Fiio A5 Portable Headphone Amp Review

[LTig]

This and many others. They just say that the graph is licensed library and they can't do anything about it. And that I should export the data and graph them myself.

Well, for such a "cheap" unit you can't expect special service.

 

[NTomokawa]

they can't do anything about it.

Except they could raise the issue with their licensor. Or maybe they did. Hopefully they did.

I'm a lighting products distributor and if several of my clients complain about some products of a given supplier, I will raise the issue with that supplier and I will offer my clients satisfactory solutions. Alas I sell lights, not $28 000 test instruments.

 

[Doodski]

The max power in low gain for 300 Ohm looks wrongly indicated. The software (cursor) and added text say 42 mW but the line ends shortly after 10 mW which is closer to the 11.2 mW corresponding to the voltage from the dashboard.

Also, the output impedance chart is quite difficult to read for me since it is so crowded. Could you maybe also mention the output impedance in the text?

Have you clicked on the "Output impedance" image, then used the magnifying glass + feature and then drag the image side to side?

 

[Degru]

one of the units on loan is mine! subjectively, it's the best sounding amp i own, especially with the hd600. maybe the panther is playing soccer because the amp is kicking above its weight? (or a goal; either metaphor seems appropriate )

quick technical note: it's a very very simple design, probably a jung multiloop topology based on a MUSES02 and LME49600 driven somewhere between +/-7~10v.

the mont blanc e12 that it's derived from used to be called the IEM edition of the e12.

the e12 DIY edition that's still available in a few places had a socketable MUSES02 and LME49600 combo included. unsure of battery voltage on the e12 DIY

also, it seems to be driven completely by USB if it's connected to the charging cable. i can make it ground loop and all kinds of other fun if it's connected to USB. battery life on my 2 year old unit (i preordered it) is now a couple days of moderate listening. if you leave it on, quiescent kills the battery pretty quickly, less than a day.

ps, my unit (which is silver, hence not the one under test) has no issues with volume knob sticking

Unit under test is mine Did you find that it keeps "charging" if left turned on and plugged into USB? I think while plugged in it is taking power from both the battery and the USB circuit, and the USB circuit is not intelligent enough to account for this and cut off so it will constantly trickle current in (as confirmed by USB meter). I had it "charge" overnight once and get quite warm, which was concerning. Now I always use it on battery at my desk to prevent this. I attempted disconnecting the battery and running it from just the USB power, however it did not turn on, so the battery does seem to be necessary.

Can also confirm that the thing is quite sensitive to USB power noise. My desktop has particularly atrocious USB ports and resulted in very obvious buzzing through the amp. Using my Anker USB charger gave quiet operation with no noticeable noise.

Overall, quite pleasantly surprised at the results here, good to know my money was well spent all that time ago

 

[amirm]

Unit under test is mine Did you find that it keeps "charging" if left turned on and plugged into USB?

Yes, that is why I noted that the USB light keeps flashing. Maybe it has shut down internally but hard to say.

 

[mkawa]

yah, it keeps charging as long as it is plugged into usb, whether it is on or off. i leave mine on while it's charging all the time.

 

[Degru]

When turned off it eventually stops charging (i think the LED stops flashing?) but while turned on there does appear to be a trickle going in indefinitely as the light does not stop, it pulls current according to USB tester, and the unit gets considerably warm (which it does not do during normal battery operation or finished charging while powered off). So I suspect using at desk always plugged in would quickly run down the battery health from overcharging.

 

[Robin L]

When turned off it eventually stops charging (i think the LED stops flashing?) but while turned on there does appear to be a trickle going in indefinitely as the light does not stop, it pulls current according to USB tester, and the unit gets considerably warm (which it does not do during normal battery operation or finished charging while powered off). So I suspect using at desk always plugged in would quickly run down the battery health from overcharging.

Most of the time I've used my Fiio Mont Blanc it's been as a portable, with it and a Fiio X1 strapped together in my coat pocket. Don't usually use it plugged in, so when it's fully charged, the light stays on. If I'm sitting down near a plug, I'll use the Schiit Magni 3, which sounds a little more open and dynamic to these antique ears.

 

[Degru]

For those curious about the bass switch, here's what it does

(from headfonia review) Rather amusing large and wide boost

 

[Degru]

Another oddity I noticed with this unit is on rare occasion it would develop some channel imbalance which was fixed by pressing the reset switch on the bottom. Bit odd, wonder why that ends up happening

 

[JohnYang1997]

Please test thermal. How hot will it get? +-11V and two lme49600 doesn't seem to be a good idea for portable.

 

[Degru]

Please test thermal. How hot will it get? +-11V and two lme49600 doesn't seem to be a good idea for portable.

I never noticed it getting meaningfully warm during normal battery operation, even inside the sleeve it comes with that I usually kept it in. Also I'm pretty sure it's MUSES02 and LME49600.

 

[nintendoeats]

Like several others, I have had an E12A for several years. I have been very pleased with it, and purchased it because Fiio posted believable test data that showed good performance. It's a shame that they have taken down their old product pages, because I would like to see how their data comparies to the ASR tests.

 

[mkawa]

never noticed thermal issues on battery power.

 

[Degru]

Like several others, I have had an E12A for several years. I have been very pleased with it, and purchased it because Fiio posted believable test data that showed good performance. It's a shame that they have taken down their old product pages, because I would like to see how their data comparies to the ASR tests.

A5 data is still on their site: https://www.fiio.com/a5_parameters Interestingly looks like they tested FR up to 90k there. Distortion data appears to correlate to the multitone test here. As for E12A, the main page mentions "33 percent better distortion" on the a5 so there's that I guess.

 

[Tks]

Wow this is shocking. The IMD is drastically lower than even some of the best desktop amps today. Many devices today have a truck ton of power I find nearly useless as I either need to dial down the source, the DAC, or the Amp volume position. I actually appreciate this device, for it's reasonable power metrics and not going all crazy (and I forget the other, I think it was the Hegel, that even in balanced didn't double it's power for the sake of keeping max output performance still within reach). Those noise metrics are surprising to see from a device this old and this inexpensive.

I wonder if this is the case with their newer devices as well or did they fumble... Hmm

Not only that I just realized the SINAD (for whatever reason I didn't think about when writing this) is staggeringly good as well.

 

[nintendoeats]

A5 data is still on their site: https://www.fiio.com/a5_parameters Interestingly looks like they tested FR up to 90k there. Distortion data appears to correlate to the multitone test here. As for E12A, the main page mentions "33 percent better distortion" on the a5 so there's that I guess.

Ah, because they still sell that one. Really nice to see.

 

[amirm]

Those noise metrics are surprising to see from a device this old and this inexpensive.

It runs on battery though. With charger connected it doesn't do nearly as well.

 

[Tks]

It runs on battery though. With charger connected it doesn't do nearly as well.

How bad is it bossman?

 

[Degru]

How bad is it bossman?

Depends on USB power source. There doesn't appear to be any filtering there, so anywhere from "audible buzzing" to "silent" in my experience. It's clearly designed primarily for use as a portable/battery amp.