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Shenzhenaudio Topping EX5 Review (DAC and Headphone Amplifier)

Ryogo said:
Just received my unit yesterday.
View attachment 139660
Nicely built, looking good.

Found a small issue - while playing music from pc tried to switch gain from "lo" to "hi" and there was no sound after that (switching back from "hi" to "lo" not helped) until I switched off to stand-by and switched back on.
Click to expand...
Will look into it.
 
Quick question @JohnYang1997, can I connect a headphone to the dual 3-pin XLR output on the back of the unit, and does it have the same spec/power rating as the 2 HP output on the front? Cheers
 
cestmoi said:
Pretty much.

The last event showed us how much protection the brand can get here, even though one of its last interactions killed some cans.
Click to expand...
What protection? It seems like you're implying things out of thin air.
As far as I know, Topping offered repair/exchange/refund of the faulty equipment quite quickly, and John himself already said he would like to pay for repair for those people whose headphones were damaged if they contact him.
 
The only disappointing thing is Channel Crosstalk: -85 @ 1kHz. At the same time, the d30pro has an incredible -145dB! But the latter does not have a headphone amplifier ... Will the latter sound better thanks to such a high Crosstalk, or is it all inaudible? A DAC is needed to connect active monitors, from a roland quad qapture sound card via coaxial ...
 
As far as my fading memory can reach, the old DIN 45500 Hi-Fi norm declared -70dB crosstalk as the limit of what was considered audible.
So I would say it is highly improbable to hear -85dB crosstalk, let alone -145 dB, using test signals. With music, "mission impossible" IMHO.
 
Guys, looking for a hifi setup for my brother. This or the E30/L30 stack?
 
Just received my EX5 in black, got it from the official ShenzenAudio AliExpress store and it took a week by DHL to Toronto.
Everything is good so far. Not an expert but lit has lots of details & instruments are super clear. Very quiet “background” and lots of dimensions - more deep rather than wide I feel, all thru the front XLR Drop HE5XX which I secretly wished was balanced.
The only thing I’m not used to is the front volume control dial which is the clicking type vs coming from a monolith liquid spark which is the smooth type.
Happy with this all-in-one !
 
smitten8 said:
Just received my EX5 in black, got it from the official ShenzenAudio AliExpress store and it took a week by DHL to Toronto.
Everything is good so far. Not an expert but lit has lots of details & instruments are super clear. Very quiet “background” and lots of dimensions - more deep rather than wide I feel, all thru the front XLR Drop HE5XX which I secretly wished was balanced.
The only thing I’m not used to is the front volume control dial which is the clicking type vs coming from a monolith liquid spark which is the smooth type.
Happy with this all-in-one !
Click to expand...

Cool, keep us updated on your impressions.
 
smitten8 said:
Just received my EX5 in black, got it from the official ShenzenAudio AliExpress store and it took a week by DHL to Toronto.
Everything is good so far. Not an expert but lit has lots of details & instruments are super clear. Very quiet “background” and lots of dimensions - more deep rather than wide I feel, all thru the front XLR Drop HE5XX which I secretly wished was balanced.
The only thing I’m not used to is the front volume control dial which is the clicking type vs coming from a monolith liquid spark which is the smooth type.
Happy with this all-in-one !
Click to expand...
You're not missing out without balanced headphone though, the XLR 4-pin on this is just for compatibility and has no advantages.. :)
 
I've received my silver EX5 and I'm happy with it so far. As I type this I'm listening in high-gain mode at 60% volume on my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. Previously I was using the headphone jack on my microphone interface (a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) turned up nearly all the way, and never sure I was getting all the bass.

If @JohnYang1997 would be willing to take two suggestions to the software/firmware developers, there are a couple changes I think could make the device more handy:
  1. I noticed a fairly loud click on my powered monitors when switching from headphone out to line out mode. I realized it only happened if there was audio playing at the time and the headphone volume was louder than the line out volume. So I believe it is switching to the speakers, THEN reducing the volume a split second later. (EDIT: I just tested this again, and less sure this is what's happening.) I would suggest that the device briefly mute audio when switching output destinations, then ramp it up over 50ms or so.
  2. I am using both the USB input and Bluetooth input, depending whether I'm working at the desk on my big desktop computer or lounging on the couch with my laptop. I don't know if this is possible, but it would be cool if the device had a mode to mix all the inputs together, or maybe switch to whichever one is sending an audio signal besides just silence. That way I wouldn't need to keep looking for the remote.
I'm not qualified to evaluate the audio. I cannot detect any flaws that aren't in the source material.

As far as the industrial design, the unit looks nice. I'm glad the volume control is a knob. I like the orange display. I'm glad there's no bright blue LED I'd have to cover up.
 
Last edited:
seattle-michael said:
I've received my silver EX5 and I'm happy with it so far. As I type this I'm listening in high-gain mode at 60% volume on my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. Previously I was using the headphone jack on my microphone interface (a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) turned up nearly all the way, and never sure I was getting all the bass.

If @JohnYang1997 would be willing to take two suggestions to the software/firmware developers, there are a couple changes I think could make the device more handy:
  1. I noticed a fairly loud click on my powered monitors when switching from headphone out to line out mode. I realized it only happened if there was audio playing at the time and the headphone volume was louder than the line out volume. So I believe it is switching to the speakers, THEN reducing the volume a split second later. (EDIT: I just tested this again, and less sure this is what's happening.) I would suggest that the device briefly mute audio when switching output destinations, then ramp it up over 50ms or so.
  2. I am using both the USB input and Bluetooth input, depending whether I'm working at the desk on my big desktop computer or lounging on the couch with my laptop. I don't know if this is possible, but it would be cool if the device had a mode to mix all the inputs together, or maybe switch to whichever one is sending an audio signal besides just silence. That way I wouldn't need to keep looking for the remote.
I'm not qualified to evaluate the audio. I cannot detect any flaws that aren't in the source material.

As far as the industrial design, the unit looks nice. I'm glad the volume control is a knob. I like the orange display. I'm glad there's no bright blue LED I'd have to cover up.
Click to expand...
An update is coming thanks for the feedback.
 
Geekly.RZ said:
@AdamG247 Yet another new account with strange tone...
Click to expand...
What do you mean with strange tone? I am just a newbie looking for some information, after seeing contoversies that concerned me, on the internet to make more informed buying decisions, if getting as much as some assurance from the designer himself is too much to ask here then im ok with that, I did not know that its going to be such a big problem on this forum.
 
Ra1zel said:
What do you mean with strange tone? I am just a newbie looking for some information, after seeing contoversies that concerned me, on the internet to make more informed buying decisions, if getting as much as some assurance from the designer himself is too much to ask here then im ok with that, I did not know that its going to be such a big problem on this forum.
Click to expand...
Because we get a lot of Trolling here with new members just here to talk trash about a specific product. They either have a pre-existing grudge or problems and want to be disruptive and disparaging to any new product made be same company. So don’t act troll like and we’re all good.
 
Yorkshire Mouth said:
This is £350 from Amazon U.K., and £261 from Ali Express.

Are there any particular reasons forbuying from one rather than the other, other than price?

Will I get hit for VAT and/or import duty from either or both of those? Returns? Warranties?

Cheers.
Click to expand...
Yeah, you'll most likely have to pay import fees and duty when collecting it. So, the price difference will be a lot less, using an online import VAT calculator I get the Aliexpress price to 312 quid. If you're okay with a potential months long repair service, it's maybe a risk worth considering. Not that you're guaranteed swift service from Amazon. I kind of suspect they are shipping from China when you click order on amazon.co.uk. That's quite common with products coming from China.
I ordered mine to Ireland from amazon.de, and the delivery time says 10-20 days, which looks like it comes from China.
 
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