Minimalist On Steroids

Introduction

While FiiO has been known and renowned for their portable stuffs that is great for their price and performance, they have been slowly seeping in to their desktop or Hi-fi realm with desktop products such as the K series, an active monitor speaker l, the SP3 and the all in one solution, the R7. The R7 has been received quite well around the globe for their versatile nature and a great sound but it hasn’t really satisfied the hardcore users who yearn for a better sound output. FiiO has listened and they have decided to kick it up a notch by implementing some major upgrades in the sound department and producing the R9. It is packed with some hardware and software upgrades that makes it a top of the line performer that hopes to satisfy high end users. The price is on the higher side of the spectrum but other Hi-fi brands do cost the same or even more making the R9 priced pretty decently.

FiiO is and Ryan from Red Ape Headphone Store has kindly provided us with this monster, the R9 for an honest review and we are truly honoured to do our part in reviewing them. Do check them out for FiiO products as they are the official distributor here in Malaysia.

Functions & Specifications

Before we start the review, here are the specifications and features of the FiiO R9;

• Main SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
• OS: Heavily customised Android10 (FiiO is planning to upgrade the OS to Android 12 in Q1 2024)
• DAC: 8-channel ES9038PRO*2
• Headphone amp: Quad THX AAA 788+
• Bluetooth chip: QCC5125
• Bluetooth version: 5.1
• Bluetooth codec support: LDAC/aptX Adaptive/aptX LL/aptX HD/aptX/AAC/SBC
• USB: XMOS XU316
• USB DAC: 768kHz/32bit, DSD512
• USB type: Type-C USB3.0, USB-A
• Display: 6-inch FHD + bezel-less screen (2160*1080)
• Output power 1: L+R≥7300mW+7000mW (32Ω, BAL, THD+N<1%, Ultra high gain mode)
• Output power 2: L+R≥1000mW+1000mW (300Ω, BAL, THD+N<1%, Ultra high gain mode)
• Frequency response: 20Hz~80kHz (0.9dB)
• Signal-to-noise ratio: ≥126dB (A-weighted)
• Noise floor1: LO≤1.4µV (A-weighted); PO≤4µV (A-weighted);
• Noise floor2: BAL≤1.9µV (A-weighted); BAL≤7µV (A-weighted)
• Output impedance: <0.6Ω (32Ω load)
• THD+N: ≤0.0002% (1kHz/-1.8dB@32Ω)
• RAM: 4GB
• Internal storage: 64GB/actually available 46GB
• Memory card support: Standard microSD card slot, supports up to 2TB
• Weight: About 2271g

Retail Price & Where to Get

The FiiO R9 can be purchased at Red Ape Headphone Store

Shopee : https://invl.io/cll09tc

Packaging & Accessories

The FiiO R9 comes in a rather surprising small cube shaped box that has the usual futuristic, iridescent look that is typical of FiiO and they are packed neatly with all the accessories needed. They include the manuals, a 2 piece stand for different viewing angles, a RM3 remote with AAA batteries, an AC power cable, a SD card to micro converter, a USB C to USB A cable, 6.35mm to 3.5mm converter, an AC power cord, an extra fuse, some double sided tape, a cleaning cloth, an extra screen protector with 1 preinstalled and the R9 itself. All the rca ports have a plastic protective cover and the headphones output has their own protective dust covers as well. Well packaged and the generous inclusion of the RM3 remote is superb for easy navigation for afar.

Design

The design of the R9 is a boxy square shape that looks like a mini vending machine and they are surprisingly small in their size. They do have a good surface area of an extensive honeycomb venting on the right side with a mirror finish on the left and top of the device. The R9 actually looks better for me than the R7 as they have a more futuristic look along with their embedded RGB lighting strips in the middle that shines through the vent holes at the side and on the knobs as well. The RGB lighting is kind of distracting for me but users can just turn the RGB off in the settings. There is an adjustment on the brightness of the RGB lights, but it seems to not be working, maybe a future firmware update might fix that.

Inside the R9 is, FiiO has implemented a 5 stage audio architecture that comprises IV, LPF, preamp stage and current expansion stage that is done through the well known TI OPA2211. The well implemented power supply ensures a 5 levels of precise gain control to cater to all the types of gears being fed to the R9.

The body of the R9 is constructed by a mirror finished zinc alloy construction that FiiO claim has great conductivity and dissipation of heat that also reduces sound degradation caused by vibration. On the mirror surface, a 4H PET is attached that will reduce fingerprints, smudges and dust for a lasting look.

The R9 can be run straight with the supplied AC connector and also give users the choice of running it with a dedicated 12V input for a separate power supply to reduce noise. There is also a switch for the ground to be set at lift when connected to a separate power supply for a purer sound. The R9 digital and analogue board is separated to reduce interference and noise with a shield attached to each DAC chip for better performance. FiiO also boasts a high quality selection of parts such as Elna capacitors, 12 wide operating temperature low loss metalized film capacitors, 70 high precision low noise film capacitors with Neutrik gold plated plugs connected with silver plated copper wires. The screen here is a 6 inch FHD screen with a 2160×1080 resolution and they are run with an open Android OS that is customised by FiiO and users can freely install any 3rd party applications via the Playstore. The viewing angle here is rather weird for me as it is vertical but using the supplied RM3 remote makes the experience easier.

The main board here is equipped with a Snapdragon SD660 with XMOS XU316 with Qualcomm QCC512 along with a FGPA chip that is programmed by FiiO for a fully connected HiFi experience. It has a smooth operation that does not lag in my usage and apps run smoothly without any hiccups.

The front of the device has 2 knobs where the top one is the volume control and the bottom one is to select the output of the unit. On the headphones output side we will have 3 types of output which includes a single ended 3.5mm, a 4.4mm and a 4 pin XLR balanced output.

The back of the R9 is packed with all the needed inputs and outputs you will ever need. There is a LAN input for streaming purposes, a WiFi antenna, a set of optical in/out, a set of RCA coaxial in/out, HDMI in, HDMI ARC out, a USB host, a SD card input, 2 sets of RCA in/out, a balanced XLR output and a USB type C 3.0 input.

Gears Used for Comparisons

Songs list

Tone and Presentation

The tone of the R9 is a reference neutral type of sound that has smooth, amazing detail retrieval capabilities, superb overall technicalities with a clinical sound that is clean and accurate. They are leaning towards bright tonality to them with a slight hint of warmth in their midrange. The R9 possessed a wide frequency range that sounded full and airy with great extension on both ends of the frequency. They are a balanced sounding unit without any major emphasis on any frequency which is great for an accurate presentation of music played.

Soundstage

The soundstage of R9 is good as they are wide and have a good height to them but at this price range, they are up against serious competition that gives a slightly vast soundstage like the Aune Yuki and Ibasso DC04 to name a few. That being said, the soundstage here still has a good depth with a rather airy, medium sized headroom. They have great immersive sound that is holographically vivid and accurate which is suitable even for gaming and movies.

Separation and Timbre

Separation of the KA17 is excellent as they are able to have a great left to right separation with no crosstalk especially on both their balanced output. Texture and layering here is great as they are able to keep with fast tracks such as EDM or metal and timbre here is superb with a clean, clean with a good natural sound that is accurate with a deep yet lively sound. The KA17 does have a very nice balanced tone of a bright sound with a great depth.

Drivability

The driving power of the KA17 lies where its strength is, rated at a maximum of 650mW at 32 ohms with high gain and desktop mode on which is amazing for such a small product rivalling FiiO’s own M11 Plus. Needless to say it is sufficient in driving most of the IEM and lower impedance headphones with ease and finesse but they still struggle to drive demanding headphones such as my HD800s although loudness is adequate but their full potential isn’t unlocked. The KA17 also has a low noise floor with a black background sound that is suitable for sensitive IEM such as balanced armature IEMs.

The Bass (Low)

Bass that the R9 produces is a neutral bass that has a rather flat response that has a good texturing with a fast pace bass response. Details and clarity here is top notch along with amazing resolution that produces a vivid bass performance. It has a great amount of energy that provides a tight slam that is natural and it is superbly clean. The bass has a clinical sound signature that is accurate with a good bass amount that doesn’t sound too dull or rolled off, instead, they are very well extended with a good depth and air without any bleed present in any of the other frequencies. The bass is certainly not for bassheads nor someone who wants a thick, thumpy bass but it is for purists who want a clean and accurate bass presentation. Sub-bass here is clean with good extension and a deep reach but the rumble here is rather mediocre therefore lacks immersion on certain tracks. Overall a great technical bass response with superb clarity and details but it may lack an immersive sound for those yearning for a more fun sound signature.

The Mids

The midrange here is neutral as well with a slightly bright tone meaning towards the high range. The mids here have a hint of warmth that gives some lushness into music while retaining a flagship type of technicalities. Details and clarity here is superb as they are great with all the detail retrieving aspects whether it is the macro or micro details, they reproduce music in a clean and clear manner. Resolution here is vivid without any coloration here giving a natural yet accurate mid range performance. Transparency is superb as well and they are presented in a crystal clear manner. They have a great balance of thickness that isn’t too thin nor too thick and they sound accurate. Vocals here are spacious with a well balanced sound that possess a good brilliance for female vocals and it has depth for male vocals making the R9 a great vocal performer. For instrumental music, the R9 mostly does it well with their amazing clarity but for deep timbre types like the cello or bass strings, they lack body at times partly due to the flat bass nature but this is only marginal.

The Highs

The high frequency on the R9 is a typical sound expected from a well tuned Sabre type of DAC chipset and they are neutral with a strong presence possessing none of the infamous Sabre ‘Hump’ that may sound piercing, instead the R9 has a smooth high range that has a slightly aggressive bite to them without and offensiveness. Details and clarity here is great with a sweet sparkly sound along with a mild crisp decay that is rather pleasing. The high range here has a great energetic sound that will lift up some dull tracks to being livelier but for some tracks on bright sounding gears, they are prone to sibilance. Transparency on the high range here is superb as everything sounded crystal clear and they blend in well with the other frequencies giving a superb overall clinical sound experience. Treble heads might find the R9 pleasing for their strong yet smooth presence but those who have an already bright sound signature gears might find the synergy a little too spicy or fatiguing. Treble here has a good slightly high intensity and they are still very well controlled without harshness while giving a great lively high range.

Comparisons

VS FiiO Q7

The flagship portable DAC/amplifier from FiiO and they are the R9 little brother as they are quite similar with a single ES9038Pro chipset and a slightly lower THX AAA-78+ and they do have a similar neutral sound but the Q7 does has a slightly thicker, warmer sound. The R9 has the edge of being a more complete Hi-Fi set with all the capabilities of an Android set. The R9 does cost twice the asking price of the Q7 as the R9 also has a way better technical specifications on paper.

The high region on the R9 has a slightly stronger style of presentation with a more intense treble. Details and clarity here is better on the R9 and they are more refined while being similarly smooth. The extension in the high range on the R9 is slightly better with more air and extension present in their presentation.

Midrange on the Q7 is thicker with a more musical sound that has a lusher mids versus the sterile, clinically inclined mids in the R9. Details are better on the R9 but clarity is similar. Mids on the Q7 sounded more intimate while the R9 had a more spacious mids and had better overall technicalities in a small margin.

Bass on both of these units are similar in terms of quantity but the R9 bass sounded cleaner and tighter while Q7 sounded deeper with a slightly more weight. Details and clarity are slightly better on the R9 while the Q7 has a more extended sub-bass response with a bigger rumble. Bass slam on the R9 is tighter while Q7 has a slightly stronger rumble.

Soundstage on the R9 is wider and taller with a better depth and they possess more air.

VS Rudistor RP8 hybrid tube amplifier (R9 line out)

The lesser known hybrid tube amplifier from Italy, the Rudistor RP8 was a well established amplifier maker back in the early days and the RP8 was one of their best headphone amplifiers. It has 4 12AU7 tubes which I have replaced with NOS RCA tubes for some old school vintage sound.

Bass has a more organic and a warmer tone with slightly less details but the bass sounded full with more energy. Texture on the bass is better with a deeper bass and sub bass extension. They also have some more weight when compared to the headphones out on the R9.

The midrange has a more resolving sound and sounds more intimate with a sweeter sound. Details here are similar with the headphones output of the R9 other but they are more resolving while the R9 output has better transparency. Spaciousness on the R9 headphones out has a more airy and wider sound marginally . The RP8 output does sound more organic and natural while the R9 headphone output sounded more accurate.

High range on the RP8 is smoother and has better extension with a more relaxed sound while the R9 output sounded brighter with a sharper sparkle along with a crisper sound. Details and clarity is slightly better on the R9 output but the velvety tube sound of the RP8 does sound way more sweet.

Soundstage on the R9 does sound wider and taller by a small margin but the RP8 has an intimate soundstage that is more inviting.

In driving power, the R9 does have the edge for their raw power but in terms of overall sound enjoyment, I must go for the RP8 for their tube flavour that has more body and soul versus the sterile sound of the R9.

Sennheiser HD800S

The flagship  open back headphones from Germany’s own Sennheiser famed for their well balanced all rounder headphones with a massive soundstage that is a go-to for high end headphones enthusiasts. They are notoriously hard to drive and a good source matching is surely needed for them to sing. The ultra gain is used on the XLR output on the R9 with a linear power supply and the loudness is at 60% which is more than sufficient for this pairing.

Bass is good and they possess a good, tight slam and surprisingly decent in their dynamics but they do sound a little thin at times. Sub-bass is decent and they are able to sound quite present. Details and clarity is intact and doesn’t sound hollow.

Midrange has a thicker and clearer  presentation along with adequate clarity and details. Mid-range sounded a little more spacious with vocals sounding airy but they do lack some weight and body. Resolution wise is mediocre but acceptable but they do have a good transparency.

Highs here are strong and might sound harsh on certain tracks here but without any major offensiveness. They do lack some musicality but the highs here are clear and sounded rather full although a little rough.

Soundstage is good but it does not add to their width and height but they do provide some air in their presentation.

In terms of their driving power, they do make it in terms of volume and synergy although haven’t reached the peak performance of the HD800s and given their size and price, they are actually quite good in terms of driving them which is surprising.

Dunu Luna

The top end of Dunu earphones is equipped with a single beryllium foil dynamic driver and apparently they are one the first ones to implement this type of driver. They are a superb balanced neutral sound that has top end clarity with sublime resolution along with a high asking price. They do need a good source matching and the R9 does a superb job with the Luna as they add some high end energy to them and enhance their soundstage to being an enormous sized stage.

Bass has great impact with a tighter slam and a mild mid bass lift to provide a better extension to this region. Details and clarity is added along with better transparency and resolution making the Luna sound more vivid. Sub-bass amount has been increased and they have a more authoritative rumble with a slightly extended sub-bass.

Midrange here is clearer and has better overall detail retrieving capabilities especially with the micro details. Vocals sounded more intimate and had a touch of brilliance giving a livelier experience. Transparency is better with a top of the line clarity that is just great.

Highs have more bite to them and they are still very controlled. Sparkle is added with a crisper decay which gives the Luna some energy and they sounded livelier rather than dull at times with some other gears. Highs are extended with more air added.

Soundstage is great with height and width added quite significantly for a more spacious presentation.

Amazing synergy here and one of the best sound that I have experienced from these Dunu Luna.

Who Is It For?

For those who want a flagship performance with all of the connectivity possibilities along with all of the streaming capabilities of an Android player in a small box, the R9 might be the minimalistic solution for you. They are a cube sized wonder that looks sleek with a modern flair that lights up your room with their bright RGB lights. They indeed have the humongous power that is sufficient for most of the headphones out there and quiet enough for high sensitivity IEMs alike which caters to most of the users out there. They have a neutral sound that possesses a flagship clarity with a superb overall detail retrieving capabilities. They are a clinical performer suiting purists that want a clean, technical sound and in return, they do sound a little sterile, thus lacking a sweet, lush performance and not really suited for fun, coloured sound lovers. Though having a flagship THX amplifier implementation, I do find that the amplifier here lacks emotions but the DAC part has a superb clean sound, so I do recommend a tube amplifier to complement the R9.

Final words

While the looks and size of the R9 might be deceivingly small, they are indeed a monster when it comes to their connectivity capabilities with their hidden driving power within. They are a true high end swiss army knife of the audio world and being one of the first attempt of FiiO into the high end HiFi world, the R9 does have their spot in being wonderfully great in their performance and though their price might be steep for some, I would say that their pricing is actually spot on when other HiFi companies are charging way more than the R9 with similar capabilities. The sound is a clinical performer and will suit purists to match with their gears but I personally would love some sweeter sound to add some emotions to their already great overall sound. Nonetheless, the R9 is surely a job well done for FiiO and I can’t wait for what they have in store for us in 2024.

I would rate this product a solid 4 over 5 stars

Pros

• Superb build and modern design
• Intuitive, snappy Android 12
• Superb versatility with all the needs for an all in one
• Small in size and minimalistic
• Superb driving power
• Choice of separate 12V power supply
• Flagship technical performance
• Amazing separation
• Superb overall detail retrieval
• Great resolving capabilities with superb transparency
• Clinical sound done right
• Good clean bass response
• Neutral, clean midrange
• Strong, smooth high range with great sparkle
• Wide soundstage with great height
• Good complete package that includes a RM3 remote and stands
• Competent pricing

Cons

• High range a little strong for some treble sensitive users
• RGB a little distracting
• Mid range slightly thin
• Bass a little lean
• Sub-bass rumble a little soft
• Might not be fun sounding enough
• Lack emotions
• Weird angle for the touch screen