[FiiO]

Chapter 1 K9 | K9 Pro AKM | K9 Pro ESS Summary

Although I have introduced the K9 Pro ESS version, I would like to give more details since some users may feel confused about the K9 series.
The K9 and K9 Pro are two products with different positioning, but according to our naming convention, you can guess that the appearances and functions of the K9 and K9 Pro are basically the same.
By the way, the K9 using dual ES9068AS DAC chips will have a more competitive price. Budget users can consider pulling a trigger.
While the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions were accidents. It was because of the AKM fire, we only had 2000 pieces of AK4499 chips available. As a consequence, we made 3 decisions.
1. Since the sales of the music player should be greater, the M17 originally planned to use the AK4499 gave concessions to using the ES9038PRO.
2. Due to the small quantity of the DAC chip, if each K9 Pro used 2 DACs as the original plan, there would be fewer final products. That is why we decided to equip the K9 Pro with just a single chip.
3. The K9 Pro will be evolved into two sub-models, namely the K9 Pro AKM with 1 AK4499 DAC, and the K9 Pro ESS with 2 ES9038Pro DACs.
Therefore, in our product series, the K9 and K9 Pro are positioned differently. Of course, the K9 Pro is much stronger, while the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions are of the same level. The core difference is actually the model of the DAC as well as its quantity equipped in the device.
So which one of the two versions of the K9 Pro is stronger and better? To be honest, although there are some differences in the audio parameters between the two versions, the K9 Pro ESS would be a notch above the K9 Pro AKM due to the use of dual DACs. But in terms of sound performance, the main difference comes from the sound style differences between AKM and ESS companies. AKM's is more musical, while ESS's has higher quality. The two can be said to be rivals, so it would be hard to say who’s the winner.
If we put aside the sound differences of the two versions, I personally think the K9 Pro AKM4499 version is a better choice (the appearance difference is to distinguish them, where the volume knob is PVD processed, but not made of genuine gold).
The first reason is that the K9 Pro AKM is cheaper. In fact, since the AK4499 is already an out of print chip, it is reasonable for us to price the AKM version the same as that of the ESS version. However, we think it is not so friendly to our users in this way.
The second reason is that the AK4499 chip has been discontinued. So the AKM version of the K9 Pro is limited. There are only about 500 units available in China. When a thing is rare, it becomes precious. Therefore, the value of the K9 Pro AKM version will be longer maintained compared to the ESS version.
So, which version of the K9 Pro do you prefer?

 

[NA Blur]

Love the functionality and use cases for both units. If you are looking for someone to review the K9 Pro ESS version message me and I would love to conduct a thorough review.

I currently use the Schiit Modius and THX AAA 789 and having an all-in-one unit would be a plus.

One note on the ESS version is the dreaded ESS IMD hump seen here:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ow-to-fix-ess-hump-on-sgd1-and-la-qxd1.10502/

How does the SMPTE curve look?

Cheers!

 

[ipaddy]

Chapter 1 K9 | K9 Pro AKM | K9 Pro ESS Summary

Although I have introduced the K9 Pro ESS version, I would like to give more details since some users may feel confused about the K9 series.
The K9 and K9 Pro are two products with different positioning, but according to our naming convention, you can guess that the appearances and functions of the K9 and K9 Pro are basically the same.
By the way, the K9 using dual ES9068AS DAC chips will have a more competitive price. Budget users can consider pulling a trigger.
While the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions were accidents. It was because of the AKM fire, we only had 2000 pieces of AK4499 chips available. As a consequence, we made 3 decisions.
1. Since the sales of the music player should be greater, the M17 originally planned to use the AK4499 gave concessions to using the ES9038PRO.
2. Due to the small quantity of the DAC chip, if each K9 Pro used 2 DACs as the original plan, there would be fewer final products. That is why we decided to equip the K9 Pro with just a single chip.
3. The K9 Pro will be evolved into two sub-models, namely the K9 Pro AKM with 1 AK4499 DAC, and the K9 Pro ESS with 2 ES9038Pro DACs.
Therefore, in our product series, the K9 and K9 Pro are positioned differently. Of course, the K9 Pro is much stronger, while the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions are of the same level. The core difference is actually the model of the DAC as well as its quantity equipped in the device.
So which one of the two versions of the K9 Pro is stronger and better? To be honest, although there are some differences in the audio parameters between the two versions, the K9 Pro ESS would be a notch above the K9 Pro AKM due to the use of dual DACs. But in terms of sound performance, the main difference comes from the sound style differences between AKM and ESS companies. AKM's is more musical, while ESS's has higher quality. The two can be said to be rivals, so it would be hard to say who’s the winner.
If we put aside the sound differences of the two versions, I personally think the K9 Pro AKM4499 version is a better choice (the appearance difference is to distinguish them, where the volume knob is PVD processed, but not made of genuine gold).
The first reason is that the K9 Pro AKM is cheaper. In fact, since the AK4499 is already an out of print chip, it is reasonable for us to price the AKM version the same as that of the ESS version. However, we think it is not so friendly to our users in this way.
The second reason is that the AK4499 chip has been discontinued. So the AKM version of the K9 Pro is limited. There are only about 500 units available in China. When a thing is rare, it becomes precious. Therefore, the value of the K9 Pro AKM version will be longer maintained compared to the ESS version.
So, which version of the K9 Pro do you prefer?

Chapter 1 K9 | K9 Pro AKM | K9 Pro ESS Summary

Although I have introduced the K9 Pro ESS version, I would like to give more details since some users may feel confused about the K9 series.
The K9 and K9 Pro are two products with different positioning, but according to our naming convention, you can guess that the appearances and functions of the K9 and K9 Pro are basically the same.
By the way, the K9 using dual ES9068AS DAC chips will have a more competitive price. Budget users can consider pulling a trigger.
While the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions were accidents. It was because of the AKM fire, we only had 2000 pieces of AK4499 chips available. As a consequence, we made 3 decisions.
1. Since the sales of the music player should be greater, the M17 originally planned to use the AK4499 gave concessions to using the ES9038PRO.
2. Due to the small quantity of the DAC chip, if each K9 Pro used 2 DACs as the original plan, there would be fewer final products. That is why we decided to equip the K9 Pro with just a single chip.
3. The K9 Pro will be evolved into two sub-models, namely the K9 Pro AKM with 1 AK4499 DAC, and the K9 Pro ESS with 2 ES9038Pro DACs.
Therefore, in our product series, the K9 and K9 Pro are positioned differently. Of course, the K9 Pro is much stronger, while the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions are of the same level. The core difference is actually the model of the DAC as well as its quantity equipped in the device.
So which one of the two versions of the K9 Pro is stronger and better? To be honest, although there are some differences in the audio parameters between the two versions, the K9 Pro ESS would be a notch above the K9 Pro AKM due to the use of dual DACs. But in terms of sound performance, the main difference comes from the sound style differences between AKM and ESS companies. AKM's is more musical, while ESS's has higher quality. The two can be said to be rivals, so it would be hard to say who’s the winner.
If we put aside the sound differences of the two versions, I personally think the K9 Pro AKM4499 version is a better choice (the appearance difference is to distinguish them, where the volume knob is PVD processed, but not made of genuine gold).
The first reason is that the K9 Pro AKM is cheaper. In fact, since the AK4499 is already an out of print chip, it is reasonable for us to price the AKM version the same as that of the ESS version. However, we think it is not so friendly to our users in this way.
The second reason is that the AK4499 chip has been discontinued. So the AKM version of the K9 Pro is limited. There are only about 500 units available in China. When a thing is rare, it becomes precious. Therefore, the value of the K9 Pro AKM version will be longer maintained compared to the ESS version.
So, which version of the K9 Pro do you prefer?

After having bought the original AK4499, I have to say that I really love and appreciate that, now that you have likely mostly sold out the 4499's, you are now releasing specs on the ESS, which are superior in most ways (power, THD+N,etc.). Now that I have already spend my money on the original.

I'm very happy that you did not release the specs of the ESS version earlier before I bought the 4499 version, which you had mentioned as coming out after the original, as I might have decided to wait and buy the new version. Fortunately, I didn't have to make that decision, and I appreciate that. I know, of course, that FIIO had absolutely no way of knowing in advance that the ESS version would have better specs ("ESS has higher quality"), and so I guess it all works out really well.

I'll keep all of this in mind for future consideration as I decide if to continue with FIIO.

 

[Moon5123]

I dont know if I am asking a lot, but it would be heaven matched if there is dedicated desktop headphone AMP from fiio, based on may be thx 888+ or a good tube or BOTH.
Some time i feel the need of more analytical sound or tubey sound depending in mood. I can buy a seperate AMP from other brand but if would fiio made it then it would be perfect match for k9 pro series and are well sonically integrated.
My k9 pro AKM version is warm and neutral in sonics love to see some analytical sounding amp for it or a tube'ish sounding amp.
Any ways thanks fiio for such nice device really loving them

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 2 Revealing the pricing strategy of the two versions of the K9 Pro

There is an eternal topic in the HiFi industry, that is, is the price of HiFi products reasonable? Frankly speaking, I don’t have an answer to this question, because the pricing of a product is very complicated. In addition to the hardware cost, it also includes research and development costs (including tuning) and marketing and promotion costs. HiFi products themselves have the attributes of half technology and half art, so how do enterprises determine the price should be based on their actual needs. Moreover, the HiFi products are in a free competition market, so their price will be finally determined by the market and users and will return to a reasonable level, but not by the free will of manufacturers.
In business operations, pricing is a big issue. Some companies choose the strategy of small profits but quick turnover, selling more products at a low price for more profits. In turn, the high sales volume leads to lower purchase costs, thus forming a virtuous circle.
However, it is not that the price is low and the product will definitely sell more. Sometimes it will sell less. One of our users explained it with Veblen Effect. It says that the higher the price of a commodity, the more favored it will be by consumers. This is a very normal economic phenomenon.
However, in general, the progress of human society still follows a virtuous circle of decreasing selling price - increasing sales volume - decreasing cost - lower selling price.
FiiO's pricing strategy is very simple. We will set a reasonable gross profit margin, which does not include the promotion and R&D costs because the costs are fixed. The sales volume of the product during its life circle is determined by many factors, so it will be difficult to predict. Therefore, we cannot accurately calculate the promotion and R&D costs into the overall cost before the release of the product.
So, again, why would we plan to develop the K9 Pro AKM and ESS versions with the same positioning but different prices?
The reason is very simple. The K9 Pro ESS uses two ES9038PRO chips, and the purchase cost of the ES9038PRO and AK4499 are basically the same, so the cost of the K9 Pro ESS increases a lot. In fact, the gross profit rate of the 2 ES9038PRO DACs has dropped.
However, based on the current epidemic affecting the consumption level, and the significantly increased overseas shipping cost of the K9 Pro, we decided to release the K9 Pro at a low price, expecting a higher sales volume.
To sum up, for users, buying a K9 Pro ESS means that they can get more expensive hardware than buying a K9 Pro AKM. It is also a price positioning we set at the beginning, hoping to get users' approval and have a higher sales volume.

 

[Rockshit]

fiio k9 pro can be used with iem? is it sensitive or not?

 

[ipaddy]

I use it with FIIO IEM's, no problem.

 

[FiiO]

Chapter 3 New use scenarios | New territory, FiiO embarks on a new journey from the K9 Pro

In this chapter, let's talk about FiiO's next product focus: desk HiFi series products.

We all know that FiiO has always been paying much attention to various portable amps, portable music players, in-ear monitors, etc. It can be said that the K9 Pro is the first product in our history that is truly designed for audiophiles and suitable for desktop use scenarios. Therefore, we have also done some research and investigations on this market. Thanks to everyone's help, we have also made some conclusions based on the previous market feedback of our K5 Pro and other products. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Just leave us a message below.

No matter living in a mansion, a dorm in the university, or renting a room, we all have our own small world which is usually a desk.

The core of the desk is the computer host + keyboard + display screen, or a laptop. Generally speaking, except for collective dormitories, we will basically be equipped with speakers and headphones. Therefore, various inputs and outputs of the device should be as complete as possible.

With water glass, school supplies and other stuff, usually the space of the desk would be nervous. Therefore, what we need is a compact device with excellent sound performance and easy operation. (otherwise, we can just use our computers.)

The K9 Pro is exactly the one designed for such a use scenario and needs. Let's make a conclusion.

(1) The K9 Pro is kind of a compact one among all-in-one DAC/Amps with a built-in linear transformer. When designing it, we carefully considered the needs of putting it in both horizontal and vertical manners. As a result, the K9 Pro is not too wide (takes less space when placed horizontally) or too thin (for stable placement when placed vertically). It is relatively rare for desktop all-in-one DAC/Amps with such width and height.

(2) When designing the K9 Pro, we have considered the access needs of wireless (via Bluetooth) and wired connections (via optical, coaxial, USB, Type-C), so it can be easily connected to various common devices such as mobile phones, notebooks, computers, digital audio streamers, etc.

Meanwhile, it is equipped with RCA LO, XLR BAL LO, optical/coaxial digital out, 6.3mm SE and XLR BAL headphone outs. Basically, it can meet your needs for using in-ear monitors, HiFi speakers, and other headphones.

(3) Considering that many users need to switch between speakers and headphones frequently, we have designed a convenient output mode selection switch, which is convenient for users to switch output devices at any time without plugging and unplugging headphones or speakers. Considering that many of our users have both earbuds and headphones at hand, we have designed 3 gain levels of Low, Medium and High, which are more friendly to both high sensitivity/low impedance headphones.

(4) Finally, a reasonable price decides if a product will be highly accepted in the market. To be honest, the market capacity of desktop DAC/Amps is not optimistic according to the research. There are more brands and models in the market due to its low technical demands. Plus delivery expense and other reasons, manufacturers would generally put margin before sales volume. However, we FiiO are a freshman in the desktop market, and have our own pricing principles. The two versions of the K9 Pro have very high cost performance and very high configuration, and you can make a comparison to other DAC/Amps with two 9038PRO DACs on the market.

 

[Death_Block]

Is there a side by side comparison of the ESS Vs AKM? The K9 might be excellent for what I'm looking for, though worried it might not pair well with the HD700

 

[FiiO]

【Main differences on the electronic part】
1. Different DAC: the K9 Pro ESS uses dual ES9038PRO (the best flagship DAC in the ESS family), while the K9 Pro uses the best AMK AK4499, which has been discontinued for 2 years due to the fire that happened to AKM.
2. Slight difference on the internal circuit: due to needs on adjusting the power supply, indicators and sound properties, we have made some slight adjustments on part of the electric circuits (But the key parts are still the same, as excellent as the former ones).
3. Slight improvements on the output power, distortion and SNR compared to the K9 Pro.
【Main differences in the structural portion】
1. Due to larger output power, we have designed heat dissipation holes on both sides to help dissipate more heat. (Placing the K9 Pro ESS horizontally can help to dissipate more heat).
2. The volume knob was changed to a PVD processed gold one, which looks more attractive.
3. The internal structure has been improved to dissipate more heat.
4. Included are the support stand and isolation feet, helping to save more space on the desktop when placed vertically.