Comments on: final A5000 Review – One Cent To Excellence

By: Jasper

Jasper — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 21:13:02 +0000

This article was amazingly well written! Thank you for the extended background on FinalAudio’s design approaches.

By: Alberto Pittaluga (Bologna, Italy)

Alberto Pittaluga (Bologna, Italy) — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 14:36:55 +0000

In reply to Val P. Yes the 9038D is perfect for the A5000

By: Val P

Val P — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:10:44 +0000

In reply to Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada).

Hey Jürgen, thanks for the reply 🙂
The CDA-M2 seems awesome indeed but I can see it’s only available via shenzhenaudio. I’m located in France, meaning that it would run quite expensive with shipping + taxes.
What would be your other recommandations for small dongles working with an iPhone 15 for the A5000 ?
Would the E1DA 9038D be a good choice for example ?
Thanks again !

By: Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada) — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:46:06 +0000

In reply to Val P.

Hi, I am not the author but I can very clearly say that the Apple dongle does not supply sufficient current. A dongle that even works with the incredibly current hungry E5000 is the forthcoming $139 Colorfly CDA-M2. I received a test unit today…if the price is really $139, it is a steal.

The problem is that current and output power are not related. Some very powerful amps may not supply enough current to drive low-impedance earphones.

You have to rely on the testers.

By: Val P

Val P — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 15:37:37 +0000

Hey, thanks for your very useful and detailed review
In Driveability, you write that the A5000 “does call for sources with at least some current delivery muscle on low impedance loads”.
Would the Apple USB-C adapter (european) be enough ? Or would I need to look for a better dongle ? Thanks in advance !