vantagesc,
 
In my experience so far, the SQ of the iPhone 5S is definitely headphone dependent--and I'm not talking hard to drive headphones vs. easy to drive--even among the easy to drive phones, there is a big difference in synergy or compatibility or however you want to describe it.
 
With my Sennheiser HD-595's, Sony MDR-7506's, and my Etymotic ER-4S's, the treble is anything but "messy" and "splashy"!  Aggressive?  Maybe a bit.  Forward?  Yes.  But not messy.  I find it to be brilliantly clear and precise and defined.  I absolutely love it.
 
But with the Sennheiser PX100's I think I would agree with "messy" and "splashy" or maybe "harsh" or "aggravating".
 
So, for what it's worth, in my personal opinion / experience, you need to chose your pairing with the 5S way more carefully than with the 4--with the wrong headphones, it borders on unlistenable.  But with the right headphones, it's awesome--way better than the 4.
 
In my opinion anyway!
 
Point is, for those reading this, if you're considering getting a 5S then I would definitely recommend bringing your preferred headphones with you to audition it.

Yep, I wasn't meaning to contradict your findings, but report that the C5D made more of a difference with my SE846's and PFE 132's.  I forgot to mention that the unit yielded a nice improvement with my Bang & Olufsen H6's as well.  I can get away with just the iPhone 5S with the PFE 132's, probably because they don't have a huge amount of bass, but an amp is more important with the SE846's (9 ohm impedance @ 1khz).
 
Hell even my 5 year old Sansa Clip v2 controls bass better than the iPhone 5S, though overall the Sansa's presentation is more soft and relaxed.

vantagesc,
 
No worries!  I wasn't meaning to contradict your findings/experiences either, just to offer my own.  Experiences and findings differ for many reasons--these things are definitely subjective!--and it's very useful, I think, to have a good number of reports from various people about their experiences and why and how and what they were using, etc.  That way, each person reading can get a better idea about what their experiences might be likely to be.
 
There is a lot more about the 5S audio quality in the http://www.head-fi.org/t/682937/iphone-5c-and-5s-audio-output thread for those who are interested.  Most people are finding that the SQ of the 5S is a definite step up from the 5, and even from the 4/4S, but that the output power is less than the 4S.  I found the power to be equal into a 100 ohm resistive load vs. the iPhone 4, for what it's worth.  In my subjective tests, though, I felt the 5S was just a bit more capable than the 4, power-wise.
 
And re: the sloppy bass finding, for what it's worth, my experience coming from the 4 has been the exact opposite.  I find the 5S to have tighter, more controlled bass with the headphones I have used.  For the record, I have never listened to a Sansa Clip.
 
Anyway, back to the C5D.  Apparently, people aren't that interested in buying my C5D so I may end up keeping it, as I really don't want to lower the price more than I already have.  And if I do keep it, I will probably mod my CCK cable.  However, as for doing this for other people, I read in the rules and regulations that I am not allowed to charge people for my time unless I get myself categorized differently or something.  I suppose I could look into this when and if the time comes.  I'll see.  First I'd have to do the mod for myself, anyway.  And who knows, maybe someone will end up buying my C5D.

really really curious about this one now. quite liked the C5, and if the DAC is any good... sweet stuff!
anyone heard with RE-600 or RE-400? I'll be using with the RE-600 but I figure RE-400 might be similar enough?
just want to know about noise levels and such.

I can tell you this munchzilla I purchased the CD5  as well as a Fiio 17 and gave the Fiio to the wife.
Is this unit perfect no i have yet to experience the claimed battery life  . But of course i have mine on high gain much of the time pushing a 250 om headset . Perhaps one must go higher in price for a stronger battery portable solution.

Noise levels are very low but it may not have enough juice to drive the cans in question. I just don't know. See the main, huge long C5/C5D thread. Someone has undoubtedly discussed it already.

What I CAN tell you is that the CEntrance HiFi M8 would almost certainly drive any headphone you own, but it's like $700!

Anyway, check back in when you find the answer!

Hi there. How much are you selling your JDSLabs CD5 for? I might be interested as I'm looking for something to pair my NAD Viso HP50. Thanks.

Is there an european users that using correctly C5D with Apple Devices?

teohouse88 said:

  Is there an european users that using correctly C5D with Apple Devices?

Click to expand...

I did tested it but I don't use it daily as I use it with other things.
you need iOS7++

kdub,
 
Thanks for your inquiry, but I already sold my C5D.
 
teohouse88,
 
Check the main thread on the C5/C5D, but from my own reading there I can tell you for (pretty) sure that the C5D does indeed work correctly for European iDevice users as long as they are running iOS 7.

Hi just want to know if you are still interested in selling your CD5. Shoot me a private message on your best price if you are and current condition. Thanks.

*edit. Oops didn't see your previous reply before this one. Maybe since I'm already typing, can anyone here help recommend an external dac/amp combo or separate amp plus separate dac to pair with my Samsung S3 using USB Audio Player Pro (is there a better way to player SQ wise for 16 bit and 24 bit flacs?) and NAD Viso HP50 headphones? These over ear headphones are 32 ohm impedance. My budget is under $300 as I don't want to spend more than cost of headphones. Some I've had in mind are Fiio E07k, Fiio E17, JDS Labs CD5, iBasso. Any help greatly appreciated. I like my music as transparent to original recording as possible.

Is the C5D a C5+ODAC in one enclosure? same circuitry? same specs?

oretalp said:

  Is the C5D a C5+ODAC in one enclosure? same circuitry? same specs?

Click to expand...

Oretalp,
 
No it's not an ODAC and C5 in the same enclosure.  The ODAC goes (in terms of design and pedigree) with the O2 (Objective 2) amp, and both are an open source design by HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED (or linked to).  One can build an O2 oneself, either from a kit, or really from scratch with the parts list and circuit diagrams.  But an ODAC, on the other hand, requires parts that can't be bought in small quantity.  JDS Labs sells both the O2 and ODAC in their own specific incarnation (case, lettering, etc.).  But they aren't the only ones.
 
But I digress.  I would guess that the DAC section in the C5D necessarily had to be smaller in order to fit into the same chassis as the C5 (underneath the main board, if I remember correctly).  I'm sure it has similarities, but if you check the tech specs on the DAC's in the ODAC and C5D, you'll find they are different, so at the very least they are using different DAC's even if their circuit topology is the same or similar.  But I doubt the circuitry is the same, either.  (And, note that there is also an O2+ODAC combo if you really are set on either the O2 or the ODAC -- or, obviously, both).
 
More to the point, I'm quite sure that both the ODAC and the DAC in the C5D are completely transparent, audiophile grade DAC sections and I very much doubt you could tell the difference between them.

_js_ said:

  But I digress.  I would guess that the DAC section in the C5D necessarily had to be smaller in order to fit into the same chassis as the C5 (underneath the main board, if I remember correctly).  I'm sure it has similarities, but if you check the tech specs on the DAC's in the ODAC and C5D, you'll find they are different, so at the very least they are using different DAC's even if their circuit topology is the same or similar.  But I doubt the circuitry is the same, either.  (And, note that there is also an O2+ODAC combo if you really are set on either the O2 or the ODAC -- or, obviously, both).
 
More to the point, I'm quite sure that both the ODAC and the DAC in the C5D are completely transparent, audiophile grade DAC sections and I very much doubt you could tell the difference between them.

Click to expand...

 
To fill in a bit more detail, ODAC and C5D indeed have completely different DACs.
 
George Boudreau designed ODAC under guidance of NwAvGuy (with bits of input from JDS Labs and the DIY community). ODAC uses the popular Tenor TE7022L USB controller and an ES9023 DAC. 
 
The DAC in C5D occupies about the same physical PCB area as an ODAC would; it fits comfortably beneath the 1200mAh battery. George also designed the base DAC schematic for C5D, using an SA9027 controller + PCM5102A DAC. These are newer chips with mostly superior specs--on paper. You can compare the real world specifications between ODAC and C5D and will find they perform similarly, and there's no clear winner (both excellent).
 
Summary: ODAC and C5D are completely different designs, but were designed by the same engineer.

Will these 2 work?
 
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD821ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-A-to-Mini-B-5-Pin-Data-Cable-Adapter-Male-M-MP3-DC-/280494538522