Nice, just what i was hoping for.
Yeah the line out is implemented very well, I originally bought this thinking it would serve some 2Ch use but that just isn’t where I ended up going with my stereo setup, never used the streaming once (
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Hows the balanced outs on the K9? If i ever get over needing a clean desk I’d love to run a tube/hybrid out of it.
Just as good as the headphone out. Personally i have balanced into the ath-bha100 to act as a tube buffer for my speakers and when im feeling like adding extra low mids and dimentionality for my headphones.
LOL thats the exact tube amp i had in mind, i saw some chatter on headfi about it being nice with planars and having enough juice for ZMFs.
Sounds like a winning pair then, im sold. Thanks for the info, looking forward to getting this thing on my desk.
If this is true (k9 is more refined than other chifi dacs with akm ak4499 chip) pricewise it is definitely worth buying. I have smsl sp400 and m500. I’m somewhat looking into upgrading/changing m500 and what I’m going to buy should synergize well with sp400. Do you think K9 pro would be worthwhile? Also a guy selling his matrix mini-I pro 3 around the same price. Its streaming capabilities is intruguing but I’m not so sure about the dac section.
I’m looking at this to potentially replace my current stack: SMSL M100 and Atom Amp. Been having weird connection issues with the m100 lately - just randomly drops out until I turn it off and back on or cycle through the inputs. Alternatively, since I love the atom, I was thinking of an upgrade to the EL stack. Either option would probably be my endgame stack.
The mini I pro 3 line out is only a slight improvement over the m500 imo so it would be mostly how much do you need the wireless/networking features. Also the mini I pro 3 headphone section is pretty meh, usable but quite dead so if you are looking for a all in one solution I would rec the K9 pro over the mini I pro 3 any day.
Has anyone tried this with the Hifiman Arya Stealth? I recently acquired one with the Topping A/D 30 pro stack but if this has enough power to sufficiently drive it…then it could be more compelling
Thanks, from what I see, mini-i 3 pro’s streaming use cases don’t look like they will suit mine.
Why did you prefer K9 to the Bifrost/Jot 2 stack? Wondering because I am currently chasing after that Schiit stack.
I was looking for an All-In-One solution, a one-stop shop instead of the Schiit stack I had. The K9 Pro is a fantastic option in that regard, but unfortunately something about its integration was fatiguing to me, so I had to return it.
Interesting. So you decided to stick with the Bifrost/Jot. This seems like a stack that everyone on forums is running. This is why I want to try it out lol.
Could I use this with a shiit lokius?
Is the K9 Pro on par with Topping D90/A90 stack? I am considering both at the moment
I have never heard the d90/a90 stack, but I do have the k9 pro. Looking purely at specs though, the a90 has quite a bit more power. The a90 discrete even more so. That combo will cost you quite a bit more ($1200ish vs $850), but if money is not an issue. I’d go that route.
The k9 pro has plenty for most headphones (2.1watts). It sounds great, and get a lot of versatility with Bluetooth, line in/out, and a decent app with EQ. I have found I prefer running the line out to another amp for tougher headphones like my t60 argons. The DAC on the k9 pro is very very good.
The Hifiman ef400 might be another one to consider. It’s $600 and has more power (4 watts).
Cool, thank you.
I picked up the K9 ESS during BF deals on AE. For the asking price, it’s got a lot of issues. I found myself having to power cycle it at least 10 times already to make it work again. Today, the left channel on my headphones went silent after switching from DAC mode. Another issue is with Tidal. Sometimes it makes the HiFi toggles on that app unresponsive, forcing me to restart the app. I have a Topping DX7s, which I planned to replace with the Fiio, but thus far the latter has issues I never encountered with the Topping. The Topping was working perfectly from day one, including smart sense for auto-shutdown when my desktop is turned off. Like, how such a basic feature was left out from the Fiio? beats me. So far, it’s proven a disappointing purchase. The sound is good though, but that alone is not enough of course.
If the K9 is causing fatigue on its own, trying out various setups with the BF2/Jot2 might reveal a combination that not only eliminates fatigue but enhances your overall enjoyment.
