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Upgrading my Fiio K5.

Skinner001

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And what about channel imbalance found in the IEmagni, is it something to worry about it? I am thinking on getting this amp. Thanks
If you're in the US and can return stuff easily then I'd go for Schiit - their "low-end" is better measuring than their "high-end". Heresy + Modi3 is a nice stack. However, I got a Heresy with pretty bad channel imbalance at lower listening levels and it seems there is some unit to unit variation with the pots. A buddy of mine got a faulty unit with hiss in one channel that just got worse the more you change the volume.

Obviously, there are thousands of people who haven't had any issues but they tend to be quiet so it's by no means a big trend. I'd just be careful about being able to make returns and taking advantage of the warranty with Schiit. Made in the US, and I wouldn't recommend buying it if you're outside the US :D

Speaking as someone living in the UK.
 

iListenFLAC

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Hello, Just wanted to give you all an update. I had to import the Heresy/Modi stack from the US to my home country (Brazil) and it took around a month for them to arrive. I'm now in the process of comparing the Fiio K5 and my Modi/Heresy set-up.

Headphones tested:
-Focal Clear
-Sundara
-DT 1990
-Audio Technica R70x (recently purchased)

My first impression was that the Magni was "wider" and the bass was more punchy.

Then, I asked my son's help so I could do a "blind test". Guess what, I did not pass the blind test.
My objective conclusion so far is that I CAN HEAR NO DIFFERENCE between these two amps when I'm able to do volume matching properly. I must say Raistlin65 warned me of this, and he was correct. Maybe, just maybe, I could say the bass is more "punchy" on the Magni (I did get this right a couple of times during the blid tests) but that could be just in my head. I need to highlight that I listen mostly to prog metal and bluegrass, so it's possible that the differences could be more obvious in other music genres.

The Magni is more powerfull of course, but the Fiio has more than enough power to drive any of my headphones at a high volume, even the 480 ohms R70x

Just out of curiosity, I asked my son, which is 14 years old, to do the blind test too. My son is not an audiophile by any means, but he has "perfect" hearing due to young age, he can hear up to 20,000 hz. He also couldn't tell the difference between the amps.

Hence, my conclusion for any beginner is: Spend your money on getting the best headphones you can afford based on your sound signature preferences. Then get a decent enough budget dac/amp.

I will continue with the comparisons in the next days and If I discover any significant differences, I will post here.

If anyone has any other input or thoughts about it, I'd be happy to hear :).

Thanks!

I'm in the same situation right now where I own Focal Clear and the K5 Pro. Thank you for your thoughts on the test, but the Heresy / Modi stack does not differ much from the K5 Pro in terms of price. Had wanted to know the result if they were a little more expensive AMPs such as Jotunheim 2, Lyr 3, RebelAmp, Topping A90, or Singxer SA-1. DAC should not play any major role after $100
 
OP
Luke Lemke

Luke Lemke

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I'm in the same situation right now where I own Focal Clear and the K5 Pro. Thank you for your thoughts on the test, but the Heresy / Modi stack does not differ much from the K5 Pro in terms of price. Had wanted to know the result if they were a little more expensive AMPs such as Jotunheim 2, Lyr 3, RebelAmp, Topping A90, or Singxer SA-1. DAC should not play any major role after $100
The Fiio k5 pro is great and you will most likely not notice any difference in sound if you get a "better" amp to drive your Focal clear. Still, I sold my Fiio K5 and bought the magni/modi stack because the extra investment was insignificant, in my case. I think they look great and I also got extra power for some more demanding headphones. Now, if the focal clear is your priority, I would probably stick with the K5...
 
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Luke Lemke

Luke Lemke

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Apr 21, 2021
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my 1st desktop dac/amp... still have it :)
I sold mine because I got the Magni Heresy. K5 is still a great amp, nice build and powerfull enough to drive 90% of headphones out there...
 
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