I've been a bit of a Fiio fan since my 1st purchase of an e17 and e9 desktop amp. Over the years I've upgraded my audio solutions. My primary headphones for listening are my Shure SE846 IEMs, Hifiman HE560 v1, and modded Sennheiser HD800 (Dupont resonator mod). Both the HE560 and HD800 have Dekoni replacement earpads.
I was unfortunately duped by the LH Labs/Indiegogo fiasco for over $6300US in product that's never been delivered. At the time I was working full time and had the disposable income. Then life threw a curve - I was forced into early retirement by health issues. Alas this meant a significant drop in disposable income for my audiophile hobby.
As I never received a full desktop amp, I’d been using a Ray Samuels Audio 'The Intruder' balanced portable amp. It had a failure in the left channel so it was sent back to RSA for repair. Being on limited income I couldn't actually afford to repair it at the time. This left my HE560 and HD800 largely unused until I could afford the repairs.
This also meant using the Shure SE846 IEMs as my primaries. While they were OK to use with my phones (both Apple and Android) and a Fiio X3, they didn’t deliver the performance I knew they could. Around Christmas 2019 an anonymous donor gifted me a Fiio BTR5 and I was very pleased with its performance, especially when using the balanced output.
Alas like all battery powered devices can, my BTR5 failed in Dec. 2020 when the battery overheated and bulged, popping the front glass off the body. On a side note, Fiio support has offered to repair my BTR5 for a minimal surcharge, even though the failure happened 1 week out of warranty. It will be sent back to China for repair soon. Regardless, I had saved up some money with plans to buy a newer portable amp/DAC that also offered Bluetooth support. Enter the Fiio Q5s TC…
I read a number of reviews and when I saw Canadian dealer Headphone Bar had them for a slightly reduced price, I decided to take a chance and give one a try. I’ve only had it for a few days but suffice it to say I’m VERY pleased with the performance. I’ve only been able to test my HE560 and HD800 cans in single-ended mode. I’m waiting for some connectors to arrive so I can make 4.4mm adapters for my custom cables (which use mini-XLR 4 pole connectors to allow a variety of connection types). That said, the Q5s TC handles them both quite effortlessly.
The real winner though is using it with my Shure SE846 IEMs. I have 2 balanced MMCX cables for them, one an average quality Mee Audio 2.5mm universal (with adapters), and a new Fiio LC-C 2.5mm purchased at the same time as the Q5s TC from Headphone Bar. The new Fiio cable is also very nice - very supple and flexible, no noticeable microphonics and using quality MMCX connectors that appear to have eliminated the occasional connection issues found with lower-end MMCX connectors.
The Bluetooth capability of the Q5s TC is excellent for both range and quality. It stays connected while roaming about my 1100 sq. foot condo, whereas the BTR5 would struggle when more than 10’ away from the BT source. I’ve just started using the Q5s as a USB DAC with Audirvana running on my MacBook Pro. I’ve been using some of my hi-res library - 88/32, 96/24, 192/24 and DSD256 for the source files. Needless to say, I’m very happy with sound quality and the purchase.
If you’re in the market for a decently powered portable amp/DAC with USB, Bluetooth and other connectivity, I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find much better than the Q5s TC in its price range. The THX AAA amplification is better than I expected. Thank you Headphone Bar and Fiio!