Okay, so I’ve been messing around with these two audio things from FiiO, the K5 Pro and the K7. I was curious to see which one was better, you know, for just kicking back and listening to music at my desk.
First off, I got both of these bad boys hooked up to my computer. I plugged in all the cables – power, USB, the whole nine yards. The K5 Pro, it’s got this ESS ES9038Q2M DAC, which is supposed to be pretty good. It’s like the brain that converts the digital music to analog so you can hear it.
Then there’s the K7. This one’s a bit different. It has dual AK4493S DACs, it’s got two of those brains instead of one. I figured it might sound different, maybe even better, who knows?
- I started with the K5 Pro. I put on my headphones, fired up some tunes, and just listened. Honestly, it sounded pretty darn good. The music was clear, detailed, and I could hear all the different instruments and stuff.
- I played around with the different inputs, too. It’s got a bunch – coaxial, optical, even RCA line-in. I wanted to see if switching between them made any difference. Not really, to be honest. They all sounded solid.
Next up, I tried the K7. Now, this thing has some serious power. It can apparently push out 560mW into a 300-ohm load and a whopping 2000mW into a 32-ohm load. I don’t even know what all that means, but it sounds impressive, right? I used the same headphones and played the same tracks as before. The sound is really good with a lot of details that I can hear.
Switching between them, I did notice a few small differences. The K7 seemed a bit louder, and maybe a touch more dynamic? It’s hard to explain. But overall, they both sounded great.
Conclusion
So, which one do I prefer? It’s tough. The K5 Pro is awesome for its price. But the K7, with its extra power and dual DACs, it might just edge it out for me. I just like how it sounds, even if it’s only a little bit different. Anyway, that’s my little experiment with these two FiiO things. Hope you found it interesting!