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Shenzhenaudio Topping EX5 Review (DAC and Headphone Amplifier)

Ra1zel

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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.
I can see how is that a problem, but in no way shape or form I have a problem with any company, if things gets fixed all is fine. Calling people trolls before they have a chance to understand the culture here is a little extreme tho in my opinion. Discourages for example from donating to what is otherwise excellent repository of knowledge.
 

AdamG

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I can see how is that a problem, but in no way shape or form I have a problem with any company, if things gets fixed all is fine. Calling people trolls before they have a chance to understand the culture here is a little extreme tho in my opinion. Discourages for example from donating to what is otherwise excellent repository of knowledge.
Yeah we do seem to be quick to deem a new member a Troll. It’s not out of malice really. It just happens all to often and the Membership gets tired of dealing with the Trolls that do get past the filter gate. Let me Welcome you to our wonderful and educational Site. If you come here to learn and constructively contribute you are most welcome here. Be forewarned that the site is much different than most audio sites out there. We deal in facts and science. Not feeling, hunches and speculation. Be prepared to be challenged to provide evidence/proof of any performance claims you might make. This crew is extremely proficient in smoking out Trolls and Fools.

Surprised I’m still here… :oops:
 
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virtua

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I wonder if XLR provides any benefit at all if it’s not balanced, why not stick to just a single 6.35

4-pin XLR is seen as the better connector mechanically, and a practical benefit is that in the future if you did want to upgrade to a true balanced unit you wouldn't need to buy another headphone cable or vice versa, if you already have balanced amplifiers, you could buy this and not need to swap cables when using it.
 
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An update is coming thanks for the feedback.
Here's a minor error in the EX5 manual. The English and Japanese translations specify both the high and low gain as the same values. The Chinese section appears to state them as 6dB and 16dB.

I didn't find a PDF version of the manual online yet.

Untitled.png


When my iMac Pro was in sleep mode it kept turning the EX5 back on for no apparent reason, even with the Mac's PowerNap feature disabled. I don't think this is an EX5 fault because the Mac did the same thing to the Apple USB-C DAC dongle. So I changed the EX5 auto on/off setting from A-O (auto on/off) to A-C (auto off only).
 

JohnYang1997

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Here's a minor error in the EX5 manual. The English and Japanese translations specify both the high and low gain as the same values. The Chinese section appears to state them as 6dB and 16dB.

I didn't find a PDF version of the manual online yet.

View attachment 140625

When my iMac Pro was in sleep mode it kept turning the EX5 back on for no apparent reason, even with the Mac's PowerNap feature disabled. I don't think this is an EX5 fault because the Mac did the same thing to the Apple USB-C DAC dongle. So I changed the EX5 auto on/off setting from A-O (auto on/off) to A-C (auto off only).
Thank you for your feedback. Appreciated it.
 

GeekyBastard

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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.
You said and I quote "any comments that mention Topping in way that is less than very vaforable gets deleted without notice", that's just your third posted comment in this forum, you joined at 2021/07/06, for less than a week, yet you said that like you've been here quite a while, it's hard not to find your attitude and words suspicious.
This forum does welcome newcomers, but please at least justify your words with evidences.
 

+DS_DV+

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@amirm would you switch from the smsl 500 (v2) ?
i paid ~ 360 for the SMSL m500 and amazon offered a refund.
So i could get the EX5 for around ~300

i use XLR Yamaha HS5 and some headphones depending on the situation (mostly Audio Technica ATH 900)
 

cestmoi

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You said and I quote "any comments that mention Topping in way that is less than very vaforable gets deleted without notice", that's just your third posted comment in this forum, you joined at 2021/07/06, for less than a week, yet you said that like you've been here quite a while, it's hard not to find your attitude and words suspicious.
This forum does welcome newcomers, but please at least justify your words with evidences.


Here we go: "any comments that mention Topping in way that is less than very vaforable gets deleted".
 

homingmissle

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Just thought I would say. I purchased mine from HiFiGo to the UK. It came very quickly and shipped with a UK AC adapter cable! No customs charges as promised from the website so very chuffed.
 

homingmissle

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You got it in 5 days? Was that with the free shipping or YunExpress?
I ordered on Monday 05/07/2021 and was shipped out on 06/07/2021. I selected free shipping but for some reason they shipped it out via YunExpress (not complaining about this at all) and it arrived today on 12/07/2021. Not sure if others will be so lucky with a free random shipping upgrade!
 

Ryogo

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I must say, bluetooth in EX5 is an awesome addition - now my wife and guest can easily stream music from their phones :)
Too bad @amirm and @WolfX-700 have not measured BT -> RCA / XLR performance, would be nice to see how it performs.
 

mj23pj

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After using this for a few weeks, I am really enjoying this device. I am using a chromecast audio with the ex5. For basically under $400 (chromecast audio plus the ex5), I have a fully transparent wireless streamer. I can stream hi-res audio off of Qobuz at 24/96 and stream hi-res flac off my computer. This device is an insanely great deal when considering the addition of bluetooth, (nice touch, especially having ldac), and a top tier headphone amp built in.

Thanks @JohnYang1997 and Topping for a great product.
 

VariousArtists

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I was not originally planning to use the BlueTooth feature. It has turned out to be handy to hear my nice speakers while using my laptop.

BT is super handy for all the mobile/tablet devices these days without a jack/usb port, and if you want to use the same headphone across multiple devices.
 

HerbM3

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I just got my EX5 from Shenzenaudio yesterday. It's sitting next to a Loxjie A30 and I'm not sure if I can hear any difference between the two with my headphones. What should I be listening for?
 
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Laserjock

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@amirm would you switch from the smsl 500 (v2) ?
i paid ~ 360 for the SMSL m500 and amazon offered a refund.
So i could get the EX5 for around ~300

i use XLR Yamaha HS5 and some headphones depending on the situation (mostly Audio Technica ATH 900)
I have the M500 with no easy way for a solution on the issue it has.
I’d trade all day for this
 
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