FiiO R9 review: a supremely gifted, just-add-speakers, hi-res music streaming box of joy
The FiiO R9 is a trailblazer; a singular and unique proposition. It's a Wi-Fi-enabled headphone amp with all of the connections you could want and all of the hi-res protocols and streaming services under its belt. It feels for all the world like an Android smartphone (devoid of annoying phone number) on the front of a high-end hub ready to accept practically any of the best headphones or active speaker you want to hook it up to – I logged into Google during setup and downloaded the Tidal and Qobuz apps from the Google Play store. Yes, the FiiO R9 is basically twice the price of the R7 that went before it, and given FiiO's enviable run of form over the last few years, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Chinese audio specialist's likeable – and largely affordable – output was due a rare misstep. But that hasn't happened here. Simply put, the R9 is a triumph. Where the R7 didn't have an HDMI ARC in (to receive audio from one of the best TVs or best 4K Blu-ray ...