Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC Headphone Amplifier Mini Hi-Fi Stereo Digital-to-Analog Audio Converter USB Type C/Optical/Coaxial to RCA/3.5MM AUX for PS5/PC/MAC/Computer

This little DAC is a gem for the money.instead of making this review a long story, I am providing (subjective) pro's and cons.Tested as driving a Fosi TB10D as well as a wired headset.Inputs: nothing else to wish for! usd-c, Coaxial and Optical. do not forget the mic 3.5mm input for the gamers (and perhaps people working on their Mac/PC and on online meetings.outputs: 3.5mm headphone, RCA and usb-c.build: metal, nice and sturdy. small footprint! Bass/Treble buttons have a neutral "clikc" position which I do appreciate! multi functional volume know (on/off, volume and input selector) keeps the looks simple.audio quality: I used a laptop via usb-c and a DVD player via Optical. the sound signature is pretty much neutral to me. the bass and treble controls will give you the ability to dial in the sound to your liking if you use a headset or an amp that does not have bass and treble control.Pro's:small footprint (perfect for travel), good build quality, all inputs neededgood sound quality, no audible noise. powerful enough to drive most headsets out there"Cons":for aesthetic reasons I would like to see the color of the unit (and size) to be identical to other products made by Fosi (ex: TB10D; the one I use in my desktop setup with E... BT6.2 speakers). Again, this is a personal opinion and I know it contradicts my Pro regarding the size.Overall, for the money this is a great unit, especially taking the price in consideration!Fosi did it again!

I have an Edifier T5 subwoofer connected to a pair of R1280Ts. When connected directly to the computer's 3.5mm output, the subwoofer was uncontrollable - it shook the house no matter what I did to the volume, EQs, whatever. I had to basically turn it off.Now, I run a USB cable from the PC to the K5, and RCA cables from the K5 to the subwoofer, and more RCA cables from the subwoofer to the speakers. After setting the low-pass filter on the subwoofer to just over where the speakers drop off, the sound is crystal clear with bright highs and thrumming lows (without dominating the whole sound). The fact that I can instantly control the bass and treble on the K5 is a huge plus.I am thrilled with the K5, and it was a very cheap solution to get the most out of my not-so-cheap speakers.edit: Okay so its not PERFECT. This is going to take some explanation. If you're planning on using powered speakers on a PC, this applies to you.Everything was fine until my GPU (RTX 2080) came into play (firing up a game). The computer began sending a ton of interference down the USB connection to the F5. More expensive units I'm told can filter this out, but the K5 can't. Now this isn't necessarily the K5's fault. Computers are electrically noisy, and if I replaced my PSU, motherboard, GPU, or all three, that might solve the issue. Since that would be insane, I instead opted to power the K5 through a source other than the PC (outlet will do fine) and use the optical input (toslink) for data. Since toslink uses light to transmit the data, it is immune to EMI interference. Perfect sound. The only downside is my audio is running through my Realtek onboard audio again now; which I'm not thrilled with, but really isn't a problem.If you're using headphones, this probably won't be an issue. And again, this really isn't a knock on the K5, they do say they're for headphones and not powered speakers (probably because they don't have the electronics to filter out the type of noise I'm describing), but if you're planning on using this device for speakers, just a heads up on the USB audio combined with a powerful GPU.On a final note, I did hack a USB cable, cut the power/gnd from the PC and connect that to another USB cable going to a separate power source. It did eliminate the GPU-related noise, but the PC was still noisy enough to introduce interference somehow (ground loop possibly? Doubtful since all power came from a single UPS). They do sell USB galvanic isolators, that might do the trick, but they're as or more expensive than the K5 itself. Optical connection will do fine.Edit2: turns out it was my speaker's issue with the aux input. I bought a separate speaker for my work computer and now I just do a direct USB connection to my computer and all interference is gone. I'd still prefer a separate power input from the USB data input in case you ran into interference from the motherboard, but I have 5o say it's perfect now

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.