FiiO - K5 Pro ESS

Desktop DAC And Amplifier

Sale price₹ 13,999 Regular priceMRP: ₹ 19,990
Discontinued
This product is permanently discontinued by the manufacturer and continues to live on in Headphone Zone's Museum.

Unfortunately, even if we desire to, we won't be able to resurrect this product. The Museum is where we pay our respects to end-of-life, old, archived, but not forgotten products. This page was made with a lot of love and will live on for posterity. What to say, we're sentimental people. 😔

While this product is gone forever, here are others we recommend

Customer Reviews

Based on 25 reviews
72%
(18)
16%
(4)
8%
(2)
0%
(0)
4%
(1)
R
Reji T. Nair (Pathanamthitta)
Do We Need an Expensive DAC/AMP?

The primary question is do we need an expensive DAC/AMP in the first place to listen to good music? The answer is a resounding NO. The pursuit of HiFi/HiRes has its own pitfalls. It's a trap. It's just another way to waste your hard-earned money. Musical tastes and preferences are highly subjective, and the same equipment won't satisfy everyone. So, the cardinal rule is this one: invest in a good headphone or IEM. A good one means the one that is well tuned to your own tastes and preferences and do not necessarily mean a very expensive one. There is no need to buy a very expensive one to sound good to you.

Back to the question of DAC/AMP. Investing in hugely expensive DAC/AMPs is an absolute and criminal waste of money. Do not fall for the reviews on YouTube or Headphone Zone. Test it well before you buy, if possible. An inexpensive dongle DAC/AMP (7Hz-71) is serving me much better, both on Android and Windows. Sadly, I wasted 15000 INR on a FiiO K5 Pro ESS keenly anticipating a huge difference in music quality. Not even an iota of improvement! Then why pay 12000 INR more? Invest in a good Headphone/IEM. Buy a very good DAC/AMP like 7Hz-71 or Apple Dongle (INR 900/-). Install USB Audio Player Pro on your phone. (INR 500/-). Use the equalizer on your music app to adjust your equipment to your musical taste. That's it.

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S
S.R. (Kolkata)
Design and Comfort:
Great
Poor
Sound Quality:
Awesome
Awful
Value for Money:
Bang On!
Not at all
Not much to complain

For the price there is very little to complain. I have given four stars, why not five? In terms of absolute sound quality it does not get five but does get a very good four.
It is nothing short of amazing what DACs can do today for this little money, a decade back you could not imagine the refinement in DACs at this price point. If you are starting out or perhaps a little lost in your path dabbling with Headphones in the region of 10 to 15K, look no further than this. It will suffice and some more.
Serious audiophiles, if you are one you probably are looking at products of a different league. I do not mean more expensive products, yes, you do kind of get what you pay for but if you can not afford the true top end offerings then there is always the DIY community to help you out.

I will not get into too much detail on the sound, at this price-point they generally sound decent. I have admired Fiio over the years for what they offer for the money, this is no different. Sound is dynamic, not clinical but neutral. The 'digital glare' that audiophiles talk of, you will find it here but definitely not to the extent of ruining your music. As I have mentioned earlier, you are not going to feel you are missing something as long as you pair this with similarly priced headphones. Go higher though and then the itch starts. It struggles to drive my Hifiman Edition XS to its full potential, you know it when you play complex compositions with expansive sound stage and ambience. For example Hans Zimmer or John Williams. You come away with the distinct impression that there is more to be had, that bassoon could sound more tuneful or that cello could tear into you a bit more. No I do not dream of these things, I have enough experience to know when it is missing.

So in conclusion, amazing device for the money, very little to complain. Beautiful sound for the money. Seasoned audiophiles, you will want more.

We really appreciate the genuine feedback, we'll share your thoughts with the brand as well!

S
Sudip Dey (Shillong)
Design and Comfort:
Great
Poor
Sound Quality:
Awesome
Awful
Value for Money:
Bang On!
Not at all
For every Audiophile beginner

This desktop DAC AMP is hard to beat for the price given the specifications and features. Works magically with my DT770 Pro 250ohm headphones and FH3 IEM. The Fiio K5 pro is a fantastic entry level desktop DAC+AMP.

Hey Sudip,
Thanks for the great review & we hope you had comfortable shopping experience. We are sure your review is gonna help other beginner audiophiles to make an informed decision. Cheers & Welcome to the world of audiophilia!

V
Vignan R (Bengaluru)
Superb

I knew that Fiio K7/K7 BT were on big discount few days back on Black Friday sale but didn't buy them though I could have as I heard of some volume pot issues with it and also K7's highest power is in balanced, I didn't want to go searching for balanced cables for all my headphones and spend extra for them. I even bought a balanced 4.4mm cable for HD599SE that also works with GSP 600 but that cable doesn't sound as good as the original cables that came with those headphones.
Also I wanted an AIO with an ESS DAC instead of AKM or Cirrus Logic as my primary use is for movies and gaming so the extra clarity provided usually by ESS DACs is preferred for my use case
Received my K5 Pro ESS today, my first Fiio product and I am very happy with it. This doesn't have any volume issues and gets my AKG K702 to comfortable listening levels at just 10 o' clock with medium gain on the volume wheel and 11 o' clock in low gain. The sound is clean, clear, tight and instruments are well separated. This product will synergize very well with Neutral-warm or warm sounding headphones but u can EQ it too with bright sounding gear like my K702 and doesn't lose its clarity. Using it with AKG K702, Sen HD599SE, GSP 600, AKG K52 and all are sounding awesome. Also responds to EQ well.

I initially tried Xduoo XA-10, its amp section sounds amazing when connected to an external DAC and has power to drive even Susvara but its internal DACs where a bit muddy and congested sounding, then tried topping L30II amp only, worst sounding device I ever tried, makes the sound thin with no body, no bass, no dynamics, disappointing but it measures well if you are into that. I have nothing against Topping but just saying what I experienced as it may help you but your experience could be different too
Finally I am satisfied with K5 pro ESS. No need to spend more unless you want to. This is a good one. Yet to try its line in with external DACs to see how the amp performs on its own

Thanks a lot for your detailed and genuine feedback, we're glad that you have such positive thoughts about the product and we'll share your thoughts with the brand as well. It'll also help our fellow customers to make the right choice!

M
MELVIN MARSH (Patna)
Design and Comfort:
Great
Poor
Sound Quality:
Awesome
Awful
Value for Money:
Bang On!
Not at all
Overall its good 👍

My 1st Dac experience taken after noticing lot of review here nd there little overpriced but it's ok market is like what you pay you will get thank you headphones zone for providing such a platform cheers .


Chi-Fi
Excellence

1 Year of
Warranty

Ideal for
Indoor Use

Pair with Laptop via USB

A majority of people use a laptop as the primary source device to listen to music or watch movies. Since the laptop is an essential part of the audio chain there are headphones and devices designed to work a laptop or computer system flawlessly. With the availability of USB connectivity, it becomes easier to pair various devices like an Amp, DAC or even headphones without worrying about drivers or any additional piece of software.


Connect With RCA
Optical & Coaxial

Upto 1500mW @ 32Ω
Power Output

DAC Chip
You may not even realise it, but most of us use a digital-to-analogue converter (commonly known as a DAC) daily. Built into your computers, tablets and smartphones, a DAC is fundamental to unlocking the convenience of digital music. Any device that acts as a digital sound source will need a DAC to convert digital audio to analog. A DAC converts the digital information stored in “0s and 1s” into an analog signal that's passed to speakers or headphones and ultimately our ear. In short, DACs play a large part in making digital music hearable. 

While this technical process is undoubtedly impressive, the DAC embedded into your smartphones or laptops is nowhere good enough to listen to your favourite music recordings in high quality. So, if you want to listen to music in high quality, an external DAC is essential to allow headphones or speakers to perform at their potential. An external DAC, first and foremost, will improve audio quality dramatically.
Volume Controls
The K5 Pro ESS is such a versatile and powerful Amp and DAC from FiiO, that it's hard to find a better alternative. It's simple, easy to use, and powerful. Connect it to your laptop or PC using USB, and you've got a superlative desktop audio setup. You can even connect a pair of speakers, and it'll uplift the sound quality very well.
RAGHAV SOMANI

About RAGHAV SOMANI

Raghav Somani is the Founder & CEO of Headphone Zone. An avid audiophile and musician since 2008, his choice of headphones include STAX Electrostats, Audeze LCD 3, and for music on the go, the JH Audio Roxanne + Astell&Kern SP1000 is never too far away. On his playlist, you'll find A.R. Rahman, Michael Jackson, and the Eagles.

FIIO PRESENTS THE ALL-NEW DESKTOP DAC AND AMPLIFIER - THE K5 PRO ESS

FiiO introduces the latest K5 Pro ESS desktop DAC and Amplifier. Building on the K5, a pure desktop amplifier, the team added DAC functionality coupled with the high performance of K5 to create the new K5 Pro ESS Desktop DAC and Amplifier. The K5 Pro ESS connects to an audio player via a digital audio interface and works with a computer as a professional desktop decoding amplifier. Adopting Sabre's high-performance audio DAC chip, ES9038Q2M with 32-bit processing, to achieve a new height of decoding audio. The audio architecture is further elevated with an XMOS USB decoding chip with an all-new clock matching management system, with unprecedented capabilities that support decoding up to a sample rate of 768kHz PCM and native DSD decoding.
K5 Pro

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

EMBEDDED WITH ESS SABRE + XMOS CHIPS FOR PRISTINE PLAYBACK AND DECODING

The new FiiO K5 Pro ESS has been upgraded to keep up with the times to offer high-fidelity audio. The K5 Pro ESS employs the flagship portable ESS DAC chip, the ES9038Q2M, with outstanding performance and richer audio details. Compared to the last generation K5, the distortion has reduced by 50%, the crosstalk has increased by 6dB with greater channel separation, and the dynamic range has increased by 3dB. The K5 Pro ESS also features a high-performance XMOS XUF208 USB decoding chip equipped with a clock matching management system, allowing decoding up to a sample rate of 768kHz/32bit and DSD512 natively. This capability enables the K5 Pro ESS to decode and play your music at the highest quality.

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

POWERFUL HEADPHONE AMPLIFICATION WITH 3 GAIN LEVELS FOR VOLUME CONTROL

The upgraded FiiO K5 Pro ESS now offers amplification functionality. The K5 Pro ESS features a carefully-tuned feedforward amplifier circuit design that increases the power output of the TPA6120 OP-Amp by more than 60%. This offers a total power output of up to 1.5W under a 32ohm load, and up to 20Vpp at 300Ohms. To add to this, you also get 3 gain level settings - Low, medium, and high gain, allowing you to use the K5 Pro ESS with almost any headphone at comfortable volume levels. Through the reconstruction of the ADC curve, the K5 Pro ESS's volume control allows you to smoothly adjust the volume at extremely fine increments without any undesirable noise or with any channel imbalances. With the K5 Pro ESS, you can comfortably use various headphones with all kinds of sensitivities.

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

EXPERTLY DESIGNED AUDIO ARCHITECTURE FOR HIGH-FIDELITY AUDIO PLAYBACK

FiiO K5 Pro ESS does not fall behind when it comes to amplification power. The K5 Pro ESS has generous space to embed and package the necessary components for exceptional analogue amplification. It packs a four-level audio circuit capable of providing extraordinary audio fidelity in its class with Second-order LPF + Analogue Volume Adjustment + Voltage Amplification + Current Drive. Each part of the amplification circuit works perfectly together in harmony for excellent dynamic range and high resolution of sound. This entire audio architecture has been specifically designed to extract the optimum performance of the K5 Pro ESS.

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

OFFERS A VARIETY OF INPUT AND OUTPUT CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS FOR EASY USE

No matter what audio equipment you use, digital audio has advantages in the integrity and fidelity of audio signals transmitted. The team of acoustic engineers at FiiO understood this and granted the K5 Pro ESS capabilities to allow you to take advantage of digital audio with optical and coaxial inputs supporting up to 96kHz inputs. This connectivity is convenient for connecting various music players and digital interfaces. Besides the wide variety of digital inputs options, the K5 Pro ESS also features a traditional analogue RCA line-in. RCA line-in is not only more robust and less prone to breakage than 3.5mm line-in, but it also has better resolution. The RCA line-out line signal is adjustable up to a maximum of 2Vrms, allowing the K5 Pro ESS to be used with a variety of active speakers and external amplifiers.

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS

SHOWCASING A MINIMALISTIC DESIGN WITH A SECURE AND ROBUST POWER SUPPLY

FiiO K5 Pro ESS is designed with quality materials featuring a one-piece all-metal oversized volume knob that is seamlessly integrated within the aluminium front panel, allowing you to easily and comfortably control volume. The RGB light indicator lights up with different colours according to the sample rate of the played audio. The input selection and gain are controlled by tactile toggle switches, which are clearly labelled, allowing you to control your music. The K5 Pro ESS utilises a DC 15V power supply engineered to minimise noise. The incoming DC power is filtered with a secondary power supply, which then independently supplies power to the amplification part of the audio circuit and the rest of the components. This design effectively suppresses power supply ripple and minimises power supply crosstalk between the two major sections of the circuit. This allows for more stable and less noisy power.

Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
Headphone-Zone-FiiO-K5 Pro ESS
1 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this FiiO - K5 Pro ESS comes with a 1 Year warranty from FiiO that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about FiiO's warranty in India.

Inspiring Audio Excellence Worldwide

FiiO creates high-quality music gear like DACs, Music Players, and Amplifiers at affordable prices, appealing to music lovers worldwide. With a presence in India via its FiiO India website and global availability on various platforms, FiiO focuses on user needs and innovation to deliver exceptional audio solutions. Their product range, spanning players, speakers, earphones, and DAC & Amp, aims to inspire with soulful music experiences.

Fun fact:The brand name FiiO is composed of Fi (fidelity from HiFi) and iO (number 1&0), representing the convenience that the digital world brings to life.

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