Shenzhenaudio Topping EX5 Review (DAC and Headphone Amplifier)

[yllanos]

Hi. Well, I just pulled the trigger on this. This is my first DAC/AMP device so I'm curious to see what kind of performance I get. This is my first foray into decent headphone sound, as I come more from the home teather/stereo Hifi stuff. After purchasing this combo, my budget got limited so I chose Hifiman HE400se as my new headphones, since I really want to try planars.

I expect this setup to last 2-3 years, then move up the chain. I live in a tropical country, where there is no A/C all day so I guess I will be testing durability, specially with the temperature experiences above. I'm an Apple Music and Tidal suscriber, so I'm going to make sure I test MQA, for science (yes, yes I know about the whole "MQA is not lossless" but whatever). Since I get Tidal Hifi family plan for dirt cheap, using all the features seems interesting to me.

I purchased directly from shenzhenaudio.com. I do have a Sony XM4 headphone and I am curious to also try out the LDAC option which again, is ew ground for me.

 

[gkprabhu]

Sorry to ask a silly question...but do you folks think that this dac is better than the SMSL SU 9 ? I am considering an upgrade to my Topping E30, would like your thoughts. Thank you kindly.

 

[Laserjock]

Sorry to ask a silly question...but do you folks think that this dac is better than the SMSL SU 9 ? I am considering an upgrade to my Topping E30, would like your thoughts. Thank you kindly.

Yes, stay away from SMSL. LOL

 

[threni]

Sorry to ask a silly question...but do you folks think that this dac is better than the SMSL SU 9 ? I am considering an upgrade to my Topping E30, would like your thoughts. Thank you kindly.

Why are you unhappy with your E30? What do you hope an upgrade will achieve?

 

[Lupin]

Sorry to ask a silly question...but do you folks think that this dac is better than the SMSL SU 9 ? I am considering an upgrade to my Topping E30, would like your thoughts. Thank you kindly.

Depends what you hope to achieve with this upgrade.
One could consider it an upgrade when you look at features and versatility as the E30 is a pure DAC and the EX5 an AIO.
You will be disappointed if you upgrade with the believe it will increase the sound quality in any perceivable way. Measurements of both devices show that there should be no audible difference between them.. well except perhaps the noise floor.

Is the EX5 better then the SU-9.. totally depends on what features and connections you need. SU-9 is a DAC and EX5 is an AIO they serve different segments of the market. Pick the one which best suits your use case. I'm certain you won't be able to pick them apart when it comes to sound quality in a volume matched double blind test.

 

[Sensation]

Which of the two do you think is better?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-tone-pro2-vs-topping-ex5.25736/#post-878472

 

[Sensation]

Has anyone tried to connect the EX5 directly to an iOS device using a USB-B to lightning cable?
Sorry if this has been asked before. Tried to search the forum for an answer, but was unable to find anything on the topic.
View attachment 147132

I also want to listen to MQA by connecting it with a USB A / Lightning cable.

Can you recommend some cables?

 

[saZi]

I chose Hifiman HE400se as my new headphones, since I really want to try planars.

I actually just purchased the HE400se today for the EX5 (and incoming Singxer SA-1), and can tell you my mind is blown! Spectacular combo! The HE400se's need high gain on the EX5, but it sounds excellent to my ears.

 

[yllanos]

Which of the two do you think is better?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s-tone-pro2-vs-topping-ex5.25736/#post-878472

There is a youtuber that actually reviewed both. But it's a spanish-speaking channel (YTer is based off Mexico). I can share details if desired. Maybe you can ask him directly?

I actually just purchased the HE400se today for the EX5 (and incoming Singxer SA-1), and can tell you my mind is blown! Spectacular combo! The HE400se's need high gain on the EX5, but it sounds excellent to my ears.

Great news for me! But I kinda knew about it. There is a review on Head-Fi with exactly the same combo and it is supossed to be a good match: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hifiman-he400se.25075/reviews

I'll be making my own judgement next week

 

[yllanos]

I also want to listen to MQA by connecting it with a USB A / Lightning cable.

Can you recommend some cables?

Is this for Ifi products? if it is, I think I have seen people recommending this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274884780339?epid=15026512296&hash=item400068e133:g:2m0AAOSwrZRfGsJb

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Is this for Ifi products? if it is, I think I have seen people recommending this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274884780339?epid=15026512296&hash=item400068e133:g:2m0AAOSwrZRfGsJb

That’s the one.

 

[gkprabhu]

Why are you unhappy with your E30? What do you hope an upgrade will achieve?

Not unhappy at all. Just hoping to improve the sound. Thank you

 

[gkprabhu]

Depends what you hope to achieve with this upgrade.
One could consider it an upgrade when you look at features and versatility as the E30 is a pure DAC and the EX5 an AIO.
You will be disappointed if you upgrade with the believe it will increase the sound quality in any perceivable way. Measurements of both devices show that there should be no audible difference between them.. well except perhaps the noise floor.

Is the EX5 better then the SU-9.. totally depends on what features and connections you need. SU-9 is a DAC and EX5 is an AIO they serve different segments of the market. Pick the one which best suits your use case. I'm certain you won't be able to pick them apart when it comes to sound quality in a volume matched double blind test.

Thank you, I think I will just keep the E30. I was looking for a better sound which could be discerned by me.

 

[p0int]

Hi everyone!

I had been following this forum for a while hoping to get into the audiophile world one step at a time. The obvious first step was for me to start with a decent starter DAC. I landed on two options the Zen DAC v2 and the Topping EX5, the Zen DAC ticks all the boxes and since I do not have hard to drive headphones it seems to fit my need. However, with the EX5 I really like the feature set and frankly seems more "future proof" in the sense that when I get high impedance headphones the EX5 could take care of it as well.

If anyone with experience/knowledge can advise me, that'd be of great help!

 

[Berwhale]

Hi everyone!

I had been following this forum for a while hoping to get into the audiophile world one step at a time. The obvious first step was for me to start with a decent starter DAC. I landed on two options the Zen DAC v2 and the Topping EX5, the Zen DAC ticks all the boxes and since I do not have hard to drive headphones it seems to fit my need. However, with the EX5 I really like the feature set and frankly seems more "future proof" in the sense that when I get high impedance headphones the EX5 could take care of it as well.

If anyone with experience/knowledge can advise me, that'd be of great help!

Wlecome to ASR!

The Zen DAC v1 didn't measure very well, however, it did have a pretty good feature set for it's price point (balance HP, balanced out, etc.). On the other hand, the EX5 measures very well, but is a fair bit more expensive and lacks balanced HP output.

I've recently ordered an EX5 from China, so i'll get to hear how the unbalanced HP output compares with the balanced HP output on my A50s. I'm not expecting to be able to tell the difference between the EX5 and my x50 stack at which point i'll be selling the x50 stack.

 

[p0int]

Wlecome to ASR!

The Zen DAC v1 didn't measure very well, however, it did have a pretty good feature set for it's price point (balance HP, balanced out, etc.). On the other hand, the EX5 measures very well, but is a fair bit more expensive and lacks balanced HP output.

I've recently ordered an EX5 from China, so i'll get to hear how the unbalanced HP output compares with the balanced HP output on my A50s. I'm not expecting to be able to tell the difference between the EX5 and my x50 stack at which point i'll be selling the x50 stack.

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, it doesn't measure very well. However, I saw iiWi's review on the DAC he basically says it sounds decent - which is what is creating a conflict for me, doesn't measure too well but people like Darko and iiWi seem to like the sound (for the price).

If you do not mind me asking, did you order directly from Shenzhen Audio, if so did you have to pay a lot of VAT? Asking because I am in The Netherlands and the only other option seems to be Amazon Germany.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, it doesn't measure very well. However, I saw iiWi's review on the DAC he basically says it sounds decent - which is what is creating a conflict for me, doesn't measure too well but people like Darko and iiWi seem to like the sound (for the price).

If you do not mind me asking, did you order directly from Shenzhen Audio, if so did you have to pay a lot of VAT? Asking because I am in The Netherlands and the only other option seems to be Amazon Germany.

Are you able to order from Audiophonics.fr? It appears to me that their customer service is exceptional.

 

[p0int]

Are you able to order from Audiophonics.fr? It appears to me that their customer service is exceptional.

Hi! Yes I can, however combined with the VAT + shipping price is way higher while Amazon seems relatively more reasonable. Shenzhen Audio of course has the best price but I suppose I'll have to pay import duties.

 

[JohnYang1997]

Hi! Yes I can, however combined with the VAT + shipping price is way higher while Amazon seems relatively more reasonable. Shenzhen Audio of course has the best price but I suppose I'll have to pay import duties.

Then I think Amazon is the better way to go.

 

[Berwhale]

Hi! Yes I can, however combined with the VAT + shipping price is way higher while Amazon seems relatively more reasonable. Shenzhen Audio of course has the best price but I suppose I'll have to pay import duties.

I took a punt on HiFiGo, they include all duties in their free, 2 week shipping. I got sent a voucher for a further $10 off after leaving the EX5 in my basket, so I paid $339 which worked out at £246.33 for me.

The EX5 is £349.99 on ShenzhenAudio's Amazon UK store. It would be around £275 from Audiophonics, but i'm not sure if i'd be hit with any additional duty or VAT when it hits the UK.