FiiO KA5 USB DAC Headphone Amp with 3.5mm and 4.4mm Outputs

I've assembled a budget HiFi system using an old iPad. The internal DAC had a bunch of noise when using the internal 35mm headphone jack at certain frequencies. After some research I found this little gem. It plays my CD quality library flawlessly through to a Fosi Audio TB10D amplifier. It sounds fantastic through some significant Yamaha tower speakers.

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

Works great on my super outdated LG V35 ThinQ. Not so much on my Galaxy S23. It tends to drop and not reconnect. When it works, you get a nice boost from your headphones. Im using AudioTechnica ATH-M50x and they sound great.

(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)

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.

Excellent product. I bought it to replace my previous KA3. I didn't find any major improvements in the audio, other than the addition of the new screen and side volume buttons. However, the audio quality is identical to my ear. I use them to amplify Sennheiser HD650s through the balanced 4.4 output.

Screen is frozen, it wont be recognized by any devices, tested with multiple pc's, headphones, and my phone. Tried downloading a firmware update but since it cant be recognized, the update software wont download to it. Instead of displaying any information, the screen just says "FIIO." It still works as a usb to aux adapter but not much else. And even before these issues, like every other fiio device i've purchased and tested across multiple devices, it would cut out and make crackling noises frequently. Would not recommend buying any products from this company. Despite having good sound and build quality, they are unreliable and glitchy.

Que dire? Avec Bayerdinamic DT990 Pro 250ohm la puissance du petit DAC suffit dans un environnement relativement calme. Qualité audio c'est TRÈS BON !!! Le KA5 je le trouve meilleurs que mon K5 Pro ESS. Audio avec plus de présence, son que l'on savour avec délectation :-) le spectre semble neutre mais avec beaucoup de détails (moins brouillon que le K5 Pro ESS), je me suis surpris a savourer simplement les sons des synthés avec Michel Jackson au delà de la musique et du chanteur par moment ! Orchestre symphonique ouf la joie ! Bon ok KA5 peu être pas le top mais ce qu'il offre est super bon et trouvé moi un mini DAC/ampli qui rivalise a ce prix et qui ce permet aussi de dépasser le K5 Pro ESS qui est un peu plus chère (ce n' est pas la même chose mais il le dépasse). Affichage bien, boutons de fonction bien, petit et légé, audio super, puissance suffisant pour mon DT990 Pro 250ohm en environnement calme. J ai testé aussi avec des vieux intra Sony style méga base ouf ce n' est pas parfait (son manque de présence et déséquilibré a cause des intra). J'ai commandé des intra plus qualitatif. Compatible avec mon Linux et Androïd. Sur Androïd Neutron Player pour avoir un player qui peu exploiter a don le DAC (j'aime pas le player Android de Fiio). Reproche: j ai fait la mise a jour du firmware et j ai du me trouver un PC avec Windows pour la compatibilité. Pourquoi Fiio ne programme pas aussi pour Mac OS et Linux ? Windows fait des années je ne touche plus a cela. Note: un DT990 Pro devra être bien rodé car avec ce DAC les défaut d'un DT990 non rodé seront encore plus évident avec des aigus bien détaillé mais une fois bien bien rodé super.

Używam z Linuksem i macOS. W pierwszym przypadku bez problemów, ale z próbkowaniem ograniczonym do 44 kHz. Na macOS dostępny jest cały zakres próbkowania (macOS obsługuje standard USB Audio Class 2.0 natywnie). Pomimo tych różnic na obu systemach przetwornik gra bardzo dobrze (porównywałem do Mojo 2 na takich samych słuchawkach). Sterowanie przyciskami (start/stop, regulacja głośności itd.) odbywa się bez problemów. Dodatkowo dużym plusem jest obecność zbalansowanego gniazda 4,4 mm, obok mini jack 3,5 mm.

The Sound- Wide soundstage, easy to hear the backing track, defined drums, define base, easy to distinguish between left and right input of the sound and excellent base. Volume- More higher volume in very small increments. In layman's term meaning better for my hearing impairment, more control of the volume. Yes improves my headphones for my ears because of my hearing impairment. Is it better than the KA15? Only if you concerned about battery life on your mobile phone and it's less powerful so it's less likely to be hoter than ka15. This is also lighter compared to it. So if you're going to use it just for mobile phones mainly then go for this. Avoid HIBY DAC because of their durability is not good and they get even hotter than this DAC.

Es una pieza de tecnología versátil se puede utilizar en tu pc ya que tiene un adaptador usb, así que puedes conectar tus audífonos en la pc y el sonido es bastante fuerte, calidad de sonido es muy buena, puedo hasta utilizar audífonos simples y se escucha fuerte, lo recomiendo si alguien esta buscando una alternativa de audífonos si es que tu celular ya no tiene support de headphonejack y buscas una alternativa que no sea recargable esta es una buena opción

Utilisation pour casque FiiO FT1 en connexion symétrique sur PC. Après avoir un Fosi DS1 pour environ 80€ (pour utilisation nomade), j'ai voulu un modèle un peu plus performant pour mon PC fixe. Mon choix s'est porté sur le FiiO KA5 pour 130€. J'espérais gagner en qualité par l'homogénéité de la marque avec mon casque. Finalement le KA5 ne justifie pas vraiment la différence de prix et encore moins depuis sa hausse à 189€. L'écran est pratique pour voir le format ou naviguer dans le menu mais la plus part du temps il ne sert pas et pour une utilisation smartphone il a tendance à vider la batterie. L'esthétique est vraiment réussie avec la sérigraphie sur la version noir et or. Point de vu qualité audio, je n'ai pas ressenti de grosse différence avec le Fosi même en utilisant les divers réglages du KA5. Le Fosi supporte de DSD jusqu'au 512 alors que le KA5 s’arrête au 256 mais cela ne touchera que très peu d'utilisateurs. Mêmes caractéristiques pour le PCM jusqu'à 32bit 768KHz, à mon avis c'est le format en devenir. Un point positif est la possibilité de l'utiliser en sortie SPDIF pour le connecter en amont d'un autre équipement et profiter de sa qualité de DAC. En bref il sera plus flexible pour l'utilisation dans diverses configurations ce qui le rends incontournable comme accessoire de voyage mais il n'apporte rien de plus, à mon avis, sur la qualité audio. Pour la moitié du prix le Fosi DS1 est une excellente alternative.