FiiO K5 Pro Headphone Amps Portable Desktop DAC and Amplifier 768K/32Bit and Native DSD512 for Home/PC 6.35mm Headphone Out/RCA Line-Out/Coaxial/Optical Inputs

I recommend it for just about anyone that is looking for a solid midrange budget dac/amp. Build quality feels good. The knob has a really good feel to it. You know that nice level of resistance so it doesn't get accidently spun but not to spungy to annoy you. The switches have a nice tactile feel to them so it's easy to tell which setting they are on and when they click between positions. Comes with all the cables (power and usb) you need along with headphone connector adaptor So you should be set if your 2.5 or 3.5. It also looks pretty clean. Easy to tuck away but not an eyesore on your desk if it's in the open. It also pushes my 150 ohm cans to perfection so I believe them when they say it can drive up to 300s. I have been fooled by other dac/amps in the past but that is not the case here. It drives what it says. Very clean sound. I do recommend getting the actually drivers from FiiO's website to get the best out of them on your PC though. It won't be as clean without them. So remember to do that if that is important to you. But if you just plug it in windows will detect it and you will have sound if you don't feel like messing with it (cannot confirm with an apple). But really does it all pretty well. Music, movies, and gaming are all satisfied to level you expect for the product. I know you will see a few cheaper ones and I would recommend you pass them up for this one. Its great. I believe to really get better you are going to have to almost double your budget and start to enter the realm of entry professional level equipment.

I was quite surprised that the sound reproduced through this unit was very clean and had such clarities. Sound signature is very neutral and transparent with good sound stage. This unit also has a respectable and powerful amp section too. Maybe on par with Schiit Magni or JDS Atom in terms of power. You could crank up the volume all the way and no audible hiss was present. This can drive pretty much any headphones out there with ease maybe except for a couple very hard to drive planar headphones. This is absolutely a bang for the buck and in my opinion better than Topping dx3 or Aune XS1 as a Dac/Amp combo. One thing I did not like about this unit was the volume control. Depends on songs I listened to, I could hear a very little static sound when adjusting the volume. I don't hear it when there is no music in the background, but especially when there is a quiet song playing, the static sound was audible. If you are looking for the one solution desktop Dac/Amp combo with outstanding performance that does not hurt your wallet, this is it. I highly recommend this.

I consider myself a beginner audiophile. I just started getting into high-end audio equipment. This is my first purchase of a DAC/AMP. I do not do any professional audio work so I didn't really need anything too fancy. I mainly bought this to use for casual music listening with my high-end 80-ohm Beyerdynamic headphones. I currently have this hooked up to my desktop computer using an optical SPDIF cable. I do notice an improvement in sound quality with this amp compared to just having the headphones plugged directly into my PC. With the headphones connected directly connected to my PC they sounded somewhat muffled, but not with this amp. - The separation is better (sounds "wider") - It brings out more detail (I am able to hear sounds in the music that I never heard before). - The sound seems crisper and cleaner and there is noticeably less distortion - Better bass, more punch - headphones sound more equalized and better balanced. - louder sound The only thing is that this does not seem to make much of a difference in sound when using the analog line in ports. Although I do love the flexibility of having all of the options available. It seems like the best way to benefit from this device is to use the SPDIF or USB input since they are digital (although I have not tested using USB yet). The only thing is that it cannot be powered from USB without using the AC power supply like other DACs, but that is not really that big of a deal to me since I will not be using this on the go. I will have it sitting on top of my PC tower all the time. This DAC isn't really made for portable use anyway due to its size. I would say I made a good choice with this purchase as it seems to suit my needs.

Any of these are going to greatly improve the sound over plugging your headphones directly into the mini-jack on a computer. Listening was done with a few different headphones but mostly with beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X Closed-Back Studio Headphones. Music source was a laptop connected to the DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. If an external power supply was included, I used that. If not, power came via USB. I've kept notes on my impressions brief and included comparisons amongst the DAC/Amp's in this list. They are listed below in my order of preference with my favorites at the top. If you want flowery vocabulary I'm sure in depth reviews are available out there on the web. Headphones make the greatest difference in sound - spend more on them, if necessary. The DAC/Amp is secondary but does add its own flavor to the music. --- iFi Zen DAC V2 | Desktop Digital Analog Converter (Listening only with "TRUEBASS" off.) Very good. Slightly better than the FiiO K7. Better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. I ended up comparing this with the FX-Audio DAC-X6 head to head, which continued to surprise me as I put it up against significantly more expensive competitors. Across several hours and many pieces of music, I prefer the iFi... but the difference is infinitesimal. Possibly the iFi has a little more punch to the bass? Maybe a bit more space ans separation? If you're working to a budget, get the FX-Audio and put the extra cash towards better headphones. FX-Audio DAC-X6 Mini HiFi 2.0 Digital Audio Decoder DAC This thing is good. Surprisingly good. I ended up putting it head-to-head with amps costing three times its price. Slightly warmer sound, with slightly less detail in the vocals than the iFi Zen Air, but more space in the music, and more enjoyable to listen to. Slightly better clarity than the Topping. FiiO K7 Full Balanced HiFi DAC Headphone Amplifier This is indeed better than the K5 version. Vocals are more lifelike. And a particular emphasis on the mid-treble heard in the K5 is absent. There is more separation between the instruments. Very close call with the iFi V2, with my preference going to the iFi for better vocal clarity and slightly fuller bass. iFi Zen Air DAC Not quite as good as the V2, but close. Closer than the FiiO K5 is to the K7. There is, again, a comparative emphasis in mid-treble and the vocals get a bit lost. The sound is slightly thin compared to rivals at this price point. FiiO K5 Pro Headphone Amps Portable Desktop DAC and Amplifier Not quite as good as the K7, but at half the price one cannot really complain. Vocals are not quite as lifelike and there is more mid-treble - but not in a good way. Topping DX1 Mini Stereo DAC Headphone Amplifier Combo Very good little unit. Bass is slightly overemphasized. Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier I thought this unit was DOA. Turns out that you must long press the volume knob to turn it on. (Short press to select input.) Not terrible, but not as musical as the others in this test. Also, the only one with bass and treble knobs. And only a mini-jack - no 1/4" jack. Pro-Ject Head Box S2 Digital This DAC/Amp had an issue that makes it unlistenable. The sound is very nice... but... there's some faint static. Only in the music, not in silence. A faint crackling.... Can't have that.

Completely new to the audiophile scene but I figured I would give my thoughts. There's a review on here (Amazon) by the author "Keep it real, Brigham" stating the same as me and I completely agree with him. I ran this with a pair of HD660s (150 ohm if you're unaware) and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference compared to plugging them directly into my motherboard. I'm running a ROG STRIX Z270-I and it drives them perfectly. Max volume, when plugged into the board, is uncomfortably loud. I hear zero hissing, distortion, or crackling and it still sounds just as clean as the K5 Pro does. I'm assuming my board must have some decent onboard audio based on the results I'm hearing. Specs say it can allegedly drive up to 600ohm headphones. I'm trying everything from FLAC files, MP3's, and video games such as PUBG/CS for footsteps. I'm just having a hard time finding differences between plugged into my board vs. using the K5 Pro. The only difference I can say unequivocally is that the K5 Pro will drive them to a level, such louder then my board, where I just don't see the point because it's painful. My 2016 Macbook Pro on the other hand cannot drive my 660s and the K5 Pro does an excellent job at bringing my cans to life in that aspect. But my needs reside at my desktop so I will be returning. In closing: I really just don't have the need for this AMP/DAC at the moment but I still give it five stars all the way around. Highly recommend to anyone who abusively has the need for it and doesn't want to break the bank. Don't forget to install the Firmware on Fiio's website once you get it all hooked up!

This is my first FiiO product purchase, I bought it to replace a $400 DAC/AMP from Sound Blaster that started failing after three years. ThIs FiiO while costing far less than the amp it replaced, sounds surprisingly clearer and more dynamic. I've got it running a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones, and they've honestly never sounded better. The highs are just a bit on the bright side, but to me that's a positive. The mid range seems neutral, without being overly flat. And the bass is pretty impactful and would probably be even better on more bass heavy headphones. The build quality shames the product I had before it, which was made of thick plastic. Where the K5 Pro is made of aluminum, my cats have even knocked it off my desk once so far, and it didn't even hurt the paint job. Very impressive! I also use the line-out to a Sony 2 channel amplifier, which together powers a pair of Klipsch Reference Premiere speakers that run from my Desktop PC. I've not noticed any distortion or issues from the DAC while in use, not on the headphone out or the line-out. However, my one complaint would be that you cannot toggle between headphones and speakers, you must either turn off your speakers or unplug your headphones. While I'd like to see a toggle switch for this, perhaps on a future model. I'd still gladly recommend this product and look forward to FiiO's future offerings!

With this new unit, I'm hearing details in music I never knew were there, and finally taking advantage of my Sennheiser HD6xx headphones. I had been using a Schiit Fulla 2, which admittedly wasn't enough power for higher impedance cans like the HD6xx's. Much greater detail and expansiveness with the K5 Pro. I've been using it on high gain, USB input, and around 10-11 o'clock on the volume dial. Runs nice and cool, and the sound just blows me away. I imagine even more expensive units like the new Schiit Asgard 3 or Chord Mojo might sound incrementally better, but I can't justify the cost for diminishing returns. Especially when I'm completely happy with the sound out of this setup. Additionally, even though FiiO is a Chinese company and manufacturer, the build and finish quality is much nicer than any of the USA made Schiit devices I've seen. Hate to say it but it's true. The Schiit pieces I've ordered (even direct from them) all had blemishes in the finishes, and/or crooked screws that didn't go straight. This unit is definitely larger than the Fulla 2, but fits fine on my desktop. My only complaint/wish is that they offered it in a silver or aluminum finish that matched my Apple computer, instead of the black which shows dust easily.

From the prospective of a gamer who wanted an upgrade in audio quality, i'm more than happy with this DAC/AMP combo... but I think that has more to do with my expectations ahead of time before receiving it. Sound cards and audio from motherboards have really improved over the years and depending on what you're trying to achieve the Fiio K5 Pro is a great start into audiophile territory. I grabbed a set of HiFiMan HE-5XXs and that's the headphones in pairing with three K5. It's a very noticeable upgrade from my Astros gaming headsets. Soundstage is much wider and sound is accurate and more responsive (more so due to the headphones being open back and planar drivers but I got the headphones before I got the K5, which was needed to get the most out of these cans). Dolby Atmos pops in games and as a music lover I can now enjoy higher biterate audio files when I'm not gaming. Hearing details in music I haven't really heard before, and the little bit i have before is now more clear. Everything is now more "separated" in the mix. There's definitely better DAC/AMP combos on the market but the K5 Pro is a steal for the price. A nice high entry level for a relatively low price.