Shenzhenaudio Topping EX5 Review (DAC and Headphone Amplifier)

[Smislov]

My friend comes from USA to Europe. Where people from USA order EX5? Amazon or ... ??? I like to change SMSL m500

 

[MJG]

My friend comes from USA to Europe. Where people from USA order EX5? Amazon or ... ??? I like to change SMSL m500

Amazon, they’re not shipping them until at least a couple of weeks from now though.

 

[Loaw]

My friend comes from USA to Europe. Where people from USA order EX5? Amazon or ... ??? I like to change SMSL m500

Ordered from shenzhen, no duties, appreciated.

 

[aandres_gm]

My friend comes from USA to Europe. Where people from USA order EX5? Amazon or ... ??? I like to change SMSL m500

Buy it in Europe. Don't make it harder for yourself, should a warranty claim be necessary.

 

[Sensation]

It definitely gets hot after a few hours of driving.

I don't know where this fever is coming from.

 

[SeriousSam70]

It definitely gets hot after a few hours of driving.

I don't know where this fever is coming from.

From what I understand, the heat it's from the HP Amp section witch remains active all the time, even when not used for driving HP, because it shares the power supply with the DAC portion.
Also, the fact that the device has an internal power supply does not help too much in that regard, the heat being dissipated inside the housing.

 

[xtiva200]

From what I understand, the heat it's from the HP Amp section witch remains active all the time, even when not used for driving HP, because it shares the power supply with the DAC portion.
Also, the fact that the device has an internal power supply does not help too much in that regard, the heat being dissipated inside the housing.

it actually is warm even at stand-by mode. You need to turn it off using the switch at the back.....

 

[Sensation]

it actually is warm even at stand-by mode. You need to turn it off using the switch at the back.....

If you always turn it off with a switch, the switch will age quickly.
(The rear power switch is an analog switch different from the digital switch on the front side)

Also, if the speaker is connected to XLR or RCA, there is a hassle of having to turn off the DAC after turning off the speaker each time it is turned off with a switch.

There are many users who use the EX5 by connecting speakers as well as headform amplifiers.

At least there had to be a hole to dissipate the heat to the outside.

Does the EX5 have protections like a "timeout shutdown" that protects the internal chip when the temperature rises above a certain level?

From the user's point of view, it can only be an insecurity factor.

 

[Sensation]

And one more thing, I wish there was a separate XLR and unbalanced gain store on the front.

I wish the firmware could store the gain of XLR and unbalanced separately.

The reason is that many users often use headphones and earphones together.

Because the impedance of headphones and earphones is different

Ex) When the XLR gain is high and you want to set the unbalanced gain differently or vice versa

It will be very useful for users who use both earphones and headphones.

 

[adzil]

And one more thing, I wish there was a separate XLR and unbalanced gain store on the front.

I wish the firmware could store the gain of XLR and unbalanced separately.

The reason is that many users often use headphones and earphones together.

Because the impedance of headphones and earphones is different

Ex) When the XLR gain is high and you want to set the unbalanced gain differently or vice versa

It will be very useful for users who use both earphones and headphones.

It already stated that the XLR connector on the front is there only for convenience. It is actually sharing the same connection with the single-ended output so internally they are driven by the same output amplifier.

 

[DACslut]

Thanks Topping! Now I have to try and sell my Sabaj D5 and won't get as much $$ for it now.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

And one more thing, I wish there was a separate XLR and unbalanced gain store on the front.

I wish the firmware could store the gain of XLR and unbalanced separately.

The reason is that many users often use headphones and earphones together.

Because the impedance of headphones and earphones is different

Ex) When the XLR gain is high and you want to set the unbalanced gain differently or vice versa

It will be very useful for users who use both earphones and headphones.

In my life, I’ve never had, or heard of, a physical On/Off button wearing out.

 

[Sensation]

In my life, I’ve never had, or heard of, a physical On/Off button wearing out.

Isn't the button type stronger than the switch?

It is quite inconvenient to have to turn on/off the dac every time due to heat, and the durability of switch sparks, etc. is a concern.

Am I right?

 

[saZi]

Would this pair well with the Singxer SA-1, as a DAC? I know there are better, single purpose options out there, but I'm just curious if anyone has tried pairing the two, and what the results were.
1st post on here btw, after lurking for a good while!

 

[Veri]

Would this pair well with the Singxer SA-1, as a DAC? I know there are better, single purpose options out there, but I'm just curious if anyone has tried pairing the two, and what the results were.
1st post on here btw, after lurking for a good while!

Sure that would work but.. the EX5 is basically a bit of a L30+D10B mix-and-match with bonus XLR/4.4mm output (no "true" balanced headphone out, that's why I say L30+D10B). My point is, you could get D10B and SA-1 rather than EX5+SA-1 and save a bunch of money..
I haven't tried myself though, sorry; but not sure that anyone here would have since the EX5 is still quite new and not many people own one yet.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Isn't the button type stronger than the switch?

It is quite inconvenient to have to turn on/off the dac every time due to heat, and the durability of switch sparks, etc. is a concern.

Am I right?

Do you mean a push in for on, push in again for off vs a ‘rocker’ switch. I don’t know if one is better than the other, but I’ve never know either fail for me.

I can only offer a personal opinion, I really don’t find it the remotest inconvenience at all.

Now, for clarity, this is for a desktop setup, though I can’t really see too many people using a headphone amp at distance. Frankly, the On/Off buttons on my office DAC/amps are always as close as those on a remote. I can reach it without moving from my seat.

 

[Sensation]

[1][] I don't know if one person is better than the other, but I never knew what failed for me.

I can only give personal opinions, I really do not find remote inconvenience at all.

Now, for clarity, this is about setting up a desktop, even though I can't really see too many people using headphone amplifiers away. Honestly, the on/off button on my office DAC/amp is always close to being remote. I can reach it without moving from my seat.

Having holes in the back or top from the start will help dissipate the heat.

Anyway, I hope the heat doesn't cause any problems with the product.

 

[Sensation]

Do you mean a push in for on, push in again for off vs a ‘rocker’ switch. I don’t know if one is better than the other, but I’ve never know either fail for me.

I can only offer a personal opinion, I really don’t find it the remotest inconvenience at all.

Now, for clarity, this is for a desktop setup, though I can’t really see too many people using a headphone amp at distance. Frankly, the On/Off buttons on my office DAC/amps are always as close as those on a remote. I can reach it without moving from my seat.

Well, what I want to say is that the active speaker on the back is also connected to the dac, so if you turn off the dac, you have to turn off the active speaker first and then turn off the dac to protect the speaker.

What this means is that it is inconvenient to have to turn off the dac after turning off the active speaker due to the heat of the dac.

So from the beginning, if the product had a hole in the back or top, there was no need to periodically turn off the dac.

I can't speak English well.
I think my English explanation is not good enough.

 

[Sensation]

It already stated that the XLR connector on the front is there only for convenience. It is actually sharing the same connection with the single-ended output so internally they are driven by the same output amplifier.

Front unbalanced and xlr share the output, so is xlr on the front unbalanced after all?

 

[Veri]

Front unbalanced and xlr share the output, so is xlr on the front unbalanced after all?

Yes. It is just so you can use balanced headphone cable and plug it in. It is in fact the same unbalanced output.