Post by Rabbit on May 13, 2017 17:16:33 GMT
I've been messing around with the A5 for a week now and I have to say, I do think it's probably an improvement on both the e12 and e12a.
It has a gain of either 0 or 13db with a bass boost, and looks exactly like the other two. Can't hear the noise floor. It's extremely quiet. All three have a bass boost and on Fiios, this is done quite nicely, although I leave it off.
It has some things in common with the e12a as far as op amps go and also a similar amount of power to the e12 with a lower noise floor. No pot noise at all when it's adjusted and no popping or click when turning on or off with the relay in there. With a gain of zero, it's perfectly loud enough for most portable headphones. The e12 is the only one with crossfeed.
The volume knob is a bit larger which is always handy for finer control. With all three, you need to lift the amp off a desk in order to change volume. It's very close to the floor and too stiff to move them from the top. Personally I'd like control even bigger actually but tracking is very good down on the low end, so they must have put a nice pot in there. Just a shift at very, very low volume. Less than most.
Build of all 3 is terrific although the connectors on this seems better and I like the larger vol pot. The gun metal finish of the a5 is darker than the e12a which is brushed metal, where the a5 is sand blasted (?) I think. It's a good solid finish though tbh.
This one has a slight edge (I think). It's not quite as warm perhaps as the e12 and is very crisp sounding. So it is more like the e12a in that respect but it also has a good amount of power as well, going a bit louder than the e12a. To me it sounds perhaps just a fraction more precise, I think than both of the others.
The volume seems less touchy as far as focusing of the sound goes. It works at a wide range of volumes very cleanly and I feel very happy listening to this one at lower volume levels. (As well as high) Funny that with some amps, I feel the need to turn up to get a good presence while with others, it doesn't seem so necessary. The a5 seems comparatively unfussy in this regard. I'm not sure why that is - whether it's because the treble is better defined or the mids are more present. Not sure, but some do work effectively from lower volumes compared to others. I do get the feeling that this one is a little more 'open' sounding and crisper than the expected sound sig from Fiio.
It has more of an 'edge' in its sound that makes it seem more 'Hi-Fi' and for the price, I think it is a really good amp that doesn't impose any massive slant on the sound but sounds pretty clean and powerful.
The combo of X5, into the a5 and would you believe a Portaprois excellent!! AT MSR7 is even better and there's enough power to even push a Senn hd650.
It does seem a fraction more 'precise' sounding than the other two I think.
It has a gain of either 0 or 13db with a bass boost, and looks exactly like the other two. Can't hear the noise floor. It's extremely quiet. All three have a bass boost and on Fiios, this is done quite nicely, although I leave it off.
It has some things in common with the e12a as far as op amps go and also a similar amount of power to the e12 with a lower noise floor. No pot noise at all when it's adjusted and no popping or click when turning on or off with the relay in there. With a gain of zero, it's perfectly loud enough for most portable headphones. The e12 is the only one with crossfeed.
The volume knob is a bit larger which is always handy for finer control. With all three, you need to lift the amp off a desk in order to change volume. It's very close to the floor and too stiff to move them from the top. Personally I'd like control even bigger actually but tracking is very good down on the low end, so they must have put a nice pot in there. Just a shift at very, very low volume. Less than most.
Build of all 3 is terrific although the connectors on this seems better and I like the larger vol pot. The gun metal finish of the a5 is darker than the e12a which is brushed metal, where the a5 is sand blasted (?) I think. It's a good solid finish though tbh.
This one has a slight edge (I think). It's not quite as warm perhaps as the e12 and is very crisp sounding. So it is more like the e12a in that respect but it also has a good amount of power as well, going a bit louder than the e12a. To me it sounds perhaps just a fraction more precise, I think than both of the others.
The volume seems less touchy as far as focusing of the sound goes. It works at a wide range of volumes very cleanly and I feel very happy listening to this one at lower volume levels. (As well as high) Funny that with some amps, I feel the need to turn up to get a good presence while with others, it doesn't seem so necessary. The a5 seems comparatively unfussy in this regard. I'm not sure why that is - whether it's because the treble is better defined or the mids are more present. Not sure, but some do work effectively from lower volumes compared to others. I do get the feeling that this one is a little more 'open' sounding and crisper than the expected sound sig from Fiio.
It has more of an 'edge' in its sound that makes it seem more 'Hi-Fi' and for the price, I think it is a really good amp that doesn't impose any massive slant on the sound but sounds pretty clean and powerful.
The combo of X5, into the a5 and would you believe a Portaprois excellent!! AT MSR7 is even better and there's enough power to even push a Senn hd650.
It does seem a fraction more 'precise' sounding than the other two I think.