FiiO AM5 Headphone Amplifier Module

I bought this because after getting the AM2 last time I realized I’d been screwed over.

Because right after I bought it, FiiO said: “Every X7 owner gets one chance to buy a module at half price.”

So I said: “Well what about me, I already paid full price?”

FiiO was very polite about it: “No problem, we’ll have other modules down the road, you can save it for next time.”

………………

So I finally used that chance.

After using it, my impression is… really:

• This time FiiO didn’t even include a simple screwdriver, so I spent ages hunting for one before I could get that hex screw open.
• The included sticker has actually gotten worse — it’s not aligned. The AM2’s was perfect.
• It’s clearly an AM5, but plugged into the MP3 player it shows up as AM4. Checked around and everyone else has the same thing. Did FiiO originally plan an AM5, cancel it, and just rebadge the AM4 and sell it?

Last is the sound. Honestly, after swapping in this “high-power module,” low gain actually sounds worse than the AM2 — a lot of my IEMs sound shrunken and can’t open up. But once you flip to high gain it’s brute force works wonders: the power is definitely higher, and that’s about it. Personally I think the AM2’s power was already enough. The real problem with the AM5 is the gap between the two gain settings is way too big — low is too small, high is too much. I tried plugging in the Q701 and it sounded okay, but I haven’t listened to the Q701 in a long time so I can’t compare it to how it used to feel. Still, next to the Aune X1S’s tuning it’s a bit short on that monitor flavor.

Anyway, the sound is passable — it lives up to the “high-power module” name… though only in high gain. I haven’t noticed any huge drop in battery life. The official site says you only get 6 hours after swapping, but it’s nowhere near that short. I’m starting to wonder if they shipped me the wrong module…

Or did I get a test unit because I bought it at half price?

Anyway, the half-price coupon is used up, and I’ve now got the AM1, AM2, and AM5 modules all together… I hear someone’s done a MOD on the AM1 module and it sounds good too. Might look into that later.