ONIX Overture XM5 Hi-Fi Portable Music Player DAP with ES9039PRO DAC

High-End Audio in Your Pocket

The ONIX Overture XM5 is the first portable player from ONIX, and it takes the brand in a deliberately different direction from its desk-bound components. Rather than chasing every feature, it focuses on pure music: a flagship ESS converter, a pair of balanced amplifiers and a simple, tactile control layout in a body small enough to carry every day. It is also the most affordable way into the ONIX range, sitting below the Mystic portable DAC/amp and the Miracle streamer stack while sharing their engineering philosophy.

History Behind the Name

ONIX dates back to Brighton in the UK in 1979, when founder Tony Brady built his first amplifiers in a small warehouse next to the Brighton pier. The ONIX hi-fi brand was fully established in 1984 by Michael O’Brien, and through the rest of that decade ONIX amplifiers were exported from the UK to 28 countries. The designs and brand later passed to a Taiwanese company and are today managed from Taiwan in cooperation with Shanling, so the British voicing of the original amplifiers still sits at the core of the sound.

ESS ES9039PRO DAC with Dual TPA6120 Amplifiers

Conversion is handled by the ESS ES9039PRO, a flagship converter whose implementation here was inspired by the desktop ONIX Miracle. It is paired with two TPA6120 amplifiers in a balanced configuration, which is what gives the XM5 its unusually high output for the size — up to 1069mW @ 32Ω from the balanced output. A dedicated XMOS XU316 chip handles USB, and in-house FPGA technology keeps PCM and DSD handling true to the source, with support up to 768kHz / 32-bit and DSD512.

CNC-Machined Body with a Gold-Plated Volume Wheel

The chassis is CNC-machined from aluminium, with the same finely grooved side treatment seen across the ONIX range. It measures just 115 × 70 × 19mm and weighs 275g, so it disappears into a jacket pocket without feeling insubstantial in the hand. Control is deliberately physical: a gold-plated volume wheel for smooth, tactile level changes, four hardware buttons for playback and a custom button that can be assigned to your favourite function for single-press access.

A Square 3-Inch OLED Touchscreen

The display is a square 3-inch OLED touch panel at 720p, chosen for the deep blacks and strong contrast that suit a music interface. ONIX has developed its own operating system for the player rather than adapting a generic one, which keeps navigation simple and, importantly, supports screen rotation — the interface can be turned through 90 degrees to suit how you prefer to hold the player or to fit the leather case.

Balanced and Single-Ended Outputs with Triple Gain

Both a 3.5mm single-ended and a 4.4mm balanced headphone output are provided, the two connections most listeners actually use. Three levels of gain adjustment let the XM5 match anything from sensitive in-ear monitors to full-size headphones without hiss or a loss of headroom, and the balanced output is where the extra power lives: 310mW @ 32Ω single-ended in high gain, against 1069mW @ 32Ω balanced.

Wireless, Network and USB DAC Modes

Two-way Bluetooth 5.2 lets the XM5 transmit to wireless headphones or receive from a phone, with LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, SBC and AAC all supported. On the network side there is dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi with DLNA and AirPlay, and direct online TIDAL streaming on the device itself. A dedicated XMOS XU316 USB input turns it into a desktop-quality USB DAC for a computer, so the same player serves both portable and desk duties.

7000mAh Battery and Generous Storage

A 7000mAh battery delivers up to 14 hours of playback single-ended and 12 hours balanced, charged over a standard USB-C port. A microSD card slot accepts cards up to 2TB, which matters because the XM5 plays a very wide range of files: DSD including .iso, .dsf and .dff, plus ISO, DXD, APE, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, AIF, DTS, MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, ALAC, MP2, M4A, AC3, M3U, M3U8 and OPUS.

Remote Control and the Nappa Leather Case

SyncLink remote control through the Eddict Player app on Android and iOS means the XM5 can be driven from a phone without leaving your seat. A matched Nappa leather case is available as an optional extra: it wraps the player in soft leather with a geometric cut-out, adding protection without hiding the display or the volume wheel. We are listing the player on its own, so the case can be added separately if you want it.

Specifications

• Model: ONIX Overture XM5
• Product Type: Hi-Fi portable digital audio player
• DAC: ESS ES9039PRO (implementation inspired by the ONIX Miracle)
• Amplifier: Dual TPA6120, balanced configuration
• USB Chipset: Dedicated XMOS XU316
• Digital Processing: In-house FPGA technology
• System Platform: Ingenic X2000
• System: In-house developed ONIX operating system
• Display: Square 3-inch OLED touchscreen, 720p
• Controls: Touchscreen, 4 hardware buttons, volume wheel, custom button
• Screen Rotation: Adjustable through 90°
• Gain: Triple gain adjustment
• Headphone Outputs: 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced
• Remote Control: SyncLink through the Eddict Player app (Android & iOS)
• Hi-Res File Support: PCM 768kHz / 32-bit, DSD512
• File Support: DSD (".iso", ".dsf", ".dff" — DST not supported), ISO, DXD, APE, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, AIF, DTS, MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, ALAC, MP2, M4A, AC3, M3U, M3U8, OPUS
• Playback: MicroSD card (up to 2TB), TIDAL online streaming
• Wi-Fi Connectivity: 2.4G / 5G, DLNA, AirPlay, TIDAL
• Bluetooth: Two-way Bluetooth 5.2 — transmit and receive, LDAC / aptX HD / aptX / SBC / AAC
• 3.5mm Output Power — Low Gain: 0.79V @ 32Ω (19mW @ 32Ω), THD+N < 0.002%
• 3.5mm Output Power — High Gain: 3.15V @ 32Ω (310mW @ 32Ω), THD+N < 1%; 3.65V @ 300Ω (40mW @ 300Ω), THD+N < 0.02%
• 3.5mm Frequency Response: 20Hz–40kHz (−0.5dB)
• 3.5mm THD+N: 0.0014% @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 3.5mm Dynamic Range: 120dB @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 3.5mm Channel Separation: 80dB
• 3.5mm Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 120dB @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 3.5mm Noise: 112dB @ 32Ω
• 3.5mm Output Impedance: 4.7Ω
• 4.4mm Output Power — Low Gain: 1.5V @ 32Ω (75mW @ 32Ω), THD+N < 0.0008%
• 4.4mm Output Power — High Gain: 5.7V @ 32Ω (1069mW @ 32Ω), THD+N < 1%; 6.9V @ 300Ω (158mW @ 300Ω), THD+N < 1%
• 4.4mm Frequency Response: 20Hz–40kHz (−0.5dB)
• 4.4mm THD+N: 0.0006% @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 4.4mm Dynamic Range: 121dB @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 4.4mm Channel Separation: 100dB
• 4.4mm Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 121dB @ 32Ω (A-weighted)
• 4.4mm Noise: 109dB @ 32Ω
• 4.4mm Output Impedance: 6.6Ω
• Battery: 7000mAh, standard USB-C charging port
• Battery Life: Up to 14 hours single-ended, 12 hours balanced
• Body: CNC-machined aluminium with grooved sides and gold-plated volume wheel
• Dimensions: 115 × 70 × 19mm
• Weight: 275g

What’s Included

• ONIX Overture XM5 portable player
• USB-C charging cable
• Quick start guide
• Warranty card

The Nappa leather case shown in the images is sold separately and is not included with the player.