[luxonator]

I'm about to buy my first headphone dac/amp combo.
I have narrowed down my choice to either the Fiio K5 Pro ESS or Topping DX3 Pro+.

The cans I'm going to be running from these at the moment are Sennheiser HD560s, HD598, Hifiman HE400se and surely more in the future. But haven't chosen anything yet. I just want to be "future proof".

Usage is around 90% on PC thru USB and 10% on gaming console thru optical. RCA possibly with turntable but it would be somewhat niche activity. PC usage includes roughly equal parts of gaming, movies and music listening from a very wide range of genres.

The prices for each are
K5 Pro ESS 159eur
DX3 Pro+ 199eur

For me the pros and cons that I have thought of either are:

K5 Pro:
+Lower price
+Possible usage for the RCA in
+6.35mm plug
-No standby so when turned off computer OS will lose the device
-Worse measurements. (Weather or not I'm unable to even hear/notice it)
-Not as powerful amp as DX3
+/- Some have said these are more warm than the DX3 but the comparisons were made on the older dac chips and not the ESS ones

DX3 Pro+
+More powerful amp
+Standby mode, computer will not lose the device
+Aesthetically more pleasing look
-More expensive
-3.5mm plug
+/-Reports of the unit running hot
+/- No need for the bluetooth
+/- No need for the remote controller

I'm leaning heavily towards the K5 Pro ESS, but if there is anyone here who has tried both, I would be interested in hearing your opinion. Or if there are any other glaring reasons why I should choose the DX3 instead of the K5 (or if my pros/cons list is inaccurate) I'm all ears.

Cheers!

 

[creaturekyle]

Hi, I'm in the same boat as you. Trying to decide between these two, but have the DX3 Pro+ currently and have been using it for about a week. I don't have a lot of experience with DAC/Amps, but I am looking to get a decent desktop setup, I've been running off a Dragonfly Red until now. The DX3 Pro+ is noticeably if not significantly more clinical sounding than the Dragonfly Red, which is a bit of a drawback for me. I really like the warmth the Dragonfly Red has. So if you're looking for as much of an audiophile sound as you can get, I think the DX3 Pro+ is a good option. I might be exchanging it for the K5 Pro ESS in hopes of getting back a little of that warmth/depth.

I also think that the original K5 Pro wouldn't switch between the headphone/RCA outs automatically, it would just play through both, so you'd have to turn the volume down on speakers when you wanted to switch. That would be a possible dealbreaker for me, but I don't know if that was changed for the ESS version, I can't find any solid info on that.

Did you end up getting one of these?

 

[Kitarist]

Did anyone upgrade from old Topping DX3 Pro to topping DX3 Pro Plus and notice any difference in the sound in terms of DAC and amp?

 

[Hyde00]

Hi, I'm in the same boat as you. Trying to decide between these two, but have the DX3 Pro+ currently and have been using it for about a week. I don't have a lot of experience with DAC/Amps, but I am looking to get a decent desktop setup, I've been running off a Dragonfly Red until now. The DX3 Pro+ is noticeably if not significantly more clinical sounding than the Dragonfly Red, which is a bit of a drawback for me. I really like the warmth the Dragonfly Red has. So if you're looking for as much of an audiophile sound as you can get, I think the DX3 Pro+ is a good option. I might be exchanging it for the K5 Pro ESS in hopes of getting back a little of that warmth/depth.

I also think that the original K5 Pro wouldn't switch between the headphone/RCA outs automatically, it would just play through both, so you'd have to turn the volume down on speakers when you wanted to switch. That would be a possible dealbreaker for me, but I don't know if that was changed for the ESS version, I can't find any solid info on that.

Did you end up getting one of these?

OHHHH I'm in the same boat here. To be honest I'm perfectly happy with Dragonfly Red running as desktop unit. But maybe just getting bored and want to try something new but also want to keep the same warm sound. Also curious to try something a bit more powerful than Dragonfly Red so I'm also looking at the DX3 Pro+ and the K5 Pro ESS.

Based from what you say is it better to try the K5 Pro ESS then? Also another friend suggest if I like the Dragonfly Red just buy a Jitterbug and be done with LOL.

Please let me know you end up trying the K5 Pro ESS.

(Yes I also don't care for bluetooth/remote so I'm only considering sound, thanks!)

 

[Hyde00]

I'm about to buy my first headphone dac/amp combo.
I have narrowed down my choice to either the Fiio K5 Pro ESS or Topping DX3 Pro+.

The cans I'm going to be running from these at the moment are Sennheiser HD560s, HD598, Hifiman HE400se and surely more in the future. But haven't chosen anything yet. I just want to be "future proof".

Usage is around 90% on PC thru USB and 10% on gaming console thru optical. RCA possibly with turntable but it would be somewhat niche activity. PC usage includes roughly equal parts of gaming, movies and music listening from a very wide range of genres.

The prices for each are
K5 Pro ESS 159eur
DX3 Pro+ 199eur

For me the pros and cons that I have thought of either are:

K5 Pro:
+Lower price
+Possible usage for the RCA in
+6.35mm plug
-No standby so when turned off computer OS will lose the device
-Worse measurements. (Weather or not I'm unable to even hear/notice it)
-Not as powerful amp as DX3
+/- Some have said these are more warm than the DX3 but the comparisons were made on the older dac chips and not the ESS ones

DX3 Pro+
+More powerful amp
+Standby mode, computer will not lose the device
+Aesthetically more pleasing look
-More expensive
-3.5mm plug
+/-Reports of the unit running hot
+/- No need for the bluetooth
+/- No need for the remote controller

I'm leaning heavily towards the K5 Pro ESS, but if there is anyone here who has tried both, I would be interested in hearing your opinion. Or if there are any other glaring reasons why I should choose the DX3 instead of the K5 (or if my pros/cons list is inaccurate) I'm all ears.

Cheers!

Also OP did you end up buying anything yet?

 

[creaturekyle]

OHHHH I'm in the same boat here. To be honest I'm perfectly happy with Dragonfly Red running as desktop unit. But maybe just getting bored and want to try something new but also want to keep the same warm sound. Also curious to try something a bit more powerful than Dragonfly Red so I'm also looking at the DX3 Pro+ and the K5 Pro ESS.

Based from what you say is it better to try the K5 Pro ESS then? Also another friend suggest if I like the Dragonfly Red just buy a Jitterbug and be done with LOL.

Please let me know you end up trying the K5 Pro ESS.

(Yes I also don't care for bluetooth/remote so I'm only considering sound, thanks!)

I am perfectly happy with the Dragonfly as well! But I'm switching desks and a desktop DAC/Amp is going to look so much cleaner on my desk as opposed to a USB extension cable strung across the desk plugged into the Dragonfly. But, I will say, if you like the warmth and richness of the sound of the Dragonfly Red, the DX3 Pro+ is going to sound pretty thin and lifeless in comparison. So if you don't mind the form factor of the Dragonfly Red, then the Jitterbug might be the way to go.

I still need to send back the Topping and then I'm going to get the K5 Pro ESS and I'll let you know if it's closer in sound to the Dragonfly!

 

[Hyde00]

I am perfectly happy with the Dragonfly as well! But I'm switching desks and a desktop DAC/Amp is going to look so much cleaner on my desk as opposed to a USB extension cable strung across the desk plugged into the Dragonfly. But, I will say, if you like the warmth and richness of the sound of the Dragonfly Red, the DX3 Pro+ is going to sound pretty thin and lifeless in comparison. So if you don't mind the form factor of the Dragonfly Red, then the Jitterbug might be the way to go.

I still need to send back the Topping and then I'm going to get the K5 Pro ESS and I'll let you know if it's closer in sound to the Dragonfly!

LOL you're right on the spot about running extension cable across the desk, though I kind of don't mind it it's out of the way on the side.

But I'm not in any rush to need an "upgrade". You know just audiophile being audiophile..... Just bored and want to buy things LOL.

In this case I'll provide hold off for now and wait for your feedback on K5 Pro ESS.

Thanks!

 

[luxonator]

Just a quick follow up. Sorry I haven't responded earlier but been really busy.

I ended up getting the ESS K5 Pro and been really pleased with it. The Sennheisers and specially the Hifiman HE400se sound lovely with it.
Great bang for the buck. (And the store actually raised the price from 159e to 209e a week after I got mine so I'm even more happy with my purchase)

The main reasons for me to not going with the Topping was the price, lack of need for the BT and the noisy volume knob. I also prefer the larger volume knob on the K5.

 

[Hyde00]

lol thanks for reply! I end up taking a weird turn and impulse bought Violectric V200 for about $470. I know it's different price tier hence impulse buy LOL.

Good to know the K5 Pro ESS is working out well for you though! I'll still need a dac so maybe I'll pick up an ESS dac later, I'm generally a fan of ESS chip haha.

And thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[cryptovu]

Hi,

I didn’t know where it is best to post (also, don’t have the permission to create a new post), so I’m replying to this thread to share a my experience with the Topping DX3 Pro+ and offer information that can hopefully be helpful. I purchased my first unit from headphones.com and upon receiving it, I immediately experienced problems with the optical audio input wherein the audio would jitter or stutter every second. I tried using my TV as well as my Thunderbolt dock optical audio out as the audio source, but both produced the same issue. It was not an issue with the cable because it was new and it worked perfectly with a different DAC I have - a Schiit Modi 3.

So I contacted headphones.com and they offered to replace my defective unit. Upon receiving my second unit, I was disheartened to run into the exact same issue. This time I reached out to headphones.com, to which they recommended contacting Topping support. I sent them and email and two days later they responded with link to a firmware v1.24 (not yet listed on their website). Long story short, I updated the device‘s firmware from v1.23 to v1.24 and lo and behold, IT FIXED THE ISSUE!

So if anyone else is experiencing the same jitter or stutter issue with the optical audio input, try updating to firmware v1.24. This is the link they provided me to download it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DwrcDYvKMmPAIN1lBLB__z2DIU5gSXOF/view?usp=sharing

Now that that works, I am totally happy with the DX3 Pro+. IMO, I like it better than my Schiit Modi 3/Magni 3 Heresy stack.

 

[Hyde00]

Awesome! Glad it worked out for you! If I ever need an all in one unit in the future I'll circle back to this lol!

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[creaturekyle]

Just a quick follow up. Sorry I haven't responded earlier but been really busy.

I ended up getting the ESS K5 Pro and been really pleased with it. The Sennheisers and specially the Hifiman HE400se sound lovely with it.
Great bang for the buck. (And the store actually raised the price from 159e to 209e a week after I got mine so I'm even more happy with my purchase)

The main reasons for me to not going with the Topping was the price, lack of need for the BT and the noisy volume knob. I also prefer the larger volume knob on the K5.

Hey, just wanted to follow up and say I finally got the Fiio K5 Pro ESS, Schiit Modi 3E and Magni 3+B, and ifi Zen DAC 2. You definitely made the right choice with the Fiio. The ifi Zen DAC also sounds a little thin to me, and the bass button just makes things too cloudy (and I like me some bass). With my headphones/IEMs I cannot discern a difference between the Fiio and the Schiit stack, the Fiio *might* be a little wamer/darker. But both of them sound full and spacious and just like everything I was hoping for, and the convenience of the Fiio being an all in one is perfect.

 

[Hyde00]

Hey, just wanted to follow up and say I finally got the Fiio K5 Pro ESS, Schiit Modi 3E and Magni 3+B, and ifi Zen DAC 2. You definitely made the right choice with the Fiio. The ifi Zen DAC also sounds a little thin to me, and the bass button just makes things too cloudy (and I like me some bass). With my headphones/IEMs I cannot discern a difference between the Fiio and the Schiit stack, the Fiio *might* be a little wamer/darker. But both of them sound full and spacious and just like everything I was hoping for, and the convenience of the Fiio being an all in one is perfect.

Oh that's very good to hear, I'm assuming the Modi 3E uses similar ESS chip as the K5 Pro ESS would that be why they sound similar?

Also I remember you come from Dragonfly Red right? Do you feel right at home with the switch to K5 Pro ESS?

I have some update here too. So after struggling to find an upgrade from Dragonfly Red (in terms of same sound signature). My friend super recommend me to get Violectric V200. Long story short, there are some area V200 does better some area worse. So it's still not a complete upgrade.

I might still need to circle back to try K5 Pro ESS next. For now if it's anything easy to drive I still like it better with Dragonfly Red lol.

But thank you guys for your update and impressions!

 

[creaturekyle]

I'm pretty sure Schiit uses AKM chips vs ESS. I've done a little more listening focused more on soundstage and imaging vs tonality and I'm starting to pick out some subtle differences between the Schiit stack and the Fiio K5 Pro ESS, but nothing to write home about. Both are a very nice desktop move from the Dragonfly Red.

I definitely feel right at home switching from the Dragonfly Red to the K5 Pro ESS, though. VERY similar tonality. I will say the soundstage feels wider on the Fiio, and the vocals have a lot more room to breathe. With the Dragonfly vocals feel closer and a little more in front of you, vs more enveloping with the Fiio.

Overall I think it's a very lateral move, which is exactly what I was hoping for. The extra control over volume with IEMs in particular is also a nice bonus with the desktop amps.

 

[luxonator]

You definitely made the right choice with the Fiio. The ifi Zen DAC also sounds a little thin to me, and the bass button just makes things too cloudy (and I like me some bass). With my headphones/IEMs I cannot discern a difference between the Fiio and the Schiit stack, the Fiio *might* be a little wamer/darker.

Thanks for your input. Things were also a bit easier for me because I am unable to get Schiit stuff over here easily OR cheap (shipping to scandinavia, taxes, customs etc...)
I know lots of people over America like them but due to the price and availability, none of the Schiit stuff was really an option for me.