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Key Points

Key Takeaways

  • 1

    Power and Purity

  • 2

    Impedance Matching: Many high-end headphones have high impedance (resistance value). Voltage is insufficient with PC earphone jack, sound becomes thin. Need to drive powerfully with dedicated amplifier.

  • 3

    FiiO K9 Pro ESS: Summit of Chinese audio. Equipped with 2 flagship DAC chips from ESS, amplified with THX amp circuit. Masterpiece with no gaps in sound resolution, S/N ratio, driving force, everything.

  • 4

    iFi NEO iDSD 2: Male from UK. Supports Bluetooth (aptX Lossless), realizes sound quality exceeding CD even wirelessly. Strong commitment to analog circuit, musical sound making that is fun to listen to.

  • 5

    Balanced Connection: By using 4.4mm balanced connection, interference (crosstalk) between left and right channels is zeroed. Moment when world suddenly expands.

Introduction: Erase Bottleneck

Apple Music distributes high resolution. However, your PC earphone jack is bottleneck. There is bean-like DAC chip worth tens of yen there.

Even if entrance (sound source) is good and exit (headphones) is good, it is meaningless if between (path) is poor. To protect Purity of signal, black box is needed on desktop.

1. The Flagship: FiiO K9 Pro ESS

Limit size and performance that can be placed on desk. Product at watershed where “Beyond this is realm of hobby (Occult)”. Power supply part, digital part, analog part are physically isolated, not allowing noise mixture.

FiiO K9 Pro ESS

Just seeing golden luster of volume knob satisfies desire to own. Supports all connections: XLR 4-pin, 4.4mm, 6.3mm.

THX AAA

Equipped with THX AAA amplifier circuit certified by Lucasfilm. This is technology to zero “distortion” to limit. You should notice that Silence during silence is “blacker than black”.

2. The British Sound: iFi NEO iDSD 2

If FiiO is “Accurately Unmatched”, iFi is “Musical”. Uses Burr-Brown DAC chip, tuned to slightly warm sound dare.

iFi NEO iDSD 2

World's first Bluetooth Lossless compatible DAC. Even if sent wirelessly from smartphone, level indistinguishable from wired. Can be placed vertically so does not take up desk space.

3. Comparison: Analysis or Pleasure

項目 FiiO K9 Pro (ESS) iFi NEO iDSD 2 (BB)
DAC Chip ESS Sabre (Resolution) Burr-Brown (Musicality)
Amp Output Very Powerful (2100mW) Powerful (5551mW@32Ω)
Bluetooth LDAC Supported aptX Lossless Supported
Installation Horizontal (Large) Vertical Possible

4. The Last Mile

Please recable (replace) headphone cable. To 4.4mm balanced cable. And plug into 4.4mm jack on front of this DAC.

Experience that “Left and right sounds are completely separated” cannot be obtained with speakers without spending millions of yen. That completes at hand.

Conclusion: Respect for Signal

Sound recorded by artist in studio. Delivering it to ears without deteriorating it. That is “Respect” for created work.

When passing through good DAC, new sounds can be heard from songs you should have gotten tired of listening to. “Was such sound included?” That discovery turns daily BGM into emotion.