Happy New Year. Wishing you much success in 2022. You are easily the most underrated audio/headphone reviewer on TH-cam and deserve way more attention and subs imo.
Nice review, but your going to get lots of comments about the ifi zen dac, it really is a killer product for the money 💰 add the zen can and you can drive 99% of headphones 🎧.add a HD600 and all i can say is aw my god, if Ifi read this please send one to passion for sound, you keep sending muppet reviewer's your products, how about sending one to a real reviewer thanks...
@@PassionforSound Well ifi should tell them to grow up because its costing them potential customers especially when ifi gear is more obtainable than lots of other gear here in Australia...they may very well lose one in me, as i was looking at getting their electrostatic energiser...
Yeah, I've tried discussing with iFi and some other brands are stuck in the same boat (e.g. Audeze) so no reviews of those products unless a viewer/patron loans it to me or I happen to have sufficient personal interest and opportunity to buy one secondhand
K5 pro ESS still $199. local in NYC retail at B&H. For bedside micro system, still to add smallest CD player or transport with digital out, which will be more pricey. Forced online otherwise. Not much choice in NYC for in store audio except for a few high-end, by appointment only small audio boutiques. It is a poor situation in audio and recordings availability in-store here in NYC.
Hello, I like to ask what dac/amp combo in 200 dollars range can you recommend? Im looking for something that didn't sound to much in top end with all this sparkling noises, I like more juicy , fat, vibrant and warmish sound over crystal clear , clinical one, or something between. I was thinking about Topping dx3 pro plus but what I see in another reviews people saying that Topping is very top end sounding. I will use it for my laptop and mostly for not expensive Iem's.
Hey, I'm thinking of buying the M1 but I have one question that you might be able to answer: I have read that in some of these chinese DAC/AMPs, if you double press the mute button it switches the outputs from headphone to RCA and vice versa. If you still have this DAC can you test if a double press of the on/off button or the volume knob it switches the outputs? I need that feature for my setup. I would expect it to only work in the "RCA or HPO" output option. Thanks!
Eyeing the K5 ESS to power my hifiman. Every review gave very good reviews on the K5 but its an old unit. Thats the only thing holding me back, the K11 is another option. But i will have to get balanced cable for that. Additional cost😮.
actually the new Fiio K5 Pro ESS uses the same chip ESS9038Q2M cause Fiio can't source the AK ones anymore and it's been out for 1 year wht are you reviewing the Old K5 Pro version and Not the New who knows
fiio is going to update the K5 Pro with using an ESS dac chip from now on due to the AKM factory caught on fire recently, so hoping that you will review the updated version of it soon
That's a good question and I've never tested the two, but I'd expect the K5 Pro to perform better because of the dedicated power supply (not powered by a noisy USB output)
Lovely video mate. I have the k5 pro AKM chip version paired with Sennheiser HD660s which sounds great. I'm thinking of getting the Sundaras (37 Ohm / 94 DB) or the new hifiman edition XS (18 Ohm / 92 DB) Do you think the K5 would be enough to power those planars ? Thanks!
Have you tried any opamp rolling with the dac-m1? Any suggestions? :) I'm looking for something that can tame the upper midrange a bit and make it overall a bit more balanced/ natural sounding.
I didn't - sorry. Maybe try the MUSES02 and OPA627. They're two of my go-to op-amps and always se to be an improvement. Just be aware of fake MUSES02 chips and be sure to buy from a reputable outlet (e.g. Mouser, etc.)
Thank you for your review. I have the COS engineering H1 and really like it as a DAC/amp, primarily because the amp sections isn't just an afterthought as with many such units. Only issue is that it needs to be fed clean power- it really does not sound very good at all otherwise.
Not sure if you can advise on this one but I already have the fiio k5 pro and I'm considering to buy the arya stealth as I can get it only a very good deal (new @ £800). Do you think it's "worth" getting a stronger dac/amp such as the k9 pro or will the k5 pro be enough.
I believe the K5 Pro is not available for sale anymore. Because of the international chip shortage, this model was substituted by the K5 Pro ESS, built around a more featured chip, and its price is over 200 dollars now.
@@PassionforSound No problem, I bought the new version at Amazon some days ago, before watching your video, and I'm expecting it to arrive here in Brazil. I'm driving a Hifiman HE400se with a tiny FiiO E10, and I'm anger to have more power!
Happy New Year Lachlan! Nice review as usual. I saw a few comments about iFI Zen Dac, and know you’d said it’s difficult to get one where you are. If you can, do the zen DAC V2, it’s a DAC amp. iFi has an amp for Hifiman called HFM and another amp called 6XX too.
Draco R2r should be everybody's first dac. Don't do measurements route with sigma delta. Sound better is always better than measure better in dacs but not so much with preamp or amplifiers.
@@PassionforSound Buy some 2 aucharm red nano silver fuse 20$ it'll blow you away. Similar to the opamp sparkos 3602 did to my dx7 pro. Anyways never went back to it after.
Happy New Year. Wishing you much success in 2022. You are easily the most underrated audio/headphone reviewer on TH-cam and deserve way more attention and subs imo.
Thanks JTB. Hopefully the growth will continue in 2022 and open new opportunities... 🙂🙂
i have the k5 pro last 2020 priced on sale $120 and have been very satisfied with it, i paired it with beyer dt990 pro
Nice review, but your going to get lots of comments about the ifi zen dac, it really is a killer product for the money 💰 add the zen can and you can drive 99% of headphones 🎧.add a HD600 and all i can say is aw my god, if Ifi read this please send one to passion for sound, you keep sending muppet reviewer's your products, how about sending one to a real reviewer thanks...
Great idea. You probably don't need to add a Zen can unless you have difficult to power headphones and you like to listen loud.
Thanks Steve, but the issue isn't iFi themselves - it's the local Australian distributor
@@PassionforSound Well ifi should tell them to grow up because its costing them potential customers especially when ifi gear is more obtainable than lots of other gear here in Australia...they may very well lose one in me, as i was looking at getting their electrostatic energiser...
Yeah, I've tried discussing with iFi and some other brands are stuck in the same boat (e.g. Audeze) so no reviews of those products unless a viewer/patron loans it to me or I happen to have sufficient personal interest and opportunity to buy one secondhand
Great review, sir! And Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too! 🙂🎉
Really like the new intro. Have a Happy New Year. Great review as usual.
Glad you like the new intro! Happy New Year 🙂🎉
K5 pro ESS still $199. local in NYC retail at B&H. For bedside micro system, still to add smallest CD player or transport with digital out, which will be more pricey.
Forced online otherwise. Not much choice in NYC for in store audio except for a few high-end, by appointment only small audio boutiques.
It is a poor situation in audio and recordings availability in-store here in NYC.
I haven't tried the K5 Pro ESS. Good price though. Bricks and mortar stores are hard to come by for quality audio gear in many places unfortunately.
I got the K5 Pro ESS from Fiio's Aliexpress store for $90 USD for Black Friday.
Hello, I like to ask what dac/amp combo in 200 dollars range can you recommend? Im looking for something that didn't sound to much in top end with all this sparkling noises, I like more juicy , fat, vibrant and warmish sound over crystal clear , clinical one, or something between. I was thinking about Topping dx3 pro plus but what I see in another reviews people saying that Topping is very top end sounding. I will use it for my laptop and mostly for not expensive Iem's.
I'd jump straight to the FiiO K7. It fits exactly what you're describing: th-cam.com/video/mKjQa82qkdo/w-d-xo.html
Hey, I'm thinking of buying the M1 but I have one question that you might be able to answer:
I have read that in some of these chinese DAC/AMPs, if you double press the mute button it switches the outputs from headphone to RCA and vice versa. If you still have this DAC can you test if a double press of the on/off button or the volume knob it switches the outputs? I need that feature for my setup. I would expect it to only work in the "RCA or HPO" output option.
Thanks!
It'd have been an even more interesting comparison with the Ifi ZEN DAC (either V1 or V2) added
I'd love to include the iFi gear, but I can't get my hands on it without buying it and I can't afford to keep buying gear for reviews
@@PassionforSound ah sucks
I'd lend you one but Australia is on the other end of the world unfortunately
That's ok - thank you for the thought 🙂
You can check another review of FX Audio DAC M1 on YT. In the comment you should find the comparison
Eyeing the K5 ESS to power my hifiman. Every review gave very good reviews on the K5 but its an old unit. Thats the only thing holding me back, the K11 is another option. But i will have to get balanced cable for that. Additional cost😮.
Old 'K5 Pro' that you got used is now replaced with 'K5 Pro ESS' with ES9038Q2M chip, old one discontinued, slightly different specs.
Thanks for letting me know. Because I grabbed this secondhand, I didn't do my normal research into the new product.
@@PassionforSound i wish you would have because it would have been a better comparison with the same chips.
It still comes back to what I can actually get my hands on and FiiO gear tends to be harder for me to source
@@PassionforSound All good. Looking forward to the next video!
actually the new Fiio K5 Pro ESS uses the same chip ESS9038Q2M cause Fiio can't source the AK ones anymore and it's been out for 1 year wht are you reviewing the Old K5 Pro version and Not the New who knows
You should probably check the date of the review before criticising... The ESS version wasn't released then
hi.. the k5 pro you tested was the ESS version? thanks
It was actually the old version. I produced the review JUST before the new ESS version was released ☹️
@@PassionforSound ok thanks
fiio is going to update the K5 Pro with using an ESS dac chip from now on due to the AKM factory caught on fire recently, so hoping that you will review the updated version of it soon
I'll see what I can do, but FiiO gear is a little harder for me to get
The newish Topping DX3 Pro+ is a direct competitor to these products. It's a $200 AIO.
Yes. I haven't had a chance to try that one as yet
Hi, thank you very much for all your wonderful reviews. How would the DAC from the K5 pro stack up against the DAC from Dragonfly Red in your opinion?
That's a good question and I've never tested the two, but I'd expect the K5 Pro to perform better because of the dedicated power supply (not powered by a noisy USB output)
In Vietnam FX Audio DAC M1 costs 140-170 USD, Fiio K5 Pro 170 USD.
Interesting how the prices change. Thanks for sharing
What an awesome video, considering these exact 2 before even finding this video
I'm so glad I could help! 🙂🙂
Lovely video mate. I have the k5 pro AKM chip version paired with Sennheiser HD660s which sounds great. I'm thinking of getting the Sundaras (37 Ohm / 94 DB) or the new hifiman edition XS (18 Ohm / 92 DB) Do you think the K5 would be enough to power those planars ? Thanks!
The K5 is a pretty powerful unit for what it is so it should do fine
Loved the nice and calming voice although looking at you I imagine hardened MMA fighter. Thanks for sharing
Haha. I'm so far from a hardened MMA fighter, but glad I can look tough and sound gentle 🙂
Wondering if it can work with Foobar for DSD512 native playback?
I don't use Foobar so can't say specifically. I also don't have any DSD512 content so you'd have to go by the specifications
Have you tried any opamp rolling with the dac-m1? Any suggestions? :) I'm looking for something that can tame the upper midrange a bit and make it overall a bit more balanced/ natural sounding.
I didn't - sorry. Maybe try the MUSES02 and OPA627. They're two of my go-to op-amps and always se to be an improvement. Just be aware of fake MUSES02 chips and be sure to buy from a reputable outlet (e.g. Mouser, etc.)
I’ve been happy with the K 5 pro
It's a really nice unit
Thank you for your review. I have the COS engineering H1 and really like it as a DAC/amp, primarily because the amp sections isn't just an afterthought as with many such units. Only issue is that it needs to be fed clean power- it really does not sound very good at all otherwise.
Not one I've come across before - thanks for the tip!
happy new year, Speaking of amp / dac combo, have you heard TOPPING D30 PRO DAC + A30 PRO AMP?
It’s a STACK, not a combo
@@RajinderKaur-yz6ro what’s the difference plz?
I haven't tried the 30 Pro products
Not sure if you can advise on this one but I already have the fiio k5 pro and I'm considering to buy the arya stealth as I can get it only a very good deal (new @ £800). Do you think it's "worth" getting a stronger dac/amp such as the k9 pro or will the k5 pro be enough.
You'll definitely benefit from a higher quality source with the Aryas. The K5 will do fine, but the Aryas can perform above what the K5 provides
@@PassionforSound Thanks man. I'll buy the k9 pro + arya for £1300 then.
Enjoy!
I believe the K5 Pro is not available for sale anymore. Because of the international chip shortage, this model was substituted by the K5 Pro ESS, built around a more featured chip, and its price is over 200 dollars now.
$199 on Amazon for the new ESS version. Much smaller price difference between them now.
Thanks for the update. I didn't dig too deep on this one because I bought the product secondhand. Sorry for not clarifying this detail!
@@PassionforSound No problem, I bought the new version at Amazon some days ago, before watching your video, and I'm expecting it to arrive here in Brazil. I'm driving a Hifiman HE400se with a tiny FiiO E10, and I'm anger to have more power!
I think you'll really enjoy the results. Happy listening!
I just got the K5 Pro ESS for black Friday straight from Fiio's official Aliexpress store for $90 USD. Such a steal.
Love the design of dac-m1, its unique.. 😀
I really like it too and it's nice that it has a fairly small/narrow footprint
Fiio K5 Pro vs Topping DX7 Pro
If I happen to get my hands on them I'll be glad to do that comparison
DAC-M1 into K5 Pro.... I think I would have tried it for curiosity's sake. Enjoyed the review.
It might have been interesting, but I couldn't really see anyone buying both products to use in that way. Glad you enjoyed the review
Happy New Year Boss! Excited to see what you’ve got in store for us this year🙌🏾
I have some good stuff coming I think. Hope you love it.
Happy New Year 🙂🎉
Happy New Year Lachlan! Nice review as usual. I saw a few comments about iFI Zen Dac, and know you’d said it’s difficult to get one where you are. If you can, do the zen DAC V2, it’s a DAC amp. iFi has an amp for Hifiman called HFM and another amp called 6XX too.
I'd love to, but the iFi situation remains unchanged
@@PassionforSound, understand
A very happy new year to you Lachalan, thank you for your clean and detailed review, as usual
My pleasure! Happy New Year to you too! 🎉🙂
Thanks for the review Lachlan! All the best for 2022!
My pleasure! Happy New Year 🙂🎉
Very balanced and well thought through review mate. Cheers and happy new year Lachlan! 🌟
Glad you liked it - thanks Juha! Happy New Year to you too 🙂🎉
Starting off the new year as a subscriber :)
Cheers
Thanks for the sub! Happy New Year 🙂🎉
The glamour video looks very nice.
Glad you liked it!
"Spending you more lets you explore."
This is true! 😁
Those cheaper brands use fake chips. Take those op amps out and put real ones in there.
They're all SMD in this size device. Not worth the time and hassle (for me at least)
@@PassionforSound Definitely worth it to me, I even put a OPA627 in the Topping E30 I have a video on what I did.
Nice one!
Digging the new intro, happy new year !
Glad you like it! Happy New Year 🙂🎉
Draco R2r should be everybody's first dac. Don't do measurements route with sigma delta. Sound better is always better than measure better in dacs but not so much with preamp or amplifiers.
I haven't heard the Draco yet - I'll have to add it to my list...
@@PassionforSound Buy some 2 aucharm red nano silver fuse 20$ it'll blow you away. Similar to the opamp sparkos 3602 did to my dx7 pro. Anyways never went back to it after.
Very interesting. That's a rabbit hole I hadn't even considered yet!
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to you too 🙂🎉
No hip dac, no party 🤣
Haha. Yes, this channel is sadly devoid of iFi content ☹️
@@PassionforSound I'll go yell at ifi marketing guys on Facebook then. 😉
Haha. Thank you! 😁