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.

This amp went very well with my Sennheiser IEM's and headphones. Sound quality was great. Very easy to use. Used for a couple months now with no complaints as I had with the previous amp I replaced with this one.

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 DACThis 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 AmplifierThis 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 DACNot 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 AmplifierNot 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 ComboVery good little unit. Bass is slightly overemphasized.Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone AmplifierI 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 DigitalThis 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.

Use with Sennheiser HD660S2. 300ohms. First set it up with blue tooth device direct from ipad.Volume was not very good. Full volume was not loud at all.I thought Fii0 wasnt strong enough. After lots of research, I figured out input wasnt strong enough.Fii0 can output 20 volts at 300 ohms, which is 1.33 watts. That is very loud on these headphones.I daisy chained a dayton audio DTA-120bt2 to the Fii0.I ran the DTA-120 on full volume.Boy what a difference. Could not go above 60% on the Fii0. No distortion. Period.I could hear the quality of the master. Excited about some, disappointed at others.Wish I were the engineer on some.I am going to have fun with my new headphone setup.This works well with high impedance headsets.Just make sure you have strong enough input.

Estaba escéptico respecto al uso de un DAC externo, pero viví años en el error. Definitivamente este dispositivo mejora notablemente la reproducción de mis CD, su desempeño fue igual de bueno utilizando como transporte de CD un reproductor BluRay Sony, lo utilicé también con un dvd player marca Harman kardon, y tres diferentes C D player (Yamaha y Onkyo).

This product is amazing, using it with my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and powers them no problem on the lowest Gain setting. The build quality is top notch and the DAC sounds great. Has multiple input (digital and analogue) and outputs with a switch that allows you to change them on the fly which is great since I can use it with my computer or then switch to say a game console. Highly recommended and really great value. My second Fiio product and have not been disappointed yet.

Normalerweise schreibe ich keine Rezensionen, aber hier muss ich dann doch mal eine Ausnahme machen.Ich mache es kurz:Angeschlossen habe ich das Gerät an einen PC via USB als USB-DAC-AMP-Kombination und an eine PS4 (optische Digitalverbindung).Als Kopfhörer verwende ich die Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO (80 ohm).Am Pre-Out ("Line-Out" mit Lautstärkeregelung am Gerät) hängen einfache aktive Bose Desktop-Lautsprecher, 90-95% der Zeit verwende ich aber die Kopfhörer.Ich komme von einer Sound Blaster Z, also schon etwas mehr als einfachem On-Board-Sound am PC...Postiv:- die Klangqualität, und zwar sowohl über die Lautsprecher aber erst Recht über die Kopfhörer- die Lautstärkeregelung mit großem, sich sehr gut anfühlenden Regler- die Bedienung (Quellenauswahl, Gain-Level)- die Verarbeitung (Metallgehäuse, Standsicherheit etc.)- die Klang-"Reinheit".Der letzte Punkt war meine größte Befürchtung. Hier kann ich nur soviel sagen: Nicht zu viel (Negatives) im Internet lesen, Quellen wie Audio Science Review sind zwar nett anzusehen, aber sagen im Zweifel nix über die eigenen Ohren oder praktisch hörbare Dinge aus. Und wenn die Messwerte am Line-Out nicht einem 1000 Euro DAC / Pre-Amp entsprechen, mag das zwar sachlich korrekt sein - aber der Schwerpunkt bei einem Kopfhörerverstärker sollte per Design auch nicht der Line-Out sein sondern eben der Kopfhörer-Teil. Wer sich für High-Quality Studio Monitore einen 150 Euro Headphone-Amp kauft, hat eh was falsch gemacht ;)Zurück zu den Fakten:Absolut keinerlei hörbaren Rauschen / Brummen / Störgeräusche im Grundsignal vorhanden. Zum Test habe ich meine sehr leicht / effizient antreibbaren 32 ohm Kopfhörer mit hoher Sensibilität angeschlossen, den Gain-Regler auf das höchste Level gestellt und den Amp (ohne zugespieltes Audiosignal) voll aufgedreht. Ein eventuell in den Schaltkreisen vorhandenen Störgeräusch hätte somit so sehr verstärkt werden müssen, dass ich es hätte wahrnehmen können. Aber: nix. Absolut nix. Kein Unterschied zwischen "Gerät aus" und "Gerät auf höchstem Level".Ich bin hochzufrieden.Hier noch ein paar Praxistipps:Ausgeschaltet ist das Gerät mit dem Lautstärkeregler auf ca. sieben Uhr. Maximal aufgedreht ist fünf Uhr.Mit den 32 ohm Kopfhörern lässt sich das Gerät problemlos auf der niedrigsten Gain-Stufe (= keine zusätzliche Verstärkung) betreiben und bereits auf 12 Uhr (hörbar wird das Signal ab ca. neun Uhr Stellung) ist es (für dauerhaftes Hören) zu laut. Hängt natürlich von der Quelle ab. Eine auf "Loudness" getunte Pop-CD, die ständig an der -0dB-Grenze kratzt, ist natürlich deutlich lauter als eine Blu-ray mit einem Film mit hoher Dynamik, in dem nur die lautesten Effekte kurzzeitig mal an dieses Level heranreichen, der Rest aber deutlich darunter liegt.Mit den 80 ohm Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro betreibe ich das Gerät auf der mittleren Gain-Stufe (+6 dB) und dem Lautstärkreregler um die 12 Uhr-Stellung herum, je nach Quelle etwas darüer oder darunter. Also noch kräftig Luft nach oben, weil es noch eine höhere Gain-Stufe gibt (+10 dB) und mit dem Lautstärkreregler noch Luft nach oben ist. Kopfhörer mit mehr Widerstand sind also definitiv problemlos möglich.Kopfhörer- und Line-Out sind parallel aktiv und reagieren beide auf den Lautstärkeregler. Wenn man also die Lautsprecher benutzen möchte, empfiehlt es sich, das Kopfhörerkabel aus dem Gerät zu ziehen, damit dort nicht parallel beschallt wird.Unter Windows wir die Installation eines Treibers vom Hersteller empfohlen (nicht zwingend nötig, aber mit dem Treiber bekommt man bspw. sauberen ASIO-Support). Die Installation ist schnell erledigt und installiert keinen "Müll" (an dieser Stelle mal einen Blick rüber zur Sound Blaster Software als negatives Gegenbeispiel).Was mir aber aufgefallen ist und was ich denke, was man in jedem Fall tun sollte, am Windows PC:Treiber installieren, Gerät anschließen und installieren lassen, neu starten. Danach einmal in die Sound-Einstellungen und das Gerät als Standard-Wiedergabegerät definieren. Dann die Lautstärke (falls nicht bereits automatisch geschehen) in Windows auf 100% stellen. Hinweis an dieser Stelle: für die beste Soundqualität via USB ab jetzt wenn möglich vermeiden, softwareseitig die Lautstärke zu verändern. Sie sollte in Windows und auch allen Programmen, die eine eigene Lautstärkeregelung mitbringen (Audio-/Videoplayer etc.) immer auf 100% stehen, damit das volle digitale Signal in maximaler Bittiefe am USB-DAC ankommt.Außerdem war bei mir nach der Inbetriebnahme unter Windows in der Windows-Konfiguration das Häkchen bei "Vollspektrum-Lautsprecher" nicht gesetzt. Das sollter natürlich aktiviert werden, damit Windows keine Bassfrequenzen "abschneidet" sondern das volle Signal an den DAC gibt. Und zu guter letzt war als Standardformat zwar 32 Bit aber "nur" 44,1 kHz eingestellt. Ich hab es auf 32 Bit mit 48 kHz eingestellt, da ich (im Alltag) kaum Quellen mit mehr als 48 kHz-Signal habe. Für die paar High-Res-Audiodateien, die ich besitze, kann ich immer noch foobar auf WASAPI schalten und sie 1:1 in hoher Auflösung an den DAC senden...Vermutlich könnte ich noch viel, viel mehr zu dem Gerät schreiben, aber vermutlich lesen sowieso die wenigsten Leute bis hier.Für diejenigen, die dennoch durchgehalten haben:für den Preis ein Top-Produkt, welches ich ohne Einschränkungen empfehlen kann.

I bought the Fiio K5 Pro after reading many online reviews about the item and having tried a portable Hi-Res player from a reputable company, I realized I didn't want to use it as a DAC. Since the Covid-19 lockdown began I have been working at home and spending long hours at my desk is made bearable by the clean, boosted sound I get from the Fiio to my powered speaker compared to the tinny computer speakers. I use it with my phones, portable music player as well as my computer. Music never sounded better. Online meetings are clearer now.

Una volta collegato al PC tramite cavo USB è necessario scaricare e installare il driver più recente.Il file in questione è disponibile sul sito web FiiO ma vi consiglio di cercarlo altrove perché per qualche motivo il download fatto lì è molto lento e si blocca, fate prima a scaricarlo da uno dei tanti forum gestiti dagli utenti (Reddit per esempio).Una volta installato, il K5 Pro sarà pronto all'uso. Ovviamente assicuratevi che il PC lo stia usando e di impostare il formato audio che preferite. Supporta fino a 32 bit (384000 Hz).Avendo 2 altoparlanti attivi per PC sulla scrivania, li ho collegati al DAC con cavo RCA sfruttando le uscite line out del FiiO: il K5 Pro infatti può fungere da pre-amplificatore per speaker attivi, mentre che io sappia non può amplificare speaker passivi.Lo ho provato anche su PS4, in questo caso ho collegato DAC e console con cavo audio ottico toslink.Per quanto riguarda l'amplificatore lo sto usando con delle Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro da 80 Ohm.Funziona tutto benissimo, fino ad ora non ho mai percepito distorsioni o rumori di fondo.Anche la qualità costruttiva è ottima.La manopola del volume è davvero ben fatta e di dimensioni generose: scorre benissimo ed è molto precisa, con essa potete regolare sia il volume delle cuffie che quello degli speaker attivi (chiaramente tenere speaker e cuffie collegati contemporaneamente è da evitare).Nel pannello frontale ci sono anche due mini switch (un po' troppo "mini" secondo me...): con uno selezionate quale input usare (S=coassiale o digital in, L=line in, U=USB), l'altro serve ad aggiungere decibel. Con le mie DT 770 da 80 Ohm non ho mai sentito il bisogno di andare oltre il low gain.E insomma, che altro dire. Vista la qualità generale e la versatilità di questo gioiellino penso che trovare un DAC/Amp migliore sotto i 200 euro sia semplicemente impossibile.---EDIT---Ultimamente lo sto usando anche collegato ad un lettore Blu Ray tramite cavo coassiale (per ascolto in cuffia). La resa sonora rimane eccellente, audio cristallino e naturale.Comunque rispetto a quando l'ho comprato io (circa un anno fa) il prezzo è salito ed ha superato i 200 euro, forse a questo prezzo la scelta è meno ovvia.