Due to overwhelming ASR member demand (kidding) I thought it would be interesting to compare three high-performing DAC/amp combos: the Sabaj D5 vs. the SMSL M500 vs. the Topping DX7 Pro. Thanks to @amirm for all of the measurements; all of this info is from him (unless otherwise noted), I'm simply putting the measurements side-by-side.
Author's notes:
BASIC SPECS
This is not an exhaustive list.
References:
Shared Specs:
Varying Specs:
Dimensions:
On to the DAC measurements ........
SINAD
Measured using USB in / XLR out. However, the Sabaj D5 measurements were taken after 30 minutes of warm-up.
DYNAMIC RANGE
JITTER
INTERMODULATION + NOISE
A slight "ESS IMD hump" appears in the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro units.
LINEARITY
All three units are capable of 20 bits of resolution.
32 TONE INPUT SIGNAL (192 kHz)
THD+N RATIO vs FREQUENCY @ 48 kHZ
FFT SPECTRUM OF WHITE NOISE @ 44.1 kHZ
For the DX7 Pro, please note this discussion regarding the filters between @Veri and Amir. As Amir states: "... either the manual or the firmware may be wrong."
*Note*: there is now a revised user manual for the DX7 Pro. The original manual -- which is what Amir used -- listed the filters in the wrong order. The new, corrected manual is in the same "Drivers and Documents" section of Topping's website: http://www.tpdz.net/support.html
The following are the headphone amp measurements ...
SIGNAL to NOISE RATIO (50mv | 600 Ohm)
I didn't find this for the Sabaj D5, so only the SMSL M500 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured.
POWER VS. DISTORTION (300 Ohm load)
POWER VS. DISTORTION (33 Ohm load)
POWER VS. DISTORTION (XLR out using 50 Ohm load)
Only the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured. As Amir mentions in this thread: the M500 does not have an XLR headphone out, so it was not tested.
CHANNEL IMBALANCE
I didn't find this for the SMSL M500, so only the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured.
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE
I believe Amir has previously stated that his test equipment adds about 0.8-0.9 Ohms? If that's the case you can subtract that amount from each of these measurements.
CONCLUSIONS
Sabaj D5
From Amir:
SMSL M500
From Amir:
Topping DX7 Pro
From Amir:
[edit: 2019-12-12]: added link to the SMSL M500 teardown (includes ESS ES9038Pro DAC chip thermal analysis).
[edit: 2020-05-31]: added references to WolfX-700's review of the SMSL-M500 v2.
Author's notes:
- Sabaj --> SMSL --> Topping is simply alphabetical; I'm not implying one is better than the other.
- All of the graphics are labeled, but to make it consistent: Sabaj D5 is always on the left, SMSL M500 in the middle, Topping DX7 Pro is always on the right.
- I have no experience with any of these units, nor do I have any perspective on build quality / customer service.
- If anyone sees errors / omissions please let me know and I will make corrections.
- If anyone has issues with the measurements or conclusions ...... take it up with Amir!
BASIC SPECS
This is not an exhaustive list.
References:
- ASR review + measurements: Sabaj D5 | SMSL M500 | Topping DX7 Pro
- SMSL M500 v2 measurements (testing done by @WolfX-700)
- Manufacturer product pages: Sabaj D5 | SMSL M500 | Topping DX7 Pro
- Teardowns: SMSL M500 (includes ESS ES9038Pro DAC chip thermal analysis)
Shared Specs:
- DAC chip: ESS ES9038PRO
- XLR line outputs: yes
- Remote control: yes
Varying Specs:
- USB: Sabaj D5 & Topping DX7 Pro = XMOS XU-208 // SMSL M500 = XMOS XU-216
- XLR headphone jack: Sabaj D5 + Topping DX7 Pro only
- Bluetooth: Topping DX7 Pro only (Bluetooth 5.0 with support for LDAC, AAC, aptX, aptX LL, and aptX HD)
- MQA: SMSL M500 only
- Optical input(s): Sabaj D5 (x1) // SMSL M500 (x2) // Topping DX7 Pro (x1)
Dimensions:
- Sabaj D5: 24.5cm (W) x 21.0cm (D) x 5.0cm (H)
- SMSL M500: 8.8cm (W) x 19.7cm (D) x 8.5cm (H)
- Topping DX7 Pro: 22.2cm (W) x 17.8cm (D) x 4.5cm (H)
On to the DAC measurements ........
- Note: For the SMSL M500 output was measured at 4.3 volt, not the ~4.0 volt of the other two DAC/amps.
- You can click on each image to enlarge it.
SINAD
Measured using USB in / XLR out. However, the Sabaj D5 measurements were taken after 30 minutes of warm-up.
DYNAMIC RANGE
JITTER
INTERMODULATION + NOISE
A slight "ESS IMD hump" appears in the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro units.
- Note: the SMSL M500 has both the XLR and RCA outs measured.
LINEARITY
All three units are capable of 20 bits of resolution.
- Note: The Topping DX7 Pro only has the XLR out measured; it does not include the RCA out.
32 TONE INPUT SIGNAL (192 kHz)
THD+N RATIO vs FREQUENCY @ 48 kHZ
FFT SPECTRUM OF WHITE NOISE @ 44.1 kHZ
For the DX7 Pro, please note this discussion regarding the filters between @Veri and Amir. As Amir states: "... either the manual or the firmware may be wrong."
*Note*: there is now a revised user manual for the DX7 Pro. The original manual -- which is what Amir used -- listed the filters in the wrong order. The new, corrected manual is in the same "Drivers and Documents" section of Topping's website: http://www.tpdz.net/support.html
The following are the headphone amp measurements ...
SIGNAL to NOISE RATIO (50mv | 600 Ohm)
I didn't find this for the Sabaj D5, so only the SMSL M500 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured.
POWER VS. DISTORTION (300 Ohm load)
POWER VS. DISTORTION (33 Ohm load)
POWER VS. DISTORTION (XLR out using 50 Ohm load)
Only the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured. As Amir mentions in this thread: the M500 does not have an XLR headphone out, so it was not tested.
CHANNEL IMBALANCE
I didn't find this for the SMSL M500, so only the Sabaj D5 and Topping DX7 Pro are pictured.
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE
I believe Amir has previously stated that his test equipment adds about 0.8-0.9 Ohms? If that's the case you can subtract that amount from each of these measurements.
CONCLUSIONS
Sabaj D5
From Amir:
"The Sabaj D5 is a very well-engineered DAC and headphone amplifier. It nearly outperforms every DAC I have ever tested! The ESS ES9038Pro when implemented well (which is not common) brings stunningly low levels of distortion which shows here. Alas, it also brings the IMD hump which I blame on ESS for not working out before unleashing the design on implementers. If Sabaj and incorporate the fix that others are starting to roll out, it would have a complete game changer on their hands, obsoleting products at almost any price range!
The headphone output is simply very good. It doesn't break boundaries like the DAC side does but what is there is absolutely clean and distortion free. Only a person with very low efficiency headphone and/or need to play extremely loud would want to get something better. And if so, you have a fantastic DAC to drive whatever that is.
The only odd thing is having to leave the unit on for a few minutes for it to achieve its best performance. Then again even its "cold" performance is likely transparent enough.
Needless to say, It is my pleasure to highly recommend the Sabaj D5. A great example of a well engineered product at a very reasonable price."
SMSL M500
From Amir:
"SMSL packs just about every desired feature into a DAC and headphone amplifier including MQA decoding with great measured and subjective performance. The only weakness is that its amplifier doesn't blow your ear drums.
On the performance front, it is heart warming to see companies like SMSL continuing to refine the performance of their product, lowering noise and distortion in every way they can. We have seen this progress in just a year or so. All of this comes with no premium to us as consumers. And give us products that can be proven to be transparent to the source music. You hear what was given to you by the talent and production/mastering engineers with no molestation of said bits. Puts a smile on my face from just typing these words!
Given the features, performance and low price, it is my pleasure to put SMSL M500 on my recommended list."
Topping DX7 Pro
From Amir:
"The Topping DX7 Pro betters the DAC performance of all the produces Topping had produced. On SINAD measurement, it lands in the coveted range of near 120 dB, proving beyond a shadow of doubt that it is transparent to any content you attempt to play. This is a super challenging bar to reach and I congratulate Topping for getting there.
The headphone is a step below state-of-the-art from measurement point of view. Subjectively however, it is very powerful and clean and satisfies every need I personally have. Some of you know that I use a Topping DX3 Pro as my everyday DAC and headphone unit. Given the performance of the DX7 Pro, looks and usability, I am going to replace that with DX7 Pro.
Needless to say, I am happy to give my recommendation to Topping DX7 Pro."
[edit: 2019-12-12]: added link to the SMSL M500 teardown (includes ESS ES9038Pro DAC chip thermal analysis).
[edit: 2020-05-31]: added references to WolfX-700's review of the SMSL-M500 v2.
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