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Topping DX7 Pro DAC and Headphone Amp Reviewed

Triamping

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I bought the DX7 Pro second hand in great condition, like new.
The digital volume button is precise and does not skip. Maybe only once every 30 turns half a decibel step.
I Have read everything in this forum. All 75 pages.

After many hours of A/B testing, I must conclude that the SupremeFX audio DAC from a top of the line Asus motherboard has a more natural stasteful intimate warm concinving and true fidelity (all effects/EQ settings off) compared to the Topping Pro dedicated DAC through her 6.3mm TRS out.

The DX7 Pro sounds very detailed, as detailed as the onboard DAC, but lacks naturalism in her musical presentation.
I have tested with Sennheiser HD600 and Focal Utopia, both with good 6.3mm cables, FIR filter setting 5, tried both Gain L/H, but aside volume change, nothing.

How is it possible that the music sounds more natural from the Asus onboard SupremeFX top of the line soundcard fed by a Corsair 750 watt low ripple PC powersupply, compared to the dedicated highly praised stand alone Topping DX7 DAC unit?

- Will the sound improve greatly if one would connect the HD600 to the 4 pin differential XLR headphone input on this unit?
- Will the sound improve greatly if one would install other Dual OPAmps like the SparkosLabs SS3602 or Burson Classic V6 Dual?

Your experiences on this topic of A/B testing against high end Asus SupremeFX onboard sound cards are welcome!
 
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kiyu

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View attachment 157288


I bought the DX7 Pro second hand in great condition, like new, for a good price.
The digital volume button is precise and does not skip. Maybe only once every 30 turns half a decibel step.
I Have read everything in this forum. All 75 pages.

After many hours of listening carefully, in absolute zen mode, and hours of A/B testing, I am surprised to conclude that the SupremeFX audio DAC from an Asus top of the line motherboard has a more natural stasteful intimate warm concinving and true fidelity (all effects/EQ settings off) compared to the Topping Pro dedicated DAC.

The DX7 Pro sounds very detailed, as detailed as the onboard DAC, but lacks naturalism in musical presentation.
I have tested with Sennheiser HD600 and Focal Utopia both good 6.3mm cables, FIR filter setting 5. Tried both Gain L/H, but aside volume change nothing.

How is it possible that the music sounds more natural from the Asus onboard SupremeFX top of the line soundcard fed by a Corsair 750 watt low ripple PC powersupply, when compared to the dedicated highly praised stand alone Topping DX7 DAC unit??

- Will the sound improve greatly if one would connect the HD600 to the 4 pin differential XLR headphone input on this un?
- Will the sound improve greatly if one would install other Dual OPAmps like the SparkosLabs SS3602 or Burson Classic V6 Dual?

Your experiences on this topic of A/B testing against top high end Asus SupremeFX onboard DACs are welcome!
Hi!
I have the Realtek ALC1220 (almost sure is same or almost the same as the supremeFx).
I got some issues with my Dx7 pro, but still, I would prefer the DX7 pro over the onboard by far!. far more detail on the music, I was able to hear instruments in the background that completely miss with the onboard, the soundstage was is a bit wider and the imaging is more accurate but not by far, a bit more.
I would recommend installing foobar with Asio and compare both with some nice flac or better if you get some nice Dsd(or dsf file).
in my case, I have some issues with the last driver 5.20, so I back to 5.12 (I am not able to reproduce any DSD with 5.20, with 5.12 everything works fine) but again that's on my unit I might need to return it, but sending back to china is crazy-expensive.

regarding your question, I don't think changing the cable for your HD600 to 4 pin xlr will make a big crazy difference, are you comfortable with the volume now?
changing op amps to SparkosLabs SS3602 or Burson Classic V6 Dual? Burson Classic V6 doesn't fit on the cabinet, so you would need to leave it open and for me, that's a big NO! , but yeah I was a bit intrigued with the SparkosLabs SS3602 but those are not cheap I haven't tried to be honest.
 

Triamping

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Interesting notes you hit there Kiyu. I think we understand eachother! Indeed ALC 1220.
Good point about the height of the Burson, and I've heard they color everything beyond natrual.
Like throwing spices on everying. Thai noodles, omelets, tea, cake, milk... "Why not?", "No thank you very much" :)
I am thinking of giving the SparkosLabs SS3602 a try.

Anyone else here running their Topping DX7 Pro on a pair of SparkosLabs SS3602?
If yess, share your findings with us!

Sidenote: Topping states LME 47920 OP Amps are used for the headphone output section.
I searched the internet senseless, only to find no such thing exist.
Was attention to detail not a priority (a misprint), or are they correct, and is this chip very mysterious and rare?

1633452545191.png
 
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kiyu

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Interesting notes you hit there Kiyu. I think we understand eachother! Indeed ALC 1220.
Good point about the height of the Burson, and I've heard they color everything beyond natrual.
Like throwing spices on everying. Thai noodles, omelets, tea, cake, milk... "Why not?", "No thank you very much" :)
I am thinking of giving the SparkosLabs SS3602 a try.

Anyone else here running their Topping DX7 Pro on a pair of SparkosLabs SS3602?
If yess, share your findings with us!

Sidenote: Topping states LME 47920 OP Amps are used for the headphone output section.
I searched the internet senseless, only to find no such thing exist.
Was attention to detail not a priority (a misprint), or are they correct, and is this chip very mysterious and rare?

View attachment 157354

Check this video
that guy added a pair of SparkosLabs SS3602,

and also check this one
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...amps-in-gustard-h20-headphone-amplifier.7407/

Keep in mind that not everything can be measured, ( like imaging or soundstage)
 

Triamping

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"So the message remains the same: don't waste your money on such "upgrades" unless they come with tangible, measurable performance improvement. Don't "trust your ears" because you don't know what they are hearing. All you know is what you are perceiving and after spending $160, you may talk yourself into these upgrades sounding better. They do not and cannot."

Thanks for the comments! Our honorary Amirm's conclusion saves us all 160$.
However it does not mention wheather the perceived vocal/musical/natural representation is "the same" or "similar thus different!"
Are SNR measurements only 1 frequency, or of the entire spectrum of all possible musical frequencies?

My hunger and apetite for the infamous "what else is there, out there" is not yet satisfied ;)
I've heard good things about Texas Instrument's OPA627. But that's a single channel OP Amp.
Do Texas Instruments make warmer sounding dual OP Amps than their LME49720NA?

What could the "sane, sensible, affordable & warmer sounding" OP Amp upgrade be for us DX7 Pro owners?
Not talking about SNR at this point, only about bringing just a taad bit more warmth/midrange intimacy to the DAC?
 
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Veri

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Keep in mind that not everything can be measured, ( like imaging or soundstage)
Thanks for the comments! Our honorary Amirm's conclusion saves us all 160$.
However it does not mention wheather the perceived vocal/musical/natural representation is "the same" or "similar thus different!"
Are SNR measurements only 1 frequency, or of the entire spectrum of all possible musical frequencies?

False, quotation needed. What's missing from the measurements, some kind of black magic? Am I even on ASR here?

Do better.
 

dkinric

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@Eftegarie, opening up and replacing parts of audio components is not the way to customize your sound, especially for well performing products. I would suggest you try some dsp/eq if you want to change it to your taste. It's much more effective and precise.
 

Triamping

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Can someone explain plz what @Veri is saying/meaning? I don't understand the comment and would like to learn being new here.

@dkinric thanks for the suggestion! Started experimenting with Equalizer APO + Peace Userinterface and the results are incredible.
How software equalizers have matured over the past 25 years!
Any suggestions for dsp/eq you are using that you can advise to us newcomers to the DAC world?

@kiyu I have a feeling that the Asus SupremeFX (with EQ and all effects turned Off) is in fact a colored EQ-ed and Effect-boosted output.
I have come to realize this because if I simply up three places by +3dB with Q=1 (bass 80 Hz, midrange around 1Khz and 5Khz) and lower at one place around 8Khz with -3dB Q=1, then suddenly I perceive the same sound as the SupremeFX!

Female vocals and guitars now sound the same and the harshness of the DX7 Pro is gone, compared to the SupremeFX.
My Asus SupremeFX uses eleven original Japanese Nichicon ELNA audio capacitors and is driven by a clean 750 watt PSU with a ripple of just 50 mV benchtested. It holds its own ground.

After EQ-ing the DX7 Pro however, both sound very similar now on my headphones, with the difference being that the SupremeFX sounds a tad bit convoluted in the lower base ranges at high volumes, whereas the DX7 Pro still has room for higher volumes before becoming distorted. Actually I haven't heard any distortions and had to stop raising the volume before going deaf.

I have a feeling that the DX7 Pro is indee amplifying the music truly without adding any salt, pepper, colour, spice, EQ, etc...
You get just the raw truthfull presentation to the source, weather you like the sound or not, that is a different matter and personal.

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I'm curious how adding the Topping A90 dedicated headphone amplifier to the DX7 Pro would sound (connected via XLR).
Anyone here using the DX7 Pro together with A90? How does that combination sound, compared to just the DX7 Pro?

I have great respect for Amirm's review on the A90 as well as I respect The Honest Audiophie's review on the A90.
One conclusion is: "A90 ranks as the best amplifier tested sofar", the other conclusion is "A90 is lifeless, bland, lacks depth and layering, sounds unnatural and unrealistic". Can both conclusions be right at once? Perhaps they can. How does one interpret these two vastly different conclusions?
 
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dkinric

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I think the overarching point is that other's subjective comments (ie lifeless, bland, how good it sounds, etc) is just their personal interpretation in the moment. Here at ASR, we mostly focus on what happens with the music before it hits yours ears. What happens between your ears and your brain is different for everyone, and even trying to pick words to describe what you think you are hearing is basically useless, because not only will others hear it differently, the adjectives they try and use to describe it are up for interpretation and imprecise. Reading about a stranger's experience on the internet has almost nothing to do with your experience. Combined with the study of psychoacoustics (we usually hear what we want to hear or think we should hear, whether it is there or not), it's just not reliable to put much stock in other's opinions. That's why we focus on the measured performance, so everyone is starting on the same page.

Maybe check this out:
 

Veri

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What happens between your ears and your brain is different for everyone, and even trying to pick words to describe what you think you are hearing is basically useless, because not only will others hear it differently, the adjectives they try and use to describe it are up for interpretation and imprecise. Reading about a stranger's experience on the internet has almost nothing to do with your experience. Combined with the study of psychoacoustics (we usually hear what we want to hear or think we should hear, whether it is there or not), it's just not reliable to put much stock in other's opinions. That's why we focus on the measured performance, so everyone is starting on the same page.

Maybe check this out:

Excellent summary. Thanks
 

Triamping

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Thanks for clarifying @dkinric. Enjoyed reading your comment...
I am now becoming aware of the actual meaning and the philosophy behind ASR (with emphasis on the word science) as a place for measurable, scientific and objective findings. From now on I will narrow my posts to those that fit this forum better.
 

dkinric

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Hey, well, welcome to ASR! You can learn a lot from here, we have many technical and industry experts with a lot of experience and knowledge. Of course, you can post whatever you want, and people certainly talk about their impressions, but just realize that it's only yours - someone else may have a completely different impression and experience that is just as real to them.
 

gvl

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Will the sound improve greatly if one would connect the HD600 to the 4 pin differential XLR headphone input on this unit?

Shouldn’t matter much, if anything it’ll make you run at a lower volume setting which will somewhat negatively affect SNR, but I doubt it’ll be audible. If it makes you feel better I didn’t find love with my Dx7 pro either so it had to go.
 
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Triamping

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@gvl interesting thanks for sharing your views and experience.
And... did you find love (with another DAC/headphone amp) or are you still in search?
 

gvl

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@gvl interesting thanks for sharing your views and experience.
And... did you find love (with another DAC/headphone amp) or are you still in search?

I seem to be more in agreement with what I get out from the SMSL M400/SP400 combo, both with the HD6XXs and my Adam S3X monitors, but it may well be the placebo effect as all my attempts to directly a/b different DACs seem to suggest they all sound about the same. The headphone sound improvement may have some ground as the SP400 is a better amp than the DX7 Pro built in.
 

kiyu

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False, quotation needed. What's missing from the measurements, some kind of black magic? Am I even on ASR here?

Do better

Maybe you right and I don't know how to read Amir's measurements, please would you be so kind to teach me which value/metric determines the soundstage of a headphone/amp? I guess in that you would say that solid state and valve amp have the same soundstage then? Which is the value for imagining?
please let me know I would be very interested in learning those things
Thanks!
I will really wait for your reply! :D
 

Veri

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Maybe you right and I don't know how to read Amir's measurements, please would you be so kind to teach me which value/metric determines the soundstage of a headphone/amp? I guess in that you would say that solid state and valve amp have the same soundstage then? Which is the value for imagining?
please let me know I would be very interested in learning those things
Thanks!
I will really wait for your reply! :D
-Crosstalk can indicate a "crossfeed"-like effect on sound stage. But you need to have a truly terrible crosstalk measurement for it to be indicative of such an effect (worse than -60 dB since that is still "fair"). Maybe some tubes/tube amps distort the stage so hard that you perceive it as wider. Otherwise, usually the "louder" voltage outputting device simply sounds better, wider, bigger, etc. It's too easy to 'compare' in a not very elaborate way and think one device sounds that much better. Thinking that is not proof by itself. I've thought of ridiculous things myself, before realising I was fooling myself all along. Most hi-fi sites are just feeding you bullshit and it's all too easy to believe it.

-I've owned tube amps. Besides a high noise floor, I never once heard the magic in terms of better weight, vocals, stage or any of that. I currently own zero such amps, because I don't see what's nice about them besides glowing tube aesthetics. That's my conclusion, at least, you are free to think or believe or prefer what you want. But there is objectively, nothing there that shows "better imaging" or such so. If you are 100% sure about such properties, the burden of proof is on the one claiming things. I for one will not believe those statements without anything backing them up. Anecdotal/subjective findings hold more weight on a forum like head-fi than one such as ASR.

Hope that clears things up.
 
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robertospeed

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Excuse me if I ask him here, do you recommend a good DAC DSD with XLR outputs and even with headphone output? I have a budget of 800 euros and I don't know if you take this topping DX7 Pro or another
 
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