Review and Measurements of Topping DX3Pro DAC and Headphone Amp

[simonchretien]

In Tidal around -25 with HD6XX, games -20, sometimes -15 for some videos, some classical music etc...

 

[yue]

There is no way you guys are listening to -40db, you would be listening almost to ambient sound with HD6x0. With final sonorous it makes sense -30/-25.

My hearing is starting to get worse but I have no issues listening pop at -50db and classical at -40db. If I were 10 years younger I would even lower the volume further more. I don’t hear more details when I turn up the volumes. At -50 db I can already sufficiently hear all instruments very clearly in pop music. And in most times I can reliably tell difference between cd and 192kbps mp3. For classical music with 10+ different instruments playing at the same time I can’t tell all the textures at -40db but getting it to -20db doesn’t help making a difference except making my ears painful. A full conductor score helps me to understand more about music, not volume.

For recordings made in 1970s I can even hear the recording noise floor at -40 db.

 

[bleachershane]

Here's the specs for my PSB M4U 1 headphones:

Sensitivity average in band from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, dB/V
118,8
Impedance average in band from 40 Hz to 15 kHz, ohm
35,8
For 94,0 dB SPL need, VRMS
0,057
For 94,0 dB SPL need, mW
0,092

My listening volumes average from -33 to -27dB depending on mastering levels.

Listening levels are an extremely personal thing, some people have desensitised themselves to extremely loud volumes, some do not need extreme volume for comfortable, detailed listening. Even with the same pair of headphones, same music and same set up, different people will listen at widely varying levels.

I do have to wonder about some of the people listening at high levels and on high gain. Are their system volumes all set at maximum as they should be? Is something in the chain not quite right?

 

[lystor]

@gypsygib
Hi,I saw your comment about dx3 pro, it's seems like you are using dx3pro to drive dt1990pro. I want to buy a pair of dt1990pro, and I have dx3pro already. Are they matching with each other well?
Thank you.

I have both DT-1990 Pro and DT-1770 Pro.
They work perfectly with DX3Pro and much better than Schiit Modi 3 + Magni 3, Modi Multibit + Vali 2, Jotunheim Multibit I had before.
DT-1990 / DT-1770 have sibilants with Schiit combos.
In contrast sound with DX3Pro is crystal clean.

 

[noel_fs]

I have both DT-1990 Pro and DT-1770 Pro.
They work perfectly with DX3Pro and much better than Schiit Modi 3 + Magni 3, Modi Multibit + Vali 2, Jotunheim Multibit I had before.
DT-1990 / DT-1770 have sibilants with Schiit combos.
In contrast sound with DX3Pro is crystal clean.

Could you give us more details about the comparisong dx3 vs schiit stack, i would really appreciate it to be able to slap some people on discord

 

[pejakovic1]

It is true. I remember the first time I used DT-990 pro too. It was quite sibilant with other DAC/Amps, with DX3 it's much less sharp. Needless to say I sold DT-990 as it was unbearable without a tube amp, with DX3 it sounds good, but still a bit sharp in some songs. HD 660s replaced them tho, they are a bit boring and lacking in the bass region, sub bass I mean.

 

[noel_fs]

It is true. I remember the first time I used DT-990 pro too. It was quite sibilant with other DAC/Amps, with DX3 it's much less sharp. Needless to say I sold DT-990 as it was unbearable without a tube amp, with DX3 it sounds good, but still a bit sharp in some songs. HD 660s replaced them tho, they are a bit boring and lacking in the bass region, sub bass I mean.

How much time you've been with senns? I think its just getting used to "subtle" bass. I kinda enjoy it in long periods it doesn't ever hammer my head while I still enjoy listening the music at all times

 

[pejakovic1]

How much time you've been with senns? I think its just getting used to "subtle" bass. I kinda enjoy it in long periods it doesn't ever hammer my head while I still enjoy listening the music at all times

Few months, songs just recently started sounding enjoyable. Both DT-990 and DT-1990 are lacking in the voices department imho. Mostly listen to metal, rock etc... But what I don't like is heavily colored sound of DT-990. Just a matter of time before I get used to them on DX3 pro. Still the bass is a bit better on DX3 then on other devices I've tested.

 

[y845133y]

From the datasheet of TPS54331... 160mA. Maybe here is the problem.

The TPS54331 provides 5v to DAC and XU208. If the DX3 pro is connected to PC by USB. The power consumption is 188.45mA which is above 160mA. But the +/-10v is for op amp and headphone amp, the loading is changed by the input waveform. I can't make sure it works in ECO mode or CCM mode.
1. AK4493: 44mA x 2pcs = 88mA @44.1kHz

2.XU208:100.45mA @44.1kHz
*If the core works on lowest power consumption(63MIPS)[email protected]

*Total power = 63MIPSx0.325mA + 45mA + 26.7mA + 8.27mA = 100.45mA

 

[777]

The TPS54331 provides 5v to DAC and XU208. If the DX3 pro is connected to PC by USB. The power consumption is 188.45mA which is above 160mA. But the +/-10v is for op amp and headphone amp, the loading is changed by the input waveform. I can't make sure it works in ECO mode or CCM mode.
1. AK4493: 44mA x 2pcs = 88mA @44.1kHz
View attachment 21586
2.XU208:100.45mA @44.1kHz
*If the core works on lowest power consumption(63MIPS)[email protected]
View attachment 21587
*Total power = 63MIPSx0.325mA + 45mA + 26.7mA + 8.27mA = 100.45mA

View attachment 21588

The most important is output impedance of the analog power supply. Yestarday I was trying a gyrator of 24mA between +10v and -10v and it work very well. Today I'll rise up the current at 100mA and above.

 

[Megatronic]

Hello. Can i make combo like dx3 pro with jds atom? Or i need pure dac for that setup? If i can, how do I need to connect them, through which connector? Will there be any improvement in sound quality?

 

[Yuno]

Hello. Can i make combo like dx3 pro with jds atom? Or i need pure dac for that setup? If i can, how do I need to connect them, through which connector? Will there be any improvement in sound quality?

Sure you can, RCA outputs set to line out volume fixed on dx3 pro feeding into atom. I think it's a waste of money though, dx3 pro is nice all in one unit but if you just need dac then something like ol dac, topping d10, or sdac will be more than enough, cheaper and (especially ol dac and sdac) more reliable.

 

[flipflop]

@pejakovic1 I'll suggest that you equalize your headphones if you're unhappy with the sound quality.

 

[noel_fs]

@pejakovic1 I'll suggest that you equalize your headphones if you're unhappy with the sound quality.

EQing wont change the sound quality and will get worse

 

[Yuno]

EQing wont change the sound quality and will get worse

And what exactly makes you think so? Are all of those pro devices using DSP intentionally lowering the quality of sound? Do you even understand what EQ does and how it works?

 

[noel_fs]

And what exactly makes you think so? Are all of those pro devices using DSP intentionally lowering the quality of sound? Do you even understand what EQ does and how it works?

That is not the same.

 

[MusicNBeer]

That is not the same.

If the eq inverts the frequency response coloring of the headphones, it will sound neutral. There's no reason this can't sound better than with no eq.

 

[noel_fs]

If the eq inverts the frequency response coloring of the headphones, it will sound neutral. There's no reason this can't sound better than with no eq.

Then a 10$ headphones would sound perfect IQing it.

Its not that plain and simple, speakers dont reproduce one frequency at a time, they reproduce a lot of frequiencies at the exact same time, and you are giving them voltage, so by changing the frequencies you are modifying how the voltage is supposed to be supplied therefore how do you know the headphones are gonna still sound with the same sound signature and THD that they were designed. How do you know how are they going to react in real world music reproduction with all the variables it has.

Sure you can maybe tweak it sightly to your taste, but you are not gonna make them sound better, in any case they will get worse.

 

[Yuno]

Then a 10$ headphones would sound perfect IQing it.

Its not that plain and simple, speakers dont reproduce one frequency at a time, they reproduce a lot of frequiencies at the exact same time, and you are giving them voltage, so by changing the frequencies you are modifying how the voltage is supposed to be supplied therefore how do you know the headphones are gonna still sound with the same sound signature and THD that they were designed. How do you know how are they going to react in real world music reproduction with all the variables it has.

Sure you can maybe tweak it sightly to your taste, but you are not gonna make them sound better, in any case they will get worse.

Equalization is not changing anything on the headphones side, it is changing the signature of digital input fed into headphones. This might improve or decrease quality of audio that you perceive, depending on how you do it. You are right in the regard to limitation of driver (you are not going to get incredible audio quality out of $10 headphones), but there is no rule that EQ can't improve audio quality.
For example, headphones such as dt990 might be unbearable for some people due to sibilance. You might EQ them on those specific frequencies to reduce the sibilance. This is subjectively improvement of audio quality.
That aside, I personally think that if someone needs to EQ their headphones out of box, then why would they buy those headphones (or not return) in first place.

 

[BYRTT]

Then a 10$ headphones would sound perfect IQing it...

Guess it could if it has the native bandwidth from beginning and within reason of headroom we only EQ its direct sound wave with a precise correct inverse curve, what i mean is say that 10$ headphone roll off at lows -3dB at 150Hz and rolls off at highs -3dB at 6kHz we can forget it because it needs so much boost at stopband corners to reach say a 20Hz-20kHz audioband that it will develope too much distortion, and about only do EQ for direct sound wave is because if measured response have some inherent reflections here and there its not easy anymore because phase in reflections have other timing than a normal minimum phase domain EQ correction tool.

...Its not that plain and simple, speakers dont reproduce one frequency at a time, they reproduce a lot of frequiencies at the exact same time, and you are giving them voltage, so by changing the frequencies you are modifying how the voltage is supposed to be supplied therefore how do you know the headphones are gonna still sound with the same sound signature and THD that they were designed. How do you know how are they going to react in real world music reproduction with all the variables it has...

Agree that for measured acoustic domain responses there are often limitations and not so plain and simple as doing pure electric domain EQ corrections.

...Sure you can maybe tweak it sightly to your taste, but you are not gonna make them sound better, in any case they will get worse.

If you happy about a little test and happen have HD650 cans i can share short convoluted piece of a track you can play back verse the same non convoluted piece of the same track to see if it can change your point of view about EQ for those cans : )