FiiO K5 PRO ESS, headphone amplifier

K5 PRO ESS, headphone amplifier with updated DAC version with ES9038Q2M. A great choice at a reasonable price!

This is the second in a series of FiiO products being covered on TechPowerUp, with the first being the FiiO FA7s set of all balanced armature driver in-ear monitors . I mentioned in said review how FiiO puts out more products in a year than most companies do in a decade, and FiiO not only has multiple lines of IEMs, but various sources to drive them in the form of digital audio players and DAC/amp combo units. We have previously taken a look at two separate FiiO portable DAC/amps, covering both wired and wireless options, and now examine a desktop class unit in the same realm.

The FiiO K5 Pro ESS is a forced iterative release due to the AKM factory fire of 2019, which resulted in a massive shortage of digital-to-analog converter chipsets from arguably the biggest manufacturer of said chipsets at the time. ESS quickly saw growth opportunities galore and expanded its Saber DAC line to cater to the demands of all of AKM's customers left helpless for future plans. As the name suggests, the K5 Pro ESS uses an ESS DAC and is otherwise similar to the older K5 Pro desktop DAC/amplifier that distinguishes itself from the portable class by necessitating AC mains as opposed to USB power. The original plan was to combine coverage of the K5 Pro ESS with the FiiO FA7s IEMs akin to the FD3 and New K3 from before, but it quickly became obvious that the FiiO K5 Pro ESS is worthy of its own article. Then another FiiO item came along and bumped the K5 Pro ESS off a dedicated review slot, so we are at it with a detailed quick look article instead! Let's thank FiiO for providing TechPowerUp a sample as we begin with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

SPECIFICATIONS