Really impressed with the latest Topping/SMSL DACs - if you look at the rapid release cycle of both companies, and the increasing quality of the products they release, it's getting really hard to justify spending more money on expensive DACs from other brands.
Fun review as always Randy. And thanks for pointing out that Bluetooth is not capable of hi res playback! Manufacturers (Topping included as it's shown on their marketing material for the EX5) really need to stop adding that hi res wireless logo to their products as it confuses the consumer.
Nice video again man. I’m satisfied with my d50s. But mostly do bt from iPhone. Into a tube amp. So not tested it’s fully potential! Not into headphones yet,…… but, Got your vintage ideas in my head and won an auction on a pioneer as-510(35$) got it today on my birthday 🥳. Open it up and cleaning it. And solder a loose leg on a transistor I saw. Hooked it up and it sounded very nice. And fine blue light.
To all the vinyl zealots out there, and I am one of them, DSD512 samples 20 million times per second. To give that some context, in the same time it takes for DSD512 to cycle through 10 thousand samples, a needle will travel about the length of one pvc molecule in a record groove.
Every time I tried a Tooping I ended selling...very happy with xiang sheng dac03 aka maverick....I change the 6n3 to western electric, change the 3 oamp to opa627 dual..., 2 output one tube and one opams
I’m pretty happy with my Topping D10S. It’s not super high end but for $110 I don’t think it can be beat. Plus it outputs to optical to my powered speakers in addition to analog out to my headphone amp.
@@seans1102 I looked into that but it doesn’t have the usb to optical output I needed. Plus I already have two headphone amps I really like. Xduoo TA20 and Monolith Liquid Spark.
@@ecstasy5317 for $110 it’s pretty good. I’m not sure you can find anything better for the price. Though I only use it for the optical output as of yesterday. I upgraded to a Geshelli Labs J2 Dack for my headphone amp.
So far, yourself and Zeos like this little thing! Thinking about using this as the centerpiece to a pair of decent powered monitors and to my Drop+Sennheiser HD58x Jubilee headphones.
Hey Randy, what do those fake leather IEM storage cases sell for? I could store my IEM's in there, seal the case with audiophile packing tape when I travel, and they will sound better when I reach my destination because of the packing tape! 😀
Dude I love your vids, always entertaining and informative thanks. I'm in the UK and I'm thinking maybe you should be putting some links to products for this side of the pond too?
Will Perry, go to shenzhenaudio.com/ There you can choose in what currency you want to buy. Don't know if there is any dealers in Europe. I think you have to order direct from China.
This would a perfect dac/amp for me - but not for my PC but rather my TV setup and there are a few reasons for that. For my pc I'm using Fiio K5 Pro and that's absolutely all I need. For my TV I'm using Edifier R1700BT - they are nice budget speakers but they have a few issues: remote sucks a lot, bluetooth codec is limited to SBC and they have only 1 RCA input. That's why I was looking for a dac or dac/amp that 1. would sound fairly good, 2. had optic input on the back, 3. be controlled with a remote for comfort - I love being lazy :))), 4. had LDAC support to improve my Spotify experience, 5. optionally had headphone output - I live in a flat and my neighbours hear almost everything so it would be nice to have option of switching to headphones in the middle of the night sometimes, and it looks like this is the device that covers all my needs :)
Every time i take my IEM's out of the audiophile fake leather case, they sound worse then before. Is there a way i can use the IEM's while staying inside the case?
I need to look up Sith Audio as I need to hide my IEM's from my cat as he loves knocking things off on the floor... I just don't want to lose sound quality. Hmmm.
If you can already play all your preferred digital sources with what you've got, then you already have a DAC built-in somewhere. Then, if you're already content with the sound you're getting, you have no reason to upgrade. But if you want to get better sound, consider your entire system beginning with your speaker placement in the room and then the actual speakers.
For those who are good judges of humor and who were looking forward to Part 3 of the Audiophile Clown Interview. Sorry. There "might" have been a reason for deleting part 2 . But that's a lot of typing.
@Douglas Blake Okay - understood. I just wonder why the DAC is balanced, but the headphone amp is single-ended - but then there is a connector that *looks* like it is balanced. If you go through the trouble to design and build this unit - just make the headphone amp portion balanced also?
Hey i just purchased a schiit modi 3 plus im just waiting for the seller to send it to me. Can you look at the modi 3 plus and the asgard 3 combination.
Interest how I find the sound quality of this much better than my Astell and Kern SP2000 and my FiiO M17. This device is unbelievable. And costs so much less than those daps. A grand plus less. But better sound
I'm completely new into DAC. I've had a BW P7 for three years now and really enjoy it. I only listen to flac and SACD files (over 3000 songs in my library). My friend told me that a DAC would improve the sound further instead of relying on my desktop computer's motherboard. Anyone know if BW P7 benefits from DAC:s? Also, would this be a good choice? I randomly found this in a forum that I read.
Yes I have the P7 Wireless and until I got a proper dac I considered the Bluetooth good enough. With a proper dac the sound gets so much better. B&W P7 has about 22 Ohm impedance so they don't require much power but they show what comes out. I think a dac with a decent built in headphone amplifier will do great. Thx Onyx has been well received and is very flexible.
@@marcusm5127 Alright, I also have the wireless version but only use wired for my desktop. I'll continue looking and reading about DAC:s, its not worth rushing imo and I got a bunch of money that I want to spend on something fun, maybe 300-400 USD. I've spent two long nights and most of my work hours for a couple of days just reading reviews and forums haha
I know nothing about audio file stuff. this dac is only for headphone. i have a. Yamaha rx 780 only used 2 channel i do have a CD player runs though it. what dac would work with this set up.
Your receiver already has a built-in dac using optical inputs. If you need a usb dac, or a higher quality dac than the built-in dac, any dac with a usb input will do. Plenty of choices, like the topping d10s, the topping d30 pro, or other, more expensive dacs from SMSL/Topping/Schiit etc.
I still am having a hard time seeing how this would be a smarter choice than a receiver that has an amp such as the Marantz 1711. The DAC in the Marantz seems solid, no? is this really that much better?
@Douglas Blake I have had the amp for 10 years. I needed a processor/preamp and the 1711 was a very good choice. I used to run the signal right into the amp, but I wanted more control and the sound has never been better.
i remember everybody were excited over Topping DX3 Pro, it was cheap powerful and all rounded, butttt... after few months manufacturers decided that it's too much fun for a filthy peasants and screwed headphone amp on it, probably swapped it for a lot cheaper one. after that i'm very cautious when i see such good to be true combos)
Just as a DAC vs Schiit Bifrost 2?Would not be worth the coin -but then again Ch-Fi.....so I won't ask f Denafrip Zres because I watched all the videos allready.Tough to beat on value proposition
@@17cream Many of us have an Ares II, so it's a good benchmark to compare another DACs to. I might consider this DAC for headphones only or the bedroom 🙃
@@chrish.4067 I wish more people would give the Douk p1 with the right tubes a go. Its amazing and drives very hard to drive headphones. I have Pre amps up to $500 and always go back to the Douk p1. The douk p1 with Aiyima 07 amp and be ready to be amazed
@@chrish.4067 I think also they are two very different sounding DACs because of the technology. I have the E30 which isn’t a million miles away in sound from the EX5 and imho it’s significantly inferior to the Ares II. I’d say that Ares II would be better compared to the Top end Toppings and even then I’d probably go with the Ares.😊
A DAC is probably the one peice of audio equipment I'll never buy which is ironic as I do enjoy your reviews. Pretty sure my Denon receiver has one inside.
Why spend more? 1)Not a huge fan of delta sigma implementations and the filters they have to use to approximate 2) Aesthetics (LCD screen already looks outdated) 3) MQA shouldn't be a factor It is worse than FLAC and you're indirectly paying for the license to use it. Look up Golden Ear's experiment here on YT. 4) Some DACs are upgradable (e.g., Schiit) 5) I prefer to support a USA company Really just comes down to personal preference, and that's the beauty of it. 🤓
The EX5 has dual dac chips, more powerful headphone amp and the balanced outs. There are probably some additional differences with the op amps and the volume control chip but good catch. Very similar products
In the audio world, it's in the "affordable" range. But I know what you mean. I think of the hours I work to earn $350 and I'm pretty careful with my money.
INTERVIEW: A CLOWN AUDIOPHILE I hope I'm not taking up too much space or giving the impression that I'm trying to upstage anyone; but a while back I did an interview with a very interesting audiophile that had a lifelong career with the circus. Here is that interview the best I can remember. I think it's worthwhile. SIDES UP: I smelled your barbecue smoke. I see you're grilling out. I really really like barbeque chicken. May I ? LARRY: NO... Oh my.... Go ahead, you already touched it. But lay off the rest; they's for leftovers. SIDES UP: So how long did you work for Ringling Brothers and when did you become an audiophile? LARRY: 35 years as a circus clown and around half that many as an audiophile. I might be the worlds only Audiophile Clown. SIDES UP: I'm sure there's a lot of people that would disagree with you on that one. But what's that under the big tarp? LARRY: That's my CD player. I believe in isolating it from speaker vibrations, so I always have it out here on my porch. You can see the way the wires from the CD player go in through the porch window and right into the house. I got the tarp on it to protect it from all this smoke and so it don't get stole. SIDES UP: Can I go inside and see the rest of your equipment? LARRY: Well...NO!... Ok... you're already in..Go ahead I guess. My idea is to isolate the CD player from vibration by letting it set on the porch outside while my speakers play inside the house. SIDES UP: So every time you want to change a cd, you have to go outside and put another one on. LARRY: That's right. Or when there's a scratch on the CD and it gets stuck. I hate that. But it's still worth it. SIDES UP: That's a pretty good idea, but I'd upgrade your interconnect if I was you. I noticed you had some humongous thing underneath your player out there & you have one under each component in here. What are they? LARRY: Them are those things that the circus Elephants stand up on, right on their hind legs. I use them as footers under all my electronics. SIDES UP: WOW! That is a great idea! They must be pretty strong to hold an elephant, but they're pretty big for just a little tube amplifier. How much does an elephant weigh? LARRY: A lot. More than even The Fat Lady. If you rejected one of her advances, she'd hold it against you for the rest of your life. We knew not to razz her about her weight. She made friends with that damn sword swallower and he could be dangerous too. She'd eat a whole big bag of potato chips in one sitting and then just throw the empty bag anywhere so she wouldn't have to walk twenty steps over to the trash can. SIDES UP: Instead of your speakers being on the floor I see they are hanging from the ceiling on some kind of wire bracing. LARRY: Yeah I got that idea from watching the trapeze artists. The speakers don't put vibration into the floor where it can mess with the components inside, even though they're on those elephant things, and my CD player isn't even in the same house. It's outside on the porch; perfectly isolated. SIDES UP : I took the liberty of looking downstairs in your cellar. I see you have more of those elephant platforms down there. What a great idea for a footer. Would you sell me one? LARRY: Nah go ahead and just take it. If you can carry it up the steps. SIDES UP: No really, let me give you something for it. How about 10 bucks? LARRY: Nah just take it. I wouldn't feel right takin' any money for it. I stole it from the circus. SIDES UP: I hear you were personal friends with The Human Cannonball. What happened there? LARRY: I don't really like to talk about it. What happened happened..It's really hard to think about it. After 30 years of gettin' shot out of a damn cannon with no problem and then to go like that. Lookin' back on it, he didn't have enough respect for the little guy that used to put his head inside the lions mouth. It would have never happened otherwise. The Human Cannonball; we called him Cannonball for short. He went to a barber shop earlier that day to get his hair cut. I guess it made Cannonball feel cocky to be all dooded up like that. He saw the little guy with the lion standing around and he went up to the little guy and said "Oh that looks so dangerous, putting your head inside the lions mouth. I'll bet he's more like a pussycat." Like I said Cannonball didn't have enough respect for the man. Like in football the other players sometime don't respect the placekicker. They don't see him as a real meat and bones part of the team. SIDES UP: I think I know what you mean. LARRY: Anyway, Cannonball started sarcastically taunting him about being such a brave little guy, " Oh boy, you get paid just for just sticking your head into this big pussycats mouth. Let me try it once." The barber must have powdered up Cannonballs head pretty good that day and when Cannonball stuck his head inside the lions mouth the lion had a sudden & violent sneeze. That was it. The lion didn't mean to do it. The damn lion even had a sympathetic look on his face for a long while; until it was feeding time. SIDES UP: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. LARRY: I'm sorry you had to hear it. Old Cannonball gettin' shot out of a cannon for so many years and then to suddenly go like that. SIDES UP: Maybe he can hear us. Maybe he's looking down on us right now. LARRY: That's nice. That's really nice. I hope so. SIDES UP: There was a song Bruce Springsteen recorded about Circus life on his album The Wild The Innocent & The East Street Shuffle. I believe it was from around 1993 or 94. Have you ever heard it? LARRY: No I must have missed that one. My clown career was in full bloom in 1993. SIDES UP: Is it true what they say, that there is pain and tragedy beneath the surface of all comics and clowns? LARRY: Well uh....I don't know. I suppose there could be happier people than myself. I'm just happy to have retired my shoes after so many years with Ringling. My clown shoes are right over there in the corner, behind the door. I use them.as a doorstop. SIDES UP: Oh yeah I see them. I wondered why the door would only open 12 inches. END OF PART 1 OF INTERVIEW.
Nice review, I love my D50s, but blergh… if I want to add distortion to my setup, I’ll do it the old fashioned way by using cheap cables, not paying MQA to do it in post. (…ducks and runs for cover, shippy…)
"Why Even Buy a More Expensive DAC?" Because it is made in China, and feeding a guy close to you, does way more good then feeding some guy from China. If the guy next to you want's to sell products in China he needs to sell his company, so helping those closer to you in a unfair market does way more good then saving a few bucks. "But but it's cheaper" This is a hobby. None of us NEED it, we just want it. I had to do some re-planning my entire upgrade path to 100% exclude products from China. I am getting amps from USA and Ukraine, streamer from Austria, filter from UK, and DAC will be from UK or Austria. There is no reasonable argument for non Chinese users to buy something like this.
@@Yiannis2112 not sure what are you talking about. I live in Europe as you may guess by where I take most components, so did you ever look on the globe? 2nd. Due to economical reasons, from the entire world, China is literally the last place where one should look for stuff.
@@kurt120032002 Not sure what you're talking about either. Moreover no. It was as much impossible to know where you live, as much it is for you to know where I live. In addition yes. I've looked closely to a map, more times than you can imagine. That's why I know Ukraine is closer to China than it is to the US. Any recommendations of DACs in the 100 to 350 USD or euros range, not made in China?
@@Yiannis2112 sure: iFi Zen DAC/Zen signature/Zen 2 (all sound about the same), Geshelli J2 is $300 and sounds close to $1000 DACs, Project S2.S2 pre, even Chord Mojo can be found down to 350 from time to time, and that is just 3 that come to mind on the spot and I know are good.
