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regarding the jitter measurements, amir/wolf's measurements also show it has a less ideal jitter performance, especially compared to their d10B, and is mentioned in my review as well. Due to the more rolled-off quality of the upper treble range, the soundstage is not particularly expansive. Directionality is acceptable, and the entire soundscape is optimally used provided that the headphones can present images within the entire soundstage. I think this is a great product, I think it's somewhat of a no-brainer if you were looking for a more affordable dac. And you also want a headphone amp for a desktop solution if you're just in the headphones this is great personally for me I like this for two channel listening with a variable output. You can use the EX5 as a digital preamp into a standalone amplifier, whatever it is, this is your volume control if you're only using digital inputs. The unit offers a fully balanced line level output plus single ended line level and headphone outputs. All the above might sound alarming but actually the DX5 headphone section is still very competitive for a budget friendly, all-in-one device.
Topping | Electromod Topping | Electromod
Separately, since the unit already has an integrated power supply, only a standard IEC cable is stored to the right. In addition to that, they are heavily invested in the latest audio testing machinery such as the APx555 from Audio Precision. There is no need to listen to a few songs, because I will be arriving at the same conclusion all over again that I’m dealing with a highly detailed Delta-Sigma DAC, something that would be unthinkable a few years ago.Finally, the headphone amplifier section on the EX5 uses Topping’s NFCA headphone amplifier architecture. It boasts of having a diminishingly low THD of 0.0001% for the single-ended output and 0.0003% for balanced 4-pin XLR. Overall, I have to say I’m quite pleased with Topping’s new design. While Topping raised the bar in audio circuit design with each product, its aesthetic offerings did not change much. Now, they entered into a new realm of possibilities where we audiophiles get better looking and sounding devices. When we look at the design awards that Topping’s DX5 has received, it is easy to say that this change has been expected for a long time. The amplifier section of the 2 devices though is quite different, where the XA-10 is equipped with a class A headphone amplifier section capable of 4W into 32Ω through the balanced outputs, and 3W into 32Ω through the single-ended output. DACs: Topping EX5, Burson Timekeeper 3i, Musician Aquarius, Audiobyte HydraVox & HydraZap, Matrix Audio Element X, Gold Note DS-10 Plus & PSU-10 Evo, Gustard X26 PRO, X16, Topping D90SE
TOPPING NX4 DSD, NX5, NX2S, NX3s, Headphone AMP and - HiFiGo TOPPING NX4 DSD, NX5, NX2S, NX3s, Headphone AMP and - HiFiGo
The NFCA headphone amplifier circuit of the DX5 is fully optimized specifically for this model, ensuring very low noise and distortion. Loxjie D30 is half the price of EX5 and with lower power reserves. If you don’t need much power, it’s still a worthy contender. The bassline on Loxjie D30 is not as punchy, but the midrange is more open and more forward sounding, so I enjoyed vocals through it more. The highest spectrum is also airer, making the soundstage slightly wider and more open. EX5 on the other hand sounds more focused and punchier. There are 2 gain levels with the EX5, however, I kept the EX5 at high gain for most of my listening tests. The high gain is silent enough to run IEMs like the FiiO FH3 while having enough power to run my harder-to-drive headphones like my Audio Technica ADX5000, and my Sennheiser HD600. While the performance is certainly satisfying and excellent for an all-in-one solution without the hassle of an external amplifier, you can do a lot better. Sound quality is quite close to the wired connection, there is a loss in technicalities and refinement plus a touch of edginess to the sound but still very good.
Internally, the 2 devices use different DACs to power their DAC sections. The XA-10 uses a pair of AK4493 DAC chips, while the EX5 uses a pair of ES9038Q2M DACs. When listening to high pitched percussion instruments or the higher piano register the sound decaying is realistic without losing weight and becoming thinner or splashy. The DX5 adds a high resolution wireless Bluetooth reception but the headphone amplifier is considerably less powerful than the Aurora but it is more suitable for sensitive earphones thanks to the gain setting and the low noise. Why this is interesting? Well. For rear XLR output. it gets the XLR + phase signal from the class AB headphone amplifier discussed in 3). and the - phase signal is from the inverting signal of a regular op amp 4). The review sample was kindly provided free of charge by Shenzhen audio in exchange for my honest review.
Topping DX5 Review — Headfonics Topping DX5 Review — Headfonics
Most of the time it was playing tunes as an all-in-one combo driving plenty of headphones, ranging from IEMs, portable over-ears, to desktop dynamic and planar-magnetic headphones. I have also used it in the living room, driving directly a power amplifier of my choice (it was either a Benchmark AHB2 or KECES S300) and a pair of KEF Reference 3 loudspeakers. Later on, I left its preamp duties to the Topping PRE90 or to a Benchmark HPA4, driving the same power amplifiers and loudspeakers. There's no premium grade components. You won't find things like OPA1612. All op amps in the signal path are LM4562.
The Aurora is a touch more musical, engaging, full bodied and visceral but in exchange not as clear sounding as the DX5 which is technically a bit superior with a more controlled and firmer bass, deeper detail retrieval, more extended but not sharp highs and superior overall definition. The bass got a bit fuller sounding losing the slightly dry default tuning of the combo and continuing to a drum and bass guitar placement that is much more pinpoint. There is also improved technicality in the midrange revealing microdetails smoothed over by the unit’s amplifier for a more textured vocal listening satisfaction.
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