Topping G5 Review (Portable DAC & HP Amp)

[JSmith]

It has great suppression but you do lose a bit of audio spectrum:

I don't think this is specific to the unit you tested Amir, as in the published product manual (very small) I believe the same issue is shown;

https://manuals.plus/m/26f307cc96f07049cd95016c15335dd950bf043b9568a321da49eaf23afdffb6_optim.pdf

In the same manual reference is made to;

This unit uses the ESS ES9068AS which actually has three preset filters available;

So unsure if the filter is one of the presets or a custom filter @JohnYang1997;

https://www.esstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ES9068A-Product-Brief-v0.2.pdf

... is capable of rendering MQA too.

Still, a good product and well priced.

Thanks for testing of course, your time is appreciated.


JSmith

 

[Sokel]

I personally could care less about the roll off, though I understand the complaints about it.

Vinyl sound for free!
(I'm only joking,there's no way they won't correct this in the firmware update,even if they sacrifice some of the nice measurements)

 

[Phorize]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Topping G5 portable, battery operated DAC, headphone amplifier with bluetooth. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $299.
View attachment 224471
The G5 comes in a super stout metal enclosure. It is on the heavy side for a portable product (2 to 4 times heavier than a typical mobile phone). There are dual headphone output jacks but they both have same power. There is aux in if you want to just use its headphone amp. I tested it as a combination DAC+Amp.

The G5 is very easy to use courtesy of simple to set sliding switches:
View attachment 224472

Topping G5 Measurements
I treated the unit as a DAC by setting the gain to medium and maximum volume. This is our usual dashboard:
View attachment 224473

This is excellent performance for a desktop DAC. For a portable one, it is state of the art.
View attachment 224474
View attachment 224475

And that is at 2.1 volt output. Performance will likely improve at higher output level.

Noise performance is up there as well:
View attachment 224476
View attachment 224477

This makes the G5 very suitable to drive very sensitive IEMs.

IMD distortion is excellent:
View attachment 224478
Linearity is nailed:

View attachment 224479

Multitone is superb:
View attachment 224480

Jitter is near perfect:
View attachment 224481

The default filter is set to one that starts to attenuate early:
View attachment 224482

It has great suppression but you do lose a bit of audio spectrum:
View attachment 224483

I have email into Topping to see if this is intentional or specific to my sample. Fortunately there is little audible impact as most of us don't hear that high up. Getting older has some benefits!

The strong filter makes great showing in THD+N vs frequency:
View attachment 224484

This kind of performance would make a lot of desktop DACs blush with embarrassment.

Switching to headphone amp performance (which using DAC as input), we get plenty of power for a portable product:
View attachment 224485
View attachment 224486

Notice how it easily beats its desktop older brother, the DX3 Pro in every category: noise, distortion and output power.

Output impedance is essentially zero:
View attachment 224488

There is some variability in channels as volume is adjusted. But it remains below my 0.5 dB threshold until max attenuation:
View attachment 224487

Topping G5 Listening Tests
I started with my hard to drive, low impedance Dan Clark Stealth headphone. I was pleased that I could get pretty high volumes out of it using high gain. For loud listening, I had to go to 3:00 pm on the volume control. There was a bit more volume to be had if you turned it to max. There, I only heard distortion when the sub-bass notes arrived. Otherwise, the sound was super clean, detailed and enjoyable.

I then switched to high impedance Sennheiser HD650. The G5 drove these with ease, allowing every bit of their performance to shine through. Dynamic range was fantastic with bass notes almost causing resonances in my ear lobes at highest volume. Low level detail was superb as was overall fidelity.

With either headphone, I just wanted to sit back and just listen to my music!

Conclusions
We expect perfection from Topping and company delivers even in this constrained category of battery operated product. No excuses are made for that with a DAC that provides state of the art desktop performance. The headphone amplifier is quite powerful although desktop products do edge it out. This only impacts the least sensitive headphones though. For vast majority of headphones out there, the G5 drives them as hard as you need with any distortion being the headphone, not the amp.

The only "hitch" is the slower roll off in the DAC filter. I almost knocked the overall rating lower but once I listened to the G5, I could not go there. Performance is too good to give it any score other than top of the line. You get to disagree otherwise by voting in the poll.

The other bit is the size and weight of the unit. This is no small device to tie up to your cell phone even though Topping provides the usual rubber band and cabling to do so.

I am happy to put the Topping G5 on my recommended list.
----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Nice. @amirm i recall that the nx4 takes a hit on noise if it’s charging when in use. Did you notice any similar behaviour with the g5?

 

[RHO]

A rolloff like that is not remotely high fidelity. -14dB at 20kHz is a bad joke. The pioneers of digital would be rolling in their graves.

But, kill that much HF and your THD will look fabulous....

@amirm How can you give a product with such a brutally bad (and clearly faulty) HF response such high marks? It makes no sense. And that is at 44.1kHz. This is what they claim:

View attachment 224533

What's going on? It's either faulty, your tests are botched or they are lying in their claims.

AUX in and HP out? @amirm didn't measure that, so we don't know. Could be perfectly accurate, what's in the specs.

 

[Veri]

This unit uses the ESS ES9068AS which actually has three preset filters available;

View attachment 224538

So unsure if the filter is one of the presets or a custom filter @JohnYang1997;

It's just using defaults see E50 review.

Well, that may be correct at 48kHz or 96 or 192...
That's cheating. I agree.

If someone has to be cheating, it would be ESS with this specific filter...

 

[Sokel]

It's just using defaults see E50 review.

The f3 one is even worst.How that's possible with ESS?Chasing numbers as well?

 

[staticV3]

The f3 one is even worst.How that's possible with ESS?Chasing numbers as well?

F3 from the E50 review is the same as what the G5 uses. It's ESS' Hybrid Fast roll-off filter.
See here

 

[JSmith]

It's just using defaults see E50 review.

I see... looks the same as F3 in the E50 measurements.

F1 shown would have been a better choice I would have thought if only one filter is to be set.

This G5 doesn't show the very slight IMD hump that the E50 did either.


JSmith

 

[Sokel]

F3 from the E50 review is the same as what the G5 uses. It's ESS' Hybrid Fast roll-off filter.
See here

Yes,you're right,thank you.

 

[Phorize]

I voted fine as notwithstanding the clear progression from the nx4 performance wise, this still leaves Apple users without eq, but also introduces a regression in the removal of the bass boost switch on the nx4, which despite not being a proper eq solution takes my hd6xx’s to good enough. I’d buy one now if I didn’t already have an nx4 and was using android on the go, but as it stands I don’t think topping have been directing their efforts towards the right problems. Sounds churlish I know; the performance is amazing, but out there in the wild most headphones need eq.

 

[restorer-john]

AUX in and HP out? @amirm didn't measure that, so we don't know. Could be perfectly accurate, what's in the specs.

The 'specs' say USB in. Analogue out. Looks pretty straightforward to me.

Someone has botched something...

 

[Phorize]

If you were in the market for such a device, that can drive the majority of headphones on the market extremely well, there doesn't seem to be anything else anywhere near this good for this sort of money, the weight is the only thing that would put me off.

I personally could care less about the roll off, though I understand the complaints about it.

With most headphones the nx4 does most of what this does for practical purposes, minus the Bluetooth of course.

 

[Phorize]

Fair enough, I remember magnets would stick to some old desktop PC cases. Not that it was wise to put them there.

The product page for those stickers says there is a 'closed magnetic field' when using magsafe, preventing interferences. I assume it wouldn't be as safe if I just stick iron onto the case. Guess I'm not gonna experiment.

Enough OT. I wonder how the G5 compares to the NX4DSD, besides the wireless functionality.

I have one that I use with akg 371s and occasionally hd6xx’s and don’t see a reason to upgrade just for Bluetooth and admittedly more power.

 

[JSmith]

Looks like you looked at the product page mate... clearly I didn't. I'll now go and contemplate my lack of attention to detail.


JSmith

 

[restorer-john]

Looks like you looked at the product page mate... clearly I didn't. I'll now go and contemplate my lack of attention to detail.


JSmith

I pulled that from the internet, it could be wrong. Don't take it as gospel, but there is a huge disparity one way or another.

 

[Lambda]

And that is at 2.1 volt output. Performance will likely improve at higher output level.

why is it not tested?
many other DACs have the THD+N vs output voltage graph. (and tahts super helpful)

Also is the balanced our differential?

 

[staticV3]

Also is the balanced our differential?

No. The 4.4mm is just there for convenience. It's fake Bal.

This question and many more are answered on Topping's product page.

 

[Saponetto]

An interesting device, potentially good all-rounder for several user profiles.
Datasheets supplied at ShenzenAudio page seems fair enough to give this tiny device a try, imho.

 

[Sokel]

No. The 4.4mm is just there for convenience. It's fake Bal.
View attachment 224545
This question and many more are answered on Topping's product page.

There's something odd,compare Amir's and Topping measurements below.
It's like being a different device.

Amir

Topping


Edit:Scrap that,Topping's is THD only,noise not included.

 

[maverickronin]

High power an low noise is great and all...

But that filter though...Hopefully it just needs a firmware fix.