I'm not sure but I think you have to turn it up to ear destroying levels to be able to detect it, but if you are playing it at ear destroying levels how would you hear it before your hearing gets damaged? I'm not an expert but I think some people place a little too much importance on SINAD. Beyond a certain point it doesn't matter. It is a great amp/dac unit IMO.
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Review and Measurements of Fiio K5 Pro
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
I'm not sure but I think you have to turn it up to ear destroying levels to be able to detect it, but if you are playing it at ear destroying levels how would you hear it before your hearing gets damaged? I'm not an expert but I think some people place a little too much importance on SINAD. Beyond a certain point it doesn't matter. It is a great amp/dac unit IMO.
Hi!
I finally receveid my K5 Pro, and guys... It's awesome!
i use an AKG K702. As i say few post ago, the sound was already fine with my inboard chipset, and the volume never passed 70%, but there was a lak of bass, and the soundstage wasn't as impressive than i hoped. With the amp, all my frustration is gone. It's like the headphone's awake, i woulnt say it's night and day, but i've bllinded test myself, and no mistake is possible! A very, very good sound!
(I've also tryed with my sennheiser HD599, "easy to drive" headphone, but the sound improvement is maybe even more impressive than with the AKG, soundstage, clarrity, everything is better plugged in the Fiio... Yes, i love that little box)
My bad english don't allow me to explain my feelings in the best way, but it's good, very good!
I finally receveid my K5 Pro, and guys... It's awesome!
i use an AKG K702. As i say few post ago, the sound was already fine with my inboard chipset, and the volume never passed 70%, but there was a lak of bass, and the soundstage wasn't as impressive than i hoped. With the amp, all my frustration is gone. It's like the headphone's awake, i woulnt say it's night and day, but i've bllinded test myself, and no mistake is possible! A very, very good sound!
(I've also tryed with my sennheiser HD599, "easy to drive" headphone, but the sound improvement is maybe even more impressive than with the AKG, soundstage, clarrity, everything is better plugged in the Fiio... Yes, i love that little box
)My bad english don't allow me to explain my feelings in the best way, but it's good, very good!
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RFox
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Hello to all - Great thread! I've been eyeing the K5Pro since it came out - I have the E17/E09K combination for desktop driving Adam A5X + Sub 7 active studio monitors (as pre-amp) and although I have been quite happy with the sound (DAC WM8740) - it only goes up to 24bit/96Khz with USB
I don't really use the headphone amp - just as preamp for the DAC to the active speakers . . .
Question for all - would this be a substantial upgrade from the E17/E09K combination? I tried the DX3Pro on this setup but the sound was too clinical and harsh (the Adam A5Xs are Studio Monitors and very neutral sounding - with jet tweeters which are quite sensitive on the high ends)
Any comments welcome! Stay safe . . .
My current setup:
I don't really use the headphone amp - just as preamp for the DAC to the active speakers . . .
Question for all - would this be a substantial upgrade from the E17/E09K combination? I tried the DX3Pro on this setup but the sound was too clinical and harsh (the Adam A5Xs are Studio Monitors and very neutral sounding - with jet tweeters which are quite sensitive on the high ends)
Any comments welcome! Stay safe . . .
My current setup:
I measure 25Volts from negative to ground on my unit. I grounded the negative side just in case. Even though they use a 3 prong plug I think they left the power supply floating.
I'm impressed with the sound, though I'm upsampling to dsd256 and/or pcm 768k to bypass as much of the internal processing as possible.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
The 25V is probably not a problem.
It's the current to ground that is problematic.
Assuming your voltmeter is 10MOhm then there is probably around 2.5uA of current.
Grounding is only needed when you get schocked by touching it or are plagued by weird noises.
It's the current to ground that is problematic.
Assuming your voltmeter is 10MOhm then there is probably around 2.5uA of current.
Grounding is only needed when you get schocked by touching it or are plagued by weird noises.
I measured 5uA DC on my crappy old meter (no AC amp setting). I initially connected it to a ungrounded cubox and it appeared to blow the internal fuse of the cubox(which was really tricky to repair). It might have been a coincidence but to be safe I grounded the power supplies to the cubox and the Fiio. I also thought I could feel the tingly sensation, probably in my mind at that low current.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
You don't need much current to get that sensation.
In such cases it is always a good thing to ground parts that can be touched. That is the whole point of safety ground.
In such cases it is always a good thing to ground parts that can be touched. That is the whole point of safety ground.
odyo
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Is there anyway to test ground loop issues easily without any tools before buying external dac amp ? My soundcard doesn't have any issue with headphone output but after spending lots of money to external dac/amp i don't wanna face with issues. Should i just go with balanced dac/amp ? i heard they don't have any issue though i will use usb for the dac portion.
solderdude
Grand Contributor
groundloop issues are mosty situation dependent (power supply leakage, grounding, source and amp(s)) as well as cables and internal wiring board layout.
When all is connected properly there should be no need for groundloop issues.
When all is connected properly there should be no need for groundloop issues.
I changed some cables here and there and now there is no hissing/buzzing sound. I really don't remember what I did. I reconnected a bunch of cables.
Yorkshire Mouth
Major Contributor
Probably not a good choice for your set up.
Theres no proper line out, the Pro acts more like a pre amp. Connect the RCA outs and the volume control still works.
I don't think the upgrade is worth it.
Hey, this is my first post ever!
Anyway, so far in my life I've only used phone/laptop audio interfaces + Sennheiser HD598Cs (which I got for my birthday like 3-4 years ago, and before that, some generic 10-20$ earbuds/gaming headphones). Recently I've been looking into some better audio equipment, landing on Sennheiser HD 600 and Fiio K5 Pro (hence I'm writing this post here). As far as my noob audiophile brain could understand, these two should be a decent pairing power vise (since HD600s are 300 Ohms, a lot harder to drive than my old 598CS - 23 Ohm). This will probably be my setup for quite a long time, so I want to get it right... Would you recommend something else or this should be fine?
Keep in mind that I'm from Serbia, and that selection of good audio products here is rather limited, and importing stuff makes it 2x more expensive, which I can't really afford... I've got a nice library of digital CD/higher quality music, and I want to finally hear it properly
Anyway, so far in my life I've only used phone/laptop audio interfaces + Sennheiser HD598Cs (which I got for my birthday like 3-4 years ago, and before that, some generic 10-20$ earbuds/gaming headphones). Recently I've been looking into some better audio equipment, landing on Sennheiser HD 600 and Fiio K5 Pro (hence I'm writing this post here). As far as my noob audiophile brain could understand, these two should be a decent pairing power vise (since HD600s are 300 Ohms, a lot harder to drive than my old 598CS - 23 Ohm). This will probably be my setup for quite a long time, so I want to get it right... Would you recommend something else or this should be fine?
Keep in mind that I'm from Serbia, and that selection of good audio products here is rather limited, and importing stuff makes it 2x more expensive, which I can't really afford... I've got a nice library of digital CD/higher quality music, and I want to finally hear it properly
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IMO EQ is mandatory for good SQ. All free:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo
https://sourceforge.net/projects/peace-equalizer-apo-extension
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dm0m6u3s3b4zqzl/Sennheiser HD600.pdf
Thanks a lot! I'm definitely going to try these out once I get a feel for the headphones (after some listening time with stock settings).
Hardware vise tho, would you say that's a decent setup, or would you change anything?
L5730
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Something I only found out a relatively short while ago is that EqAPO supports VST plugins. That opens up quite a few possibilities. Switching between EqAPO profiles is as easy as swapping text files and can be very easily scripted with simple batch script or more pleasantly as a menu using Powershell and Windows Forms. Of course there is an included GUI which can be used too.
It wouldn't make much sense to make any changes if you're happy with the comfort (and other non-audio related aspects) of your headphones.
My own setup is very similar.
Well, the order has been made, Sennheiser HD 600 ("New" 2019 version) + Fiio K5 Pro = 470€ (550$). Unfortunately prices are a lot higher here in Serbia but there's nothing I can do about. This was already at my budget limit so getting anything "better"(more expensive) wasn't really an option. As a casual music listener that appreciates good audio quality, this setup should be more than I'll ever need. Hopefully it lasts a long time. Can't wait for packages to arrive
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That's exactly the same setup that I'm using as a daily driver, HD600 & Fiio K5 Pro, set at mid gain, and I'm completely satisfied with it, you can hardly make the HD600 sound much better than this (I have one of the first iterations, from 1999).
Well, the order has been made, Sennheiser HD 600 ("New" 2019 version) + Fiio K5 Pro = 470€ (550$). Unfortunately prices are a lot higher here in Serbia but there's nothing I can do about. This was already at my budget limit so getting anything "better"(more expensive) wasn't really an option. As a casual music listener that appreciates good audio quality, this setup should be more than I'll ever need. Hopefully it lasts a long time. Can't wait for packages to arrive
Well, that's reassuring, thanks
It's kinda funny that these headphones are basically a 23 years old design, older than me ahahh
But I guess that's just a testament of their build quality and sound. If it wasn't good, they wouldn't be making them even all these years later.
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