The Fiio A5 thread: an upgrade of E12A, MUSES02+LME49600, 800mW, 19Vp-p, 12 hours

[Vergil]

  I received my Fiio A5 2 days ago.I had high expectations but i'm left a bit disappointed.However,i'm not entirely sure if it's the dac that bottlenecks the sound quality since i don't own a dedicated dac through which i could connect it on a line out and have only tried it through the headphone out of laptop and mobiles.I tried Fiio A5 with my laptop,samsung galaxy s4 and also on a friend's Lg v10 which i thought has a really good built-in dac so it would make my confusion clear.I tried 2 earphones.Havi B3 pro-I and Trinity delta.
 
Let me highlight the problems i'm facing with the amp:
 
1: On low gain,Even tho i'm using iems i have to turn the volume pot to full to achieve any decent volume and the dynamic range isn't great unless i switch to high gain..It's the same case on all the 3 devices i've tried it on.
 
2: On high gain,i do get more volume but as i start turning up the volume knob it also introduces noise floor,hiss,It wasn't that much present on s4 and v10 but still it was there.On high volume,it starts making things sound harsh,messy and distorted.Even when connected to the lg v10.

 
Being able to turn the volume all the way up without going deaf indicates that the signal is too weak or the amp circuit is faulty so you get piss poor SNR, which explains every problem you are experiencing. 
Can you get enough volume without the A5? How much headroom do you have for volume after getting the volume you want?

 

[FiiO]

  I received my Fiio A5 2 days ago.I had high expectations but i'm left a bit disappointed.However,i'm not entirely sure if it's the dac that bottlenecks the sound quality since i don't own a dedicated dac through which i could connect it on a line out and have only tried it through the headphone out of laptop and mobiles.I tried Fiio A5 with my laptop,samsung galaxy s4 and also on a friend's Lg v10 which i thought has a really good built-in dac so it would make my confusion clear.I tried 2 earphones.Havi B3 pro-I and Trinity delta.
 
Let me highlight the problems i'm facing with the amp:
 
1: On low gain,Even tho i'm using iems i have to turn the volume pot to full to achieve any decent volume and the dynamic range isn't great unless i switch to high gain..It's the same case on all the 3 devices i've tried it on.
 
2: On high gain,i do get more volume but as i start turning up the volume knob it also introduces noise floor,hiss,It wasn't that much present on s4 and v10 but still it was there.On high volume,it starts making things sound harsh,messy and distorted.Even when connected to the lg v10.
 
Also i find it really odd that the hi-res logo print isn't properly aligned.
 
Could i possibly have a faulty unit,does anyone else face these issues ?

Dear Dany1
Thank you for your kind feedback to us. The A5 is an AMP only so it doesn't have DAC function.
If you mean the volume almost has no changes in low gain, it may be abnormal. But it may depend on your source as well. You can try the demo in the local stores to see whether the phenomenon is same.
It is not recommended to use the extra AMP for a headphone port because it will go through both the amp module of the players and the amp module of extra AMP. But so of our users may prefer this as well. Collecting to the line out port may be a better choice.
For the his-res sticker issue, maybe it is some offset with a few stickers. We will pay more attention to this in later products. Sorry if bringing inconvenience to you.  
Best regards

 

[Erik_C]

Despite my initial enthusiasm for the A5, after a few weeks of listening to it with my Ety ER4Ss, I returned it today. Why? A couple reasons. Primarily a lack of high frequencies. It's dark, or rolled off, up high. There's a lack or air with breathy voices and, for example, violins. The "sparkle" from brushed cymbals is all but missing. Second, the soundstage is compressed. Both vertically and horizontally. It's the musical equivalent of squinting: you are forced to focus only on the center.

The A5 is well made, has plenty of power, killer bass, and is the perfect size. I just wish it sounded good. Perhaps if there were a way to switch out OPAMPS and buffers, it could be made to sound better. FiiO, any chance you can make a DIY edition of the A5? Or even send me one where I can play with those things and help you get it voiced properly?

In the meantime, I'm on the lookout for a portable amp of approximately the A5's size, but with better soundstage and neutral highs that let my ER4Ss treble shine. Any recommendations?

 

[Light - Man]

Despite my initial enthusiasm for the A5, after a few weeks of listening to it with my Ety ER4Ss, I returned it today. Why? A couple reasons. Primarily a lack of high frequencies. It's dark, or rolled off, up high. There's a lack or air with breathy voices and, for example, violins. The "sparkle" from brushed cymbals is all but missing. Second, the soundstage is compressed. Both vertically and horizontally. It's the musical equivalent of squinting: you are forced to focus only on the center.

The A5 is well made, has plenty of power, killer bass, and is the perfect size. I just wish it sounded good. Perhaps if there were a way to switch out OPAMPS and buffers, it could be made to sound better. FiiO, any chance you can make a DIY edition of the A5? Or even send me one where I can play with those things and help you get it voiced properly?

In the meantime, I'm on the lookout for a portable amp of approximately the A5's size, but with better soundstage and neutral highs that let my ER4Ss treble shine. Any recommendations?

 
EriK, coincidentally I was intending to post my thoughts today but am having difficulties verbalizing what I don't like about it.
 
Likewise, initially I liked the sound straight out of the box but it could have been new toy syndrome but with further burn-in I find myself not liking the sound even though it has plenty of power.
 
Somehow it seems to mess up the sound, one thing I noticed from the start is that it places vocals further back and seems to lose some articulation.
 
I find it has more top end than the E12A and has a more spacious sound but the E12A has better vocals.
 
I can't say that I am really enjoying either the A5 or E12A, so the jury is still out for me and will likely return both but I have until the end of January to return them.
 
I left the A5 running for about 15 hours recently with my latest purchase (Beyer T1 Gen 2) and not really enjoying the experience.
 
I will give further opinions when and if I can be bothered, remember these are just my opinions at the moment.

 

[RedJohn456]

This setup is driving me absolutely bananas! Loving it 
 

 

[audio123]

  This setup is driving me absolutely bananas! Loving it 
 

superb setup

 

[audio123]

  Dear Dany1
Thank you for your kind feedback to us. The A5 is an AMP only so it doesn't have DAC function.
If you mean the volume almost has no changes in low gain, it may be abnormal. But it may depend on your source as well. You can try the demo in the local stores to see whether the phenomenon is same.
It is not recommended to use the extra AMP for a headphone port because it will go through both the amp module of the players and the amp module of extra AMP. But so of our users may prefer this as well. Collecting to the line out port may be a better choice.
For the his-res sticker issue, maybe it is some offset with a few stickers. We will pay more attention to this in later products. Sorry if bringing inconvenience to you.  
Best regards

most of the a5 i saw have poorly aligned stickers

 

[snellemin]

The A5 is well made, has plenty of power, killer bass, and is the perfect size. I just wish it sounded good. Perhaps if there were a way to switch out OPAMPS and buffers, it could be made to sound better. FiiO, any chance you can make a DIY edition of the A5? Or even send me one where I can play with those things and help you get it voiced properly?

 

You can always DIY, if you are handy with a soldering iron.  It's kinda based of the E12A, so it's not to hard to do.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/737615/new-fiio-e12a-for-iems/1290#post_12948445

 

[Light - Man]

  You can always DIY, if you are handy with a soldering iron.  It's kinda based of the E12A, so it's not to hard to do.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/737615/new-fiio-e12a-for-iems/1290#post_12948445

Thanks for the link!
 
Which would you reckon would be the best to mod, E12A or A5 (E12A has a better battery)?
 
I wonder if the A5 was made to be cheaper and not necessarily better than the E12A?
 
Any other portable amps that we could consider? 

 

[snellemin]

  Thanks for the link!
 
Which would you reckon would be the best to mod, E12A or A5 (E12A has a better battery)?
 
I wonder if the A5 was made to be cheaper and not necessarily better than the E12A?
 
Any other portable amps that we could consider? 

Better battery, no.  More power equals a bigger amp case.  It's not gonna happen.  
 
I have the DIY version too and most other owners like the Muses02 in it.  That is where the E12A came from and it was a big hit in my eyes.  I never heard the A5, so I can't commend if it sounds different compared to what I have.  But I can tell you, that I carry my modded E12A everywhere I need portable music.  The E12 DIY doesn't get much love from me, except when I watch movies with my planar.  

 

[Erik_C]

You can always DIY, if you are handy with a soldering iron.  It's kinda based of the E12A, so it's not to hard to do.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/737615/new-fiio-e12a-for-iems/1290#post_12948445

 


Not too easily, actually, from what I've seen. It's moot anyway, as the A5 is on its way back to FiiO.

 

[snellemin]

 

  You can always DIY, if you are handy with a soldering iron.  It's kinda based of the E12A, so it's not to hard to do.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/737615/new-fiio-e12a-for-iems/1290#post_12948445

 


Not too easily, actually, from what I've seen. It's moot anyway, as the A5 is on its way back to FiiO.

Desoldering the Muses is tricky due to it's soft copper legs.  But it's doable.  The DIY Fiio amp is still available if you feel like opamp rolling.

 

[Erik_C]

Desoldering the Muses is tricky due to it's soft copper legs.  But it's doable.  The DIY Fiio amp is still available if you feel like opamp rolling.

 


I can't justify the $80 price jump for the DIY model. Isn't it LESS work for FiiO to make it? (No soldering OPAMPS or anything...)

 

[snellemin]

 

  Desoldering the Muses is tricky due to it's soft copper legs.  But it's doable.  The DIY Fiio amp is still available if you feel like opamp rolling.

 


I can't justify the $80 price jump for the DIY model. Isn't it LESS work for FiiO to make it? (No soldering OPAMPS or anything...)

You would think that, but they have to pay some group of people to assemble the units with the opamps and buffers.  Then there was the fact of limited run units, which brings up the price.

 

[TheoS53]

  I received my Fiio A5 2 days ago.I had high expectations but i'm left a bit disappointed.However,i'm not entirely sure if it's the dac that bottlenecks the sound quality since i don't own a dedicated dac through which i could connect it on a line out and have only tried it through the headphone out of laptop and mobiles.I tried Fiio A5 with my laptop,samsung galaxy s4 and also on a friend's Lg v10 which i thought has a really good built-in dac so it would make my confusion clear.I tried 2 earphones.Havi B3 pro-I and Trinity delta.
 
Let me highlight the problems i'm facing with the amp:
 
1: On low gain,Even tho i'm using iems i have to turn the volume pot to full to achieve any decent volume and the dynamic range isn't great unless i switch to high gain..It's the same case on all the 3 devices i've tried it on.
 
2: On high gain,i do get more volume but as i start turning up the volume knob it also introduces noise floor,hiss,It wasn't that much present on s4 and v10 but still it was there.On high volume,it starts making things sound harsh,messy and distorted.Even when connected to the lg v10.
 
Also i find it really odd that the hi-res logo print isn't properly aligned.
 

 
Could i possibly have a faulty unit,does anyone else face these issues ?

 They shipped the same stickers with the X1ii. It's these relatively small and simple oversights that made me lose confidence in FiiO. As someone else said, "it's just a sticker"...and that's a valid point, but my rationale is this: If there are blatant oversights on the outside of the product, what does that imply for the internals?