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

Spent close to 100 hours researching my sound setup and this wasn't the final stage for my headphones (I use dt 1990 pros). The current market of solid dac amps range from 250-1000+ so seeing this one is had my concerns. I bought it shortly after a friend did and I won't lie its punching way above its weight. I've recently transitioned to a nice dac amp and really have developed a respect towards the k5. For starters its a must buy especially when powering headphones that require dac amps!

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.

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.

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.