Review and Measurements of Topping DX3Pro DAC and Headphone Amp

[Alex rus]

I bought this device for my Philips sph9000 headphones. The price of Topping DX3PRO was 159USD with all discounts (Aliexpress, Aoshida) .
Tell me if there is an alternative to dx3pro in this price category as a DAC + Headphone Preamp?
Also... Is the power supply to the device its weakest link?

 

[Yuno]

Tell me if there is an alternative to dx3pro in this price category as a DAC + Headphone Preamp?

There is nothing that even comes close. JDS Labs the element is double price with subpar perfomance and half functionality. This is cheaper than old budget kings (o2+odac). The only thing that could go wrong with this thing is QC issues, which we will see in the future.

Also... Is the power supply to the device its weakest link?

Seems to me like a standard 15V 1A brick. Out of pure curiosity I also ordered another standard brick from Aliexpress ($3 total with shipping), will check if it will be compatible once it arrives.

In case anyone is wondering, power bricks will come with American plug (flat). Spoke with Aoshida about it, you will need US->EU adapter (unless they add it to package). They promised to add it for me but this thing is like $0.30 anyways so you can just buy your own.

Also $159 is an amazing price, I paid $184 with coupons included, ordering on 10.11. I expected price to not go down anymore since everyone on Ali was offering 11.11 prices like a week before actual event. Not a big deal though, $220 to $184 is still great.

 

[Alex rus]

1. I'm talking about the external power of the device as a whole. How will the external unit affect the sound quality?
2. Sorry, QC=quality control?
3. Are you new user?)

 

[mikehoopes]

1. I'm talking about the external power of the device as a whole. How will the external unit affect the sound quality?
2. Sorry, QC=quality control?

Alex, that would have to be tested, but I have doubts that there would be an issue. There are conflicting schools of thought on this subject; a good portion of the audiophile community have serious SMPS-phobia, and say they can hear the difference. That said, most SMPS implementations have switching fundamentals from 50 KHz to 1 MHz, the audibility of which does not present a serious engineering challenge to mitigate.

The biggest issue of SMPS, from my point of view, is durability. Electrolytic caps are the most common weak link in SMPS, so well-engineered switchers need to have them properly specified and sourced. That's not difficult for engineers skilled in the art, as long as the bean-counters don't substitute inferior alternative parts.

And yes, QC is quality control.

 

[Hammondk]

I doubt it's audible unless proven otherwise. Would anyone here have a good example please kindly share the knowledge. I am really curious.

 

[SiW]

Are laptop SMPS preferred to use compared to smaller wall wart options for longevity and ‘quality’ of design and builld?

Simon

 

[john100a]

How do you switch between PRE-Outs (RCA) and the front headphone output? Do you have to disconnect the headphones?

 

[mikehoopes]

How do you switch between PRE-Outs (RCA) and the front headphone output? Do you have to disconnect the headphones?

The remote has buttons dedicated to each of those outputs.

 

[geoemm]

I bought this device for my Philips sph9000 headphones. The price of Topping DX3PRO was 159USD with all discounts (Aliexpress, Aoshida) .
Tell me if there is an alternative to dx3pro in this price category as a DAC + Headphone Preamp?
Also... Is the power supply to the device its weakest link?

i bought the SMSL Panda stack for the same price.. dont know how it compares. But Zeos seems to love it for some reason. I thought for that price, it was a good buy from massdrop.

 

[pauze]

I'm in the market for a DAC and Amp, and am too impatient to wait for another drop of the Massdrop THX AAA 789, so I couldn't resist buying a DX3PRO with all the coupons available. Thanks all for the heads-up on that deal.

 

[Wolven]

Funny, how a little DX3pro has created a lot of excitement. Initially I was going to wait until Black Friday before getting a DAC, but came to conclusion that the deal was good enough to pull the trigger now. Cannot wait.

 

[maxxevv]

If you guys are based in the US , then be prepared for a pretty long wait for the Aliexpress buys due to the deluge of parcels being shipped during the sale. ( To put in perspective, the combined Aliexpress, Taobao and related sites sales hit US$30B. Compared to all the major sales in the US, that's gargantuan!! )

Last year, the longest an item took to get to me was 6 weeks. Normally, I get it from the same seller at between 2.5~3.5 weeks.

Time to practice some deep breathing exercises in anticipation of the long wait..

 

[Toku]

Last year, the longest an item took to get get to me was 6 weeks. Normally, i get it from the same seller at between 2.5~3.5 weeks.

I can not stand waiting for such a long period for Japanese people!!!!

Based on my experiences, items from Aliexpress will arrive around 7 to 14 days. Delivery using DHL is the fastest.

 

[maxxevv]

If you're paying for courier such as DHL and EMS, then the delay is usually just a few extra days due to the overwhelming backlog of parcels being processed. If you're using the cheapest parcel service, expect minimum an extra 1 week. And can be as much as an extra 2~2.5 weeks.

My fastest "normal, non-courier free shipping" parcel delivery ever was 6 days to my location. The longest was 40 days. The likewise fastest for 11.11 sales was 14 days longest being about (6 weeks or) 45 days.

This is my experience for the past 2 years. How it pans out this year remains to be seen.

 

[Bliman]

Sorry if I am stupid again. But if I buy this amplifier.
Do you then connect it with the computer with a USB port to have the best sound? And then a seperate wall plug?
Or do you have to use it in another way to connect to the computer?

 

[Wolven]

Sorry if I am stupid again. But if I buy this amplifier.
Do you then connect it with the computer with a USB port to have the best sound? And then a seperate wall plug?
Or do you have to use it in another way to connect to the computer?

It looks like wall plug is required and supplied, and USB to the computer for best sound.

 

[mi-fu]

I can not stand waiting for such a long period for Japanese people!!!!

Based on my experiences, items from Aliexpress will arrive around 7 to 14 days. Delivery using DHL is the fastest.

DHL (I think epacket) from China to USA is horrible though. It first goes to Hong Kong, then Germany. Then goes to USA and gets transferred to USPS for delivery. Last time it waited a few days for each stop!!

 

[Timbo2]

I can not stand waiting for such a long period for Japanese people!!!!

Based on my experiences, items from Aliexpress will arrive around 7 to 14 days. Delivery using DHL is the fastest.

It's because you're not just "Toku" you're "Tokubetsu"!

Sorry for the bilingual oyaj gag...

 

[john100a]

The remote has buttons dedicated to each of those outputs.

Can you do it from the unit itself? Does the Pre-out attenuate when you do, as to not accidently blast a line-out and get ear damage?

 

[amirm]

Can you do it from the unit itself? Does the Pre-out attenuate when you do, as to not accidently blast a line-out and get ear damage?

You can from front panel but it is more cumbersome. So I just keep the remote next to it. And for line out, it has two modes: full and volume controlled. It cycles through it. So I always pause the music before messing with that.