The Fiio R9 is an Android-powered streamer, headphone amplifier, DAC, all rolled into one

Note: This article was first published on 25 January 2024.

Fiio recently launched its R9 all-in-one media streamer and it's available now in Singapore. It's the successor to the very popular R7 and improves on it in almost every way. 

The R7 was so popular because it was one of the few products of its type that could do everything in a small form factor. To call it a media streamer is a bit of a misnomer because it's much more than that. Before we run through what it can do, let's talk a bit about its design.

The R9 is the same size as the R7 and should be compact enough to sit on most desks without much issue. The screen is larger (now 6 inches vs. 4.97 inches) and has a higher resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. Powering it is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 660 chip – that's unchanged from the R7.

Let's address the media streamer bit first. Because it runs Android, you can use it to stream not just music from your favourite music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, but you can use it to stream video too from, say, Netflix or Disney+.

If you are streaming music, the R9 can play directly through speakers or headphones – it has RCA outputs, optical digital output, and various headphone connectors in front (more on that later). And if you are streaming video, you can output that footage to a TV or monitor through HDMI.

Speaking of HDMI, the HDMI output is an HDMI ARC port, which means you can connect it to a TV and have it handle your TV's audio.

Digital audio is decoded using the R9's pair of ESS Labs ES9030Pro chips. The R9 can function solely as a DAC by using its USB-A and USB-C ports, coaxial, and digital optical inputs. It can work wirelessly too because it has Bluetooth, and in this mode, it supports aptX Adaptive and LDAC codecs.

Most customers will likely use it as a headphone amplifier and DAC, and it has 6.35mm, 4.4mm balanced, and 4-pin XLR headphone outputs on the front. Power is more than ample. Fiio quotes 7.3W per channel into 32ohms and 1W per channel into 300ohms. That should be sufficient to drive even the most power-hungry planar magnetic headphones.

In short, the Fiio R9 is all of the below:

• Android media streamer
• Headphone amplifier
• Pre-amplifier for speakers
• DAC (USB, digital coaxial, digital optical)
• HDMI bridge
• Bluetooth receiver

Also, it has these ports and connectors:

• 6.35mm headphone jack (front)
• 4.4mm balanced headphone jack (front)
• 4-pin XLR balanced headphone jack (front)
• 3-pin XLR balanced line out
• 2 x RCA line out
• Coaxial input + output
• Optical input + output
• HDMI in
• HDMI out/ARC
• USB-A
• USB-C

As you can see, the Fiio R9 is a highly versatile device that can work in many ways depending on your needs. It can function as a headphone amplifier/DAC or it can be a single-device solution for anyone who is looking to set up a listening station for headphones or speakers. It looks like a great all-in-one solution for anyone who is looking to simplify their audio setup. Honestly, I'm tempted to sell all my audio gear and get this.

Availability and pricing

The Fiio R9 is available now and is priced at S$2,399. You can find it on Lazada, Shopee, and AV One's online store.

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