A comparison between Shanling H5 x Topping G5, in my opinion:
The difference in sound isn't drastically different, not to the point of weighing it down in an assessment.
Well, you have to make an effort to notice these meticulous sounds; G5 in absolute sharpness and beautiful transparency, H5 in a slightly "warmer" sound (a little more presence in the mid-bass and attenuation in the mid-high - but something very punctual, it's not exactly like equalizing).
Is this transparency superior in the G5? Yes, I can say that it is a device molded more in high definition, perhaps objectively better sound.
Not only that, but notably higher and more refined amplification (in technical aspects as well).
But I think that doesn't bring down the Shanling H5 as a whole: it's slightly more musical and less clinical, it brings a little more fun (in that little extra heat).
Its amplification capability is already good enough for IEMs... 840mw into 32ohms on the balanced 4.4mm output. It has three types of gains and I believe high impedance output (the G5 is technically fabulous in this parameter) from Shanling will only affect REALLY sensitive IEMs.
Shanling is simply more complete as a product because it has a basic screen (with information about battery level, volume, modes and some practical settings); and for being able to be a Media Player - although the Eddit Player application makes things more intuitive - being able to pause, play, advance and rewind a track. Yes, the fact that Shanling has a good mobile application that synchronizes without many bugs with the device already makes it highly interesting - less raw than Topping's product, even if the proposal is different.