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Quad ERA-1 was the only case when I felt the 9.4 Ohm balanced HP out impedance took away part of the magic ERA-1 are known for: speed and impact! It was not a night and day difference compared to say a Benchmark HPA4 but it was quite obvious especially with faster paced music. On the front panel there are three headphone outputs: 6.35mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced and an XLR balanced output. To the right of those is the OLED display that shows useful information such as input selection, current bit-rate, volume and gain setting.
That notwithstanding, overall, this device produces a great performance in all aspects. Therefore, for the price, this DAC is definitely worth purchasing. Topping EX5 RME is a German audio equipment manufacturer that is known for producing high-quality products with premium performance. If you’ve been in the audio space for a while, I’m sure you’ve certainly heard of the RME brand. And the ADI-2 DAC FS is one of their best products. DACs with many different types of inputs and outputs and several unique features are quite expensive. And the more features you need in a DAC, the more money you’ll have to spend. This is certainly something you need to keep in mind so that you can set a reasonable budget for the choice of DAC you’re looking to buy. Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M Note: This article is based upon the video "Battle Royale: DX5 vs M500 vs EF400 vs DX7 Pro+ vs K9 Pro ESS ” made by Passion For Sound on their YouTube channel and is printed here in partnership with Passion For Sound. The review was originally posted on September 13th, 2022. Edits have been made for clarity and length. This DAC has a built-in crossfeed and DSP with EQ. For those who don’t know what crossfeedis, it’s a feature for headphones that blends the left and right channel audio in a way that simulates an actual speaker. When you use the crossfeed feature on the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, your headphones will sound more natural, like you’re listening on a pair of speakers. Really coolDACs are one of the easiest ways of improving your digital music. As a music enthusiast, you should use the best DAC for all your setups. Doing so will transform your favorite music into a musical masterpiece. I will skip the specs, design, weight, functionality aspects and will focus only on the DAC part of both devices. When I removed the Ferrum OOR and let it work as a DAC and preamp, some naturalness went away, there was less rumble in the bass and a thinner, less impressive midrange delivery, but everything else as transparency, speed and control of the drivers remained intact. I played the guess game with and without the Ferrum OOR and there was a clear difference. I would probably use it alone in an entry to mid-fi setup or in a nearfield setup powering active monitors and in a proper stereo rig, I would add e dedicated preamplifier. Ferrum OOR + Hypsos are expensive and overkill for the job and maybe investing in an affordable preamp would be a better idea. The newest Topping A90 Discrete would add some color, boost its bass and midrange presence at a more affordable price. As you can probably see at this point, none of these are perfect. Deciding which of these is best is going to come down to how you’re going to use it, what you prioritize, what you’re using it with. There are lots of different variables, so let me try to sum everything up now and pull it all together into a coherent picture. THD+N, A-weighted: <0.0004% at 1 kHz, 300 mW (32 ohms); <0.0005% at 20-20 kHz, 300 mW (32 ohms); <0.0003% at 1 kHz, 200 mW (300 ohms); <0.0004% at 20020 kHz, 200 mW (300 ohms)
If we sell 100 units in six days (by August 28), we’ll give away one final UX3000 ANC Bluetooth headphone. DX7Pro head-fi thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/top...-amp-with-es9038pro-and-bluetooth-5-0.915356/Topping used a top-of-the-line ES9038 PRO 8-channel DAC chip of ESS Technologies. This is their best and most premium converter. Topping has already plenty of experience with this particular chipset, as they used it already in several devices as DX7 PRO and their flagship D90SE DAC is also powered by it. ES9038 PRO is quite an interesting silicon, as it can work in mono, stereo or 8-channel mode, in either current-mode or voltage-mode operation. Most ES9038 PRO designs that I know of are using it in stereo configuration with a voltage mode operation due to a lower cost, R&D and that’s perfectly fine. However, if you want maximum performance out of it, this particular silicon gives a lower total-harmonic-distortion if current mode is being used. This configuration adds to the cost, as a powerful I/V (current to voltage) conversion stage needs to be built around the ES9038 PRO. The better the I/V conversion stage is = the higher precision can be squeezed from the DAC chip and the same can be said about its operation mode, as in mono mode it will output a higher dynamic range. Due to high output impedance (5 ohms on 6.3mm, 10 ohms on 4.4mm), there’s a slight bass boost with headphones with standard 32 ohms impedance. Sub bass bias with extremely clear mid-bass and no mid-bass blead. There’s deep reach. Bassline moves fast with accurate timing, there’s appropriate decay on bass notes. The DacMagic 200M comes with numerous options for digital input. They include; 2 coaxial digital inputs, two optical digital inputs, and a USB Type-B input as well. It has RCA phono and XLR outputs as well. This DAC weighs about 1.2kg and comes with Bluetooth (aptX) connectivity as well. One thing I have noticed from extended listening with the DX7 Pro is that the soundstage is both wide and deep, it isn't artificially boosted but it does come across with a great sense of space. I have had quite a few moments with the HE-500 which I listen to daily, where the sound is more holographic than with a few other sources I have. The digital inputs available on this device include; USB, OPT, AES, COAX, and IIS. This device has been incorporated with a 5.0 Bluetooth functionality as well. Additionally, this device supports aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC HD audio for those who care.
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