FiiO KA5 USB DAC Headphone Amp with 3.5mm and 4.4mm Outputs

The Sound- Wide soundstage, easy to hear the backing track, defined drums, define base, easy to distinguish between left and right input of the sound and excellent base. Volume- More higher volume in very small increments. In layman's term meaning better for my hearing impairment, more control of the volume. Yes improves my headphones for my ears because of my hearing impairment. Is it better than the KA15? Only if you concerned about battery life on your mobile phone and it's less powerful so it's less likely to be hoter than ka15. This is also lighter compared to it. So if you're going to use it just for mobile phones mainly then go for this. Avoid HIBY DAC because of their durability is not good and they get even hotter than this DAC.

I got this for some iem’s that have not arrived yet, and the only thing I had to hand, was a pair of Hifiman edition XS. To be honest I was not expecting much, plugged them in and boy was I surprised. I used both the balanced and single ended, balanced was better in my opinion with them. The other equipment I have that can run the edition XS, is a hip dac2, and a topping dx3 pro+. Compared to the hip dac this is better in every way, to me the hip dac sounds like everything was dipped in treacle and not in a good way, lacking in detail and sluggish. Compared to the dx3 pro+ I think the dx3 may be a fraction more resolving than this, but by such a small amount I could go crazy trying to confirm it, and it’s nearly twice the price. Overall I prefer the ka5 it has more meat on the bones especially in the low end without being exaggerated. This is a high quality clean and natural sound signature, with a great sound stage. I’ve yet to find a style of music I don’t like it with, and I’ve been trying to trip it up all afternoon, and it’s worked flawlessly with everything I’ve thrown at it. I don’t know if I’ve hit the jackpot with synergy, but this is a fantastic buy for the price. I used Apple Music from both an iPhone and an iPad Pro, it definitely benefited from usb c but still sounded amazing from the anaemic lighting port. The controls are easy to use, and the the effect on battery life is hardly noticeable.

For context, I've read a lot about AMP/DACs, so I thought I'd try it myself and see what they're really about. In short, it absolutely baffles me that people describe this as improving sound quality, or changing the tonality. Buy an AMP/DAC for any reason, but sound quality is not one of them. I'm in my late 20's and my hearing is fine. I have a pair of Blessing 3 IEMs and DT1770 headphones. I've EQ'd them and they sound great to my ears, but according to the internet I'm missing one crucial piece of hardware to completely optimise my audio. I was genuinely hoping this would be it. I've balanced the volume, tested with multiple songs, movies, and even games, and there is absolutely no perceivable difference in the output. Maybe a little? But I'm inclined to say I'm hearing what the reviews tell me I should be hearing. I've tried every configuration possible to get it to even sound slightly different (better or worse) compared to simply plugging straight into my device, but I still can't perceive anything. Interestingly, there's no before/after frequency response measurements for any AMP/DAC, despite frequency response measurements being very easy to find for any IEM/headphone - that should have rang alarm bells in hindsight. After testing myself now, I honestly think you have to be delusional to hear any difference. So why do I rate 4 stars? Because it does everything else advertised: # It's portable # It's sturdy # In theory it removes noise from older/cheaper devices (I don't have any to test but this is verifiable) # It can convert USB-C to 3.5mm # It gives you more granular control over your volume # It has a play/pause button AMP/DACs have their place with high impedance/low sensitivity headphones, but for "normal" people they are absolutely not worth the money, nor do improve the sound in any meaningful way.

I really liked the sound cleanliness and soundstage. I like the material, how light it is, the dual output (3.5mm + 4.4mm balanced), portability and the display, providing easy reading of volume (for comparisons) and the input format being read. (this is not an audiophile review, for that you need to look somewhere else).

A great dongle DAC, a step up from the KA3, in the terms of sound quality and features and the ability to drive my Hifiman XS without a problem.

Super happy with that one, very good sound and I like it can output both from 3.5 and 4.4 simultaneously.

This makes my headphones absolutely SING. Punch, agility, rhythm and pace that make music sound like music all over again. I can’t imagine there’s much better out for the money in the dongle form factor. Buy with confidence.

Just wanted to share the love for this little gadget that makes my experience sublime. A whole new experience, warmer, defined and a lovely dept. I’ve been a pro drummer and songwriter for 20 years now, listening hours and hours of music every day. I have a lovely hi fi system at home: Celestions 66 with a A1 fedelity amp, NodeX bluesound with a Teddy Pardo. I use the fiio with a pair of EU premier IEM so I can enjoy high quality on the go. Also it gives you the Khz each album, it’s amazing. For full potential, forget Spotify. Get Tidal where you get albums Cd quality 44.1 up to 24bit 192K Hope it helps. M