OK Hands up...although I'm a serious music-lover (hence "MusicMan"...) I am also a serious Gadget Geek and when I saw this little beauty on ÍøÆغÚÁÏ I just had to have one - especially as I already have the Fosi Audio DAC-Q4 and being delighted with it....
Out of the box I am immediately impressed with the quality of the K5 PRO, it feels and looks gorgeous.....silvery brushed aluminium....also included are three cables, a USB data transfer/power cable, a splitter cable to separate the mic. and headphone inputs and an optical (Toslink) cable.
I get the unit connected firstly to my computer and power up the K5 PRO, a 3-second press on the right-hand MODE/VOL knob and there is a reassuring "click" as a relay closes internally and the left hand statue LED illuminates to (by default) USB input. (Each subsequent press moves the input to the next input selection). Worth mentioning here that this K5 PRO only requires one cable connection to my PC for power and data transfer whereas my older Q4 need 2 cables, one for power and a second for data transfer.....a bit cumbersome and the K5 PRO is much better in this respect....
I must confess to not being particularly a gamer, I found the K5 very satisfactory and it worked very well....someone else with more experience in this area might like to add comments....meanwhile I will concentrate on the Audio quality on all the inputs on the K5PRO.
USB PC CONNECTION.
No problem with the PC recognizing the K5 PRO.....
With the Bass and Treble control set at 12 O'clock I cue up one of my favourite songs, WAV of Emmylou Harris "Kern River" and immediately here a very clean, clear sound, crisp mids and highs and good firm Bass line.....next a 24/192 Hi Res of Roger Waters "The Bravery of being Out of Range".....again impressive good clean sound. (By the way I use Audio Technica ATH-WD900 cans plus a pair of OneOdio ones as well....both sounded excellent.
I decide, out of interest, to compare this K5 PRO with my older Q4 (see the 5th picture for size comparison)......first thing I notice is an improvement is the Bass response of the K5 PRO, slightly less "lumpy" and also the mid-range on the K5 PRO is cleaner and a little more "forward in the mix" compared with the Q4....a smoother frequency response. All in all a really good start for the K5 PRO....let's move on to ....
OPTICAL DIGITAL INPUT
I particularly love watching Music videos on TV so I connect the K5 PRO to my TV via the Toslink cable and play Pink Floyd "P.U.L.S.E. "Comfortably Numb".....superb!! After detecting a very slight latency, easily cured by adjusting my TV sound setting, I thoroughly enjoy this great recording....top marks here....moving on to the S/PDIF input...
S/PDIF COAX INPUT
I connect my FiiO M15S S/PDIF on the 3.5mm output to the coax input on the K5 PRO and run a Hi-RES 24/96 recording of Eagles "Hotel California" and I'm immediately in the groove man!! again, top marks.
By the way at all times the e.q. settings are at 12 O'clock and tests show these work very well with improvements in treble being handy on older "duller" mp3 files...I have a few at 256mbps....
IN SUMMARY
Can I recommend this Fosi Audio K5 PRO device?? You bet,
Any improvements??....yes perhaps a 4.4mm balanced headphone out would be nice and I found the indents on the e.q. controls not always easy to see and I would like to have a slightly larger volume control knob like on the Q4....but really I am splitting hairs as this is a really good little DAC with excellent sound quality.
Highly recommended and I hope this helps you.
| Manufacturer | Fosi Audio |
|---|---|
| Part number | K5 Pro |
| Item Weight | 420 g |
| Product Dimensions | 11.18 x 9.4 x 3.05 cm; 420 g |
| Item model number | K5 PRO |
| Material | Metal Plastic |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Plug profile | Cable Mount |
| Included components | 3.5MM headphone splitter, 2-in-1 Type C cable, User Manual, Optical Cable |
| Batteries included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
