[fish1050]

I have to say I am a little disappointed that Fiio has dropped the E12A.  For me the power of the A5 is overkill and I would gladly trade for the reduced power of the E12A to get the better 20 hour battery life vs only 13 hours on the A5.  While my headphones and Sony A17 needs an amp I wouldn't need anywhere close to what the A5 has on tap.  Yes there is the A3 but it doesn't sound nearly as good as the E12A and has less battery life.  
 
I am hoping that at some point there will be an update to the A3 to get it closer to the E12A as the last update was merely a model number change from E11K to A3.  Personally I find the Q1 sounds better than the A3 and I really don't need the DAC on the Q1.  
 
Here is hoping we see an upgrade on the A3 soon.

 

[Dobrescu George]

  I have to say I am a little disappointed that Fiio has dropped the E12A.  For me the power of the A5 is overkill and I would gladly trade for the reduced power of the E12A to get the better 20 hour battery life vs only 13 hours on the A5.  While my headphones and Sony A17 needs an amp I wouldn't need anywhere close to what the A5 has on tap.  Yes there is the A3 but it doesn't sound nearly as good as the E12A and has less battery life.  
 
I am hoping that at some point there will be an update to the A3 to get it closer to the E12A as the last update was merely a model number change from E11K to A3.  Personally I find the Q1 sounds better than the A3 and I really don't need the DAC on the Q1.  
 
Here is hoping we see an upgrade on the A3 soon.

 
I hope for a really bright amp... I want to have a bright, clear, bright, tight, bright sound. I don't think I'll get anything with muses op-amps, they're really smooth and can be... fatiguing for me... as I constantly search for my list treble in music. 

 

[RedJohn456]

I seen it and got hungry.
But I just got a e17k to dac my note 2 phone.
Driving my hd600 with it. To be honest, i am just starting to appreciate good quality sound
And therefore got the e17, now, although i think all sounds good on these sennheiser hd600's using this setup,
i am thinking of getting the a5 to put between the E17k and the hd600.
Am i an idiot for thinking i need that power to make an improvement?
Ps
(Later i can budget in a dedicated player, what to start with considering this level of amp)?

 
We are almost in the same boat haha. I got a note 4 couple days ago and I have been running the E17K out of it (seriously underrated piece of kit that is). I too am driving the HD600 and no you are not an idiot. I will be honest and say that I am not the biggest fan of the E17K headphone out, I feel that it holds back the dac inside the E17k. So after adding the A5 into the mix I started using the HD600 and I am happy with the results. IMO the line out to A5 sounds better to me than the headphone out (volume matched by ears to the best of my ability). 
 
The A5 has power and transparency and it drives my HD600 beautifully with power to spare, given that the E17K has a a really loud Line out signal.  I don't think you will be disappointed by the results  I am  holding back my hyping/excitement waiting for a few more days to pass before I throw caution to the wind lol (new toy syndrome and all that).
 
This combo sounds good enough that it keeps me happy listening to music at my desk without reaching for my more expensive gears.

On the numbers only, the hd600 being 300Ohm impedance would benefit from the extra power volume wise however having heard neither kit or phones, I couldn't comment on the sound quality or frequency response.

You would have to take into account & manage a bigger rig with Note 2/DAP as source, E17K as DAC & A5 as Amp + hd600 headphones.

 
Yeah I am using that combo and soundwise, its a step up from the amp in teh E17Km, which is to be expected given that the A5 is a dedicated amplifier. But yes it does get rather bulky and not the most portable friendly set up but it sure sounds good!
 

I gambled a bit and ordered one.
Hopefully it is here in a weeks time and then i will know.
No dedicated player yet so i will report ack on my macgyver construction's sound

 
Oh nice! Looking forward to your thoughts on it. I will be honest and say that you don't need to shell out cash right away for a dedicated player right away. Enjoy how this combo sounds first And if you will be going portable don't waste time mucking around in mid tier, IMO go straight for the X7, especially if you stream music. I chose not to go through the whole climbing a ladder and slowly upgrade dap to dap and saved money in the long run.
 

  I have to say I am a little disappointed that Fiio has dropped the E12A.  For me the power of the A5 is overkill and I would gladly trade for the reduced power of the E12A to get the better 20 hour battery life vs only 13 hours on the A5.  While my headphones and Sony A17 needs an amp I wouldn't need anywhere close to what the A5 has on tap.  Yes there is the A3 but it doesn't sound nearly as good as the E12A and has less battery life.  
 
I am hoping that at some point there will be an update to the A3 to get it closer to the E12A as the last update was merely a model number change from E11K to A3.  Personally I find the Q1 sounds better than the A3 and I really don't need the DAC on the Q1.  
 
Here is hoping we see an upgrade on the A3 soon.

 
If anything I expected a bit more power out of the A5 but it has really fine control of volume, especially on low gain. I am not sure if you have used the A5 yourself, but I don't find it to be too powerful, I wouldn't go by the specs alone...
 

   
I hope for a really bright amp... I want to have a bright, clear, bright, tight, bright sound. I don't think I'll get anything with muses op-amps, they're really smooth and can be... fatiguing for me... as I constantly search for my list treble in music. 

 
I know I said I will post impressions but something came up and I couldn't get around to it. I do plan to put up a more comprehensive first impressions posts later on (my ones tend to be more detailed and wordy).
 
Now as for how they sound, they are not dark or dark leaning neutral. In fact I would characterize them as quite airy and light sounding. It is definitely brighter sounding than the amp section in the E17K. And brighter than the AM5 X7 module. RELATIVELY speaking of course, I don't want people to get the wrong idea.
 
Fiio NAILED the sound of this amp, that is to say it is quite transparent and really helps the E17K dac shine. In fact I have the A5 rubber banded to my E17K because that is my favourite sounding combo at the moment. I don't think the A5 will be bright like how you are describing it but I dont think you will find it to be dark either.

 

[johnnymnemonic]

We are almost in the same boat haha. I got a note 4 couple days ago and I have been running the E17K out of it (seriously underrated piece of kit that is). I too am driving the HD600 and no you are not an idiot. I will be honest and say that I am not the biggest fan of the E17K headphone out, I feel that it holds back the dac inside the E17k. So after adding the A5 into the mix I started using the HD600 and I am happy with the results. IMO the line out to A5 sounds better to me than the headphone out (volume matched by ears to the best of my ability). 

The A5 has power and transparency and it drives my HD600 beautifully with power to spare, given that the E17K has a a really loud Line out signal.  I don't think you will be disappointed by the results  I am  holding back my hyping/excitement waiting for a few more days to pass before I throw caution to the wind lol (new toy syndrome and all that).

This combo sounds good enough that it keeps me happy listening to music at my desk without reaching for my more expensive gears.

Yeah I am using that combo and soundwise, its a step up from the amp in teh E17Km, which is to be expected given that the A5 is a dedicated amplifier. But yes it does get rather bulky and not the most portable friendly set up but it sure sounds good!


Oh nice! Looking forward to your thoughts on it. I will be honest and say that you don't need to shell out cash right away for a dedicated player right away. Enjoy how this combo sounds first And if you will be going portable don't waste time mucking around in mid tier, IMO go straight for the X7, especially if you stream music. I chose not to go through the whole climbing a ladder and slowly upgrade dap to dap and saved money in the long run.


If anything I expected a bit more power out of the A5 but it has really fine control of volume, especially on low gain. I am not sure if you have used the A5 yourself, but I don't find it to be too powerful, I wouldn't go by the specs alone...


I know I said I will post impressions but something came up and I couldn't get around to it. I do plan to put up a more comprehensive first impressions posts later on (my ones tend to be more detailed and wordy).

Now as for how they sound, they are not dark or dark leaning neutral. In fact I would characterize them as quite airy and light sounding. It is definitely brighter sounding than the amp section in the E17K. And brighter than the AM5 X7 module. RELATIVELY speaking of course, I don't want people to get the wrong idea.

Fiio NAILED the sound of this amp, that is to say it is quite transparent and really helps the E17K dac shine. In fact I have the A5 rubber banded to my E17K because that is my favourite sounding combo at the moment. I don't think the A5 will be bright like how you are describing it but I dont think you will find it to be dark either.

Haha that is great. Thanks for your response, the odds of exactly the same setup
It is what i was hoping for, also a shortcut to a player good enough for me to notice the quallity of sound but skipping a lot of hardware and saving a lot of money whas my goal. By the sound of your post, i'm in for a treat.
Allready i am realy enjoying the sound out of the e17k. Getting adventurous and turning base up one click and gain on 6 end enjoying that sound without feeling i am cheating. Im thinking that is the effect i hope to get from attaching the A5 only pure and powerfull. U just made me even more impatient. I feel the new toy syndrome kicking allready thanks again.

 

[RedJohn456]

Haha that is great. Thanks for your response, the odds of exactly the same setup

It is what i was hoping for, also a shortcut to a player good enough for me to notice the quallity of sound but skipping a lot of hardware and saving a lot of money whas my goal. By the sound of your post, i'm in for a treat.
Allready i am realy enjoying the sound out of the e17k. Getting adventurous and turning base up one click and gain on 6 end enjoying that sound without feeling i am cheating. Im thinking that is the effect i hope to get from attaching the A5 only pure and powerfull. U just made me even more impatient. I feel the new toy syndrome kicking allready

thanks again.

 
No problem, I will be sure to post more thorough impressions when I manage to get some free time later.
 
Till then some pics to make your wait harder easier 

 

  ​

 ​

Edit: And yes the E17K packs quite a punch! Can get really loud really quick if you are not careful haha. I regularly ran the HD600 out of it with the 12 gain enabled. Also, I know not everyone is a fan of the navigation wheel on the E17K, but it is hands down my favourite hardware feature. Shame they removed optical input from the E17 (I am never gonna let FiiO live that one down LOL)

 

[oldmate]

 
I hope for a really bright amp... I want to have a bright, clear, bright, tight, bright sound. I don't think I'll get anything with muses op-amps, they're really smooth and can be... fatiguing for me... as I constantly search for my list treble in music. 

Funny how we all hear things differently. To me bright, clear, bright and one more bright for good measure would be fatiguing. This amp excites me even though I have vowed to spend no more cash for awhile on this hobby but at it's price point is very appealing.

 

[TheoS53]

   I have vowed to spend no more cash for awhile on this hobby 

lol, not spend more money on this hobby....that's so cute

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Funny how we all hear things differently. To me bright, clear, bright and one more bright for good measure would be fatiguing. This amp excites me even though I have vowed to spend no more cash for awhile on this hobby but at it's price point is very appealing.

 
Yeah, I know... 
 
Fatiguing at high volumes. 
 
But at low volumes, it's easier to hear details in treble, so we won't crank the volume too high. This is why I want a bright amp. E12A was - is - dark regardless of what you pair it with, regardless of what settings on EQ you apply, it is dark - or rather - rolled off. 
 
People love it for it's mids - which are one of the best - and the sound is really relaxing, smooth, nice. But, it makes bad music sound good too. Takes away the energy from music, ultimately listening to really fast or aggressive bands like Dance Gavin Dance or Protest the Hero became a relaxing experience and as much as I hate to say it, it's not how I want to live with those bands. It's cool for those who want it, but I want my sharp screeching treble with me on bands that need it. 
 

  lol, not spend more money on this hobby....that's so cute
 

 
See, @TheoS53 gets it! 
 
Once we start on this dark road, there is no turning back. There is no stopping the audiophile craving! 
 
I actually promised to myself that I would stop after x5ii + e12a... sold e12a, sold x5ii (need of money very fast then) and now I'm searching for a DAP again. 
 
at least I've found my heart in Senn ie800. 
 
As for headphones... the list continues to grow. 

 

[ClieOS]

Just listened to A5 side by side with E12A, volume matched - I'll say they are 97% similar in tonality. The last 3% difference is that A5 seems to be just a tiny bit cleaner and darker into the background, where E12A always has just a tiny bit of warmth.

 

[fish1050]

   
We are almost in the same boat haha. I got a note 4 couple days ago and I have been running the E17K out of it (seriously underrated piece of kit that is). I too am driving the HD600 and no you are not an idiot. I will be honest and say that I am not the biggest fan of the E17K headphone out, I feel that it holds back the dac inside the E17k. So after adding the A5 into the mix I started using the HD600 and I am happy with the results. IMO the line out to A5 sounds better to me than the headphone out (volume matched by ears to the best of my ability). 
 
The A5 has power and transparency and it drives my HD600 beautifully with power to spare, given that the E17K has a a really loud Line out signal.  I don't think you will be disappointed by the results  I am  holding back my hyping/excitement waiting for a few more days to pass before I throw caution to the wind lol (new toy syndrome and all that).
 
This combo sounds good enough that it keeps me happy listening to music at my desk without reaching for my more expensive gears.
 
Yeah I am using that combo and soundwise, its a step up from the amp in teh E17Km, which is to be expected given that the A5 is a dedicated amplifier. But yes it does get rather bulky and not the most portable friendly set up but it sure sounds good!
 
 
Oh nice! Looking forward to your thoughts on it. I will be honest and say that you don't need to shell out cash right away for a dedicated player right away. Enjoy how this combo sounds first And if you will be going portable don't waste time mucking around in mid tier, IMO go straight for the X7, especially if you stream music. I chose not to go through the whole climbing a ladder and slowly upgrade dap to dap and saved money in the long run.
 
 
If anything I expected a bit more power out of the A5 but it has really fine control of volume, especially on low gain. I am not sure if you have used the A5 yourself, but I don't find it to be too powerful, I wouldn't go by the specs alone...
 
 
I know I said I will post impressions but something came up and I couldn't get around to it. I do plan to put up a more comprehensive first impressions posts later on (my ones tend to be more detailed and wordy).
 
Now as for how they sound, they are not dark or dark leaning neutral. In fact I would characterize them as quite airy and light sounding. It is definitely brighter sounding than the amp section in the E17K. And brighter than the AM5 X7 module. RELATIVELY speaking of course, I don't want people to get the wrong idea.
 
Fiio NAILED the sound of this amp, that is to say it is quite transparent and really helps the E17K dac shine. In fact I have the A5 rubber banded to my E17K because that is my favourite sounding combo at the moment. I don't think the A5 will be bright like how you are describing it but I dont think you will find it to be dark either.

The amount of power needed depends on the headphones and my B&W P5 S2's are quite efficient.  I was using an A3 for awhile which has less power than the E12A and barely got above 3 or 4 on the volume dial, with the E12 which I did audition it was like 2 max volume so just to much unnecessary power.  I switched to the Q1 to get the 30 hour battery life to match with the 30+ hours on my Sony A17.  The Q1 has slightly less power than the A3 but to me sounds better and now volume tops out at 5 to 6 which to me is perfect.  But again I don't need the DAC on the Q1 and an A3 close to the E12A with better battery life than the current A3 could be a winner for me.  Price was the main reason I did not grab the E12A as it was more than double the price of the Q1

 

[ceemsc]

Just listened to A5 side by side with E12A, volume matched - I'll say they are 97% similar in tonality. The last 3% difference is that A5 seems to be just a tiny bit cleaner and darker into the background, where E12A always has just a tiny bit of warmth.

Hi ClieOS, loved your Amp Shootouts of the past... Would you be able to compare the Sound Quality of the FiiO E12 vs. A5 & whether it is worth the upgrade especially when one of the E12's criticisms was the narrower soundstage versus The Objective 2?

Thanks...

 

[ClieOS]

Hi @ClieOS, loved your Amp Shootouts of the past... Would you be able to compare the Sound Quality of the FiiO E12 vs. A5 & whether it is worth the upgrade especially when one of the E12's criticisms was the narrower soundstage versus The Objective 2?

Thanks...

 
My O2 is broken and hasn't been fixed yet (might need a rebuild there), so I can't compare it to A5. However, I'll say if you have the original E12, than A5 is definitely a worthy upgrade. But if you have the E12A and doesn't need the extra power, I think you can save some money for now. The improvement on a darker and cleaner background isn't what I'll consider a must have.

 

[Dobrescu George]

   
My O2 is broken and hasn't been fixed yet (might need a rebuild there), so I can't compare it to A5. However, I'll say if you have the original E12, than A5 is definitely a worthy upgrade. But if you have the E12A and doesn't need the extra power, I think you can save some money for now. The improvement on a darker and cleaner background isn't what I'll consider a must have.

 
At first, I also heard a dark background from E12A, but with ie800 in particular, that dark background ate away some of the soundstage and upper treble detail. Using X5ii alone solved the problem. It might be a thing of synnergy with ie800 and a thing of psychoacoustics though. 
 
The more power on A5 is sure to be welcome for most, but then again, with E12A, it was a bit too loud at 9-10 o'clock. 

 

[PapaThrust]

Is it safe to say the bass boost is identical to the E12?

 

[ceemsc]

Is it safe to say the bass boost is identical to the E12?

The E12 Bass Boost is +6dB @ 64hz.

I believe the specs say that the A5 Bass Boost matches the E12A; +4dB. I read elsewhere this is a mid-bass boost so probably also @ 64hz.

My question to the forum including FiiO is : Were the subsequent implementations of a more subtle amplitude of Bass Boost in later Amps because the original E12 +6dB was reviewed as too blunt/invasive/muddy?