "desktop mode", the KA13 does get slightly warm, but not scalding (unlike some other power hungry dongles).
Will do further burn in and A/B comparisons against sub $100 dongles and report back. But initial impressions are very positive. This dongle is versatile in being able to drive IEMs on-the-go (with the exception of those with very low impedance), but its selling point is the "desktop mode" which transforms it into a budget desktop source.
Here are some initial impressions before burn in and detailed A/B comparisons:
- This dongle retails at $76 USD, housing dual CS43131 DAC chips.
- Accessories are pretty generous, it includes a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and even a lightning to USB-C cable for our Apple users.
- I like that it has an independent volume controller, something that even higher end dongles like the Questyle M15 do not have.
- The chassis of the dongle has a glass panel on the front, where you can see the internals, and the sides are made of metal. It weighs 18.5g, and is very light and portable. Build is solid, no complaints here.
- Sound wise, this dongle is quite neutralish, it doesn't overly colour the frequency response. Timbre is quite natural without being overly sterile.
- The KA13 is quite technical for a sub $100 dongle, good micro-detailing, imaging and superb instrument separation greets the listener. However, soundstage is on the intimate side.
- It has 3.5 mm and 3.5 mm coaxial out, with a 4.4 mm balanced port. Get this, this dongle can be toggled between a "desktop mode" and a regular IEM mode. The former mode on balanced can output a whopping 550mW!! That's more than some DAPs can provide!
- I tested this dongle with 3 of my hardest to drive gear:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)
- I'm glad to report that on "desktop mode", the KA13 drives these 3 behemoths very well, even at lower volumes. When underpowered, these transducers will sound bloated and one-noted in the bass, with a lack of dynamics. The KA13 powers these tough customers quite well, almost equivalent to some desktop amps. It has to be said that most portable sources cannot drive the Yinman 600 ohm decently, so I'm quite surprised with the KA13 being able to.
- With big power, there is likely gonna be battery drain. I haven't tested extensively on power drain yet, but the regular mode can probably be used on-the-go or with a phone (with less battery usage), and you can reserve the "desktop mode" for PCs/laptops where there is a power supply and you need to drive demanding transducers.
- This dongle doesn't hiss even with fussy high sensitivity IEMs, but it has an output impedance of 1.7 ohms on 3.5mm and 1.8 ohm on 4.4mm. Hence, it may not be be the best pairing with fastidious low impedance IEMs such as the infamous Andromeda (based on the rule of eights).
- During usage, especially on "desktop mode", the KA13 does get slightly warm, but not scalding (unlike some other power hungry dongles).
Will do further burn in and A/B comparisons against sub $100 dongles and report back. But initial impressions are very positive. This dongle is versatile in being able to drive IEMs on-the-go (with the exception of those with very low impedance), but its selling point is the "desktop mode" which transforms it into a budget desktop source.
DynamicEars
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2019
- Posts
- 4,326
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Have been testing the Fiio KA13 dongle for the past few hours.
Here are some initial impressions before burn in and detailed A/B comparisons:
- This dongle retails at $76 USD, housing dual CS43131 DAC chips.
- Accessories are pretty generous, it includes a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and even a lightning to USB-C cable for our Apple users.
- I like that it has an independent volume controller, something that even higher end dongles like the Questyle M15 do not have.
- The chassis of the dongle has a glass panel on the front, where you can see the internals, and the sides are made of metal. It weighs 18.5g, and is very light and portable. Build is solid, no complaints here.
- Sound wise, this dongle is quite neutralish, it doesn't overly colour the frequency response. Timbre is quite natural without being overly sterile.
- The KA13 is quite technical for a sub $100 dongle, good micro-detailing, imaging and superb instrument separation greets the listener. However, soundstage is on the intimate side.
- It has 3.5 mm and 3.5 mm coaxial out, with a 4.4 mm balanced port. Get this, this dongle can be toggled between a "desktop mode" and a regular IEM mode. The former mode on balanced can output a whopping 550mW!! That's more than some DAPs can provide!
- I tested this dongle with 3 of my hardest to drive gear:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)
- I'm glad to report that on "desktop mode", the KA13 drives these 3 behemoths very well, even at lower volumes. When underpowered, these transducers will sound bloated and one-noted in the bass, with a lack of dynamics. The KA13 powers these tough customers quite well, almost equivalent to some desktop amps. It has to be said that most portable sources cannot drive the Yinman 600 ohm decently, so I'm quite surprised with the KA13 being able to.
- With big power, there is likely gonna be battery drain. I haven't tested extensively on power drain yet, but the regular mode can probably be used on-the-go or with a phone (with less battery usage), and you can reserve the "desktop mode" for PCs/laptops where there is a power supply and you need to drive demanding transducers.
- This dongle doesn't hiss even with fussy high sensitivity IEMs, but it has an output impedance of 1.7 ohms on 3.5mm and 1.8 ohm on 4.4mm. Hence, it may not be be the best pairing with fastidious low impedance IEMs such as the infamous Andromeda (based on the rule of eights).
- During usage, especially on "desktop mode", the KA13 does get slightly warm, but not scalding (unlike some other power hungry dongles).
Will do further burn in and A/B comparisons against sub $100 dongles and report back. But initial impressions are very positive. This dongle is versatile in being able to drive IEMs on-the-go (with the exception of those with very low impedance), but its selling point is the "desktop mode" which transforms it into a budget desktop source.
Though Fiio never get my heart for their IEMs, I see their good progress on their DAPs and DACs. Looked like a winner on budget class
I am about to experience the Mojo 2. Plan to use with most of my headphones. Should I expect improved sound?
helloh3adfi
1000+ Head-Fier
Recently I patched my SHIO with this mode. This mode is really better than synchronous mode.
Yep, it is sad that some higher end dongles like the Questyle M15 don't even have independent volume controllers (it sounds good though).
I heard it's supposed to be an awesome piece of gear! What are you currently using?
Dragonfly Cobalt, Aurender Flow, and Pro-Ject - Pre Box S2 Digital MQA DAC/Preamplifier. All of those sound great. I have high expectations for the Mojo 2. I use all of those with my computer, which is what I want in compatibility.
cobrabucket
Headphoneus Supremus
Brought the B2 with me into work today.
Just letting it burn in until my lunch break.
This has become one of my favorite single DDs I own.
Just letting it burn in until my lunch break.
This has become one of my favorite single DDs I own.
Tamizhan
100+ Head-Fier
It'll match E1DA 9038s output, at a lesser priceHave been testing the Fiio KA13 dongle for the past few hours.
Here are some initial impressions before burn in and detailed A/B comparisons:
- This dongle retails at $76 USD, housing dual CS43131 DAC chips.
- Accessories are pretty generous, it includes a USB-A to USB-C adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and even a lightning to USB-C cable for our Apple users.
- I like that it has an independent volume controller, something that even higher end dongles like the Questyle M15 do not have.
- The chassis of the dongle has a glass panel on the front, where you can see the internals, and the sides are made of metal. It weighs 18.5g, and is very light and portable. Build is solid, no complaints here.
- Sound wise, this dongle is quite neutralish, it doesn't overly colour the frequency response. Timbre is quite natural without being overly sterile.
- The KA13 is quite technical for a sub $100 dongle, good micro-detailing, imaging and superb instrument separation greets the listener. However, soundstage is on the intimate side.
- It has 3.5 mm and 3.5 mm coaxial out, with a 4.4 mm balanced port. Get this, this dongle can be toggled between a "desktop mode" and a regular IEM mode. The former mode on balanced can output a whopping 550mW!! That's more than some DAPs can provide!
- I tested this dongle with 3 of my hardest to drive gear:
1) Final Audio E5000 (low sensitivity at 93dB/mW)
2) Sennheiser HD650 (high impedance at 300ohm)
3) Yinman 600 ohm (600 ohm impedance and 87db/mW sensitivity)
- I'm glad to report that on "desktop mode", the KA13 drives these 3 behemoths very well, even at lower volumes. When underpowered, these transducers will sound bloated and one-noted in the bass, with a lack of dynamics. The KA13 powers these tough customers quite well, almost equivalent to some desktop amps. It has to be said that most portable sources cannot drive the Yinman 600 ohm decently, so I'm quite surprised with the KA13 being able to.
- With big power, there is likely gonna be battery drain. I haven't tested extensively on power drain yet, but the regular mode can probably be used on-the-go or with a phone (with less battery usage), and you can reserve the "desktop mode" for PCs/laptops where there is a power supply and you need to drive demanding transducers.
- This dongle doesn't hiss even with fussy high sensitivity IEMs, but it has an output impedance of 1.7 ohms on 3.5mm and 1.8 ohm on 4.4mm. Hence, it may not be be the best pairing with fastidious low impedance IEMs such as the infamous Andromeda (based on the rule of eights).
- During usage, especially on "desktop mode", the KA13 does get slightly warm, but not scalding (unlike some other power hungry dongles).
Will do further burn in and A/B comparisons against sub $100 dongles and report back. But initial impressions are very positive. This dongle is versatile in being able to drive IEMs on-the-go (with the exception of those with very low impedance), but its selling point is the "desktop mode" which transforms it into a budget desktop source.
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thank you.
What could they be compared to in Linsoul's chi-fi segment? maybe a Dunu sa6?
Mr.HiAudio
Member of the Trade: RIOBuds
I agree with you.
Agree with youBrought the B2 with me into work today.
Just letting it burn in until my lunch break.
This has become one of my favorite single DDs I own.
