FiiO has just launched its long-awaited K9 Pro desktop DAC and amplifier. The K9 Pro was designed from its conception to be an uncompromising flagship product. At the heart of the K9 Pro is the popular AKM AK4499EQ DAC chip that supports up to 384 kHz and native DSD256.
As many of you will know, the AK4499EQ chip stocks are limited due to the AKM factory fire. As such, FiiO is calling this is a collector’s device due to the scarcity of these DAC chips.
The K9 Pro also boasts THX AAA Amplifier Technology. providing exemplary details and dynamics regardless of which headphones you’re using. With an impressive output up to 46Vpp for high-impedance loads and 2W for low-impedance loads, you’ll never be short of driving power.
With its fully balanced design, the K9 Pro ensures minimal interference for the audio signal to provide the best possible dynamic range. This is enhanced even further by the partitioned PCB layout, that separates the power supply and analogue signal loop to maintain the integrity of the audio signal.
A linear power supply and low-frequency transformer with high-capacity Japanese Nichicon capacitors delivers abundant clean power for the device. Both the digital and analogue sections of the K9 Pro receive power separately for superior electrical shielding between the two circuits for the cleanest possible sound. Furthermore, the K9 Pro’s power stabilization and filtering use a total of 20 ultra-low-noise LDOs for voltage regulation.

Dual asynchronous femtosecond clocks are used via the newest XMOS chips for USB and Bluetooth decoding. This makes it easier to maintain the maximum possible quality sound. In addition, the K9 Pro also supports MQA unfolding, allowing you to listen to master-level music.
Equipped with the Qualcomm QCC5124 chip, the K9 Pro supports hi-res wireless formats such as LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive. The QCC5124 also provides low-latency performance for games/videos and high-res audio.
Like many recent dongle DACs, the K9 Pro has an LED indicator that lights up in different colours depending on the sample rate of the currently playing file. The RGB indicator surrounds the volume knob, similar to the smaller FiiO K3.
The K9 Pro’s chassis has an elegant anodized black aluminium finish. Its controls are clearly laid out for a smooth operating experience. There are 3 gain modes available for the headphone output retaining all of the dynamic range and musical fidelity regardless of what type of headphones or earphones you’re listening to.
The K9 Pro also has a Line out that you can easily switch between fixed and variable levels. This makes it compatible with both active speakers and external amplifiers. There’s even a side-mounted USB Type-C port for easily connecting your smartphone to use as a music source.
The FiiO K9 Pro is available now from Apos Audio here and is covered by their excellent 2-year warranty.
