FiiOKA5 USB DAC Headphone Amp with 3.5mm and 4.4mm Outputs

(FiiO KA5)This was purchased so that my KA1 dongle could be dedicated to my car's analog AUX in.I had been very pleased with and impressed by the sound quality from the KA1 (though the occasional full scale pops many KA1s seem prone to are a bit annoying), so I figured it was worth trying an upgrade to FiiOs best version of this type product for my continued phone/IEM listening.All aspects of sound reproduction are improved over the KA1: detail, smoothness in treble, bass control, imaging, ambience recovery... all are very noticeably better sounding through either output (balanced is another incremental improvement for IEMs that support that connector).The KA5 also has plenty of power, easily driving all IEMS and even my full sized AKG open back cans to satisfying levels, though I wish the AKGs could support balanced input, as I'm certain they would perform better that way.The detachable cable is a nice touch, allowing both ease of use with more sources and replacement if required, as are the volume control and settings accessibility without having to use the FiiO control app (though the notoriously glitchy app works perfectly with this component).The slightly larger size compared to most other dongles is definitely noticeable, but if you're committed enough to be using wired headphones, the small increase in size is probably something you can handle, especially given the return you'll be getting in sound quality improvement over more basic devices.Definitely a DAC/amp with audiophile aspirations and one that delivers an amazing amount of musical enjoyment for $130!(all listening was via Samsung s20, using only FLAC files, headphones used include FiiO FH3 and FH5S, Moondrop Chu, Klipsch Image S4 and AKG Q701)

It was smaller than I expected, but the screen is easy to read and easy to understand, and the cable can be unplugged in case it breaks, on my phone, an iPhone 14 pro max, the official Apple dongles sounded worse than this, and the cable for the old dongle was very weak and id go through them once every two months or so, but the cable for the KA5 has a braided sheath, and it adds an extra layer of protection for the cable, and the DAC feels ver durable in the hand, the glass is recessed for protection, within the metal body, and the controls are easy to use, and all the cables you need are in the box, listening to it, it makes it so you can play music loud, and hear the distinction of different objects in a song, the bass gets punchier, the guitars get more clear and distinct, the voices in a song feel like they fit with the song, and not one single instrument feels like its overpowering, and it just seems like they just got more distinct and clear-er, in my final notes, ive gotta say, its a very good device

I liked this as an amp, but in my personal experience I like just a little but more of a hint of color to my sound. This felt just like an amp and no DAC. It may have been the time I was giving this a listen, but I can usually pick out the nuances or subtleties about different DAC chips etc. It is very high quality as are the things you get from FIIO products(yes, I am partial to them after much use over time. I am not biased, though if that makes sense). It is barely any different than any other amp/DAC dongle out there as far as it being quite easy to use, and if you're new to DACs and amps and other equipment this has great instructions although finely printed of course. And it has quite many of the same functions of its higher priced brothers or sisters. Portability us where it steps up a little bit, it is slightly smaller than most others I've used and still manages to offer similar if not more power. It is very clean power.I still recommend this in case it is different from other DAC chips you have already, it is certainly worth the money paid and definitely worth a try.

Even without using a media player that supports exclusive mode, it beats other compact DACs like the Meizu Hi-fi Pro. I guess the cirrus chips and per channel amps are actually capable of quality audio reproduction.It's not a significant drain on my phone's battery life, works with my PC, and offers configuration via app or on the device itself.It'd be nice if it could be clipped onto or magnetically attached to me, but at least it is quite small.Complaints aside, the sound quality with my BA IEMs easily makes up for any flaw.

I was admittedly a little skeptical, but this has immensely increased the quality of high res audio. Tested Amazon Music high res streams. It pushes my mid tier headphones fine. The SPDIF output to an external DAC makes it even better. However, the internal DAC sounds very good for a dongle DAC at this price point.One little complaint or confusion is that the screen shows the sample rate, but doesn't seem to update. For instance, if I play a 192/24 stream, it will show that. But when then playing a 41.1/24 stream after that, it still shows as 192/24. If I disconnect and reconnect, it will show correctly at 44.1/24. I think this may be an issue with the software/apps rather than the device itself. I will update this review if I get a chance to test this when outputting SPDIF to my DAC and what it says the sample rate is on this digital output.