FiiO K5 PRO ESS Headphone amplifier

FiiO K5PRO ESS is a compact desktop DAC and headphone amplifier with the new ESS9038Q2M DAC and an output power of up to 1.5 W.
32BIT / 768kHz, the DSD512 capable K5PRO ESS uses the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC for decoding while offering an output power of up to 1500 mW and can operate as a standalone amplifier.

This newer version of the K5PRO achieves 118dB SNR and 113dB dynamic range, which is 3dB more than before.
With the new ESS implementation, K5PRO also achieves 50% better distortion control, as well as 16% higher output power with USB and SPDIF sources.

The K5PRO ESS can be used as a preamplifier to connect to its RCA line-in connectors. If you plan to use its lineout to connect to another amplifier, compared to the previous generation K5PRO, the crosstalk of the new design has been improved by 6 dB for better channel separation.

On the front there is a center volume panel with a backlit edge that shows the bit rate in different colors, lights up blue for Red Book WAV, yellow for 48 kHz and more and green for DSD. You can use the switches to switch between inputs and gain (+ 0dB, + 6dB, + 10dB).

With a 6.3 mm output, it is suitable for studio headphones as well as any 3.5 mm terminated adapter. If you are looking for balanced outputs, you will need to look at the K9 Pro ESS, as the K5PRO ESS only works with single-ended outputs.

On the back you will find the coaxial / optical input, RCA line input / output and USB-B connector. You can connect the DAP to the K5PRO ESS via a coaxial (SPDIF), optical or USB input and use it as a DAC or as a DAC + amplifier. The AC power connector is located next to the USB-B socket, and you can upgrade the power supply and USB cable for better performance.