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The new FiiO A5 achieves nearly the same powerful output of the original E12 Mont Blanc unit but with improved channel balance and a lower noise floor that's ideal for driving highly sensitive in-ear headphones on the 'Low Gain' setting.
The FiiO A5 headphone amp charges via USB connection from any 5 Volt supply via a laptop computer, tablet or most smartphones and takes about 3 hours to fully charge up. Our headphone.com A5 review unit arrived fully charged and ready to rock right out of the box. The battery run time of the FiiO A5 unit rates somewhere around 12-13 hours, so you'll be able to keep the music flowing without worries when you're listening on the go all day or during those long cross continental flights.
In addition to the High/Low gain switch, the A5 unit also has a bass boost button, so it does allows for some audio customization for your particular headphones and listening tastes. A high-quality smooth operation ALPS potentiometer graces the front panel along with the gain switch, plus 3.5mm line input and headphone outputs placed side by side.
The super-slim A5 amp housing contains the bass boost switch on the side panel next to the USB charging connector. The top case shows off two mini LED lights, a deep blue LED light indicating on/off and a red light showing the battery charging status. The A5 amp case itself is an extremely slim-profile, sandblasted grey aluminum chassis and it measures approximately 2 1/2" inches wide by 4 1/2" inches long and only a 1/4" thick - so no doubt, it's a really small little box!
The FiiO A5's slick and sturdy aluminum build quality joined with its miniaturized but super-potent headphone amp circuit delivers a massive audio statement in sound quality performance and muscular output power from a tiny palm-sized device. The cool case also wraps the whole shebang up in some pretty sweet cosmetic looks that belie the nicely affordable cost of the A5 amp. The Fiio A5 has a 1-year manufacturer's warranty on parts and labor with a 6-month FiiO replacement warranty offered on the battery.
| Model/Number | A5 |
| Weight | 168g |
| Dimensions | 124 mm×65.5 mm×14.5 mm |
| Battery Capacity | 880mAh |
| Battery Life | 12 - 13 Hours |
| Charging Time | 3 Hours |
| Color Available | Titanium | Headphone output | 3.5mm stereo Jack |
| Audio Input | 3.5mm stereo jack | Bass Boost | 1 Level |
| Volume Control | ALPS Potentiometer | Power input | recommend DC5V 2A |
| Drive ability | 16~300Ω(recommend) | Output Impedance | <0.3 Ω |
| Output Power | ≥ 150mW@300Ω, ＞800 mW@32 Ω | Signal to Noise Ratio | >115dB (A-weighted) |
| THD + N | <0.002% (1Khz) | MAX input Level | > 8 Vrms |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz~90KHz | Channel imbalance | < 0.3 dB |
| Input Sensitivity | 5.6 V (GAIN=L), 1.15V (GAIN=H) | Bass Boost Range | > 5 dB |
| Crosstalk | ≥ 75 dB | MAX output current | 250 mA |
| Gain | 13 dB | ||
| MAX output voltage | 14.96 Vp-p | ||
Frequency Response diagram of curves
Test condition：Input=1.1V, Load=32 ohms, Vol=Max, Gain=L,
Blue curve: Left channel Red curve: Red channel
Frequency Response diagram of curves.
Test condition：Input=1.1V, Load=32 ohms, Vol=Max, Gain=L,
Blue curve: Left channel Red curve: Right channel
Distortion diagram of curves(GAIN=L)
Distortion diagram of curves (GAIN=H)
| Model/Number | A5 | A3 | A1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Specifications | |||
| Color Available | Titanium | Black, Titanium | Titanium |
| Dimensions | 124 mm×65.5 mm×14.5 mm | 91.2 x 56 x 13 (mm) | 42 x 40.7 x 9.4 (mm) |
| Weight | 168 g | 92 g | 20g |
| Power Indicator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio input | 3.5mm stereo jack | 3.5mm stereo jack | 3.5mm stereo jack |
| Headphone output | 3.5mm stereo jack | 3.5mm stereo jack | 3.5mm stereo jack |
| Headphone Impedance Range | 16~300Ω(recommend) | 16~150Ω(recommend) | 16~150Ω(recommend) |
| Volume Control | ALPS Potentiometer | ALPS Potentiometer | Digital volume control |
| Line Control for device | NO | NO | NO |
| BASS Boost | 1 Level | 1 Level | 2 Level |
| GAIN Control | 2 Level | 2 Level | NO |
| Cross feed | NO | NO | NO |
| Supply Voltage Adjustable | NO | NO | NO |
| Audio Performance | |||
| Output Power | ＞800 mW(32Ω/THD＜1%) ≥150mW（300Ω/THD＜1%） | ＞450 mW (16 Ω/THD+N<1%) | ＞100 mW (16 Ω/THD+N<1%) |
| Frequency Response | 10 Hz~90 kHz | 10 Hz~90 kHz | 20 Hz~20 kHz |
| SNR | ≥115dB | >108dB | >100dB |
| Output impedance | <0.3Ω | <0.2Ω | <0.2Ω |
| Crosstalk | >75dB@ 1KHz | >72dB@ GAIN=H | ≥65dB@ 1KHz |
| THD+N | ＜0.002％ (1 kHz) | ＜0.004％ (1 kHz) | ＜0.05％ (1 kHz |
| MAX BASS Boost | >5dB@ BASS = ON | ＞5 dB (BASS ON | Bass1: 2.7dB bass boost Bass2: 5.2dB bass boost Bass3: 5.2dB bass reduction |
| MAX Gain | ≥13 dB | >11 dB | 3.65 dB |
| Peak Output Voltage | 14.96 Vp-p | > 8.67VP-P | 4.52 Vp-p |
| MAX output Current | 250 mA | > 92.6mA | 50 mA |
| Input Overload | 250 mA | / | 1.35Vrms |
| Power and Battery | |||
| Power/Charger | recommend DC5V 2A< | recommend DC5V 1A | recommend DC5V 0.8~1A |
| Charging Indicator | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Low battery Alarm | Yes | Yes | NO |
| Smart Charge | Yes | Yes | NO |
| Replaceable Battery | NO | NO | NO |
| Capacity | 880mAh | 1400mAh | 160mAH |
| Battery Life | > 13H | > 16H | > 13H |
| Charge Time | <3 h | <4 h | ≤90 mins |