Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
The rear houses a S/PDIF 3.5mm coaxial port for Toslink mini-plug connections, an RCA output, and a USB 3.0 type A input port. So today, we are gonna review the FiiO Q5S, the upscale version of the FiiO Q5. The fall-2019 range Finally, on the left side, you can find three buttons. The first one is a simple input. The second one, SRC, works only for digital input, and it is there for resampling, 48, 96, and the 192KHz. The third one stands there for filters. PCM1 is “Sharp Roll-off,” PCM2 is “Slow Roll-off,” PCM3 is “Short Delay Sharp,” and PCM4 works as “Short Delay Slow.” Q5s-TC plays bass deep and articulate , with little less resolution then the Chord Mojo for textures ; the quality of bass is dry , precise , deep , not meddling at all with mids , can reach a quite decent feel and compression : as to vibrate headphones pads on cheeks ; as well as a thrilling soundcape where it is ambience bass. The FiiO Q3 is the new entry-level DAC/AMP from the brand. Visually it’s a slight evolution from the previous Q1 Mark II, especially compared from the time when the brand moved from the first Q1, to the Mark II. Thankfully, it remains perfectly up-to-date, with its clean unibody shell, and provides THX-AAA + AKM AK4462 performances, through 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs.
FiiO Q5S High Resolution DAC and Headphone Amplifier FiiO Q5S High Resolution DAC and Headphone Amplifier
Same sound signature , the major differences VS the balanced out is bass , dynamics handling and overall definition : these are more loose on unbalanced operation , tonal balance and timbres are less defined ; a side note worth adding is that this option is not unappealing , in fact I enjoyed quite the unbalanced-out when trying it ; the balanced out is superior anywhere or so for technicals but it is not always far better or more enjoyable as the unbalanced can make for a more relaxed listening ; it happened to me . However, the Signature misses Bluetooth connectivity support, and the huge battery makes this powerhouse large and heavy. Stand Out FeaturesThe balanced out sounds better then the unbalanced out : it is tighter , more defined , both tonally and dynamically better , as expected . It is easy to hear. Using it as external amp for any source with 3.5mm line out -> XD05 line in -> headphones out: additional 3.5mm -> 3.5mm cable is needed The next important thing is the fact that you can swap the OPAMPs to change the sound quality and the signature. That’s why there are separate screws in the box. They are tiny, so if you’re not into DIY in the electronic world, you might not have proper stuff and lose some of them. Using it as external DAC/amp for any source over Optical/Coaxial for headphones: additional Coax/optical -> 3.5mm Coax/optical cable is needed
FiiO Technology and Support - FiiO
There are two flagship-class AK4493EQ Chips inside, and they are powering the multitude of AMP modules, although the module Q5s comes with AM3E. An XUF208 XMOS chip takes care of the USB DAC decoding abilities, and it enables Native DSD decoding, as well as up to 32 Bit / 768kHz in PCM Mode. The CSR 8675 Bluetooth 5.0 Chip allows you to take advantage of all the nice BT codecs, and has one of the strongest, most reliable signals out there. Chord gave the Mojo a minimalistic design, with three ball-like buttons for power on/off and volume control. It has no dedicated display, but the colors on power and volume buttons change to indicate the input signal’s sampling rate and status. Driving ability from the balanced output is very good and the FiiO Q5s TC can drive all the above mentioned headphones with ease and headroom so it can be sufficient for most use cases. Technically, the Sparrow is an IEM amplifier that handles all file formats within the 32-bit/384 kHz and supports the popular MQA and DSD128. The device is purely a plug-and-play with no controls of its own. The Sparrow uses the ESS flagship Sabre ES9281PRO chip, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 122dB, a total harmonic distortion and noise (THD+N) -112 dB, and 124 dB DNR.
The fall-2019 range
The FiiO Q3 is the third iteration of the mighty Q1, the entry-level portable DAC/AMP from the brand. Think of it as a battery-powered K3, as both devices share lots of quirks and features. There’s a tangible sense of singer and pianist in a simpatico relationship. And if ever there was a recording where the Q5’s all-encompassing need to be fully in control wasn’t an issue, this is it. The main comparisons for the XD-05 Plus are with iFi xDSD, FiiO Q5s and Earmen TR-AMp. There are a few others, but those are the biggest players in the DAC/AMP range for under 500 USD. It’s 7.52-inches long, weighs 2.64 pounds, and needs to be plugged into a power source at all time, so you probably won’t move it around too much. It can play audio files up to 192kHz/24-Bits without compression, and has a pair of Wolfsun 24-bit chips under the hood. Cambridge Audio says its DAC upsamples (bumps up the resolution of compressed files) to present audio files in the best way possible using a custom technology called ATF2. Native high-resolution music will sound better, but some albums aren’t available in that format. In practice, I would like to notice that it does get warm during usage, but it works pretty well. The USB port being microUSB is outdated at this point, but happily, FiiO includes Type-C connectors with all their other recent products, like BTR5, FiiO M11, FiiO K3, FiiO K5 PRO, and FiiO EH3NC. Pretty much everything else from FiiO comes with Type-C, but to offer proper compatibility with older FiiO Modules that worked for Q5 and X7mkii, they extended the support to include microUSBs port instead.
FiiO Q5S Modular DAC/AMP Review - Audiophile Heaven
The bass has good separation and above mediocre detailing for the price point. The bass is slightly elevated by default, with the intimate soundstage contributing to the feeling of warmth and increasing the impression about the bass. You can easily distinguish multiple basslines, but the presentation tries to be as neutral as possible. Fails, but laughs on it, I’m into this stuff. But of course, the actual use-hours largely depend on the headphones’ power demand and the volume levels used. xDuoo XD-05 Plus vs Earmen TR-AMp (250 USD vs 250 USD) – Earmen TR-AMP is actually the one people most often want to compare to XD-05 Plus, and I honestly think that you could get either and be happy, but with the recent scandal about TR-AMP and Earmen products in general having a huge failure rate, I actually really recommend XD-05 Plus much more. In fact, XTENIK will be there for you and support you, while Earmen is flaky when it comes to honoring warranty, and at this moment I recommend high caution when purchasing their products.
Tech Inside
Well it seems that the answer is yes at least in the case of the Q5s TC as it takes from the already magnificent Q5s and manages to squeeze even more reaching out for perfection. The advanced chip betters the Cobalt’s power management while improving the processing speed. If you had used the prior models, you’d certainly notice the improved sound quality in the Cobalt. Most of the time, I was using the Bqeyz Spring 2, a neutral-bright earphone with cruelly fast bass that doesn’t get to the front. The XD-05 Plus frees the bass. Now, the Spring 2 is a little beast that can strike hard and rumble with subbass, providing a lot of fun. PAW S1 can handle high-resolution audio like PCM to the maximum limit of 32-bit/384Khz. Furthermore, it handles DSD to a roof capacity of DSD128 natively. Describing sounds has never been an easy task and when the bar rises describing what is better and why becomes elusive or complicated at times and more of a side search or a personal quest for what is more fitting a personal appeal ; in this regard I will write also a brief comparison with the Chord Mojo which I have used quite regularly last months along with other dongles , the comparison will likely provide some hints.
FiiO Q5S Review - Amp-up your smartphone - Soundnews FiiO Q5S Review - Amp-up your smartphone - Soundnews
There’s a selection of a 3.5mm to 3.5mm line cable, so you can use Q5s as an amplifier, from an external DAC. There’s also a USB cable, and an iphone cable, so you can connect Q5s to any iPhones as the external DAC/AMP. There’s also a COAX cable. There’s a screwdriver, so you can replace the amplifier modules of Q5s.
The Lotoo PAW S1 supports Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices and connects through a USB-C and lightning cable. The drivers install automatically in computers while the UAPP app runs on Android for USB driver support. Stand Out Features The battery lasts the same, or even more than most competitors, making Q5s a really good option to take outdoors. Even if you decide to go hiking, to escape from the endless torment of today’s city stress, Q5s should be able to keep up with you, and you’ll have a great time. Just make sure to either use something that’s open by design, so bears don’t eat you up, don’t forget, when going portable, you should be double as aware of your surroundings if you’re listening to music. Especially if you listen really really loud. If the FiiO E10K was a massive success, the FiiO K3 seems to be more discreet. This is a shame as I really think this is one of the simplest solutions to get a good sound out of your computer. It got an AKM AK4452, a Coax/Optical output, an unbalanced/balanced output and most of all, its footprint is even smaller than the FiiO M6. Q5s-TC offers a fast and easy-on-ears sound ; that can be appreciated more and more deep with time too , for technicalities and ranges , without major compromises in its signature ; there's no digities when on Usb Dac bit-perfect use ( that I can hear , anywhere) ; and the performance in his most lossless fashion is very interesting to hear . Bluetooth operation doesn't reach the same cohesivity and continuity , and the bass can sound an inch less organic to the rest ; but it is very good nontheles.
Great Deal 
New Comment