G5
interface_dac
$299
Used market: $180*
Specifications
6 of 11 values have a recorded source- Type
- DAC/Amp Combo·
- Bus Powered
- no·
- Max Gain dB
- 12✓
- Analog Inputs
- 3.5mm Line In·
- Analog Outputs
- 3.5mm Headphones, 4.4mm Balanced Headphones·
- Digital Inputs
- USB, Bluetooth·
- Min Usb Power W
- 0✓
- Headphone Output
- Max Power mW: 1200 · Max Voltage Vrms: 7.35 · At Impedance ohms: 32 · Output Impedance ohms: 0.1·
- Max Input Level dBu
- 17.5✓
- Max Sample Rate kHz
- 768·
- Phantom Power Provided
- no·
Expert Audio Engineering Commentary
Headroom Notes
Rare among portables: Topping rates the G5 at five loads, from 16 to 600 ohms, and the shape of that curve tells the whole story. 1000 mW into 16 ohms is 4 V, 1200 mW into 32 is 6.2 V, 90 mW into 600 is 7.35 V — a classic current-limited amplifier that reaches its full voltage only above about 300 ohms.
Gain Staging Advice
The 3.5 mm line input is a real analogue input with published sensitivity: 5.8 Vrms at low gain, 4 Vrms at medium, 1.9 Vrms at high. The 5.8 V figure converts to 17.5 dBu and is what is stored as maximum input level. Gain is -15 / -0.1 / +12 dB, so at high gain a 2 V line source will clip the amplifier long before the volume control is up.
* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~60% retained value). · checked on 8/5/2026