The FiiO KA5 is a USB dongle at $99. It delivers 122 mW into 32Ω and 14 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 199 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.
Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 514 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 44, only marginal on 7 and not enough power for 2. Two DAC chips, a small display and both jacks. The step up from the KA11 for anyone who wants balanced without carrying a battery.
The manufacturer publishes 136 mW into 16Ω, 122 mW into 32Ω, 14 mW into 300Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.
The balanced output is rated separately: 265 mW into 32Ω through the 4.4mm jack.
Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).
Source: fiio.com.
| Load | Power | Status | How it was arrived at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Ω | 136 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 32 Ω | 122 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 150 Ω | 26 mW | Derived | worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them |
| 300 Ω | 14 mW | Published | the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load |
| 600 Ω | 6.8 mW | Derived | beyond the published loads, holding output voltage constant — which understates rather than flatters |
Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.
| Headphone | Impedance | Sensitivity | Needs | Headroom | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 114.0 dB/mW | 0.04 mW | +33 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| 64 Audio U12t | 12.6 Ω | 108.0 dB/mW | 0.16 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable audible hiss |
| Shure SE215 | 17 Ω | 107.0 dB/mW | 0.20 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Moondrop Aria | 32 Ω | 107.1 dB/mW | 0.19 mW | +28 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Audeze LCD-X 2021 | 20 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Truthear Hexa | 20.5 Ω | 103.1 dB/mW | 0.49 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sennheiser IE 200 | 18 Ω | 101.6 dB/mW | 0.69 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Sony MDR-7506 | 63 Ω | 106.0 dB/mW | 0.25 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Meze 99 Classics | 32 Ω | 103.0 dB/mW | 0.50 mW | +24 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Focal Clear MG | 55 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +23 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Philips SHP9500 | 32 Ω | 101.0 dB | 0.79 mW | +22 dB | Comfortable faint hiss |
| Focal Utopia | 80 Ω | 104.0 dB/mW | 0.40 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Meze Empyrean | 32 Ω | 100.0 dB | 1.0 mW | +21 dB | Comfortable |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Etymotic ER2SE | 15 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +17 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K371 | 32 Ω | 99.1 dB/mW | 1.2 mW | +20 dB | Comfortable |
| Audio-Technica ATH-M50X | 38 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | 48 Ω | 100.0 dB/mW | 1.0 mW | +19 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 101.0 dB/mW | 0.79 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Grado SR80x | 38 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +18 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | 120 Ω | 100.8 dB/mW | 0.83 mW | +16 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Edition XS | 18 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Arya Stealth | 32 Ω | 94.0 dB | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed | 13 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Audeze LCD-5 | 14 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 102.0 dB/mW | 0.63 mW | +14 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 91.0 dB | 7.9 mW | +12 dB | Comfortable |
| HiFiMAN Sundara | 32 Ω | 92.0 dB | 6.3 mW | +13 dB | Comfortable |
| Dan Clark Audio Stealth | 23 Ω | 90.0 dB/mW | 10 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| Fostex T50RP MK3 | 50 Ω | 92.0 dB/mW | 6.3 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| AKG K702 | 62 Ω | 92.9 dB/mW | 5.1 mW | +11 dB | Comfortable |
| ZMF Verite Closed | 300 Ω | 99.0 dB/mW | 1.3 mW | +10 dB | Comfortable |
| Sennheiser HD 650 | 300 Ω | 97.8 dB/mW | 1.7 mW | +9 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 800S | 300 Ω | 96.8 dB/mW | 2.1 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 96.0 dB | 2.5 mW | +8 dB | Enough |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 98.0 dB/mW | 1.6 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| ZMF Atrium | 300 Ω | 96.0 dB/mW | 2.5 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC | 50 Ω | 88.0 dB/mW | 16 mW | +7 dB | Enough |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 91.8 dB/mW | 6.6 mW | +3 dB | Enough |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 83.0 dB | 50 mW | +1 dB | Marginal |
At 1.6 µV of output noise, here is where that noise lands in the five most revealing in-ears in the database.
This one hisses. With the most sensitive in-ears in the database its own noise lands around 25 dB SPL, which you will hear between tracks and in quiet passages.
| In-ear | Impedance | Sensitivity | Hiss level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simgot EA500 | 16 Ω | 141.0 dB/V | 25 dB SPL |
| Tanchjim EA FORCE | 17 Ω | 137.7 dB/V | 22 dB SPL |
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 134.5 dB/V | 19 dB SPL |
| Campfire Audio Clara | 13.3 Ω | 134.1 dB/V | 18 dB SPL |
| 64 Audio Fourte | 10 Ω | 134.0 dB/V | 18 dB SPL |
At 0.3Ω output impedance this source satisfies the one-eighth rule with every headphone in the database, down to the 3Ω in-ears. Nothing here will have its frequency response shaped by the source.
| As published | FiiO KA5 |
|---|---|
| DAC | CS43198 x2 |
| Outputs | 3.5 mm SE (shared with S/PDIF out), 4.4 mm balanced |
| Connection | USB-C |
| Formats | PCM 768 kHz/32-bit, DSD64/128/256 |
| Weight | 19 g |
| Dimensions | About 56.3 x 22 x 12 mm |
Copied from the makers’ own pages: fiio.com/ka5_parameters. Battery life is the maker’s own test figure.
Nothing cheaper in this database does everything the FiiO KA5 does. Of the 280 sources here, not one at a lower price will reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches, stay inside the one-eighth rule wherever it does and stay under the audible-hiss threshold wherever it does. That is a plain result and it is not the usual one — most of the catalogue has something cheaper that matches it.
This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.
$99 · 250 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$99 · 110 mW into 32Ω · output Ω not published
Compare →$109 · 100 mW into 32Ω · 0.3 Ω out
Compare →$109 · 180 mW into 32Ω · 0.8 Ω out
Compare →$109 · 180 mW into 32Ω · 0.4 Ω out
Compare →$79 · 50 mW into 32Ω · 1.7 Ω out
Compare →Compared with its closest rivals: vs ddHiFi TC35Pro (Mountain2) · vs FiiO KA11 · vs FiiO KA13 · vs FiiO KA15 · vs FiiO KA17 · vs FiiO KA3 · vs FiiO SnowSky Tiny A · vs FiiO SnowSky Tiny B · vs HiBy FC4.