[Dobrescu George]

  Hi guys,
 
I bought 3 weeks ago FiiO A5 and Fiio X5II, all new. And I have found that both of them become warm when it is working. And A5 is much warmer than X5II, I would say that A5 is very warm, maybe hot. I wonder if it is normal? What about your A5, guys?
 
I use A5 + X5II + JVC SZ2000. A5 has settings: Gain - High, Bass - On, Volume ~ 1-2 pm. 
 
Thank you.

 
Absolutely normal. 
 
As long as you can touch it and keep your hand on it, it is generally within limits. First generation of X5 used to get reaaally warm, same for E12A. 
 
Don't pocket them, keep them in hands for better control over temperature. 

 

[umut]

When i use it in protective cover, it gets warm. "not hot"
 
P.S: I handled it to work with iphone

 

[Dobrescu George]

  When i use it in protective cover, it gets warm. "not hot"
 
P.S: I handled it to work with iphone

 
Do not use it in protective cover... It is within the instructions paper - you're only supposed to carry it in that cover, never use it inside. 

 

[thelonious58]

@flognarde


I got a E12A and a A5 a few days ago but have not had much time to play with them yet, to complicate things I also have just got a Chord Mojo (again) so I have a few too many toys to play with.

I have had the E12A before and found it a little clinical and to lack a little overall body to the sound. (with Ibasso DX90) The new A5 has gone the other way and has much more body to the sound - perhaps too much for some people? It may be considered a colored sound with some added warmth but to me at the moment, it is all in a good way, it has an upbeat musical expression, almost like a valve amp, that glides over some of the finer detail but the overall experience is an enjoyable one - the tuning from my experience it is quite a departure from the Fiio house sound.

I have had the Fiio X5 which I did not enjoy because it was too clinical for me - so in your case I would try the A5 over the E12A.

Early days for me but a lot has to do with pairings and personal preference.  

Nice comparative review! I had a similar experience with the A5, but comparing it with the E17K. I have moderate hearing loss in the treble and midrange areas and I use hearing aids for conversation and when out and about, so for me, clarity is a prime requirement, as I don't want to wear my hearing aids when listening to music through headphones. A few months ago I bought the famously hard to drive AKG K612 and was immediately captivated by its wonderful clarity, accuracy and precision, also its lack of midbass bump (which was the reason why I sold my Sennheiser HD598). My only problem; I only had a little Topping Nx-1 amp to drive them, connected to my iPod classic 160Gb via a Fiio LOD L9. As I never listen above moderate volume levels, there was no clipping, and I was very happy with the clear sound signature and the high level of detail retrieval. Then I read Brooko's reviews of the E17K and the A5, so I bought the E17K and could definitely hear an improvement in sound, no doubt due to its higher output (OK, only 200mv into 32 Ohms). Out of curiosity I ordered an A5 just to check whether its higher output would bring out the best from my AKG K612. Initial impressions were excellent, a very solid, deep and detailed sound which worked really well on chamber music and jazz. When I switched to orchestral music the impression changed a lot. The sound was thicker than with the E17K, even with the E17K without any treble or bass adjustment. Then I remembered what several experts on hard to drive headphones have said, that the bass improves most noticeably..... now I was hearing that increase, but I didn't like it. If the A5 had treble and bass adjustment like the E17K, I would have cutthe bass a little, but it doesn't. So for my defective hearing, the E17K had the better sound, and now on some tracks I increase the bass a little and get a sound almost as refined as the A5, but without the thick bass. I duly returned the A5. My search is now over! I know that I will never get a more satisfying sound than my current setup with the E17K and AKG K612. So the old adage "Trust your own ears" has a lot of truth in it. Also, perhaps power is not everything....

 

[wigglepuff]

whats the normal charging time of the A5 when using another usb2 cable? 10 hrs?
 
I charged it using a usb2 datacable when it started blinking red and just left it but its still charing untill now and its been 7hrs 15mins. Is this normal?
 
edit: ok right about 3mins after I posted this it became full, 7hrs 15mins plus... using a usb 2 data cable plugged right at the back of the mobo.

 

[The Frenchman]

Hi,

A computer USB port is limited to 500 milliamperes (or 900 mA for a USB 3.0 port). The dedicated wall charger, on the other hand, is usually able to provide 1000 mA or more....
Charging from a USB port of a computer is slower than charging using a charger because the voltage and amperage provided by the computer is considerably lower than in the case of using a normal charger.
Using a usb 2 data cable plugged right at the back of the mobo doesn't change anything ... no more power...

 

[wigglepuff]

 
Hi,

A computer USB port is limited to 500 milliamperes (or 900 mA for a USB 3.0 port). The dedicated wall charger, on the other hand, is usually able to provide 1000 mA or more....
Charging from a USB port of a computer is slower than charging using a charger because the voltage and amperage provided by the computer is considerably lower than in the case of using a normal charger.
Using a usb 2 data cable plugged right at the back of the mobo doesn't change anything ... no more power...

Yes i know, but what fiio forgot to specify is that using a 5v/2A wall charger means you also need a usb cable thats capable of handling 5v/2A, standard usb cables dont allow this and some usb cables although labelled as usb 2.0 or 3.0 are actually underperforming in power delivery not even getting close to 500ma.
 
and the actual power cable that came with the A5 is less than a foot long...

 

[The Frenchman]

Syncwire (a little bit expensive) on amazon is a good quality for USB cable. Low price = bad quality and underperforming in power.
Good wall charger and usb cable too = 2,5 hours max to charge your A5. It's this time for my A5.

 

[BoomBap08]

Anybody tried comparing the A5 and the Topping NX5?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

Anybody tried comparing the A5 and the Topping NX5?

​I have not compared but the power output looks to be less on the topping.  I have no experience with the Topping but my reply is a bump for your inquiry. Maybe somebody else will answer

 

[397324]

Can someone recommend a high-quality 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect a FiiO A5 to an X5ii?

 

[Persco]

  Can someone recommend a high-quality 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to connect a FiiO A5 to an X5ii?

 
This might be helpful...
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/693970/comparing-amp-interconnect-silver-upgrades-silver-gold-basic-by-onest11

 

[Brooko]

Yep - the short interconnect included with the A5. Ultimately it's very functional and there will be no audible effect on the sound anyway.

 

[ElectronicTonic]

Yep - the short interconnect included with the A5. Ultimately it's very functional and there will be no audible effect on the sound anyway.

I love that cable! It's so small, I'm always afraid I'm going to lose it.

 

[The Frenchman]

FIIO L16
Between my A5 and X5 I