[Fungus]

  OK, so it totally not worth. I found my X1 has a lot of upper bass, so I think C5 can give extra sub bass by activate the BB. 

Switching on the bass boost to even to the first step is an overkill unless you have very bass light headphones. The c5 already has more bass quantity than most modern daps I've come across. 

 

[Fungus]

I've been using the sony hd5 with my c5 via line out for a few months now. Yesterday night in bed while listening to a track, I decided to test how good the nw5 was straight out of the headphone jack. The difference was day and night. Unamped, it was almost like listening to the radio, everything sounded so congested, grainy and muddy in comparison. Complex instrumental passages sounded like a mess. Just the overall tone was entirely different. I remember comparing the nw5 > c5 with the ipod nano 5g and 6g and the differences weren't nearly as big.
What I've realised now is that built in amp of modern day daps have much improved over the decade.  

 

[mdiogofs]

Hello. Does the C5D works from Android USB OTG from Spotify? Tks

 

[Young Spade]

So I'm gonna be better off buying the dx50/90 and adding just the amp in the long run? This will be my only rig for now so I'm going to use full zone cans as well so I guess at some point I have to add an amp (I like the c5) although I don't know how well the iBasso will pair with the jds labs c5. Do you think I should go for the dx50 or buy the 'best' (being the dx90) and then an amp and cry just one time? Lol. Thanks a lot for the info, it's been really helpful.

 
Well it depends on how much energy your cans require. Being properly amped > using a DX50 UNLESS the DAP can drive your cans. Honestly just do some of your own research and find out the output values of the DX50, CD5, and whether your headphones would benefit from amplification. 
 
Honestly switching DAPs will only matter if you have pretty resolving headphones. What are you using right now? 

 

[Leo888]

Hi,may I ask for a comparison between the C5 and the Fiio E12A. What are the advantage of one over the other. Will very much appreciate it as I'm looking to amp my Fiio X1. Thanks in advance.

 

[xuan87]

Can I ask all JDS C5D owners and ex-owners here, what are some of the alternative portable dac/amp that you've moved on to from the C5D? 
 
Personally, I think of my C5D as an anti-poison shield, many portable daps, dac/amps many times more expensive failed to sway me when compared to the C5D.
 
Just the other way, I was convinced that the AK100+glove audio A1 combo will be my endgame portable rig, but I still preferred my iPhone 5S+ C5D combo when doing a direct side by side test.
 
Maybe my only option will be to wait for JDS Labs to come up with a new successor to the C5D 

 

[miceblue]

Good question. I'm a beta tester for the OPPO HA-2 portable DAC/amp, and I think it's an overall better product than the C5D for pretty much the same price bracket ($299). I still like the C5D for its size though since the HA-2 is pretty large in footprint.

 

[xuan87]

Good question. I'm a beta tester for the OPPO HA-2 portable DAC/amp, and I think it's an overall better product than the C5D for pretty much the same price bracket ($299). I still like the C5D for its size though since the HA-2 is pretty large in footprint.

 
Interesting, will definitely check it out once it lands in Singapore. Glad to see that it supports DSD too.

 

[WilliamLeonhart]

I'm starting to feel attached to JDS. 

 

[FiJAAS]

Just got a iPod Nano 6th Generation and paired it with the C5... It sounds darn good teamed together. To me it sounded even better than the iPod Classic 7th Generation paired with the C5.

 

[dbdynsty25]

 
Personally, I think of my C5D as an anti-poison shield, many portable daps, dac/amps many times more expensive failed to sway me when compared to the C5D.
 

 
That's pretty much the way I feel about the C5D...I've bought and sold it three times and ultimately it's the amp/dac I always come back to so I stopped trying to find something better.  I love everything about it.  Pairs nicely with my iPad Air 2, my Macbook Pro and my Moto X (2014)...can't complain at all.  It really is a fantastic device and John has done a fantastic job supporting it in this thread.  I'm a big JDS Labs fan now.
 
I'll definitely be picking up it's successor whenever that drops (is there something coming?).

 

[palermo]

I'm an ex owner C5D. now I want back C5 to stacked with X1. I miss so much how the middle BB really make every phone shake.

 

[Mmet]

I'm an ex owner C5D. now I want back C5 to stacked with X1. I miss so much how the middle BB really make every phone shake.

Is the BB implemented differently between the c5d and c5 ?! I thought they are the same

 

[palermo]

yes, it is the same, I try another amp like E12A and D-zero mkII and can't find BB as good as on C5 and C5D. 

 

[xuan87]

   
That's pretty much the way I feel about the C5D...I've bought and sold it three times and ultimately it's the amp/dac I always come back to so I stopped trying to find something better.  I love everything about it.  Pairs nicely with my iPad Air 2, my Macbook Pro and my Moto X (2014)...can't complain at all.  It really is a fantastic device and John has done a fantastic job supporting it in this thread.  I'm a big JDS Labs fan now.
 
I'll definitely be picking up it's successor whenever that drops (is there something coming?).

 
Don't know if there will be a successor as essentially, there's nothing much that JDS Labs can improve on the C5S objective wise (since it did so well on the measurements and any improvement is supposed to be inaudible).
 
Just guessing: They MIGHT come out with a bigger and more powerful unit, and sell both of them side by side, something like what Centrance is doing with M8 and mini-M8. Not sure if they will be interested in coming out with a desktop unit since they are also selling the O2/ODAC combo.