FiiO A5
The FiiO A5 brings serious portable power to demanding headphones, pairing deep, controlled bass with a subtly warm, musical voice and clearer treble definition. PortaFi found its dynamic drive compelling with difficult loads, while its low-noise performance and gentle bass boost keep this aluminum amp versatile beyond full-size cans.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
87/100
Features Usability
81/100
Value for Money
95/100
Pros
Delivers substantial dynamic headroom and drives demanding full-size headphones impressively for a portable amplifier.
Natural, slightly warm and musical tuning improves bass depth, timbre and treble definition.
Sturdy aluminum construction, practical portable-stack accessories and over 12 hours of tested battery life.
Strong price-to-performance for listeners who genuinely need extra power.
Cons
Its power is often unnecessary for efficient earphones, where audible gains may be modest; extremely sensitive models can reveal a slight background hiss.
At roughly 170 g, it can make a player-and-amp stack bulky and heavy for truly pocketable use.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
PortaFi describes the A5 as a natural, slightly warm and musical portable amplifier that improves timbre, bass definition and treble articulation. It is also reported to add useful drive while remaining nearly silent with sensitive earphones.
Transparency Resolution
88/100
The reviewer says the A5 makes the treble more defined and describes improved micro-detail processing. Bass is also said to become more outlined and controlled, suggesting a cleaner, more explicit presentation than the source alone.
Tonal Balance Musicality
89/100
PortaFi finds the presentation natural, more musical and more pleasant than the earlier E12A. The character is described as only slightly warmer, smoother and a touch darker, while remaining close to neutral.
Dynamics
90/100
The A5 is directly credited with improving dynamics and giving music a stronger sense of drive. Its high output capability is presented as especially useful for difficult-to-drive full-size headphones.
Noise Floor
88/100
PortaFi reports that the A5 behaves very well with sensitive headphones, with almost no audible noise or hiss. That makes its powerful output more practical with efficient portable gear as well as larger headphones.
Headphone Compatibility
90/100
The reviewer recommends the A5 for owners of demanding headphones and highlights its substantial power reserve. Its sub-0.3-ohm output impedance and near-silent behavior with sensitive headphones point to broad everyday pairing flexibility.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
87/100
The aluminum enclosure is described as sturdy, reliable and attractive. At roughly 170 g it is not especially light, but the reviewer considers it a solid and pleasant device to use.
Features Usability
81/100
This is a straightforward portable analog amplifier rather than a DAC/amp packed with digital connectivity. The bass-boost function is useful and is said to work gently, adding depth and warmth without an excessive effect.
Value for Money
95/100
At about $130, PortaFi considers the A5 particularly compelling for listeners who need extra power for difficult headphones. The Russian review goes further, calling it among the best portable amplifiers for price-to-performance.
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Specifications
Manufacturer's Description — FiiO
A5
A5
THE NEW AMPLIFIER THAT
STRIVES FOR PERFECTION
It's All In The Details
FiiO has strived to constantly progress and innovate with fresh ideas in the portable amplifier market since its own entry. With the A5, we continue this tradition by striving to significantly improve over our previous products, the E12 series. Every last detail of the E12 series has been reworked and revamped so as to create a new headphone amplifier that not only maintains the E12 series’ strengths, but also rises above them for an even better product.
Strong Internals Make For A Lively Listen
The A5 continues to use the E12A’s highly effective MUSES02 + LME49600 opamp combo. In addition, all major components utilize high-precision metal film resistors. These factors, along with better design and component selection, allow the A5 to achieve a total harmonic distortion (THD) rating of almost 0 percent (lower than the E12A’s by 33 percent) and an improved signal-to-noise ratio of 115dB. All of these factors signify that the A5 has a gain level close to that of the E12, but has improved channel balance, lower noise floor, and overall a purer sound.
Clean and potent power is also extremely important to sound quality. The A5 contains a highly efficient, low-resistance power management system as well as dual +/-11V supplied power. This is a significant increase over the E12A’s +/-7.4V supplied power and gives the A5 considerable power reserve that is unheard of among portable amplifiers. Finally, a +/- symmetrical power supply allows for the elimination of coupling capacitors. What does this all mean for the sound quality? Reduced distortion and increased dynamic range.
All of these aspects mean that the A5 combines the best of both the E12 and the E12A. Beyond just getting output power near that of the E12 with 800mW at 32 Ω, you also get the E12A’s exquisite abilities in reproducing music. And with the low/high gain switch you can enjoy the A5 on all kinds of headphones, from the most sensitive IEMs to the most power-hungry headphones.
Longer Battery Life Backed By Smart Charging
Contained in the A5 is an 880mAh 3S (three cells in series) battery. The A5 can automatically adjust the amount of current to the 3S battery when charging by detecting your particular charging equipment. Whether you charge from your computer's USB port, your cell phone charger, or even your tablet's charger, you can be assured that the A5 will choose the safe and appropriate charging speed. With a 5V/2A charger, the A5's battery can befully topped up in 2.5 hours – faster and more convenient compared to other similar products. And despite the A5's high power output, the amp still lasts for a lengthy 13 hours.
Charging That Is Obvious At A Glance
The A5 has an LED specifically designed to let you know device’s charging status immediately. Depending on the amount of current when charging, the LED will blink at an appropriate rate which allows you to quickly determine the present charging speed. There is also a working status indicator that lets you immediately know whether the unit is on or off.
All New CNC Milled Headphone Connectors
For the sake of creating an ever better product, no detail could be overlooked. The headphone connector was no exception. For the first time, we use a CNC stainless steel headphone connector ring, replacing the previously used copper. A plastic ring is pressed into the gap between this connector ring and the rest of the body, ensuring it is seamlessly integrated with zero gaps. Not only is this more aesthetically pleasing, the headphone connector is also sturdier due to the non-existent gaps and the use of harder stainless steel.
Geometrical Beauty From A Functional 45°
We decided to break away from our design traditions when creating the A5. Take, for instance, the design of the volume knob. Inspired by string instruments, fifty-six 45° lines are etched onto the knob’s surface. The laser- inspired red ring that adorns the knob gives it a distinct, characteristic look.
Fine Grains Of Zirconium For A Smooth Finish
Instead of the brushed metal finish of our earlier amps, we elected to go with a sandblasted finish for the A5. In the sandblasting process, abrasive material is forcefully sprayed onto the body’s surface with highly compressed air. This ensures that the surface is not only more durable, but also allows the anodized paint that gives the A5 its unique look to last longer. By having the aluminum body subjected to this process, the A5 is both more robust and striking in appearance.
Specifications
Output power: > 800mW (32Ω THD<1%)
S/N ratio: ≥115dB
THD+N: < 0.002% (1kHz)
Play time on a single charge: 13h Recommended headphone impedance: 16~300Ω
Dimensions: 124mm×65.5mm×14.5mm
Weight: 168g
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Authorized dealers for FiiO A5
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Advanced MP3 Players — online and in-store — Musselburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- All Elite Audio — online and in-store — Perry Hall, Maryland, United States (website)
- Alpha Audio Pte — online and in-store — Singapore, Singapore (website)
- Apos Audio — online and in-store — Oakland, California, United States (website)
- Audeos — online and in-store — Żywiec, Województwo śląskie (website)
- Audio 46 — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Audio Affair — online and in-store — Deritend, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 59 more verified dealers