Do the folks at FiiO ever sleep? 2024 is barely a week old and the Chinese manufacturer has announced 3 new products already at CES 2024. And it’s not like they took 2023 off with almost a dozen new products including the FT3 headphones (review forthcoming) and R7 desktop amplifier making a lot of waves in the Head-Fi community.
If you follow the high-end headphone space, it has become apparent that FiiO, Topping, Questyle, Cayin, HiFiMan, and Astell&Kern are all trying to jockey for position in a number of categories.
FiiO and Topping have made some huge strides in recent years with their desktop DAC/headphone amplifiers which offer superior measured performance along with comprehensive connectivity options and great sound quality.
FiiO has also carved out a nice wedge of the pie in the Dongle DAC category where it competes with Questyle, Astell&Kern, Hidizs, and Cayin.
So what has FiiO unveiled so far this week?
The FiiO KA17 is a brand new Dongle DAC with some impressive specifications, whilst the K9 PRO Skylight Edition merely offers some changes to the industrial design of the model that we reviewed in 2023.
KA17 Portable USB Headphone DAC/Amplifier
The FiiO KA17 delivers up to 650mW of output power — utilising dual flagship ESS ES9069Q DACs, THX AAA 78+ amplification, and XMOS XU316 USB SoC — this compact powerhouse offers full support for 32-bit/768kHz, MQA, and native DSD512 Hi-Res audio files.
Despite the KA17’s portable size, to deliver maximum flexibility, FiiO’s engineers have managed to incorporate both Single-ended (3.5 mm) and Balanced (4.4 mm) headphone outputs into slender frame. The 3.5mm output also supports SPDIF output.
The FiiO KA17 offers an excellent solution for a wide range of sources, including Android, iOS, PCs and more. Alongside the KA17 delivering a powerful sound whilst on the go with mobile sources — thanks to it’s independent power supply — it also features a ‘Desktop Mode’ which can be manually selected to increase the power output to an impressive 650mW.
As well as settings being accessible via the built-in screen, the KA17 also works with the FiiO Control media app for Android and iOS.
Settings include: Gain (‘High’ or ‘Low’), Filter (8 modes), SPDIF Output, Parametric EQ, Screen Brightness, Volume Step Setting, and more.
The FiiO KA17 will be available from February, priced £139 / $149 / €159
K9 PRO ESS Skylight Edition Desktop Headphone DAC/Amplifier
We have already reviewed the FiiO K9 PRO ESS Balanced Desktop Headphone Amplifier/DAC which we found to be excellent with specific headphones.
It is also not inexpensive at $849.99, and we can understand how that might give some potential buyers a moment of pause.
The K9 Pro ESS Skylight Edition is a balanced Hi-Res desktop headphone amplifier/DAC that — thanks to its clear transparent acrylic top panel — allows a view of the internal components inside. Featuring dual ES9038 Pro DACs, dual THX AAA 788+ amp technology, multiple inputs/outputs, and Bluetooth 5.0 with support for multiple codecs including aptX HD and LDAC.
With MQA support; native playback of audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM/DSD256, and the ability to effortlessly drive headphones featuring an impedance of 16 – 600 Ohms.
FiiO K9 Pro ESS Skylight Edition features a wide selection of audio input options, including: 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 Pro ESS Skylight Edition also features RCA (L/R) line-out as well as balanced 3-pin XLR (L/R) outputs, ensuring compatibility with a host of external devices.
With its dual THX AAA788+ amplification, the K9 Pro ESS Skylight Edition is able to effortlessly power headphones with a wide impedance range of 16 – 600 Ohms.
In addition, Low, Medium and High hardware gain levels can be manually selected from the front panel, allowing you to easily adjust the K9 Pro ESS Skylight Edition for headphones of various impedances and sensitivities, ensuring a consistent listening experience.
For more information: fiio.com
