Product Comparison: Sony PHA-1A vs Fiio E12A


General Specifications
Brand
Sony
Fiio
Model
PHA-1A
E12A
Origin
China
China
About the Product
Easily connect to your portable digital music device or PC via USB input to enjoy powerful, pintsize Hi-Res audio performance on the go. The PHA-1A supports audio file formats up to 192kHz/24-bit. The Hi-Res DAC and amplifier circuitry complete with lithium-ion battery.
The FiiO E12 is still suitable for general headphones and especially large headphones. Only the FiiO E12A is a special model. Designed specifically for small size headphones, there is also a new high-end OPAMP chip and a better combination. Therefore, the model name is E12A IEM Special Edition.
Key Specs
Built-in DAC
Wolfson WM8740
MUSES02 / LME49600
Type
Portable
Portable
Sample Resolution/Rate
24-bit / 192kHz
Signal/Noise Ratio
115 dB
What customers say about "Key Specs"
Sony PHA-1A Portable Hi-Res DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Silver
  • A well made excellent headphone amplifier with an internal DAC.
  • The Sony PHA1A is a very powerful portable amp, surprisingly so for the fact that it is portable, and is powerful enough to drive 600 ohm headphones.
  • The DAC affect I cannot speak for. The sound quality sounds amazing to me. Music is crystal and clear.
  • Though this is portable, so if it turns out I need this DAC amp with my Sony Walkman to power my headphones, then I will do that.
  • Excellent choice for a portable DAC usable with iphones.
Fiio E12A Mont Blanc IEM Special Edition Portable Headphone Amp
  • The mids never felt recessed or gave the impression of a nasal vocalist. Just an amazing amp.
  • This portable amplifier has a cleaner sound than the amplifier section of my Fiio E18 Kunlun with a DAC!
  • This is a no-brainer for someone looking for a portable amplifier.
  • Using this amplifier I not only heard my music but with it's bass enhancement it was great.
  • Excellent portable amplifier!! I would recommend to everyone!
Size & Weight
Color
Silver
Titanium
Height
0.06 in.
0.57 in.
Width
0.36 in.
4.88 in.
Depth
0.2 in.
2.58 in.
Weight
1.59 oz.
5.86 oz.
What customers say about "Size & Weight"
Sony PHA-1A Portable Hi-Res DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Silver
  • SONY are nicely built, light and designed and have a clear feel of a quality device.
  • Good Aluminum build. Device feels light but solid and have an awesome lookness.
  • I'm enjoying the crystal clear sound being transmitted to my ears via this slick little device.
  • Not as big as I thought, but is bulky compared to Fiio A3 heaphone amp.
  • My only gripe is that this unit scratches easily. Aluminium case is light but new scratches appears every minute.
Fiio E12A Mont Blanc IEM Special Edition Portable Headphone Amp
  • Carved out of a single aluminum block for maximum sturdiness.It looks heavy, but surprisingly it's not. That aluminum is thick it's not some flimsy soda can aluminum.
  • It is about the size of an iPhone and is quite portable.
  • That little bad boy was a third of the price of my desktop DAC and a third of the size, and gives quite a bit more sound improvement.
  • Very powerful amp capable of making your iems sing, & can Aldo drive your full sized cans.
  • A bit heavy to carry in my pocket when strapped to an iPod or phone.
Features
Enclosure Material
Aluminium
Aluminium
Max. Frequency Response
100 kHz
90 kHz
Min. Frequency Response
10 Hz
10 Hz
Controls
Volume Control, Gain
Volume Control, Gain, Bass
OS Compatibility
Apple OS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple iOS, Android
Apple OS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple iOS, Android
Wireless Connection
No
No
Interfaces
Phones, USB, Jack for Walkman Xperia
Line In, Phones
Extras
Superior conversion, purer sound, Built-in Lithium-ion battery, Shielding from noise and interference, High-Resolution Audio
Metal film resistors, Optimized sound tuning, Intuitive controls
What customers say about "Features"
Sony PHA-1A Portable Hi-Res DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Silver
  • The extra gain makes for nice sound for the more difficult to drive higher impedance headphones.
  • Great soundstage, separation, balance and, especially, clarity or definition of instruments. Beautiful. It is built to withstand accidental drops.
  • I charged it about 30 mins to an hour after receiving it, and then listened for 2-3 hours of listening because it wasn't fully charged.
  • Crystal clear sound with a lot of optional inputs. Happy buyer.
  • The only problem is it won't let you charge while listening. The power has to be off on it in order to charge.
Fiio E12A Mont Blanc IEM Special Edition Portable Headphone Amp
  • It pairs perfectly with all of my devices. Amazing quality product.
  • It works exceptionally well with IEMs as there is virtually no noise associated with the amp.
  • The battery life is very long. Not as advertised 20 hours, but 8-10 is far enough.
  • Battery lasts 8-10 hours. It will also work on a dead battery as soon as you plug in the USB micro charger from AC or a laptop.
  • Amp started failing to switch on even after charging overnight. The reset button doesn't fix this issue, even if I hold it down for the recommended amount of time.
Warranty / Certifications
Manufacturer Warranty
1 year(s)
1 year(s)
Certifications
CE
CE
Other Information
Manufacturer
Other reviews