Fiio began specializing in high-end gear two years in the past, and that resulted in merchandise just like the K9 Professional. The K9 Professional has nearly each characteristic you want in a desktop DAC, and with the flexibility to ship as much as 2.1W of energy, it drives nearly any headset out there at present.
As I stated in my K9 Professional evaluation, there is not something lacking within the DAC, and though it’s two years outdated at this level, it continues to be excellent. I used it every day for the higher a part of a 12 months and a half, and having examined it with a number of dozen headsets and IEMs, I can confidently say that I have never used a greater DAC.
Till now. Fiio launched the K19 at first of 2024, and the flagship DAC is designed to take over from the K9 Professional. There are such a lot of variations between the 2 that it is unfair to name the K19 an improve — consider it as an overhaul. Fiio went with an all-new design, someway crammed much more ports into the DAC, and elevated the facility to 8W — 4 instances that of the K9 Professional.
That clearly comes with a rise within the asking value, and the K19 retails for $1,349. Having used the K19 alongside the K9 Professional, it is simple to see that Fiio is onto one thing particular with its 2024 flagship.
Fiio K19: Pricing and launch date
Fiio unveiled the K19 on the finish of February 2024, and the DAC is now out there in China and is slowly making its approach to international markets. The K19 retails for $1,349 — $500 greater than that of the K9 Professional. In contrast to earlier fashions within the collection, the K19 is accessible in black and white colour choices.
Fiio K19: Design
Fiio tends to make use of a constant design aesthetic, but it surely’s switching issues up with the K19. The DAC has an all-new design language that appears downright attractive, and you will not discover any similarities to the K9 or any of its predecessors. The important thing distinction is that the K19 is noticeably thinner and wider than the K9 Professional, with the DAC designed for use in a vertical orientation.
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That is why the labels across the two rotary dials are situated to the facet; there are steel mounting brackets that may be screwed into the left facet should you’re serious about utilizing the K19 vertically. However if you wish to use the DAC horizontally, you get rubber ft within the field that may be connected to the underside.
The standout design characteristic is the honeycomb construction that covers the highest and backside halves of the DAC; this creates a way more elegant design whereas rising passive airflow to the DAC on the identical time. There is a metal mesh beneath the honeycomb sample that does a very good job stopping mud ingress, and there are vents on both facet that ship airflow into the DAC.
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Just like the K9 Professional, the K19 is cooled passively, however the elevated vents means the DAC would not get sizzling after prolonged use. The chassis itself is made out of aluminum, and it has a reassuring heft to it; I did not see any points in any way with the construct high quality, and it is clear that the K19 is designed to final many years.
An attention-grabbing change this time is the provision of a silver colour variant. It makes the K19 look that rather more elegant, and offers it a presence that you simply simply do not get with the black model. That stated, the silver mannequin is designed to seize consideration, so if you’d like a DAC you could tuck away unobtrusively, you must get the black mannequin.
The mannequin identify, THX branding, and Hello-Res emblem are all situated on the underside, resulting in a cleaner look — you simply get the Fiio emblem on the high. Fiio additionally modified the navigation, so as an alternative of buttons, you get two rotary knobs, and a built-in 1.3-inch display screen that allows you to change between varied modes and sources.
The display screen has a TFT panel and will get brilliant sufficient, however I’d have most popular a bigger panel. One rotary knob is used to manage the quantity, with the opposite used to vary the menu choices. Each knobs have a knurled texture that makes utilizing them extremely simple, and so they an LED ring gentle that modifications colour based mostly on high quality of playback supply.
Speaking a few clear design, the display screen sits in an island alongside the entrance that features all of the connectivity choices, and that is decked out in black, serving up a very good distinction in opposition to the white chassis. As is the case with all of its merchandise, Fiio bundles a beneficiant quantity of equipment with the K19, and the one I like essentially the most is an acrylic cone that is designed to wedge into the facet — this permits the DAC to double as a headset stand, and that is simply plain cool.
General, Fiio did an impressive job with the design of the K19; the DAC seems gorgeous, and the modifications to the passive cooling means it will get significantly better air flow.
Fiio K19: Connectivity and options
Much like the design, Fiio paid shut consideration to element relating to the K19’s feature-set, and because of this, you get what’s presumably one of the best connectivity of any DAC. Let’s begin with the entrance: the K19 has a single-ended 6.35mm port along with the balanced 4.4mm port, and the 4-pin XLR port is hidden behind a mud cowl. There’s even a USB-C port, giving you quick access to hook up with different units.
It is on the again the place issues get attention-grabbing. The K19 might be powered by each AC and DC sources, and there is a toggle to modify between the 2. Fiio bundles an AC energy twine within the field, however you probably have a DC barrel plug and wish to use it that manner, you are able to do so (it makes use of 15V/3A).
With regards to analog connectors, you get balanced 3-pin XLR along with RCA, with the latter that includes mud covers. Digital connectivity is dealt with by optical in/out, coaxial in/out, and USB in. What’s attention-grabbing with the K19 is that Fiio is now not utilizing the USB-B connector, as an alternative switching over to USB-C, making it extraordinarily simple to attach the DAC to a supply gadget. I had no points connecting the DAC to my Home windows machine by way of the bundled USB-C to USB-A cable.
Fiio is utilizing an built-in Bluetooth antenna on the K19 — identical to the R7 — and it provides to the cleaner look of the DAC. The most important change to the DAC is the inclusion of HDMI ports; you get HDMI in and HDMI ARC out, and this permits the K19 for use with TVs and gaming consoles.
To that impact, Fiio bundles an infrared distant within the field. You should use it to vary the quantity, change the K19 on or off, regulate the EQ, and alter connection modes. It would not have backlit keys, but it surely affords a simple approach to management the K19. After all, if you wish to use your telephone, Fiio Management offers you entry to all of the K19’s settings.
Fiio K19: Sound high quality
Fiio makes use of twin ESS’s newest ES9039S Professional DAC {hardware}, and it goes as much as 768kHz/32-bit over PCM and DSD512 by way of USB. It has an XMOS XU316 USB controller, and the Bluetooth facet of issues is dealt with by Qualcomm’s QCC5125 — the identical because the K9. Much like the K9 Professional, amplification is by means of THX’s excellent 8-channel 788+ modules.
What makes the K19 stand out is the sheer energy on provide; it is ready to ship as much as an insane 8000mW at 32Ω by way of the balanced ports, and that is considerably larger than what you get with another DAC. Curiously, the K19 has a built-in DSP engine that allows parametric EQ — accessible by way of Fiio’s customized DSP software program on Android, Home windows, and macOS — that provides you granular management over the sound.
I examined the K19 with a variety of IEMs, together with Fiio’s personal FX15, Letshuoer Cadenza 12, Audeze Euclid, Thieaudio Status LTD, and a half-dozen finances fashions. The K19 has no issues driving delicate IEMs, and it did a unbelievable job on this regard — as you’d think about.
I did not run into any points in any respect with headsets, and I used the likes of the Audeze MM-500, LCD-X, Fiio FT5, Moondrop Venus, and Focal Elex. There’s simply no situation the place the K19 would not ship greater than sufficient energy, and that is simply not an issue with this DAC.
Coming to the sound, the K19 has Fiio’s attribute signature, however with added vibrancy. When utilizing the FT5 and MM-500, bass notes have good vigor and influence, with a delicate sub-bass extension that is terrific. There’s higher definition than the K9 Professional, and that is instantly evident when switching between the 2.
The mid-range is clear and pure, and vocals haven’t any drawback shining by way of the combo. Instrument separation is great, and you may hear intricate particulars with ease, just like the pluck of a guitar. The treble has good extension, and also you get a way of airiness that provides dynamism.
On the entire, the most important distinction over the K9 Professional is that the K19 sounds extra participating and dynamic, and also you get a wider soundstage that is simply pleasing.
Fiio K19: The competitors
The K9 Professional continues to be a stellar alternative in 2024. It has a terrific sound, the design seems cool due to the gold accents, and also you get in depth connectivity. It would not have any points driving demanding planar headsets, and the sound is participating and broad. The K9 Professional costs $849 as of writing, however it’s more likely to go on sale because the K19 turns into out there globally. Fiio has talked about that it’s going to promote the K9 Professional alongside the K19, so should you do not want the additional energy or a few of the further options, the K9 Professional can be the way in which to go.
In order for you one of the best worth, you must take into account the common K9. It has the identical design because the K9 Professional, and whereas it would not characteristic one of the best ESS DACs, the tonality is remarkably near the K9 Professional. Better of all, the K9 costs just $499.
Fiio K19: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You desire a high-end DAC
- You want in depth analog and digital connectivity
- You desire a DAC with a sublime design that is constructed to final
- You want an interesting sound with good dynamics
You should not purchase this if:
- You want a value-focused DAC
The naming conference with the K19 suggests it’s an improve over the K9 Professional, however it’s so rather more than that — it is a actually excellent product that instantly stands out within the model’s portfolio. The design is unmistakably premium, and the white model particularly seems gorgeous. The flexibility to make use of it in vertical or horizontal orientation makes it that rather more versatile, and the sleeker construct together with all-metal chassis means the K19 is designed to final many years.
However it’s the feature-set that makes the K19 so alluring; you get each single port you may ever want, and the exhaustive connectivity mixed with Bluetooth 5.1 and lossless audio codecs make this a unbelievable alternative when paired with nearly any audio gadget.
In the end, the K19 is a halo gadget that solidifies Fiio’s place as one of many leaders within the fanatic audio class. Sure, it prices some huge cash, however you are getting a ton of options, and should you’re after an endgame DAC that may do all of it, you have simply discovered it.
