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.

After running the EX5 as a DAC/Amp, I tried upgrading the amp section by connecting the balanced outputs of the EX5 into my Burson Soloist 3X. This resulted in a mostly similar tonal balance. However, there are some marked improvements brought about by replacing the EX5’s amplifier section.With the power available on tap with the EX5, it can practically drive a majority of headphones available on the market. However, the less expansive soundstage of the EX5 will not complement some headphones that are already on the more closed-in side of things.

Concentrating where it counts, Topping’s success can mostly be attributed to its straightforward products that offer maximum performance with an aesthetic that is more alike than different. Output impedance has been going up and down in some Topping products of this class so good to see them target a near zero impedance yet again. The DX5 is an improved version of the EX5, a DAC and headphone amplifier combo benefiting from both an exceptional conception and a brand new modern design. This allows the vocal range to be more euphonic and liquid. Instrument timbre on the other hand is less planted, however, harmonic overtones are richer, giving instruments a comparatively brighter overall character.

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. When it comes to the front of the EX5, there is a lot to talk about. There is a 4-pin balanced XLR output, a single-ended ¼” headphone output, an MQA indicator LED, a screen, and a multifunction volume knob. Of course you don't have to use it since there is a fully functioning remote control with a couple of handy shortcut buttons. USB DAC in, coaxial, optical καθώς και ασύρματα μέσω σύνδεσης Bluetooth 5.0 (CSR8675) με πλήρη υποστήριξη όλων των κωδικοποιητών υψηλής ανάλυσης aptX/aptX LL/aptX HD/LDAC. Furthermore, the D30 Pro has 4 pcs of CS43198 DAC chips in a balanced configuration, which is something rarer than the more standard 2 x ES9038Q2M on the EX5. However, MQA rendering capabilities are glaringly absent on the D30 Pro.

My overall impression when I listened to the EX5 is that it leans towards the colder side of neutral. There is a good amount of sub-bass extension, but the ethereal quality is not as prominent. So how does the little EX5 is sounding more exactly? Well, it sounds exactly like a miniature version of its DX7 PRO sibling that I’ve hailed as being a dead-neutral combo, focusing mostly on technicalities, rather than on the act of music listening and the same can be said about the EX5. Those NFCA modules aren’t crippling its DAC section and are more like improving the timing, the pace, speed and decay of the notes, while highlighting inner-details more than anything else. Sending music from a smartphone via streaming services as Qobuz and Tidal worked as a charm and LDAC codec sounded almost indistinguishable to its USB connection if a 16-bit PCM lossless files was being played. Bottom line is that EX5 performed very good in here, exactly as good as their top-of-the-line D90SE. While the chassis looks similar, the USB implementation on the D30 Pro is different, where it features only an XMOS XU208 USB controller. This means that it won’t have MQA decoding capabilities built in. The DX5 supports USB input that can be connected to a PC or OTG mobile phones and tablets plus coaxial and optical digital inputs.With the wireless Hi-Res branding on the EX5, it features the latest hi-res codecs including aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC, as well as the standard protocols such as SBC and AAC. This means that the EX5’s Bluetooth connection tops out at 32bit/96kHz. Topping που την ονομάζει NFCA και δεν είναι ισορροπημένος μιας και οι δύο έξοδοι αποδίδουν την ίδια ακριβώς ισχύ. The remote control on the other hand will allow the user to access all the menu options available to the EX5. Changing the DAC filters, changing the output modes and controlling the brightness, and muting the device can only be done with the remote control. The NFCA headphone amplifier circuit of the DX5 is fully optimized specifically for this model, ensuring very low noise and distortion. After that’s taken care of, open Tidal, select the output device, go to settings and enable Software Decode Disabled and Exclusive Mode and you’re done. That’s it – you should now see the MA symbol in the upper right corner. There is a weird bug that says 44.1 kHz still with MQA active, even after changing the sound settings output to the correct value. It doesn’t seem to impact anything though.