Do the oldsters at FiiO ever sleep? 2024 is barely per week outdated and the Chinese language producer has introduced 3 new merchandise already at CES 2024. And it’s not like they took 2023 off with virtually a dozen new merchandise together with the FT3 headphones (evaluation forthcoming) and R7 desktop amplifier making plenty of waves within the Head-Fi group.
In the event you observe the high-end headphone area, it has develop into obvious that FiiO, Topping, Questyle, Cayin, HiFiMan, and Astell&Kern are all attempting to jockey for place in a lot of classes.
FiiO and Topping have made some big strides lately with their desktop DAC/headphone amplifiers which supply superior measured efficiency together with complete connectivity choices and nice sound high quality.
FiiO has additionally carved out a pleasant wedge of the pie within the Dongle DAC class the place it competes with Questyle, Astell&Kern, Hidizs, and Cayin.
So what has FiiO unveiled thus far this week?
The FiiO KA17 is a model new Dongle DAC with some spectacular specs, while the K9 PRO Skylight Version merely gives some modifications to the commercial design of the mannequin that we reviewed in 2023.
KA17 Transportable USB Headphone DAC/Amplifier
The FiiO KA17 delivers as much as 650mW of output energy — utilising twin flagship ESS ES9069Q DACs, THX AAA 78+ amplification, and XMOS XU316 USB SoC — this compact powerhouse gives full assist for 32-bit/768kHz, MQA, and native DSD512 Hello-Res audio information.
Regardless of the KA17’s moveable measurement, to ship most flexibility, FiiO’s engineers have managed to include each Single-ended (3.5 mm) and Balanced (4.4 mm) headphone outputs into slender body. The three.5mm output additionally helps SPDIF output.
The FiiO KA17 gives a superb resolution for a variety of sources, together with Android, iOS, PCs and extra. Alongside the KA17 delivering a robust sound while on the go together with cell sources — because of it’s impartial energy provide — it additionally encompasses a ‘Desktop Mode’ which may be manually chosen to extend the facility output to a formidable 650mW.
In addition to settings being accessible through the built-in display screen, the KA17 additionally works with the FiiO Management media app for Android and iOS.
Settings embody: Acquire (‘Excessive’ or ‘Low’), Filter (8 modes), SPDIF Output, Parametric EQ, Display Brightness, Quantity Step Setting, and extra.
The FiiO KA17 shall be accessible from February, priced £139 / $149 / €159
K9 PRO ESS Skylight Version Desktop Headphone DAC/Amplifier
We’ve already reviewed the FiiO K9 PRO ESS Balanced Desktop Headphone Amplifier/DAC which we discovered to be glorious with particular headphones.
It is usually not cheap at $849.99, and we will perceive how that may give some potential consumers a second of pause.
The K9 Professional ESS Skylight Version is a balanced Hello-Res desktop headphone amplifier/DAC that — because of its clear clear acrylic prime panel — permits a view of the inner parts inside. That includes twin ES9038 Professional DACs, twin THX AAA 788+ amp expertise, a number of inputs/outputs, and Bluetooth 5.0 with assist for a number of codecs together with aptX HD and LDAC.
With MQA assist; native playback of audio information as much as 32-bit/384kHz PCM/DSD256, and the power to effortlessly drive headphones that includes an impedance of 16 – 600 Ohms.
FiiO K9 Professional ESS Skylight Version options a wide array of audio enter choices, together with: RCA, Coaxial, Optical, USB-B, USB-C, and balanced 4.4mm.
From an audio out perspective — alongside the 6.35mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced, and 4-pin balanced XLR headphone connections — the FiiO K9 Professional ESS Skylight Version additionally options RCA (L/R) line-out in addition to balanced 3-pin XLR (L/R) outputs, making certain compatibility with a bunch of exterior gadgets.
With its twin THX AAA788+ amplification, the K9 Professional ESS Skylight Version is ready to effortlessly energy headphones with a large impedance vary of 16 – 600 Ohms.
As well as, Low, Medium and Excessive {hardware} achieve ranges may be manually chosen from the entrance panel, permitting you to simply modify the K9 Professional ESS Skylight Version for headphones of varied impedances and sensitivities, making certain a constant listening expertise.
For extra data: fiio.com
Proceed studying extra tales from CES 2024.
