[Tinesife]

They have like $10 price difference in my country but no real difference in aliexpress. Or maybe I'll upgrade to Xiaomi Mi Note instead. It has same audio chip as Benjie S5 anyway.

 

[notamethlab]

I wonder if the S5 is able to get rockboxed

 

[kalo86]

Since Benjie S5 is literally looks like Ruizu x05, might the audio proccessor be the same?
Anyone know Ruizu x05 specs? If they're same I will take Ruizu because it's cheaper.
I need a DAP since my lenovo a328 sounds like crap.

Hi, days ago I tried Benjie S5 (also known as AGPTek M20) and AGPTek B03. In terms of sound quality they are the same. Probably Ruizu X05 has the same chip.

 

[stev121314]

Was just wondering if these would sound better with an amp... Is the Xduoo Xq10 any good? - looking for something small and cheap. Thanks

 

[Caipirina]

i have tested the XQ10 with my Xduoo X3 and it seems to add a bit of ooomp and sparkle ... have not tried with S5 yet .. shall do so now  

 

[Caipirina]

  Was just wondering if these would sound better with an amp... Is the Xduoo Xq10 any good? - looking for something small and cheap. Thanks

They make a cute little bundle together, while the XQ10 is a tad wider than the S5.
 
As for the sound, I never felt I really needed an amp for the S5, I kinda perceive it as extra powerful like the Xduoo X2 ... but having done a very quick comparison with / without the XQ10, I seem to hear a slightly added spaciousness / detail .. can't really describe .. as above, extra oomp & sparkle ..  the XQ10 is under 30$ .. I think I bought it in a bundle with the Temak Dulcimers ... totally worth it! IMHO

 

[stev121314]

 

They make a cute little bundle together, while the XQ10 is a tad wider than the S5.
 
As for the sound, I never felt I really needed an amp for the S5, I kinda perceive it as extra powerful like the Xduoo X2 ... but having done a very quick comparison with / without the XQ10, I seem to hear a slightly added spaciousness / detail .. can't really describe .. as above, extra oomp & sparkle ..  the XQ10 is under 30$ .. I think I bought it in a bundle with the Temak Dulcimers ... totally worth it! IMHO

 
@
Thanks so much for the quick reply haha. How would this setup sound compared to an output from a phone or laptop 
 
also, how does the model compare to a Xduoo X2 (since you mentioned it in your post) 

 

[Caipirina]

   
@
Thanks so much for the quick reply haha. How would this setup sound compared to an output from a phone or laptop 
 
also, how does the model compare to a Xduoo X2 (since you mentioned it in your post) 

Hmm .. I sometime wish I had a battery of A/B switches to quickly change between setup without constant plug in / out  
 
Phone is in my case an older iPhone 5S, which has a decent DAC, but does not play FLAC (unless I use an app like VOX) .. my main use for music on phone is when I need BT, where it is much better than my cheapo AGPtek BT player. On my computer i use a Fiio E10 DAC/AMP, which does a great job (also using VOX to play FLAC on a mac) ... 
 
Thing is all these are tricky to compare, since I use them all differently with different cans, at home I use way more open headphones like my Hifiman HE400, which I cannot really use at the gym ... 
 
Easier to compare the X2 and the S5 .. those 2 are my favs these days, small, easy, and great sounding. The S5 I like a bit better, form factor, less clicky buttons. My first X2 has the tendency to play dead for a bit every once in a while, I suspect a loose battery cable, but could not find the right tool to open it up. Instead I just bought another one (in Silver) as a backup. 
 
I think both are great, but with the S5 being cheaper, i'd easily go with that one ... 
 
Now I am very curious to get my hands on the K9 .. but I have not really figured out how I might get that, aliexpress won't ship to my current location (Vietnam) ... anyone visiting Hanoi anytime soon and want to get me one?  

 

[stev121314]

 
Hmm .. I sometime wish I had a battery of A/B switches to quickly change between setup without constant plug in / out  
 
Phone is in my case an older iPhone 5S, which has a decent DAC, but does not play FLAC (unless I use an app like VOX) .. my main use for music on phone is when I need BT, where it is much better than my cheapo AGPtek BT player. On my computer i use a Fiio E10 DAC/AMP, which does a great job (also using VOX to play FLAC on a mac) ... 
 
Thing is all these are tricky to compare, since I use them all differently with different cans, at home I use way more open headphones like my Hifiman HE400, which I cannot really use at the gym ... 
 
Easier to compare the X2 and the S5 .. those 2 are my favs these days, small, easy, and great sounding. The S5 I like a bit better, form factor, less clicky buttons. My first X2 has the tendency to play dead for a bit every once in a while, I suspect a loose battery cable, but could not find the right tool to open it up. Instead I just bought another one (in Silver) as a backup. 
 
I think both are great, but with the S5 being cheaper, i'd easily go with that one ... 
 
Now I am very curious to get my hands on the K9 .. but I have not really figured out how I might get that, aliexpress won't ship to my current location (Vietnam) ... anyone visiting Hanoi anytime soon and want to get me one?  

Cool, thanks a lot for the reply. Do you reckon an amp is needed for the S5? 

Also, what sort of headphones/earphones are you using when listening to the device 

 

[To.M]

with my S5 I use:

- iems: kz ate & edr2, tennmak piano
- earphones: ve monk plus (cheap must-have)

which I like the most?

ve monk plus / piano › ate › edr2

 

[yacobx]

with my S5 I use:

- iems: kz ate & edr2, tennmak piano
- earphones: ve monk plus (cheap must-have)

which I like the most?

vr monk plus › piano › ate › edr2

Oh I have not tried my kz ate with the s5 yet but I will

 

[Sehn82]

Any S5/K9 user can confirm if there's a limit to the number of files allowed? I remember reading about this in the Chinese DAP thread (can't seem to locate the post now) where the user mentioned that the player (can't recall if it was the S5/K9) could only display a certain number of files so having a really large microSD slot would not be the way to go. Getting multiple smaller microSD cards would be better.
 
Appreciate if someone can chime in? I have a K9 on the way and am gonna buy a 64gb card. If a file limit exists then i might just grab with a couple of 16gb cards instead.

 

[queerquirks]

Would there be firmware version upgrades for the s5. I know it's budget but one can still dream.

My only gripe is when scrolling in the list, the speed is constant rather than accelerates. The next/previous functions are also kinda wasted in lists since it doesn't serve anything

 

[SuperMAG]

Question. Do i need a dac like say benjie here. I use my samsung note 4 (asian exsuns) and laptop.

Will benjie make a huge deference in sound. Say like twiced better maybe?

I mosly use my monk plus and waitin for my **** 4in1 and ty hiz and some kz's and others.

 

[Caipirina]

Question. Do i need a dac like say benjie here. I use my samsung note 4 (asian exsuns) and laptop.

Will benjie make a huge deference in sound. Say like twiced better maybe?

The 'say banjie here', the S05 is a DAP, not a DAC .. a music PLAYER.
 
In general, I don't think a DAC can double the quality ... rule of thumb (from years of reading the forums and my own experiences), players / phones / laptops play music at ca. 85% of possible quality ... the closer you try to inch towards the 100% the more costly and crazier the expenses go ... a DAC is a great start to get to, let's say 90 / 95% ...   to fill the gap further people buy 1000$ headphones ... or in case a crazy Japanese audiophiles, they invest in their own utility poles for like 40K, to get 'pure electricity' (google that)
 
AFAIK, Benjie does not make DACs ... look into FIIO for some low cost DAC AMP models to start with, i.e. I have the Olympus E10 on my laptop, which is nice as it does not need an extra power source. The Fiio X3 II player has also a standalone DAC functionality, but i think for you a small DAC AMP is more what would help you 
 
Hope this helps