A 5V/1A power supply is sufficient for the E50 as described in the manual.
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Topping E50 Review (Balanced DAC)
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Ahh.. silly me.. reminds me of the term RTFM! lol...
Plan to buy it. Thx a lot...
The SU-1 has RCA only and the E50 has both RCA and TRS (BAL) outputs. The AO200 amplifier has both RCA and XLR (BAL) inputs, so if you want a BAL connection, the E50 is preferable.
The SU-1's RCA can be connected to the AO200's XLR input using an RCA>XLR conversion cable, and sound will be output, but the performance is inferior to the RCA>RCA connection. I do not recommend such connections.
The E50 has better electrical characteristics than the SU-1, but I don't think there is a big difference in the actual sound quality.
These days, even cheap products have excellent sound quality. After that, please select either with or without a display. However, I recommend the proven E50 in terms of stable operation.
Currently I am using E50 and AO200 with both RCA>RCA and TRS>XLR connections.
Hello everyone, I would like to finally get a DAC and headphone amplifier for my aged Beyerdynamic T90.
Since yesterday I have been searching forums and tests for different devices. First I came across the manufacturer iFi and the Zen Dac Signature V2 + Can Signature combination. This is currently available for 399 euros.
After looking around here in the forum, I found the Topping E50 + L50 particularly interesting. Here I would end up at around 350 euros. The dealer who offers the topping recommended the FiiO K5 or K7. Would this one also be good?
Which combination would you recommend or where can I get more for the money?
I only connect my T90 and the Audioengine A2+, BT is not important to me as I have a NAD AVR in the room that I can stream to. I currently use Tidal as it is very cheap. MQA... i know. Qobuz is the way to go.
Since yesterday I have been searching forums and tests for different devices. First I came across the manufacturer iFi and the Zen Dac Signature V2 + Can Signature combination. This is currently available for 399 euros.
After looking around here in the forum, I found the Topping E50 + L50 particularly interesting. Here I would end up at around 350 euros. The dealer who offers the topping recommended the FiiO K5 or K7. Would this one also be good?
Which combination would you recommend or where can I get more for the money?
I only connect my T90 and the Audioengine A2+, BT is not important to me as I have a NAD AVR in the room that I can stream to. I currently use Tidal as it is very cheap. MQA... i know. Qobuz is the way to go.
Last edited:
the_surf_doc
Member
I'd be cautious about what a dealer recommends. Often they just want to clear stock. JMHO. But in this case, I think the FiiO K5 may be a decent bet. It was measured on here once.
He said something about the fiiO K5 Pro being good enough and that I would pay much more for little added value with the others.
the_surf_doc
Member
Here's the ASR review. Amir recommends it.
Review and Measurements of Fiio K5 Pro
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fiio K5 Pro DAC and headphone amplifier. It was kindly sent to me by the company. The K5 Pro is a budget product, costing US $150 on Amazon with free shipping. The Fiio K5 looks decent and sports a nice, large volume knob which I appreciated...
www.audiosciencereview.com
That's the 2019 version. I'm sure any newer version would have a more recent version of the ESS chip. Someone will have posted about it on here, maybe have a search.
I don't use my E50 with headphones, I use my iPhone as I'm lazy.
Poor measurement results of the 2019 version are not caused by weak ESS chip.
I recommend E50 & L50 stack over K5.
Don't buy on dealers recommendations. They want to free their stock.
the_surf_doc
Member
Just to be clear, that is not something I inferred - or intended to infer. I just flagged up that the review was for an older model.
If I go for the E50 + L50, which power supply should I get? What other cables do I need? How long is the USB cable or is that not included either?
Asma
Member
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- Sep 23, 2020
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usb cable is included with the E50. I will give links to good interconnect cables.
Do you know how long the USB cable is? So I need the cables + two power supplies each, or?
Included USB cable is about 3 feet. If you would need longer good choice is Belkin Pro series.
Search for an option to buy E50 + L50 as a pack - it usually costs less and the pack usually includes balanced TRS interconnect cable from Topping https://hifigo.com/products/topping-tct1
Power supply:
With L50 you get power supply too (its not DC +5V but AC one).
E50: 'Experts' on this forum will suggest you to power it from a free computer USB port. My suggestion is different - depends on country you are from - for example (only 120V AC input): https://www.amazon.com/JAMECO-RELIAPRO-DDU050100M2270-Transformer-Single-Out/dp/B09DGPZM5Q
Alternatives could be combos Topping DX5 Lite, Sabaj A20D, Loxjie D40 Pro.
The cable might be too short, I'll measure it. I come from Germany, and I don't think there is a provider here that offers a package. I'll take a closer look at the alternatives in a moment. Would I have to worry about the quality and durability of the topping?
Pack Topping E50 Balanced DAC + L50 Balanced Headphone Amplifier + TCT1 Jack 6.35mm Cables Black - Audiophonics
This Topping pack is composed of a balanced DAC E50, a balanced headphone amplifier L50 and cables Jack 6.35mm TCT1 allowing the connection of both devices. This set will allow you to take advantage of a headphone amplification system.
@thisiscrs this is low noise medical grade +5V supply with universal AC input 110/230V https://www.meanwell-web.com/en-gb/ac-dc-medical-desktop-adaptor-output-5vdc-at-6a-ac-gsm60b05--p1j
Mine is OK. You can return it within 14 days and you have 2 years warranty in EU if you buy from Audiophonics.
I could also buy it from Amazon Marketplace with delivery today. Should be also fine.
Which one would u suggest for my Setup. The L50/E50 Stack or the DX5 Lite?
I am looking to DAC and headamp/preamp as to standalone components. It may be nice to have equally looking 2 devices stacked together on desk, but I am often combining devices of different manufacturers and I want to have the ability to change only one of the components after some time. Because I wish such a versability I always choose separate DAC and amp. Having 2 components also lowers the risk of an issue/malfunction. It is not usual that 2 separate devices would unexpectedly fail at the same time. But of course, combo devices have also advantages. They are usually smaller than 2 devices, you need only one power supply, there is no need for interconnect cables. It's easier to travel with a small combo device. You can still use some external amp with combo device in DAC mode.
Performance wise, when using usual headphones, there should be no evident sound quality difference between E50/L50 stack and DX5 lite. There are many other combos on the market with significantly lower quality amp part than DAC part. That's not the case of 3 combo devices I suggested.
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